On Line Sport Bets Fundamentals
Combine both of people’s uppermost interests and what you’ll unearth is a rage we customarily know as a sportsbook gambling website. Truly, what could be more imaginative. If you envisage a group of sports fanatics cheering a given home sports club, and regularly antes will be fixed matching the din. So keen to get a bit of the exhilaration, spectators will routinely seek to infer who will win in the impending struggle. All of this is set to turn into a warmhearted struggle called sportsbook gambling website.
Win big at all the top bet money on sports game games, online here.
Yes, it may seem addictive, nevertheless sportsbook wagers is actually just entertaining and to relate with your fellow sports fans. You can wager a an inconsequential sum of kitty and nonetheless enjoy an outstanding time. Furthermore, here are a lot of basic suggestions to get going sportsbook wagers.
In order to bet, you’ll likely want to call on a sportsbook gambling website, i.e. a place which takes sportsbook gambling website. In the US, there’s a total of no less than four states where to do sportsbook wagers in a lawful manner, but illegally you may do it just about anywhere assuming that you hunt out a bookie AND you’re of age. On the list of sporting contests you’ll be able to bet on are pro in parallel with college level football as well as college basketball, pro hockey, pro hockey, in parallel with betting on both horse and dog racing. You may bet on the comprehensive result of a contest or game, in what round any given contester will go under, and even whether a given tossed coin in a contest or game comes out either heads or tails.
The odds maker establishment will lean on the maths make it easier for you arrive at a decision which sports club you feel will win. Primarily, there’s spread, or advantage in points pertaining to a losing contestor that is expected to take a licking by a defined number points. Of Course, this comprises the sportsbook company’s formalized practice of offering balanced antes for a sportsbook. To give an example, a person could wager on a contestant that is expected to take a licking and and nonetheless make money on that bet assuming that the contestor goes down by a defined number of points.
There’s miscellaneous breeds of antes– straight, parlays i.e. combined antes on several sports competitions, and more, the straight bets being the most prevalent in sportsbook wagers.
Why don’t you take a stab at it, and amuse yourself at one fell swoop. Just make sure that you won’t get unduly carried away and expend your complete retirement pension on a vagary… After all you’ll likely be caught regretful till the end of your days…
Three Keys To Teaching Your Child The Alphabet
Learning the alphabet is a key part of your child’s education especially when it comes to learning to read and write. It is important that children learn not only to recite the letters in order, but also to recognize letters out of sequence. In addition, after mastering basic recognition, children will need to learn the sounds each letter represents and how to write it.
While many parents recognize how important learning the alphabet is to their child they are not always sure how to go about teaching the alphabet to their child. Many parents spend a lot of money on expensive products and programs designed to teach the alphabet but that really isn’t necessary and in fact may well be counterproductive.
As a literate adult you don’t need any tools, programs or books to help you in your quest to teach the ABCs to your child. You already possess all you need in your head (your own knowledge of the alphabet) and in your house. There are three simple keys to teaching your child the alphabet:
* Make it fun
* Make it real
* Make it regular
The most important rule to remember when teaching young children is to make sure that learning is fun. If you can make lessons into a game, a craft, or a song then your child will be a willing and eager participant. If you make learning into something boring or something that looks like work then you will have to fight your child every step of the way. Your child wants to spend time having fun with you so why not make lessons into fun time that you spend together so you both look forward to the experience? Just because a lesson was fun enough to make your child want to do it again-and-again does not lessen its value. Learning can be fun and something that was learned in an enjoyable way is much more likely to stick with your child in the long term than a lesson that was forced. If you can make learning the alphabet fun for your child then you will have accomplished two very important steps toward your child’s long-term success — knowledge of the alphabet and an eagerness to learn.
Young children need to experience their world through their senses. They do learn in the more traditional ways — seeing and hearing — but often prefer a more tactile approach that includes touching, smelling, and tasting. The more you can make the letters of the alphabet come alive for your child and give your child access to those letters in a way that utilizes their senses then the easier it will be to learn. Also, utilizing the real world for your lessons will not only save you money but will also help you teach your child the value of literacy.
Preschoolers learn at an incredibly fast rate but because they are learning and experiencing so many new things they can forget what they have learned just as quickly. That is why it is important to make lessons a regular part of your child’s day. It doesn’t mean that you have to set aside a separate part of the day because often alphabet lessons can take place at the grocery store, in the car, or at the kitchen table. What is important is that you consistently introduce the letters to your child in various forms and consistently reinforce the acquisition of the alphabetic principle. Even after your child has mastered the alphabet make sure you periodically review the letters so they don’t lose the knowledge.
If you make learning the alphabet fun, real, and consistent then your preschooler will definitely have a head start when the time comes to learn to read.
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Deanna Mascle shares more tips about teaching your child the alphabet in her blog Teach Your Child The Alphabet at http://TeachYourChildTheAlphabet.com |
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Federal Trade Commission Vows to Fight Spyware and SPAM Fraud
The Federal Trade Commission has been telling the world how they will stop SPAM and what happened? Well since they started it went up some 3000 percent or more. Did they stop it? No. Did they slow it down; who knows, I sure have not noticed, my guess is no way. But they claim they have?
How can we trust our government to be honest with us, when they lie about such ridiculous stuff out there? I mean come on this is comical, they say they need more budget money for all these nifty programs like SPAM, Phishing and Spyware and yes they have filed a few cases and touted their legal prowess, but they are losing the war on the Internet and so worried about Public Relations sending out press releases to some 8800 news outlets someone must be wondering if they are really just all show and no go.
I have wondered if they are actually misrepresenting themselves and using these PR campaigns as shills. It is amazing to me that an agency which clearly is a complete and total farce in my opinion can get away with this crap year after year and yet not come clean to the American People?
If we cannot trust them on spyware, phishing and SPAM how can we trust them to check on the price gouging issues legitimately with gasoline pump prices? Hmm? I would like some answers not further PR from the FTC. Consider all this in 2006.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Affordable Degrees - How To Study Without Going Broke
I’m telling you affordable degrees are the wave of the future. Do you remember how when all your drone friends were slaving away at their universities with less money than the guy that sleeps in your hedges? Meanwhile, you laughed all the way to the bank every week with the sweet check you collected from the carwash? Well, its been awhile, since you’ve felt that sort of ability to condescend, but not for long. Lie to your friends and tell them that you’re going to your grandmas for week…and then return with a PhD!
That’s right, someone finally got higher education right. Instead of learning things…and paying someone to do it, you can just tell them what you’ve learned and then collect the appropriate degree. It’s genius and affordable. This exciting program also will only sideline you for five days. I know it’s a week and that’s pretty irritating, but depending on your current level of knowledge you can walk away from that week with an associate, bachelor, masters or even a PhD.
The only problematic aspect that I can see in the beautiful concept is that you need to know things in order to actually get your affordable degree in five days. I mean, I know a couple things. But Master’s Degree sufficient worth of things, that I can’t be completely sure of? I don’t want to just settle for a lousy Bachelor’s Degree. I need to go big. On second thought, these programs seem to be run by fairly reasonable people. I bet that if I promised them that I would learn enough things later they would accept that and give me the degree.
Well, I don’t know why I’m still here writing. I just wasted a fifth of the time its going to take me to graduate. So, if you want an affordable degree that could have you working in the United Nations in a week, get out there and start explaining to someone what you know.
Nelson Widrow is an author who’s written multiple articles about online degrees. Read more of his articles including: online accredited degrees and affordable degrees.
Garden Direct for your gardening needs
Because Garden Direct was opened for business within nineteen ninety six it has with momentum become one of the current finest mail order retailers of garden sheds. Within the company’s 12 years which Garden Direct have been trading Garden Direct presently have 2 million customers that have been pulled with great convenience, the greatest cost, top value for money and it’s always high quality all things for your garden. www.gardendirect.co.uk’s supply are so varied; www.gardendirect.co.uk are year after year valued for their uncommon plant breeds that are also continually added to the recent range, and this of course includes garden shears and extras to help buyers that can acquire the very finest for their precious garden. They sell well over one hundred and thirty million top choice plants each and every year, the enormous majority developed in www.gardendirect.co.uk’s own farm, this allows you yourself to be positive about one’s buy & be sure that what you have ordered is of the greatest standard. Garden sheds are no easy things to get home, so take the stress out of your purchase with the Garden Direct online store, products delivered to your door.
The online shop additionally supply the choice of a catalogue for you to look through or perhaps get from in a bit of your own time. www.GardenDirect.co.uk sell a top group from across old favourites to tons of crazy types people may not see found in the majority of garden outlets; the catalogue will probably additionally integrate a list of seasonal special offers also. Garden Direct stock particular options of flower plants which people might well find from their online store. Folk may either go for a plug, ready or super seeding. Each of which are completely diverse, plug flowers, supplied 4-6cm high in a plug of compost all these can be found the best top value for money, you then have the larger ready flower plants that are supplied at 6-8cm high and being more aged might often be planted direct into the garden, lastly you have super shrub plants these are perfect for those that have less time to spare, sold at 9-11cm high they don’t forget can often be directly planted into your precious garden.
Along with plants the business sell the normal garden products that people might often acquire; these consist of garden tools, garden sheds & gardening shears along with many others.
If you think divorce is the only option…read on!
Going through the Pain Barrier
Nobody likes pain but its there for a purpose. I am a long time supporter of The Leprosy Mission and one of the things that I’ve discovered about leprosy is that its not normally the disease that results in a persons fingers or toes falling off, it’s the fact that the disease of leprosy stops a person being able to feel pain and so they will unconsciously burn themselves badly and not feel it. The nerve endings have been damaged and so they cannot feel pain at all and the results, more often than not, are the hideous deformities that we now associate with a leper. A leper would love to feel pain because they know that pain is given to us to warn our bodies that something is wrong that needs put right, if possible. Pain is not always a bad thing.
I run marathons. Do you think I feel pain when I run a marathon? You bet I do! A marathon is one of the supreme tests of endurance that average people can undertake. During the run your body uses up all its stores of carbohydrates and other necessary body fuels and then begins to feed off itself - it turns cannibal, if you like. This is painful. As well as that, it is not uncommon to pull a muscle, develop a blister, get a stitch, hurt your joints or any other number of painful ailments. Your body is telling you to stop, this is damaging to it! In this context, pain is your body’s natural way to tell you that you are overdoing it - and of course you are. However, all of us can ‘overdo it’ for a lot longer than we think is possible initially. We can learn to acknowledge the pain and, whilst taking steps to minimise it, we can still run on and on. Mind over matter if you like.
One of the great acts of heroism I ever witnessed was during an Olympic marathon when the Tanzanian representative fell during the race badly injuring himself. He got up and struggled on in obvious pain whilst all the other runners disappeared up the road in front of him. It was demoralising for him but he refused to give up. He struggled on and entered the stadium with only a few people still left in the stands to cheer him home. He finished the race with blood pouring from his leg wound just as they were taking down the finishing line and a television reporter asked why he hadn’t just given up after falling so badly. His response was brilliant. He replied, “My country did not send me here to start a race. They sent me to finish a race!” Too many of us start the race but are not so committed to finishing.
I am firmly convinced that if a couple acknowledge to each other that there will be times of pain then they will be better able to cope with it for a period when it happens. In the western world, we have been brought up with this strange belief that we should never suffer and so, when we inevitably do hit times of suffering, we have not prepared ourselves to handle it properly. I have a friend who lectures on philosophy in universities in many third world countries. He says that one question he is never asked in third world countries is, “Why does God allow suffering?” The reason for this is that suffering is just such a normal part of their lives that they cannot imagine that anyone doesn’t suffer. In fact it’s the suffering that makes them into the people they are. Can you accept that suffering makes you a better person?
Here are five things we can do when we feel pain in our relationship:-
1. We need to acknowledge that there is pain and try to isolate what is causing it.
As we have said already in regard to the lepers, pain has a purpose. It tells us that something is not right. When we feel pain in our relationship we need to stop and analyse why we are feeling that particular pain. When I was an accountant and had a bit more money at my disposal, one of the things I would do when I felt some pain in my marriage was to throw a bit of money at it. We’d take a holiday, go for a nice meal, buy some new clothes, get our hair done up (well at least my wife would do this). Now, if you’ve got the resources, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with any of these things but we need to be aware that by distracting our minds for a little while from the cause of the pain it doesn’t make the pain go away long term. It only puts a plaster over a wound that needs treatment. However, all we were doing by throwing money at our problems was delaying the inevitable and sooner or later we would have a big argument.
It’s a bit like developing a toothache. Sure, you can dull the pain by putting some painkilling drug on your gum but if the cause of the pain is not dealt with, we know that it will flare up again, and next time even more painfully. Indeed if we kept on ignoring the pain then it might result in a tooth being removed. What started out as a simple toothache resulted in surgery. Not good.
In marriage there are a number of ways of figuring out what is causing the pain. Most of them common sense. You could try just talking to each other. Now there’s a novel suggestion! You could try doing the simple exercises in chapter 2 of this book and then discussing the results. You could talk to a professional counsellor who is trained to get to the bottom of painful issues. Whatever you decide to do it is crucial that you do something and do not ignore your pain. Once again the keyword is action.
2. The second thing we can try when pain rears its probing head is something that might seem very obvious but it is worth stating again just in case you miss it. Make sure that the pain you feel is associated with your marriage and not something else, like your job or even your children. So often we can be under pressure at our work and then come home and take it out on our partner. This is called displacing the pain. One of the things that I had to learn to do was to actually say to my wife, when I came home after a particularly hard day at work, that I was feeling stressed and tired. At first it felt like a confession of weakness and it wasn’t easy for me to admit that sometimes I wasn’t coping as well as I’d like to pretend. When I admitted as much to my wife, almost every time she was able to understand and take a bit more of the household pressure for a short time.
On other occasions the pressure was in the other direction and after a hard day of dealing with young children my wife would sometimes take out her frustrations on me. If I failed to recognise that this was happening the result could easily be a full-blown argument over pain that had been displaced. It is very important to be able to admit to feeling under pressure and to ask for some help from your spouse. If you don’t, the pain you feel elsewhere will automatically come out in your marriage.
3. The third thing to fix in your mind and believe is that pain is not a signal that your marriage is over.
When I’m running a marathon I need to keep reminding myself that pain is a totally natural for this event and expected part of the race. I do not give up at the first twinge or even at quite severe pain. I battle through it. Of course, I have to put up with some pain if I want to finish the race. One thing that drives me nuts these days is when I read a report in a newspaper of the latest celebratory couple who have split up citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the cause. What they are really saying is that they encountered a wee bit pain and so just gave up! Usually they live such a pampered lifestyle that any sort of pain is just not acceptable and so they walk away (to repeat the exercise with someone else). Do not succumb to this modern malaise. If you never learn how to put up with a bit of pain, every relationship you enter into will head down the same path. If you don’t believe me, just check out the marriages in Hollywood. Don’t become a quitter. Pain is not the end - it’s a sign that something needs to be done. In fact, it can be a beginning if you let it.
4. Stop focusing on the pain.
Whatever you focus on will begin to define who you are. If all you can see are the bad things in your marriage it won’t be long until your marriage accurately reflects your focus. In a marathon, if I keep thinking about how painful it is, there is a big temptation to give up. So what I do is to try and focus on more pleasant things such as the scenery, the joy of running, the anticipation of finishing, other runners (especially those who dress up in stupid outfits), anything to divert my attention from the pain for a little while. It’s amazing how often the pain is actually more mental than physical. I believe that the same thing can be achieved in marriage. Instead of focusing on the toothpaste lid or the toilet seat (to quote just two clichés) why not focus on your partner’s great sense of humour or their willingness to always switch off the lights or any of a hundred other endearing qualities? It’s amazing how trivial the irritations become when you remove them from the centre of your focus.
Try this simple exercise. Take a very small coin and hold it arms length between your finger and thumb. Does it block out much of the view behind it? No, obviously it doesn’t. Now bring the coin up closer and closer to your eye and close the other eye. What happens? It blocks your view almost completely, doesn’t it? It’s only a small coin but it can completely obliterate your view if you let it. Often the same thing happens in marriage. You can forget all the tremendous blessings you have together and focus on the one tiny fault until it takes over and dominates your thinking. Don’t allow it to do so. Now, what you’ve just read might sound like a contradiction to point 1 but its not. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting here that you bury your head in the sand regarding pain in your marriage but what I am saying is to make sure that the thing you think is causing you pain is actually as bad as you are making out. Have you just become so used to whining about something that it has come to dominate your thinking unnecessarily? Don’t let a small pain obliterate your view of a great marriage.
5. Share the Pain
Can I just remind you of something? You are married. It’s okay to share the hard things with your spouse. Remember the vows that you took? “For better and for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.” Perhaps you’ve always felt that you had to be strong and support your spouse and so when you feel pain what do you do? Pretend it’s not sore? Tell him/her that you can cope? Why don’t you just admit that you’re finding something tough and ask for their support? It might be the very thing that draws you together. Share , share, share.
As I draw to the end of this chapter I want to leave you with an amusing story.
A little old couple walked slowly into a McDonalds one cold winter evening. They looked out of place amid the young families and young couples eating there that night. Some of the customers looked admiringly at them. You could tell what the admirers were thinking. “Look, there’s couple who have been through a lot together, probably for 60 years or more!”
The little old man walked up to the cash register, placed his order with no hesitation and then paid for their meal. The couple took a table near the back wall and started taking food off of the tray. There was one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink. The little old man unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half. He placed one half in front of his wife. Then he carefully counted out the French fries, divided them in two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink, and then his wife took a sip as the man began to eat his few bites.
Again, you could tell what people around the old couple were thinking. “That poor old couple.” As the old man began eating his French fries, a young man stood up and walked to the old couples’ table. He politely offered to buy another meal. The old man replied that they were just fine. They were used to sharing everything and, anyway, their appetites were not what they used to be.
Then the crowd noticed that the little old lady still hadn’t eaten a thing. She just sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally sipped some of the drink. Again, the young man came over and begged them to let him buy them another meal. This time, the lady explained that no, they were used to sharing. As the little old man finished eating and was wiping his face neatly with a napkin, the young man could stand it no longer and asked one last time if he could buy them one more meal.
After being politely refused again, he finally asked the little old lady, “Ma’am, why aren’t you eating. You said that you share everything. What is it that you are waiting for?” She answered, ………… “The teeth!”
Aaaagghhh! Yes I know it’s disgusting, but its probably not a true story and anyway it does illustrate the principle of sharing in a way that you will not forget. Will you?
Back to pain. As I said in the opening sentence, nobody enjoys pain. However, if you can just acknowledge what it is trying to tell you, but not allow it to knock you off track, then your marriage will survive and grow.
If you would like to read more of my ebook then please go immediately to my website www.themarriagesite.com
William Milton is a married man (26 years) who lives near London, England with his wife and two children and his Jack Russell Terrier called Swizzle. He enjoys reading, running and golf.
La Flche Wallonne 2006 Results
The Spaniard rider for the Caisse d’Epargne team: Alejandro Valverde has won La Flche Wallonne. At the end of the race at Le Mur de Huy, Valverde left behind his compatriot from the Euskaltel-Euskadi team Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez who finished second. Karsten Kroon and his teammate Frank Schleck from the Team CSC finished third and fourth. T- Mobile’s rider Patrik Sinkewitz ended the run in the fifth place.
Two riders left the group early in the cycling race: Frédéric Finot from Franaise des Jeux and Ag2R’s José Luis Arrieta but around 80 Km to go the pack reached them. Conditions for the race were fine but the hard wind didn’t let some of the riders get ahead from the group.
The next important gap took place when Phonak’s Alexandre Moss and Rabobank’s Oscar Freire gained some distance from the other riders when they were at 63 Km from the end but they got caught by a group of almost 30 competitors on the penultimate climb of the day: Cte de Ahin with 12 km to go.
The circuit consisted of 202 Km from Charleroi to Huy and at the end, riders climb the Mur de Huy. The Flche Wallonne is traditionally one of the most open of the spring classics, where as 2005 champion Danilo Di Luca says: “you need the power to explode in that grueling final ascent to the finish.”
The group of riders climbs the Huy three times during the race, including the summit finish. While stragglers have time to rejoin the leaders after the first two ascents, it is power what it takes at the end and that’s what Valverde proved when winning the race.
About the Author:
Julie Smith is one of the most recognized copy writers on Sports Betting and currently writes for Instant Action Sports. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.
Audi A8 2004: The Weekly Driver Review
Value is an integral purchasing factor for many car buyers, and it’s often
a simple equation. If a consumer has $2,000, $20,000 or $200,000 to
spend on a vehicle, what can they fairly expect get for their dollars?
But as the price increases into the luxury vehicle category, is there a
point of diminishing returns?
If a consumer has $75,000 to spend on a vehicle, the Audi A8 L Quattro,
for example, do they care if it requires premium fuel? Do they care if in
severa.l consumer guide tests, it fell far short of the manufacturer’s
touted 17 mph in city conditions.
Or does the purchaser of the Audi A8 L Quattro prefer to revel in its
extreme quietness, its front and rear seat spaciousness and comfort and
its superior ride quality as the flagship sedan in Audi’s fleet?
If the latter is a priority, then my weekly test drive was as good as it gets.
A redesign for 2004, the Audi A8 includes a 2.5-inch longer wheelbase,
an inch more leg room and and increase of 20 horsepower to 330
horsepower. The engine remains the same, a 4.2 liters with five valves
per cylinder. A 6-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift gate
replaces a 5-speed automatic. Other changes include optional 18 or 19
inch wheels instead of standard 17-inch wheels from the previous
generation, and optional heated front and rear seats and steering
wheel.
Having not driven an Audi Quattro in its previous edition, I obviously
couldn’t make any comparisons. Nonetheless, it was hard not to be
impressed with the vehicle from its platinum beige pearl exterior and
perfectly matched leather beige interior to its elegantly designed and
positioned birch wood trimmings.
In short, the Audi A8 exudes elegance and drives accordingly. Steering
and handling and ride quality were all extraordinary in city and freeway
conditions. It accelerates well and seemingly commands respect on the
road.
The vehicle also has the OnStar emergency contact system and
HomeLink system to remotely engage houselights upon near arrival.
Plus, the Quattro also features the Parktronic system. It provides a
beeping noise when one backs out or enters parking spaces. The
feature seemingly was engaged whether anything was in front or behind
the car.
But with a base price of $68,500, a vehicle should have a lot more to
offer, and the Audi does. The standard feature list is long, not the least of
which ia permanent all-wheel drive, 16-way front seats and eight
airbags, powerglass sunroof (tilt and glass) and a 12-speaker sound
system.
But my vehicle also included various options that added nearly another
$6,000 to the price. Those features included the aforementioned 19-inch
wheels ($1,900), a Launch Convenience Package (electronic rear
sunshade, rear vanity mirrors and tire pressure monitoring system,
$1,200) and Cold Weather Package (heated front and rear seats, ski
rack and heated steering wheel, $1,100). Two other options and a
destination charge brought the car’s price to slightly more than $75,000.
A buyer interested in purchasing two vehicles, could do well while
spending $75,000 or even considerably less. But as the adage goes, if
money is not an object, the Audi A8 L Quattro is a fine luxury car with
little, if anything, not first-rate.
Safety features — Driver and front-seat passenger front-seat
airbags; Two rear-seat mounted side airbags, two front knee airbags,
headlight washer system, front and rear fog lights.
Fuel Mileage (estimates) — 17 (city), 24 mpg (highway).
Warranty — Bumper to bumper, 4 years/50,000 miles;
Corrosion, 12 years/unlimited miles; Roadside assistance, 4 years/
50,000 miles.
Base price — $68,500.
James Raia is a syndicated journalist in Sacramento, Calif., who writes
about sports, fitness and business topics as well as the free electronic
newsletters Endurance Sports News and Tour de France Times and The
Weekly Driver, a car review column.
Samples of Raia’s writing can be viewed on his web site: ByJamesRaia.com.
His car reviews and newsletters can be viewed at The
Weekly Driver and
Endurance Sports News and Tour
de France Times
Is Most Marketing by Small Businesses KILLING THEM?
I just collected my mail. As usual, more than 80% of it was junk. Marketing junk.
What did I do with it? Threw it in the garbage without reading it. Same as you do. Only it made me think about this article, which I guess might be of some use, unintended by the morons who send me all that useless direct mail.
When I open a local newspaper, the first thing I do is chuck away all the god-awful leaflets and flyers hidden inside it. Same with anything people put in my mailbox or tuck behind the latch on my door. Out with the BS!
Now, I’m ready to accept that someone, somewhere must read that kind of unwanted garbage. Maybe even thinks it’s useful. Hell, it’s a free country. If no one read it, surely (please God) people would stop sending it. Wouldn’t they?
Why this matters
Most of the stuff is sent by huge corporations. They get a response rate of probably less than a fraction of a percent — say 1 person in every 300-400 — but that’s okay. They send out so many millions of mailing pieces it adds up to a measurable number of possible customers.
Besides, they treat it as just another cost of doing business. They can afford it out of their vast profits.
But you, the small business owner, can’t afford that kind of cost:return ratio. Nor can you send out millions of unwanted marketing messages (Thank God!)
Sending out 5000 would be a very big deal (printing costs, distribution costs…). 10,000 would probably be too expensive on any grounds. So a response of maybe under 10 people — not SALES, just a response of any kind — isn’t going to make you feel good.
Playing the Numbers
Marketing is a big numbers game, and getting ever more so. Look how many people signed up for the “Do Not Call List” to get rid of those loathsome telemarketers who always call at a meal time.
As soon as consumers have choice, their first action is to dump any kind of marketing. Technology is giving them more and more of that choice.
They can block pop-ups on the Internet. Kill spam (to some extent, but there will be better ways soon), use their TiVo to remove TV adverts. You have to persuade people to let you give them marketing messages (that’s “permission marketing”). Mostly, they won’t, unless you offer them something they really want in return.
Here’s the good news
What people want is simple: useful, FREE information, with no catch.
Offer them that and they’ll “pay” for it by letting to add just a smidgeon of marketing.
Give them what they find useful; as much of it as you can. Don’t cheat either by doling out a bit, then trying to make them pay for the rest. That’s like your lover giving you a kiss, then asking for fifty bucks for any more (and you know what business that is, right?).
Marketing used to be trapping people into reading what suits you, the seller. No more.
Unless you have megabucks available to smother the market in the hope of finding a few saps still willing to go along with that game, marketing today is persuading people that you’re worth listening to when THEY want to and on THEIR terms.
And that means giving them plenty in return.
Now the best news
You don’t need megabucks to do this. All you need is willingness, a real concern to be useful to your customers and a web site.
Share your passions. Invite your customers to talk with you and with each other. Keep handing out truly useful information.
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J.G. Wentworth Forecast:Consumers Expected to Increase Sales of Annuities They Hold in 2006, Continu
Bryn Mawr, PA, December 5, 2005 - American consumers are expected to more than double the sales of existing tax-deferred annuities they hold in 2006, as the economy moves into what appears to be a transition phase in which liquidity will be valued over illiquid holdings, according to J.G. Wentworth. As a result, the company said, sales by consumers of existing annuities are likely to hit a three-year high next year even as the annuities market itself continues to grow. “Based on the public data we’ve seen as well as proprietary information from agents and brokers active in this market, 2006 is likely to be a watershed year for sales by consumers of annuities they purchased, often in very different economic environments,” said Michael B. Vaughan, managing director of the J.G. Wentworth Annuity Purchase Program. “There are, according to industry estimates, more than $1.6 trillion of assets backing annuities in the U.S. alone. We estimate that 5-10%, or $80-160 billion, of those annuities are in the hands of consumers who would sell, in any given year, if they could.” Vaughan pointed to the following five factors as supporting J.G. Wentworth’s assumptions:
– Liquidity matters in a changing economy. Consumer confidence, and optimism about more liquid investments like stocks and real estate, remains high.
– Investment needs change. Changes in investment strategy or goals, or even just life changes like illness or divorce, often force hard reviews of existing assets and investment decisions. Unexpected medical problems can also be a factor.
– Buyer’s remorse is real. In fact, according to a 2003 survey of immediate annuity owners by the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), more than a quarter of respondents (27%) were “concerned they may be unable to sell their annuity if they want the money for something else” and 4% believe the decision to purchase an annuity was a poor one.
– Annuity ownership can complicate estate planning and wealth transfer. The inheritance of an annuity, where there is significant divergence between the financial objectives of the original annuitant and the heir, can create issues.
– Even the “experts” don’t advise annuity ownership for all. The Motley Fool, a leading personal finance media company, said, “Annuities by and large: are too expensive, offer mediocre insurance coverage, restrict the owner’s investment choices to so-so, ho-hum, quasi-mutual fund subaccounts…and lack liquidity.” Vaughan added, “Tax-deferred annuities have been a valuable personal finance tool for many consumers and offer the benefits of stable, secure and guaranteed income.
Unfortunately, annuities can also become a very inflexible solution for many consumers when they face the need to review estate planning or investment goals, or simply realize that their life circumstances have changed.”
About J.G. Wentworth J.G. Wentworth, the sponsor of the Annuity Purchase Program, is the nation’s oldest, largest and most respected buyer of annuities. For more than 14 years, J. G. Wentworth has been purchasing annuities as well as other deferred payment streams. During this time, the company has purchased over $2 billion of future payment obligations. The company’s annuity-backed notes are rated AAA by Standard & Poor’s and AAA by Moody’s and sold to institutional investors. J.G. Wentworth is based in Bryn Mawr, PA. For more information about J.G. Wentworth and the Annuity Purchase Program, go to www.jgwfunding.com/annuities.asp. # # #