Atricle Dump - Business

Build Great Habits
Best-selling author, John Grisham, was a practicing defense lawyer in 1984 when he began writing his first novel (A Time to Kill). Because his job demanded 60 to 70- hour weeks, he came to work several hours early for three years to work on the book. Some mornings it was the last thing he wanted to do, and no one was forcing him (only his wife knew about it). Still, he did it, and three years later he had a book that no one was interested in publishing. By this point, he recounts, the habit of writing every morning was so strong that he started his next book, The Firm, the very next day.Building habits, especially habits of excellence, are difficult. They take a great deal of time, effort, and self-discipline. But the rewards can be phenomenal. For example Grisham has written a bestseller every year since 1988 and was the top-selling author of the 1990s. Here are some specific tips for how to build great habits:Connect with a purposeDiscover a personal cause that motivates and inspires you in the right direction. Help other people discover their personal causes, and create a common cause that all team members can rally behind. This will build momentum toward a great habit.Start with youBe honest about your own habit of excellence. Be an excellent role model to yourself and others every day. Expect a strong effort from yourself and others. Make decisions and try to satisfy your own motivational needs.Be consistent and persistentLike Grisham — as with any demanding effort to form a habit — you will be tempted to fall back into old comfortable ways, telling yourself, “Just this one lapse won’t matter.” Actually, every slip can take you all the way to the bottom of the hill, and you may find it difficult to start back up. In fact, the more times you allow yourself to slip, the less energy you have to climb. We are self-disciplined when we do what we know we should do regardless of whether or not we feel like doing it. Again, connection to your purpose is vital. The key to willpower is want power. You will do it if you want it enough. Go slow and take it one step at a time. The smaller the hill, the easier it is to climb. If you set out to climb a mountain before you are prepared, your chances of success dwindle. Make small changes over time. Focus on just a few things and keep it simple.Get helpTell people what you’re doing and what your goal is. The more people you tell, the harder it is not to do it. You can also use the support and influence of other people to help you achieve your goal. For instance, it’s easier to continue an exercise routine at the local gym if you have a partne

es detailed planning, persistence and patience.

You'll need a sales letter. Check the sales letter you receive in the mail; analyze how these are written and pattern yours along the same lines. You'll find all of them---all those worthy of being called sales letters---following the same formula: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action on the part of the reader---AIDA.

Jump right in at beginning and tell the reader how he's going to benefit from your newsletter, and keep emphasizing right on thru your "PS", the many and different benefits he'll gain from subscribing to your newsletter. Elaborate on your listing of benefits with examples of what you have, or you intend to include, in your newsletter.

Follow these examples with endorsements or testimonials from reviewers and satisfied subscribers. Make the recipient of your sales letter feel that you're offering him the answer to all his problems on the subject of your newsletter.

You have to make your prospect feel that "this is the insider's secret" to the success he wants. Present it to him as his own personal key to success, and then tell him how far behind his contemporaries he is going to be if he doesn't act upon your offer immediately.

Always include a "PS' in your sales letter. This should quickly restate to the reader that he can start enjoying the benefits of your newsletter by acting immediately, and very subtly suggesting that he may not get another chance to get the kind of "success help" you're offering him with this sales letter.

Don't worry about the length of your sales letter---most are four pages or more; however, it must flow logically and smoothly. Use short sentences, short paragraphs, indented paragraphs, and lots of sub-heads for the people who will be "scanning thru" your sales letter.

In addition to the sales letter, your

Sunday: Your Daily Yellow Page Ad Review
Sorry to be bugging you on your day off, but after you’ve been to church, had lunch with the family or been out golfing, return with me to your den and take a moment to look at your ad. In review, until now, I’ve had you create a more effective headline, sub-head, photo, body text, and made you consider your ad size, placement, and type of customer you are targeting. So, what could possibly be so important that I would bother you on a Sunday afternoon? Well, it’s just this very important thing you have to do to measure your ad if you don’t want to waste your money. It’s called tracking.Even if all the elements are in place, you have to know if the ad is getting you the results you hoped for. This is especially crucial if you have other forms of advertising. Suppose you have newspaper, direct mail, and Yellow Pages. When the customer calls in, how do you know which of the media is working? Or, if you have several YP ads, which is the one carrying its weight? There are many ways to track the results, beginning with the ad itself. You could place a special phone number in the ad that isn’t listed anywhere else. When that line rings, it’s from a specific ad. Or place a line of copy that says, “Ask for Fred for a discount.” In another ad, it says, “Ask for Bob.”If the ad is already in the book, jot down every page number with the various ads and have the person answering your phone ask for that number at the end of the call. Then have a notepad next to each phone and tally the results weekly or monthly. Of course, you have to train each employee to ask for that number. But it’s important to know how many calls come directly from your YP ad to gauge the effectiveness. Anyway, it’s a day of rest but I just wanted you to be thinking of ways to insure that your program is a success.Speaking of success, you may want to learn about all the other vital elements to your ad. Right about now, you also might also be asking yourself how I know so much about directory advertising.Well, I was a YP rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I’ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have experience in creating ads and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective ones. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in essentials areas like the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. You must also understand the ROI or return on investment and learn how to track the results as well.So consider getting some expert advice before you place your n

Writing and publishing a successful newsletter is perhaps the most competitive of all the different areas of mail order and direct marketing. You can still publish newsletter through regular mail. With Internet's help, you can publish your newsletter online. You can reach hundreds of subcribers without costing any postage - it is called eZine publishing.

Five years ago, there were 1500 different newsletters in this country. Today there are well over 10,000 with new ones being started every day. It's also interesting to note that for every new one that's started, some disappear just as quickly as they are started...lack of operating capital and marketing know how being the principal causes of failure.

To be successful with newsletter, you have to specialize. Your best bet will be with new information on a subject not already covered by an established newsletter.

Regardless of the frustrations involved in launching your own newsletter, never forget this truth; There are people from all walks of life, in all parts of this country, many of them with no writing ability what so ever, who are making incredible profits with simple two-four- and six page newsletters.

Your first step should be to subscribe to as many different newsletters and mail order publications as you can afford. Analyze and study how the others are doing it. Attend as many workshops and seminars on your subject as possible. Learn from the pros. Learn how the successful newsletter publishers are doing it, and why they are making money. Adapt their success methods to your own newsletter, but determine to recognize where they are weak, and make yours better in every way.

Plan your newsletter before launching it. Know the basic premise for its being, your editorial position, the layout, art work, type style, subscription price, distribution methods, and every other detail necessary to make it look, sound and feel like the end result you have envisioned.

Lay out your start up needs; detail the length of time it's going to take to become established, and what will be involved in becoming established. Set a date as a milestone of accomplishment for each phase of your development; A date for breaking even, a date attaining a certain paid subscription figure, and a monetary goal for each of your first five years in business. And all this must be done before publishing your first issue.

Most newsletter publishers do all the work themselves, and are impatient to get the first issue into print. As a result, they neglect to devote the proper amount of time to the market research and distribution. Don't start your newsletter without first having accomplished this task!

Market research is simply determining who the people are who will be interested in buying and reading your newsletter, and the kind of information these people want to see in your newsletter as a reason for continuing to buy it. You have to determine what it is they want form your newsletter.

Your market research must give you unbiased answers about your newsletter's capabilities of fulfilling your prospective buyer's need for information; how much he's willing to pay for it, and an overall profile of his status in life. The questions of why he needs your information, and how he'll use it should be answered. Make sure you have the answers to these questions, publish you newsletter as a vehicle of fulfilment to these needs, and you're on your way!

You're going to be in trouble unless your newsletter has a real point of difference that can easily be perceived by your prospective buyer. The design and graphics of your newsletter, plus what you say and how you say it, will help in giving your newsletter this vital difference.

Be sure your newsletter works with the personality you're trying to build for it. Make sure it reflects the wants of your subscribers. Include your advertising promise within the heading, on the title page, and in the same words your advertising uses. And above all else, don't skimp on design or graphics!

The name of your newsletter should also help to set it apart form similar newsletters, and spell out its advertising promise. A good name reinforces your advertising. Choose a name that defines the direction and scope of your newsletter.

Opportunity Knocking, Money Making Magic, Extra Income Tip Sheet, and Mail Order Up Date are prime examples of this type of philosophy...as opposed to the Johnson Report, The Association Newsletter, or Clubhouse Confidential.

Try to make your newsletter's name memorable...one that flows automatically. Don't pick a name that's so vague it could apply to almost anything. The name should identify your newsletter and its subject quickly and positively.

Pricing your newsletter should be consistent with the image you're trying to build. If you're starting a "Me-too" newsletter, never price it above the competition. In most instances, the consumer associates higher prices with quality, so if you give your readers better quality information in an expensive looking package, don't hesitate to ask for a premium price. However, if your information is gathered from most of the other newsletters on the subject, you will do well to keep your prices in line with theirs.

One of the best selling points of a newsletter is in the degree of audience involvement instance, how much it talks about, and uses the names of its readers.

People like to see things written about themselves. They resort to all kinds of things to get their names in print, and they pay big money to read what's been written about them. You should understand this fact of human nature, and decide if and how you want to capitalize upon it-- then plan your newsletter accordingly.

Almost as important as names in your newsletter are pictures. The readers will generally accept a newsletter faster if the publisher's picture is presented or included as part of the newsletter. Whether you use pictures of the people, events, locations or products you write about is a policy decision; but the use of pictures will set your publication apart from the others and give it an individual image, which is precisely what you want.

The decision as to whether to carry paid advertising, and if so, how much, is another policy decision that should be made while your newsletter is still in the planning stages. Some purists feel that advertising corrupts the image of the newsletter and may influence editorial policy. Most people accept advertising as a part of everyday life, and don't care one way or the other.

Many newsletter publishers,faced with rising production costs, and viewing advertising as a means of offsetting those costs, welcome paid advertising. Generally the advertisers see the newsletter as a vehicle to captive audience, and well worth the costs.

The only problem with accepting advertising in your newsletter would appear to be that as your circulation grows, so will the number of advertisers, until you'll have to increase the size of your newsletter to accommodate the advertisers. At this point, the basic premise or philosophy of the newsletter often changes from news and practical information to one of an advertiser's showcase.

Promoting your newsletter, finding prospective buyers and converting these prospects into loyal subscribers, will be the most difficult task of your entire undertaking. It takes detailed planning, persistence and patience.

In addition to the sales letter, your

Air Freight Tax - What Are The Charges?
In the United States the Airport and Airway Trust Fund are providing funds for capital improvements to the US airport and airway system and in order to fund the aviation trust fund taxes have been imposed on both commercial and non-commercial aviation. Below we are going to look at air freight tax and what exactly it is with reference to the United States.There are two types of taxes that are imposed on the air freight services as follows: 1. Waybill tax imposed on freight transportation. 2. Fuel taxes on gasoline and jet fuel for freight services (non commercial aviation) 1. Waybill TaxIn the United States air freight tax is charged on all domestic air cargo transportation at 6.25% ad valorem excise tax and this tax only applies to transportation that begins and ends in the United States. But unlike air passenger taxes the shippers are the ones liable for the air freight tax payment and so transportation providers are subject to penalties if they fail to make reasonable efforts to collect the tax that has been imposed. In the United States there is no disclosure requirement with regard to air freight tax and this tax expires after the 30 September 2007.2. Fuel Tax Where freight services are concerned (non-commercial aviation) they are only subject to a fuel tax and the rates for both gasoline and jet fuel are shown below.1. Non-commercial aviation is taxed at 19.4cents per gallon of aviation gasoline 2. Non-commercial aviation is taxed at 21.9cents per gallon on jet fuel.Air freight companies also need to factor in an additional 0.1 cent leaking underground storage tank trust fund tax as well.As you will soon discover that in order for air freight companies to make a profit they will usually include a surcharge on their quotations and bills to help towards the cost of the air freight tax that they are required to pay. So it is advisable when looking at using an air freight company in the future you read the small print of their contract in order to know exactly what you are paying for.

nd every other detail necessary to make it look, sound and feel like the end result you have envisioned.

One of the best selling points of a newsletter is in the degree of audience involvement instance, how much it talks about, and uses the names of its readers.

In addition to the sales letter, your

Casting Development Specialists Utilize V-Process Casting Methods to Save $$$Big
The v-process casting method was first developed in Japan as an innovative method for manufacturing precision automotive components. The process is not widely known by engineers in the United States because it is not highly publicized and there are very few producers in North America.But the process is really terrific for a number of reasons:1) the tooling costs are relatively inexpensive.2) tooling changes can be made easily and cost effectively.3) precision castings are made with a smooth surface finish.4) process can be utilized for prototyping as well as supporting production quantities.5) piece price is competitive with die casting through 15,000 pieces.Let's take a look at each one of the five reasons listed above. First, tooling is precision machined out of a polymer that is tough and durable. And very easy to machine. Solid models are downloaded to CNC software which creates the tool paths of machine the patterns. Cutting time is fast and tools can be made over a couple of days.The tools are a replica of the part(model) to be cast. A cope and drag(top and bottom) is made. The tools are then mounted can then be mounted into the V-Process machine. Tooling price ranges from $5,000 to $25,000 (even for the largest parts).Second, tooling revisions. Minor tooling revisions can be made in less than an hour. Major revisions will take longer but still very quickly. If material needs to be added to a certain section of the tool, blocks can be inserted and cnc machined.Third, smooth precision castings. Because the mold is made up of fine sand held together by vacum and a thin(.005 thick) surlyn sheet, the castings have a surface finish 125 rms or better. The castings are produced with a minimum wall thicknes of .125.Fourth, casting setup takes minimal time. Tools can be shuttled in and out of the equipment in about ten minutes. Down time is minimal. Plus the tool can be cycled over and over to produce the required number of parts. Normal production quantities are 500-2000 pieces at a time.Fifth, the process is competitive with die casting. Now with large automated turnstyle type equipment, cycle times for this process are faster than ever. Large components (24" x 18") can be cast just as fast as smaller components. So if you take into consideration tooling costs for large die cast components ( $ 150,000 and up), you can produce a lot of castings in the V-Process and be competitive with die casting.If you would like more information about v-process casting, subscribe to www.manufacturingtips.com and request information on aluminum casting

is vital difference.

One of the best selling points of a newsletter is in the degree of audience involvement instance, how much it talks about, and uses the names of its readers.

In addition to the sales letter, your

Minding Your Own Brand - Is Your Team Ready To Win?
PLAY BALL! Baseball season has begun. All winter, teams have been making deals to acquire the best possible talent. However, star power alone doesn’t win a championship. As Babe Ruth said, “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.” Therefore, smart teams have spent spring training working on creating a team culture, developing team dynamics and molding their group of stars into a cohesive unit who will work together to win a championship this year.I had the privilege to hear Red Sox skipper Terry Francona speak about the 2004 championship Red Sox. He talked about how their historic and odds defying wins were as much about team chemistry and off the field team bond as it was about on the field talent and heroics.Companies can learn from this. When building their team, they need to examine how the talent they hire fits the culture they wish to build. It is hard to change individuals because most people don’t want to critically look at themselves and they hate change. Therefore, instead of just hiring for talent, companies must examine candidates for attitude and team fit.The entire team must be on the same page and working as a unit. An organization will fail if people are acting as individuals and in their own best interest, just like a baseball team may lose if the hitter tries to boost his batting average rather than hit a sacrifice and move the runner closer to home plate. When everyone is aligned, the organization is aligned and heading in the same direction.Traditional business thinking aims to control situations, but companies must avoid the temptation to try to set the culture by force. Companies should stop focusing on controlling employee interactions and focus on matching up people with similar expectations who will build and deliver the desired culture. When you recruit based on shared expectations, less effort will be required to attain success. This is due to the fact that the team will shape their own culture based on these expectations and they will be inspired to advocate for the organization. Because of this, companies will find it easier to recruit and retain other loyal internal and external advocates.If you want to win, hire for attitude and team fit, create an environment where extraordinary things can happen, give your team the power to shape the organization, the resources to get it done, and the guidance to keep it moving forward. If you follow these steps, your team will create an extraordinary culture that builds long-term advocacy, the organization will succeed, and you will have a strong and

y pay big money to read what's been written about them. You should understand this fact of human nature, and decide if and how you want to capitalize upon it-- then plan your newsletter accordingly.

In addition to the sales letter, your

Aircraft Maintenance Management
The customer's safety is of utmost importance and hence it is vital for a comprehensive aircraft maintenance management to be effectual. A dedicated maintenance team must ensure the maintenance of thousands of critical components on the aircraft.There are various software packages that have been developed to ensure that there is no technical snag, before the aircraft is ready for take-off. The sophisticated computer tracking system records and logs all maintenance records of the aircraft. This maintains a record about when the maintenance of a system component is due or when the system itself requires replacement. The companies manufacturing this software also send a factory-trained team. They handle all maintenance requirements of the aircraft.System aircraft management is a software package that is user friendly and used extensively. This software makes aircraft maintenance cost effective and time saving. The software effectively manages the aircraft and its various components. It also manages work orders, inventory, purchase and reliability reporting. This software can be installed on the computer or can also be used as a web based solution. It is configured, keeping in mind the rules of the aviation authorities.The software is updated from time to time and the new releases are sent to the customers for installation on their hardware. Most of the software is promoted in modules that allow the customers to purchase only the modules that are required by them.These maintenance systems are also available in the form of solutions. The customer can access the system through the Internet, from anywhere in the world, without bothering about any hardware or software. They can also rent the system and hence do not have to be concerned about the security and other back-up issues. The maintenance solutions offered in this manner are more cost effective than the software systems.

es detailed planning, persistence and patience.

In addition to the sales letter, your promotion package should include a return reply order card or coupon. This can be either a self addresses business reply postcard, or a separate coupon, in which case you'll have to include a self-addressed return reply envelope. In every mailing piece you send out, always include one or the other; either a self-addressed business reply postcard or a self-addressed return reply envelope for the recipient to use to send your order form and his remittance back to you.

Your best response will come from a business reply postcard on which you allow your prospect to charge the subscription to his credit card, request that you bill him, or send his payment with the subscription start order.

For makeup of this subscription order card or coupon, simply start saving all the order cards and coupons you receive during the next month or so. Choose the one you like best, modify according to your needs, and have it typeset, pasted up and border fit.

Next, you'll need a Subscription Order Acknowledgment card or letter. This is simply a short note thanking your new subscriber for his order, and promising to keep him up to date with everything relating to the subject of your newsletter.

An acknowledgment letter, in an envelope, will cost more postage to mail than an simple postcard; however when you send the letter you have the opportunity to enclose additional material. A circular listing items available through you will produce additional orders.

Thus far, you've prepared the layout and copy for your newsletter. Go ahead and have a hundred copies printed, undated. You've written a sales letter and prepared a return reply subscription order card or coupon; go ahead and have a hundred of these printed, also undated, of course. You'll need letterhead mailing envelopes, and don't forget the return reply envelopes if you choose to use the coupons instead of the business reply postcard. Go ahead and have a thousand mailing envelopes printed. You also need subscription order acknowledgement cards or notes; have a hundred of these printed, and of course don't forget the imprinted reply envelopes if you're going along with the idea of using a note instead of a postcard. This will be a basic supply for "testing" your material so far.

Now you're ready for the big move... The Advertising Campaign.

Start by placing a small classified ad in one of your local newspaper. You should place your ad in an weekend or Sunday paper that will reach as many people as possible, and of course, do everything you can to keep your costs as low as possible. However, do not skimp on your advertising budget. To be successful--- to make as much money as is possible with your idea--- you'll have to reach as many people as you can afford, and as often as you can.

Over the years we have launched several hundred advertising campaigns. We always ran new ads for a minimum of three issues and kept close tabs on the returns. So long as the returns kept coming in, we continued running that ad in that publication, while adding a new publication to test for results. To our way of thinking, this is the best way to go, regardless of the product, to successfully multiply your customer list.

Move slowly. Start with a local, far-reaching and widely read paper, and with the profits or returns from that ad, go to the regional magazines, or one of the smaller national magazines, and continue plowing your returns into more advertising in different publications. By taking your time, and building your acceptance in this manner, you won't lose too much if one of your ads should prove to be a dud. Stay with the advertising. Do not abandon it in favor of direct mail. We would not recommend direct mail until you are well established, and your national classified advertising program is bringing in a healthy profit for you.

Do not become overly ambitious and go out on a limb with expensive full page advertising until you're very well established. When you do buy full page advertising, start with the smaller publications, and build from those results. Have patience keep close tabs on your costs per subscriber, and build from the profits of your advertising. Always test the advertising medium you want to use with a classified ad, and if it pulls well for you, go on to a larger display type ad.

Classified advertising is the least expensive way to go, so long as you use the "inquiry method". You can easily and quickly build your subscriber list with this type of advertisement.

We would not recommend any attempts to sell subscriptions, or any product from classified ads, or even from small display ads. There just isn't enough space to describe the product adequately, and seeing the cost of your item, many possible subscribers will not bother to inquire for the full story.

When you do expand your efforts into direct mail, go straight to a national list broker. You can find their names and addresses in the yellow pages section of your local telephone directory. Show the list broker your product and your mailing piece, and explain what type people you want to reach, and allow them to help you.

Once you've decided on a list to use, go slowly. Start with a sampling of 5,00 names. If the returns are favorable, go to 10,000 names, and then 15,000 and so on through the entire list.

Never rent the entire list based upon the returns from your first couple of samplings. The variables are just too many, and too complicated, and too conductive to your losing your shirt when you "roll out an entire list" based upon returns from a controlled sampling.

There are a number of other methods for finding new subscribers, which we'll explore for you here, detailing the good and the bad as we have researched them.

One method is that of contracting with what is known as a "cash field" agency. These are soliciting agencies who hire people to sell door-to-door and via the phone, almost always using a high pressure sales approach. The publishers usually makes only about 5% from each subscription sold by one of these agencies. That speaks for itself.

Then, there are several major catalog sales companies that sell subscriptions to school libraries, government agencies and large corporations. These people usually buy through these catalog sales companies rather than direct form the publisher. The publisher makes about 10% on each subscription sold for him by one of these agencies.

Co-Op Mailings are generally piggy-back mailings of your subscription offer along with numerous other business offers in the same envelope. Smaller mail order entrepreneurs do this under the name of Big Mail Offers. Coming into vogue now are the Postcard Mailers. You submit your offer on a business reply postcard; the packager then prints and mails your postcard in a package with 40 or 50 similar postcards via third class mail to a mailing list that could number 100,00 or more. You pay a premium price for this type of mailing---usually $1000 To $1500 per mailing, but the returns are very good and you keep all the incoming money.

Another form of co-op mailing is that where you supply a charge card company or department store with your subscription offer as a "statement mailing stuffer". Your offer goes out with the monthly statements; new subscriptions are returned to the mailer and billed to the customer's charge card. The publisher usually makes about 50% on each

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For the beginner, online marketing can be confusing, frustrating, and expensive. The newbie interested in online marketing needs to make a choice between marketing his or her own product or someone else's product. Use these tips for either choice.

Small architectural firms have slowly dwindled, being unable to cope with competition from established larger firms. This makes it essential for the existing small architectural firms to have a well-thought-out marketing plan and effective marketing strategies to become successful firms.

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