Features Of A Good Magazine Maker Software

In this world of technology, an online magazine or ezine can be a great medium through which you can promote your business on the internet. There are quite a few sites which offer different types of online magazines and these sites re visited by a lot of people on a daily basis. By publishing an ezine on such a site, you can achieve a lot of popularity for your business without investing a lot of time, effort and money. In order to create an ezine on your own, you will need the help of a good magazine maker or flipbook creator software.

Here are a few features that will help you in choosing the best magazine maker or flipbook creator software:

Performance– the software should be able to easily convert MS Word, Power Point, PDF, photo etc. into a flash based flip book. The original features, quality and content of the files should remain the same, when they are converted to the flash format. It is very important that the software or application is able to create a good quality and readable flash based ezine which will be appreciated by the netizens.

Ease of Use– most people, who would need to use a magazine maker or flipbook creator software, will not have a lot of knowledge in dealing with computer applications. Hence, the application should be very easy to use and should come with a user manual. If people find it to be very complicated, they will not be able to use it for getting the desired result.

Affordability– given the fact that most people would like to create an ezine do not have a lot of money to spare, it is also important that the flipbook creator is not very expensive. You can easily search the internet to locate an application which not only has good features but is also affordable. However, do not opt for cheap applications that will be of no use in the long run.

Features– the magazine maker software should also include other features that will make it easy for anyone to create an ezine from the scratch. It should include flexible modes for presentation so that it can cater to the needs of all kinds of readers. Other important features include customizable viewer interface, free templates and so on. The best magazine maker or flipbook creator software should also come with tools for web traffic analysis.

How A Good Business Plan Sample Can Help You Prepare Your Plan

When it comes to writing a new business plan, there is nothing quite as valuable as having a guide to go by, and having a quality business plan sample at hand will make the task of writing a new business plan a lot easier.

While the exact needs of every business will differ, there are a number of elements that must be part of any type of business plan, and having a business plan sample at hand can help any business owner include these essential elements.

Elements You Will Need To Include In Your Business Plan

Some of the most important elements of any business plan sample will be such things as a current a pro forma balance sheet, a current income statement and an up to date analysis of cash flow.

It is important to look for a business plan sample that includes all of these required elements, and just as important to tailor those elements to the needs of your own business.

Seeking Out A Business Plan That Is Similar To The Type Of Business You Plan To Start

When seeking out a business plan sample it is important to plan carefully and to look at several different business plan samples before deciding on a single one to use.

There are many different kinds of business plan examples available, both in books and magazines tailored to the business world and of course on the internet. It is a good idea to look around carefully until you find the business plan sample that best meets your needs.

Using a business plan sample from the same or a similar industry is a good idea, as is seeking out a business plan sample that matches your own style and needs.

Using The Business Plan Sample As A Guide Line

After you have your business plan sample in hand, it is important to use that business plan sample as a guideline and a starting point.

While having a business plan sample available will make the job of writing a quality business plan a lot easier, it will not replace the hard work necessary in the formation of a business plan.

It is best to think of the business plan sample as a template and a guideline, and to use it to create a business plan that is uniquely suited to your own special area of expertise.

Top 5 Qualities of a Good WordPress Developer

How do you identify the best WordPress developer from a pool of programmers? A dedicated WordPress developer is capable of pushing the boundaries, going beyond the basics and bringing innovations in the project they are assigned. Professional WordPress developers are always busy in researching more about the latest trends and technologies to remain ahead of their peers.

Here are the top 5 qualities of an efficient WordPress developer:

  1. Technical Skillset

A good WordPress developer will have apt knowledge of different technologies and be able to create a masterpiece. An ideal WordPress developer should have sound knowledge of PHP, MySQL, codebase on Trac and Xref and should able to set up a local development environment and run the nightly build. They must be well-versed with the technicalities of WordPress such as core, plugins as well as the different themes to be able to create a website, which would help you stay ahead in the competition.

  1. Learner’s Mindset

The versions of WordPress are steadily moving forward, and so is the environment. A good developer should keep up with the latest design, technology and security trends to build websites, which are stable and modern. An outdated look or a bugged portal will tarnish your brand image. A stagnant developer will cause stagnation in your business profits and in your image too.

  1. Attention and Self-Motivation

WordPress professionals need to continuously push their abilities and have a fair idea of almost all the aspects of this platform. WordPress offers a wide range of options such as plugins, themes, front-end design and e-commerce. Therefore, a developer has to have hands-on, specialized knowledge to figure out what would work best for a project. A self-motivated developer will ensure that his work stands out in the crowd and does not just make up the numbers.

  1. Solid Planning Skills

A brilliant developer would be able to sort out a chaos and make something out of nothing. However, lack of planning can become a serious problem – a directionless agenda can result in delays in project delivery and waste of time and energy. An efficient programmer will have a schedule in place and will outline goals – both big and small. They will break down tasks and create as well as adhere to timelines.

  1. Testing and Receiving Feedback

Thoroughly testing everything that is dispatched is an important skill of any WordPress developer. They should be sure whatever codes they write work across different browsers and operating systems. Every theme and plugin must be tested across different browsers to avoid last minute hassles. Asking for feedback is a good way to know whether what you’ve created makes sense and reacting positively to feedback shows maturity and dedication towards one’s creation. Your project is in good hands if you manage to hire a developer with these skills.

WordPress is an ever-evolving platform. The core team is always on their toes, trying new things and attempting to improve the existing functionalities.

A Critical Review Of Shopping Sherlock – Is It A Good Company?

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been seeing a lot of buzz being created around a network marketing company called Shopping Sherlock. So to help other people who are looking into the company, I decided to put together a short but detailed Shopping Sherlock review. Before proceeding, I want to make two quick points. First, I’m not a Shopping Sherlock distributor myself so you can be sure that you’ll be getting an unbiased perspective of the company and business opportunity. And second, the service the company provides is pretty straight forward so I won’t be spending too much time talking about it. Instead, I’ll spend more time on the compensation plan and what you’ll need to do to maximize the opportunity should you decide to join.

Who Is Shopping Sherlock?

So first things first, let’s cover the company and what they sell before we go into the compensation plan. Personally, I believe that a company’s stability and service are more important than the compensation plan. Simply put, if the company isn’t solid and the services aren’t marketable, it doesn’t matter what the pay plan looks like since the company probably won’t be around long term. So here’s the good news if you’re thinking about joining: Based on the information I’ve reviewed, it certainly looks like the company is not only solid, but growing aggressively. A few months ago, the company acquired another network marketing company called Vi-Tel Wireless, which exploded their distributor base since they were able to bring over the Vi-Tel distributors. In addition to that, the California-based company looks well positioned in front of the Global e-Commerce Industry, which just went over $1 trillion. And if that weren’t enough, the company has strong experienced leadership in place.

What Does Shopping Sherlock Do?

In a nutshell, the company gives it’s distributors the ability to give away free apps which allow the user to save time and save money when shopping online. From a marketing standpoint, giving away a free app is as simple as it gets. You don’t have to sell or convince anybody to buy anything. You simply give them an app that will look for the best deals for them when they do what they do already, which is shop online.

How Do You Make Money With Shopping Sherlock?

In order to be a distributor, you have to pay a one-time set up fee of $249, and then $34.95 monthly. The actual compensation plan provides 9 ways to earn income. Here’s a simple and quick breakdown so you get an idea of how each way works:

1. Sherlock Usage Income – When you give away the free Sherlock Apps, the company tracks all the sales made by your personal customers and pays you a commission monthly.

2. 20% Override Sherlock Usage Income – The company tracks all the sales made through all the Sherlock Apps given away by your personally sponsored distributors, and pays you a 20% override monthly.

3. Fast Start Bonus – Whenever you personally sponsor two new people who pay the $249 start up fee, the company pays you a $100 Fast Start Bonus. This bonus is paid out weekly.

4. Sales Cycle Bonus – The company has a Binary compensation plan. Whenever you have 2 new people who join your left team through infinity, and 2 new people who join your right team through infinity, the company pays you a $50 Cycle Bonus. These bonuses are paid out weekly. It’s important to note that if you’re a strong personal recruiter, you can get paid multiple bonuses from the same work. For example, let’s say you personally sponsor 2 new people on your left team, and you sponsor 2 new people on your right team. You’ll earn $200 in Fast Start Bonuses and a $50 Cycle Bonus.

5. Subscription Cycle Bonus – This bonus is similar to the Sales Cycle Bonus, except it pays $10 every time two members on your left team pay their $34.95 monthly subscription, and two members on your right team pay their $34.95 monthly subscription.

6. Team Builder Bonus – If you can hit the position of Power Affiliate within 15 days of making your first sale, the company will pay you a one-time $200 bonus. And if you can hit the position of Global Power Affiliate within your first 6 months, the company will pay you a one-time $2,000 bonus.

7. Global Check Match – Once you hit the position of Global Power Affiliate, you’ll earn a 20% Match on the Binary Commissions of everyone in your personal enrollment team down to the next Global Power or Diamond Affiliate.

8. Diamond Global Check Match – Once you hit Diamond, you’ll earn a 10%-30% match on everyone in your personal enrollment team down to the next Diamond.

9. Equity Program – Once you hit the position of Global Power Affiliate, you’ll have the ability to earn on the entire company’s revenue. And then once you hit the position of Diamond, you’ll be able to earn a bigger share of the company’s revenue.

There’s certainly an opportunity to earn income with Shopping Sherlock. Of course, if you’re truly serious about joining, I would recommend that you review the official compensation plan document on the company’s website.

What Does It Take To Succeed In Shopping Sherlock?

In closing, the company is certainly solid and there is a viable business opportunity available. It has all the ingredients to be a winner: a good management team, a marketable service, a generous compensation plan and great timing since the company is still young. With that being said, all those things will play a very little part in your overall success. Why? Because if all those things are in place, but you can’t sponsor new people or get customers, you’ll make little to no money. So in order to succeed in Shopping Sherlock (or any other network marketing company), you’re going to need marketing skills that will help you generate enough leads to sponsor a lot of people in your team. My recommendation is that you use Attraction Marketing in your business. If you can use the right marketing systems in your business, there’s no telling how prosperous your home business can be.

Good Books on MLM – Some Recommendations For You

The top money makers in MLM are voracious readers.

But of the thousands of home business, MLM prospecting, and MLM team building books available, the following five books stand out.

When you’re ready to take your network marketing business to the next level, commit yourself to reading at least one of these good books on MLM within the next 30 days.

My Top MLM Book Recommendations

Leading the way in popular books on MLM is Go Pro, by Eric Worre.

Eric made a name for himself in the network marketing industry with his free marketing strategy videos. There are literally hundreds of them you can watch at his website, or on popular video websites. Just search for “Eric Worre Network Marketing Pro.”

As for his book, Go Pro is an A-Z guide to network marketing, written by a man who has proven himself in the marketplace. Whether you’re a newbie to the business, or a seasoned veteran, make this book a part of your personal development library.

Another book written by a seasoned pro is Your First Year in Network Marketing, by Mark Yarnell.

Mark has been in the network marketing business for a long time, and his prospecting and team building ideas are time tested and proven.

The biggest takeaway for me in this book is how Mark coaches you to deal with rejection and overcome objections.

My Top MLM Motivational Book Recommendations

The most inspiring book I have ever read on the power of building a residual income in the home business industry is The Parable of the Pipeline, by Burke Hedges.

Burke tells a simple story of two peasants who land a contract to supply water to their village. One of the men devotes himself to carrying buckets from a river to the village fountain, while the other decides to build a pipeline from the river to the village.

The story is a parable about trading hours of labor for a wage, versus building an automated source of residual income. It’s a quick and entertaining read that will change the way you think about how money and wealth is earned.

Another classic book to read in this genre is Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill.

This book has been on the marketer’s “Must Read” list for decades-for good reason.

Napoleon Hill wrote this book in the early 1900s and bases his lessons on in-depth interviews and observation of the wealthiest men in America at the time.

Among the many valuable lessons in this book, Napoleon Hill claims having a definitive purpose is the greatest factor in your quest for financial success. This book is so wide read in the home business industry, many of his lessons have become part of the language of success.

My Favorite Attraction Marketing Book Recommendation

Finally, if you’re looking for a way to prospect and build your network marketing business outside the traditional “warm market” manner, you need to read Mike Dillard’s book, Magnetic Sponsoring.

Mike’s basic premise was that MLM prospecting and team building is a lot easier when you are talking to people who are already “sold” on the idea of building a network marketing business. Mike illustrates how these prospects can be found using social media, blogs, article marketing, and other free or low cost online strategies.

Mike no longer makes this book available, but you may be able to find extensive articles and excerpts available online. That said, this book has been revised and republished as the Attraction Marketing Formula, by Ferny Ceballos.

5 Really Good Fiji Cultural Delights

Fiji is made up of 333 mountainous islands, each bordered by pink coral reefs and the warm startling aqua-colored waters of the South Pacific. In Fiji you will find white sand beaches ringed with swaying Palm trees, stunning coral islands where no one lives or stays, lagoons, high mountains, tropical rain forests, a culture focused on the traditional, pleasant weather and exciting dining and night life. But it is the people of Fiji, who are friendly and welcoming, who have given this country its reputation as a paradise. A Fiji Holiday is filled with fascinating attractions for tourists.

The Fiji Museum is located just outside of Suva City in the Thurston botanical gardens. Its collection includes archaeological remains of the nation’s indigenous people from some 3,700 years ago. The museum’s main wings are the Masi Gallery, which features traditional cloth, the Pre-Historic Gallery which specializes in ancient Vitian culture, and a history gallery which includes the rudder from the HMS Bounty mutiny, war clubs, cannibal forks, shell jewelry and tanoa bowls. An air-conditioned upstairs gallery is packed with Indo-Fijian exhibits of the clothing worn, agricultural practices, and displays related to the Hindi experience. The museum also has a gift shop.

The Suva Municipal Market, the largest and busiest market in all of the South Pacific, offers a wide variety of very fresh tropical fruits, vegetables, fish, meat and much, much more. Its rows of stalls are stacked with produce, clothes, shoes, and handicrafts. Many of the tables sport a few brightly colored spice bins for sale. Women can be seen sitting on blankets and under tarps to stay cool. There is a huge display with all types of weighing scales for kava, a prized Fijian herb. All of the produce is extremely fresh, since it is brought in by trucks and buses from the countryside each day – perfect for a Fiji holiday!.

The Arts Village-Pacific Harbour is a beautiful Fijian village built on the banks of a lake. Within it is the tallest traditional temple in Fiji and the head chief’s bungalow is decorated with a thatched roof. There is much to see and do in in this village. The Bega Firewalkers put on a show that has something for everyone; singing, dancing, acrobatics, storytelling and mock fighting. There are boat trips around the village, or tours into the village for personal visits with Fijians working at different crafts including wood carving, weaving and boat building.

Sigatoka River Safari is an extremely popular eco/cultural tour in Fiji. Part of the reason could be that the operation is very well run. Air-conditioned buses pick up travelers and take them to the custom-built safari jet boats. These boats anchor at a different village within the community each day, so as not to disturb the people living there. The tour is brought to life by the driver/guide who shares with participants facts about the area’s history, customs of the Fijian people, and legends that exist about the area. So, you might see villagers bathing themselves in the river, children at play and women doing their laundry. You also might get to participate in a Kava ceremony, get to taste real Fijian foods, and only if you want to, take a swim in the crystal-clear Sigatoka River.

Navala Fijian Village, known as the most picturesque place in Fiji, is situated in the Navala Valley, Lautoka, Viti Levu. This is where you will see a living example of Fiji’s indigenous culture, where residents exist as their ancestors did. There are 200 traditional thatched-roof bure huts within the village. They were built not with concrete or sheet metal, but only bamboo and wood. Visitors are asked to present a sevusevu, which is literally a presentation or a ceremonial gift, traditionally a bunch of the herb kava, to the village chief. Once that is offered, they may be given the opportunity to participate in a traditional kava-drinking ceremony before being taken on a village tour.

How Good Or Bad Are Cartoon Channels For Your Kids?

This is a Question, which keeps haunting parents (mostly mothers) of all kids aged 3 to 10. Should we allow kids to watch cartoons, or should it be totally banned, is it good or is it really bad?

The issue that often pops up when chatting about young children watching cartoon channels is usually about leaving your children alone with cartoons to divert or entertain them, instead of parents giving our precious time to them.

Let’s analyze this million-dollar question!

I am a mother of 5-year-old daughter and have been regularly monitoring her television viewing. And this is what I have analyzed.

Let’s point out the good points first:

Cartoon shows are neither good nor bad. Occasionally cartoons are being used to demonstrate behavior that we would like our young children to adapt or copy, and even many times these cartoon shows are also used to exemplify qualities we would like our kids to avoid. It is up to the parents to help the child learn which is which.

From time to time there have been some good series like Madeline, Oswald, Noddy, Backyard Science, MAD, Mickey Mouse Club House. And some Hindi Indian Cartoons, which I would suggest are Gali Gali Sim Sim, Choota Bheem, Krishna, Ramayan and all Mythological stories.

It helps improve vocabulary; it could be English or Hindi.

It helps kids in analyzing situations. To understand how small little things are analyzed and then how small little decisions are taken by understanding what is right and wrong.

It helps them understand different cultures, societies, people etc.

There are so many shows, which are really educational, for all ages. And some programs show various Art and Craft activities, which can be actually utilized to put them to some creative work.

Now, let’s point out the bad points:

There are some really bad cartoons out there, which are a definite no-no for kids like Hagemaaro, ShinShan etc. The language used is awful.

With the kids watching television all the time, their physical activities which can only be achieved by playing in a playground are not taken care of.

Kids try to imitate what they see on television. Be it language or violence, they just want to behave like their “Super Hero”.

When parents continually leave their children to be entertained by the television it can have negative effects on child’s mind because children are primarily proactive and like to be doing something.

And one of the major concerns is the time kids spent in watching those cartoons. Every mother has a tough time moving her kids away from television. Ideally what I would suggest is to have fixed television-watching timings.

The best way to help your child create connection from television is if you get involved with them and explain what they are seeing, discuss different scenarios or outcomes, ask questions, and compare what you are seeing to what she has experienced.

Producing Good Catfish is Important, But Finding Good Buyers is Imperative!

As I have said on my Cost-Saving Ideas Farm Business Support mini site, and also in many of my previous write ups, I have gained unique insight into the business of catfish farming as it is done here in Nigeria. I have moved around quite a lot within Lagos especially, visiting various farms in places like Iyana Ipaja, Egbeda, Ojo, Gbagada, and outside Lagos, more recently,in Akute – Ogun State.

During my interactions with the farm owners, I typically ask the same questions about operational practices being used, farm output achieved, expenses incurred etc. My objective is always to establish how efficient and profitable the individual operations are. Time and time again, I have found that most of these farm owners are simply focussed on doing what they do in the same mechanical manner they have always been doing them. Little or no effort is made to spend some time THINKING about how to operate more efficiently – especially in order to reduce the time, effort, money and labour needed to produce – and sell – the same output within a production cycle.

But times are hard. Business is tough. Costs have risen. To continue to profit, it has become even more imperative today, for EVERY business to explore ways of LOWERING operating costs, even as they maintain or possibly INCREASE output. That is why IDEAS – NEW IDEAS – about how to better run the business MUST be routinely solicited, and explored practically, with a view to improving the way we work, so that the business can perform better.

But there is something even more compelling: SELLING. This is the ultimate objective of a business entreprise, which if NOT actively pursued could lead to its eventual demise. Until you get PAID CASH for your product or service, you have NOT done business profitably! And that applies to ANY business. I had to say this at the risk of stating the obvious, because it seems so many business owners often forget this important FACT.

In fact many people seem to go about their businesses focussing more on DOING the technical, production related aspects, and sparing minimal thought for the SELLING part. Yet, if you do not have customers READY and WILLING to part with CASH to get your product or service, ALL your technical, production related know how and skills amount to nothing! Your bank account would be empty!!

This is a message that needs to be drummed into the heads of many Catfish Farm (and other business) owners out here. I have been repeatedly contacted by people who seemed more interested in TESTING my knowledge of how to “inject” catfish or “strip” them of eggs, than they were in hearing my practically tested ideas, for instance, about how they can rear daphnia in glass tanks to feed their catfish fries instead of wasting time/labour scouting for dirty pools of water on different streets, to harvest wild daphnia from – or worse, feeding their catfish fries exclusively with expensive Artemia.

I often wonder if it ever occurs to them that today, almost ANYONE – even the unschooled – can be taught to independently carry out virtually all aspects of breeding and rearing of catfish for commercial production. Is it not obvious from the rate at which seminars, manuals and VCDs teaching the subject now abound in various locations (with adverts appearing in mass media like newspapers, etc)?

The truth is we have a lot of people engaged in producing catfish in different ways, at various scales of operation out here today. The PROBLEM however, is that very few, if at all any, are doing it by following any tested or proven standard operating procedure that guarantees consistent output of quality product. Worse however, and which is the POINT of this writeup, is the near TOTAL lack of attention to developing reliable strategies for FINDING GOOD buyers for the ready-to-sell catfish, be it fingerlings, juveniles or table sized ones.

This latter point explains why in my discussions with many owners, they typically complained of being frustrated by the very exploitative offers made by market women who come to buy their harvested fish. The tales of woe they have told me, about how these greedy traders take advantage of the farmers’ need to get the “ready” fish out of the ponds, to buy them at very low prices (and later sell at maximum profit) are heart rending.

Each time I have been told about this problem, I have responded by telling the farmers to take personal ACTION to find BETTER buyers, so that such traders would NO LONGER feel farmers have no alternative. This is where farmers need to employ CRITICAL THINKING skills. The farmer needs to think of ways to find other people who will want his fish produce, and who will be prepared to pay what they are worth!

In case you are wondering how the farmer will achieve this, I offer some ideas based on my personal experiences and observations.

For table size, ready to sell catfish: The farmer will need to look for beer parlours, restaurants and bars, hotels, motels, entertainment venues, event organisers etc who may need regular or periodic supply of catfish in bulk quantities at good prices. Such buyers are more likely to offer rewarding prices, compared to the market women. Actually they WILL offer better prices – I say this because I am aware of the prices some of them buy from the farmers that supply them.

The challenge is for YOU, as the farmer, to invest reasonable time and effort into locating and approaching them with an attractive offer. The resulting relationship would be mutually beneficial: they get bulk purchase of good quality catfish at AFFORDABLE prices. You get reliable, TIMELY and regular sales outlet for your catfish at PROFITABLE prices that enable you STAY in business for the long term.

Similar thinking will allow you find better sales outlets for fingerlings, if you choose to do so.

You would ask yourself questions like this: Who else would need or can use this catfish product, apart from those I am already dealing with? The answer will lead you towards securing more potentially rewarding sales outlets for your business.

You see, if you do not GO OUT and actively recruit potential bulk buying customers for your harvested catfish, to the extent that you are always able to sell off whatever you produce, at a profitable price, your business will suffer. I have seen farms with impressive looking LIVE catfish produce, but with no idea how to get enough buyers for them. And the owners just sat there – complaining lamely!

Quite often, these owners attend the training and learn how to rear the fish successfully. But their trainers (asuming they knew!) would have “forgotten” to advise them on how to get their produce sold!! The enthusiastic startups would thus launch out assuming buyers would come down in large enough numbers to empty out the ponds, at harvest time. When this does not happen, they are forced to continue spending money feeding the mature fish – inevitably increasing their cost of production.

My argument is that these farmers should have started looking for – and notifying – possible buyers some months BEFORE the fish became due for harvest. That way, they could even have gotten some intending buyers to book for the fish in advance.

A business that is NOT making sales will DIE. Producing (or retailing) good products and services is good, BUT of much GREATER importance, is the effort you put into finding the RIGHT type of buyers for them, who will pay you profitably. In essence, I am asking you NOT to stop at priding yourself on the fact that you know how to make a good product or deliver a great service. Spend MORE QUALITY TIME THINKING of how to find people who WILL PAY YOU WELL to get YOUR good product or great service. If you fail to do at least that, you risk FAILING financially, in that business of yours!

Note that the approach I have described above is what I have used successfully for years now, to boost sales of my own products and services. It is based on my experience based understanding, that ONE good paying client is better than ten (10) miserly and/or exploitative ones. It can be applied to ANY business, with equally effective impact. Call me on 234-803-302-1263 if you want to learn more about how you can use this approach or strategy to find BETTER paying customers for your business.

A Good Letter Can Make You a Fortune in Direct Mail

Now we go back to Maxwell Sackheim. Sackheim is also well known for originating the “Book-of-the Month” club. So what can you learn from Sackheim’s Book-of-the-Month club? More than you think. People are lazy. Getting people to take any sort of action is not easy. That’s why much of advertising uses deadlines and limited time offers. Sackheim used this human characteristic to his own advantage. Every month, members of his book club would be notified of that month’s book selection and unless they replied that they didn’t want the book – it was assumed that they did and it would be subsequently mailed out to them. Clever!

Sackheim originated the idea and now every “of-the-month” club operates like this. Have you experienced this?

Perhaps you’re thinking: “this wouldn’t work for me” or “my business really is different” then you’re missing the point and just not being creative enough.

You can use Sackheim’s “Negative Option Plan” to your business. If, for example, you have a web based business, you can have a member or subscription site which brings in regular, monthly income.

Your customers’ credit cards can be charged each month for their renewal of membership. People being lazy will rarely cancel their subscriptions bringing you a nice recurring revenue stream.

Sackheim’s Negative Option Plan forces people to take action to cancel their renewals. Many just can’t be bothered. you can take advantage of this little bit of human psychology. Of course, you will have to provide a good product or service that gives value for money.

In 1917, Sackheim met a young man called Victor Schwab who he hired as his private secretary. Schwab, working alongside Sackheim soon developed himself into a good copywriter.

Maxwell Sackheim also wrote a great book on marketing called: “My First 60 Years in Advertising”. This book is now out of print (as are most of these classics) but if you’re interested in the works of Maxwell Sackheim there is a book available by Jerry Buchanan called: “Billion Dollar Marketing.” You should be able to get this from your high street bookstore or on Amazon.

On similar lines to the “character” formula is what is called the “open letter” technique.

In 1921 Publisher A.W.Shaw collected 5,063 letters that had made big sales for their originators. The publishers whittled this list down and published 72 of these letters. These 72 were analysed and dissected. The result was their publication: “72 Letters and What Made them Pay.”

This book contains sections on letters that open doors; letters that increase sales; letters that turn prospects into your friends; in fact, letters for many occasions. 72 of them.

There are examples of letters that pulled 18% to 20% returns. Letters that gave 61% returns. What would you give for returns like that?

Take for example this opening sentence: “There is a man in Boston who has a unique way of making a living.”

Now who wouldn’t be interested in that? Most people, and that’s why they keep on reading the rest of the letter.

Even if you have to give something away to entice your prospect to reply, the letter still has to be effective.

Within the above opening sentence was a sufficiently good “hook” to get the prospect to read further. But the letter sooner or later had to reveal the “Big Idea”. Suffice it to say that this particular letter did get the results (a 61% return) and the pulling power of such a letter makes it well worthy of study.

“72 Letters and What Made Them Pay” will help you put together a persuasive letter for any situation, no matter what line of business you are in.

In 1923 John Orr Young and Raymond Rubicam form Young and Rubicam in Phildelphia.

In 1928 BDO merge with Garry Batten Co. to form BBDO with billings of $32m.

By 1928 Victor Schwab and his partner took over Sackheim’s agency after Sackheim decided to ‘call it a day’. He was responsible for creating ads for Dale Carnegie; Charles Atlas; and Sherwin Cody’s courses (as was Sackheim).

His famous works included the best selling 1930s classic: “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.

He wrote a series of articles called: “How to Write a Good Advertisement” and introduced a 5 step formula.

His series of articles were later turned into a book, also called: “How to Write a Good Advertisement.”

In 1930 James Webb Young worked as a professor and used his lecture notes to publish his first book: “How to Become an Advertising Man.”

In 1930 Advertising Age is launched in Chicago

In 1934 Another master writer was Robert Collier. He went to work in New York for his uncle s publishing company. His first successes were that he sold many thousands of the Harvard Classics. These were books put together by Dr.Eliot of Harvard and sold by Collier as what became known as the “Famous Five-Foot Shelf of Books.”

Collier had an idea of writing a set of books on psychology. He worked day and night to get them finished. The books were titled: “The Secrets of The Ages.” He sold over 300,000 sets of that title and went on to write more self-help titles and books.

He was a prolific writer but his best abilities were in writing killer sales letters.

In 1934 he wrote, the now famous: “The Robert Collier Letter Book.”

Here are just a few of his secrets to writing sales letters.

Collier became famous for one letter in particular. His: “Will you do me a favor?” letter. He conceived this idea when he read about a manager who asked one of his competitors for a favor – he wanted to know how to handle customers that took advantage of their terms. And this technique helped to bring the two companies together.

Collier thought that this technique may well work in print. He wasn’t wrong!

One of his letters was responsible for selling 20,000 raincoats and over a dozen other products.

The letter contains some strong psychological principles.

Also, people like to help. Just as Collier knew all those years ago, people like to give opinions.

If you operate your business off-line, ask in your direct mail or your letters for people’s opinions.

If you operate on-line, a good technique to use is polls. If people aren’t yet ready to buy, they do love to give their opinions.

It becomes even stronger if you give them something for free in return. Something of value, like a report with some useful information. But what ever you give them, it has to be useful.

Now you may be thinking, OK, his letter were written over 70 years ago. surely, this technique is out-dated. Think so?

Just before his death in 1950, Robert Collier was asked to pick his 15 most powerful and hypnotic letters. These were compiled and sold as: “Robert Collier’s Million Dollar Sales Letters.”

5 Benefits of Using a Good Cloud Server

Are you thinking of using a cloud server? If so, you are on the right page. According to predictions, most enterprise files and other activities will be based on the cloud by the end of this year. Today, companies are switching to web-based servers instead of depending on in-house servers. In this article, we are going to take a look at 5 benefits of a cloud server for your business.

1. Higher Security

We know that data security is of paramount importance for any organization. Unlike an in-house server, cloud servers offer a high-level of security through backups and encryption. In other words, your data will be stored on a remote computer in another part of the world. Therefore, even if you lose your computer all of the data on it, you can still get all of your data back from the remote computer in a few minutes.

Apart from this, you can enjoy faster file transfer between your computer and the remote server. All of your important documents remain safe on the server.

2. Centralized Collaboration

Another great benefit of these platforms is that your data is centralized for better collaboration with different employees on the same project. This allows for faster collaboration between employees. Irrespective of the setup you have for your company, all of your employees will access the same files at the same time. In fact, it is also possible to automate the entire process.

3. Access From Everywhere

A cloud server also allows users to sign into their accounts whenever they want to. As long as they are connected to the internet, they will have no problem using their accounts. They can use different devices to perform their jobs. There are no time or location constraints. On the other hand, a dedicated server does not allow this flexibility.

Another problem with dedicated servers is that they have a longer downtime for regular maintenance. On the other hand, servers have almost zero downtime. These systems automatically get upgraded while the users are still using their documents and accounts.

4. Scalability

Scalability is another feature of cloud servers. In other words, cloud servers can be scaled up or down based on the workload. You can apply for more storage or computing power as your business grows. You can also do the same with a dedicated server, but it will cost you a lot more money, time, and effort.

With the cloud server, you have the freedom to pay your subscription on a monthly or annual basis based on your business needs. As your business gets more customers, you can pay for higher subscription plans to enjoy better services.

5. Save Time and Money

Last but not least, a server can save you a lot of money over the long haul. You don’t need to invest in high and equipment to set up your own server. Apart from this, cloud platforms have no requirement for advanced software programs. Plus, you don’t need to buy manpower or expensive IT infrastructure.

Long story short, these are some of the primary benefits of using a good cloud server to meet your business needs.

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