Online marketers are always on the lookout for promotional channels that are novel and are yet to be saturated with the unfortunate stigma of marketing abuse. Different people are constantly trying to find new ways by which they could promote their online enterprises.

One of the newer, and most effective, marketing strategies are press releases. Press releases are informative and objective pieces which are supposed to be newsworthy, and are circulated in PR wires for pickup by various news groups and editors. Once a press release is picked up, it can be published in various channels all over the Internet, or even through print publications.

Immediately, the sharp marketing mind would be able to see the grand potentials of press releases as amazing tools that would help them spread the word about their business. Imagine the promising things that await if ever a press release is picked up or print or online publication. Such would be tantamount to instantaneous exposure for your business to entirely new audiences!

However, you cannot simply write a press release the same way you would an article, or a content piece, or a sales letter. To employ the same style with press releases would be to court disaster. Your press release won’t be accepted by newswires, hence, it won’t have the chance to get picked up.

So how exactly should you write a press release? Let’s take a look at the guidelines below.

* Pay attention to the 5 Ws. These are Who, What, When, Where and Why. These are the questions which your press release should focus on. If you’re going to write a press release for your dog grooming business, for example, you should be able to state who you are, what your business is about, when it will, or was, launched, where it can be found and why it was established. If you are going to launch, or just launched, a new product, you would have to state who the creator is, what the product is all about, when it was or will be launched, where it can be bought, and why it was introduced to the market.

* Be objective. Remember, a press release should be a newsworthy item. News is never subjective. Stay away from flowery words that merely tend to hype up what you want to discuss. Stick with the facts, and ONLY the facts. You are writing news, not a promotional piece.

* The ultimate aim is to promote your product, but be subtle about it. To do this, reorient your focus. Try to make your press release informative instead of persuasive. Remember, you’re not writing a sales copy. You’re writing something that would announce your business or your product.

* There are three parts to a press release: the headline, the summary, and the body. The headline is the title of your piece. The summary is a paragraph that would serve as an introduction to your press release, or a summary of its most salient contents. The body is where you objectively discuss the 5 Ws.

* Length is not a factor. Don’t ever think that if you write a longer press release, it would have a better chance of getting picked up. Often, the rule is, the more concise your press release, the better its chances are of success. A 1,000 word piece is considered a little too lengthy for a press release. 300 to 700 words are succinct enough for this purpose.

Press releases can win for your business the exposure it needs. It is capable of instantaneous results for as long your press release gets picked up and published. A lot of Internet marketers have testified to the power of press releases as marketing tools. So put on your thinking cap and commence to write an objective and informative piece about your business or product, observe the guidelines we have delineated above, and ready yourself for the new audience you’re most certain to garner.

Of course this short article only gives you a brief guideline about writing effective press release. If you wish to learn more then I suggest you to download “Press Release Magic,” a 70-pages PDF manual that will give you more insight about how to promote your business using the power of press release. Here’s the download link:
http://www.privatelabelpublishing.com/press-release-magic.pdf

Bob Bastian is a successful Internet entrepreneur and a prominent info product creator. His latest website distributes quality private label content for free: www.PrivateLabelPublishing.com

Writing a terrific fundraising letter is a waste of time if your
donor throws your entire package in the trash unopened. And that
happens more often than any of us dare to think about. That’s
why your envelope is so crucial to your success.

Your envelope serves two functions and two alone. It must:

* deliver your appeal to your donor

* persuade your donor to open and read your package

Getting your appeal into the hands of your donor is not hard if
you mail to a good list, either your own house list or a rented
list of quality prospects. But persuading your donors to
actually open your envelope and read your appeal–and respond to
it with a gift–that’s the difficult part.

Your envelope faces a number of challenges.

Your donors are busy

Like you, your donors are busy. They are preoccupied with
meeting their sales quotas, finding a good paediatrician, fixing
the leak in the roof, spoiling their grandkids, finishing
college with an A average, buying a more reliable vehicle,
meeting their deadline, meeting their life partner, and making
ends meet. In the middle of their busy life, your fundraising
appeal drops through the mailbox. Should they open it, lay it
aside for later, or chuck it? Your envelope will likely decide
which.

Competition from other charities

If your donors are typical, they receive solicitations from
other non-profit organizations each week. Your envelope will
likely be one among many. How will you stand out? How will you
persuade your donor or prospective donor (or former donor) to
open your envelope first–if at all? Your envelope is your first
chance, maybe your only chance.

Competition from other mail

Your package is also competing with electricity bills, bank
statements, pizza flyers, credit card statements, personal
letters, credit card offers and junk mail. Your reader will open
these pieces of mail in a particular order, starting with the
most pressing. The size, shape, weight and look of your envelope
will determine if it gets opened or not.

Competition from other media

You are also competing with door-to-door fundraisers. And
telephone canvassers. And telethons (television fundraisers).
Not to mention the evening news, sitcoms, today’s newspaper,
CNN.com and a literal host of radio shows and satellite TV
channels. How can you get your fundraising appeal letter package
to break through this noise and reach your donor? You need to
start with your envelope.

The benefits of getting your appeal letters opened and read
are tremendous:

* you will likely immediately boost your response rate, since
more donors will read your appeal and respond with a gift, all
other things being equal

* you will increase your gift income, since higher response
rates mean more gifts

* you will reduce your cost to raise a gift, because the
increase in revenue will offset your mailing costs

* you will improve your renewal rates, since more of your
first-time donors will open, read and respond to your subsequent
appeals

* you will reduce your attrition rates, because you will keep
more donors engaged and interested in your cause

None of these benefits will be yours unless your donors open
your envelopes. That’s where the battle for your donor’s head
and heart begins. Don’t lose the battle there. Create envelopes
that are simply irresistible. Here are some tips.

Oversize Window

If you are mailing a premium, have it appear through an oversize
window.

Unusual or Unexpected Dimensions

Switch from a #10 window to something larger or smaller.

Unique Addressing

Address the letter by hand.

Use Every Inch Available

Put a dramatic photo on your envelope that stretches from one
side right across to the other.

Tease the Donor Inside

Ask a question or pose a riddle that is answered inside.

Multiple Windows

Put another window on the envelope and have something
interesting show through from the inside.

Don’t Use an Envelope

Mail your letter in a box, a cylinder or something else that
stands out.

Postage

Use a commemorative stamp.

Lumpy Mail

Put something three-dimensional, like a wrist band, in the
envelope.

Put the Donor on the Envelope

Put a message to the donor on the front or back, using their
first name.

Add a Personal Touch

Hand-write a note.

The possibilities for creative and compelling envelopes are
limited only by your imagination (and your budget, of course!).
Strive to create the most irresistible envelopes you can, with
every package you mail, and you will be rewarded with higher
response rates and higher income.

© 2006 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and
in print provided the links remain live and the content remains
unaltered (including the “About the Author” message).

Want To Create Extra Streams Of Income? Try Marketing Information In The Public Domain

Are you having problems financing your invention?

Do you need a powerful but inexpensive “give-away” to help convince people to sign-up for your free on-line newsletter or your next fee-based teleforum?

Do you need information for your book or audio tape which you can quickly access and drop in as a special chapter or section without spending any money — or doing any work?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you will find the rich resources you need in the public domain. (See previous article for detailed discussion on the public domain.) And, because this information is absolutely free to use however you see fit, you not only can access it at no cost, you can also repackage it, market it and create a stream of income to help finance your other projects or to simply add to your bottom line.

While books in the public domain are the most common resource used for this type of marketing, don’t overlook music, photographs, government documents, film clips, old movies and the like.

To get you started, here are 5 key marketing strategies for converting information in the public domain into profitable information products:

1. Spot A Trend, Find “How-To” Information On The Topic & Create An E-book. People are always looking for solutions to problems. Let’s take an example: You begin reading news articles about the popularity of the King Charles Terrier among Baby Boomers. Of course, this is no surprise to you: You adopted one of these adorable dogs a few months ago. Then you spot a few more of these puppies in your neighborhood. Suddenly, you realize that all these new owners must be wondering how to housebreak their new pets. So, you do a bit a research in the public domain, find several resources and compile your new e-book, How To Turn Your King Charles Terrier Into The Perfect Pet: Learn My 5 Secrets To Quick, Effective House Training. Of course, you personalize your book with stories about how you used these principles to house train your own “best friend.”

Whatever topic you choose for your public domain information product, always remember to define a target market first. Then, select a topic from the top “how to” e-book subjects: money, health, leisure/travel, saving time, pets, diet, cooking, health, time management and relationships. Next research the popularity of your choice by checking internet key words. Finally, begin your marketing campaign.

2. Turn Your “How To” E-book Into An Audio Product. In today’s hectic environment, people who won’t make time to read will often take time to listen to an audio tape or CD while driving to and from work. Whether you create an audio book by simply reading and recording it “as is” or by modifying it to fit into your own work, the conversion to a tape or CD increases the works perceived and real value. While most e-books sell for between $19 and $39, audio products are usually priced between $69 and $99.

3. Create CDs, Picture Books Or Videos From Public Domain Recordings. Researching and creating these types of products can be more complex and a bit more risky to market, so you may want to try this after you’ve successfully produced a few “how to” products. They key to your success in this area is selecting one or two very well-defined niche markets. For example, a product highlighting films of 20th Century Inventions is most likely to appeal to inventors and educators (two large niche markets).

4. Convert Government Booklets & Information Into “How to” Products. The vast majority of United States government publications and website information is in the public domain. A particularly wealthy source of “how to” information is available through the Small Business Association (SBA) on topics like: how to start a small business; how to start a restaurant; how to get business financing; how to make your hobby pay; tax advantages of a home-based business; and how to own and operate a bed and breakfast. And, remember: these topics only scratch of the surface of government resources available for your use.

5. Give Away A Public Domain Work As An Incentive. Want someone to subscribe to your e-newsletter? Offer them a free e-book on a topic related to the subject of your newsletter. Want someone to purchase your public domain e-book? Offer them a free 5-day e-course providing a few key highlights from the book, then invite them to purchase the book to learn more. Not every way you use material from the public domain must be related to the internet. For example, if you do any amount of public speaking, offering a free public domain product after you speak is an excellent way to draw people to your “back-of-the-room” table where you also have books and audio products for sale.

Rosemary Hauschild is an innovation and creativity business coach serving individuals developing intellectual property. Impact Coaching International offers a year-long program showing creative individuals how to protect, promote, and profit from their innovative ideas in less time and with more profits. Individual coaching services are also available.

To learn more about how to protect and promote your intellectual property, you are invited to subscribe to the free e-zine, Creations Of The Mind, by sending an email to subscribe@impactcoaching.biz with the following phrase in the subject line of your e-mail: ’subscribe creations list’

Although “sun and sand” still fit the bill for many holiday makers, an ever increasing number of vacationers are choosing to take a holiday with a bit of culture thrown in.

This type of break is becoming especially popular with those wishing to take a long weekend in a location with a café culture, good restaurants and a few buildings and museums to visit.

If this is the kind of holiday you are considering, then Spain’s northern city of Santiago de Compostela may well fit the bill.

Santiago is the capital of the region known as Galicia and it is the most visited city in the north of Spain. Over recent years its cosmopolitan nature has attracted an ever increasing number of foreigners and it is now promoted as the cultural capitol of the northern Iberian Peninsula, and with good reason.

What Santiago has to offer is history, monuments, a religious legend and an old town steeped in baroque and neo-classical architectural beauty. The city’s most famous building is its massive cathedral which, according to the Catholic Church, has within it a tomb containing the remains of the apostle Saint James. It all sounds a bit macabre, but the story behind these claims have led to Santiago becoming the finishing point of arguably the worlds biggest Christian pilgrimage called the “Way of St. James” (or “el camino de Santiago”).

Religion aside, the cathedral is a truly spectacular building and it sits on the city’s large Obradoiro plaza facing the equally impressive “Rajoy” palace. The world’s oldest hotel, now a state run Parador, also occupies this square.

Plazas or squares are an integral part of the old district of Santiago’s charm and there are four famous courtyards dotted around the cathedral that contain, or are overlooked by, many of the city’s outstanding buildings. Several of these older building are now, in part a least, museums and the cathedral itself can adequately fill two of three hours of most tourist’s time if they choose to view the various exhibits.

A café culture is also one of the city’s appeals and although an international menu is available at most restaurants, all favour dishes based on the Galician speciality of fish and seafood. Prices can be high, but that depends on where you choose to eat and many excellent restaurants are highly affordable, particularly if you venture slightly off the beaten track. As an example, we have enjoyed a three course lunch in the city center for as little as 8 Euros per head and that was based around local fish dishes.

Getting to Santiago is becoming ever easier (and cheaper) with direct flights from most European countries to either Santiago airport or neighbouring A Coruna airport. Hotels are plentiful and if you simply want a short break of 3 or 4 days a car will not be necessary - Santiago should fill your time amply.

To find out more, take a look at http://www.galiciaguide.com/Santiago-index.html where you will find 18 pages of information and photographs about this historic location along with another 250 pages about Galicia’s other treasures.

Webmaster of Galician tourist guide, http://www.galiciaguide.com and author of various articles about northern Spain.

Many plants vie for my attention during the month of May. Here are four of my favourites.

Cornus alternifolia “Argenta”

Cornus alternifolia “Argenta” is commonly known as the “Variegated pagoda dogwood”. Originating in Asia, its common name relates to its shape which resembles a sacred tower in China. This large deciduous shrub or small tree can have ultimate height of 3 metres (9ft); with a spread of approx 2 metres (6ft). Within the next week its layers of slim branches are dotted with clusters of star shaped yellowish-white flowers, followed by blue-black fruits. A special mention for the bright green leaves edged yellow which turn reddish-purple in autumn. You can use the “Variegated pagoda dogwood” as a large specimen shrub or as a small tree simply by removing any lower branches as they appear, this will create a clear stem and a showy canopy. To ensure quickest growth you must position this plant in full sun. I would highly recommend this dogwood if you have limited space and require a tree that will not over-power you garden.

Many garden centres may not have it in stock but it is only a phone-call to their suppliers away, and well worth waiting for.

Kolkwitzia amablis “Pink Cloud

Kolkwitzia amablis “Pink Cloud is commonly known as the “Beauty bush”. This fast growing deciduous shrub is a native of China and grows to an ultimate height of 3 metres (9ft); with a spread of approx 2.5 metres (7 to 8 ft). Because of this size and it’s slightly old fashioned mounded look it is not a shrub I see planted in many new gardens. This is unfortunate as the “Beauty bush” lives up to its name whilst in flower. For at least the 3 weeks you can expect to see showy masses of bell shaped pink flowers with a yellow throat. These flowers are held amongst its small oval grey-green leaves on slightly arching branches. Kolkwitzia amablis “Pink Cloud requires a position that receives upwards of 4 hours sunlight a day in a soil that is limey or alkaline.

If you are looking for a specimen shrub or a larger shrub for the rear of a bed then do not over-look this old time stalwart.

Ribes sanguineum

Ribes sanguineum commonly known as the “Flowering Currant”. This large deciduous shrub can have ultimate height of 3 metres (9ft); with a spread of approx 3 metres (9ft). A native to the United States, it is frost hardy and right now is laden down with pendulous reddish pink flowers. These flowers which resemble miniature bunches of grapes are held amongst light green leaves from mid to late spring. Both the flowers and leaves are scented, the leaves especially so when bruised or crushed. The “Flowering Currant” is mostly used in the mixed border as a showy specimen plant although I have also used it in whip planting schemes to good effect. If you would like to cut some flowering stems to bring indoors, they will last approx 6 to 10 days. To ensure quick growth plant in a position with full to partial sun and an adequate supply of water. I would highly recommend this shrub if you have a problem growing plants due to air pollution as it is very resistant to exhaust fumes etc.

Two varieties to look out for are “Pulborough Scarlet” and “King Edward VII”

Alyssum saxitile

The clump forming perennial Alyssum saxitile is commonly known as the “Basket of gold”. This native of Europe is evergreen and grows no higher than 20 cm (8 inches); it has a spread of approx 30cm (1ft). Because of its size and its ability to tolerate drought it is ideal for planting in cracks in your paving, crevices in your walls and of course in the rockery. For at least the next 4 weeks you can expect to see clusters of tiny vibrant yellow flowers above its grey-green leaves. Alyssum saxitile requires a position which drains freely and receives upwards of 4 hours sunlight a day.

If you would like to attract some butterflies to your garden then plant clusters of Alyssum throughout, sit back and watch as the yellow flowers draw them in.

James Kilkelly runs a professional garden design service in Galway, Ireland. He has a regular gardening column in a Irish regional newspaper. Visit his website at www.gardenplansireland.com/ He also regularly posts his expert advice on
www.gardenstew.com/ Original Article: www.gardenplansireland.com/articles/article16.html

Software development is a risky business.

Many software developers are barely skilled at their trade, much less at business. They can’t understand how your business operates - and their code isn’t unreliable.

It crashes constantly.

It isn’t professional.

It hurts your business.

If you want software developed for your business, what can you do?

You need a software development professional - a consumate bussinessman, and you need to deal with him on your terms. How can you do that?

First, you need to make sure that you find a professional who understands business - your business. He has to listen, and be cautious before giving advice. If he tries to drop a pre-packaged solution on you, drop him. Make sure he charges by the project, not by the hour - hourly rates are great for developers, but not for clients. Hourly rates mean they get paid *more* for every bug they create - so they create as many as they can.

Once you have chosen a developer, the next step is to come to an agreement on what needs to be done. Don’t worry about the particular technology used - the developer should worry about that. Worry about what you need on your end - and stick to your guns! You know your business best, and your developer should respect that.

After you have an agreement, you get a contract signed, and then the real fun begins. Insist that your developer give you regular progress updates - including early versions of the software (called ‘builds’). That way, bugs can be detected early, and there will not be any surprises when the project is over. Depending on the project, you may be able to get a build every few days, or every week. The more frequent, the better.

When the project is finally over, you get to take a deep breath. Relax. Sip champagne - or Heineken, if that’s your thing. Don’t get too relaxed, though, because you will have to start the process over again soon. Business is constantly changing, and your software has to evolve with your business. That’s good, though, because every project makes your business more profitable, and more profit in less time is always a good deal.

About The Author

David Berube is a software developer and IT consultant solving business problems. He’s also a prolific writer and speaker. If you’d like a powerful, innovative developer, check out http://www.berubeconsulting.com.

djberube@berubeconsulting.com

Owning a home is the most important dream of any person. It is one of the basic necessities of life as stated by Maslow in his ‘Theory of Hierarchy of Needs’. People generally desire to have a home which not only gives them shelter, but also should be the expression of their artistic tastes, and an object of pride. Owning a home is a matter of spending of life’s savings. For some- belonging to the high earning group, it is not a problem; but for others arranging finances for their dream home is a very crucial decision, they ever take in their life. To enable people to realise there dream, financial institutions and banks offer home loans to people.

Home loans play a very important role in the lives of UK nationals. Every year there are borrowings worth billions of pounds by the UK nationals for home loans. Now days, home loans have become a necessary part of life as it is not essential that one has the necessary amount of money to finance his immediate requirement for purchasing home. One can avail home loans, after signing a document with a financial institution on a specified amount of money to go with the purchase with that borrowed money. Lenders and financial institutions keep the house or any other residential property as collateral. In the UK, home loans are offered by innumerable financial institutions at various APR. The amount of loan approved usually depends on the income and assets of the borrower and his capacity to pay back the loan.

In the UK, home loans offered are of two types:

Fixed rate home loan

Variable rate home loan

Fixed rate home loans are offered to borrowers at a prefixed rate of interest for a specified time period. In case of upward fluctuations in interest rates in the market, customers enjoy the benefit of not paying any extra sum money on the increased rate of interest. Variable rate home loans, on the other hand are left to the mercy of lenders and government regulations. In case of upward trend, the borrowers have to tighten their budget.

With the ever increasing competition in the market, more and more financial institutions are offering home loans at lower APR along with customer oriented services. All companies claim to be the leading loan and other financial services provider with the best service. In order to tap the growing market companies and lending institutions are coming up with more innovative products to cater to the requirements of all the customers. With the advent of internet, the services offered have become more fast and efficient. Now one can compare the best rate offered in the market at the click of the mouse.

The complications in home owner loans fall when borrower defaults in the payment of the monthly installment. In many cases, it has been seen that lenders start charging more interest rate than the standard rate. Wise borrowers, in such situation, switch over to a new lender for better rate of interest and fee waivers. This is termed as remortgage. Remortgage is a very prudent way of avoiding heavy interest rate. There are innumerable agencies which suggest better remortgage options to the borrowers.

Moreover, with gradual shift from the sellers’ market to the buyers’ market, the ultimate beneficiary is the customer. Companies even offer value added services to the borrowers to evolve brand loyalty. Companies are even leveraging strength from modern management practices and corporate governance. In the long run, company which offers the best financial solution with the right set of marketing mix will win the race.

For Detail email with the subject “Enquiry”.

Mohammed Amir holds several degrees from JNU University, including a Bachelors and Masters in Commerce. Currently he is working as financial consultant for chanceforloans.co.uk

While the eyes of fans focus on Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols is Major League Baseball’s newest record setter. It was in the year 1956 that the great Mickey Mantle set the pace for the fastest 19 home runs in MLB history. This record was broken 45 years later in the year 2001 by Luis Gonzalez of the Arizona Diamond backs.

There is however, a new kid in town. Once again the record has been broken, this time from an unlikely hitter by the name of Pujols who is a member of the St Luis Cardinals. With line drives being a sort of specialty for Pujols, he feels that the matter of home runs is rather shocking to him. He does not feel that he is in the same category as the likes of the Barry Bonds, or Mark McGuire’s.

Exactly what did Pujols feel his strong suit really is? Power, correct he did look to place the ball out of the park yet he still is not sure where all this luck has come from. Wherever it has come from, it really does not matter. That fact remains, he has now set a pace for other serious contenders to try and follow. At 35 games, this will be quite a feat to accomplish.

Pujols is in every sense of the word, a consistent batter. He never gives up, an at bat and his work ethic is something that would make any general manager and coach proud. He may not be streaking towards the 70 home runs for the year mark, but he sure has made quite a statement running up a 19 home run mark in 35 games.

Check out more great information now at Expert Commentary

Just because a customer questions your price or a feature of your product DOESN’T mean that they aren’t interested in buying it! As a salesperson, you must learn the meaning behind your customers’ objections in order to respond appropriately and turn each objection into a personalized sale!

Objections are usually a GOOD thing.

Your customer’s objections are signs that they want to learn more about you and your product and are interested in buying! If they weren’t interested, they probably wouldn’t want to continue talking with you and would be happy walking away with just a brochure.

Your response to an objection could determine whether or not you make the sale.
Make sure that your tone and demeanor reflect the positive attributes of a customer’s objection.

As a salesperson, your initial response to an objection may sound programmed or defensive. You may go into a spiel about your product or list statistics to prove that your company and product is better than the competition.

Stop! This isn’t about you and this isn’t about the competition: it’s about your customer. To make the sale, you must learn to focus on the customer and learn how to address their specific needs and questions.

Your customer IS interested in buying from you; they just want to know more. The question is “what do they want to know more about?” Once you get to the root of their objection, you will address the concerns and questions that are keeping them from acting on their interest to buy from you.

Getting to the root of the objection

Objection: Price

“Is that the best price you can offer?”

Your customer might as well say, “Your price is too high,” right? Not necessarily.

A question regarding pricing is often about more than just the price of the product. The customer may just be testing the waters to see if this is the type of situation where they are expected to haggle, or maybe they are really interested in your product and want to make sure that they are getting the best deal (not necessarily the lowest price).

Immediately offering to lower the price may actually make them reconsider buying from you. They may wonder what your product is really worth and question why you are charging more than the true value of your product. As strange as it seems, sticking to the original price will probably give you a better chance at getting the sale. Show them that the price of your product matches its true value.

But don’t just leave it at that! If the customer wants to ensure that buying your product is the best deal, do everything you can to assure them that it is.

Objection: Product Features

“Does that treadmill have small rollers?”

Be careful how you answer questions about product features. Your customer may have heard of a different feature on a competitor’s model that seemed more appropriate for their use, or they could just be curious about the feature of your product.

DON’T assume that you know the motive behind your customer’s question. You may end up talking them out of the sale by continuously blabbing about something they aren’t interested in and showing them what a bad listener you are.

So, before you go into a long speech about roller size and why it is or isn’t important in the operation and enjoyment of the treadmill… blah, blah, blah… try keeping your answer short and sweet. A simple, “yes” is more effective because it allows the customer to further explain their question.

Your response will show them that you are upfront and willing to answer all of their questions. They will feel comfortable talking with you and, later, buying from you.

Objection: Unrelated Factor

“I really need to check with my spouse before making a decision.”

I know that I would NEVER make a thousand dollar purchase before getting the go-ahead from my wife. And I would certainly question anyone who tried to make me. Wouldn’t YOU?

Customers have other factors in their lives that may prevent them from making a decision about your product. This type of objection has NOTHING to do with you. Trying to close the sale may make your customer feel uncomfortably pressured into making a decision and less likely to trust your business.

If you don’t know the circumstances behind the objection, try to further the process without forcing your customer to make a decision. Aim to solidify the relationship and rapport you have built with that customer. This will encourage them to return to you once they have made a decision.

All objections are different because they all stem from unique motives. Keeping your responses short and sweet will allow them to ask more specific questions and explain their concerns. Getting to the root of the objections will help you personalize your approach for each customer and eliminate their concerns about purchasing your product, leading you closer to that sale!

Tom Richard is the author of a weekly electronic magazine titled Sales Muscle. To subscribe to this free magazine on selling skills send a blank email to subscribe@tomrichard.com

You are busy. I know. Working all of the time to “provide” for your family. Trying to “make ends meet” and acquiring all of that stuff you want. Just keep in mind what you may be giving up in the process…the precious memories you fail to create with your children.

You see, as you grow older you begin to place less emphasis on acquiring and more on reflection where you begin to truly take notice of all of your accomplishments as well as painful regrets.

Now take a minute and put yourself into the future when it becomes this time of reflection. Imagine you in a time where your children have grown into respectable adults raising families of their own. Imagine the all the time that has passed of your children’s lives that you will never have a single chance to see again.

As you imagine yourself into this position, begin to think all of the stuff you “have” acquired. You know the big house and the big screen TV, fancy cars, elaborate vacations, etc. Take notice of all the feelings this stuff gives you. Think about all of that stuff but without a single memory of your children. How would you feel? Would you feel as if you had regrets of NOT creating memories of your children? Wouldn’t these regrets be a bit painful to have knowing there is nothing you can do to change the past?

Now imagine yourself without all of that that stuff. Just thinking of memories of your children in their early years and that is all. Think of all of the simple things that moved you emotionally and the time spent with them. Take notice of all the feelings these beautiful memories give you. Look at their faces, their smiles, and their actions as you see them growing through the years. How much stronger are your feelings now? Would you feel any regrets NOT having stuff? Wouldn’t these regrets seem rather insignificant compared those warm memories you have made?

By imagining yourself in the future reflecting on life you can get a glimpse of what really matters most. I am not saying it is “evil” to acquire possessions, rather I am saying to get too caught up into it that you loose sight of some of the things that are more important in life…memories. These memories are yours to keep and will fulfill your life now and into the future more than any possession can. Think about all that stuff you acquired that ended up in the trash or you no longer use? More than likely if you think about that stuff now you will realize that the emotional impact they once created no longer has the same effect. A memory of your child has just as much impact as it did when the memory was created. And it LASTS through your life as you look back upon them from time to time.

Remember also that the memories you create with your children are their memories also. They get to carry them through life. They get to reflect upon those times with you or the lack of. They will use them as references throughout their lives in which the will base their future actions upon. Keep this in mind as you consider making changes in your lifestyle to spend more emphasis creating memories and less on acquiring temporary stuff.

What I am saying is…

Sometimes you need to evaluate your position in life. Many times we spend so much time in needless acquiring that we tend to overdo it. Spending our money and dragging ourselves into needless debt to where we are FORCING ourselves to make “ends meet.” Keeping ourselves at our jobs late sacrificing the little time we do have here on earth for the things things that end up being less important. Yes, you do have to provide for your family. But when you have yourself financially extended because of needless spending you may be ultimately sacrificing the most important thing in your life as well as your children’s lives…memories.

John Dorwart is the president and co-founder of the ever popular Jorbins Lifestyle Magazine: www.jorbins.com/ — At Jorbins we have a special section filled with articles that will definitely help you with parenting and raising children. It’s all free to read so check it out at: www.jorbins.com/baby-nursery-magazine/

Copyright 2006, Jorbins Inc. - Reprints of this article can be made as long as the article is in it’s entirety, unedited, and the resource box with links and urls remain active and unchanged.