Should You Hire a Famous Writer or Write Your Own Articles?

Proven and Exceptional Click-Through Results

Testing has proven again and again that promotional articles generate more click-through traffic than standard ezine advertising. And it is much cheaper than standard ezine advertising, even if you are paying someone else to write and distribute your articles for you.

Promotional articles that are distributed with free-reprint rights get published regularly in ezines and on websites and the results are long-term. Both publication outlets generate results, although both outlets generate different patterns of traffic to your site.

Creating Content

Either you know that you are capable of writing your own articles or you feel that you might need to hire a ghostwriter to help you with your task.

If you need a ghostwriter to help you create articles to promote your program, there are literally dozens of companies and hundreds of freelance writers out there that can help you complete your task.

Tips for Selecting Your Ghostwriter

One of my clients asked me the other day whether they should use their own in-house writer to develop their articles or whether they should hire a famous writer to write their articles for them.

That is a good question. It depends on how many articles you will want to have created for you.

If you plan on creating fewer than ten articles, it might make more sense to hire an already famous, professional writer. So long as your famous writer is known for the type of content you want to have created, then your famous writer will help you get a strong running start in that they already have a good reputation in the field you want your articles written.

If your famous writer is not known in your field, then it does not matter whether you use the famous writer, your in-house writer, or if you create a pen name for a fictional writer.

Gambling on the Long Term

If your intent is to have more than ten articles created, then it is my suggestion that you should either use your in-house writer using his or her real name or create a pen name for your in-house writer.

Whether you use the writer*s real name or a pen name, your decision should be made upon your confidence in your in-house writer. Sure, you can count on their skills or you would not be considering using their work. The real question you must ask yourself is how long you feel that the in-house writer will remain in your employment.

There is always a chance that your business will be built on the name of someone who goes to another job, taking his or her name recognition with him or her to the other employer. Using your writer*s real name or a pen name is always a gamble. Weigh all of the factors well before making your decision.

If It Were My Business

If I ran a brick-and-mortar business in a very competitive marketplace where personalities can shine brighter than the home office, then I would strongly consider using my in-house writer and providing him or her with a fictional pen name. There is no sense in building a name that will go on to promote your competition.

Manifesting the *Power of Seven*

If you have plans to develop more than ten articles for the promotion of your business, then it does not matter if your writer is already famous in your field.

I am sure that you have heard about the *Power of Seven.*

Many research companies have studied the question of how many times a business must be seen before the customer has confidence enough to spend money with the business.

The research has been conclusive. Seven is the magic number. Once a potential customer has heard of a business seven times, the business has rose above the first major hurdle in attracting the potential customer to their business. After a potential customer has heard of a business seven times, then the potential customer is much more likely to trust the business enough to spend their money with the business.

The *Power of Ten* in Publishing

A writer is very much like a business, and a publisher is very much like a customer. The *Power of Seven* plays an important role in getting the writer*s work published.

However, we cannot count on seven promotional articles to bridge the trust gap with the publisher. While publishers will see most of your articles, as they are made available for publication, usually they will not see seven articles in seven distributions.

Publishers are busy people and they do not check for new articles daily. But, publishers do check for new articles regularly as they need to continuously find materials for publication.

The goal is to send out ten articles to get seven articles seen and read by publishers. Once the publisher reads the seventh article, if the quality of the articles had been good, then the publisher will trust the value of the articles created by the writer.

More Figures Concerning Promotional Article Success

Ironically, the fact that the publisher has seen articles by a particular writer seven times is often good enough to get the writer published. The publisher only needs to read one or two good quality articles by the writer to cement the trust they will have in the writer.

Once the publisher has come to the decision that a writer is good and provides information important to their readers, the publisher will always notice the writer*s name as they are browsing for the next article that they will publish.

With my business, I have been distributing articles for my clients since early 2000. Any writer who has permitted me to submit articles for them for the length of six months remains to be one of my clients. Why do you think that is?

I believe it is because six months worth of article submissions --- whether done weekly, bi-weekly or monthly --- has enabled my client*s to bridge the *Power of Seven* with the publishers and webmasters who receive the articles that I distribute.

Some who distribute weekly cross the *Power of Seven* bridge well before the six months is up and they reaped fast rewards for their hyper-distribution schedule.

Publishers & Webmasters Are the Gateways to Buyers

With my service, I am able to get your articles into the mailboxes of more than 12,000 publishers and webmasters looking for good quality content.

If only 25 publishers --- with an average of 5,000 readers each --- reprint an article, then 125,000 potential buyers could read the average article. Add to that fact that several of my client*s get published in ezines that reach more than 700,000 readers, and my clients can reach nearly one million buyers with a single article.

The *Power of Seven* Could Make YOU Famous!

I always suggest that if you are doing more than ten articles, you should use your in-house writer*s name or a fictional pen name. The reason I say this is that after ten articles, you will be strongly on the road to becoming famous yourself. Once the name used to promote your business has become famous, and then your business will continue to reap the rewards for that famous name for years to come.

About The Author

Bill Platt owns http://thePhantomWriters.com. Do you need free content for your website or ezine? Our archives deliver more than 700 free-reprint articles available for your use. http://content.thePhantomWriters.com. Do you write your own articles? Let us distribute them for you to our network of 12000+ publishers & webmasters http://thePhantomWriters.com/distribution

Trust: A Critical Factor to Your Teams Success

True or false? Teams that practice good teamwork contribute to an organization's success.

Not only "true" but blatantly true.

The fact may be plain and simple, but creating a successful team, leading a successful team, or participating on a successful team is not so plain and simple. The sticky word is "successful." Creating a team is easy. Sitting in the leader's chair can be fairly simple. Team membership may just mean showing up.

But successful? Hold on and wait a second.

This article explores two requirements for team success. For each requirement, we explore specific action items to help you and your team fulfills those requirements. We start with trust.

Trust: A Successful Team's Foundation

A team that builds its harmony on trust enjoys the ease and enthusiasm that bring success. In fact, that trust-foundation makes the harmony all the sweeter.

Steven Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, states, "Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people. But it takes time and patience?"

Trust and team are almost synonymous. However, you cannot assume that trust develops naturally as part of the team's personality. Bringing trust-what it means, how it works, and why it matters-to the front of every team member's mind can be a great step towards team success. A great step that demands your attention.

Here are three underlying benefits your organization-and its customers-will experience once your team works with high levels of trust.

Increased Efficiency -- As team members trust that every one will carry out her responsibility, all can attend their specific functions more completely. The decrease in distractions gives an increase to efficiency.

Enhanced Unity -- The greater each member of a team trusts other members, the greater strength the team assumes. This unity strengthens the team's commitment to fulfill its purpose.

Mutual Motivation -- When two (or more) people trust one another, each one consciously and subconsciously strives to uphold the others' trust. That motivation stimulates each team member to seek peak performance.

So, how do you build trust as a fundamental team possession? Here's the short answer: build a clear structure and process to promote trust. Team members want to trust one another from the outset. If specific trust-building tools and tactics are missing, however, they will have a hard time building that trust. Below are three traits that establish a foundation for trust among team members. Notice how each trait focuses on interactions among teammates.

Open Expression -- Every member team needs ongoing opportunities to express her thoughts regarding the team's purpose, process and procedures, performance, and personality. From the team's get-go, the team leader can initiate every individual's chance to speak to the team's actions. A truly effective leader insures that even the quietest member is heard (and so becomes increasingly comfortable speaking up). The more continuously everyone on a team has chances to express openly, the more every one grows used to speaking freely and to being heard. Open expression quickly becomes everyone's pleasure, and not just the leader's responsibility.

Information Equity -- When it comes to information relevant to the team and the team's function, the rule must be "all for one and one for all." Information available to one team member must be available to all members. The secret this trait is in its process. Standardized practices for sharing information equally are simple. A few minutes setting up a team email address and holding a five-minute update each morning are two examples. These can establish everyone-gets-to-know-what-everyone-gets-to-know behavior patterns. Trust level rises when no one fears that she receives less information than others.

Performance Reliability -- We trust people we can count on. We count on people who do what they say they will do when they say they will do it. Conscientious work on the first two traits produces results in the third. Open expression and shared information enhance team members' performance reliability. Open communication can place everyone's performance cards on the table: strengths and weaknesses, confidence and fears. Equal information allows everyone to know what and how every other team member contributes to success. This knowledge produces shared support, praise, and assistance. What is more team-like than that? When expectations of every team member are up front and open, every team member strives to perform at full force for the good of the team.

TIPS FOR TEAM TRUST

The following five tips support the idea that Open Expression, Information Equity and Performance Reliability grow from how well a team communicates within itself. These tips are for the team leader and every member of the team.

1. Talk the Talk. Take responsibility for role modeling Open Expression. Don't be afraid to share information about yourself. Encourage others to do the same. Keep at it.

2. Build the Pattern. At team meetings and water-cooler chats, establish the tell-and-ask pattern. Share information about your work and ask questions about your teammate's work. It takes a bit of repetition to anchor the pattern. It's worth it.

3. Distribute to Discuss. Make it team belief that one reason for distributing information to everyone is so that it can be discussed. "New data" can be a constant agenda item at meetings. "What do you think?" can be a constant question among team members.

4. Make Good News. Usually people want to complete work rather than fulfill roles. Not much to say about one's role. Much to share about one's work. Create opportunities for people to comfortably share good news about the work they perform. (Bulletin boards, email news, lunch discussions, for example.

5. Use a Constructive Question. Have your team adopt a specific question that does two things: directs attention to the team's purpose and stimulates communication. The question can be an icebreaker at team meetings, a common follow-up to "Hi! How are you?" in the halls, a regular element in team reports. Example questions: What progress have we made? What have we done that makes us proud? What obstacles have we overcome?

Tim Wright, President/CEO of Wright Results, Inc., works with organizations that help their people "blow the lid off their performance." Tim's Blow the Lid Off Performance curriculum is currently an eight-course offering that focuses on individual/personnel performance, team performance, and leadership performance.

Contact Tim Wright at http://www.WrightResults.com

Microsoft Great Plains: Manufacturing or Bill of Materials - Overview for IT Specialist

Microsoft Great Plains is main Microsoft Business Solutions product, targeted to mid-size companies. Currently Microsoft is in progress of transforming several ERP products it has: Microsoft Great Plains, Solomon and Navision into several business suites - Microsoft Financial, Microsoft HR, Microsoft Manufacturing, Microsoft Logistics.

These suites may be (in the future) put together and work for your company as integrated ERP solution with web interface (Microsoft Business Portal). If you are midsize company with some manufacturing - you should make the research on light manufacturing packages available on software market. In the case of your commitment to Great Plains (if you use it as your accounting system) you should probably first answer this question - do we need full featured manufacturing or we should implement just bill of materials and have missing functionality be filled with custom Crystal Reports and light Dexterity customization?

And one more thing to consider - Microsoft Manufacturing will be more likely build on Navision manufacturing base. If you have process manufacturing - you should not implement GP manufacturing - it is discreet manufacturing.

If you answer yes on most of these questions, you do need manufacturing

• Do you need Manufacturing Resource Planning?

• Are Cost Centers required?

• Do you base your production on the specific Sales Order?

• Do you track working shifts and allocate the cost?

Now - this is what you can have in Bill of Materials

• Samples bills of materials - to do the replacement of the items

• Purchasing configuration, based on ABC codes and other criteria

• Historical bills reporting

With Crystal Reports you can have this information, having just Bill of Materials

• Sales/profitability by customer, item, region or custom criteria

• Future Sales predictions, based on your criteria

• Employee time and cost allocation

• Simple Cost Centers, based on product line, specific order or other user defined information

Good luck with your research ? we are here to help with Bill of Materials or recommend the best GP Manufacturing partner! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

About The Author

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies ? USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, based in Chicago, California, Arizona, Minnesota, Texas, Florida, New York, Washington, Georgia, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com), he is CMA, Great Plains Certified Master, Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer. You can contact Andrew: andrewk@albaspectrum.com.

akarasev@albaspectrum.com

Miracle Worker

The power of the Holy Spirit is so profound it is truly a wonder, beyond human intelligence. Let's take a look at what the Bible says about miracles. Look at 1Corinthians 1:20 it says Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Now look at verse 31 it says Therefore, as it is written; Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.

It says in Psalms 77:13 Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. God works is really a mystery Look at Acts 19:11 it says God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon possessed. They would, In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out. Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest were doing this. One day, the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you? Now continue reading too verse 17 it says When this became known to the Jews and the Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.

It is written for us to pay attention look at Hebrews 2:1 it says We must pay more careful attention, therefore to what we heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angles was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Jesus performed many miracles during his time. Look at John 10:31 it says Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, I have shown you many great miracles for the Father, For which of these do you stone me? We are not stoning you for any of these, replied the Jews, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God. Jesus answered them, Is it now written in your Law, I have said you are gods? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came-and the Scripture cannot be broken-what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then so you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, I am God's Son? Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

Let's see what Jesus said in John 14:11 it says Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. Look at John 3:1 it says Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemuss, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus a night and said, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him. Now look at John 20:30 it says Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

A Miracle In Me

Back in the year 1979 I had a large growth on my neck, the size of a golf ball. Still today I do not know where it came from. I went to the doctor, and a team of doctors told me that the would have to operate to remove it from my neck. So I check myself into the hospital and a day before the operation the doctors examine me again, and the told me I had additional growths in several places on the body, and I had to operated on those places as well.

That night I prayed and went to slept. The next morning the growth on my neck was gone. I mean as if nothing was ever there or any other place on my body, the doctors were baffled. Thanks be to Jesus and his Father God for the Miracle of his power. I thanked him for allowing me to receive his miracle, believing in him, and the Power of the Holy Spirit. All Praise and Glory go to the Lord Jesus and his Father God.

Love Always,
Your Sister in Christ,
Mellody Davis

Enjoy more reading at: http://www.hostinghelps.com/allaboutjesus/AboutJesus.html

Will They Sterilize Vagabonds and Drunkards in Belarus?

In Belarus parliament is going to struggle with degeneration of the Belarus society. Deputy Kostjan in his statement suggested passing the law on violent sterilization of the citizens leading asocial way of life.

As he said, "even animals have the ordered sexual life and about 1 percent of people do not adhere to these principles, and they breed unhealthy children, in most cases - morons. From generation to generation amount of such asocial elements grows - and gradually there will be degeneration of society".

Kostjan speaks that at least, objections has not sounded from colleagues: "Members of parliament understand, that it is necessary to struggle somehow with people who drink and lead a chaotic sexual way of life. Drunkards and vagabonds in fact do not think about consequences. They produce children and sit them on shoulders of the state. Society should re-educate, a business of the state - to accept strict measures ". Sergey Kostjan considers that it is necessary also to sterilize inveterate persons paying alimony: "First marriage, second marriage, two left children. Don't let him make it third time. It's necessary to sterilize the irresponsible lady's man".

Physicians have the opposite point of view. The head of department of the organization of medical aid Alexander Tsybin: "Technically the medicine is ready to make it. Actually, we already make similar operations at the wish of the patient for a long time. To do it violently - it is brutal".

One of the lady's man said: "What about human rights? An animal rights, eventually. Any court will have my side. I shall complain in "Green Peace". By theory of Darwin, the priority on reproduction the nature allows to the strongest".

For today in Belarus, sterilization is a freewill way of contraception. Sterilization is made in medical institutions under the written application of the full age patient. Parents or the trustee accepts the decision on operation of incapacitated people. How many Byelorussians are sterilized, Ministry of Health keep a secret.

By the way, practice of compulsory sterilization is spread enough in the world. In the USA before the Second World War 30 states passed the laws, allowed to sterilize mentally retarded and criminals. Such way of punishment there is presently. For example, this winter having many children American woman guilty of the daughter's death has been sentenced to sterilization.

In fascist Germany, they sterilized insane persons, drunkards and prostitutes. The law on compulsory sterilization of not capable persons operated in Sweden until 1976. In a number of the countries, it was carried out against asocial people without corresponding laws.

Michael Garmahis (27) is journalist working in one of the Belarusian newspaper. Some time was engaged in NGO's social work and also worked as a tutor of German and English in college. For further information, please visit his web site: http://garmahis.worldfreeweb.com (Michael Garmahis-My stories, jokes, drawings, photos, links from Belarus)

What is Organic Food?

"Organic" has some quite specific legal definitions in most developed countries.

In the U.S, all farms or products claiming to be "certified organic" must be guaranteed by a USDA-approved independent agency to be meeting the following guidelines:

* Sound records kept of all operations

* No use of antibiotics or hormones in livestock

* No use of genetically modified organisms

* No irradiation

* Use sound soil conservation and crop rotation practice

* And most importantly, that there has been no useage of prohibited materials within 3 years prior to certification, or at any time during certification.

The USDA defines 'prohibited materials' as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and sewage sludge. It is also a requirement that there is no cross-contamination during processing, which means organic wheat for example cannot be ground in a flour factory that also handles non-organic material.

Produce grown organically certainly tastes better than the usual supermarket stock. It also contains higher levels of nutrients and far lower residual pesticides. You can read all the latest Organic Food articles and research at http://www.ge-free.com/

In general food grown free of pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified organisms (GMO) is organic to some extent. Certified organic food is that which meets the strict criteria of the USDA as described above. Most countries have their own version of regulation.

Organic food can be classified into two groups, fresh and processed.

There are many additional requirements for certification of processed organic food:

* contains a minimum percentage of organic ingredients.

* has no added artificial ingredients like preservatives etc.

* is processed free of artificial methods like chemical ripening or irradiation.

Most processed organic food is now available in supermarkets. There are also organic only stores in most large cities now, and there will be many more similar stores as the production of certified organic food increases.

Jeremy is the owner of http://www.ge-free.com/ and publisher of the Organic News blog. Go to ge-free.com for all the latest organic food articles and news.

Marriage Proposals ? Why Doing It Right Will Make All the Difference

Proposing marriage to your beloved is a very big step. You get the ring, but then you don't know when, where, or how to actually pop the question. You want it to be an event that both of you will remember for a lifetime. Some things to consider are listed below.

1. Being creative. Creativity does not have to cost a lot of money.

2. Including romance. Find out what she thinks is romantic and then make it happen.

3. Being sensitive. Do not embarrass her by being very public about the proposal when she is a very private person.

4. Saying the wrong thing. Be careful not to say the wrong thing.

5. Picking a place. Consider very carefully where to propose.

6. Picking a time. If she is not a morning person, that is probably not the time.

7. Getting help from friends. Don't be hesitant to enlist the help of others.

8. Making it memorable. She will tell the story many, many times.

9. Using a video camera. Decide if you want it recorded. You may just want someone to use a camera.

10. Getting down on one knee and not forgetting the ring!

There are many ways to propose marriage to the one you love. With a little effort, it will be a very memorable and happy event. Take the time to research and decide on the perfect way to propose.

Copyright ? 2005 Susan Daniel and Debbie Overstreet

About Susan and Debbie: Susan and Debbie are internet marketers. You can review more articles and Web sites on marriage and weddings by visiting http://www.ultimateweddingsite.com

Flower Meanings & History of Flowers

The charming and delicate beauty of flowers has fascinated people of all nations and backgrounds for centuries. Flowers have been bred and cultivated for their decorative beauty as well as their ability to heal diseases. Flowers are the subject of poems and myths, and religious symbols are associated with flowers as well. Many girls are named after flowers. The main reason for the popularity of flowers though is their ability to bring good cheer.

For all fellow lovers and admirers of flowers here is some background information about flowers. This will help give your flower gift giving and buying a greater context.

Asters

There are over 600 species of asters, the most popular being the Monte Casino. Ancient societies believed that the odor of its leaves, when burnt, drove away serpents. While this might not be as applicable today, perhaps its connotation is still relevant: Giving asters means, "I am not sure whether you have been faithful to me". Be careful who you send asters to!
Meanings: charming, patience

Bells of Ireland

Although the name suggests these flowers come from Ireland, they originated in western Asia. Bells of Ireland have a spicy/peppery scent and are part of the mint family. They stand for good luck.
Meanings: good luck, whimsy

Carnations

Turn of the century dandies would not leave the house without a white or red carnation in the buttonhole of their suit. With the end of this tradition and the fact that carnations are so easily cultivated and grown, the flower has lost some of its popularity. However, carnations are not only beautiful and long lasting flowers, they also send a message: When you receive a red carnation bouquet, it means, "My heart aches for you" and when you receive white carnations the sender is saying: "I am still available."
Meanings: fascination, devoted Love

Chrysanthemum

Imagine, chrysanthemums have been cultivated in Chinese gardens for almost 3000 years! The name chrysanthemum comes from the Greek chrysos (gold) and anthos (flower). Today some of the meanings associated with this flower are: innocence, cheerfulness and loyal love.
Meanings: cheerfulness, innocence

Dahlias

The dahlia is the national flower of Mexico and this is also its birthplace. An old Aztec document states that the Aztecs used dahlias as a treatment for epilepsy. Only in the 19th century did the flower come to Europe where it was bred and cultivated into today's varieties.
Meanings: dignity, elegance

Iris

Did you know that there are so many different varieties of iris that they can be grown wild year round, in water and on land? Iris was most significant in history as the emblem of France -- Fleur-de-Lis -- established in the 11th century by the king of France. Today, it is the state flower of Tennessee and its meanings are faith, hope and wisdom.
Meanings: faith, hope, wisdom

Lilies

Lilies have been associated with many ancient myths. They are mentioned in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament, and symbolize chastity and virtue. Even today, lilies are associated with purity and faith.
Meanings: purity, faith

Peruvian lilies or alstroemeria are named after the Swedish botanist Baron Klas von Alstroemer. He brought the flower seeds back from a trip to South America in the 18th century.
Meanings: friendship, devotion

Calla lilies were first imported from South Africa to America in the mid-nineteenth century. The waxy white blooms and spearheaded leaves of the calla lily stand for radiant beauty and sophistication.
Meanings: sophistication, beauty

Lisianthus

Lisianthus may sound like a Latin name, but it is one of several common names associated with this plant. It is also referred to as Prairie Gentian, Prairie Rose or Texas Bluebell. The flowers existing today are derived from an American wildflower that is native to prairies ranging from Colorado to Nebraska and down to Texas.
Meanings: outgoing, thoughts

Orchids

During the 19th Century, orchids were widely collected. With nearly 25,000 varieties, some orchids are among the most exquisite and expensive flowers available. In antiquity, orchids were correlated with love and fertility. It was common knowledge that they would protect against diseases. Given as a gift they stand for preciousness and seduction.
Meanings: seduction, preciousness

Snapdragons

Snapdragons are an old decorative flower, widely used by the Romans. From its origin in southern Spain the cultivated form was spread throughout the whole Roman Empire. Nowadays remnants of this original population which all belong to the species Antirrhinum majus are found among Roman remains like temples in southern France, Malta, and Italy. The flower, also called "gracious lady" stands for deception.
Meanings: desire, strength

Roses

With their far-reaching popularity, roses are the queens of flowers. After buttercup, the roses are the second oldest variety of flowers on the planet. Biologists can trace roses back some 200 million years! Although there is a huge number of meanings and symbols associated with roses, the most common of course is love, which originated in Greek mythology. When Aphrodite cried about the death of her lover Adonis, she had red "Adonis Roses" grown with his blood, - thus red roses are the symbol of never-ending love. Important to mention are the roses' thorns, of which we all probably have some painful memory. Symbolically, love can be painful and full of suffering when not treated carefully.

Red roses: I love you, unconscious beauty
White roses: spiritual love, purity
Yellow roses: joy, gladness
Orange roses: fascinated, enthusiastic
Pink roses: grace, gentility

Tulips

Originally from Persia, tulips were introduced to Western Europe and the Netherlands in the 17th century. When growers started to hybridize the flower, they found ways of making it even more decorative. Hybrids of the flower were a scarcity at the time and a symbol of high status. Soon tulips became very popular as a trading product and bulbs were traded at the highest prices. The months of late 1636 to early 1637 would make history in the Netherlands as "Tulipmania". A bed of tulips was worth up to $5,000, the value of a small house in Amsterdam. The bulbs became currency, and their value was quoted at the stock market.
Meanings: perfect lover, fame

Sunflowers

Sunflowers turn their heads toward the sun and this how they got their common name. They originated in Central and South America. Sunflowers are not only pretty to look at but sunflower seeds are power-packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamin E - all important to the nutritional quality of your diet. Wait! That doesn't mean you're supposed to eat the seeds out of your sunflower bouquet.
Meanings: adoration, sunshine

Josh Grossman is cofounder of online florist Beyond Blossoms (http://www.beyondblossoms.com). The company ships farm fresh, hand-tied flowers nationwide.

Vinyl Replacement Window Terminology

With so many homeowners in the market for more energy efficient windows and doors for their home, I thought I would use this week's article to cover the more common terms used to describe a window's ability to insulate your home from the elements. There is an organization called The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). Their purpose is to test each window manufacturer's product to independently verify the ratings for each test administered. So, let's discuss each test and what it means.

First, there is the U-Factor. This number represents the rate that heat escapes through the window. Therefore, the lower the U-Factor, the better the window. Most vinyl replacement windows with standard, dual pane glass, have a U-Factor around .5. When you add LowE glass in place of the standard clear glass, the U-Factor comes down below .4. By replacing the air between the panes of glass with Argon or Krypton gas, the U-Factor can be reduced to around .3. The Government's energy star program requires a window to have a U-Factor below a certain number in order to be energy star rated. You need to find out what that rating is in your particular area of the country. You can start by going to the energy star website. In areas of the country where rebates are given for installing energy star rated products in your home, you will only receive the rebate by proving that your windows have a U-Factor less than the maximum allowed. That proof comes from the manufacturer's NFRC label affixed to each window.

Another test is called Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC). The SHGC measures a window's rate of heat penetration from outside. The lower the number, the better resistance there is to heat getting into the house from outside. There are also air and water infiltration tests. The air test actually tests how much air is able to pass through the window from outside to inside. Therefore, you want a low number. Typically, a .30 is the maximum allowable rate of air infiltration. Water infiltration tests the amount of water and pressure the window is able to resist. Therefore, the higher rating is better for this test. Frankly, i wish they would just rate all tests on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being best. Then, you wouldn't get confused trying to remember which tests should have high numbers and which ones should have low numbers. You can get more information on window testing by going to the NFRC Website .

John Rocco has been installing replacement windows since 1978. To learn more, visit How To Install Windows

Oil Change Guys History; Part I

How do franchise companies come to be? How do they start. What type of a person or entrepreneur becomes a franchisor? Below is the story of how one small company became a franchisor in the mobile oil change business. The story is written from our point of view and opinion. We claim freedom of speech, of the press in its entirety since a good part of it is opinion based.

Serial Entrepreneur Lance Winslow started out in the Aircraft and Car Detailing Business about 28 years ago. Mobile Oil Changes did not exist for the consumer at that time. There were only preventative maintenance services for over the road trucks and off-road heavy equipment. During this time Jiffy Lube was growing in size and convenience started to take hold. Jiffy Lube in less than 15 years cornered the market. Mr. Winslow watched this trend take hold and thousands of quick lube shops started to spring up across America, similar to the original Midas Muffler Model, but this time for oil changes. This was occurring as gas stations turned from service station garages to C-Stores for higher per square foot profits. At time the young entrepreneur never thought much about running a mobile oil change franchise.

Eventually several companies sprung up to fill this niche, few lasted as consumers were not ready to except this new trend of mobile oil changes and cities and property managers frowned upon it. In some markets they did well and in others they failed miserably. Eventually many companies learned through trial and error what the consumers needed and wanted. The operators also learned how to market these services. Now we see National Oil and Lube News; www.noln.net , has a whole month dedicated to the mobile oil change sector. The winners in this mobile on-site oil change market today are Location Lube, Lube and Go, and Oil Butler.

In 1998 Mr. Winslow was marketing a new franchise in San Jose, CA for his Mobile Car Wash Business when he ran into Dave who was the co-founder of Oil Maxx. Oil Maxx was founded back in 1995 after a study of the market revealed that there was a great potential for a mobile oil and lube service. Many people had never even heard of a mobile lube service in Silicon Valley. Dave and his partner then borrowed money from family and friends and started Oil Max, a name they chose to franchise with. Although this confused their current customers they thought it was a smart move. Soon after they discovered Oil Max was taken as a name and changed to Oil Maxx with two 'X's. Prior to that there were only Biz-Ops and all were East Coast based and only one was a legitimate franchise; The Oil Butler in NJ. Dave and His partner and newly formed marketing staff spent many days and nights perfecting their system and building an even stronger customer base.

Oil Maxx provided service to many major companies and individuals throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding communities. They were members of the National Association of Fleet Administrators and a preferred vendor with many fleet service/leasing companies including GE Capital, PHH Vehicle Services, Wheels/Map, US Fleet Leasing, and Enterprise Fleet Services. Oil Maxx decided to team up with our franchisees of The Car Wash Guys and The Truck Wash Guys in the California Bay Area. By co-marketing and bundling services each of the two companies doubled business by sharing customer lists. We immediately sent Oil Maxx to our customers at Adaptec, Fujitsu, and HP. They sent us to Budweiser Distribution, a courier service, a uniform service and the cable company. We also worked together to leverage other competitors out of the market, such as our once rival Texas "T", by bundling services with the many Concierge Services, which started popping up to cater to corporate employees at the height of the DotCom and Tech Bubble. The synergies gained were so intense, they were scary, so both companies grew closer and even shared data bases of customers, billing information, scheduling routes lists and sales teams. Without any non-competes, lawyers or guarantees, all on a hand shake between company founders. (January of 1999).

Seeing the potential of this incredible synergy, Mr. Winslow, introduced Oil Maxx founders to his then sole mentor in franchising, Lou Gurnick of franchisebusiness.com. Lou Gurnick was the Chief Operating Officer for Midas Muffler from it's inception with only $100,000 in capital to over 400 Million in sales which was still over 30 years ago. Lou Gurnick was also a consultant to Ray Kroc who franchised McDonalds and to Tom Monahan Founder of Dominos Pizza. Mr. Winslow was looking to duplicate this synergy he found with the Oil Maxx Company across the nation. He was anticipating Oil Maxx's rapid expansion through franchising on a promise from the Oil Maxx founders to catch up to the then only Car Wash Guys then already franchised in 14 states at the time. Knowing that it would bring fleet business and corporate onsite car washing to his team and also provide Oil Maxx Franchisees with instant business. Mr. Winslow had a long-range plan to either buy all or part of Oil Maxx after the fast and explosive growth and then take the company public or trade for Car Wash Guys stock. That never came to be, as Oil Maxx failed to capture enough inertia to attack the franchising market. Most of this was due to under capitalization. Mr. Winslow had not even considered setting up the Oil Change Guys www.OilChangeGuys.com Franchise System at that time. He was completely busy setting up Car Wash Guys Franchises. To be continued. . .

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

Prevent Procrastination With Positive Pressure

My wife and I recently bought a house.

It's currently being built and moving day is slated for December. So we decided to buy some furniture in order to fill some of the "extra space." (Our new home is double the size of our current one.)

Now, something really interesting happened.

The story is a little long, and almost unbelievable, but let me cut to the heart of the matter. (I'll tell you the whole story some other time. You'll cringe!)

After shopping around a few stores, we came across a big chain department store that carried what we were looking for - a bed, a couch, a dinner table and chairs, all at reasonable prices.

(In fact, they were all on special. Hey, call me stingy.)

We walked in, spoke to a salesperson and asked if they had a layaway plan that extended beyond their normal wait (i.e., since we were in August, we're talking several months). Not that we needed it, but a layaway plan could help us temporarily store the furniture until we move into our new home.

And once we asked him about the layaway plan, he used the "good cop, bad cop" routine on us, a common sales tactic I'm all too familiar with.

"Let me check with my manager," he said. He left, spoke with someone in the electronics department who obviously didn't look like a "manager." And five minutes later, he returned. "Sure," he added, "but only if you buy today."

I used to be a salesperson. (I still am.) And I use urgency tactics in my copy all the time. But I hate pressure tactics when they are glaringly obvious.

We didn't care so much for the layaway plan as we did the special. So, realizing the salesperson's tactics, I looked at my wife, gave her a nonverbal cue, she nodded and we decided to leave in order to "think about it."

The salesperson made a valiant effort to get our money that day. But knowing he was deceitful, the pressure he used only pushed us away even more.

Needless to say, we never asked to see "Gerry" again. And we made several trips to the store, where each visit had its own remarkable story. If you only knew what we went through, you'll understand what I mean by "remarkable."

However, we finally did get our furniture after we met "Jim."

Jim was truly the epitome of great customer service.

He truly empathized with us. He was apologetic, never once mentioned anything about him or his product (the conversation was entirely focused on us), and even even asked us to pull out our floor plans so we can correctly measure the space and appropriate layout for the furniture.

He then extended the layaway without any so-called manager's approval, gave us free furniture shampoo, free polish, free installation and free delivery - all as a gesture of appreciation, according to Jim.

"Mr. Fortin, look at it as our way of saying 'thank you' for giving us a second chance... Other people would have never returned like you did. I'll extend your layaway without question since you're kind enough to give us that chance."

Thank you indeed.

The lesson? This situation says a lot about how to write good copy. Being empathetic, being concerned and, above all, being interested in the prospect.

But the greatest lesson, that I want to pull from this, is this:

When writing copy, use scarcity and add a sense of urgency. As Jim Rohn once said, "Without a sense of urgency, desire loses it value." But NEVER use underhanded tactics, and NEVER make it so blatantly obvious.

(For instance, how many times have you come across a salesletter where the offer had a deadline, which seemed to "magically" bump ahead each time you visited the website? That's what I mean. People are not stupid!)

Here's the lesson: never pressure people to PUSH them into purchasing...

Instead, use pressure to PREVENT them from procrastinating.

There is a fundamental difference between the two.

Of course, you can and should use pressure tactics in your copy. But not to pressure the prospect into buying but to prevent her from procrastinating, which is a typical, "knee-jerk" reaction to any offer... Money means security to most people, and they don't want to part with their security.

When you use pressure and scarcity tactics, be truthful. Make your offer quantity-bound or time-limited. Not your product or service. The offer. And always - always! - back it up with a real, genuine and logical explanation.

People are becoming more and more educated. So using obvious and deceitful tactics, such as a script that modifies the date, or a quantity that seems to remain the same for ages, is going to work against you. Hard.

Each time you use pressure in your copy, always back it up with a logical explanation as to why you're doing so. Tell your reader why you are limiting the offer. And don't just be genuine and truthful, but also be unique. Place a limit on your offer using a tactic that's not duplicated all over the Internet.

For example, say you add a bonus from a third party. You can explain that the bonus comes from another source and you only secured permission for a certain quantity. Or put a deadline on your offer - a real date! - and explain why. Then change the offer once that date has arrived.

Procrastination is the biggest killer of sales - particularly online where the chances of a prospect staying or returning to a website (in order to think about buying), in today's click-happy world, are scarce.

Takeaway selling is in fact based on the concept of supply and demand.

As the saying goes, "People don't know how much they want something until it's about to be taken away from them." Look at it this way: if you give a chance for your prospects to procrastinate, they will. Guaranteed.

So, add a deadline or some kind of constraint, since such limitations implore at some unconscious level, "You better read this and take action now!"

But always make sure to back up your limitation with an logical reason in order not to appear misleading or disingenuous. That's the REAL key. (In fact, what will push them will not be the limitation in itself but its justification.)

Adding a deadline or a cap on the number of new clients, or even making the offer something that's secretive, exclusive or otherwise unavailable to the general public, can arouse stronger motives in the psyche of your readers.

But give your added sense of urgency some level of credibility. For example:

• "We were overshipped on these cassette tapes and, in order to clear out inventory, we are discounting them by [X] dollars... However, we only have 541 left in stock, so please act soon."
• "One of the bonuses includes [X] hours of individualized coaching worth $[X]. But there are only so many hours in the day... So I must limit the number of coaching students to 50. Therefore, I urge you to act now."
• Or, "During our recent move we slightly damaged 178 pieces of our stock - while the damage is hidden and insignificant, I can't sell them as new and must let them go at a one-of-a-kind discount."

It's all about customer service. Because, if you use pressure to prevent prospects from procrastinating, they will thank you for it. You reduce buyer's remorse, get less refunds and returns, and increase repeat sales.

Plus, they will believe more in you and your product, they will feel happy with their purchase and they will even use the logical explanations you gave them to justify THEIR own decisions to buy.

As you know, customers like to buy. They don't like to be sold.

Remember, people buy on emotion first and then justify their decisions with logic. If you give them logical explanations, many will in fact use your suggestions as a way to back up their purchasing decisions.

As Brian Tracy once noted:

"A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."

About the Author

Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.