Cool Roofs Take on Heated Cities

The summer heat has peaked, and blistering temperatures are especially noticeable on scorching city streets. Known as the “urban heat island effect,” this phenomenon labels the way urban environments trap more heat than nearby suburban and rural areas. As a result, increased energy demands and air pollution are often anticipated, yet unavoidable.

“All the concrete and the blacktop warms up faster,” says Lauren Nash, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “So it keeps the city hotter and it stays hotter longer.”

Costly energy bills target apartment and office buildings, condos, warehouses and other storage facilities. To combat the urban heat island effect, city managers across the nation are exploring the benefits of cool roofing systems. For example, New York City’s Department of Buildings started an initiative to paint 1 million square feet of roofs white last summer as a way of cutting the city’s energy costs – roofing manufacturer GAF supplied the reflective coating for one of the many projects of the initiative, as well as materials and labor.

Environmentally friendly and energy-efficient roofing is growing and evolving with the advent of innovative technology like cool roofs and reflective shingles. For those unfamiliar with the concept, cool roofing has a reflective coating that blocks heat and emits the sun’s rays back into the sky. This reduces the levels of heat energy absorption that a roof must handle and then dissipate, not to mention keeping the building cooler inside. Years of 90-degree summers can take a serious toll on roofs with each expansion and contraction.

With cool roof technology proving effective, combining green building technologies, such as cool roofs and solar panels, is logically the next step. Although it may seem counterintuitive, solar panels actually work better when cooler. They produce less energy with higher temperatures, sometimes reducing efficiency by as much as 12 percent. One of the more effective roofing technology accompaniments to solar panels designed to increase solar panel efficiency, GAF’s EverGuard Extreme TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) membrane, has been developed with UV absorbers to achieve an unrivaled weathering performance.

“Cool roofing is widely acknowledged to reduce energy consumption, which in turn reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” says Martin Grohman, GAF director of sustainability. “In fact, using published energy usage calculators, the installation of one billion square feet of reflective TPO roofing – in place of conventional dark-colored roofing in air conditioned buildings – avoids the emission of approximately 280,000 metric tons of CO2, or the annual equivalent of taking about 27,000 cars off the road.”

To find out more about green roof technologies, visit www.gaf.com/Roofing/Commercial/Green-Roof-Central/Green-Roof-Central.aspx or coolroofs.org.

Keep Your Cool While Saving Money and Energy

(NewsUSA) – When the mercury rises, it is hard to remain comfortable inside your home without running up a huge bill. Fortunately, the solution is much more affordable than investing in a new air conditioner or central air system. According to the American Lighting Association (ALA), installing a ceiling fan in each living space will help family members feel cooler while saving energy. And if you have not upgraded your ceiling fans in the past eight years or so, you are missing out on saving even more money as many of today’s models are more efficient than ever.
“A ceiling fan can save homeowners as much as 40 percent on their air conditioning bills by creating a breeze that makes the ambient temperature feel seven or eight degrees cooler than it actually is,” explains John Moody of ceiling fan manufacturer Fanimation. “You can set your thermostat at 80 degrees and it will feel like it is set at 72 degrees.”
How exactly does that work? “A ceiling fan cools the room by creating a ‘wind chill effect.’ It does not lower the room temperature,” Moody says. “This wind chill effect makes you feel cooler by accelerating the evaporation of perspiration on your skin. It’s the same feeling you get when you open the window in a moving car. When used in conjunction with an air conditioner, a ceiling fan can lower energy costs because you can set your air conditioner thermostat at a higher temperature.”
For large homes, installing ceiling fans in laundry rooms and closets is becoming more common, according to Bethany Pirtle of Emerson Ceiling Fans. “Master bathrooms are also a perfect place for smaller ceiling fans, because hair dryers and steam showers can make a bathroom hot and sticky. A small-span fan can quickly and efficiently add comfort,” she says.
Another factor in determining where to install a ceiling fan is the fan’s UL listing. There are three basic UL-listed ratings for indoor, damp and wet locations. Fans that are rated only for indoors should not be used outside — even if the area is mostly covered.
Check out the best ceiling fans for your home at an ALA-member showroom. To find more information and showroom locations, go to www.americanlightingassoc.com.

Survey Reveals Current Trends in Men’s Health

NewsUSA) – Men in the United States may not be as healthy as they say they are. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate cases of testicular and colorectal cancer have been on the rise for more than a decade. According to a recent survey commissioned by the American Academy of Family Physicians and conducted by Harris Interactive, almost one in five men age 55+ have not received the recommended screening for colon cancer. And, while 79 percent of the men surveyed said they are in excellent, very good or good health, 42 percent have been diagnosed with at least one of the following chronic conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, cancer or diabetes. One of the biggest obstacles to improving men’s healthcare is men themselves, the survey indicates. Among the findings: * Twenty-nine percent of men said they wait as long as possible before seeing a doctor when they feel sick, are in pain or are concerned about their health. * Men spend an average of 19 hours a week watching television, and more than 4 hours a week watching sports, but only 38 percent of men exercise on a regular basis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 71 percent of men are overweight. But not all is bad news. Among those men surveyed who indicated they had a spouse/significant other, 78 percent said their spouse or significant other has influence over their decision to go to the doctor. But, what kind of doctor should a man see? The Academy of Family Physicians recommends that all men have a personal family physician who knows their medical history and is their first point of contact for medical care. In addition to diagnosing and treating illnesses, family physicians provide routine checkups, health-risk assessments, immunization and screening tests, and personalized counseling on healthy lifestyle choices. They also manage chronic illnesses and coordinate care, when necessary, with other specialists. For more information on men’s health, visit www.familydoctor.org. For survey methodology, please contact the Academy of Family Physicians Public Relations Department.

Tips to Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly

(NewsUSA) – Buying a new computer’s always a thrill — but sooner or later, your fast new machine will start to act like a clunker. Or will it?
With a few simple tips, you can keep your computer running smoothly. Sammsoft (www.sammsoft.com), a company that develops and publishes quality software products designed to secure, protect, maintain and enhance computer users’ experience, provides the following tips:
1. Clean out your computer registry. Every Windows Operating System uses a registry, or a central database that contains all of the settings for low-level operating system components, as well as any applications running on the platform. Every time you save something, run a new application or install or uninstall a program, new information is organized into your registry. But occasionally, the registry records something incorrectly. Over time, registry errors pile up and can start slowing down your computer. But running a registry cleaner, such as Advanced Registry Optimizer 2010 by Sammsoft, will fix registry errors and remove faulty files, helping your computer run quickly and smoothly.
2. Keep viruses under wraps. Run a virus checker regularly. If you have a high-speed wireless connection, don’t use the Internet without a firewall. No antivirus strategy is perfect, so stay away from suspicious-looking Web sites and don’t click on strange links in e-mails.
3. Get rid of unnecessary files. If you haven’t used a program in months or years, delete it to reclaim valuable memory. But always back-up applications in case you want to reinstall them later, and don’t delete applications that you don’t recognize, as Windows might need them to run. Never remove WINDOWS or HOT FIX applications. Also delete cookies and clear your Internet cache before you sign-off your computer.
4. Never turn off your computer before Windows has shut down. Doing so so could harm the hard drive or result in lost data or Windows files.
5. Back up Your Computer. Hardware problems occur more that you might think, and you don’t want to deal with the frustration of losing valuable data. Back up photos, Excel spreadsheets, Word documents — anything that you do not want to lose — on external hard drives or CDs.
For more information, visit www.sammsoft.com.

Will Dairy Boost Your Weight-Loss Resolution?

(NewsUSA) – With the many healthy resolutions being made to kick off 2012, wouldn’t it be nice if you actually had a doctor’s opinion to point you toward the healthiest changes you can make?
A new survey of practicing physicians by EverydayHealth.com with MedPage Today reveals the 12 most popular doctor-prescribed resolutions.

Top 12 Doctor-Prescribed New Year’s Resolutions for 2012
1. Monitor your blood pressure
2. Quit smoking
3. Exercise 30 minutes a day
4. Lower your cholesterol
5. Get a diabetes screening
6. Control your portions
7. Get a flu shot
8. Take the stairs whenever possible
9. Sleep at least 7 hours a night
10. Eat whole grains, not refined flour
11. For women, perform a self breast exam every month
12. Spend more time with family and friends

Although not ranked in the top 12, the survey includes some resolutions you may welcome.
The most surprising: Don’t give up coffee. Yes, that’s correct. Coffee actually has health benefits that doctors recommend. Studies show that women who drink a cup of coffee daily have up to a 25 percent lower stroke risk than those who drink it less often. In addition to lowering stroke risk, coffee can also decrease your odds of developing diabetes, skin cancer, cavities, Parkinson’s disease, breast cancer and heart disease.
Three other noteworthy resolutions involved in Everyday Health’s survey are to forgive people, try a once-a-week technology vacation for at least two months and don’t text and drive. All great advice.
However, none of these resolutions can be effective if you can’t stay committed to them.
“About 40 to 45 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, and only about 60 percent end up keeping them for at least part of the year,” says Everyday Health Medical Director Mallika Marshall, MD. “The key is not to bite off more than you can chew. Pledge to make a change that you can maintain. And try to get friends and family involved. It’s much easier to meet your goal if you have support.”
To view the complete survey, and to gain more tips and tools to live a healthy, happier life every day, visit EverydayHealth.com.

Business Do’s and Don’ts for a Prosperous Startup

Everyone has a dream — it’s the one thing they would rather be doing more than anything else (and are sure they could succeed at). Yet, it’s something entirely different from what it is they do to pay the bills.

What many fail to understand, however, is that enthusiasm for a product or service may not be enough to guarantee success when starting a business.

“So often, would-be entrepreneurs believe they have that one idea that will make them a millionaire, and in fact it may be a very good idea, but what they don’t understand is that there’s so much more involved for a business to succeed,” says Heidi Ganahl, CEO of Camp Bow Wow, a dog day care franchise and boarding authority. The business saw 20 percent year- over-year growth last year in revenues across Camps (individual franchise locations), which opened pre-2011. “Unfortunately,” Ganahl adds, “passion alone will not dictate or ensure success.”

To this end, the following do’s and don’ts may help you assess whether your idea is ready:

• Do your research and prepare. So often, failure comes from a lack of preparation. According to Ganahl’s book “Tales From the Bark Side,” every good idea must come with the right support to make it profitable, including writing a winning business proposal. Ganahl says that lending or investing individuals will only consider an investment after a thorough review of your project.

• Don’ t go into business if you’ re not committed. Convinced that they have a good idea, but unprepared to be completely committed, people will try to have their feet in both the corporate world and their new business venture. If you feel the inability to put your all into your new venture, cut your losses.

• Do ensure you have enough capital. Business analysts report that poor management is the main reason for business failure and poor cash management is probably the most frequent stumbling block for entrepreneurs. Understanding the basic ideas of cash flow will help you plan for the unforeseen eventualities that face nearly every small business.

• Do consider owning a franchise. With thousands of systems operating in dozens of industries, there is no shortage of choices here for the would-be entrepreneur. The down side? The plethora of choices can make that decision a challenge, so be clear about what you want, what you’re willing to do and how much you need to make. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit www.campbowwow.com/franchise.

The Most Tragic Mistake a New Marketer Almost Always Makes

By: Richard Meredith

So... you're a new marketer, and you want to make extra money or even perhaps a great living! One of the first things you do is join an affiliate program or downline club of some sort. Or maybe even you are trying your hand at Ebay or another auction service by marketing some nicely profitable product. Now, once you have some sort of online business vehicle, your mind must gravitate to exactly what kind of advertising to generate sales or memberships.

Online business is an awful lot like regular advertising. What draws you to a business in your home town? Coupons? Specials? Give-aways? A personal recommendation from a friend or trusted associate?

Oh yes - and here is a little secret that is often not known or ignored:

When it comes to building any kind of business online you do the same thing! Give away a free report, an informative ebook, a trial software, an online course, or maybe a subscription to a free newsletter or ezine. This is just simply the way it is done with online business, period. But here is the most critical part... you MUST capture the name and email address FIRST before you give access to it!

It is widely known by all of the top marketers online that your PRIMARY task to be successful is to compile a list of people (prospective customers) that are interested in the type of thing you are giving away! This is so easy to do with an autoresponder. They just fill a form, and they are automatically added to your list, and then are redirected to your download page or membership site.

Then the next task is to automatically send a series of messages with that autoresponder that tell more about the reasons why your product or products (or membership program) are BENEFICIAL to them! WHY? Because it is infinitely better to contact a prospect several times rather than only once. It is a proven fact that most people will NOT buy from you or join your program until they have been approached at least 5 to 7 times. This is done as I said, automatically, on a timed basis slowly tapering off until it is a slow drip of messages until they buy or join- or unsubscribe from your list. And when you run special promotions of any kind, a feature of the best autoresponders allows you to broadcast to your entire list any time you want. This is how many marketers can make huge amounts of money and sales ON DEMAND- whenever and as often as they like!

Details about which autoresponders are best, and the techniques of developing a list and how often to mail to that list are subjects that deserve more time and attention than can be given here... but suffice it to say that if YOU are not FIRST developing a list, and then marketing to your list AFTERWARDS- you're just missing the boat!

Pure and simple!

So if you are advertising an affiliate link, or your products' sale page... or anything other than your free subscription, report, ebook, or course - it can indeed be the most tragic mistake you can make in your online business strategy!

If this is you, pull back and regroup, and completely re-think your marketing strategy now before you lose too much time, money, energy, or motivation.

And remember... BUILD your LIST!

Author Bio
Richard Meredith is the author of the critically acclaimed ebook "The BLACK BOOK of Online Business"- the must-have source book for anyone doing business online... or even THINKING about it!
www.straight-talkmarketing.com

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Two Ways to Market Yourself Without Spending a Dime

By: Jay Conners

Unfortunately not all of us have a budget to fit what we believe to be our marketing needs. No need to get down, here are a few very simple things you can do that have stood the test of time, and are proven to attract more business.

For starters, smile often if not always. I'm sure you are familiar with the phrase "smile it's contagious." Well it is.

Think about it, would you want to speak with, or do business with someone who frowned all the time. It just is not attractive and it turns people in the other direction.

Smiling says a lot about your personality and attracts people to you. It tells a potential customer that you are friendly, upbeat, and most of all it tells them that you enjoy what you do.

When someone approaches you about your products and services, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to do so. By smiling, you will have easily accomplished this.

The second tip for marketing yourself and your products is having a good posture, or portraying an over all positive body language.

Again, body language will speak volumes to your customer.

Imagine approaching someone who looks as though they have just lost their best friend. Shoulders hunched over, no eye contact, no smile, with a whoa is me attitude.

Nobody wants to approach this kind of sales person. This type of body language sends a message to your potential customer that you are seriously lacking in confidence. Or, that you just flat out do not like your job, or the company you work for.

If a potential customer believes that you don't care for your current job or for the company that you are working for, than they will most likely believe that you will not care about them and their needs.

Customers want to approach upbeat, confident people. They want to know that they will be receiving the best possible products and services you have to offer that will match their needs. A presentable, positive, and confident image will portray these messages to your customer.

So smile, stand up straight, make eye contact, and shake hands with your customer.

Once again, these two tips have proven over time to attract and obtain customers. It is easy and it is free, so begin today, and good luck.

Author Bio
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.

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Successful Surveys: 10 Tips for Better Results

By: Kathy Gulrich

Why would you use an email or online survey when you could simply call your clients and customers and ask for their input?

Lots of reasons.

• standardization
• easy to get large numbers of responses
• easy to tabulate, analyze
• easy (and often fun) for your clients and customers
• inexpensive
• non-intrusive
• time-efficient (for you, and for your clients and customers)
• protect your customers' anonymity (if important)
• professional
• no "cold calls"
• no answering machines!

And have you figured out how long it would take to have 100 fifteen-minute conversations instead? (I don't have to do the math to know that it's WAY too long!)

So in this article, I'm going to talk surveys. How to find them, how to do them, and how to make the most of your results. Here goes....

1 - Clarify Your Objectives
What's your reason for doing the survey?

You might want to get your clients' input on your products and services, let them know you really care about what they think, or learn what keeps them up at night. (Or anything in between....)

Before you start, be very clear about what you'd like to accomplish. Then, be sure that each question on your survey will get you a step closer to your goal.

2 - Choose a Survey Company
You can write and produce your survey yourself, or (easier) use one of the many companies out there that provide survey services.

These services come at a variety of prices (from free to quite expensive), and with a variety of options (from basic to quite extensive).

Zip around the web a bit to find what's out there, and what seems most appropriate for what you're doing. In your wanderings, you may want to check out:

• www.EZsurvey.com
• www.zoomerang.com
• www.pollcat.com
• or my favorite, www.surveymonkey.com

3 - Keep it Short
Most often, we're asking survey recipients to do us a favor by filling out our survey - even if the information we gather will help them, longer term.

So be respectful of their time by keeping your survey short (no more than 10 questions, unless absolutely necessary) - and easy to fill out and return.

The easier it is do complete, the more responses you're likely to get.

4 - Mix It Up
Most automated surveys allow for lots of different types of questions, including:

• multiple choice
• choose one or more from a list
• fill in the blank(s)
• rate on a 1-5 (or similar) scale
• open-ended questions with a fill-in text box

Try to mix up your question format to keep it interesting. Lots of essay-type questions often seem "too hard" for respondents. Conversely, all multiple choice questions can get a bit boring.

5 - Get it Out There
Sometimes you'll want to limit your survey to a particular group: your clients, people who have bought your book or participated in a particular teleclass, your newsletter subscribers, etc.

Often, you'll be looking for responses from a much broader audience, say, self-employed individuals over 50, or all coaches in North America. In this case, you may want to email the survey link to your list, and ask recipients to forward the survey to anyone they know who fits your category. (You'll want to give them a compelling reason to do so!)

6 - Make Course Corrections
One of the great things about most surveys (Survey Monkey is a great example) is that you can pop in and look at results as they come in.

Here's why that's important: If the answers you're getting don't answer your questions in the way you expected, you'll have the opportunity to revise your survey, on the spot. Revise a question ... replace it ... change the order ... integrate something you learned from a respondent ... add something you forgot.

Get in there, see what's happening, and make course corrections if necessary.

7 - Analyze Results
Once all the answers have come in, look at them carefully. What does the "quantitative" data tell you? Slice and dice the numbers to learn all you can from the responses you get.

If you use a survey service that offers them, check your data in different formats, from pie charts to graphs.

And just as importantly, what "qualitative" information comes through?

• what's the general feeling you get from the open-ended responses?
• how enthusiastic were the respondents to share their views?
• what's your "gut" telling you?

8 - Use Results to Improve Your Business

One thing I've learned over the years is that people don't always do what they "say" they're going to do on surveys! And in that sense, surveys can be misleading.

In terms of trends, directions, feelings, interests, etc., however, results tend to be pretty accurate.

Net net?

Proceed boldly, but with caution. (Always test before you make a BIG leap!)

9 - Use the Report as a Special Offer

Let's face it, humans are pretty curious. We send in our answers to a survey or questionnaire, and then wonder what all the OTHER people had to say.

Capitalize on this curiosity! You can:

• offer the report/analysis as a "thank you" for responding (this will help increase your response)
• write up a special report, and turn it into a passive income product (particularly useful for hard-to-get information in a narrow market niche)

10 - Use Surveys Often
They're easy. They give us tons of helpful information. Our clients enjoy them. They're often free. They give us practically real-time answers.

Let's face it ... a survey is a terrific tool, and if you haven't yet, I hope you'll give one a try soon.

Author Bio
Best-selling author Kathy Gulrich helps clients get from idea, to action, to results - more quickly, and more easily - whether they're looking to write a book, develop a new product, or market their product or business. Clients love her direct, no-nonsense approach - and her gentle insistence on great results. Find out for yourself: Check out one of Kathy's teleclasses, or pick up a free worksheet, at www.smARTbusinessCoaching.com

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Online Product Launches: Target Your Four Audience Types

By: Stephanie Diamond

Introduction
Online product launches have lots of moving parts. Many different departments have a hand in getting to the finish line with a winning product. If you are managing this type of launch, there are a variety of ways to plan strategy and set goals. One way is to target your four main audience types. Using this method, you won't risk missing the big target-making it easy for your customers to buy your products.

Making your plan "customer-centric" allows you to focus on what matters and makes it easier to revise as you progress. You can determine which groups need more attention and which groups are performing well.

Audience Type One -"Self-directed"
This is the easiest type to satisfy. This person is an "early adopter" or someone with a defined need. For example, they have determined they need a "defragmentation" software utility. They have read some online articles, made a decision and want to go directly to the website to buy. To satisfy this type's needs you must have a clearly defined buying process with quick check out.

Areas to target:
Online Store-Make sure you have a clear, well-run shopping cart in place. Make it easy for him to buy his product and leave satisfied.
Customer Service-Have an e-mail confirmation process in place that makes it clear that a product was purchased and a credit card (or other mechanism) was charged.
Offer testing-Begin with a special offer that can be tracked online. Make sure to tweak it during the launch period as you see results come in.

Audience Type Two- "Tester"
Satisfying this type is very straightforward. This is a person who wants to get his hands on the "trial version" for a test drive. If you are a software vendor this is easy. If you are a consumer electronics vendor or sell a service, you must determine a way to give your "tester" a chance to try it.

With services you can offer a free "one-time" offer. As an electronics vendor you must be more careful. You might have a "tester" masquerading as a buyer who will quickly buy the product to test it and just as quickly return it. Be fair with your return policies, but be clear that a sub-set of this group is going to return products no matter what you do.

Areas to target:
Downloadable software -this area needs to be operable from the day of product launch. I have seen companies postpone providing a trial until other areas are in place. You miss a big opportunity if you allow that. Some testers will show up on day one never to return.
Free limited offer-if you are a service provider, have this in place and expect people to try it. If you need to assign resources to it, do so. Nothing is worse than having an online message say "check back with us later." They won't.

Audience Type Three -"Fact-Checker"
You may notice we are moving to the harder audience types. You knew they were coming. The "fact checker" is a cautious person who weighs information very carefully and doesn't buy until every question is answered. This is the person that websites were made for. If you provide a variety of different information formats, e.g. audio, video, PDFs, etc. it makes it more likely that this type will find what he's looking for and make a purchase.

Areas to target:
Multimedia Product Movies-I call these "Digimovies (sm)."They are generally done in Flash, are no more that three minutes in length and they provide the most "bang for your buck." Feature these prominently as little infomercials wherever you want to alert your audience to top features and benefits of the product.
Written Information-these are the most common type of information available on new products. Provide free articles, links to online reviews, White pap ers, online brochures, anything the fact-checker can study at his leisure.
Webinars and Tele-seminars-these are relatively new formats, ideal for the fact checker. A Webinars allows you to invite website visitors to an online presentation about your new product. She can view your presentation and ask questions via a messaging facility. If you can't afford a Webinars, consider a tele-seminar that allows your audience to join a phone-conference setup to discuss the merits of your product.

Audience Type Four-"Mr./Ms. Remorseful"
We all know and dread this audience type. This is the person who buys on impulse, repents at leisure and obsesses about returning the product as soon as he gets it. Obviously, the goal here is to overcome his feeling of being "duped" and make him feel that buying the product or service was a good idea after all. Believe it or not, you have more control over this than you realize. You need to quickly contact him and reinforce his reasons for buying.

Areas to Target:
Monthly newsletter-you should have a product newsletter (that is track able) ready as an auto-responder after product purchase and/or registration. In this newsletter you should have links to:
1. Step by step tutorials that are easy to follow and get her started using the product. Don't count on her finding the area herself; she's too busy regretting her purchase.
2. Community-Provide an area that brings users together to discuss the product and share information. This idea is as old as the Internet and is often overlooked.
3. Online help-make it clear that help exists and can be found online. This can be in the form of FAQs, a knowledge database and links to other helpful resources.

Author Bio
A seasoned 25+ year management/marketing professional, founder Stephanie Diamond is experienced in building profits in a broad range of product and services businesses. She created a highly successful line of multimedia software products that sold millions of copies for America Online, and has developed unique business strategies and products for a variety of companies, including AOL Time Warner, Redgate New Media and Newsweek, Inc. Visit her website at www.DigMediaWorks.com

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How To Create The Ultimate Small Business Marketing System In 7 Simple Steps

By: John Jantsch

Let me get right to the point. The single most powerful small business marketing tool on the planet is a marketing system.

But, when I talk about a marketing system I am not referring to those academic exercises found in college marketing books.

A marketing system by my way of thinking is a simple (in many cases one page) document that specifically answers who you are, what you do, who needs it, how you plan to grab them by the throat, when you plan to do it and how you plan to pay for it.in a way that everyone in your organization, network, and client base can clearly understand.

So, let's break it down into some simple steps.

1) Narrow Your Focus - create a description of your ideal client. Describe them as though they are sitting across the desk from your at this moment. Define only the market that you know needs what you offer and values what you have to offer. It is just as important to understand who you don't want as a client.

2) Find and Communicate Your Core Difference - Even if your make it up, you've got to find something that makes your business stand out from the pack. Once you do, you've got to build your entire marketing program around this difference. Is it red trucks, is it an unheard of guarantee, is it a very specific market niche. You can't stand out trying to be all things to all people.

3) Package Your Business - Look for ways to build your unique difference into the experience your client or prospect has with your firm. Everything about your firm should communicate and deliver your unique promise. Package your services as products, communicate your unique process, name your service offerings.

4) Educate - Throw away the sales brochures and create marketing materials and web site content that clearly speaks to your ideal client and gives proof that your indeed uniquely qualified to solve their problems. Create case studies, testimonial sheets, client lists, process description, service descriptions, the story of why you started your business.

5) Install the Lead Generation Trio - Advertising that generates permission, public relations that provide proof and referral systems that guarantee trust. Each of these three lead generating tactics works hand in hand to create a non stop flow of highly qualified leads.

6) Automate and Dominate - Once you start to create a flow of leads let technology do the heavy qualifying and selling for you. Ezines, email, blogs, web sites, white paper delivery, subscription lists - all must be automated in order to most effectively communicate as consistently as is necessary in today's advertising message onslaught.

7) Live by a Calendar - Create the system and then work the system. Do whatever you must to make sure that you do at least one marketing activity every single day. Create a monthly calendar and give each month a marketing system theme. Get everyone in your organization involved - put the calendar in a very public place.

Author Bio
John Jantsch is a marketing coach and creator of Duct Tape Marketing. You can find out more about the Ultimate Marketing System at: www.ducttapemarketing.com/Ultimate-Marketing-System.htm

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How to price for optimum profit - 5 steps

By: Peter Lawless

As with everything, it does not take rocket science to get this right, however one slip, could seriously damage your bottom line. The three factors, equally weighted are as follows:

The value that your customers put on your product and service
Will you make a profit?
What your competitors charge for the same or equivalent
So how do we define customer value?
Value is what a purchaser gets when they make use of your product or service. It is the figure that they put on, their new capabilities. Ones that you have delivered to him through ownership of what you sell.

Value is not always quantified in monetary terms. A golfer may go to a professional, get three lessons, and knock 10 off their handicap - so what is that worth to them? If they had previously spent $5,000 on lessons and still been awful, it could be worth an awful lot.

The most important consideration is that the buyer must feel that they got "good value" from their purchase.

However this good value must not be sold at a loss!
Given, you are in business to make a profit, it is important that you do not sell everything at a loss. It is fine to have loss leaders and indeed, offer freebies, to encourage new clients, or to reward loyal customers. However you business must be profitable, or else you will not have one.

To understand whether you are making profit from a product or group of products, you should factor in all fixed and variable costs. Then look at how many you will sell, and ensure it is worth your while selling at that price.

But what if it's good for you and your customer, but your competitor is cheaper!
First and foremost, check that what they are selling is identical to what you are selling. If it is, all you will do is create a market that your competitor will clean up on.

The good news is that in 99.99% of cases, your products or services are not identical. This is where creating your unique value proposition is vital. This needs to distinguish you as being the best solution in your chosen target market or niche.

It is important also to realize that the best solution may also not be the cheapest. Let's go back to the golf pro. He charges $60 a lesson for his services; his competitor charges $30 a lesson. But if what you want is rapid improvement, and this guy has testimonials to prove what he has done, by spending $180 with him, to get 10 shots off your round of golf, could save you thousands, that you could have spent with the $30 guy.

The bottom line is that your pricing must take into account the three key considerations; providing the better value than your competitors, at a profitable price.

If you need help with your pricing strategy, give us a call, we would be delighted to help.

Author Bio
This article was written by Peter Lawless, founder of 3R Sales & Marketing - www.3r.ie For previous articles and interviews like this, visit 3R's InfoCentre. Or Subscribe to Success. This free monthly email bulletin, will grant you access to Interviews and articles on sales, marketing, CRM and wealth creation as soon as they are written. This is a great way of getting advice to help you increase your bottom line.

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standard or adopoted product

what is a standard product means

simply standard product means offering same product/service or market mix without any modification for other new markets or segments which are not considered when developing product or marketing mix.
typical examples for standard products are coca cola, iphone and other mobile models, gmail,

what is a adopted product ?

adopted product is making change on product/service or marketing mix with consideration on the market or segment that the product is going to offer.
for example mc donalds indian vegetable foods, mc rice in sri lanka, versions of books for regions such asian low priced version
before analyzing the adaptation and standardization better to keep in mind that there is no case exist with 100% standardization or adaptation. at least advertising, packing, colour, shape will be change slightly.

when standard product will work?

when the needs and wants of the new market or segment match to existing market or segment of customers
for example coca cola
when product created worldwide image and reputation for example iphone
when there is a good demand for firms product in new market or segment
when the customers are mobilizing world wide or geographically for example MC Donald

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when adopted product will be work?

when a product is affected by country of origin effects for example by the lower quality chinese mobiles huwaei phones are facing problems
when the customers needs and wants are vary significantly for example the dress which are comfortable and acceptable in USA wont be match the indian customers may because of culture or weather conditions etc

when existing product have bad image
when legal and political issues are exist in a country or region for foreign product specially countries like china, japan who encourage local brands

when product or marketing mix not match to the new market or segment typical example will be the difference in advertisements of multinational products will vary country to country.

factors affects on decision

finally when deciding the product adaptation or standardization it is better to conduct good research on market and market environment. some factors which will be significantly affects on this decision are
customer needs and wants
economical environment of new market
political environment
weather and other climate conditions
culture of the new market
regulations specially related to packaging, advertising etc