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Archive for December, 2008

In the evolution of marketing, one trend that has thankfully become a mainstay in the strategic planning process of today’s innovative businesses is the practice of niche-marketing. In brief, it is the deliberate attempt to more narrowly define your marketing message so it speaks clearly and powerfully to a small market segment whose needs you are uniquely qualified to meet. Companies who have jumped on the niche-marketing bandwagon are successfully navigating the rough whitewaters of today’s uncertain economy and are demonstrating that a company can never stop “fine-tuning” their strategy for growth. Having made this point, you may be expecting us to lament about the many reasons you should incorporate niche-marketing into your strategy for growth, or expound upon the 6 steps you should take to more narrowly define your customer profile. While these are certainly worthwhile endeavors, that is not the focus of this article. In fact, narrowly defining your target customer is a difficult task for most direct selling companies, due to the fact that their increasingly diverse distributor base reaches an ever widening target customer. Any direct seller will tell you that it is not uncommon to find at an in-home show, the hostess’ 16-year old niece sitting alongside her 72-year-old grandmother. Niche-marketing is a challenge at best for direct selling companies and would make for an interesting topic of a future article. Instead, we use the example of niche-marketing to make a point that there is great value in knowing – without a doubt – who your customer is and suggest that this same concept can be used to understand your distributors and ignite your business. What’s this miracle elixir that will improve distributor loyalty, increase retention, revitalize recruiting and strengthen distributor moral? It’s something called… niche-servicing. Put simply, niche-servicing is the effort on the part of a company to narrowly define the various segments that exist within its distributor base, going to great lengths to understand, acknowledge and meet the unique needs of each of these segments. Stop for a moment and let that sink in. In fact, go back and read the definition once again so that you grasp the significance and value of this new concept. Now that we have your attention, let’s take a closer look at the four components of niche-marketing and how you might employ them within your business. Component #1: Narrowly define the various segments within your distributor base. This means that you no longer see your distributors as one cohesive group with similar interests, needs and motivations. To do this, you’ll need to extract some data that can give you a better picture of who you are serving. For example, what percentage of your sales force falls into the four age ranges: 29 and under, 30 to 45, 46 to 65, and 65 and over? What other groups exist within your distributor base? Are there significant size groups of stay-at-home moms, single moms, husband and wife teams, “Internet Only” distributors, or rural dwellers who may be in an area all on their own? Find out if there are specific ethnic communities within your sales force. Know where they are located and meet the leaders of these groups. Knowing the “genetic make up” of your sales force is the first step to implementing niche-servicing within your direct selling company. Component #2: Understand the unique needs of each of these segments. This requires that you invest some time and resources in researching each segment you have identified as being significant. Two methods of getting to know a specific segment of your distributor base are surveys and focus groups. While face-to-face research is ideal, it can be costly. Randomly selecting a group within a segment and flying them in for an all day focus group would certainly provide you with a wealth of information and create massive good will within that segment however, it may not be in your R&D budget just yet. A less expensive alternative is to utilize your company’s website to gather the necessary insights from your primary distributor segments. Interactive on-line surveys are ideal, in that they allow you to capture the results in a format that can be analyzed statistically as well as objectively. On-line chats with a particular segment are another way to open up dialogue and better understand what a particular segments needs. Component #3: Acknowledge the unique needs of each segment. The first outward step to incorporating niche-service into your strategic plan is to simply acknowledge these groups as valued segments of your distributor base. This may be as simple as putting the spotlight on a success story within a particular ethnic group each month, or establishing an award for a husband and wife team who exemplify true partnership in business and in life. Acknowledgment of distributors who are single moms may come in the form of an annual college scholarship that is awarded to the son or daughter of a star distributor who is succeeding in business while raising a family on her own. There are endless ways to acknowledge and bond with these unique segments. In fact, the simple act of recognizing the challenges a particular group may face can do more good for distributor moral than you ever imagined. Component #4: Find innovative ways to meet the unique needs of each segment. Here is where a company puts its money where its mouth is, by going the extra mile to meet the needs of their primary segments. This may include adding a few pages to the company website that speaks specifically to a particular segment or offering special breakout sessions at your national convention that offer solutions to the unique needs of seniors, Hispanics or distributors who also juggle a 9-5 job. If you have a considerably sized segment under the age of 28, niche-service might include a “Generation X” Conference that features retro music, young keynote speakers and a message that hits a cord with this very special generation. As we round the corner and head further into the 21st century, consider the value of forgoing the “cookie cutter” approach to servicing your distributors and incorporate niche-service into your strategic plan. Your reward will be greater loyalty and an influx of distributors who see your company uniquely positioned to meet their specific needs.

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At prices that ranged from $499.00 to $599.00 Apple’s new iPhone hit the market on June 29th. The launch was without a doubt an incredible success, with lines around the corner all over the United States waiting patiently (sometimes) for the latest and greatest high tech toy. The iPhone however has turned out to be more tool than toy. Apple is now changing the way cell phones and cell phone accessories are being used. And what is Apple turning them into? A powerful media and communications device that can fit in your pocket. Apple has been positioned as the friend of the people, standing against the corporate might of an unforgiving Microsoft. While this stance is more a marketing campaign than a mission statement, Apple is a strong competitor and is certainly a viable alternative to the traditional PC product. In the 80’s the Macintosh stood against the PC, and succeeded in the educational and creative community (the niche markets Apple wanted to begin with). Now the iPhone has will take Apple into the bleeding edge of technology, and it appears they are leading the charge. Specifically the iPhone is: Operating System • OS X Video • Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats Wireless Data • Bluetooth 2.0+EDR • Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) • EDGE Display • 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 160 dpi • 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen multi-touch display • Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously Storage • 4GB or 8GB flash drive1 Camera • 2.0 megapixels Audio • Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV • Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz With a price tag between $499.00 and $599.00 the iPhone isn’t cheap. The vast majority of the marketplace will be unable or unwilling to pay this amount for a “phone”. As the word gets out however the market will slowly become aware that although this is called an “iPhone”, it isn’t a phone. This is something new altogether, and from a holistic standpoint the price is right. Now in a single device you can listen to your favorite song, call your friends, read a web page, send an email, or watch a movie. Yes, watch a movie. Those stats certainly don’t read like a phone. But what about the traditional problems that are inherent with traditional PDAs or other wireless Internet devices such as tiny keypads and endless function screens, or the stylus that would never actually input the correct information? All gone. The iPhone is accessed via a touch screen with a virtual keypad that changes depending on the function the user is attempting to access. So it looks like a phone when you are making a call, and it looks like a keyboard when you access the Internet or send an email. The iPhone uses the Safari browser, so current Apple users will already be familiar with the look and feel. Also, don’t worry about spelling errors in your email as the iPhone will auto-correct just like you are accustomed too.

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A week in the life of a property scout can be as predictable, unpredictable, or as fun as the scout wants it to be. Just imagine yourself living this fun week this couple discusses below… and all because they chose the right work from home business opportunity. Monday. “We got home so late today from our weekend down at the beach. I just don’t feel like working today, Honey. Let’s go out to dinner at that nice restaurant and then call it a day.” “That sounds great to me, Dear.” Tuesday. “Honey, while you and the kids are at the mall, I’m gonna hit the Web for a few hours and hook us up some promising properties. We have a rockin’ company contest going on this week and I plan to win it.” “Great, Dear – what’s the contest?” “First one with 2 accepted submissions this week gets a 3-day vacation to any one of over 50 destinations. Since we went to the beach past weekend, I want to go the mountains next time. That work for you, Honey?” “Yes, Dear. “Great – have fun at the mall. Be safe!” Four hours pass, and the mall shoppers return. “Hey, Honey – How’s it goin’ on the property search?” “I only looked in one database and I found four promising properties, made a quick call on all four, and one of them looks really sweet. I have a phone appointment with that seller tomorrow afternoon.” “That’s nice, Dear. I picked up some steak and lobster for dinner. Is that OK with you?” “Sure, Dear, even though we already had that at the beach this weekend, it’s one of my favorites, too. Thanks to all that research we did and the right choice we made picking the right work from home business opportunity – we can afford it, Dear.” Wednesday. “How was your golf game today, Dear?” “I humbled them! That new set of clubs really helped my game a ton.” “That’s nice, Dear. I talked to that seller and she’s faxing me all the stats on that promising property I found. Looks like this one could be a real cherry. I also got three other packages faxed in from last week on different deals. I really think a couple of those are duds judging from the numbers, but Ill submit them any way and see what happens. The other one of the three looks pretty good.” “That’s nice, Dear. Feel like dinner at that nice Chinese place and a movie tonight? I want to see that funny Borat movie.” “Sure, Dear. I’m done for the day. We can do whatever you want to do tonight. Want to get a sitter?” “Yes, Dear. Let’s have a nice night out together for the two of us.” Thursday. “Tomorrow’s Friday. What do you and the kids want to do this weekend? Want to go to our cabin on the lake and hang out and fish a little, you know, that ‘get-back-to-nature’ thing we enjoy?” “Sure. Let’s invite the Smiths from next door, too. They can bring their Jet Skis, and with our boat and their Jet Skis, all the kids will have a ball. Jerry Smith asked me to explain our work from home business opportunity we chose, and this will be the prefect time to do it.” “Sounds great to me. Please give them a call, and then you all run to the store and stock us up for the weekend. I have a few calls to make, and I’ll also put in a couple of hours – and snag some more promising properties to investigate while you’re gone to the store.” “OK, Dear – and I already know what you’ll say – ‘Please, no more steak and lobster right now.’ Right, Honey?” “I knew I married way over my head when you said “Yes,” Dear.” I’ll see you when you get back.” Three hours pass, and the shoppers return. “Hi, Honey. We’re back, and all stocked up for the lake. How’s your afternoon been?” “Great, Dear! Not only did I find out that one of the properties I thought was a dead duck turned out to be worth checking out, a broker friend of someone I already did a deal for called me and hooked us up with two new properties to check out. And I’ve never even talked to this guy before!” “That’s nice, Dear. Why don’t you just take Friday off, and let’s head out to the lake a day early. If you absolutely have to work you can use our new satellite Internet and cell connections out there.” “Great idea, Dear. That works for me. Let’s do it!” Friday. “Honey, the Smiths are ready any time we are. Let’s get out of here early this morning. You can bring your laptop, and you can make any calls on your cell on the way to the lake. If you need to do some emails or a little work, you can do all that when we get there and we’re unloading the van.” “Let’s do it.” “So – how did your week go this week, Honey? What did you end up working – maybe 20 hours or so?” “Yes, Dear – about 20 – more or less. I found 11 new properties worth checking out, talked to 4 sellers, got in 3 packages, submitted all three, and also got that call from the guy I didn’t even know – remember that referral from the guy I already did a deal with? – and he flipped me a couple of deals to check out that might be pretty sweet.” “That’s nice Dear. How much money did you make this week?” “Cash, you mean, Honey?” “Yes, Dear – you know – that green stuff that pays off the plastic stuff we use so freely every day?” “So I married a comedienne, eh? Well, Honey, till the deals I submitted this week go through the process, we won’t know. But I did notice that the two $15,000.00 checks I got over the last 10 weeks seemed to work OK for you.” “Yes, Dear, those were very nice. I’m not worried about it – just trying to stay abreast of your amazing business your doing now. I am so thankful that you’re doing that property scouting. Let’s head out to the lake now.” = = = If for some reason you, dear reader, view what you just read as a fairy tale, you have apparently never experienced the freedom and power of working for yourself in a real, legitimate work from home business opportunity that has the raw power to change your life full-circle in less than a year. Property scouting offers its participants precisely that option. Instead of accepting ‘average’ as a lifestyle, these people simply want an honest chance to make some life changes, so they have ‘found a home.’ Is it easy? Yes. How difficult would you say looking at an Internet database is, if someone asked you? How easy is your J-O-B? Does it take a lot of time? It takes exactly as much time as you want to give it. I’d be lying to you if I said that the person who devotes a few minutes a day is likely to have the same results at the same pace as the person who approached it seriously, though. Does your J-O-B take up your time? Comparing property scouting to another work from home business opportunity, can you make any decent money, you wonder? Well, the property scouts determine their own income every single day. Some will play around with it and pick up an extra $30,000.00 a year or so. Others will generate for themselves and their family an extra $300,000.00. What will your J-O-B generate for the roughly 2,000 hours you’ll put in this year? So the real question really is – how bad do you want your own work from home business opportunity? Do you have the mindset to take a chance at really achieving your dreams? Do you have the real, true perseverance to stick with it till it works? Do you seriously want to be something other than another statistic at your current J-O-B? Do you really want to be paid for what you contribute, instead of others taking all the credit and making all the money? No one but you can answer those questions for you. I can tell you one thing for certain – if you really want it, you can really find it as a property scout. Your decision right now will determine if your ‘make eight and hit the gate’ J-O-B will continue to define you, or you’ll take a stand right now and reach for more… if you want more for yourself… and maybe want more for those people you say you care about. You can have predictable, unpredictable, or fun weeks for the rest of your life. Choose carefully. This is your chance. Property Scouting is the work from home business opportunity that can deliver everything you’re looking for – and more.

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Excitement is building with just over a week to wait until the launch of the Apple iPhone in the UK. O2 have signed a deal with Apple which guarantees the network exclusive rights to provide contract deals for the iPhone and will surely produce a huge surge in customers. Other retailers such as The Carphone Warehouse are already providing customers with a preview of the handset price and O2 tariff options. The Apple iPhone looks fantastic. If fact it is looks and works so good that Apple has decided to base future iPod designs on the iPhone. The touch screen interface is revolutionary in the world of mobile phones. Although it has been done before on other mobile phones and PDA’s, it has never been quite in the same style or manner that the iPhone offers. The Apple iPhone brings all the capabilities you would expect from a top of the range iPod including music and video, a 3.5-inch widescreen display, an 8GB flash drive and allows you to connect to your iTunes library. The battery life is far better than a normal mobile phone and allows up to 8 hours talk time. WiFi and GPRS connectivity allow for fast email and Internet browsing within the simple and easy to use Safari browser. But the Apple iPhone is more about the experience. Apple has spent a lot of time getting their user interface just right and the result is sublime. For starters the iPhone automatically recognises whether you are holding and viewing the phone horizontally or vertically and adjusts the screen accordingly. The touch screen does not only respond to simple button touches but also to finger movements. For example to scroll through your contacts or play lists you simply slide your finger across the screen and the iPhone responds as a computer software program would when you use the scroll bar. There are also certain finger actions which allow you to zoom in and out when viewing web pages or photos. Even the keypad lock is operated by sliding your finger across the phone to prevent you from mistakingly using the iPhone’s touch screen buttons. There is one single traditional button at the bottom of the iPhone which allows you to quickly return to the mail menu. The Apple iPhone only includes a 2 megapixel camera which is far behind the current technology supplied through other mobile phone manufacturers. Surprisingly there is no option to capture video through the iPhone camera which, when you consider that Apple products focus a lot on allowing users to watch video, seems very peculiar. This gives you the feeling that the camera was a last minute add-on and was not entirely thought through properly. The iPhone breaks the mold and has created a huge jump in mobile phone user interface displays which other mobile phone manufacturers must be scurrying around to try and catch up with Apple. Although there are currently some other fantastic phones on the market, such as the Nokia N95 which offers greater technology, the Apple iPhone is about to become the best selling mobile phone of the year, partly though the hype it has received but mainly because it is such a fantastic revolutionary product.

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College students spend an enormous amount of money on day to day living and school expenses. Dorms, books, and food alone will cost parents thousands of dollars per semester. Finding places to cut costs can be difficult, but one major expense can be avoided. Laptop computers are very quickly becoming a necessity for any student, and they are costly. Finding a cheap laptop that will get the job done can save a great deal of money. Many have found the answer in Refurbished Laptops. A refurbished laptop is one that has been returned to the manufacturer and has been restored to a “like new” state. Although the computer is not damaged, it can’t be sold as new so the price is slashed heavily. A $2000.00 laptop might be sold as a refurbished item for $900.00 and be no different that it’s new counterparts. This means that for less than half the cost, a powerful like new laptop can be purchased, and in many cases be placed under warranty in the same way a new laptops would. Almost every major computer manufacturer offers refurbished laptops including IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell. Once a refurbished manufacturer is chosen, the laptop specifics must be looked at to make sure the computer can get the job done. Students are looking for a laptop that is: •Sturdy – Students are on the move, and their laptop will take some damage in its time. Make sure the computer is tough. •Fast – The computer needs to keep up with the student so processor speed and memory is very important. These are not the two areas to cut cost. •Light Weight – No one wants to carry a 50 pound boat anchor around in their already heavy book bag. Make sure the refurbished laptop is as portable as it needs to be. •Wireless – The laptop should already be wirelessly enabled or have an open slot for a wireless card. Universities are becoming wireless hot spots and every student should be able to take advantage of this. •Powered – Make sure that the life of the laptop battery is respectable, and purchase a rechargeable back-up so there is always battery power available. There is more that should be considered of course, but most options will depend on the needs of the individual. One drawback of a refurbished laptop is that in most cases there is very little customization that can be done before the point of purchase. These computers are already built and ready to go so if you don’t like a particular option then you need to buy another laptop. This doesn’t mean that changes can’t be made by the user after purchase, but any further customization will cost additional money and the user needs to be proficient in making the upgrade.

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It is not surprising to find many fake designer handbags in the market nowadays. Many people purchase these items because they are way cheaper compared to their original counterparts that cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars. In fact, according to the International Chamber of Commerce the manufacturing and selling of fake goods actually make up 7% of the world trade. You would have to agree with me that the craftsmanship and the exquisite work done on these knockoff or replica designer handbags have really improved over the years that even experts are having a difficulty of determining the fake over the genuine ones. You may think that you have saved yourself some money by opting for a knockoff but have you ever thought about the consequences that come with it? While buying fake goods and merchandise is not considered a crime, you are robbing the government from the supposed taxes that these sellers are supposed to be paying. Illegal activities are also being financed from the money that syndicates get from selling these knockoff designer bags. With the growing emergence of these famous brand copies into the market and with certain people out there who are out to defraud others by passing fake designer handbags as originals, it is very important that we bear in mind some tips to help us at least determine if we are purchasing a fake. Research and be in the know of the price range of the particular line of designer handbags that you fancy. You can always expect replicas or knockoffs to be sold at a much cheaper price. Try to examine as well the material it is made of. Most fake designer handbags are made of materials with inferior quality although you now have to be careful because certain copiers are also trying to make them in almost the same quality as the authentic ones or what they call “first class” copies. Originals are never sold on the street, on small kiosks, at flea markets and on auction sites (though there are a few who sell originals on auction sites but most are no longer brand new). Purchase originals from the brand’s retail outlets or boutiques. Be very cautious when going online and it is advisable that you visit the brand’s official website to be assured of an authentic buy. Most knockoffs have the brand names misspelled, the details inaccurately and not cleanly done as well as not being packaged appropriately.

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Since the introduction of mass media, academic debates in the field of communications and among the everyday discussions of citizens around the world, tend to emphasize on the importance of news and entertainment media as mediums of political discourse, and especially on their role as dynamic forces to nations’ democratization. In United States particularly, scholars and observers place considerable responsibility upon the shoulders of new media for the current state of U.S. polity and culture. When the term new media was first introduced, critics that studied it entered the sphere of hope, trying to evaluate whether the new technological forms could foster participation, increase the level of awareness regarding politics among citizens, and reestablish interaction. Internet chat rooms, talk shows, live TV shows, and all interactive multimedia networks of various forms, fueled and continue to feed this hope, which makes contemporary critics believe that the significance of politics could be understood by the vast majority, decreasing lack of interest. But have things changed due to the introduction and use of these new media forms? Do people feel more democratized and are they better involved in the political processes that govern their everyday lives? Unfortunately, as different studies suggest, new media have altered not the number of people involved, but actually the scope of their interest in public policy and politics. That is mainly because new media technologies provide both new challenges and dangers. There is the danger that a new technopoly will further colonize everyday life, as consumers passively absorb 500 plus channels of the same old cultural forms. Yet the new technologies also provide individuals with weapons to produce new forms of culture and to program their own cultural environment. The overwhelming increase in media technologies ready to enter the consumer market and attract attention, suggests that there is still hope out there for new media to realize their role in the democratization process of contemporary citizens. At the same time, one has to keep in mind that a variety of studies argue that a person’s critical media pedagogy ultimately requires the restructuring of the media, schooling, and everyday life. Contemporary societies are producing wondrous new technologies and immense social wealth, but it is unequally distributed and often used as forms of domination and destruction, rather than to promote human betterment. Critical media pedagogy must intervene in this challenging and threatening situation and struggle to overcome the worst features of existing societies and cultures by striving to create better ones. Critical media pedagogy actually inevitably intersects with progressive politics and the project of radical social transformation. To the extent that these outcomes contribute to the democratization of today’s citizens, they are advancing both the theoretical base of analysis and peoples’ political interest, in the present ambiguous political moment. A rich American tradition of critical media analysis and pedagogy can aid people make their way further into the corporate-dominated, advertising-saturated, information-and-communication-based, world economic order of this century and beyond. As more and more people are getting increasingly sick of politics as theatre, confrontation, conspiracy, cynicism and policy emptiness and they do have a hunger for substance, they search for ideas that really do seem to be addressing the problems they are experiencing and feeling in their daily lives, will lead them to find the political players who will share those pre-occupations and be able to relate to them at a direct and human level.

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