The Bitch Ditch

Have you ever noticed … how something “new” is usually viewed with
suspicion and dis-trust until people become familiar with it? This is human
(or animal) nature and cannot be discounted. Successful marketers know this
and devise strategies to shorten the time a new product takes to become
accepted.

There are dozens of examples. “Fads” begin among teenagers, who, having
nothing to un-learn, quickly embrace new products, new ideas. Many
fad-products are first introduced in Japan and spread rapidly throughout
the world.

One needs only to look at the Internet, something that was very avant-garde
as little as four years ago, but today it is taken for granted. While it
didn’t start among teenagers, nor in Japan, its world-wide growth has been
explosive!

What brought about this phenomenal acceptance - and how can one profit from
it?

Once upon a time, there was a colony of 100 monkeys that lived next to a
stream, which coursed through the jungle. The trees bore abundant fruit and
the monkeys were well fed.

But the monkeys, like some of their human cousins, were sloppy eaters. They
frequently dropped their food to the jungle floor where it got dirty and
insects pounced on it almost as soon as it hit the ground. A monkey who
dropped his food and retrieved it had to eat it - dirt, insects and all, or
pick it clean before he could resume his lunch.

There came a day when one little monkey dropped his morsel. When it hit the
ground, it bounced into the stream. The monkey scampered down from the tree
and grabbed it back out of the water. Voila! No dirt, no insects. It was
tasty indeed! Soon, whenever he dropped his dinner to the jungle floor, he
was taking it to the stream and washing it off instead of picking off the
insects and dirt as did his brethren.

Monkeys are not stupid people and the others learned very fast from the
example of the one who first discovered that food tastes better when it’s
clean. Soon they were all taking their dropped food to the stream and
washing it off. In fact, they started washing it even BEFORE they dropped it!

Thus the “Legend of the 100th Monkey.” It can be applied to marketing
efforts. All that is needed is for ONE person to be the adventurer, and
soon there are throngs of followers.

Already electronic books are appearing on the Internet, available by
downloading or to be read directly on-line, or on Compact Disks. CD
versions of encyclopedia and research material have been around almost as
long as the CD-ROM drive. The National Geographic magazine has put its
entire collection - back to the year 1901 - on CD and markets it through
computer stores.

Much informational content is now being distributed exclusively in
electronic form.

Computers are as ubiquitous as television and radio sets. They’re being
given away free with subscriptions to Internet services, much as cellular
phones are given to customers who will sign up for a year’s service.

Books on tape have been available for many years, but they were not readily
accepted when they were new. Part of the resistance was due to a reluctance
to change established habit. But at one time, even printed books were a
rarity. People were used to being TOLD stories, and few could read. Of
course that changed over time.

Then those who read books avoided books on tape because they viewed it as a
step backward. Many felt a loss of intimacy with the printed word that they
could read at their own pace and that allowed them to paint their own
“mind-pictures” of the activity being described.

Then came movies based on books, and the screen-writer’s interpretation of
the author’s words don’t always agree with those of the viewer who has
“read the book.”

With E-Books one still can read. If he wants, he can have the printed word
to read from.

But just as e-mail has supplanted written correspondence to a great degree,
gaining knowledge by reading from the computer screen has become commonplace.

Some have said that nothing can take the place of sitting in a chair and
reading a book to a child.They’re absolutely right. But the truth is that
the computer already has become the learning center in millions of homes.
Adding E-Books to one’s educational toolbox can only enrich the lives and
enjoyment of families everywhere.

About the Author

Jud Banks,
e-mail - radical@aloha.net
Join the Computer Age and Purchase On-Line –
Visit: http://www.freehi.com/store1.html
Have you written something you want published?
Take a look here: http://www.freehi.com/EB/ebook01.html

Apple may begin selling subscriptions to podcasts via its popular iTunes service begining as early next year.

Although Apple currently offers a full podcast directory, all of the listed content–from both individuals and growing number of companies–is available for free; however, that may change soon. According to a Macworld UK report, Apple will begin offering fee-based podcasts through iTunes in early 2006.

The report draws from a press release from new company–called What I Want Podcasting–that promises to offer podcasts for sale through iTunes “in the very near future.” The company says it will offer live performance footage from the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival which takes place in late January 2006.

“We have developed exclusive video invitations from artists appearing at the festival and created a promotional podcast concert series. We then distributed it throughout the Web, on iTunes, podcast directories, Google Video, and many more websites.” says Martin Elmore, president of What I Want Podcasting.

“In the very near future, we are going to offer podcasts for sale on iTunes, which will feature clips of the concert this January 26-28.”

If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker on the market for exclusive mortgage leads, how do you know if that lead is really exclusive or not?

The true definition of an exclusive mortgage lead is defined as one that is sold in real time and sold to you only.

This sounds really good, but there is a small problem with that. Who is to say that this potential customer hasn’t taken it upon themselves to contact other loan officers.

Unfortunately, this is the chance you take when you buy leads exclusively.

Typically, a potential customer who fills out an on-line form over the internet is using the internet to find a mortgage and a loan officer because they feel as though they have no other place to go, and the internet is their best resource to find their product and someone to help them with it

Also, it is against the norm to jump from web site to web site filling out on-line forms. The majority of consumers like to keep their personal information very limited on the internet, so the chances of them filling out many forms is highly unlikely.

So your chances of receiving the lead exclusively may be better than you think.

Another problem, how can you be sure that the lead company selling you the exclusive mortgage lead is doing just that?

The best defense against receiving anything less than exclusive mortgage leads is to research the company you are considering investing in.

Call the company, speak with someone in customer service, find out how they obtain their leads and what exactly makes them exclusive.

Remember, you buy your exclusive mortgage leads with money that you have worked hard for, so if you can’t get answers to your questions, move onto the next lead company.

Customer service, as in any industry, is very important in the lead industry. The way you are treated when researching lead companies should be an indication as to how you will be treated when something goes wrong, or if you think you should get your money back. Best of luck.

Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of www.jconners.com, a mortgage resource site, he is also the owner of www.callprospect.com, a mortgage lead company

Modern society is symbolised through spending money, we all invest in a selection of new products repeatedly and methodically succeed outdated household items, devices and vehicles with the most advanced releases and models. Nourishing a way of life where we have the most modern devices and electronics in our houses, the latest motor vehicle along with the most current selection of attire suggests that we all have a substantial amount of our hard earned finances spent on products that brings us enjoyment. Additionally, economic appreciation plays a part in the mounting prices of professional guidance and daily living, which makes it significantly more crucial than ever to carefully consider the forthcoming future and any plausible disasters.

It is not a question of being cynical, alternately it is a perspective of realism and acknowledging that sometimes ill-fortune take place. Take some time to contemplate the following possibilities as well as how they could influence your life. If the precious family pet became infected with a life threatening illness. How would your life change if your lovely, recently restored house tragically suffered severe fire damage devastating everything inside, along with your newly bought computer and 42 inch television. Consider what your family would do if you get hit by a scooter crossing the road, leaving you unable to work again. While these aren’t pleasant prospects and we commonly avoid thinking about them, the prospect of their materialising, or a similar situation demands that we all think about being prepared.

These abstract possible scenarios represent the seriousness of having insurance to cover the details of your lifestyle that you could not stand to loose, or replace. Every single family, or household will have differing assurance demands relative to their individual living standards, financial income as well as their specific preference in consumer products. Pet adherents could possibly benefit from pet assurance in the case of the need for a veterinary surgery. Families would continue to survive if an unlikely misfortune left a main earner ineffectual. Home valuables and car assurance policies would permit the family to regain the contents of your home, or the car in the occurrence of theft or an accident. If you have injected a lot of capital into a property that you own, building and contents insurance is a good way to cover the actual building as well as the valuables inside.

A nice starting point when you are thinking about an assurance policy plan is by seeking the opinion of an insurance or financial professional, a cost that is warranted by a portfolio which is fashioned to match your requirements. Having your requisites in mind it’s then a prime time to make comparisons of quotes from likely assurance suppliers and picking coverage you can trust.

Blood Brothers’ is a play that is based in Liverpool during the nineteen-sixties. In the theatre show, twin boys Mickie and Eddie were torn apart at birth as a consequence of their mother not having adequate money to take care of the both of them. Countless years later both boys meet and the story plays out. The play is without doubt a must see, however purchasing show-only tickets can be exceedingly expensive.

How can you find the best theatre offers currently around in order to see ‘Blood Brothers’ the musical? London musical packages are traditionally a deal that includes a room at a hotel, tickets to a show, and dinner. Buying the best musical package calls for extensive researching.

An internet site such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing permits you to look through a selection of websites that sells theatre packages in London. You can even search based on a particular criteria. For example, you can search by naming the ‘Blood Brothers’ musical, the time of the play, the book-in date, the quantity of nights you will be staying, the type of room, and even by travel choices. The more options you include in your theatre package, then the more the reduction will end up being. This allows the theatre company promoting the package to generate a nice profit whilst still offering you the best package available. Get the best theatre breaks to London online.

It is important that you make sure that you find out if the internet website offers to better the prices of its rivals. This is without doubt another way of guaranteeing that you are obtaining the very best available London theatre package. Although, when you are contrasting prices, make sure you examine the total price. In other words, when you are checking the price and you stumble upon a theatre package that appears a little bit cheaper, make sure that they deliver the same things as the other internet site. One website might offer a simple ‘Blood Brothers’ package, whilst the other may well offer a ‘Blood Brothers’ theatre and hotel offer for practically the same price.

Because service is frequently different, check for testimonials. Look for people who have procured the same theatre package you are interested in and find out what they have to say about the customer service. Many packages may seem more grand than normal, and you would want to make sure that you are getting precisely what you are paying for. Make sure that the call centres provide a high-quality service, and find out if other theatre goers’ demands were fully met for the duration of their theatre stay.

Musicals have been the main source of entertainment in the worlds largest cities for ages. Infact, some musical shows have been running for over fifteen years and still driving lots of theatre goers. With the popular interest of this kind of public entertainment, we will write about the highest earning and longest running theatre productions in the globe.

The big theatre show that has to be brought up is Phantom of the Opera, one of the most magnificent musicals to ever be put on stage. This outstanding show is the longest running musical in entertainment history and the highest earning of all time. The theatre show was created for the theatre stage by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and tells the tale of a disfigured French Chap who falls in deep love with a chorus singer. The excellent songs of the musical production are now famous and the mask worn by the Phantom of the Opera is so recognizable that it’s visible in countless fancy dress parties around the globe.

Next is the tremendous musical show known as Cats. Again another acclaimed theatre show and one that ran about 19 years until its last show in late 2000. The theatre show won both the Laurence Olivier Award and the Tony award for greatest musical theatre production and was shown in both London’s West End and Broadway New York. The musical was so popular that it was scripted into 19 particular languages and even shown around the world. Cats was a true phenomenon.

Now it is time for the most popular play with a French title of all time, Les Miserables or translated into English as The Miserables or The Terribles. The theatre production has been running in London’s West End for more than 20 years now and is the second longest ever running theatre production in London’s history. One of the most renowned songs from the theatre show is I Dreamed a Dream, and it was also sung by television talent show runner up Susan Boyle. The theatre musical Cats was up for twelve Tony awards and won eight of them, including very best theatre production.

The vast majority of people will have at some time in their lives taken out a subscription to a specific digest which they typically enjoy. The benefit of magazine subscriptions is that these publications offer up substantially discounted prices per product compared to the usual shop prices. The comparative advantage is that these subscriptions assure that people should generally be supplied with the successive product. With digests usually found on newsstands, this could be a hit or miss, depending on the accessibility. Beginning a subscription is really simple, nearly all traditional magazines insert a subscriptions leaflet in each issue. Just complete it and then return it to the production house. Publications can likewise be subscribed to on the internet via visiting the title’s main website. Magazines form a large part of the public press as well as contemporary society and their acclaim with readers continues to grow.

Magazines develop favouritism from people who typically enjoy the similar sort of journal genres. No matter if the periodical subscription focus is gardening, cooking, home design and auto mechanics, or is specifically targeted at crafts lovers and art enthusiasts there is amazing amusement to be gained from this compact type of reading material. Digests for eating out or the contemporary arts like theatre and ballet, cultural exhibits as well as city and extra-urban concerns all constitute a part of the phenomenal choice of traditional magazines available.

It is doubtful that printed publications might ever shrink from public regard granted that the effortless accessibility to magazine stands that trade them and to subscriptions which sustain a continuous delivery of magazines into households and firms. Should the magazine reader relocates from a single address to some other the subscription basically requires a simpleton exchange of personal details preceding the move to remain procuring current titles. Online magazines can be good for regular laptop users but unless you have simple accessibility to the online world E-zines are not as easily accessible as printed magazines which can just be put into a rucksack or carry case. Printed digests are always ready and convenient browsing material expressly for frequent travellers.

The custom of subscribing to digests is one that most readers rarely cease. Some of the most valuable magazine subscriptions are those ones for the type of title that increases in economic value over a span of time. TV programming digests, national, historic and international news digests oftentimes enlarge in value as a direct result of particular situations that have occurred.

People may well relate life insurance cover with old people who posses a household they would need to care for financially, should the unthinkable occur. But in reality the advantages of taking out life cover are very much not limited to those individuals with young children. Settling on a life insurance policy can be an arduous chore with the vast selection of companies and policies available.

Please remember that the following are case studies and subsequently should not be interpreted as qualified financial direction. If you feel you need economic direction we certainly recommend that you talk to a qualified financial adviser as everyone’s circumstances and needs are very different.

The newlyweds - Joanne and Mike

Joanne and Mike go to work at full-time jobs and have recently gotten wed. As Joanne and Mike start their brand new life with each other they feel that right now may well be a sound time to organise their finances. Particularly Joanne and Mike desire to make absolutely sure that they will easily be able to function fiscally if the unthinkable occurred to one of the couple.

The couple have heard about life insurance cover which would easily provide cash to the remaining survivor if one of them were to die. As a cornerstone to their fiscal base the couple take out a plan which covers the couple for twenty years. The couple carefully select an amount of cash which would defiantly pay off their outstanding home mortgage as well as giving them enough to cover their daily living costs.

Getting a first household together - Amanda and Richard

Amanda and Richard have just off loaded their respective abodes and picked up a new home together. Now that they have a shared economic commitment, the couple desire to make certain that they have the best fiscal foundations in place to build their joint future on.

They very much realise that home insurance companies offer life insurance cover which provides financial support to the survivor if either partner expires. Their mortgage is their main expense, therefore, they embark on building their economic foundations with a life insurance plan to cope with it.

With life insurance cover in place, Amanda and Richard may well have peace of mind that an essential bit of their collective fiscal future is secure.

Paying off outstanding liability and compensating for the sudden shortfall of your main income could well be commonly at the very forefront of the large majority of people’s heads when they arrange life assurance. So why not steal a short bit of time to obtain a quick cover quote on the internet today to find out how much money your life insurance cover premium could be?

Clients who love what you do are the cornerstone of a successful professional service business. Here are three ways to boost the value your clients associate with you and your business.

1. Deliver unexpected value.

Delivering your service with excellence each and every time is the foundation of this method. Excellent service is essential. But you can’t stop there if you want to create top-of-mind awareness and become one in a million in the mind of your client. You also need to proactively manage your client’s expectations, and to provide unexpected value systematically and regularly.

Management of client expectations begins with your very first contact. How you introduce yourself and your business, the messages you provide in your marketing materials and your reputation combine to create a set of expectations in the mind of your client.

And that set of expectations is why your client hires you. If you don’t live up to those expectations, no matter whether or not they are realistic, your perceived value instantly decreases.

Hence, it is incumbent upon you to unearth all expectations held by your client that will ultimately affect her evaluation of your service. Where it’s appropriate, you need to help your client revise her expectations of you. This is an on-going process as you interact with your client over time. But you mustn’t ever forget to attend to the task of managing client expectations.

Adding unexpected value is easy and has a great impact on the positive perception of your business. This can be done in a myriad of ways, depending on what your actual service is just be sure that the unexpected things you do or give your clients are aligned with who you are and what your business is. A couple of ways you might give unexpected value are:

– Giving your home phone number to clients when you’re working on a project that requires late hours or weekend work (i.e., making yourself available outside of regular business hours).

– Keeping a file of information you come across in the newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet that is pertinent and valuable to your clients. Regularly sending this information to your prospects and clients even though they may never hire you.

– Going the extra mile with your services regardless of the short-term expense to you.

– Delighting and surprising your clients in a personal, yet professional, manner such as with a Happy Completion-of-Project card or a new business journal.

– Providing extra services either exclusively for your active clients or at a reduced rate for them.

2. Ensure your client’s success.

This path starts by ensuring that the service you provide is actually going to solve your client’s problem. To do that, you need to perform a thorough discovery process. As part of your discovery process, you’ll determine if this project is ideal for you, and if the problems it presents are ones you can magnificently and happily solve.

You’ll do your best work on projects you find intriguing, interesting, and just a bit of a challenge to your expertise. If the project will bore you or overwhelm you, I recommend you refer it on to someone else who is better suited to it. Give your clients the best opportunity to be successful by ensuring they have the right person for the job, even when that isn’t you. Your client will respect you for this, be surprised by it, and hire you when a more appropriate project arises.

Once you accept a project, proactively reduce the risk your client faces. Your client is expected to provide a solution that meets certain criteria in the areas of schedule, cost, and quality. Be sure you fully understand what those criteria are. Every project needs to rank schedule, cost, and quality in order of importance to the project. The primary criteria could be any of these three. If you have agreed to provide a solution for a fixed fee, manage the scope of the project and your expenses so that you don’t exceed the project fee. If you have agreed to a target delivery date, manage the scope of the project and the resources allocated to the project to ensure the date is met.

And, if you have agreed to a standard of quality, manage the schedule and resources to ensure the standard is met. You can only hold one primary criterion at a time the other two are movable. Of course, the ideal is to meet all three criteria. Help your client’s projects come in on time, in budget, and with exceptional quality.

Don’t just provide your service provide your expertise and your wisdom. Help your clients find an easier, safer, less expensive or quicker way to accomplish their objectives.

3. Toot your own horn.

If your client doesn’t know all that you’re providing her or her project, how can she possibly fully appreciate you? Clients are busy people and they frequently don’t see everything you provide. So it’s up to you to make sure that they know what you’re doing.

But first you need to know what it is that you deliver for your clients. You aren’t just providing technical writing, graphic design, editing or whatever. You are providing solutions, new perspectives, structures, planning, alternatives, strategies, resources, energy, processes, procedures, and more.

Once you know what you provide, find several ways to communicate it to your clients. For example, you can add a hand-written and personalized note on your invoice to the effect of “Terry I really enjoyed the opportunity to brainstorm options to ABC process with you. Looking forward to our continued great relationship.” Or set up several different email signatures, each one focused on an intangible you provide.

If you don’t toot your own horn, nobody else will!

Copyright 2004, Rose Hill, Inc

Rose Hill, Founder and Owner,of Biz Whiz Expert (http://www.SoloBizVille.com) and Team Member of Solo-E.Com (http://www.Solo-E.Com) has been self-employed since 1990. Knowing how to run corporate departments and how to market corporate entities, products, and services did nothing to prepare her for successfully running and marketing a one-person business. That is why Rose created the SoloBizVille and SoloBizU community to specifically to help solo entrepreneurs jumpstart their business success without all the trial-and-error learning.

Find more articles like this at http://www.Solo-E.com, the lifestyle-inspired online learning and connection community. Visit now to receive a free copy of our special report, The Four Secrets of Solo Entrepreneur Success, plus a complimentary 30-day membership.

Buying a baby car seat is undeniably one of the fundamental options a lot of parents will have to make in their child’s life. Every father constantly wants to look after their son and therefore will do anything they can to guarantee their child’s safety. What’s more, the United Kingdom law instructs the use of car seats. With countless baby car seats on the market to purchase, it can definitely be a very overwhelming decision. Nonetheless, armed with a small bit of knowledge you can certainly find the right baby seat for your son or daughter.

A rear facing car seat will be the 1st seat your kid will need. Rear facing seats offer a lot more security for a kid’s head, neck, and spine than that of forward facing baby car seats. Rear facing seats are certainly the best until the baby has reached the maximum weight for the car seat or until the top of the toddlers’ head is higher than the top of the car seat in question.

The next stage of car seat is a forward facing seat, which can be used from about 9 months four 4 years of age or when the kid weighs between 9 and eighteen kg. This precise range of baby car seat includes a fastener that attaches between the kid’s legs to avoid them from sliding out of the seat when in the car. Your baby should also stay in this seat until they have reached the seat’s weight limit or when the top of their head is higher than the top of the seat.

For a car seat that can be utilised both rear and forward facing, the Britax First Class Plus is an incredible product to acquire. Britax baby seats are highly rated and what’s more this seat can be utilised from birth to 4 years old, and follows the rear and forward facing rules as stated previously.

The booster seat is the last stage in baby car seats. These normally do not include a harness and are used with a vehicle’s seat belt, which goes around both the infant and the seat. Some booster seats come with detachable backs, which allow for a noticeably better fit for younger children, and can even be taken out as the kid grows-up. Booster seats with side wings offer significantly more safety in an accident than those without because they protect the child’s head. Maxi Cosi car seats provide a seat with all these merits. Their Rodi XR won the Practical Parenting magazine’s prize for the greatest Multi Stage car seat for two-thousand and seven/two-thousand and eight. Choose from a large selection of baby & child products including; car seats, Britax car seats and prams from leading brands online.

Baby seats are a fundamental part of a parent’s life, and there are scores of baby seat makes to purchase. When your infant’s health is your most important priority, then Britax and Maxi Cosi baby seats are fantastic choices.