Yellow Pages Advertising Design: Choose Your Expert With Eyes Wide Open!

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Nov 192021
 

Even with today’s technology, it’s nearly impossible to construct a persuasive, phone-ringing Yellow Pages advertisement in under 30 minutes. Where did I get thirty minutes from? In 1975, my first gig was designing Yellow Page ads for a large national Yellow Pages publisher. I considered it my “dream job.” Our tight-knit group of creatives would dole out dozens of Yellow Page ads per day, every day. We did our best to make each ad a selling masterpiece BUT we did have a daily quota of 10-15 ads to contend with…Arrange time for breaks, paperwork, etc. and that rate works out to about 30 minutes per ad.

OK, so it takes more than 30 minutes, but why worry about Yellow Page ads? Even as “online local search” continues to grow at a rapid clip, today’s print Yellow Page directories represent a not-too-shabby $14 billion a year industry, and has morphed into a broader medium that includes BOTH print and online capabilities. In fact, directional media (Yellow Pages, online local search and classified advertising) is expected to top $119 billion by 2010. For all of this, print Yellow Pages are still what they have always been, a very effective means of generating telephone calls and revenue from your most important local prospects.

So if the Yellow Pages designers can’t always produce great ads, who can? My two year stint working for a Yellow Pages publisher taught me a great deal about ad design and Yellow Pages advertising. But despite a promotion to Art Director status, I soon left the Yellow Pages to start my own graphic design company…

After twenty years of running a successful design studio and servicing Fortune 500 members, the corporate advertising world had become stale and left me underwhelmed. I decided to re-visit the Yellow Pages industry and created a niche service that, at the time, practically didn’t exist: “The Yellow Page Ad Design Specialist.” By improving the message and visual impact in my clients’ Yellow Page ads, I was able to unleash the incredible potential of the medium. Over the last decade, my clients and I have enjoyed phenomenal success, and my niche market has spawned many competitors.

How can you outmaneuver and outsell your Yellow Page competitors? While designing phenomenal Yellow Page ads takes more than a few tips – it takes real design talent, advertising experience, and expertise in the dynamics of Yellow Page advertising – the very best guidelines for Do-It-Yourselfers can be found in “Effective Yellow Pages Advertising for Lawyers” written by the late Kerry Randall. It was written for attorneys but its’ principles apply to any business appearing in the Yellow Pages. After exhaustive analysis, Kerry determined that nearly all effective, call-generating Yellow Page ads include six key elements. He taught that all high-performance Yellow Page ads should contain:

* Strong headlines that command attention and engage readers
* A laser-sharp focus; a willingness to ignore most readers
* Arresting, eye-captivating illustrations or photographs
* Clearly identifiable differences ( from competitive advertisers)
* Relevant copy (text) that covers less than 50% of the ad space
* Professional-looking, clutter-free layouts

I’ve developed and been preaching very similar principles to my Yellow Page clients for a decade so I wasn’t overly surprised when Mr. Randall emailed me kudos for our Yellow Page advertising efforts. Kerry’s recent passing was a big loss for the industry but he left behind a sparkling gem of a book that will continue to help countless Yellow Page advertisers. Whether you’re determined to create your very own Yellow Page ad or looking to hire an independent designer, Kerry’s masterful dissertation is an invaluable guide.

And you’ll need a guide in picking out an effective designer. Remember, every industry has it’s share of sneaky imposters. It only takes about $20 a month to hang out your electronic shingle these days and some Yellow Page ad “professionals” lack even a formal advertising design background, let alone a solid, direct-response experience, or a successful track-record for their clients.

Scrutinize prospective designer’s Yellow Page ad samples in light of these 6 principles. Make sure that the ads clearly and honestly speak to the prospects’ emotional needs and effectively persuade prospects by presenting the very best solution to their specific problem. Also verify that the Yellow Page design specialist you choose has a solid direct-response background and a successful track-record for their clients.

Otherwise, you’d be better off doing a little reading and create your own persuasive Yellow Pages advertisement. One that will deliver “off-the-hook” phone calls for you, 365 days a year! If you stumble along the way or you need a few pointers, let me know if I can help.

Business Ethics and Unethical Practices

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Nov 182021
 

The study of business ethics and its implications for different stakeholders have seen tremendous growth in the past few decades. There has also been a rise in the use and development of codes of ethics and announcements for ethical practices by many firms; however companies are still criticized for their unethical practices at different levels (Papers4you.com, 2006). Business ethics, according to the literature has been entrenched with the philosophical details of Ethics (Trevino & Nelson, 1999). Ethics has been defined as ‘the activity of examining the moral standards of a society, and asking how these standards apply to ones life and whether these standards are reasonable’ (Velasquez, 1998; p. 11).

The literature on business ethics is divided on its views about the motivation and reason for businesses to have an ethical dimension. Drawing upon Harrison (2001), there are two major schools of thoughts, firstly those who suggest that firms are profit generating institutions and therefore business ethics is yet another way to attract customers, secondly those who support corporate conscience and intrinsic motivation for the adoption of business ethics.

Business ethics has been considered very subjective in nature and according to Paul (2001) is considered a function of time and culture. It has been established that with the passage of time business ethics have evolved and also that the cultural values and norms drive business ethics within national and regional boundaries. One of the major studies regarding the national values has been conducted by Hofstede (1983). According to this research, which was only based on four indicators i.e. individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity, there is a great deal of differences among values across different nations and consequently the business ethics. Globalization combined with standardization has made businesses financially efficient but at the same time poses questions regarding the standardized codes of business ethics across national boundaries.

Vinten (1991) has divided the business ethical issues at different levels i.e. international business, domestic business and professional ethics. At the international level ethical issues include free-masonry and socialism versus capitalism; at domestic level these include religious dimensions, social marketing and ethical education; and lastly at the individual level these include bribery, corruption and data protection (Papers4you.com, 2006).

There are many reasons and criticisms for the failure of adoption of ethics in the business world. Firstly, the concept is considered to be overly theoretical and it also negates the basic purpose of any business i.e. to create shareholder’s wealth. Secondly, it has lack of direction and unanimity across different cultures and academic groups. Lastly, it has many inherent unresolved dichotomies that according to Sternberg (1994) make it a case of rejected relativism.

References:

Harrison, J. (2001), Ethics for Australian Business, Prentice-Hall, French’s Forest

Hofstede, G. (1983), The Cultural Relativity of Organizational Practices and Theories, Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp.75-89

Papers For You (2006) “S/B/92. What distinguishes ethical from unethical business activity and how significant are the principles of business ethics in modern business?”, Available from http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/sprtbus21.htm [17/06/2006]

Papers For You (2006) “S/B/49. ‘Should businesses strive to be ethical?’ Critically Discuss”, Available from Papers4you.com [18/06/2006]

Paul, S. (2001), Cultural and Business Ethics, Cross Cultural Management: An international Journal, Volume 8 No. 1, pp 22-35

Sternberg, E. (1994), Relativism rejected: the possibility of transnational business ethics, in Hoffman, W.M., Kamm, J.B., Frederick, R.E., Petry, E.S. Jr (Eds), National Conference on Business Ethics. Proceedings from the 9th Conference on Business Ethics Sponsored by the Centre for Business Ethics at Bentley College, Quorum Books, New York, NY, pp.143-50

Trevino, L.K., Nelson, K.A. (1999), Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk about How to Do It Right, 2nd ed., J. Wiley & Sons, New York, NY

Velasquez, M.G. (1998), Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases, 4th ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Vinten, G. (1991), Business Ethics: Busybody or Corporate Conscience?, Managerial Auditing Journal, Volume 5, Number 2, pp. 123-144

What’s the point? Why hire consultants? And How can you get the best out of them?

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Nov 172021
 

Moving from organizational life to consulting life didn’t seem like a big deal to me. I’d been doing internal consulting for more than a decade. I’d been bringing consultants into my organisation as an “extra pair of hands” or as experts to present programs or coach executives. What I found as an internal customer was that hiring a consultant can be tricky. Through a trial and error process of discovery I found that the nature of the consulting relationship is the key to whether the company is going to get what it needs or throw money down a consulting black hole. Although a company is “borrowing” talent, not “buying” it the way they do when they hire someone, it’s still a major financial and time commitment. I spent a lot of time managing consultants. I figured “What’s the point?” if I didn’t get the best out of them. And .for the consultant, the consulting assignment has both a financial and reputational impact. Why not make this arrangement a win-win?

To do that I found we had to learn to trust each other. The approach to low trust by the organization is often a “taxi driver” approach. The consultant is paid by the hour or day. This is a contractual relationship versus a relational contract. The consultant does what he or she is told. The good news is that this is a good way to use “one-trick ponies.” When you have a speaker who can do a great presentation about what they know best this is the best way to use them. If you want any in-depth work from a consultant it’s best to try the partnering approach. As one client said “We are depending on you to get our bench-strength ready for their next jobs. His approach was to put me into a relational contract where I was committed to his company’s expected outcomes.

“Taxi driver” approach or partnering approach

One of the nicest compliments I ever got was “You don’t think like a consultant.” I realised that I see myself as partnering with my clients, almost as if I become part of their organisation for a period of time. When clients want to hire me by the hour, or minutes, I find it very strange. At one point, I was contracting with a prospective client who came out of a supply chain background. He spent the contracting period penny pinching me in all the aspects of the contract. For me, he was concentrating on the wrong aspects. When I tried to concentrate on the outcomes rather than the specifics of the process, he just didn’t “get it.” He was so used to taking farthings off widgets that he just couldn’t focus on the end results. The “taxi driver” approach didn’t engender enough trust for me to continue the contracting. I pulled myself out of the process.

I try not to work like a “taxi driver.” I have found that thinking of consulting as day labour gets me, and other consultants too , to act that way. I prefer thinking like a partner in the project’s success. It’s vital for a company to think this way too. Partnering is a trust builder. There is a mutual commitment to success.

Consultant partnering trust occurs when there is both personal and professional trust. Personal trust is each party doing what they say they’ll do, when they say they’ll do it. Professional trust is demonstrating the talent, expertise and an understanding of the consultant’s craft and of human behaviour that enables a consulting relationship to work.

Create a contractual relationship or a relational contract?

“Relationships of trust depend on our willingness to look not only to our own interests, but also the interests of other.” Peter Farquharson, Early 20th century English cricketer

Even if you’re hiring day labourers, a company wants its money’s worth or more. Although many consultants are hired on a short time scale, their organisational “fit” is essential. One of the best ways to ensure fit is by knowing the company and its needs as well as the needs of the project or intervention that the company needs. When a company insists on a detailed contract they often get just what they negotiated and nothing more. My belief is that it’s vital to keep your “eyes on the prize.” What is it that the company and the specific client(s) want to get out of the relationship? Contracting is where you ensure that the commitment and professional expertise are there. There’s an old American saying that could apply to contracting, “Good fences make good neighbours.” By setting up the parameters in contracting the participants are then free to do more but not less.

It is vital that those who are doing the consulting be part of the contracting phase. If the person who initiates the engagement is the “finder” but doesn’t do the work it may not be a good idea. That also goes for having a “minder” and a bunch of “grinders” whom you don’t know well. If you contract with the experienced folks there is not enough pay-off from the rookies. It’s vital that you get to know the consultant(s) you’re using before, during and after the consulting engagement. Though the consultant(s) may not be employees they should be treated as if they are personally responsible. As an independent consultant, and previously as a corporate buyer of consulting services, I have found that independents are often the best choices. There have been at least a dozen situations when I’ve been called in after someone from a consulting firm hasn’t delivered what was expected. Don’t forget that you are hiring the person and not the company.

The way that a consultant (firm) approaches contracting is revealing. Are they happy to spend as much time as it takes in this phase? The time that it takes to contract and work with the company representative who is doing the contract is part of the big “bucks” that consultants charge. Part of the contracting should be a negotiated “package”, or programme price. Part of the package price is that the consultant should not be charging for every small cost like taxi fares for local work.

The package should include written information that is necessary for the process to work. That might mean something in writing that can serve as a roadmap for clients to follow as they work with consultant. A report at the end of the consulting process is not one of the worthwhile things to pay for. When the consultant has left, the report is rarely of use. It may feel good to get one but often goes on a shelf after the consulting engagement is finished.

Most of all, I believe in generosity of spirit on the part of the consultant and the company. That means giving more than the contract stipulates when it’s needed. That means consultants occasionally giving more consulting time, without extra fees, for those who need it and the company staying supportive and flexible with the needs of the consultant. In other words, the parties involved should be responsive to the other’s needs. Over time, this kind of attitude breeds trust.

Being a consultant is a bit like being an employee for a period of time. Just the way employees “hold” the needs of their job and the needs of their company in their consciousness, an excellent consultant “holds” clients and their needs and the work in their thinking time outside of the actual assignment time. I am constantly surprised when a client says that a workshop I gave was only six hours so they that they should not have to pay for the entire day of eight hours. How amazing is that? It may have taken days to prepare the work which may, or may not have been remunerated. Moreover, when a consultant is at one company for six hours there is no way that two more hours can be squeezed into that day. That is one of the reasons why daily fees don’t make sense for excellent work. The other is the thinking time that involves “holding” the client in your thoughts and plans.

Be careful with one-trick ponies and “consultant creep”

“The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action.” Frank Herbert , 20th century science fiction author

A company usually hires consultants for their expertise. In their area of expertise they need to be role models. I once hired a consultant who was superb at educating and empowering personal assistants to maximise their potential. When she was asked by an executive to work out a conflict among a group of personal assistants she overstepped her expertise and failed miserably. It’s not uncommon for this kind of thing to happen since expertise is often specialised.

It’s also the responsibility of the consultant to keep the company representative informed of every potential consulting request that the consultant gets to do additional consulting. Someone in the company needs to keep track to avoid “consultant creep,” or consultants running amok around the organisation. I find that someone to vet each request, and the appropriateness of the consultant(s) for the request, is the only way to ensure the trust that you have the right person in place.

Trust comes from bringing in consultants who don’t come in with a prepared idea of the issue and the solution. Consulting companies that have “models” that they use can be guilty of this approach.

Consultants need guts rather than glory

It’s too easy for consultants to be sycophants rather than speak what they believe needs to be said to individuals of power and authority. This is not the place where executives should be told what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear and learn. It is important that a consultant, beyond an “extra pair of hands,” be responsible for moving individuals, or the culture, to take action. The trick is that the “push” needs to be strong enough to show action and gentle enough not to cause reactive “push back,” or organisational resistance. This is a major area of trust!

On the whole, mature consultants who are beyond wanting their own days of personal glory make some of the best choices. If the consulting work isn’t satisfactory it’s time to give the consultant(s) feedback. The way that they accept and respond to feedback without defending tells you a lot about their professional trust. I love adapting as a consultant. It’s wonderful to get feedback and have a chance to adapt to the needs of the company and the individual(s) involved.

Consultants who need a lot of kudos and strokes can be trouble. A consultant can be a bit like a catalyst. They can have enormous impact for positive change yet not be part of the end result. If they need the glory they are not mature enough for this kind or work.

See more about Dr. Karen Otazo at the following
http://www.globalleadershipnetwork.com
http://www.otazo.com – Executive Coaching

5000 Year-Old Medical Secret Uneathed

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Nov 162021
 

When you get sick, you go to the doctor. And the doctor will, of course, prescribe medicines. You will go and buy medicines. You take them, and hopefully, you get well.

This is how the health profession goes on nowadays – a cycle of diagnosis and prescription.

If anyone were to give you herbs for medicine, you would probably say that that person was a quack.

But nowadays, studies are being conducted to see if there are really is any merit to what is called natural medicine.

Natural medicine is the use of natural methods, herbal medicines, and traditional practices to heal ailments. Every culture has a form of natural medicine. In ancient cultures, village medicine men served as the doctors of the community, passing on medical knowledge to the apprentices that followed them.

Many categories of the healing methods fall under natural medicine. Among these are traditional medicine, complementary medicine, and alternative medicine.

Usually, natural medicine refers to medical practices that were in place before the advent of modern medicine.

This includes herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, which is prevalent in Chinese, Ayurvedic (or Indian), and Greek medicine.

Upon the advent of modern medicine, many professionals discarded the use of herbs in favor of man-made medicine. The fact that these treatments are based on the healing properties of some herbs was forgotten.

For example, opium, digitalis, quinine, and aspirin all have their roots in traditional medicine.

Natural medicine can be considered as a lost art. This does not mean that it has lost efficacy over time. In some cases, natural therapy is actually better than modern medicine. This leads some doctors to seriously consider and study the possible uses of natural medicine

Before we continue, it is important to stress that not all the natural remedies are legitimate. It would help to only try those remedies which have been thoroughly studied and are relatively risk free.

Take herbal medicine for example. There are many well-documented and studied herbal remedies available. However, only those that deal with minor ailments such as cough, colds, fever, skin rashes, and its ilk are likely to be recommended by health professionals. These remedies are sometimes superior to synthetic medicine. This is because herbal medicines are less likely to cause negative side effects.

Currently there are numerous organizations that study the effects and advocacy of natural medicine – among which is herbal medicine. Some governments and health agencies openly advocate the use of natural methods since they are inexpensive and relatively risk-free.

As their studies compile, more herbs and treatments are added to the list of accepted medicines. However, many herbs and treatments have been proven to be bogus medicine. This represents a challenge for both the user and the agencies because they have to ascertain that the treatments they either use or advocate are legitimate.

There exist today many alternative medical treatments that fall under natural medicine. However, not all of them have been proven to be effective. You could mention homeopathy, aromatherapy, acupuncture, and other alternative medical treatments. It would pay to consult the experts as to the legitimacy of these treatments.

Natural medicine should also be thought of as an accompanying medicine. Right now, the current collective medical thought suggests that natural medicine be used only to supplement accepted modern medical practices. In that case of minor ailments your expert we actually advise you to take natural therapies instead.

The practice of modern medicine revolves around diagnosing an illness and prescribing treatments for such. Natural medicine is helpful because it suggests that treatment be not necessarily given only when sick. Natural medicine strives to make each patient practice good health habits. These habits include good diet, healthy living, and the regular natural treatment.

It is this same line of thought that leads our parents to tell us to eat our vegetables. Yes, a healthy lifestyle and will do no harm to our well-being. And this is the foundation of natural medicine – may it be massage, herbal medicine, aromatherapy or others.

It is funny but true that science, in its quest for excellence, is studying the knowledge of sages past. This, surprisingly, leads us back to the remedies nature offers. The possibilities of finding remedies to everyday illnesses in natural medicine are encouraging. So staying tuned to studying these remedies is worthwhile until we can verify that these therapies are truly helpful to our health and our society.

Health Savings Accounts Put You in Control of Your Healthcare

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Nov 152021
 

As Health Savings Accounts grow in popularity, there is growing fear among those who want to nationalize healthcare that they will not be able to put the cat back in the bag. There are already over 3 million individuals with an HSA, and by 2010, the Treasury Department estimates as many as 45 million Americans will be covered by HSA plans. They will have billions of dollars invested to cover future medical expenses, and by then it will be politically impossible to take that benefit away.



If you currently have a high-deductible health insurance plan, you can invest tax-free money in a Health Savings Account. You get to choose the type of investment – anything from savings accounts or money market funds, to a full brokerage house. If you invest wisely, you could have well over $500,000 in the account when you retire. You will be able to use that money to pay for your healthcare in whatever way you please, tax free. You can go to the best surgeons, or the least expensive doc-in-a-box. If you decide to treat a condition with acupuncture, homeopathy, or psychic healers, you can do that too. Whoever offers you the service you want with the best combination of quality and price should get your business. And since you are the one paying, it will be completely your choice. You have healthcare freedom.



If proponents of a single-payer system were to ever have their way, you would be at the mercy of a government bureaucrat when it comes to your healthcare. To see what this may look like, all one has to do is look at the state of health care in Canada, England, New Zealand, and the parts of Europe that have not yet abandoned single-payer systems.



Proponents of a single-payer system tend to point to Canada or England as countries that cover all their citizens with quality healthcare, while spending less money per person than the U.S. But if we look a little more closely, we see that these publicly financed health insurance systems are breaking down, the quality is low, and the costs can be quite high. Here’s what Canadians have to deal with if they need medical care:



Long waits. Hundreds of Canadians go to Detroit and other U.S. cities every year for procedures like CAT scans, which they can obtain treatment in a matter of days. In Canada, the wait is typically six months. Currently 876,000 Canadians are on waiting lists for medical procedures.



Difficulty in getting life-enhancing procedures done. If a Canadian is having a heart attack, they will be treated right then. But if the surgery is considered “elective” (meaning that possible death is not eminent), the wait could be months or years. Average wait for cataract removal is 18 months. Average wait for a knee replacement is one year.



Increased risk of dieing. The average Canadian waits eight weeks to see a specialist, and another nine weeks before getting treated. This is even the case with conditions that are likely to get much worse if there is any delay in treatment. For example, the median time for a mastectomy is 14 weeks, enough time for the cancer to spread to other parts of the body. In fact, 28% of those diagnosed with breast cancer in Canada die from it, while the mortality ratio in the U.S. is only 25%.



Things don’t look any better across the ocean. Each year the British National Health Service cancels 410,000 surgeries because of resource shortages. According to the London Sunday Times, there are currently over 1 million Brits awaiting elective surgery. Thomas Cook, a British travel agency, is even considering offering “sun-and-surgery” packaged trips to Indian hospitals for British citizens fed up with low standards and long waiting times for surgery.



The British and Canadian governments have the power to make healthcare “free”, but they are unable to control its costs. So the costs become longer (and potentially fatal) delays, and fewer innovations.



Its not surprising when you think about what is happening. Universal health insurance systems always encourage over-consumption by patients, and such over-consumption always leads to financial crises. The result is inevitably broken promises about universal access and quality care. Because there are always limited resources, single-payer systems tend to overspend on primary care for the healthy, while denying more expensive specialist care to those with serious medical problems. This is because most people (voters) are healthy most of the time, and the sick and dieing are less likely to be able to organize into a political force.



What makes the United States such a great country is the “freedoms” we enjoy. Though our freedoms seem to be constantly under attack, there is still no nation in the world that has the freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of association, or the free markets that we have in the United States. As anyone who understands even a smidgen of economics knows, free markets encourage competition and innovation, which lead to lower prices and better quality.



Though the U.S. system of health care can not really be considered a “free-market”, it is certainly much more free than any single payer system. Some of the benefits we see as a result of our current healthcare system include:



– U.S. medicine produces the best outcomes for virtually every patient, from premature babies to elderly cancer patients.

– American companies are the chief source worldwide of new treatments and procedures which each year are used to save millions of lives.

– U.S. medical training and research facilities are the best in the world.



Though Canadians might have to wait a year or two for hip replacement surgery, they can get the same operation done on their dog in less than a week. This is because veterinarians are competing for that business, finding innovative ways to deliver service more quickly and less expensively. Another example is laser eye surgery, a procedure that is rarely covered by insurance, so laser eye surgeons must compete on the basis of cost and quality. While costs for most medical procedures have been going up every year, the cost for this procedure has dropped by 80% over the past decade.



Unfortunately, U.S. healthcare policies still tend to limit competition, restrict consumer’s freedom to choose, and discourage consumers from shopping for value. Thus, there are too few choices and there has been little attention paid to price and quality of service. The answer is clearly not more government intervention, but instead letting competition and the power of the marketplace drive down prices and increase quality and access to care.

Health Savings Accounts are the Solution



There is increasing recognition that third-party health insurance payers are actually a major cause of escalating medical costs and the decline in the quality of service. The increasing adoption of HSA plans has already begun to cause greater transparency and competition in the medical marketplace. There are now physicians available by phone, medical kiosks setting up in malls, doctors that accept only cash (and who charge significantly less), and others competing directly for the consumer’s healthcare dollar.



Don’t be fooled by the politicians who advocate a single-payer system, claiming their only concern is the uninsured. If a single body (such as a government bureaucracy) controls healthcare, they control one seventh of the national economy. And everywhere in the world that central control of the economy has been tried, it has been a colossal failure.



As public policy reforms centered on individual choice continue to gain wider footholds, the result will be greater prosperity, greater choice, and a better value for all. The culture of dependence and entitlement will begin to fade, as millions of individuals demand further policy reforms that will reinstate the values of freedom and personal responsibility that helped establish this great nation.



As more consumers turn to health savings accounts, the market will respond. Innovative providers will begin to compete more on price and quality of service, and those that provide the best value will get wealthy doing so. And all consumers will benefit.

Payday loan tips guide

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Nov 142021
 

End of the month and running short of money to pay off your bills, unexpected expenditure or money required to repay a debt? Now all your worries can be resolved with the aid of instant cash available by virtue of payday loans. ‘Payday loan’ as the name suggests is the cash given to make your payment at the very day.

In current scenario when usually expenses are more than the earnings, payday loans are definitely a boon. But prior to taking a payday loan there are quite a few things that should be borne in mind.

At first it is important to know that since payday loans are extremely fast, you should not rush to have one without deliberation. You apply for the loan online and it might get approved that very day. As soon as the payday loan companies receive your information, they verify it. If the verification is positive, your loan is right on its way. So before applying you must have a clear idea of the APR, fees and the terms and conditions of the payday loan company you are applying in. Surf the Internet, hunt for more payday loan companies and compare the interest rates, fees and other services of these companies. If a company has concealed the interest rates, fees, penalty amounts etc., don’t deal with it. According to law it is mandatory for the loan offering companies to inform the loan seekers of this relevant information beforehand.

To save yourself from being tricked it is always better that you make sure that the company is registered with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Once you equip yourself with every piece of information, ponder over it and make a judicious move.

Secondly do not wait for a check to arrive at your place. Mostly the payday loan companies electronically deposit the required cash into your checking account in a day or two. So it is better that you take care of your financial emergency quickly.

Though payday loan is extremely beneficial you should not forget that the cash so taken is to be returned with a high rate of interest and that too at your next salary day. So if you are burdened by financial crisis, payday loan is not a wise idea. In this case you should also avoid going with companies that stretch the loan payback date because you might then be charged exorbitantly in the form of interest and the loan repayment can become all the more difficult.

At the end of the day it is better that you work out other alternatives such as planning a budget at the commencement of a month, minimizing your expenditure as much as possible by saying no to every weekend party, unnecessary shopping etc. In making a budget you can take help of a non-profit group in your state. These organizations offer credit guidance to consumers and at times this service is provided free of cost.

But if you still feel payday loan is the right choice then keeping the high interest rates in mind, borrow only the amount that you badly require, nothing more than that.

Student loan consolidation tips guide

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Nov 132021
 

During their student life, students accumulate a number of loans to secure their college degrees. These loans prove to be helpful for a while, however when the time for their repayment arrives, their numerous monthly installments with different interest rates pester the students causing them to lose their sleep and get diverted from the path of success in their career. Hence, the most desirable thing to do to avoid this kind of situation is to opt for a Student Loan Consolidation.

Student Loan Consolidation is basically a loan which absorbs all the previous loans taken by a student to finance his studies and other needs. By consolidating all his loans a student saves his time and effort as it is much easier to handle one payment monthly than several separate payments. Secondly, a consolidated student loan carries a lower interest rate than the various other student loans. Moreover when a student opts for a consolidated loan he has to pay only one interest rate, not several different rates. Also, a consolidated loan offers more flexible repayment options than the other loans. This type of loan is also generally free of any kind of prepayment penalty.

Student Loan Consolidation rates might vary depending upon the student’s financial situation. It will be very easy to acquire an excellent Student Consolidation Loan plan if one has a credit score of more than 660 (FICO score). Different lenders offer different monthly plans according to the student’s loan situation. Some lenders might offer 50% lower monthly plans than others. A student should review the terms and conditions of all the lenders and should select the one who offers simplest repayment options with a monthly payment that will not become a burden for him.

While considering consolidation a student should always opt for fixed interest rate rather than floating rate. This reduces the element of uncertainty and clearly defines what one has to repay in future. Hence, one should always choose a lender who is offering the lowest fixed interest rate. One should select the payment period, which does not burden him in any way. This is very significant as the rate of interest and monthly installments are both calculated according to the duration of the loan. Whether the lender will be able to extend the payment period according to the needs of the borrower should also be enquired first. Above all, it is recommended that a student should avoid Student Loan Consolidation if he has already paid a major part of his loans because opting for consolidation on this stage can reset the loan process, which will ultimately make him pay more than what he had planned for.

Keeping these tips in mind a student should first do his homework by carrying out a survey of what the numerous Student Loan Consolidation companies are offering him and then go for the best deal that will make it easier for him both financially and psychologically to get rid of his debt.

Student loan consolidation guide 101

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Nov 122021
 

The constantly escalating fees as well as the competition in the field of higher education have made the life of a student burdened by debt. Most of the students are financially not capable of bearing the enormous expenses of their college life and as a result of this they have to acquire numerous loans, such as, education loan, credit card loan etc. These loans definitely help them for a while but when the time to pay them back arrives they can become a real nuisance for these students. Their numerous monthly installments and high interest rates can make many students lose their sleep and get distracted from their career path. All these problems and more can be avoided if the help of a Student Loan Consolidation is secured.

The basic idea behind the Student Loan Consolidation is of restructuring the finances of those students who have over their student life accumulated numerous loans and are now finding it difficult to pay them back. It helps them by combining all their previous loans under a single head. A consolidated loan is beneficial for students as compared to various small loans because of various reasons. By consolidating all the loans a student ensures that he has to pay towards a single loan each month. Thus, he becomes answerable to only one creditor which is a very mentally satisfying factor for him. Moreover, he saves his time and effort as it is much easier to handle one payment monthly than several separate payments. Thus, after opting for a student loan consolidation, students can concentrate more on their studies and career rather than thinking about loans. Secondly, a consolidated student loan carries a lower interest rate than the various other student loans. Moreover when a student opts for a consolidated loan he has to pay only one interest rate, not several different rates. Also, a consolidated loan offers more flexible repayment options than the other loans. This type of loan is also generally free of any kind of prepayment penalty.

Another plus point of Student Loan Consolidation is its easy availability. These services can be easily obtained both online and offline. Moreover, the companies offering these services don’t perform extensive credit checks. Also, no collaterals are asked for taking this loan. Some companies even offer rate reductions. For instance, some of them reduce the interest rate by 1% if a student makes all his payments on time for two years. Thus, before opting for a student loan consolidation a student should do his homework and carry out a survey of what all the companies are offering him, to get the best deal.

Hence, Student Loan Consolidation is beneficial for the students in all senses. So, if a student has accumulated loans in excess of $7500, the best way to manage them is by consolidating them. This would free up the cash flow with reduced monthly payments and allow the students to concentrate on their career by being satisfied both financially and psychologically.

Obesity….Not a Big Deal Now!

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Nov 112021
 

Obesity is a common problem nowadays to the world. It not only restricted to some common countries like US or UK but it is a problem gripping the whole world and in a very dramatic manner. Obesity is a curse in this new generation. People try to escape from it, but ultimately someway or the other they can’t stop themselves from confronting obesity. Physical inactivity along with improper food habit is the main cause of obesity. Well, genetic factors also come into consideration sometimes.

But what is commonly found that when people find out that obesity is embarrassing their life, they begin to torture themselves by doing various experiments like staying hungry, living only on juices or go to a gym. This kind of sudden change in one’s life leads to the worst rather than doing any benefits.

For along time from now, research was going on obesity. Though it was found that obesity cannot be cured completely, but oflate a drug named Phentermine is found to be very productive. FDA has found it to be the most effective drug to fight obesity. It is a drug which belongs to the class of anorectics that stimulates our nerverous system to inhabit the feeding centre and hence suppress our appetite. It is found that consumption of Phentermine pills along with a proper nutrition and a bit of physical exercise is very fruitful. One good thing about this drug is that it is used as a short term drug and a course can extend maximum to maximum unto 12 weeks. So within a short period of time you can get a new shape and get your self free from obesity.

Common side effects like diarrhea, impotency for a short period, insomnia as well as dizziness are said to be found in using Phentermine. So it is always better to consult a physician before including it to your daily routine and it is highly recommended for pregnant women. Generally a tablet a day is consumed before breakfast.

Do you know, how much of your work suffer due to obesity problem? In a resent survey about 40% of your work gets affected due to obesity. Along with it, your body becomes a home for various diseases. So it is always cleaver to be health conscious and try to get rid of it when you find problems due to obesity for it is not a big deal. Thanks to Phentermine.

Seven Top Website Marketing Strategies for All Business

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Nov 102021
 

Here they are…the magical seven keys to website marketing that apply to virtually all business. Apply these strategies to your website marketing efforts for maximum return on investment and great customer loyalty.

1. Focus a great deal of your search marketing efforts on linking.
There are many variables involved in marketing your website so it is found on the internet. Many of the tactics involved in search marketing, both paid and non- paid search, are subject to change. Here is one constant you can bank on: linking your website so that it is accessible from other websites.



Think of it this way: for every website that links to yours, you have another venue through which customers and prospects can interact with your business. These “links” are really just selling extensions of your firm. They are like “internet salespeople” that are out prospecting for business on your behalf.



Search engines love websites with lots of incoming links from others. They view these links as an indicator of a website’s relative importance in its subject matter. Most search engines also tend to give higher search rankings to those sites with lots of incoming links.

2. Make “appearance” the last thing you evaluate about your website.
Your website needs to be found and responded to in a positive way by visitors for online success. Many of the aesthetically pleasing features available in website design technologies are counter-productive to best practices of website marketing. As an example, most crawler based search engines (Google) can’t see and thus index Flash technology websites. Rich media, streaming video and other “frills” often slow down website loading times, a real no-no in today’s on demand society. Businesses selling to business especially need to understand that these visitors want information and to buy, not a song and dance show. Avoid type on fancy colored backgrounds, and rotating messages and banner ads. State your case and give your visitors great content with strong call to action statements. Then worry about how your site looks. Go for substance with sound search marketing practices over style most every time.

3. Convey a “feel good” attitude about your company and its policies to your website visitors.
The internet has made new buying options available to consumers with just a few short keystrokes. For many consumers, a website is the only interaction they will ever have with a company. Convey a good feeling to website visitors about your company. Give visitors information that helps them understand and feel good about your company. All sites should tell about the company, its privacy and identity protection policies, and include a site map for visitors, at a minimum. Also understand that website visitors come to a website looking for something. Make it easy for customers to find you or reach you through ways outside of your website.

4. Keep your site fresh and up-to-date.
Adding content regularly to your website helps with search engine rankings and visitor’s impressions of your business. Nothing is worse than seeing a website that hasn’t been refreshed in years. Keep your site current and full of informative value to visitors. Use your site as a sales tool for customer presentations and to lower costs of sales.

5. Make your site easy to use.
Your website is not a video game whose purpose is to challenge visitors. Make your site easy to use, easy to read and make information easy to find. Put your most important site navigational topics on the left of the page as this is where the eye goes first. Include a site map so people can readily find needed information. Every page should offer a link to the home page and try to keep visitors no more than one click away from necessary information. Make sure your website is easy to read and free of “clutter.”

6. Read your website traffic reports and do something smart with the data.
Website traffic reports and website analytics offer tremendous chances for you to learn more about your site visitors and their behaviors. Learn where they come to your site, where they go while on your site, what they are looking for, what they respond to and more. A systematic review of your website traffic reports, along with regular site analytics performed by a certified eMarketer, should be considered a vital part of any key performance indicator metrics for business.

7. Spend more money and attention on website marketing.
Reallocate your marketing dollars and time from traditional efforts to online marketing. Over 15% of all advertising impressions occur online and yet less than 8% of business dollars are spent on online marketing. The internet is the most valuable marketing vehicle in the past 100 years. Its popularity and use is rapidly increasing with no signs of slowing. Too many business people do not feel comfortable with online marketing and websites and thus fail to give these subjects the attention they deserve. Don’t let a lack of familiarity become a barrier to business results. Devote the attention and the resources to online marketing and watch ROI that will blow your mind.

© 2005 Brian Offenberger. All rights reserved. Brian Offenberger owns the copyright to this article. You may distribute it freely as long as you keep the article, its copyright and its byline intact.

Fly on budget

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Nov 092021
 

Looking at the oil prices lately you may decide to skip this year’s vacation because the flight tickets will cost you a fortune. But what about flying for free from London to Barcelona or for just 130$ from US to Germany? This will be perfect deal if you know how to find it.

It took almost a decade after the European Open-Sky Treaty of 1992 enabled airlines to fly anywhere they wished in the EU without government approval to see the business booming. But this phenomenon is observed not only in Europe – low-cost airlines are available all over the world and you can find a comprehensive list and traveler’s tools on www.travelweaver.net.

The low-cost airlines are also known as budget, low-price, discount or no-frills airlines. In order to keep the prices low they provide ticket-less travel, online ticket sales and have no offices internationally; most of them don’t provide free food or beverages as well as in-flight magazines; also they don’t participate in frequent flyer programs and don’t have club lounges. One of the main characteristics of the low-cost airlines is that they have limited coverage and use secondary airports, which are less convenient for commuting.

Although the price looks really attractive there are also some catches and you need to be careful with the low-cost airlines. For example there is no possibility to reschedule the ticket and you will lose all the money if you try to cancel it; the baggage limit can also be lower than on the traditional carriers. In all the cases you need to calculate the price for transportation to the secondary airport and plan for the additional time you will need to get there.

One of the oversea carriers that offer cheap flights is Condor. They offer discount flights from Frankfurt to many destinations around the world. You can fly with them to Las Vegas, Orlando or LA for around 130$ (99 €). There is one more ThomasCook company that offers cheap flights oversee while most of the low-cost airlines like Rynair and Air Berlin offer only intra-continental flights.

The key for cheap travel is to plan you trip early and monitor the prices for some time before you buy. If you go to Rynair’s web site for example you can even find tickets for free depending on when you want to fly. If you have planned your vacation early you may find really good deals with traditional carriers too. Look for flights at least couple of months before your schedule your vacation. Also subscribe for the airlines or travel sites newsletters because then you will receive timely information for deals and offers.

Also keep in mind that the travel search engines do not comprehensively search the Web and retrieve the lowest prices. Some airlines do not permit third parties to book their seats and others are launching a lobbying effort intent on overturning the regulations to advertise the actual price they would charge the customer.

Buying the trip from two different carriers may make sense sometimes if the overall price is lower that the combined price for both of them. Very often for example you can fly very cheap in one direction and need to pay expensive ticket on the way back. Look for prices from other carrier in this case and just combine the whole trip. I personally combined trips from Condor and Continental to fly from Frankfurt/Main to Seattle and the overall fair was less than 300 $ while the traditional carriers like BA, Air France or KLM would have charged me 4 times more.

Also one good source for checking air prices is www.farecast.com which compares the airline tickets and makes projections of the prices. They base their algorithm on a comprehensive analysis of prices from the past. They are pretty new start-up and their coverage is not very comprehensive at the moment but you may consider using them in the future.

Don’t take the conservative approach and rely only on one source of information, Internet allows you to do the research you need to find the best offer and take the most of your vacation.

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