Your friends just became engaged. You are happy to see them united and want to get just the right thing to show your happiness. You want to acknowledge this wonderful time in their lives; but you have not a clue as to what to get. Well, we have some ideas to help you. Some of these gifts for the new groom or the new bride, and some can be given to them as a couple.
-Tee shirts imprinted “Just got Engaged”. You can get one just for him or for her or get a matched set for them to wear together.
-The International Star Registry will pick a star in the heavens and you get to pick a name for it. Add their names together as the new star. The Registry will send them a certificate of a new star in their honor.
-Find a four leaf clover that is framed. Add a note that you know they do not need a four leaf clover since they have found each other. They have all the luck they will ever need.
-Get a set of key chains with the attachment is a heart split in half. One half of the heart goes on one chain and the other heart on the other chain. The two halves will make up one heart when together.
-Find a chrome or gold doorknocker and have their first and soon to be common last name inscribed on the plate.
-Find a “countdown clock”. The clock can be set for the number of days until their wedding date. Each day the clock will eliminate one day until they will be married.
-All couples have arguments. Getting over the argument is the difficult thing. Try this as a gift. According to an ancient Irish tradition, engaged couples were presented with a crystal bell. Whenever an argument brewed, all it took was for one partner to ring the bell and the dispute would be instantly settled.
-Find Crystal flutes and have their names etched into the glass with the date of their engagement. Add a bottle of their favorite champagne.
-Things get confusing as the bride plans her wedding. To make sure that she has good memories, give her a Bride’s memory book for her to record all the wonderful things that happened during this time.
-As the Bride starts to plan her wedding, shopping will be a major concern. Shopping for the gown, the bridesmaid gowns, what dinnerware to select, the silver. Send her a magazine subscription to one of the bride’s magazine so she can do some of this work in the comfort of her own home and will her finance.
-Most unions have a little upheaval from time to time. Give your engagement couple a “relationship book” by a reputable author.
You can also check on the Internet and find a site that will give your couple an acre on the moon. They will receive a certificate of their moon acreage.
-Another key ring idea has a lock on one key chain and a key on the other. They will have to decide who has the lock and who has the key.
Adriana Copaceanu provides people with creative gift ideas that don’t blow the bank. Gift Baskets for Baby, Birthday and Beyond, are just some gift ideas you’ll find at her site: http://www.abcgiftsandbaskets.com. Want regular reminders on gift-giving? Sign up for her free monthly newsletter at http://www.abcgiftsandbaskets.com/gift-news-signup.htm.
New Realities for E-Mail Marketing
Spam e-mail is no longer the mild irritant it once was - it’s clogging corporate networks and ISP mail servers and has become a real productivity drain, forcing corporate and consumer e-mail users to spend 20-30 minutes a day dealing with this deluge of junk! According to recent figures, unsolicited bulk e-mail now makes up to 36% of all e-mail, up from under 8% just over a year ago. And, what’s worse, more and more legitimate e-mail is not getting through to recipients due to Spam filtering taking place via ISPs and/or corporate networks.
Opt-in E-Mail Marketing 30K foot Picture
Opt-in e-mail marketing is clearly losing some of its effectiveness as a viable marketing tool much to the consternation of those of us who have been advocating its effectiveness for years! This is not to say opt-in e-mail isn’t a viable way to market goods and services - but ROI (read response rates) is heading south quickly and needs to be considered when assessing the viability of this marketing process, as response rates have dropped on average from 10-20% to 3-10%.
However, opt-in e-mail is not disappearing off the marketing horizons - Forrester forecasts spending on e-mail marketing will grow from $1.3B (USD) in 2001 to $6.8B in 2006 and Jupiter Media Metrix is even more optimistic, forecasting growth rates from $1B in 2001 to $9.4B in 2006. But, there is a dark undercurrent to these numbers that is fueling the market growth and driving down response rates - some opt-in agencies, brokers and media representatives are “flogging” lists by overselling them - so caveat emptor.
Five Offsetting Marketing Strategies
1) Deploy opt-in e-mail campaigns very selectively (!) - buy opt-in e-mail lists from legitimate top-tier broker/list managers who are well established, are not “over-sending” messages to list subscribers and who are constantly refreshing their list quality by adding new subscribers. Critical questions to ask brokers include: how many messages (”frequency” in ad speak) are sent to each list recipient per month, how are new subscribers added and what is the percentage of new members added per month, are they using “third party” (someone else’s list) lists to augment their own, are their lists “double opt in” (meaning, you sign up and then must reply to a signup confirmation to be added to a list) and last but not least, what is their privacy policy and how strictly do they adhere to published industry standards.
2) Utilize plain vanilla text link advertising - find web sites or portals that have traffic that is comprised of customers who are in your market segment. Then, add a text link (banner ad or graphic button if you will) to a page or pages and negotiate a media buy that is based upon a “cost per click” basis; i.e. paying only for traffic that clicks through to your web site.
3) Creating and deploying a “link strategy” campaign (i.e. getting a site listed via other web sites) is one of the best self-sustaining interactive marketing processes available to any company seeking to drive qualified traffic to a web site. This process is not based upon the more traditional “reciprocal links” procedure but incorporates some web-based competitive analysis. You start by analyzing the links that are pointing back to your top 3-5 competitors’ web sites and then establish relationships with these sites and also submit your site to top and second tier directories to augment the number of links.
4) Newsletter insert advertising used to be considered rather mundane and not very effective. But, if you contrast the effectiveness of this process versus the new opt-in e-mail response rates the heretofore-lowly newsletter advertising has new and vastly improved luster! Also, in the past it was difficult to track when and if people clicked on a text link ad in a newsletter - but new technology enables virtually any publisher to provide you with this information, enabling you to track your ROI for the media buy. Finally, the real beauty of newsletter text advertising is that it is very targeted and people want to receive the information so you can be confident your ad will at least be viewed by some finite number of prospects.
5) Search Engine Ranking has come of age in the last 12-24 months - you can now easily create and deploy a traditional (title, description, keywords inserts in content, submissions and optimization) search engine ranking process that is augmented with a pay per click (”PPC”) process. Deploying both ensures you derive long term (traditional rankings) and short term (pay per click) results, with the latter being driven by the amount of funds you have in your marketing budget.
When electricity prices were low, it was unnecessary to justify the upfront outlay of cash required to install solar panels, solar water heaters and similar equipment. The reason was simple to understand - it would simply take too long to recoup the cost of the equipment in the form of lower energy bills.
Things have changed though. As energy prices continue to go up, the amount of time required to recoup the upfront cost goes down. In addition, a number of state and local tax incentives make it even easier for homeowners to go solar and save money right away.
Photovoltaic systems have also come a long way. The costs of installing solar panels is still high, with a typical two kilowatt installation of OVR Solar solar panels costing approximately £10,000 / ($20, 000) in most cases, but special tax incentives and long term energy savings can help homeowners recoup those upfront costs faster than ever before.
Subsidies are also now available. This tax savings can help eligible homeowners recoup some of the costs of installing solar panels and solar water heating systems up front, in addition to the energy savings they will enjoy down the road.
Many states also provide special tax incentives for homeowners who install eligible solar panel and solar water heating systems. The specifics of these tax rebates and tax incentives vary from state to state, but many states provide at least some level of tax relief for homeowners who install and use energy efficient systems.
The amount of time required to recoup the entire cost of a solar panel roof installation will vary according to a number of factors, including the cost of the materials and installation, the availability of tax rebates, tax breaks and other incentives, and of course the price of traditional forms of energy.. However, as the prices for heating oil, gas and other forms of traditional energy continue to soar, the appeal of solar energy will only grow.
When I was developing a call center for Xerox, I made a deal with my onsite coordinator:
“Put combination locks on the doors, and don’t permit any tours without speaking to me, first!”
I knew that a successful telemarketing unit would not only attract busloads of corporate tourists and gawkers, but it would be misunderstood.
One reason I promote privacy is that I strive to create a unique environment in a call center, unlike that in any other department. One of my suggestions is to use bells, such as those that adorn the check-in counters at hotels. When a rep sets an appointment or makes a sale, he rings his bell.
This signals success, and it causes a lot of excitement for a number of reasons:
(1) The rep is celebrating his success, making it conspicuous. He gets recognition.
(2) It makes those around him competitive. They want some recognition, too.
(3) It informs management, second by second, how the room is doing.
(4) It reinforces having a louder rather than quieter environment. (See my article: “Bigger Voices Sell Better!”
(5) It’s downright Pavlovian. Want to see management salivate? Ring that bell!
People sell better when they’re uninhibited, extroverted, and one way to get them to be bigger than life is to ring in their sales with bells!
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com
Part 3 is: Start Saving!
So you are loaded down with bills to pay each month and are wondering how you can begin a savings account for emergencies and other high-expense endeavors. In other words, where can you find that extra cash to put away for later?
Firstly, when configuring your budge, plan for your savings first. You will grow richer each month if you begin to pay yourself first. Before paying any bills, decide on a set amount that you will pay yourself first - maybe five or ten percent - or whatever you decide - of your paycheck. Then, deposit the amount into a savings account before paying any bills.
When you do this at the beginning of the month, your entire paycheck will not suddenly slip through your fingers. If you wait until the end of the month, there may be nothing left to save. Paying yourself first will give you a systematic way to make your money grow. Regardless of your profession or your income, this system will work if you stick to it.
Anoter technique you may try for saving money is to empty your extra change into a coffee can or a jar each day. At the end of the month, roll the coins and put them into your savings account. You may be able to save 30 or 40 dollars each month just with your spare change.
Remember that good money management is more than just a mathematical formula. It’s too closely tied with the ups and downs of living to be just that. Your money management plan is always subject to change if your life situation changes. The object of a good budget is to make your money go the farthest in helping you reach your goals, it is not there to force to you to abide by rules.
Don’t get discouraged if the budget plan doesn’t work perfectly right away. It may involve some revising and editing until it fits your needs. Then, make sure to review it often, and be sure it is making the best use of every penny! Because we know how helpful those spare pennies can be!
Kaval is an Internet Marketer and actively trades the Financial Markets.
Owns www.ForexTradingSecrets4u.com
Most people rarely think about the battery inside their Jet Ski, boat or golf cart until the engine doesn’t turn over. After that comes the process of digging out the instruction manual and browsing through hundreds of different batteries to find the one that fits your vehicle. To ensure that you’re not caught in this situation any more than you need to be, try following these simple steps to increase the lifespan of your recreational vehicle battery.
If your small fishing boat or golf cart is repeatedly used to travel short distances before turning off the engine, it’s likely that your battery is never reaching a full charge. Since the battery’s power is continuously depleted from starting the engine but never fully replenished by the alternator’s charge, the result is a poorly functioning battery with a high rate of failure and inconsistency.
Most recreation vehicle batteries are secondary or “storage” batteries which differ from the primary batteries found in small portable devices. Secondary batteries can be recharged again and again as opposed to disposable primary batteries. .
By caring for your battery correctly, you can save hundreds of dollars over the years in battery replacement costs. The most effective way to charge your battery is to do it slowly over a 6 to 8 hour period with an external charger. The chemical reaction that produces the power to fuel your vehicle can be reversed with a recharging devise that supplies energy back into the battery. Charging battery slowly allows the electrolytes to fully penetrate the plates and gives your battery a longer lifespan.
Golf Cart Battery Maintenance
Most golf cart batteries require that water constantly be added to maintain the battery’s charge. Many people aren’t aware of this because most other types of vehicle batteries are maintenance free batteries. When a golf cart battery dries out due to lack of water, it can catch fire or even combust. To prevent this, schedule maintenance checks or try using a sealed golf cart that doesn’t require any additives.
Boat Battery and Jet Ski Battery Maintenance
There are two different types of marine battery technology; wet cell and Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM). While wet cell batteries are generally cheaper, they require that the owner constantly add more acid to maintain the charge. Because the battery needs to be opened, wet cell batteries have a tendency to leak. An AGM battery doesn’t need to be refilled, eliminating most of the trouble associated with wet cell batteries. Because they are completely sealed, there is no leaking and less corrosion.
Save yourself some money the next time you need to purchase a Jet Ski battery, boat battery, or golf cart battery. By doing some research online, you can compare the pros and cons about your options before you purchase.
Author is a small business internet marketing consultant and the cofounder of nGenuity Solutions.
For additional information on Jet Ski Batteries or golf cart batteries, please visit http://www.ebatteriestogo.com.
The holiday season comes and goes so quickly that it is easy
to be caught off guard. Think like a Boy Scout & “Be
Prepared” this year.
All too often we find ourselves unprepared for Christmas Day
when we have known all along that it is where it always is,
neatly nestled between Thanksgiving and New Years, during
the last week of December. It always seems though, that we
forget someone or something until the last minute and end up
rushing around with all of the other crazy busy people on
Christmas Eve.
There is an easy way to avoid this though. Account for the
possibilities. What are you likely to forget? Who are you
likely to leave out? Here are a few things you should keep
on hand during the holiday season, whether in your car, the
fridge or cupboard.
While you are doing your Christmas gift shopping, pick up a
bunch of little things to have around as take-away or
hospitality gifts. It could be anything from candy, to small
trinkets or ornaments, or a box of candy. It’s inevitable:
an unexpected person will show up, and it’s best not to be
caught empty-handed.
Keep the refrigerator stocked with small dessert items or
snack trays. This is good for when you are doing your
holiday visiting. This way you can bring something with you
to each place that you visit during your Christmas week.
Stuff like apple pie or ‘veggie’ platters are great, because
they can be used pretty much anywhere that there’s a
gathering of people.
Stash a couple bottles of wine in your car (unopened of
course). You could even save a few bucks by buying a case or
two at once. Some retailers will even offer a discount for a
mixed case of different brands or types. Keep the wine in
your trunk in case of last minute visiting hours. That way
you are not running around like a nut at the last minute
trying to find a liquor store that’s open.
Don’t buy individual Christmas cards for each of your
co-workers. Buy a big box of cards at once and keep them in
your car or briefcase. When you’re dealing with a large
amount of people such as at the office, it’s easy to forget
someone. Keep cards handy so you can correct any oversights
before it seems like a slight.
Be a good Scout, stay prepared, and your holiday season will
run more smoothly this year.
Mike Nalbone is the webmaster at http://www.ChristmasGiftOfTheMonth.com which offers unique,
memorable Christmas gift ideas for everyone on your list.
This Article is © 2005 and may be reproduced or displayed
solely in its entirety, unmodified, provided the above
resource box is included along with an active (click-able)
link to http://www.ChristmasGiftOfTheMonth.com
Planning to go to Canada to finally go for an awesome and long-awaited vacation in Alberta with your granny? Well what are you waiting for? Book it!
Extremes of climate heat and cold symbolize Canada, a country distinguished by its multi-racial citizens. Citizens include people of: European, Indian, Arabic, American, Italian, Hispanic and Caribbean descent. The aboriginal inhabitants of Canada also add to the distinct flavor of the country. Situated in the northern side of the North American continent, Canada captivates you with its pristine, scenic beauty. From snow-capped mountains to serene lakes and rivers and wooded forests, Canada beckons you with its natural environment.
Though you are not at any rate short of funds, “No so fast!, your mind tells you. Too bad you have never placed an international call to Canada. Now you just have to forego the masterplan til somebody offers you to make that call for you. NOT! It just so happened that you are not led to this article just for any reason. Fortunately, information regarding how to make an international call to Canada abound and they were just so packed here for your convenience. And guess what? You are about to learn to save some precious dough too. So, just read on.
Easy tips to save on your international calls.
It is recommended to not make an operator assist you with your calls. This would cost you dollars when you can just spend some few cents in making that phone call. Another piece of advice is to avail of flexible prepaid long distance calling plans offered by various telecommunications sources.
Know your calling patterns. According to your habits in making international calls, whether you are a night or day caller or non-business days caller or not, informing the company that you are eyeing on to give your business will be of great help.
The real deal in placing international call to Canada:
Take note that the country code for Canada is 1. This number is also known as the routing number, prefix, and country code.
Any mistake on this number could lead you to other countries. Surely you would not want to be greeted by somebody speaking Hungarian or Japanese. That would be a waste of money too. If you do not want to suffer these consequences, better be really on your toes when dialing all the numbers you are supposed to dial.
Here is a list of the area codes in Canada:
Alberta 403
British Columbia 250
British Columbia (Lower Mainland) 604
Manitoba 204
New Brunswick 506
Newfoundland 709
Nova Scotia 902
Ontario (London) 519
Ontario (North Bay) 705
Ontario (Ottawa) 613
Ontario (Thunder Bay) 807
Ontario (Toronto Metro) 416
Ontario (Toronto Vicinity) 905
Prince Edward Island 902
Quebec (Montreal) 514
Quebec (Quebec City) 418
Quebec (Sherbrooke) 819
Saskatchewan 306
Simple Steps to Call Canada:
Dial the international access code - 011 (no need to dial this code if you are calling from USA).
Dial Canada’s country code - 1.
Dial the city code of the place you want to connect with. (e.g.: Alberta city code is 403 and Manitoba city code is 204.)
Dial the remaining digits.
Avoid calling direct unless you are well-off enough to not mind spending a hefty amount on making that simple and effortless international call. A prepaid phone service is a lot more practical. Also, if you despise dialing too many numbers, most prepaid call services do not require you to dial any pin. Just shop around for the best rates.
Despite the fact that English and French are the official languages of Canada, understanding the local parlance can be quite daunting. For instance, a ‘mickey’ is not a cartoon character, but a small bottle of booze; and the Royal Mountain police are referred to as the ‘Mounties’.
Aside from this effort in learning the instructions in placing a call to Canada while saving money, you might want to go that extra mile to make your international calling experience a bit more rewarding than the usual. Go greet the person you’re calling with a homely “Bonjour” since French is also one of the major languages used in Canada. It won’t just surprise your call’s recipient. It might also just make his or her day.
www.MrLongdistance.com owner Bernard Pragides has been in the telecommunication business since 1997. Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries on phone cards or international call rates. You may email us at HelpMeSave@MrLongDistance.com
When your kid gets to be a teenager, that little kids furniture and bedroom décor just won’t do. Your teen wants a cool new look, and here’s how you can get it.
First of all, don’t toss out that old bedroom furniture yet. Unless the furniture is totally banged up and broken, you may be able to give it a cool new look with some paint and new knobs. Before you start on that, however, you need to figure out the theme of your teen bedroom design.
Todays hot new looks are centered around retro, modern or “cool” designs. Teens actually have pretty good design sense (probably from watching so much TV!) and you can design a really neat room just by adding some new accents. Of course, your teen may need a new desk to do their home work at if the old one no longer works but you can give the old furniture a new look as mentioned above.
Luckily, you don’t have to spend a lot on accents for your teenagers room. Most of the discount department stores like Target offer hip furnishings and accents at discount prices. You can buy inexpensive shelves, or build them yourself, and use it for them to put all their stuff that might normally be thrown on the floor. This will help the room look neat and reduce the clutter.
You can give your teens bedroom a fun but sophisticated look by painting the room in a “cool” color like chocolate, sage or purple and using accents to as focal points. A flokati or rag rug will lend a sophisticated air and you can even put the down as area rugs on top of wall to wall carpeting to give the floor a whole new look. Replace the kids ruffled or theme curtains with tab topped curtains in a denim or canvas for a more adult look.
Bedding for you teen can be plain, or funky - whatever goes with the room. Depending on your teens taste, a neutral colored bed set with nicely textured fabrics like silks or a velvet duvet can add interest with out being too flashy. Or if you want to make the bed a focal point, how about an animal print set or something in bright colors like hot pink and orange?
Accents are where you add interest and give the room personality. Some fun accents include chairs shaped like a giant shoe, faux fur covered lamps in wild colors, bean bag chairs of all types, phones in all shapes and sizes, funky accent pillows, rugs and wall art.
Lee Dobbins writes for Bedroom Designs where you can learn more about bedroom design themes.
In today’s mobile society, many of us are in one location at the very time that we need to be somewhere else. Normally this is not a problem, but when it comes to important events such as selling a house we have to find ways to cope.
Overnight delivery services and document delivery through e-mail have eliminated much of the need to be physically present in a distant location. Unfortunately, though, in order to authenticate the proper execution of these legal documents, you must find a notary public who is willing and able to handle your situation. In many cases, especially involving mortgages and re-financing opportunities, the financial companies will send a signing agent (aka mobile notary) to your location.
This does not always work, though. If you are vacationing at a clothing-optional or nudist resort, do you really think that a mobile notary will come to your location? Are you too private to let a strait-laced notary or your banker know that you are a nudist? If this sounds familiar to you, you will probably decide to get dressed, hop in the car, and drive to a notary who will do the work for you.
Now there is an option. A growing number of notaries public are proud members of the American Association for Nude Recreation, the Naturist Society, or the International Naturist Federation. They are willing to serve the needs of nudists and naturists as mobile notaries. They will travel to your location. They have no problem with your reviewing and signing documents no matter what you are or are not wearing. They will, as true professionals, preserve your privacy while making sure that everything is done properly.
The next time that you need a notary, request a NudeNotary. Tell your real estate broker and lender that you do not need their signing agent to process your paperwork. Select a notary public of your own who will do the work for you. Notary fees are set by the state, whereas signing agencies are allowed to impose surcharges. You will save time and money, while not having to compromise your lifestyle.
copyright 2006 by Marc Seligman, Ed.D.
Marc Seligman, Ed.D., is a notary public in Florida who serves the many nudists and naturists living in and visiting the state. From weddings to real estate transactions, the Nude Notary will handle any situation requiring the services of a notary public.
Visitors to http://www.NudeNotary.com will be able to locate notaries public who are members of AANR, TNS, or INF.
