Groundbreaking Work

Every writer knows that the urge to write is not always present. As a result, the dedicated writer writes anyway. Professional writers face the task without think too much about the actual activity. They have established the habit, so they sit down and put their thought to paper whether they are relevant to the project or not. They know that they can rewrite, revise, edit, and improve. They know that the first draft is not or need be the last.

The writer forces him or herself to write, usually at a prescribed time and in a set place. Most successful writers have an office, a place set aside for writing, and so they go to that place to write. Seldom do such writer's experience what is know as writer's block which is a state of mind that can be changed with a conscious effort.

And interesting thing about writing-putting thoughts to paper-is that the very act clarifies one's thinking, and fosters more thoughts. The simple act of putting thought into words, sentences, and paragraphs causes the mind to sift, to correlate, to organize, and intensify thinking. From a blank mind to one teeming with ideas is the usual process that occurs as one writes.

Thus one sees that writing is related to mood, which changes from one moment to the next. During the day, one experiences many moods from joy to sadness, from calm to anger, from activity to idleness, while state of mind tends to be less volatile. Since mood is so capricious, it is only a matter of time until the urge to write takes over, and writing becomes a joy rather than a chore.

So what is difficult writing can be excellent and worthwhile. Often, after reviewing earlier writing, it is difficult to know what was arduous and what was effortless. Often the burdensome is the finest.

Charles O. Goulet has a BA in history and BEd in English literature. He has several historical novels published and available from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes and Noble and many other bookstores. His website is http://www.telusplanet.net/public/go1c. His blog is http://go1c.blogspot.com

Free Traffic Course - Day 4

This day 4 of "Free Traffic Course" is devoted to mailing lists, their power to increase targeted web site traffic, automate online advertising and give more sales from web site visitors.

What is an email message in terms of communicating in Internet? Usually people say this is a specially coded message that can deliver information to the specified address(es). But this is a very formal explanation.

Email is your voice in Internet. Though the technologies of transferring sounds and live video images are developing rapidly, still email remains the most universal tool for communicating in Internet. So, email is the voice of your web site. If the web site "speaks" with a professionally set voice, using good tone - the web site gets high credibility. That is why a proper management of email for the web site is very important.

But emails are not only message carriers to your clients or prospects. They can be a powerful advertising cool, educational guideline or eZine which helps to promote the product/service better. Emails can serve as a good feedback from the clients. Only your imagination can limit the benefits of using emails for your online business.

MAILING TOOL ON ANY WEB SITE SHOULD BE PROFESSIONAL AND SHOULD HAVE MANY OPTIONS TO USE

If you have used any mailing tool before, then you perhaps know this problem - everything works good. But so many features and options are simply unavailable, other features have many limits and restrictions.

Some mailing tools have limit on the number of mailing lists inside them. Some tools should be installed for each web site separately which often means you have to pay for every installation of mailing tool to the new web site. Some mailing tools do not show statistic data - how can you track your work with clients if you do not know the mailing statistics details? Some mailing tools do not allow to personalize messages, and this is a huge step back for clients. The drawbacks are numerous.

One of the modules integrated in Free Traffic System has a revolutionary mailing list tool that solves all the problems mentioned above. It fully automates the mailing routine for your web site, giving amazing benefits and advantages.

Read each of the benefits and advantages and see how they will help your web site and online business.

#1. Mailing List module is unlimited - you can create as many mailing lists as you wish, you can add as many subscribes to these mailing lists as you wish, you can send as many messages as you wish.

#2. Mailing List module manages the mailing for all your web sites from ONE web site where you have installed Free Traffic System. No routine installations - put the system to one of your web sites, and the Mailing List module will manage your correspondence from one "captain's deck". Very convenient and saves time.

#3. You can personalize your messages the way you wish. Mailing List module supports more than 20 macros elements: web site name, mailing list name, date of user registration in mailing list, first and last name, user's email, subscriber's date of birth, country, state, etc. You can customize your messages so your clients will feel the real personalized approach to them. Clients like when someone cares about them.

#4. You can send messages in HTML and TXT formats. Send your clients the messages that will be in the format that suits your clients better.

#5. You can test and preview all messages before sending them. Thus you will know how exactly your messages will look. If there any mistakes in the message, you preview the letter and correct mistakes before your clients see them.

#6. You can attach files to the messages. If you have any important file that has to go separately or cannot be pasted in the letter body, use the attachment feature.

#7. A huge base of ready-made letter templates. Some say that templates are for lazy people. This is not true - templates are for those who want to save their time and still get a good-looking result. Plus you can edit existing templates or make the templates by yourself.

#8. The system has also preinstalled mailing lists: directory, spider, autoresponder, mailing list, site news, etc. You can use them if you do not want to create your own mailing lists. You can also edit them the way you wish and create your own lists.

#9. One and the same message can be sent to subscribers of different mailing lists. You just tick the necessary mailing lists and Free Traffic System automatically sends message(s) to the subscribers of all these lists.

#10. You can send messages in queue. You set the date when the message should be sent, and then leave the office. You can even go on a vacation; when the time for sending comes (in a week or in a year), your message will be sent to necessary email addresses.

#11. You get full statistic data for new, unsubscribed users for the mailing lists. You choose the period for displaying statistic data, and Free Traffic System shows you everything.

#12. You can add new subscribers, edit profile of existing subscribers, delete the profile, filter and search the subscribers in mailing list base. You can transfer (import and export) the subscribers from one mailing list to another. Or save the subscribers' database in a special file.

These are not all the features and options you get with Mailing List module of Free Traffic System, but even now you can see that your mailing activity becomes really unlimited with such a tool.

REAL ONLINE BUSINESS EXAMPLE.

Ok, just one example to illustrate how much you can do with this module for your web site. Let's say, you decided to make eZine about your food recipes. You go the Mailing List in Free Traffic System and do the following.

1. Choose the appropriate eZine template. If you found the one that you like, customize it. If you want to make your own eZine - make your own template and use it.

2. The eZine message is ready. Ok, choose when you want to send it - set the date, and feel free to do anything you wish. Free Traffic System will automatically send it on the day set by you.

3. Now you choose what clients from your web site will get the eZine. If you have many mailing lists and want all their subscribers to get the eZine - tick all mailing lists and eZine will be sent to all their subscribers.

4. If you already have many messages in your eZine - you can queue them. The messages can be sent every day, once a week, whenever you wish.

You get absolute freedom in mailing tactics. Only you set the limits to your email activity: you go to settings of Mailing Lists and adjust them to your current needs.

Actually, this day of "Free Traffic Course" could be several times longer, because the mailing features of Free Traffic System are really versatile.

But you can save your time, visit the web site http://www.FreeTrafficSystem.com and read the features for this and other modules.

But this module has one surprise - Mailing List includes the Autoresponder which is already integrated into the system. This adds a perfect follow-up marketing power. If you want to know more about it and other useful features of Free Traffic System, the next days of "Free Traffic Course" will explain everything in details.

Grow your knowledge, traffic and profits.

Nickolay Bokhonok - CEO And Owner Of DesktopMoney LTD. Inventor of Internet marketing software and scripts. Successful Internet entrepreneur. You can learn more about these traffic building strategies, schemes and tips in "Free Traffic Course" at http://www.FreeTrafficSystem.com FreeTrafficSystem - Your Web Site Traffic Doctor.

A Bellyful of Mindfulness

Taco Bell, the Mexican fast-food franchise, has a new ad campaign focusing on the slogan, "Get full." The commercials show people ecstatically announcing that they are full--thanks, of course, to the huge value meals now available at Taco Bell.

We know that feeling full isn't simply a matter of building a bigger, better burrito. There's a whole lotta emptiness going on, and it's not always filled by what we put into our bellies.

The search for connection, for meaning, for love--these are longings not met by the bags we pick up at the drive-thru window. To feel full in the truest sense, we must figure out what we are lacking in our lives. We're not always mindful of this quest.

Seeking satisfaction in activity? That can work. Be honest here--is your time spent actively avoiding emptiness or actively seeking fullness? These are two different things. If you find yourself with a full calendar and an empty heart, you're bathing yourself in distraction, and sooner or later, that's going to plug up your bathtub.

Being full doesn't mean you're packed with positive thoughts and emotions all the time. We need the whole enchilada to help us develop as caring, compassionate humans, and sometimes that means we are full of frustration, sadness or despair.

Hey, it still counts as being full! You're a vessel, and you should be continually filled, but not necessarily consistently filled with the same stuff. It's the emptying and filling that keeps things interesting.

"A full cup must be carried steadily."--English proverb

Getting spilled is part of life. What are you doing to spill yourself...and what are you doing to get filled up again?

Spend time this week contemplating the concept of fullness. Be mindful of opportunities to notice when you are feeling depleted or overflowing.

Concentrate on paying attention to thoughts, emotions, stories, people, places and activities that make you feel full, and practice saying, "This is full" whenever you notice it.

Good full or bad full--don't judge that. Just be mindful of that sense of fullness wherever you feel it.

Taco Bell entices people to "get full" and this is good advice. But skip the "full-on value meal" and concentrate instead on your own fullness whenever you see an ad or drive by a Taco Bell.

Ask this: Am I full? What is filling me right now?

Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Stir things up and start again.

That's a recipe for full-on living.

Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse offering specialized mindfulness training in Portland, Oregon. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 100 countries. To subscribe to her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage, please visit http://www.massageyourmind.com

Putting Benefits Before Features

Having spent so many years in retail, I always enjoy being on the listening end of a sales persons presentation.

As I listen patiently and attentively, I privately critique the sales person as they make their pitch.

I look for certain things, the basics, are they making eye contact with me, do they have a healthy knowledge of their product, do they ask me open-ended questions? Etc., etc.

The one thing that I have noticed about the majority of sales people, even the ones I see on infomercials, is that they spend the majority of their presentation discussing their products features, and not it's benefits.

As a consumer it is very important to know all the features of a product, however, I find it much more important to know the benefits of the product.

What is it going to do for me?

How much money will I save?

How will it make my life easier?

These are the questions your potential customer wants to have answered. They want to know how they will benefit from your product.

For example, I was in my bank the other day opening a safe deposit box. As I sat filling out the paperwork, the branch manager wisely seized his opportunity to be proactive. He asked me if I was registered for their on line bill payment. When I replied that I had not, he proceeded to tell me all about it.

He told me how easy it was to sign up, how easy it was to access, and how easy it was to pay my bills over the computer.

He even gave me an on line presentation right there in his office. The only thing missing was the pop corn.

During his entire verbal and visual presentation, he never once mentioned a benefit to the product. The features were great, but how did this benefit me?

What he should have included in his presentation, was that by using on line bill paying, I would no longer have to purchase checks, and I would no longer have to purchase stamps, I would be saving money!

The benefit to this product was, I could save money!

We all want to save money, but this point was never mentioned. Needless to say, I enjoyed the presentation, and I did sign up for the on line bill paying.

The next time you are selling one of your products, take the "features and benefits" and reverse them. Tell your customer up front what your product can do for them.

Think "benefits and features" not "features and benefits"

Tell them how your product can save them money, how it will make their life easier, tell them how it will benefit them. It will make all the difference.

Jay Conners is a former loan officer with more than fifteen years of experience in the mortgage business. You can read more articles just like this by subscribing to his free news letter by visiting his site at http://www.jconners.com a mortgage resource center. He also owns http://www.callprospect.com a mortgage lead company.

Preliminary Survival Steps for Adwords Success

What I find is a lot of marketers do have a great set of keywords, they have a great product to promote (whether it's their own or someone elses), BUT, they go and ruin it all by structuring their campaign all wrong.

What I mean by structure is the preliminary stages you should go through to set up targeted ad groups that work WITH the ad.

It's important not to just lump all your keywords into one adgroup, but it's also important to have some initial, central key terms that you are going to write your ad around.

Here's how (as in my video) to set up and structure a targeted adwords campaign. Follow this step-by-step everytime, you should be fine :o)

- First, find your main niche keyphrase. This is the most general, ideally 1-word term that encompasses your product's or service's niche. IN my example for promoting a grant claiming service, the top level keyword is, yes, "grant"

- Next you need to split this top level keyword into ideally 2-word phrases that cover what different searchers on Google will be looking for. E.g. look at the different areas your product covers such as (in my example again) EDUCATION grant, BUSINESS grant, DAYCARE grant etc.

These will also be your Adgroup names and what your ads will be written around for various benefits such as emboldened text.

- write your ad (you will look at expanded keywords later, and my course goes into this in part 2)

so if the first adgroup is BUSINESS grant, we want to write the ad around that central term so we are targeting a specific type of person here - someone who is looking for info on how to claim for a bizz grant!

- first, put that central term as the first line in your ad, followed by a trail off (a trail-off is where the reader has to go onto the next line to finish the sentence or phrase)

With trail-offs, this makes them read the whole ad, rather than just getting closure on the first line and clicking on your ad without getting the full picture - ver important they read ALL of your ad to get the full idea of what you're offering them.

- include 2 hard hitting benefits. Take these from the website you're promoting, so when the visitor clicks through, they will see these benefits almost uncannily and as a familiar kind of reinforcement. Psychology! Again, use trail-offs on line 2 so they have no choice but to read onto the final line...

- Close with a call to action such as "get yours now" or "don't miss out". I've found the cliche and classic action phrases work the best, people don't seem to turn away from them even if they sound cheesy!

A call to action will push the reader to click on your link, and now they've read all your ad, and seen a couple of benefits, they should be primed nicely for a sale.

TIP: to prime them even more, send them onto a landing page that compares similar services or products so they have a choice and they have a chance to take another positive action.

TIP: liven the URL in your ad up a bit by capitalizing each word - e.g. www.futureaffiliate.com would just be FutureAffiliate.com

Follow these preliminary steps and you should be in a great position with your sponsored ad!

Again, you can watch my video on this (sinks in better) as a gift to you at http://www.futureaffiliate.com/ppc1.html

If you enjoyed that video (or found it completely boring but learnt from it) you should see the rest of my course which looks at promotion methods for affiliate products and inventive affiliate marketing to earn money online. It's free...

The video is located at: http://www.futureaffiliate.com/ppc1.html (afterwards, if you're interested in seeing the rest of my course, go to http://www.futureaffiliate.com)

Mike Beatham runs a free video e-course on affiliate marketing. If you're interested in making money selling other people's stuff online sign up at http://www.futureaffiliate.com

ADHD: Dialogue with a Non-Believer, Part Four

Dear Sir,

It was with some interest that I read the article What You Should Know About Attention Deficit Disorder by Edward W. after having it handed to me by a member of our church. There were elements of the article that were insightful, helpful, and needed to be said in a public forum, especially the discussion of the moral and spiritual dimensions of behavior. For this part of the article I applaud Mr. W.

However, Mr. W's discussion on the physiological/biological aspects of ADD ADHD was lacking to the point of being misleading to the readers. I am sure that Mr. Welch had no intention of misleading any readers, as that would hardly reflect the "biblical guidelines with which to understand ADD" that he seeks to communicate. Therefore, for the sake of clarifying some details, may I present the following evidence. Perhaps in the near future you would run an article that would present some of this information to your readers, so that they have an accurate understanding of the disorder.

We continue the dialogue here in part four. Mr. W writes,

"The popular assumption is that there is an underlying biological cause for the behaviors, but the assumption is unfounded. Although there are dozens of biological theories to explain ADD, there are presently no physical markers for it; there are no medical tests that detect its presence. Food additives, birth and delivery problems, inner ear problems, and brain differences are only a few of the theories that are? unsupported by evidence."

". . . there are presently no physical markers for it;"

This is not supported by research. There are many physical markers for it. One just needs a fMRI, SPECT scan, QEEG, or PET scan, to see them. I have personally performed hundreds of EEGs and some QEEGs, and can attest first hand to the differences in brainwave patterns of ADHD individuals vs. non-ADHD subjects.

". . . there are no medical tests that detect its presence."

This is also misleading to the readers. Many, if not most, biologically based medical conditions are diagnosed by the observation and experience of a trained clinician or physician. Many medical conditions have no "medical tests" that detect its presence.

For example, I am presently house-bound recovering from pneumonia. Did you know that until July, 2000, there were no "medical tests" that detect the presence of pneumonia? Just last summer a urine test was approved by the FDA which is between 75% and 80% accurate in diagnosing pneumonia. There are no blood tests, or other forms of "medical tests" to diagnose it.

My pneumonia was diagnosed solely on the observation and experience of the physician. He listened to my breathing and coughing. He observed and interpreted a chest x-ray. Then he made a judgment, a diagnosis, based on observation and experience (not on empirical, objective results from any medical tests), and began treatment. The x-ray, my coughing, etc., gave him evidence of a condition only. He had no "medical tests" (he did not try the new urine test) to tell him if I had viral pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia, or mycoplasmic pneumonia. Yet based on observation and experience he started a course of treatment. The treatment involved the use of powerful medications, and the treatment has so far been beneficial.

The fact that there are no blood tests - "medical tests" - to diagnose pneumonia is hardly evidence that I am not suffering from a medical condition.

ADHD is also diagnosed by clinicians through observation and experience. The clinician would rely on developmental, family, academic, and genetic histories, behavioral rating scales, and objective testing. There are tests, psychological and neurocognitive tests, that are extremely helpful in making a diagnosis, such as continuous performance tests and other tests of executive functions. There aren't any blood or urine tests - "medical tests" - as Mr. Welch would say. But that does not invalidate the biological basis for the condition.

Mr. Welch further writes: "There are some medical problems that can provoke ADD symptoms. For example, thyroid problems can affect energy level, and hearing or visual impairments can make paying attention difficult."

Yes, these are true. But they describe thyroid problems, and hearing or visual problems, completely separate medical conditions which happen to share some symptoms with ADHD. They do not cause Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Depression and anxiety can cause symptoms that look like ADD, but they are not ADD. A head injury can cause symptoms that look like ADD, but a head injury is not ADD.

The neurological problems that cause ADD are the causes of ADD. Mr. Welch is simply unwilling to admit that there is a neurological, biological, physiological basis for a very real condition called ADHD. His position, however, is not supported by the reality presented in the research.

This is the end to part four of this discussion. You can learn more about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by visiting the ADHD Information Library's family of web sites.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.

Ephedra Product Ban

Ephedra is a naturally occuring herbal dietary supplement that has been marketed as a weight loss drug. The principal active ingredient is an amphetamine-like compound. Because it has been marketed as an herbal supplement and not a drug, you may not have considered talking to your doctor about it, but if you have been using Ephedra or any dietary supplement containing ephedrine alkaloids, such as ephedra, ma huang, Sida cordifolia, and pinellia, stop immediately and consult a doctor! The FDA has advised consumers to stop using these dietary supplements and published a final ruling in 2004 to ban the sale of all supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids.

After reviewing Ephedra, the Food and Drug Administration found that it has little positive effects beyond temporary short-term weight loss. To the contrary, Ephedra raises blood pressure and stresses the heart. Many people using Ephedra to lose weight have suffered strokes and died. Recent studies have confirmed that Ephedra use raises blood pressure and stresses the circulatory system. Furthermore, a study of calls to poison control centers revealed that a disproportionate rate of negative reactions were cased by Ephedra as opposed to other herbal products.

If you are using ephedra or ma huang, discontinue use immediately. If you used ephedra in the past and are now experience symptoms of high blood pressure, intense headaches, or heart palpitations, contact a lawyer right away to discuss your case.

To find out why you need an Ephedra lawyer and read articles about dangerous drugs and Ephedra side effects, visit our website at hugesettlements.com.

If you have any questions or concerns about filing a Ephedra lawsuit, please contact a professional Ephedra attorney right away!

Ten Equipment Leasing Tips - Save a Bundle on Your Next Lease

According to the Equipment Leasing Association ("ELA"), U.S. businesses lease every thing from laptop computers to commercial airplanes, racking up more than $ 200 billion in equipment leased each year. Although four out of five U.S. companies use leasing to acquire equipment, many don't know the ins and outs of leasing well enough to negotiate a good deal. By focusing on a few key aspects of the lease transaction, you can save a bundle on your next lease and eliminate potential aggravation.

1. Choose the Right Leasing Partner

The starting point for saving money on your lease is to select the right leasing company. The biggest savings in this area come from saving time and dodging substandard lease transactions. The wrong lessor choice can result in a slow approval, inability of the lessor to deliver, hidden fees, a poorly designed lease transaction or worst. Give this aspect of obtaining a lease your highest priority. To save a bundle on your next lease, you must do your homework in pre-qualifying bidding leasing companies. Look for lessors with: 1) experience and knowledge; 2) good reputations; 3) the ability to perform; 4) helpful business contacts; and 6) a relationship approach. Ask for and get lessor financial information, background information on the key managers, a listing of recently completed leases, and contacts at key funding sources for each leasing company being considered. Review this information and follow up with all contacts provided.

2. Choose the Right Lease

You can rake in big savings by obtaining the right lease for the equipment you are acquiring. When planning your lease financing, determine the top three or four attributes your lease should have. During this process, carefully evaluate the importance of: lease pricing, lease flexibility, balance sheet considerations, equipment obsolescence, the anticipated period of equipment usage, and your firm's credit status. The wrong lease choice can be costly.

Lease pricing is market driven, so get at least three lease bids. Carefully evaluate bids by doing a comparative analysis of discounted cash flows incorporating all anticipated costs and fees. Make sure your lease has favorable end-of-lease options, a reasonable end-of-lease notice period, the ability to relocate equipment by notifying the lessor, the right to terminate the lease early without an onerous charge, and the right to assign the lease to another user under agreed upon conditions. Look for an arrangement that will cover equipment needs for at least the next six to twelve months.

Big savings can be realized by knowing when to select a lease with a bargain purchase option versus a fair market value option. If you know you will be keeping the equipment beyond the initial lease term, a bargain purchase option is usually the most cost-effective alternative. If the equipment is prone to obsolescence or if it is unlikely you will retain the equipment at the end of the lease, consider a lease with fair market value, end-of-lease options.

Know your firm's credit standing. If your firm has been in business for a number of years, is profitable, has a good track record and has a strong balance sheet, it deserves great lease pricing and terms. If your firm has a spotty credit record or weak balance sheet, the challenge is to get the best deal possible. Identify and offer credit enhancements that will make your transaction more attractive. Allow plenty of time to get through the credit review and due diligence process.

3. Ask for Fair Market Value 'Caps'

If you decide that a fair market value lease is the way to go, you can realize big savings by limiting that value. Fair market value rental and purchase options at the end of the lease allow the lessee to either continue leasing the equipment or to buy the equipment at the then fair market value. These values are generally quoted by the lessor at lease end based on aftermarket data, but most leases allow the lessee to obtain an appraisal from a qualified equipment appraiser. To realize significant savings and to eliminate unpleasant surprises, request fair market value options that are "capped" (have upper limits). Beware, however. Lessors may insist on fair market value 'floors' (lower limits) when they agree to 'caps'. The availability of a fair market value cap will depend on the size of the transaction (may not be available on small transactions), competition among lessors, and the credit status of your firm.

4. Keep the End-of-lease Notice and Renewal Periods Short

To avoid hefty unintended lease charges, seek notice and automatic renewal periods that are short. The primary purpose of the end-of-lease notice period is to allow the leasing company sufficient time to redeploy the equipment if you elect to return the equipment. The secondary purpose is to notify the lessor of your plan to either continue leasing the equipment or to purchase it. The notice period generally ranges from one to six months, with three months being typical. If you violate the notice period, the lease kicks into an often unfavorable automatic renewal period, usually one to six months. If the lessor is unwilling to negotiate this provision, you can save money by making sure the notice requirement is fulfilled within the allowed time.

5. Slash Interim Rent

You can slash lease costs significantly by limiting interim rent. Interim rent is the rent you pay for daily use of equipment between the equipment acceptance and lease start dates. The rationale for interim rent is that you have use of the equipment and the lessor is obligated to pay the equipment vendor during this period. While the rationale is not unreasonable, interim rent can balloon lease pricing by arbitrarily extending the term of the lease (albeit by only days). The best approach is to schedule equipment delivery and acceptance toward the end of the month. Most lease terms officially start the first day of the month following equipment acceptance. Another strategy is to negotiate a truncated period at the end of the lease such that the interim period and truncated period total one month of the quoted lease term. A last strategy is to request a limit on interim rent (perhaps ten or fifteen days) regardless of equipment acceptance.

6. Manage Equipment Returns

Save a bundle on your lease by managing the equipment's return. Although you may not anticipate returning the equipment to the leasing company at lease end, it can be costly if you do. When equipment is returned, most lessors care about and will hold your firm accountable for the equipment's condition. Equipment should be properly maintained and returned in good condition. Make sure that you understand the return provision of the lease and that you have good internal controls to adhere to these requirements. If the lease contains an 'all or none' return provision, one strategy is to subdivide the lease into several smaller lease schedules on the front end. Place equipment you are most likely to keep on the same schedules. Try to negotiate the right to return up to 20% of the equipment (based on original value) at the end of the lease, as long as you agree to renew the lease or purchase the balance of the equipment. Track and save all equipment accessories and documentation.

7. Match Lease Term with Projected Equipment Use

The term of the lease should match the expected use of the equipment as closely as possible to save money. If the term is too short, cash outlays for the equipment might exceed the expected equipment benefits over the term. If the lease term is too long, you might lose the flexibility of upgrading to newer more desirable equipment. Notwithstanding your preferences, the term allowed by the leasing company may depend on their perception of credit risk and the expected economic life of the equipment. Any mismatch between your preference and lessor's can be managed by obtaining favorable end-of-lease options.

8. Identify and Understand All Potential Fees

Leasing proposals vary in the types and amounts of fees and penalty charges. Common fees and charges include: commitment fees; non-use fees or facility fees; per schedule documentation charges; attorney fees; UCC financing statements; penalty charges for late rental payments; and early lease termination charges. These are only a few of the possible fees and charges. You can save a bundle by carefully going through each lease proposal and lease agreement to identify and compare likely charges. If fees or charges are significant and likely, they should be incorporated into your pricing analysis. Where possible, especially where one proposal contains fees/charges excluded from the other proposals, try to negotiate these fees/charges.

9. Offer Credit Enhancement to Reduce Lease Rates

In some cases, you can trim lease pricing substantially by offering credit enhancements to improve your firm's credit profile. Enhancements can include: shortening the lease term, cash or other assets as additional collateral, personal or corporate guarantees, advance rentals payments, and security deposits. Since most credit enhancements involve giving up something of value, do a cost/benefit analysis to determine whether the net benefit is in your favor. If your firm has assets that are not working for it why not put them to work in the leasing arrangement. The value of credit enhancements can differ from lessor to lessor, so identify and discuss possible enhancements upfront. Try to assess whether your firm's credit will improve significantly by credit enhancements and get lessors' pricing with and without the credit enhancements.

10. Request Several End-of-lease Options

If the lease contains a nominal purchase option, there is little need for additional end-of-lease flexibility. Otherwise, flexible end-of-lease options can save you a bundle by preventing you from incurring extra expense. One of the most cost-effective options is the ability to return the equipment at the end of the lease. If you no longer need the equipment, why incur additional charges? Additionally you should have the ability to purchase the equipment at a fair or reduced price and the right to continue leasing the equipment at a fair or reduced rent. As discussed, use of caps in fair market value purchase or rental options can greatly reduce potential costs at lease end.

Conclusion

Saving a bundle on your next lease is a cinch if you know where to look. By focusing on a few key areas, you can wring huge savings out of your lease. Remember to set your priorities in evaluating lease proposals and to choose the right leasing partner. Also, while front-end lease pricing is usually a high priority, evaluate each lease carefully to sniff out hidden fees and expenses. Don't be bashful about negotiating points in the lease that have the potential to save you a bundle.

George Parker is a Director and Executive Vice President of Leasing Technologies International, Inc. ("LTI"), responsible for LTI's marketing and financing efforts. A co-founder of LTI, Mr. Parker has been involved in secured lending and equipment financing for over twenty years. Mr. Parker is an industry leader, frequent panelist and author of several articles pertaining to equipment financing.

Headquartered in Wilton, CT, LTI is a leasing firm specializing nationally in direct equipment financing and vendor leasing programs for emerging growth and later-stage, venture capital backed companies. More information about LTI is available at: http://www.ltileasing.com.

Business Innovation ? the Creative Process

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

The Creative Process

There is a wide spread belief that creativity cannot be a process. This is intertwined with the feeling that creativity occurs out of the blue, as does inspiration, and that creativity cannot be managed. Unfortunately this ignores the fact that many people in the creative industries are able to consistently come up with good ideas all the time.

The creative process includes:

a) Identifying the problem. Different people see different problems.

b) Intensely investigate. Use a variety of sources and a variety of novel and diverse sources.

c) Use varied idea elicitation techniques (lateral thinking, association, what-ifs, etc) to generate a large amount of ideas without evaluation. Evaluate later.

d) Seek stimuli. Intellectually cross pollinate. Widen your horizons. Build your tacit knowledge.

e) Constantly think about the problem. Triggers conscious and unconscious sources.

f) Engage in rest and unrelated activity. Triggers incubation and increases the chance of insight.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop MBA, is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/

Does Your Business Need a Newsletter?

Have you ever thought about it?

If you don't have a business newsletter yet, have you ever thought of the importance of having one?

Why is it so vital to one's healthy business dealings?

Let's explore some important factors even if you do have a newsletter.

If you are not yet using a newsletter as a part of your marketing efforts, then you are missing out on new potential and already existing customers becoming valuable long-term buyers.

Communicating with your subscribers as well as customers is vital for their continued involvement. It's hard nowadays for someone to remain interested in your business if they never or rarely hear about it. Hence, a newsletter is the best way to keep them involved in your business and show them your appreciation for their subscription.

When you have a customer buy from you, but no newsletter to follow up, then you are virtually handing him or her back to your competitors. On the same note, when you have a visitor coming to your website and not capturing his or her name and e-mail address, it's a lost marketing effort. Of course, if the service was good and the product memorable, they may come back.

But, what if they lose your website address? What if they just forget about you? What if you have a new product that your existing customer may wish to buy and they don't know about it?

A newsletter will prevent these things from happening. It's a good way to connect with people, and eventually they will connect with you and your website.

Having your own opt-in newsletter or loading purchased e-mails in your autoresponder. Which is the most effective and less troublesome?

Your own opt-in newsletter is the most effective and the only choice nowadays. When your visitors give you their name and e-mail address, they're telling you that they agree to receive further e-mails from you. Therefore, if someone forgets that they've subscribed and complains that you've spammed them, you've got a proof that they've voluntarily given you their personal info.

But, when you purchase leads and load them into your autoresponder, you don't know how those e-mails were harvested off the Internet. Those poor people might have opted-in somewhere, but certainly not for your newsletter. You're a toast if only one person complains that you've spammed them.

Also, when people personally opt-in to your newsletter, they will be more acceptable to your further e-mailings as opposed to people who haven't gotten a clue how they ended up on your list.

What do I write about? ? you might be asking yourself.

What's your business, service or product about? What's your niche?

That's the reason why your subscribers gave you their personal info. That's what they want to hear more about. Your job will be to constantly improve on that subject and deliver information that will be both educational and informative to your subscribers.

My newsletter deals with the Internet marketing industry. My subscribers are expecting information on that subject. Therefore, for each issue I pick a different topic directly related to it, and I write about it. If I don't have enough knowledge or experience, I improve on it and then deliver the info.

And, you don't need a long newsletter. A sale alert or announcement of a new service or product can do just as well. Only, don't over do it and misuse it. You would very quickly lose your integrity.

Subscribe to several competitors' newsletters and see how they do it. That will definitely give you some ideas. Don't copy their format, but adapt a format that will be suitable to you.

Keep your newsletter consistent.

It's amazing the amount of newsletters that thrive online. Because of this, subscribers can forget which ones are legitimate and which are spam. And people often subscribe to multiple newsletters on top of the spam e-mails that they get on a daily basis.

Keep your format consistent at all times so your newsletter becomes visibly familiar. When your subscribers see the subject line of your e-mail, they will know immediately that it's your newsletter.

Also, indicate that the subscriber requested the information and provide an unsubscribe link in EVERY issue. You must do this if you want to limit complaints or spam reports. And nowadays, you're obligated by law to provide unsubscribe link and your physical mailing address in each one of your e-mails sent to your subscribers.

How often would you want to send it out?

That depends on various factors. Some businesses contact their subscribers as often as every day, others as infrequently as several times per year. You can do it once per week, twice a month or once a month.

More often, and your subscribers may unsubscribe or routinely delete your messages. Less often, and you're allowing your competition the chance to win over your potential customers.

What works for you depends a lot on what you are selling, what information you can give to them, how often your subscribers will want to hear from you, etc. But most importantly, your time availability. How soon can you get the newsletter ready?

The newsletter is an excellent integrity builder. It builds you as an expert in the field.

More than 90% of the people will not buy from you the first time they see your ad. They will want to get to know you and see if they can trust you. Only then will they consider buying from you. If you don't have a newsletter, how else are you going to build the trust with your visitors?

Your newsletter will prove to your subscribers that you or your business is not a "fly by night." You're serious in what you're doing and you mean business. They will begin to trust you and slowly but surely become your valuable long-term subscribers and buyers.

What's your subscription ratio? With other words, how many people are subscribing to your newsletter every month vs. how many are unsubscribing?

When you see more people unsubscribing from your newsletter in one month than people subscribing, you're either doing something that they don't like or you're not providing quality information.

The way you treat your subscribers will be the same way they treat you. You treat them with respect, they will return same respect back to you. You give them value, they give you value. You take care of them, they take care of you.

You give them crap, ??? boy oh boy. They will give you 10 times more crap back to you. It takes a long time to build the credibility and the trust, but you can lose it all in one simple e-mail.

I saw it with my eyes when one supper-affiliate tried to take advantage of his subscribers by trying to profit from them while delivering sad news. Hundreds of them unsubscribed in one day and many of them sent him nasty e-mails back.

He was a topic of nasty conversations in many forums.

The quality of the content in your newsletter is the other determining factor of the ratio between the people subscribing in one month vs. the people unsubscribing. What is quality, you might ask?

Quality content is useful content. It addresses a need or solves a problem. So, ask yourself what problems or needs your subscribers have, and use that as a starting point for developing quality content.

But, don't be too constrained. People have a need to laugh, learn, get informed, and so on. For example, typically useful content might: save time or money, entertain, inform or educate.

A good rule of thumb would be to provide the information that will be useful to your subscribers. Only, don't stop at "good enough." After you're done writing your newsletter, read it yourself.

If you get the "WOW!" feeling, your subscribers will too. If you get the "WHATEVER" feeling, guess what? We're all humans. We all think alike. Your subscribers will see you as "whatever" person too.

How do you balance your content with promotions?

More promotions and less content, your newsletter loses in value. On the other hand, if you, the publisher, don't benefit too, then you're just being charitable with your time (by the way, that's a perfectly valid reason to be publishing).

So, it's a bit of a riddle - how to produce content that readers are interested in, and at the same time ensure you get a (financial) benefit too. A good guideline is to keep it at around 80% content and 20% promotions.

When a reader finds himself or herself coming close to a purchase decision, who will he or she turn to? He or she will turn to a credible and trustworthy source of relevant advice and information. And that's you my friend!

Your newsletter deserves time and attention - it is the voice of you and your business and will help you build relationships with your customers (and potential customers) in a way that no other tool can.

? Steve Dimeck. Author and Publisher. To receive more quality articles such as the one you've just read, sign up for Steve's [TSM] Bulletin at: http://tsmbulletin.ogdteam.com - and receive a free ebook. [TSM] Bulletin - free Internet Marketing newsletter that you can't be without.

How Do You Paint New Age

About once every year or so, I take a critical look at the design of my web site and now our popular newsletter and wonder what I could do to create a theme background for them.

The site has been changed several times over the last four years, but it doesn't really have a theme backdrop. I deliberately keep it simple for easy viewing and administration.

Once again it is screaming at me to do something. I have spent some time looking over ready made themes and theme pages, but nothing has come up New Age.

Today the light bulb lit up over my head, what would be a New Age Theme? If you log onto my site you will find several text definitions of New Age, but when it comes to the real world that we live in how would I picture it?

There is always a tendency to use esoteric, abstract or religious symbols, angels, trumpets, clouds, butterflies, or symbols of ancient generations. Then I had a thought, what if we all had the chance to change the theme of the world how would we paint it differently than it is now?

Would we be walking around in long robs, with hoods in our bare feet? Would the world be painted in pastels with fuzzy outlines or would they be bright contrasting colours with dark borders? Would there be no roads or vehicles because we had finally mastered the art of travel without machines. Then would our backgrounds be painted with empty fields, rolling hills, trees and butterflies. Would we have come to terms with the over population issues and now live in small communities without the background of noisy cities and skyscrapers?

Would our villages still be silhouetted by church steeples and statues and our skies painted in vapour trails from high flying aircraft?

One might create a little smirk on one's face right about now as he/she tries to picture the new world. If you were to take a minute or so to reflect on your childhood and the surroundings that you were raised in and then look around you now, it would not be the same. Over the years of your life you have changed the background of your physical existence. You have done it individually and en masse. You have co-operated with others to create the backdrop for your new play, for the life that you are experiencing at this moment, and for the most part you have done it subconsciously.

There are a few dreamers that envision these changes and then seek to make them happen, builders, architects or city planners etc. are some of them. But for the masses we simply accept them as a part of change. The change is a physical manifestation of a collective thought that we have about how our environment should be, and we are always arguing and fighting about it.

How many of us actually spend any quiet time and imagine how we personally would paint the world. What would be your personal image of the New Age? No one's image would be exactly like another's; the images would be as diverse as the individuals that are making them up.

As whimsical as these thoughts may be, we all have the opportunity and power to create the world that we envision. We are making it up right now, so why not do it the way that we want with some forethought about how it should be on a conscious level. The first step for change comes from your imagination, then a thought about change and then speaking your thoughts and watching them manifest into the finished piece.

A painter has the image in her/his mind first, as does the sculptor or the architect and the planners, all things that you see now came from someone's imagination. The funny thing is, is that you do not have to be anyone of those people in order to make the changes happen. But what you have to do is think about it first and have it in your mind. Your thoughts along with similar thoughts of others will manifest what you have imagined. This is how it has always worked; this is how you can make it happen in your lifetime.

It is not too late just because you are old, your thoughts know no age, and they are added to the thoughts of others to create your imagined world no matter how old your are, the circumstances of your life, or the wealth you may have or not have. All thoughts carry the same weight or relevance. You can create the New World, but first you must take the time to see it in your head and it has to be your focus, that's all you need and that's all you have to do, it is really that simple.

For me I have moved past the angels and trumpet symbols and my world is very simple and uncluttered. I do not see the need to work my butt off twelve hours a day for technology that is sitting at home talking to each other and partying it up while I'm away trying to support them.

New Age is now, it is the farmer in the field ploughing the earth and it is the ambulance racing down the street screaming to get the hell out of the way. It is the skyscraper moving up and tumbling down. It is the gun and the knife; it is the hand of love and friendship stretched out to help another. It is what we are and what we are doing now.

New Age is not about something that is going to happen in the future, that will never come. It is about the starving and the waste, the poverty and excessive abundance. New Age is what you see, hear, feel, taste and smell at this moment. The world is a physical representation of your thoughts and your position relative to your environment and the others around you. If you are to create a Future Age then take a few moments every day to imagine it, hold that image in your mind and then make it your New Age, now.

How am I going to paint the background of my New Age site? I don't have a clue, it is already New Age. Possibly I could create a mosaic of now images flowing into the mouth of a gigantic blender. The issues with "now," are that by the time you start creating it, the image is old news and is no longer "now."

I have been on this ride many times and I am just not that great of an artist. I may be in contradiction with myself as a New Age Writer, but my feet are firmly planted on the ground and spirituality is all about my daily life in the physical world. I definitely know that I do not want clouds, angels and trumpets (Not that there is anything wrong with that). I want to accept the way that I am now, change the things that I do not like and make way for improvement. I have been able to do that all my life, I am doing that now and perhaps just I want to create change just for the sake of change and that is reason enough.

After this entire mental workout, the issue of my site's background remains at a stalemate.

Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. A student of NLP, ordained minister, New Age Light Worker and Teacher. Roy has written and published five books on New Age wisdom. Roy's books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.

You may not always agree with what he has to say. You will always come away with a new perspective and your thinking will never be the same.

Roy's style is honest and comes straight from the heart without all the metaphorical mumble jumble and BS.

Visit Roy at: http://www.klienwachter.com

Book Review: Karmic Relationships

Karmic Relationships: Healing Invisible Wounds

Charles Richards, Ph.D.
Jodere Group
P.O. Box 910147, San Diego, CA 92191, 800-569-1002
September 2002, ISBN: 1588720195
350 pages, $23.95
http://www.KarmicRelationships.com

Dr. Charles Richards is a licensed psychotherapist in San Diego, California. Dr. Richards has used a non-hypnotic therapeutic practice called Soul Journeys with over a thousand patients with staggering results. In this book, Dr. Richards explains the often misunderstood spiritual law of karma and how it may be affecting your life. He includes a questionnaire to help each reader identify their karmic relationships, assess the level of intensity of these relationships and helps uncover unconscious triggers and patterns. Throughout this book readers will learn how to change negative and damaging relationships and resolve the karmic issues that hold us all back. Included in the book are dozens of fascinating case studies of the use of Soul Journeys including stories of how this process has affected Dr. Richards own life and relationships for the better.

Also covered in the book are stories of patients who used the Soul Journeys process to discover in between life reunions where upcoming lives are planned with other souls that will determine the course of love and relationships in our present day lives. Additional stories include patients remembering experiences from their prenatal and birth process that influences, for better or worse, the lives they live today. Dr. Richards shows us how we can resolve these issues and memories in order to increas self esteem live a more positive life.

I personally found this such a fascinating book that I read it in one sitting and bought several copies for friends. This book is particularly recommended for people who have tried unsuccessfully to use traditional therapy to resolve current difficult relationships and ongoing life struggles. Read with an open mind this book offers another option to help each reader live their best life.

About The Author

Bonnie Jo Davis is a Virtual Assistant and avid reader. For more reviews of new age and paranormal books and videos visit her web site at http://www.New-Age-Books.net.

How To Make Your Resource Box Sell

Ezine Articles - they're everywhere!

And little wonder. They're one of the fastestways of building traffic to your website.

But what many people overlook is the Resource Box.It's almost as important as your Article. After all,your traffic comes to you through your Resource Box.

Writing your Resource Box is an art in itself. Youhave very little space (5 or 6 lines) and you want tomake the most of it. Here are four key elements yourResource Box should contain.

1) Your Name

Remember, one of the reasons Ezine Articles are such apowerful promotion tool is that brand your name, theyestablish your reputation as a an expert.

So the first line of your Resource Box should be ashort sentence that gives your name and tells thereader what you do on the Internet.

2) Your website URL

This is pretty straightforward - you want people tovisit your website. But there's another reason forincluding your website URL.

As well as being published in Ezines, your Articleswill also be published on websites, often with a livelink to your website URL.

And that's going to do wonders for yourlink-popularity. Remember, the major Search Enginesare making link-popularity one of the key factors inranking their search results.

3) Your Newsletter subscribe address

A given reader may not purchase your product, they maynot even click through to your website, but why not atleast capture their email address?

Remember that the average person has to see yourmessage seven times before they buy your product.

4) Something FREE!

Your Resource Box is probably one of a dozen other Adsin the same Ezine, all clamoring for attention. Offersomething free and you'll vastly increase the chancesof a reader clicking through to your website.

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Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3
years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this
simple technique to build a successful online business. Click
here to find out more: http://ezine-writer.com/
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