Five Signs that Your Local Marketing Needs a Tune-up

Local marketing is a powerful tool that can help any business generate leads and close new business at a local level. It is an unreasonable expectation to think that most business people will be highly skilled in the fine art of local marketing so here’s a quick snapshot of some pointers that may indicate that your local marketing could do with a tune up.

1.Your business is mono-tactical in its approach to generating leads and winning new business. This is quite common – especially amongst small businesses. For example a local plumber may advertise in the local classifieds to generate 100% of his leads and sales. Some companies may use a handful of local marketing tactics. The point here is that your business will go from strength to strength if it increases the actual number of local marketing tactics used.

2.Your company doesn’t have a local marketing budget allocated, but instead will look at opportunities as they arise. This is another popular approach amongst franchisees and small businesses. The key here is that there is no pro-activeness in funding and executing local marketing strategies on a regular basis. Imagine the possibilities that arise when you regularly allocate funds to local marketing programs.

3. Your firm is oblivious to peaks and troughs in your revenue cycle and schedules local marketing activities without thinking about the impact they may have at various times of the year. Just as you wouldn’t dare plant carrots in June because they won’t grow, there my be times during the year when local marketing will have a minimal impact on your target market whilst at other times clients will be falling all over themselves to do business with you. Identifying these cycles and making the most out of them is the key to being successful.

4.Your company doesn’t track the return on investment it gets from any local marketing activity that it implements. This is possibly the biggest local marketing sin a business can commit. Without a formal review of the success of local marketing activities undertaken a company can’t realistically make a well considered decision to replicate or reject a tactic that it has used.

5.Your business doesn’t have a formal, conscious plan that incorporates the use of other people’s people and other people’s money. Your suppliers, local business associations, sponsorship properties and even charitable organisations have much power in being able to assist you in successfully marketing your business throughout your local territory. By identifying ways to use other people’s people, money, resources, advertising, business relationships, time and capital a company can expand its local marketing capability and reach.

So there you have it – some common local marketing mistakes that franchisees and small businesses tend to make and some of the ways to overcome them. By addressing one or more of these five areas a company can positively impact the number of leads and new sales it can attract through local marketing activities.

For more information about local marketing and local area marketing planning, contact Greg Mullane, Marketing Manager, LAM Plan

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Your Attitude Determines Your Business Future

smiley-faceYou have found a business for sale, you have bought it, so what now? With all the pieces of your new business just about in place, there is a crucial Issue to discuss, You. The most important ingredient in small business is the owner, and the most important ingredient in the owner is their attitude to both the business, and their customers.

Your attitude will to a great degree govern your success in business. Some people when they leave their jobs to start up their own business, unravel and get lazy. This is probably due to the fact they are no longer intimidated by the boss into doing the right thing. Self discipline can be a real problem with some people, they just can’t motivate themselves without some degree of external pressure. This, I believe is the biggest problem you will face.

You should watch for the warning signs, opening late, closing early, having long lunches, never getting jobs finished on time or at all, not returning calls, letting accounting paperwork lag behind, taking days off because you couldn’t be bothered working and so on. It is so easy to slip into bad habits, so be aware.

Try and remain accustomed to at least working the same hours as you were in your employed job and set yourself targets. Targets and goals will impose pressure on you to perform.

The next attitude problem comes from lack of determination.

Some small business owners fall to pieces every time there is problem or a crisis. This style of attitude will also assist you to go out of business very quickly.

You must never give up, for your own sake you must push on because you will strike plenty of problems and go through several serious crisis’s before things settle down, this is common to all new businesses.

The best thing to do is work through the problem in a calm and systematic way. Whilst you may feel at the time “this is the end” and “I’ve had enough”, this is a normal reaction that will pass. It often helps to join business groups and talk to other business owners about common problems.

You then must solve the problem and keep going. I’m sure attitude and determination has a lot to do with the 90% of businesses that fail. It’s ridiculous to think that a business goes down the drain because the owner had a poor attitude or “had a wobbly”, but it does happen. Make sure you’re not one of them.

The last issue to discuss is your attitude to customers. Keep this in mind, regardless of whether you like the particular person, all customers contribute to your profitability and success so treat them with respect and courtesy. It’s amazing how quickly customers will desert you if they feel you are rude to them. No customers – no money — no business! Always remain courteous, helpful and above all friendly, never allow personal or business problems to raise their heads in front of customers.The future of your business is in your hands.

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If you are looking for a business for sale have a look at what http://www.business2sell.com.au/ has to offer. There is a huge range of businesses for sale listed, by both owner operators and business brokers. STB2S090309

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Unpretentious Melbourne: Arts Heartland of Australia


As so often in Australia’s history, Melbourne was founded through deception when adventurer John Batman, an Australian fluent in several aboriginal languages, made a “deal” with aborigines to lease land on behalf of investors.

While offering the Aborigines any compensation at all was progressive in a colonial culture that preferred to simply run them off the land, the fact that the native people had little understanding of rents, leases or indeed, the concept that land was something to be bought, sold and leased at all, made his arrangements no less exploitative. In return for a long term lease of 240,000 hectares of the finest grazing land in Australia, Batman gave the aborigines axes, salt, flour, blankets and jewelry. The total value of the goods was said to have been around £200.

Colonial rulers later declared his leases illegal, claiming that the government, not the Aborigines, were the true owners of the land. After paying Batman compensation, they took over the lands and founded a settlement as the seat of Victorian regional government. The settlement became the city of Melbourne in 1837, named after Viscount Melbourne, the British prime minister at the time.

A strict town plan

Melbourne s location was its strongest suit. While the “acquired” farmland was of excellent quality, the citys location on the banks of the Yarra River and well protected Port Phillip Bay contributed to its rapid commercial development. The influx of energetic immigrants and eager investors from England were factors in the economic growth of the young city.

Once the city had 5,000 residents, city planners intervened and imposed a strict grid plan to check chaotic growth in every direction. Melbournes planners decreed that every main street would be exactly 30 metres wide, with perpendicular side streets one third that width. The strict grid plan has been in place ever since.

Melbourne became the capital of the new Victoria Colony in 1851. As luck would have it, miners in the outback came upon a rich seam of gold just four days later. Melbourne prospered like no other city on the continent, even after the gold rush waned.

A second boom was sparked by industrial development and immigration after World War II. Melbournes population more than tripled, and the plains around the Yarra River gradually grew crowded as 3 million people from 140 nations arrived to claim their piece of the Australian dream.

City planners again stepped in, authorising the construction and development of suburbs and satellite towns. In the downtown commercial districts, Melbourne began building upward and skyscrapers appeared on the horizon.

A rather unassuming city, Melbournes grand sights are few in comparison to trendy Sydney. Of course, there is still a great deal to see, including the Melbourne Museum, the State Parliament, the royal exhibition buildings, the Stock Market, majestic St. Patrick s Cathedral and Flinders Street Station.  Freshwater Place is a luxury residential complex, with a striking, elegant design that makes it Australias thinnest building as well as one of its tallest.

Melbourne is well known for book shops, live shows and the arts. Many northerners desperate for culture travel south to Melbourne for their arts fix. Melbourne hosts a world class writers festival and comedy festival.

Melbourne is also renowned for sports. The annual Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix held at the Albert Park Circuit is famous around the world, but there are many more sporting highlights to enjoy.

The professional tennis season starts here with the Australian Open, drawing the best players in the world to compete in the first of four major tournaments. Local sports attract an even greater following.

When the Magpies, Bombers and Kangaroos take the field, life is frozen in time. Melbournes football players have always been their sports heroes, but cricket and rugby are also popular. The Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL) takes place each year at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. One of the eight Melbourne teams usually participates.
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Want lightening fast SEO results? Build a Blog.

The exponential rise of blogging as part of the web 2.0 phenomenon has taken the Internet by storm. Smart online and offline marketers and business owners are now using blogs as an additional tool to generate leads, add credibility and improve their search engine rankings. Here are eight reasons why you should set up your own blog:

Blogging gives you products and services personality. People like to do business with people they like. By blogging you show your target market that there is a real person behind the company or product you represent. By reading you blog posts they get an idea of what you’re all about – warts and all. The personal aspect of blogging is one of it’s most powerful characteristics.

Blogging is entertaining. Yes, blogging can be great fun. Just open you posting window and go for it without the restrictions of corporate style guides and other impediments to creativity. Got something to say? Just say it. The other fun aspect of blogging is that people can post comments about your blog posts. You posts plus reader comments all become valuable food for the search engines.

Blogging encourages community. Bloggers love to talk online to other bloggers. If you join blogging communities and make a worthwhile contribution you will see your traffic skyrocket. It’s all about content – fast, useful and entertaining content that people enjoy reading.

Driving traffic to blogs is easy You’ve probably heard about social bookmarking sites like digg.com and reddit.com ? A large proportion of submissions to these sites are blog entries. Want to promote you product? Write an honest review of your product on your blog then submit that blog entry to a social bookmarking site and see what happens.

Blogging is inexpensive. The most powerful blogging systems are free. Wordpress is one of the blogging standards and now comes bundled with many cheap web hosting packages. For less than $100 per year anyone can get their own domain with blogging included.

I wouldn’t use one of the free blogging services unless you are really desperate. You can’t be sure if they will always remain free and your posts will be building up someone else’ asset rather than your own.

It’s fast and easy. If you can use Microsoft Notepad you can blog. The user interface is very intuitive and allows you to add and edit, text, pictures, videos, whatever you want. Want to change the look and layout of your blog? There’s literally hundreds of themes available that take less than a minute to upload and install.

Your blog site becomes another Internet asset. Some blog sites get thousands and thousands of readers each day. This traffic can be converted to hard, cold cash through Google Adsense advertising, affiliate programs and straight advertising space sale. Some people make hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, from providing excellent content through their blogs. Once you blog increases it’s Google PageRank, you also get the benefit of linking out from your blog site to other web sites you want to promote.

Search engines love blogs, I mean really love them. It is said in many SEO forums that Google staff are great bloggers and subsequently Google spiders and indexes blogs more frequently that normal web sites. This may just be a rumour, but I have found it to be true in my case. If you blog every day there’s a good chance Google and the other major search engines will spider your blog every day looking for that new content. I have seen blog postings get spidered and indexed and ranking well in as little as 30 minutes. It seems the blog RSS feeds go straight into the search engines’ data centres. Go to Google and do a search on Blue Nike Sneakers and you will see what I mean.

Convinced? Give blogging a try. There’s stacks of free resources listed in article directories like this one that will help you get into blogging.

John Hacking is Marketing Manager for a web site design Brisbane company and Product Manager for a Brisbane SEO firm. He has just started an SEO blog .

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August 9, 2007 • Posted in: Blogging • No Comments

May Favourite Social Bookmarking Sites

social bookmarkingSocial bookmarking is all the range in 2009. It’s a proven method of drawing traffic to your web site and for gaining those valuable links that we all covet. Basically all you do is share your favourite web site links with others then other people vote your links up or down depending on how interesting or useful they are.

Most of the sites below use the very popular Scuttle or Scuttle Plus software. If you have any to add, please leave a comment.

http://blogmemes.com/user/blogshot
http://bookmarkingservice.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://bookmarkpages.net/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://bookmarktracker.com/bt/14030246.68774469/mybookmarks
http://communitybookmarkingsite.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://delicious.com/blogshot
http://digitalsoul.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://faves.com/users/blogshot
http://getboo.com/userb.php?uname=blogshot
http://get-noticed.org/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://gig.lubin.pl/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://go.pisz.pl/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://goandfindit.info/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://gyach.com/user/view/history/login/blogshot
http://massbookmark.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://meexed.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot/
http://mpog.us/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://mysocialbookmarks.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://mytwopence.net/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://nuts4.info/bookmarks/blogshot
http://p4pswap.com/bookmarks/blogshot/bookmarks/blogshot
http://pickthetoptopics.info/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://positivedomain.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://profitbybookmarking.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://saveyour.info/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://searchles.com/people/show/blogshot/posts
http://splattered.net/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://spotback.com/users/blogshot
http://subjoin.su.funpic.de/user.php?login=blogshot&view=history
http://taggerific.info/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://tgv.org.uk/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://topsiteslive.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://tsnumi.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://tunetiger.info/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://tunetiger.info/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://typhoonleads.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://wagg.it/user/view/history/login/blogshot
http://web20fx.com/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://www.4glory.pl/bookmarks.php/blogshot
http://www.a1-webmarks.com/links-blogshot.html
http://www.ebookmark.co.za/bookmarks/blogshot
http://www.furl.net/member/blogshot
http://www.highvibeit.com/user/view/history/login/blogshot
http://www.indianpad.com/user/blogshot/bookmarks
http://www.mister-wong.com/user/blogshot/
http://www.topstorybox.com/user/view/history/login/blogshot

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My Favourite and Best Article Directories – SEO Experiment

article-directoriesI’m a great advocate of article marketing. It’s a great way of building quality traffic, links and credibility. The trouble is there’s tens of thousands of article directries out there. Which ones to use?

Well after 18 months of experimentation I have found the following article directories bring the most traffic and give my sites the best visibility in Google. Enjoy.

If you have any favourites that aren’t listed here, please leave a comment with the url.

www.ezinearticles.com
www.articlesbase.com
www.articlesphere.com
www.goarticles.com
www.a1articles.com
www.articlesfactory.com
www.isnare.com
www.amazines.com
www.thefreelibrary.com
www.goinglegal.com
www.marketing-articles-directory.com
www.wotarticle.com
www.free-articles-zone.com
www.abcarticledirectory.com
www.amazines.com
www.blogola.com
www.article-buzz.com
www.content4reprint.com
www.buzzle.com
www.azarticles.com
www.website-articles.net
www.articlealley.com
www.ideamarketers.com
www.gertbruhn.com
www.articlesbase.com
www.exchange-articles.info
www.articlegarden.com
www.e-topic.com
www.articlesite.co.za
www.articlestreet.com
www.travelsuggestions.net
www.familyfriendsphotos.com
www.articlelistings.com
www.free-press-release.com
www.articlealley.com
www.pokersweden.se
www.articlepedia.net
www.mynewsdigest.com

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November 3, 2008 • Posted in: Uncategorized • No Comments

Is every stainless steel bottle created equal? Protecting your health and the planet

K12-stainlessThere are two stainless steel mixing bowls in my kitchen cupboard. One seems more solid and has aged gracefully with use, the scratches are almost absorbed into the worn smooth metal surface, and it remains a grayish stainless steel colour. The second, bought at a discount store, has taken a distinct yellow tinge and is displaying tarnish, its surface seeming artificially glossy.

I understand now that there are different grades of stainless steel and the quality will affect how it wears and what toxins it may pass on to to food or liquids stored in it. How will this quality affect my choice of a stainless steel drink bottle? There are important features to look for when choosing a reusable stainless steel bottle

Stainless steel is always made using chromium, because it is what makes steel “stainless”. Other elements are also employed including nickel, nitrogen and molybdenum. These elements can leech into liquids, so it is very important that the bottle is crafted from high quality, 18/8 food-grade stainless steel – but also that you trust the manufacturer is telling the truth when they say what the bottle is made from. Some will claim to make the bottle from the thinnest and cheapest stainless steel they can in order to reduce manufacturing costs and hence pump up profits.

Other features are also important:

Consider who the manufacturer is. Do they have a long history of quality, who are the real people behind the company and what is their story? In 2004, Klean Kanteen was the first company to make a water bottle from stainless steel. They have continued to lead the way with innovative stainless steel products. Another leading sports hydration company making high quality stainless steel bottles is Nathan, using a clever straw drinking mechanism. Perhaps the grandparent of all stainless steel is Thermos, whose name has become synonymous with insulated bottles for hot water. Many of us grew up taking “the thermos” on a picnic.

From an environmental point of view, is a stainless steel bottle more eco friendly than a plastic bottle? A Life Cycle assessment study published in the New York Times in 2009, considered the environmental and health impact of stainless steel bottle from the extraction and processing of its ingredients, to its manufacture, distribution, use and final disposal. It found that if your stainless steel bottle takes the place of 50 plastic bottles, the climate is better off.

From a human point of view, who made the bottle and was that person treated fairly and compensated for their time. This is the hardest criteria to judge because few of us can actually visit the factories in China where most of the bottles are made. We can at least always go to the manufacturer’s website and ensure they have published a statement about their factory and worker conditions. Again, as with most things in life, we have to make a judgement call on whether we trust the company and what they are saying.

Written by Tracey Bailey, Founder of Biome eco friendly retail stores.

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What is Polished Concrete ?

Concrete floor polishing was initially used for a matter of function in commercial buildings and warehouses as it increases lighting using the natural reflection off the floor, eliminates dusting and is extremely low maintenance saving time and money. Polished concrete techniques have progressed and technology now allows a qualified contractor to give colour and different finishes to the concrete rendering each floor unique which has made polished concrete floors the ideal after flooring solution for residential, retail and office buildings as it is functional and visually appealing.

Concrete is manufactured from natural materials and can also be mixed with some recycled materials; the concrete itself can also be recycled. Concrete is so versatile as its durable, the materials are readily available and it can take in then radiate heat better than other floor coverings as concrete polishing doesn’t change the thermal mass of the floor which is a property that enables materials to absorb, store than release heat.

The materials in concrete absorb the energy slowly and hold it for a long period of time which can help to reduce heating and cooling requirements. Concrete floor polishing eliminates any need for additional floor coverings, all of which would require manufacturing and transportation so polished concrete reduces the effects on the environment. Depending of the quality and condition of the concrete, polished concrete has a longer life cycle than traditional floor coverings and if correctly installed by a qualified specialist in concrete floor polishing it can last forever which reduces the environmental waste which would be caused by replacing carpet, vinyl and tiles.

A polished concrete floor will resemble a polished stone floor; with a high-gloss finish the floor will have a mirror like effect. Polished concrete floors also improve the air quality, unlike carpet it doesn’t trap pollutants or bacteria and the surface is reflective which will reduce the need for unnatural lighting. Polished concrete has many more benefits which cannot be achieved from any other traditional floor covering. The concrete floor polishing process uses non-toxic chemicals, and no sealers or solvents are required.

Concrete floor polishing is created by processing the concrete surface by means of a mechanical process which involves grinding and refining the surface using diamonds till a desired finish is achieved, this process takes some time and only a qualified specialist in concrete floor polishing should be appointed to install a polished concrete floor. Polished concrete enhances the new or existing concrete which reduces the use of energy draining manufacturing processes and fossil fuels used for traditional floor coverings.

There are many different results that come from polished concrete floors by using multiple abrasives which are measured in grits which are generally applied from roughest to finest and each density will refine the surface in preparation for the desired finish. A specialist in concrete floor polishing may use up to nine different grits to achieve the durability, reflection and clarity of polished concrete and will apply a densifier which has a chemical reaction in the concrete resulting in a hard crystalline structure making the concrete floor more durable and resistant to stains, offers extra protection to the floor and prevents water from penetrating the surface. These reasons and more are why polished concrete is the eco-friendly and sustainable flooring solution which cannot be compared to any other flooring option available.

Concrete flooring is a great option. If you are considering polished concrete in Brisbane or concrete polishing in Brisbane , and would like a free onsite evaluation call (07) 5549 3573 now. We have offer our unique high-gloss finished backed with a 10 year warranty in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

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February 9, 2010 • Posted in: Uncategorized • No Comments

Get Married in Paradise? So many choices for your and your wedding party!

bride-groomWhen you get married, it is all about the love, sharing that special day with your partner, family and friends. However, as air fares get cheaper and destinations more accessible, it is becoming more and more common for couples to take their weddings off-shore, or off-state to a new and romantic location.

Why is this becoming popular? Firstly, it allows you tailor your wedding around a favourite holiday destination or place of significance. Did you dream of getting married on the beach, frangipanis in your hair and a golden sunset, but you are stuck in the city? Dream no more, tropical weddings are affordable and professional with many tropical destinations offering specialist wedding and honeymoon packages.

Destinational wedding packages can be tailored to suit your dreams. From romantic couple only escapes to complete family and friends getaways.

When thinking of taking your wedding away, beachside nuptials appear to be the preferred escape and Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the perfect destination. Cairns offers happy couples a variety of options. A ceremony on the beach, with the sand between your toes, or something more formal in a seaside chapel, followed by a beach reception with tables set up in the sand. Arrive by car, or for something different, you can kayak or even sky dive into your nuptials. Many couples have experienced the thrill of this in Cairns, Australia and it brings a whole new meaning to pre-wedding jitters or nerves.

Is this not close enough to the water for you? In Cairns, you can even get married underwater, while diving the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t believe me! ~ It has been done, underwater photographers are available to capture your special moment with nemo and a graceful sea turtle as your witness.

If that is too extreme, but you want to include a visit to the Reef in your destinational wedding, then simply plan a half day or full day trip around your nuptials. There are plenty of combinations available in Cairns Australia, from a helicopter trip to an isolated coral cay, to an exclusive charter taking you to a remote, pristine coral reef.

What about your guests? Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia are considered a must visit destination for many people. Everyone wants to go there, most just need an excuse. Make your wedding a trip of a lifetime for you and your guests by bringing them to Cairns.

As well as being a part of your special day, this tropical paradise offers a range of exciting activities. Reef trips, rainforest excursions, beach horse riding, tropical taste tours and some of the world’s leading spa retreats are all found here.

If you lean more green than blue in your wedding choices, Cairns is the only place on earth where World Heritage tropical rainforest slides down to meet the golden beaches and fringes of the Great Barrier Reef.

These are the world’s oldest continually surviving tropical rainforests and you can get married here, celebrating your love in this pristine nature’s paradise. Let towering cathedral figs be your altar, mossy pavers your aisle and falling leaves your confetti. Rainforest weddings can be as formal or informal as you like. A range of chapels are nestled amongst the greenery for more traditional ceremonies, or slip off your shoes and take your celebrant somewhere remote for a memorable ceremony.

Your guests will thank you for bringing them to this amazing tropical paradise. When they are not at your wedding, they can enjoy luxurious accommodation, explore the reef and rainforest, cuddle a koala or even take an outback tour.

There are many activities to choose from that the wedding party and guests can enjoy. There could be activities such as shopping, snorkeling, boat rides, guided tours or even wine tasting. Just keep in mind that it is typically the bride or groom or their families footing the bill so be sure not to tell your guests the cost of the bill because they more than likely would feel uncomfortable having someone else paying for them.

The great part of destination weddings is that it is usually more intimate and typically only the close family and friends come. So you could have more personal activities. You could have a sleepover the night before the wedding and have everyone over to the hotel for movies, drinks, and popcorn.

Just remember that for many of your guests your destination wedding may double as their vacation. So be sure to find out their plans so that you don’t over book. Some guests may choose to plan their own activities.

Any activities you choose, your destination wedding will be sure to be special and a long lasting memory for many years to come.

When planning your destinational wedding, make sure you use a professional Cairns wedding photographer, because you will want to capture your Cairns Wedding Photography in the best possible light. Photographers can also capture amazing images of you, whilst scuba diving in Cairns

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Communicating a Service Offering in Cairns

Because services are not touchable, marketing communications for services achieve more than promote services. Communications render services more tangible, and offer prospects something firm to consider.

As a result, marketing communications for most services haul around a heavier load than communications for products. A bright red Porsche 911 convertible, for example, chants loudly and beautifully for itself. Very few services shout for themselves at all.

We implicitly give trust to most products. We trust that our new tyres won’t explode, our white sugar will taste sweet, and our aspirin will soothe our headaches without bad side effects. But we are far less trusting and certain about most services.

We fret that our lawyers and web designers will work more than necessary, and bill more than is warranted. We worry that the latest weight loss service will fail, just like the three before it. We worry that our home renovators will exceed their budget and complete the job weeks after they agreed to. We worry that the collection agency we engage for our service will harass our customers worth keeping and collect only a small part of our outstanding receivables.

So unlike communicating about products, talking about services must make the service more tangible and real, and must reduce risk for the worried prospect. It’s not like selling Porsche automobiles.

For more information about services marketing and making services more concrete, visit Rob Johnson’s Twitter page. Sponsored by Rob Johnson of http://seocairns.seovoodoo.com.au/

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Direct Mail – One Way to Raise Donations

A mailing is often the most cost effective way to reach many potential donors. Sending letters also is a simple way to campaign. There is no need to recruit, train, manage and motivate a large team. A handful of people can run the entire operation. And you will find you will get a lot more volunteers to fold and stuff envelopes than to cold-call potential contributors. That’s not to say all one must do is write a letter, post or e-mail it, and wait for the returns.

What makes mail fundraising campaigns difficult is that they are one-sided. No allowance exists for a campaign worker to personally motivate prospects. The most enthusiastic letter simply cannot match the conversation between a skilled advocate and an open-minded potential supporter. Lacking aggressive salesmanship, only minimum gifts can be expected, no matter how well written the solicitation letter and enclosures may be.

Here’s another angle to ponder. Assume that I’m a small-donation prospect with some interest in your endeavors. There’s a good chance that I’ll donate generously to your appeal if you knock on my door or phone because your enthusiasm and presentation will be hard to resist. And how many other organisations will solicit me in these ways? Very few. But send me a solicitation letter and you place your request in the midst of enormous competition for my same donation dollar. And because it’s a letter, I have little problem withstanding its impersonal nature. If your organisation is not among my very favorites, you won’t receive a contribution of any consequence.

You see, although I think highly of your project, I have a desk piled high with fundraising letters, from the best known national charities to all sorts of noteworthy school and local groups. I am overwhelmed with mail appeals. After sorting through them and making my top-ranked selections, I find my charitable budget is about depleted. But I still care about your cause, so here’s ten bucks to show you my heart’s in the right place.

With these factors as a downside, letter solicitations produce highly profitable income derived from small-gifts for organizations that plan and carry out meticulous programs. However, first-class mailing programs get extremely involved, both creatively and from a marketing standpoint. There are six elements to understand before considering a direct mail campaign:

1. Mail solicitation is an ongoing component of annual fundraising programs. In capital campaigning, letter writing is a tool for wrapping up an appeal and giving thanks.

2. Ongoing mail appeals focus equally on retaining and upgrading present contributors while discovering and cultivating new prospects to make up for donors lost to attrition and to enlarge the donor pool. Present givers won’t always be an available source of funding.

3. Donors via mail don’t come free. Depending on the package, to obtain a new contributor, you can spend from $1.30 to $1.60 (or more) for each initial dollar raised from that person.

4. Mail programs are long-term propositions and instant financial rewards are very rare.

5. Be clear who you designate as a donor and who you label a prospect. Donors are people currently contributing to your charity. Someone who gave you a gift two years ago or a person who once contributed a painting to your auction are prospects, not donors. Get used to thinking of three distinct groups: current donors, past donor prospects, and new prospects.

6. Some prospects have more interest in and knowledge about your organisation than others. Cultivated potential donors are first approached because they represent the highest rate of return. For instance, a past donor prospect is a better bet to send you a new donation than someone who once came to a special event that you held. The person who came to the special event is more likely to fund you than someone who never heard of your group.

In planning a full scale mail campaign, don’t lose sight of the fundamental fundraising requirements. Make sure your project has compelling goals, high visibility, specific, attractive, and timely needs.

Additionally, make sure your group has start-up funds on hand for what can become a relatively large investment to get the program rolling. For example, depending on the scale of your operation, you might want to engage a letter shop or mail house to provide the many functions necessary to get your direct mail package to recipients. This is an expensive proposition.

Or you might opt to subscribe to an online software provider to help drive your mail program. Since the highest percentage of return comes from current contributors, they are the first group to target. If a goal is reachable by only contacting these people, expenses will be minimal and your problems will be solved. If that’s not realistic, additional prospects who might fund your project would need to be reached. That’s fine so long as you realize that their percentage of return will be far less than supporters.

For instance, you send a letter to current donors and perhaps {30|40|50} percent of them respond with {donations|gifts}. A letter sent to brand-new {potential donors|prospects} typically yields responses of around 0.5 percent to 2 percent. Until you’ve won over a new potential {donor|giver}, don’t expect relatively large {donations|contributions}. A return of 5 percent to 12 percent can be expected from present donors.

If your group, school or {sports club|club} is looking for fundraising ideas and easy fundraisers, have a look at Goldstar Gifts and Stationery’s easy to manage ideas for fundraising.

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Manila History

colourful-jeepneyManila is the political and economic nerve centre of the Philippines, and it serves as a drawcard for people from all over the Philippines. For most visitors from North America or Europe, this metropolis does not seem to merit more than a few days’ visit, after which the serenity of the provinces may seem all that much more attractive. Although a trip to Manila is taxing, it nevertheless gives the tourist important insights into the culture, history and politics of this island republic, insights that stem from its very wealth of contradictions.

In the sights of foreign conquerors
Natives who settled at the mouth of the Pasig River in Manila have seen a great many conquerors come and go. The first to come were the Malaysians, who arrived in the Philippines during the pre-Christian era. Hindu and Buddhist rulers from Indonesia followed. Islam reached Manila at the end of the 15th century. The Muslim reign established in the mid-sixteenth century had been in existence for barely a decade when Spanish Catholic sailors appeared on the horizon.

Colonial Manila
Miguel de Legaspi conquered Manila in 1571, declaring it to be the capital of the Spanish colony of the Philippines. Despite the ravages of World War II, when Manila was heavily bombed, traces of the city’s colonial past are still in evidence, particularly in the Intramuros district. Intramuros, literally “within the walls”, meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress. The city centre, with its partially restored wall , is the site of a number of sixteenth-century buildings including Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral and the church of San Augustin, the oldest in the city.

At the centre of power
The heart of Manila is now elsewhere, in Makati, the modern commercial and banking quarter. Elegant high rises, gorgeous residential groves, super-modern shopping centres and numerous 5 star hotels can be seen. The modern development of this quarter began in the mid-twentieth century. Like much of the development in Manila, Makati is closely connected to the politically powerful Zobel de Ayala family. The family name is found throughout the city, on streets, buildings and public monuments.

They come here not only to pray
Pasay City is located in the south-west of Manila across the superhighway from high-class Makati. On Wednesdays, Pasay is overrun with people. In Baclaran, the faithful crowd into Redemption Church, where weekly services are held in honour of the Virgin Mary. But one suspects that even more Manilans make their way to Pasay in order to patronize the neighbourhood’s famous lech6n stands, known to be the best source of that quintessential Philippine specialty, roast suckling pig.

A bit of folk culture
Throughout Manila, a light rail station is never far away. If your stomach is complaining after a feast of suckling pig, a gentle ride on this elevated railway is highly recommended. The trip back to town can also be made by Jeepney, of course, though it will be slower and more crowded.

Jeepneys were originally former US-Army jeeps that had been converted into passenger vehicles with as many as fourteen covered seats. These days, however, most Jeepneys come new from the factory. Beautiful painting and ornamentation are a must have for genuine Jeepney status. Most have religious icons as their central theme, but they may include bizarre comic strip images.

Many Jeepneys are so thoroughly covered in advertising that they resemble moving billboards, while others looks like temples on wheels. What’s important for visitors to remember, however, is that Jeepneys follow specific routes, just like buses. It is always best to inquire about the route before getting on board.

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May 22, 2009 • Posted in: Interesting • No Comments

Work from Home

Working from home is becoming more and more acceptable. I work from home and I adore it. I don’t think I could ever toil at a salon again, but I must face the possibility that I may have to move my enterprise into business premises if it keeps growing like it has in the last few years. Even if parts of my business get relocated, I’ll try to stay there myself as much as I can.

Times are changing and working from home, particularly for the self-employed or contract workers is becoming more common. It is pointless paying rent for commercial premises if they are not necessary. Working from home has many pluses.

You can work back late without getting into strife with your family. You can “drop into the office” anytime you like. You can get up really early if the mood takes you and put in a few hours work then go back to bed. But as hair dresser, there is one feature I really like, all the tax deductions!

You can claim some of your household expenses on your tax return. Based on the floor area used for business purposes, you can claim a portion of your mortgage interest, insurance, rates, water, electricity, maintenance and the bulk of your telephone bill as well as depreciation on the carpets, curtains, computer equipment and so on. At the end of the financial year you will be surprised by the list of deductions.

You will also save on travel costs, wear and tear on your car and more importantly wear and tear on you, having not to deal with peak hour or public transport. Not to mention picking up approximately an extra one to two hours per day of work when you don’t have to travel.

There is a downside to working from home. The first problem is family distractions. Kids home from school at three o’clock, a friend at the front door, phone calls for other members of the family.

You also may not have the perfect workspace, or space may be limited. Work space is vitally important, you must have an area set aside purely for business, nothing else, just business. I have found that it’s best also if you can close the door on the weekends and at the end of the day so you can “leave work”.

I think many of the attitudes of people that working from home is “unprofessional” have lapsed into history. The number of major companies that allow their workers to work from home via the internet has increased dramatically in recent times. “Outsourcing” has become a commonly used term and this has brought about a spate of self-employed former employees, most of them working from home.

The other problem that many people working from home suffer is motivation and discipline. You must start work everyday just as you would if you were employed by someone else.

Want to work from home in your own home based business for women? You can learn more about starting your own profitable and flexible home business.

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May 22, 2009 • Posted in: Blogroll • No Comments

Exciting Hong Kong

hong-kong-cityHong Kong greets visitors from all over the world with a wide grin. The urban embodiment of the balancing act between Chinese and European cultures, Hong Kong has long been one of the most exciting cities on earth.

Few travel to Hong Kong for the sights; they come for business and excitement. Hong Kong is so lively it sizzles like the oil in the woks of its ubiquitous street food vendors. Little has changed since the 1997 return of the British colony of Hong Kong to China. The city that flourished through co-operation between the Chinese and British societies is, if anything, more fascinating and colourful than ever before.

Opium highs and wars.
In the early eighteenth century, the original British traders to arrive at what would become Hong Kong, found only a few fishing villages. The region had no importance at all within the Chinese Empire and had been ignored for centuries.

The British built a trade port here in 1711, and it thrived during the early nineteenth century when goods from China were in vogue in Europe.

As the fashion for things Chinese declined the British began to deal in opium instead, harvesting it in India and importing it illegally into China, where the Qing dynasty emperor had banned its sale. When the Chinese tried to halt the imports, the British responded with force.

The resulting Opium Wars (1838-1856) were devastating for China. In 1842, the British took control of the city of Hong Kong and it became a British colony. A 1898 pact with China made Hong Kong and 234 nearby islands a British protectorate for ninety-nine years. The treaty expired in 1997.

Negotiations took place in 1982 to modify the original agreement in order to protect Hong Kong’s special status. China had originally demanded control not only of the so-called “New Territories” around the city, but also of Hong Kong itself. Through a series of agreements and negotiations, the UK was able to prevent Hong Kong from being directly incorporated into mainland China. Instead, on 1 July 1997, Hong Kong was declared a Chinese Special Administrative Region.

Skyscrapers and feng shui.
Hong Kong’s special status has allowed it to remain a modern economic hub. Despite its visible modernity, traditional ways of life are never forgotten. The ancient Chinese art of feng shui is still used with new constructions, where measurements are configured according to lucky numbers and windows positioned so as to let good luck in and bad luck out.

Skyscrapers loom where splendid colonial buildings once stood, only a few of which have survived. In the central district, the Cathedral of St. John, the former French Residence and the Legislative Council Building are among the few pre-modern buildings that remain.

Omnipresent Buddha.
Traditional life has a strong influence in the New Territories than in the city itself. Beautiful temple complexes are everywhere, built in traditional style in tranquil settings. 10,000 Buddhas Monastery is one of the most frequented. This number represents “very many” or “countless” in Chinese, rather than a specific number of Buddhas.

In fact, there are more than 10,000, perhaps as many as 13,000. The enormous bronze Buddha towering above Lo Pin Monastery on the island of Lantau is the largest Buddha in the world, measuring 26 metres tall. Visitors can climb a steep path of 260 steps to reach it. The panoramic view from the top definitely rewards the effort, as does the spiritual enlightenment achieved along the way.

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May 16, 2009 • Posted in: Scams • No Comments

How to Sell Your Vehicle

Unless you are considering keeping your old car and passing it on to someone else, you will eventually need to sell it. There’s many ways to sell it, but first let’s talk about the preparation of your vehicle prior to advertising or trading.

Presentation is the major factor
The first thing one should consider when selling an old vehicle is how you can sell it for more money. The technique, which most people seem to overlook, is to simply make it look absolutely stunning!

This does not mean just washing and vacuuming it, although that’s a very good start. It is the overall preparation and detailing that counts. This is a well-known secret of most used car dealers.

You would be surprised to see the condition of some of the vehicles they purchase, but after a few hours in the detailing shop you wouldn’t think it was the same vehicle! The best advice to anyone selling his or her car, is to have a professional car detail carried out. This will cost you around the $200 mark and it will be money well spent.

It will, in effect, save you hours of hard work trying to do it yourself with nowhere near the same result. This alone will add hundreds of dollars to your vehicle, particularly when selling via the newspaper.

I know of people who have had their vehicle detailed and fallen back in love with their car deciding not to go ahead with the sale.

Once the detailing has been carried out you should make sure any small defects are fixed. It is also important that you have the service books and any relative mechanical history at the ready, as this is now becoming a major factor when buying or selling a used car. If a service is due or near due, make sure you have it done prior to selling. This will give a prospective buyer an appreciation of how well you have kept your vehicle.

What is your car worth?
Before you start selling your vehicle, either privately or to a dealer, you must know its market value. There is nothing worse than advertising your vehicle with a highly inflated price tag.

One way to find out the approximate value of your vehicle is by studying the used car section of your local newspapers, which will give you a reasonable guideline. Another way is to look in dealership yards to see what price similar vehicles are being sold for, but you must remember these vehicles have profit margins built into them to cover the dealership’s operating costs and over-stock.

Alternatively, the web can provide a wealth of information on vehicle pricing. This is only web-based information and is generalised, so it does not give you accurate pricing on your own vehicle because of the specific condition and accessories fitted.

Sites where you can gather this type of guidance are the individual dealership web sites and vehicle pricing-guide sites such as www.redbook.com.au and www.glassguide.com.au

This data is only to assist you in making a qualified and rational decision when buying or selling your vehicle. Remember, these sites are to be used only as a guideline, they are not entirely accurate as they do not take into consideration the individual buying or selling trends within the different states.

There are always variations to the rules about pricing, so you should follow your intuition when setting a price and be sure to leave room for negotiating in your asking price. Your starting price should be higher than the price for which you really want to sell your vehicle.

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Why my thoughts are my own, when they are in, but when they are out they
are another's.
                -- Susanna Martin, executed for witchcraft, 1681