Real Estate Tips

Unleash the Power of Post Cards by Judith A. Wentzel

Direct mail marketing is essential for a business to survive.

Choosing the correct materials can make the difference between success and failure of your marketing campaign.

Postcards are visually appealing and one of the most affordable means to market your products and services.

What makes an image smarter marketing post card different from all the other direct mail pieces and postcards that flood our mailboxes each week?

They are high quality, powerful marketing tools that peak curiosity and evoke a response from the prospect.

What Is Image Marketing?

Image marketing isn’t new. It’s been around for decades.

Many of the top corporations around the world use image marketing every day.

RE/MAX uses “Nobody Sells Real Estate Like RE/MAX”.

The RE/MAX balloon magically enables the realtor to personally deliver the good news regardless of where the client may be.

This is a wonderful example of image marketing. These ads make evoke a feeling of trust. The message; RE/MAX goes all out to deliver top quality service to it’s clients.

Nike’s “Just Do It” brought them millions in revenue.

Remember Allstate’s slogan “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate”…

These are not mere words. They are powerful, image marketing tools that evoke an emotion. Using postcards to deliver your message is one of the most affordable ways in which you can use image marketing.

Realtors have been marketing with postcards for years. They use them because they get results.

What are Image Smarter Post Cards?

Image smarter postcards are high gloss, laminated, full color
postcards, printed on high quality card stock which relay a message that stirs and emotion or causes a response in the recipient.

They deliver your message in a crisp, vibrant manner making it more appealing to the prospect.

An image smarter post card will:

>Grab the recipient’s attention.
>Present a powerful message.
>Evoke a response
>Create recognition.
>Establish a relationship.
>Increase sales.
>Increase referrals.

The biggest asset of an image smarter postcard - your message is instantaneous!

No need for the recipient to have to open an envelope.

Your message is right there in front of her nose.

Both sides of the postcard contain a call to action and both sides are readily available.

Image Is Important.

First impressions mean everything in the business world. Add to this the importance of standing out from your competition and you see the need to use image marketing.

Incorporating image smarter marketing materials into your marketing campaign is more affordable than you may think and will reap you many rewards.

These powerful marketing materials relay will reflect a more dynamic, successful company image in the eyes of your prospects.

Don’t settle for what I call “Cookie Cutter” marketing.

Many business owners fall prey to this form of advertising.

Simply put, they use the same types of ads and materials they see their competition using. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Wake up and smell the coffee!

You need to stand out from your competition and be recognized for the products and services you offer.

You need to use marketing materials that are appealing and evoke an emotion in your prospects. You want your postcards to peak their curiosity.

Simply put, you need to send image smarter marketing materials that are designed to GRAB your prospects attention.

Affordable and practical, these easily customized marketing wonders are one of the most reliable means by which you can skyrocket your business through increased sales and referrals.

The proof is in the pudding. Try it yourself by including image smarter post cards in your marketing campaign today and start working smarter, not harder.

Once you do, you will never use any other type of marketing again.

Image marketing – it works!

About the Author

Judith A. Wentzel - Image smarter marketing specialist providing image smarter web site design, marketing & business services. Assisting realtors & small business owners with their business and marketing needs since 1993.
ImageSmarterMarketing.com
Site-Build-Them-Ecommerce-Smart.com
ImageSmarterWebSiteDesign.com

The Listing Agent’s Role in Marketing Your Home
Advertising to the “Public”
Every home seller likes to be assured that their listing agent and or their real estate company will run ads featuring their home. Newspaper ads range from color photo ads to lots of listings reflected on a page with primarily only copy. Classified ads featuring your home are another tool. Ads may also appear in local real estate magazines and on the Internet (ideally on several sites).
Of course, Realtors and their brokerages will run ads featuring your house, but not necessarily for the reasons the seller expects. The primary motivation for advertising is to make the telephone ring. Advertising creates phone calls and some of those callers become clients of the agents answering these calls. This builds up a pool of homebuyers looking for property in general. Multiply this by all the agents and companies who also advertise homes, and there is a large pool of homebuyers in the market at any given time – all of whom have contacted a Realtor. The agents representing those homebuyers know about your home once it is listed in the Multiple Listing Service, has been on broker preview, and because your agent is also marketing directly to these agents.
Through, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), the agents match up their clients (computer prospecting), with available homes, one of which may be yours. Realtors then show the selected homes to their clients, who ideally end up buying one. Although, ads do not typically sell your house directly, they create a pool of clients for Realtors; and one of these existing clients typically purchases your home.
Behind the “Advertising Scene”
When an Agent or their brokerage, advertise homes they have for sale, there is more than one objective. Certainly, the real estate office wants to generate phone calls and sell houses, but the advertising also shows other homeowners how effectively they market their listings. This impresses not only the seller, but also others who may be thinking of selling their home.
The advertising brings in more listings, which generate more ad calls, which produces more buyers…. Cross selling is often how your property is sold; someone calls on one home and the agent on the line tells that buyer about yours. About 5% of the time, you and your agent will get “lucky”; and someone calling on your house may actually end up buying it.
Neighborhood Announcements
When you first list your home many agents send “announcements” to all of the other houses in your neighborhood. This is typically done in the form of postcards, or letters. This too is has a double purpose: your neighbors might have friends who are looking to buy a house (but they probably would notice the for sale sign, anyway) and of course this hopefully impresses other area homeowners that might be contemplating a sale.
Open Houses
An open house can be also be helpful, but not for the reasons most homeowners think. Just like with advertising, most visitors rarely buy the house they come to look at. They usually do not even know the price of your home when they stop by– they probably just followed an “Open House” sign to your door. Often, the exterior of the home appealed to them, because the home is over their budget.
An open house reminds your neighbors that your home is for sale, and offers them an opportunity to “take a look.” Hopefully your neighbors will tell friends or family members about your house, creating “word of mouth” advertising.
However, there are other reasons for conducting open houses, too. Listing agents who “farm” a particular neighborhood use them as an opportunity to meet with other local homeowners who will someday be selling their home. Most of us, Agents hope to also list your neighbor’s homes in now or in the future.
Advertising to Realtors
Realtors are typically more comfortable showing clients homes that they are familiar with. The Broker’s Open House is a very effective means to quickly get a large number of Realtors into your front door. These realtors are hopefully working with prequalified buyers that are looking to buy a home similar to yours. To maximize attendance, veteran Listing Agents might provide refreshments or a raffle of some sort.
Property Brochure Distribution is another way that your Listing Agent may be marketing your home to other Realtors. These services hand deliver your property brochure to each individual agent in a specific geographic area. Other top Realtors employ an Internet program to email listing cards to the top local selling agents in your community.
Because Realtors are the ones with the “buyer pool”, It is much more productive and beneficial when your listing agent directs most of his or her marketing efforts toward other agents. It is an easy mistake to measure your agent’s effectiveness solely by counting the number of newspaper and magazine ads featuring your property. “Behind the scenes” marketing is the most effective and most difficult for the seller to measure.

About the Author

Phyllis Harb, a California native is a Realtor/Marketing Specialist at RE/Max Tri City in La Canada, California. RE/MAX Tri-City offers additional offices in La Crescenta, Glendale, Los Feliz and Pasadena. Harb has been assisting Los Angeles County home sellers and buyers since 1989 and additionally offers over 10 years experience in real estate lending. Harb has an award winning web site @ www.RealtorHarb.com & may also be contacted at 818 790-7325.

Learn Instantly How To Use The Power of Persuasion To Get What You Want
Copyright © 2005 Keith Wellman
eMarketing Code
http://www.emarketingcode.com/thank-you.html

>From the time since man first started interacting with people
the power of persuasion has helped him get what he wanted.
Persuasion is used by every political leader, CEO, president,
and anyone who might possess power and wealth. Did they use
persuasion techniques to gain that power and wealth? You bet
they did!

Bill Gates is considered by many to be on of the richest and
powerful man in the world today. How did he get there? Bill
Gates was able to use his natural ability to persuade to get
people to build some of the most complex software known in the
world today. The result? Huge respect, wealth, and power in
a very short amount of time.

There are many famous marketers today that use persuasion
techniques in their everyday marketing campaigns. People like
Jay Abraham, Terry Dean, Mark Joyner, Ken Evoy, Armond Morin,
Mike Filsaime, and many many others use persuasion techniques
to make themselves thousands of dollars every month. Some of
them may not even realize they are doing it.

Recently a new book has been published that could very well be
your ticket to these very powerful persuasion techniques. The
book written by Keith Wellman titled “The Persuasion Code”
teaches exactly how to use, implement, and learn these secret
techniques. Up until recently these secret techniques were
known only by the rich and famous and the rare few that have
the natural ability to persuade.

Until next time,
eMarketingCode

———————————————————————
A free copy of Keith Wellman’s four week
beginners course to persuasion is available at
http://www.emarketingcode.com/thank-you.html
along with a few other extras that he has made
available to you.

THE FORMULA(S) FOR FINANCIAL SUCCESS
(FROM THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW)

“Money can’t buy you happiness. But it helps you to be
miserable in comfort.”

“Wealth is better than poverty… if only for financial reasons.”
- Woody Allen

“Those who say money can’t buy you happiness,
don’t know where to shop.”
- anon

NTRODUCTION

These thoughts are extracted from Oprah Winfrey’s fine show,
which I watch regularly (enough free advertising for her -
she doesn’t need it!). I’ve written this piece in point form
from notes that I’ve taken - for brevity.

I hope that sharing this information may be helpful to you
along the roadway to financial success…

Craig

I believe that anyone can get out of debt. You should have between 3-6 months salary as a reserve fund on which to live before you start investing. Put into an emergency reserve fund - this should be in savings account, rather than the stock market. Check for the penalties when you need to take it out.
The problem is many people give up if they dont have it.
Have a “Money diet”, like a food diet. It’s the way you CHOOSE to deal with money. See it as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself - it’s just a commodity, a tool to help you meet your personal goals. Most of us are headed for financial trouble; because at least 3/4 of people are not saving nearly enough.

First, FIND OUT HOW MUCH YOU OWE. Do a budget of spending and saving.
Become financially fit - watch how much you are spending. Don’t use life assurance as kids education savings plans - rather use unit trusts (or managed funds).

The biggest mistake most people make is thinking that they do not have enough money left to invest. “You don’t have enough not to.”

PAY YOURSELF FIRST. Send yourself a bill, say 10 of your income each pay day. Make it one that you have to pay first - so you don’t miss it. Write out an invoice to yourself for your own savings account: First should be your own retirement plan. At least 10 - you deserve it. Keep it, but don’t spend it. This amount can be automatically deducted. Doing this is great for kids after getting their first job. They can have their money taken automatically out of a cheque into a savings account.

Wealth, like health and happiness, starts in the mind. The way you start is vital. That’s the way good habits form. It all depends on your underlying beliefs about money.

How to cut your tax bill?:

Unit trusts (or managed funds) are great to grow money quickly and also to build over time. Expect a 10 pa return over a long period.

*
HAVE A LIFE PLAN: A will, adequate insurance, etc. Strive for good financial health. “Don’t forget the trees for the forest.” Your retirement funding should come before your kids education (college). (Don’t know whether I agree with that statement on the Oprah show!). But it is is best to work on both goals at the same time. Make your money work for you. “Money goes where it is treated best.” The stock market is a roller coaster ride - it’s hard to project your financial needs/requirements into the future. “How much are we going to need in the future?”
*

Asset management: Studies show that you need money both in the stock market and Fixed Interest investments. Make it a priority to own your own home - that is a great compulsory savings plan (instead of paying rent).

Consolidate your bills into one loan, if you can get a lower interest loan….but most importantly, don’t spend the savings.

YOU NEED WILLPOWER and DISCIPLINE TO SAVE EFFECTIVELY.
Don’t touch your money, except for dire emergencies.

Pension transfers (or what are termed “roll overs”):

If you leave a company, get the firm to transfer your pension fund directly - this is called a “trustee transfer”. Try to get your employer to match your own contributions.
*

Pick out the area of your life causing the most trouble to you: Most common are:
* entertaining
* eating out
* clothing, and
* kids.
All - then you’ve got some big money problems!

Try to cut back where you can. Look for similar plans to save money: eg medical and insurance. It may be you don’t need that big car, Reebok sneakers for the kids, designer clothes, etc.

Pay yourself on time. Remember we treat our creditors better than we usually treat ourselves. Follow these money management hints and you are sure to be well on the way to financial security and even prosperity.

Good luck*

Craig Lock

* “luck”, as they say, is where preparedness (is there such a word?) meets opportunity.

About the author:
Craig left his “straight/proper/normal” job as an insurance manager to try and write “inspirational” books (crazy fool!). ‘How to Make a Million’: The steps (practical) to achieving your wildest dreams in life: whether it’s making a million dollars, living your “perfect lifestyle”, or making your mark on the world…or perhaps all of them. Craig’s money management books on how to achieve financial success are available at: http://www.bridgeniche.com or contact Craig at clock@paradise.net.nz.

THIS ARTICLE MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHED

So, you want to get a loan?

Here are some simple tips that will help you make an
informed decision about what kind to get, and who to get it
from.

First ask yourself: do you really need it?

Can you manage without it?
Is it for something frivolous, like a holiday?
Could you get the money by other means: part-time job, from
a relative, the sale an asset?

Don’t put a monkey on your back if you can avoid it.

A loan varies according to:

The amount borrowed;
The interest rate;
The type of rate (fixed or variable);
The term (repayment time in months or years);
Deposit (downpayment);
Associated fees (broker, origination, prepayment etc.);
Insurance required by the lender.

You are buying money for more than it cost the lender.
Simple.

It’s a mistake to only care about the interest rate; there
are also arrangement fees and prepayment penalties to
consider. Many ‘no fee’ credit lines have a pre-payment
penalty. This is how brokers and lenders make their money.
Work out the total cost of your loan before committing.

To ensure you get the best terms, keep your credit-line as
small as possible. Loan officers tend to count the total
line of credit available as a liability.

Pay off small debts before the due date. Cancel credit cards
you are not using. Consider their interest rates and fees,
when deciding which cards to keep.

If your spending is out of control, don’t put your home at
risk by getting a home equity credit line to pay off your
credit-card debts.

Shop for rates when the market is calm. Rates change from
day to day, so compare lenders. The quotes you get should
all be from the same time period.

Submit a neat application form; it shows you’re
business-like and efficient. It will be read and assessed by
a human being; appearances count.

Only pay up-front fees to well-known institutions, or ones
highly recommended by trusted sources.

Don’t sign documents without reading them. As soon as
possible, before you close the deal, review the documents
you’ll be signing, and make sure you understand them, so you
won’t have to sign them in a hurry.

Keep a copy of every cheque you write for your loan. If you
call your lender about your loan, make sure you get the full
name of the person with whom you speak. Make a note of it.
You may be dealing with a large bureaucracy, and will need
to refer to this conversation later.

If you find yourself in a dispute with a lender, don’t send
correspondence to the same address you send your payment.
You need to deal with the decision-makers, not the account
clerks.

About the author: T. O’ Donnell
(http://www.tigertom.com/personal-loans-uk.shtml) offers
personal loans, advice, an ebook and a loan calculator, in
London, UK.

Mentors are Human Beings too…

In the past months the reality captured in the title of this article hit me
with the magnitude of lightning in a heavy storm. The person in whose
footsteps I had followed for the past seven years had been changing like a
leaf on a tree: something must have happened in his life, which caused him
to wander from what everybody had considered to be his purpose. His career,
which he had valued and esteemed so highly in the past years, suddenly didn’
t seem to matter anymore; his connections, to whom he had been true and
meticulously correct for the longest time, swiftly became neglected topics
in his email inbox, on his voicemail, and on his calendar; and the
strictness with which he would always attend important meetings and network
sessions had totally vanished.

What could have caused this perfect role model to change so radically? All I
can do is guess at this point. Numerous scenario’s crossed my minds in the
many hours that I evaluated his changed behavior: was it his recent exposure
to new, fascinating environments that had altered his perceptions on what
would really matter to him from now on? Was it something in his private life
that had changed? An affair, maybe? Or was it a slowly emerged awareness
that his current work environment was an ungrateful one, and that he should
move on to something better and more rewarding? Was he already on to
something more rewarding? Was he still looking? And if he was still looking,
was it wise to neglect everything and everybody that could make or break
him? There were signs and reasons for all of the above options, and yet,
there was nothing substantial to prove anything.

So there they were: Questions, questions, questions. Unanswered queries that
could only drive a person insane if one allowed that. I decided that I
wouldn’t. After all, it was his life, this person who was once my mentor,
and whom I had much to thank to with regards to my emotional and mental
growth in the past years. Yet, along with the decision of not dwelling on
the issue too much, I also concluded some other things. Here are the lessons
that I learned from this epiphany:

· Mentors are human beings too. Like everything else, they serve a
purpose in our life for a certain amount of time, after which it is crucial
to move on. Nothing remains the same. Everything changes: work environments,
family ties, circles of friends, knowledge, and so, too, mentors.

· Mentors come and go. Once the old mentor has moved on, it is time
to find another one. And sometimes we may even reach the stage where we can
be our own mentor. However, the old mentor should not be forgotten, but
appropriately valued as an important contributor to our growth during a
certain phase of our journey.

· The change we detect within a mentor does not mean that this person
is any less than he or she was before. Just different. We forget too often
that mentors, too, go through the motions, and that they too need mentors to
move them from one level to another.

· Mentees can become mentors, not only to upcoming individuals, but
to previous mentors as well, that is, if some of the areas in which they
have developed become important to the previous mentor. The beauty of being
human is that we have continuous and variable learning relationships with
one another. And while the flow may have initially moved from mentor to
mentee, it may very well change at a certain point, whereby the mentee takes
on the mentor role.

· Having a mentor is certainly not a sign of weakness, but rather a
token of awareness that we are all interdependent, and that life is a
process of continuous learning. Mentors should, more than anyone else, be
aware of that.

I thought it would be good to share my experiences and insights with you,
the reader, as it may very well be that you will encounter this problem in
your life as well someday. Seeing someone precious falling from a pedestal
is a heartbreaking experience. Yet, you should be aware that no one placed
this person on that pedestal but you. This person may not even have been
aware of the role he or she was fulfilling in your life, and may not be
aware either that he or she is going astray in your eyes. It is just your
perception. And if your role model goes astray, you are the one to deal with
it in the emotionally least harmful way as you can. For remember (I know I
will from now on): Mentors are human beings too…

About the author:

Joan Marques emigrated from Suriname, South America, to California, U.S., in
1998. She holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, a Master’s in
Business Administration, and is currently a university instructor in
Business and Management in Burbank, California. Look for her books “Empower
the Leader in You” and “The Global Village” in bookstores online or on her
website: http://www.joanmarques.com

Dr. Joan Marques

http://www.joanmarques.com

It is better to live in serene poverty than in hectic affluence. Everything
has a price. The price for nurturing your soul is turning away from
excessive stress, destruction of self-respect, and the constant strive in
lifestyle with the Joneses. But it’s worth it.

How to get a Good (or even a GREAT) Attitude to Life

by Craig Lock

Do you sometimes feel discouraged? We all do from time to time,
especially when “life throws us a curved ball”. We can’t stop negative
thoughts from entering our heads, the “top 2 inches” ;
but we can stop them NESTING there.

Firstly, realistically analyse your strengths and weaknesses. As
a matter of interest, people generally list more weaknesses
than strengths, especially women (lovely people!). Too often
people discount their accomplishments and focus on what they
haven’t been able to do.

Making money in itself is not success, but rather a by-product
of success. Most successful people use the technique of
visualisation to foresee ideal outcomes. If you can foresee
getting your desires in the mind, then you can get there in the
body…. at least I think so!

“As a man thinketh so is he.” (the Bible) Haven’t I got that one
in already?

Success or failure in the journey of life is not a matter of luck.
The key ingredient is a winning attitude, together with
PERSEVERANCE and a dash of common sense.

Your attitude determines your destiny.

Remember to stick at a task when things don’t go right. “When
the going gets tough, the tough get going”, as my dear father
used to tell me often. Did it work though with me? All
successful people have true grit and stickability, as well as
natural ability. The winner is often the person who gets up one
more time than they are knocked down. You will hit attitudes in
others who say ‘you can’t do it’. You have a choice then:
a) To remain convinced that you can do it…
or
b) Stay with their attitude and quit yours.

All the world’s greats would never have been great, if they had
listened to the opinion of even their closest friends. Caruso,
the world’s greatest tenor, was told his voice sounded like a
tin can. Thomas Edison, the inventor of motion pictures, was
advised that no-one would pay to listen to sound coming from a
screen. Edison told Henry Ford to give up making cars and work
for him instead and make millions. Marie Curie was told to
forget about radium. Laurence Olivier was told by friends to give
up acting. Benjamin Franklin was told to stop fiddling with
lightning. People told Johnny Weismuller (Tarzan) that no-one
would ever beat his fifty swimming records. His 1936 world
record was the qualifying time for the 1972 Olympics! Attitudes
of the time said his records could never be beaten. Now 12 year
old girls regularly beat his times!

Christopher Columbus took 14 years to raise funding for his
ships and crew before setting out on his explorations. The
science and culture of the day had said that the world was flat.
However, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain had faith in
Columbus. With that faith and money behind him, Columbus took
just six months to discover the New World.

In the same way, a “flat-world mind-set” can limit our thinking
and lead to mediocrity. In the same way that you can train fleas
to jump a certain height in a bowl, when you take away the bowl,
they still do not jump higher than the learned height.

Our mind can tie us down and limit us, so that mediocrity
becomes our destiny. Negative attitudes get cemented in
concrete.

WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE YOU CAN BE GREATER THAN
ANYTHING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU:

ATTITUDE BEATS FACTS EVERY TIME.

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

* * *

Someone said, “Failure is the line of least persistence.” My
dear mother, Hazel called it “stick-to-it-iv-ness.” It generally
boils down to a healthy combination of faith and hard work, and
it usually means success.

“The only place where success comes before work (hard) is in the
dictionary.”

A short exercise:

Talk to your best friend or partner * (I hate that common New
Zealand expression - cheapens the institution of marriage and
denotes immoral living - Yes, sir “Mr goody goody two shoes” and
“get with the times, mate”) about: * I far prefer the term
’spouse’, which could be an abbreviation for “spastic mouse”.
Enough about my personal opinions…

1. The picture you hold of yourself (i.e.. how you see
yourself): Is it positive or negative, are you an introvert,
extrovert, popular?

2. How you see other people seeing you - their perception
of you, or looking glass). Which brings to mind the following
wise words (not mine)…

“I am not what I think I am.”
“I am not what you think I am.”
“I am what I think you think I am.”

Get it! Are you feeling discouraged? Perhaps you just need to
give it one more try.

IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE IN YOUR QUEST, THEN STICK TO IT… and
this is why I’m sending out this article right now!

According to William S. Banowsky, the story of one of America’s
greatest leaders is actually a story of repeated failures and
dogged persistence:

In 1831 he failed in business.

In 1832 he was defeated for the state legislature.

In 1833 he failed again in business.

In 1834 he was elected to the state legislature.

In 1835 his sweetheart died.

In 1836 he had a nervous breakdown.

In 1838 he was defeated for Speaker.

In 1840 he was defeated for Elector.

In 1843 he was defeated for Congress.

In 1846 he was elected for one term to Congress.

In 1848 he was defeated again for Congress.

In 1855 he was defeated for the Senate.

In 1856 he was defeated for Vice President.

In 1858 he was defeated again for the Senate.

In 1860 he, finally, was elected President of the United States.
And these are just a few of the rough spots in the life of great
former United States President, Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln grew up in a very difficult environment. He had
less than one year of formal schooling. He experienced defeat
and failure year after year, but is one of the great-est success
stories of all time. In spite of everything, he had the right
attitude to achieve success.

I HOPE THAT YOU DO TOO.

Craig Lock (”Infopreneur”)
http://www.craiglock.com
http://www.craiglockbooks.com

P.S: YOUR ATTITUDE WILL DETERMINE YOUR ALTITUDE IN LIFE.

This is one of my favourites from my “spiritual mentor”, Rev
Robert Schuller from the Chrystal Cathedral, in Garden Grove in
California…

“When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on
striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel
underneath - or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold
mine, with God’s help! ”

- Rev R.H. Schuller

As the saying goes,

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.
Success comes to those who ride out the highs and lows and stick
with their dreams, never giving up.”

“Dear God help me become all the person, my dear pet thinks I
am.”

Have FUN travelling down the amazing journey, that is life.
Today is a gift and life a mystery, so make the most of your
individual journey.

Authors Note:
Craig Lock has written extensively in the field of self help.
This extract is from his first published book HANDBOOK
TO SURVIVE - a collection of writings on various subjects
to help every man or woman survive in a rapidly changing,
uncertain world. To order HANDBOOK or Craig’s other
books click on http://www.craiglock.com/books.html and
http://www.bridgeniche.com

P.S: Don’t worry about the world ending today… it’s already
tomorrow in “little” scenic and tranquil New Zealand

THIS ARTICLE MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHED

Joint Ventures Revealed
Copyright 2005 Martin Boyd
http://www.theworkathomesuccessbusiness.com/direct-marketing.htm

A joint venture is when two or more businesses join together to
work on a project for a set period of time. Doing joint ventures
with other businesses can increase your chances of beating
your competition, increase your sales and increase your profits
quickly. Plus:

-you can save money when businesses share operating costs

-you can get referrals from other businesses

-you can save valuable time when businesses share the workload

-you can offer your customers new products and services

-you can gain new business associates

-you can save money by sharing advertising and marketing costs

-you can get free advice and important information from other
businesses

You can find businesses to joint venture with online or
offline. I try to find businesses that have the same target
audience, but are not direct competition with my business.
Here are a few ways to find joint ventures online:

-subscribe and participate in e-mail discussion groups, online
forums and newsgroups that deal with your target audience

-subscribe to e-zines that deal with your targeted audience

-note on your Web site or e-zine that you are interested in
doing joint ventures

-search in your favorite web directories and search engines to
find businesses to joint venture with online

Once you find a business simply e-mail them your proposal.
Tell the business owner the benefits of the joint venture.
Explain to him or her why it would be a win/win situation for
both of your businesses. Give them a lot of compliments about
their business, Web site, products and services. Using all three
methods above will greater your chance of constructing a
profitable joint venture. Good Luck!

==============================================================
Martin Boyd publishes a weekly newsletter dedicated to
guiding home business owners to maximise there internet
marketing efforts. Drop by and pick up your free newsletter
http://www.theworkathomesuccessbusiness.com/direct-marketing.htm

Sharing a Few More Thoughts on Goalsetting and Goal Achieving:
The technique of Visualisation.

by Craig Lock

As I mentioned in Part One in controlling our thoughts and
attitudes, visualisation is a great help in setting your personal
goals. Use it as a tool, be persistent like a yappy dog biting at
your ankles and you’ll get there in the end.
American John Kehoe has written extensively on this subject in
various works. He is the one who hibernated in the woods of Canada or Alaska for five years contemplating the mind and talking to the trees. Like Bonnie Prince Charlie talking to the
plants! I should have been a lumberjack instead of a writer; but
then I can’t imagine myself floating down a swollen river and balancing on a log!

I too am writing in virtual hibernation. Perhaps it’s good for
writing by forcing one to focus. Anyway, the creative juices seem
to flow well here in Gisborne, New Zealand. Perhaps its the clean air, as the country has produced some great Kiwi writers.
*
Some more on VISUALISATION…

Work out what your goal is. What you want to become? What sort of
person do you want to be? Picture what changes you want to make
in yourself and in your life…for the better, of course.

Set stepping stones (or sub-goals) as sign posts along the way.
To guide you and ensure that you stay on track. They can be your
short-term or medium term goals, say one month to one year. The
marathon runner doesn’t think of the finish line , but, the lamp
post in the distance…or the next drink spot. Thinking of the
big picture often seems impossible, so it can be very
discouraging. Take small steps… and one at a time. You can get
get loads of satisfaction from taking one step at a time.
Attaining sub goals can help you with a more immediate focus and
it rewards you along the way in your pursuit of the grand plan.
Make daily affirmations to yourself to keep yourself positive and
focussed on the way ahead. (Remember, affirmations and self talk
from Chapter Five). Have written goal checks to ensure that you
are on track - on the right path. These are a good aid in
reassessing your performance and how well you are doing on your
chosen path. I’ve gone so far down my track, if it’s the wrong
one it’s a bit late to turn back. I’ll just visit the soup
kitchens! “What a stuff up”! Seriously (for a change) though,
it’s never too late to change direction; look at South Africa and
apartheid, the fall of Communism, Yugoslavia, Israel and
Palestine… Iraq - what a quagmire, a monumental “stuff-up,
no a disaster. A situation whereby goals set by those in authority
have gone horribly wrong through poor planning and caused untold misery”!
“Without a vision, the people perish.”
- the Bible

Enough of my personal opinions on the world and you’re getting
way too serious, Craig (after all this is a light-hearted zany manuscript)….
but sorry, I couldn’t stop myself!

Set priorities. It is important to have flexible goals; they are
not set in concrete and can be changed as you change and develop.
Remember changing goals in mid stream doesn’t mean losing ground
(or “the plot”). As long as you grow personally, you are making
the most of yourself.

*
Summary:

1. Set big goals

2. Make long range goals

3. Make short term and daily goals

4. Goals should be specific

5. Goals should be realistic

6. Luck is not involved in achieving goals

7. Don’t make goals to please someone else - they are for you
alone.

it’s your life and no one else can live it for you. Listen to
your parent’s advice; but young adults, you make the decision
about the career you want. Not knowing what I wanted to do after
finishing school (and then university), I followed my father into
insurance, not thinking that I would have to spend half my
working/waking life in that occupation, Dumbo! In setting goals
we need to allow for our future growth and development. If you
want to grow, you’ve got to eat your “veggies” and use your
potential to the fullest. Don’t stay a dwarf if you can help it.
Sorry “dwarfies” for that totally politically incorrect
statement. Oops, too late. Put my foot in it again…but it’s too
late to worry. Life is one long journey of self discovery. It is
also a great opportunity for self improvement - to grow day by
day, even though you might have the occasional stumble. As you
can see I’m continually dragging myself up after being beaten by
old ladies (and dwarfs) with their brollies. But if you accept
yourself and are happy just the way you are, that’s fine by me
too.

Finally,
8. Your personal goals are your stepping stones to guide you, to keep you on track with your GRAND VISION for your life. So step back from time to time to evaluate them (and check whether you are still headed in the right direction). Often you’ll be amazed when you look back and see how far you’ve come!

The human mind is like a garden (or a computer).
“Plant the right seed to get the right plant”
- anon

Good positive thoughts get good results. So…

“Keep your mind on what you want and off what you don’t want”
- Napoleon Hill

“You will become as small as your controlling desires; as great
as your dominant aspiration”
- James Allen
*

Now that we’ve defined and set our goals, lets look at ACHIEVING
them by getting and then staying FOCUSSED…

* How to achieve your goals:

There are a number of important factors that make people
successful in achieving their personal goals… and I believe
goalsetting is the key ingredient to personal success. What else
determines whether we will achieve our goals? I think the
following attributes are critical:

* A strong belief in oneself and one’s ability to succeed

* Good self esteem

* Self confidence

* Self discipline

* A burning desire to achieve your pre-set goals

* A sound strategy with a great deal of thought given to PLANNING

* A desire to give something back to society and invest in
people; ie. to make some contribution to your “little patch” of
the world. This leads into the next one…

* Having worthy goals which benefit one self and others

* A winning focus and a positive attitude. This is very very very
important.

* Consistancy and commitment

* The ability to avoid distractions, ie. the ability to FOCUS
(not swearing at ourselves)

* Affirming oneself daily that you are of value to the world

* An ability to take calculated risks

* An ability to learn from your mistakes and to overcome the fear
of making mistakes

* The ability to handle stress well I’m not so “hot” on that
one.

* Taking frequent exercise - because a healthy body keeps the
mind healthy

* Taking time out for relaxation

* Self motivation, and most important of all,

* Personal integrity and a sense of ethics. Who says millionaires
and other successful people lack integrity and rip off gullible people in the street? I for one, definitely don’t believe it. I
think quite a few businessmen may be ruthless, but most of them
have high moral codes of behaviour. But most importantly, they
have the “bucks” to improve people’s lives in the community…as
long as they are not too stingy.

BALANCE:

Remember, it is vital to live a balanced life. So look at your
goals in all areas of your life: material, physical, career,
psychological and most importantly, spiritual. I’m not a
religious person at all#; but I think it’s terribly important to
BELIEVE and have FAITH that things will work out in the future
for you. That BELIEF (either in yourself or in a Higher Being)
will largely determine your attitude…how happy or unhappy your
life will be. God, the Universe, The Creator of Life has a plan
for your life too.

To end off this chapter, here are a few more quotations on taking
a chance or risk in life. I like them, because I’ve taken a few chances in my time (perhaps too many) …maybe you have too.

“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected
without trials.”

- so say wise man, Confucius.

“The greatest risk in life is to risk NOTHING…
The person who risks nothing, does nothing,
has nothing, is nothing,
and becomes nothing…”

- Norman Vincent Peale

“Only the person who risks is truly free. A man’s conquest of
himself dwarfs the conquest of Mt. Everest.”
- N.V.Peale, again.

“Be BOLD and unseen forces come to your aid”
- I think it was Brian Tracey (an American motivational
consultant and speaker) who said those words. Very true!

“Whatever you do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, famous German philosopher

Very wise words.

So after all this…

WHAT’S STOPPING YOU STARTING ON ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS RIGHT NOW?

Absolutely ANYTHING is possible with ACTION and great FAITH.

“The task ahead of you can always be overcome by the power within
you…and the often seemingly difficult or even “impassible”) path
ahead of you is never as steep with the great spirit that lies
within you.”

Craig Lock
http://www.craiglock.com
http://www.soulful-writer.com

“Enthusiasm is the match that lights the candle of achievement.”
- William Arthur Ward

“Your belief determines your action and your action determines
your results, but first you have to believe.”
- Mark Victor Hansen

“God, the Source of Life and Love, the Ground of our very Being
will never give you a desire, a vision, an individual dream
without your having the ability/potential for it to come to
pass.”
- Craig Lock

Craig’s FREE e-book Steps to Success is now available at: http://www.bridgeniche.com/stepstosuccess/

A light, entertaining, ‘zany’ look at how to make the most of yourself,
as well as finding the crazy bits in you. “Steps” is written for the ordinary
“bloke” or woman in the street. No loitering, please!

Self help books by Craig Lock are available at: http://www.bridgeniche.com/get-motivated-now/index.html

Uplifting, encouraging and empowering people through the power of words and thought energy. Change YOUR world and you change THE world.”

THIS ARTICLE MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHED

Top Ten Reasons to Partner with Someone
Written By Alvah Parker in collaboration with Dovid
Grossman

Partnerships come in many forms. There are legal ones such

as in business or marriage and there are loose ones when two

people come together to work or share ideas but then go on
to work or share ideas with others too. I partnered with
Dovid Grossman to come up with this list of reasons to
collaborate. Dovid was excited about a new partnership he
had formed with Chris Vogler author of THE WRITER’S JOURNEY.

Dovid and Chris will be working on a series of teleclasses

and a book on THE HERO’S JOURNEY FOR PARENTS. Parents –
That is a partnership too. So what are the benefits of
collaboration?

1. Share Responsibilities – Somehow with a partner to share

the responsibilities the job doesn’t seem as daunting.
Example: For an alumnae function for my college I partnered

with 2 other women to have the event in my home. We shared

the tasks of phoning, shopping, setting up and cooking.
None of us could have done it alone.

2. Outsource Your Weaknesses– You do what you are good at
and your partner works from his/her strengths. You
compliment each other.
Example: If you are good at numbers, you do the accounting
for the business while your partner who likes to sell is the

marketer.

3. Brainstorm With a Buddy – You get your creative juices
flowing by coming up with ideas with someone else.
Brainstorming alone is not nearly as productive.
Example: Try listing all the states in the US by yourself.

Now discard that list and brainstorm a list with a friend.

I’ve tried this with many people and invariably two people
come up with more than twice as many states as the
individuals did when working alone.

4. Instant Camaraderie – It is always more fun to work with

someone else.
Example: The task of putting all the books on the
bookshelves looked tedious for Sal and Cindy. Together they

finished quickly and had time to reminisce about the many
books they had enjoyed reading.

5. Share Resources – Everyone has different knowledge,
books, equipment, and materials. Pool your resources and
you have more to work with.
Example: My friend and I agreed to do a presentation
together. She had several books on the topic and I had some

tools I had used previously. Together we prepared a
presentation with more resources available had we done it
alone.

6. Gain Synergy – You can build on each others ideas.
Example: My partner suggests a trip to Cape Cod for the
weekend. I suggest we go to Martha’s Vineyard and then my
partner remembers a lovely bed and breakfast that we stayed

in many years ago that we both loved on Martha’s Vineyard.

7. Have a backup – It isn’t all on your shoulders now. You

have a partner who can pick up the slack and give you some
breathing room.
Example: I need a break. The kids have been screaming all
day. How nice when my partner takes charge while I lie down

for 5 minutes.

8. Push the envelope – Working with a partner can inspire
you to move beyond what you have done before and take a
risk.
Example: You’ve never spoken to such a large audience
before. You’ve prepared with a friend and with her
encouragement you do it.

9. Gain a new perspective – A partner might get you to think

about a new option or see something in a new way.
Example: I’m upset because the ballgame got rained out. My

partner sees it as an opportunity to play “Singing in the
Rain” and we get dressed up in our raingear and play in the

puddles. I end up having a great time.

10. Get The Work Done – Partners hold each other accountable

Example: My room is a mess and I just haven’t got around to

cleaning it up. My friend has a messy office. We agree
that we will each cleanup our messes in the next hour. It
gets done!

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as
publisher of Parker’s Points, an email tip list and Road to

Success, an ezine. Alvah is found on the web at
www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.

Dovid Grossman: www.DovidGrossman.com www.AwesomeDads.com

www.HerosJourneyForParents.com

___________________________________