Towards A Healthy Economy + Marketing World

Have you ever received a sales letter or marketing piece that didn’t speak to you at all?

What about receiving a communication that addressed you as ‘madam’, when in fact you are a chap? (… and vice versa)

One of the biggest secrets of getting a better response and a higher ROI (Return On Investment) for your marketing messages is to ensure you ‘BEST FIT’ the communication to the differing segments within your list.

Say if you’ve 500 people in your customer list, 25% of them happen to be women, would you necessarily send out the SAME marketing piece to EVERYONE on the list?

Most marketers of products and services… DO EXACTLY THAT! … BIG MISTAKE…

Breaking a list into its various segments, sub-segments, splinter groups, and carefully targeting the message to each of those groups will ensure that everyone is spoken to… specifically and… personally.

Let’s say that 35% of your list is politically aware and have an affiliation to one or other of the particular parties.

Having a ‘dig’ at the opposition party in the mailing, website, promotion, etc, will more likely keep your people locked in and attentive to what you have to say, than if you didn’t include that piece of vital information.

Of course, be sure NOT to send the same mailing piece to everyone on your list!

What are the other important characteristics of a customer group, that could then be split from the whole and separate marketing messages sent to perfectly matched to their desires?

How about breaking the list into:

• Gender
• Income of Customer
• Geography (Country, Postcode etc.)
• Amount a Customer Spends (top buyers, inner circle etc.)
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Most Burning Concerns and Fears

The vital question to take from this article is to ask yourself… “How Best Can I Divide Up My Own Customers So I Can Communicate To Those Specific Groups With More Targeted Messages”.

Happy Slicing and Dicing.

Copyright 2005 Nick James

About The Author

Nick James is a UK based direct marketer and product developer. During the last 3 years Nick has sold in excess of £1 Million of products and sevices. Subscribe to his Free Tip Of The Week at: www.Nick-James.com New Product: www.FlashAudioWizard.com.

Olivia and I returned from going to the rodeo, and we’d been
talking about going swimming. “That would be fun,” I said.
“We’re hot and sticky. Let’s ask your Dad if you can.”

When we got to the house, Olivia ran ahead of me. While I was
talking to her Dad, she came running out in her swimsuit. “We’re
going swimming!” she said, bouncing up and down, “We’re going
swimming!”

You can imagine what transpired. She’d been told she couldn’t go
swimming, and had done an end-run around Nana. She had to go to
her room and take off her swim suit, and she was inconsolable. I
helped her get dressed, while she sobbed. I commiserated with
her sadness and anger, supported her father’s decision, and
agreed with her it was sad, sad. I’d been looking forward to it
myself and it isn’t always easy for me to accept my son as a
higher-authority than me! I didn’t like his reason why she
couldn’t go, so was dealing with my own stuff, looking for a
distraction.

Finally she quieted, brightened up, and said, “Let’s do what an
optimist would do!” We’d been working on that - optimism is an
emotional intelligence competency.

“What would an optimist do?” I asked.

“Think about something happy,” she replied. “Find something else
to do.” She remembers things, that’s for sure.

“What else could we do that would be fun?” I asked her.

“I want to play with Donnie,” she said. He’s the little boy next
door. And off she ran.

I decided to freshen up with the shower and then settle in with
a good book.

Learning “optimism” can’t start too young! When we have a
disappointment, we don’t dwell, we find something else to do
that’s fun, and your child can learn this too.

MILLIONAIRE showers with LADYbug! © 2004 Stephan Ducharme

Stephan Ducharme here,

Here is how to attain freedom with your PC!

This short story will make you realize that you are so close to
freedom if you have a PC (which is obviously the case). So let
me show you how to reach freedom with it:

This morning, there was a Ladybug in the shower floor.

I looked at it and it made me realize that most people are in
the same situation as that Ladybug.

She felt secure on the floor … until I turned on the shower
and water started to fall on the floor. Then she got scared and
she flew on top of the shampoo bottle. But her wings could have
carried her out of the bathroom window. She could have flown
wherever she wanted. But like most people, we simply climb to
the closest step.

So what happened to her right after really scared me.

When the water started to bounce off my head onto the shampoo
bottle, she panicked and to my amazement, she flew back to the
floor where she once found security!!!

Don’t we do that?

So that is the reason why you haven’t succeeded yet!

The bottle of shampoo simply was not the right destination.

Are you doing the good thing online to make any money? 95% of
the websites you have seen don’t make money. If you copy them,
you won’t succeed and first thing you’ll know, you’ll be back to
your 8to5 job, frustrated!

You have seen lots of offers on how to make money with your PC,
but for having bought a lot of programs myself and for being
online for years, I know that very few teachers will show you
the correct and complete way. There exist 9 simple steps and if
I don’t show you each one, then it may take you years to
discover them on your own.

A man called me last week saying he has been online since 1998
and like a lot of people that have been online for many years,
he still hasn’t figured it out.

Once you have read my 9 steps, you will know where the window to
your freedom is.

Click here: http://www.freeadguru.com/cgi-bin/i.pl?c=a&i=25767

Caring for your success,

Stephan Ducharme, The FreeAdGuru

How popular is the cattleya orchid plants? Are they grown by hobbyists or not? How big is the flower? Why are they not popular?

Before we get into the answers for these and other questions let’s look at a bit of history of the cattleya. It is fascinating! Cattleya orchids have been named since the early 19th century.

William Cattley was credited with starting some hybrids from orchids sent to him as packing. The earliest named cattleya was the Cattleya labiata. Since then there has been a mystique about them. From the hobbyist perspective they are probably the most popular plant
.
The cattleya orchid plants have one of the largest flowers, 5 inches across. They are harder to grow as most of them flower only once per year. And the flowers last only about 2 - 3 weeks.

Although the hobbyists are the ones particularly taken with cattleya plants now. They are becoming popular with non-hobbyist because of the size of the flower. These large flowers are exquisite and unique for corsages.

For the cattleya orchid plants to become a main-stay of orchids several things are happening today. The new hybrids are lasting longer and they are blooming more than once per year.

It has been shown that the orchids now can be bred for more frequent blooming. This is important for the non-hobbyist who doesn’t want the plant to be just leaves for 49 weeks a year.

Cattleya orchids also will show the flower for more than 2-3 weeks and some of the hybrids have been shown to have flowers for up to 5 -6 weeks.

Blooming more than once per year is important and actually has sponned another sub-industry. Some of the nurseries across the country will “board” your cattleya between blooming seasons.

Currently the orchid registry in England has not added many hybrids. Over the last 100+ years the numbers have been essentially stagnant. This means these orchid plants have been primarily in the hands of hobbyists and not the general public.

Cattleya must be easier for folks to grow because most of us do not enjoy the benefits of a greenhouse.

Indeed, cattleya orchid plants growers have been making some good progress in the frequency of cattleya blooming frequency and increasing the length of time that the flowers stay in bloom. I feel it will be over the next 2 - 5 years you will see the popularity of these beautiful plants increase.

Did you enjoy this article? If you did sign up for more in our monthly newsletter. You will recieve free “All About Orchids” e-book and a 10% discount on an orchid plant.

The National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors is currently one of the, if not the only known, certified dog training organization. It has an extremely extensive process of evaluation, and does not give certificates away to anyone that walks into one of their courses off the street, it only issues certificates to people they deem fit for the role, and that have enough experience to pass on guidance and advice correctly. Passing their tough course and been issued with the NADOI certification will definitely contribute to your future success in dog training others, but this option is not available to fresh instructors.

There are numerous qualities and advantages that will determine whether or not you will become a good dog trainer. Firstly a love for dogs will go a long way, and it goes without saying, if you try to achieve certification and do not have a passion for the animals then simply do not bother wasting your time of the national association of dog obedience trainers time either. Knowing your love for dogs, you need a good level of communication with fellow dog owners and the general public, as not only are you dog training you are also training the dog owner, so they can put it into practice outside of lessons.

The majority of time spent obedience training is spent with the owner and training people, as it is essential that they know how to train their dog, and put it in all the correct actions at an early stage, so their dog knows what is right or wrong from an early stage, otherwise the dog will never know the difference. Therefore the two main essentials are people skills and of course the love for dogs. Been able to understand people is a must as instructors will be faced with many difficult situations, and good communication will go a long way in helping both the owner and the dog.

Of course there are stacks of private dog training academies around, but none are certified like the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors, and this is the only academy recognized by dog trainers and vets throughout the USA.

More information on Dog Training can be found at the author’s website at http://www.abc-dogtraining.info

If you are anything like me, you have to abide by a strict budget in order to see all of your bills taken care of each month. Most months there aren’t extra dollars laying around to be spent freely on anything you want. Sure, you might splurge on an occasional coffee or two, but for the most part the money you earn goes right to keeping you living each month. I have discovered a small but significant way to help curb my expenses and allow for a small amount of ‘fun money’ each month. Compare prices. It sounds simple and obvious, but my spending habits changed drastically once I began to always compare prices.

One of the biggest areas that I benefited from learning to compare prices is in grocery shopping each week. Rather than just running off to whatever store is closest or more convenient to me, I began to really search the ads and flyers to determine which stores would give me the best deals on the items I needed. I began each week by making a list of all of the grocery items I needed and then I only allowed myself to compare prices for those things. I didn’t let myself just go to the store and fill my cart with whatever caught my eye. No, I had a list and I took time to carefully compare prices. It was amazing the money I saved by purchasing items at stores with the lowest prices.

Learning to compare prices benefited me in other ways than just my grocery bill. Take going to the movie theature for an example. I took time to compare prices of the different show times and I began to see movies only in the afternoon when the prices were more reasonable. While this only saves me a few dollars each time I visit the theature, it adds up when you compare prices for all the movies you see in a full year.

I’ll admit it, I love coffee. One month I decided to compare prices of buying a coffee at a local coffee shop with making my own cup of coffee at home. Not surprisingly, I can save a lot of money by just making my own coffee. I found that I can even let myself purchase some of the best beans that are sold and I still come up with money to spare when I compare prices with local coffee shops.

It is small changes like going to an afternoon movie or brewing my own cup of coffee that have really changed my budget. I had no idea the amount of money that could be saved simply by learning to always compare prices.

Belina Storrey writes only about topics that have changed her life. She is passionate about people learning to compare prices because of how much money she has saved. Check out www.comparepriceshelp.info to learn more.

If you’ve begun searching for a sleeping bag on the Internet, then you already know how overwhelming it can be with all these online camping stores. The good thing is whether you’re buying a double sleeping bag for 2 people or searching for your kid’s favorite sleeping bag, odds are you’ll find it online at cheap discount prices.

There are many features and options people should look for in sleeping bags depending on your needs, such as what is the min/max temperature climate, is the bag material durable on the outside but comfortable on the inside, is it waterproof or water resistant, does it fit to your body shape and size? Sleeping bag insulation is also an important detail to look into, for example, are you looking for a cozy down filling with soft lining or is budget a factor making a synthetic blend a better choice.

You will also find a huge selection of styles to choose from like mummy, inflatable, rectangular, backpacking, semi-rectangular, youth and baby sleeping bags. Choose between the many different colors like blue, pink, yellow, orange, red, green, polka dot and brown. For your children, why not buy a fleece bag with cartoon characters on it like Spiderman, Disney, Bob the builder, NASCAR and Scooby Doo.

For sleeping bags or other camping gear, check out popular name brands like Coleman, North Face, Slumberjack, Marmot, Lafuma, Columbia, Wenger, Kelty, Wenzel and Nebo. If you still want to cut down your options, I would read online consumer reviews and compare sleeping bag ratings on all sorts of bags for camping, as it will make things much clearer.

L. Dente is a successful author and publisher of http://www.discount-camping-gear.org Get information on discount camping gear, cheap equipment and camp supplies like backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, camping furniture, cookware and other camping stuff.

Copyright “The Quipping Queen” 2005.

CALENDAR OF ODD EVENTS - JAN. 2005
– Eccentric events and odd occasions to celebrate in January 2005 –

**Compiled by Lady Beatrice Blitterlees and edited by Lord Earl Craboon

January is, to put it bluntly, a bit of a merry-impaired month as far as the Gregorian calendar is concerned.

With the ho-ho-ho season gone…things start all over again.

The origin of January comes from “Janus”, the god with two faces, one on the front of his head, and one on the back. He’s the guardian of gateways and of beginnings. So now we know who to blame for the ridiculous New Year’s resolution ritual.

Brain cell exercises aside, there are simpler if not slothful ways to get through the first month of winter — by yawning or humming not to mention less taxing titillations such as twiddling one’s thumbs and wiggling one’s ears.

For those who share an abiding interest in mild merriment, modest mirth and marvellous morsels of muddle — this month has your name on it.

So, without further adieu — here are some upcoming odd occasions to add to your “to do” list and eccentric events to celebrate on your January calendar.

Note: The funnybone-impaired should proceed with caution as excessive giggling, glad-handing, and gleams in the eye are known to cause gregarious gleeful behavior which your gloom and doom family members and friends may not understand or appreciate.

JEST JANUARY EVENTS AND CELEBRATIONS

1. NATIONAL NUDE NICK DAY (in honor of Hogmany, Hogwash & Horsefeathers)

2. HOPS N’ SCOTCH DAY (in honor of hung-over heffalumps)

3. BURPING, BELCHING & BREAKING WIND DAY (yup, another survival-of-the-fittest contest)

4. LITTLE LEFT OVERS DAY (dedicated to long-forgotten things in the refrigerator)

5. PIN THE TAIL ON THE DONKEY DAY (a fine way to restore hope in the life of Eeyores)

6. HUG A HIPPOGRIFF (a mythical beast named “Bucktooth” is waiting for you at the petting zoo!)

7. CAPRICORN AWARENESS DAY (are you sure you’re ready to “get someone’s goat”?)

8. BROWN-NOSING DAY (this is your chance to fawn and flatter your way to success)

9. TOUCH TONE TUNE DAY(time to be creative and compose a song using your telephone keypad)

10. PET ROCK RECOGNITION DAY (in honor of boisterous boulders, scintillating stones, and ribald rocks)

11. BAUBLES, BANGLES & BEADS DAY (impress your boss with trashy trinkets, garish gew-gaws, knock’em-dead knickknacks or perhaps a few paddywhacks)

12. NATIONAL CLOCK-WATCHING DAY (in honor of all pathetic procrastinators and ludricrously late-bloomers)

13. “GOTCHA” DAY (better get out the old whooppee cushion and chocolate-covered ants)

14. NATIONAL WORRYWART DAY (brush up on your favorite sky-is-falling stories)

15. GADFLY(homo botflyillucus)CONSERVATION DAY (try cross-pollinating…with a saucy social butterfly…silly)

16. THINGS THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN INVENTED DAY in recognition of strange gizmos or unusual gadgets you’d never be caught dead buying or using)

17. EDIBLE GREEN STUFF DAY(learn to love or at least play quietly with your Brussels sprouts, cabbage or celery)

18. SLOW NEWS DAY(in honor of far-flung factoids, sanctimonious slide shows, and pithyless PowerPoint presentations that put most people to sleep)

19. NATIONAL BAD HAIR & HABERDASHERY DAY (dedicated to folks whose favorite coiffure is a ball-cap worn backwards)

20. NATIONAL LEMING AWARENESS DAY(celebrating the value of cliff-hangers and pro-active followship)

21. NAUGHTY POETRY DAY (honoring wicked haikus, salacious puns and daring double-entendres)

22. JUNGLE MOUTH ELIMINATION DAY(so what’s your favorite mouthwash or toothpaste flavor?)

23. TICKLE A FRIEND DAY(based on gender-neutral, permission-based solictations only)

24. GOOP & GUNK DAY(time for a bit of patty-cake making or harmless mudslinging)

25. HAGGIS & HIGHLAND FLING APPRECIATION DAY (A celebration of strange Scottish customs kept firmly under wraps unless your name is Robbie Burns)

26. SLIDE RULE REMEMBRANCE DAY(if you don’t know, ask an engineer how to use one)

27. SHAGGY DOG STORY DAY(honors any anecdote or joke that lasts more than 5 minutes)

28. GO FLY A KITE DAY (the only way to send your favorite Nemesis up, up, and away!)

29. NATIONAL WET NOODLE DAY (for those who know how to ‘boil water’ but can’t cook with a wok naturally)

30. MERRY VOICE-MAIL GREETINGS DAY (time to create a humorous voice mail message to amaze your family, friends, or work mates)

31. NATIONAL CROSS-DRESSING DAY (what a way to empty your chameleon clothes’ closet!)

About the Author

Lady Beatrice Blitterlees (referred to in polite circles as the Duchess of Dither) and Lord Earl Craboon (better known as the Duke of Doorknobs) are a devoted duo in the Ripsnorting Royal Court of The Quipping Queen (www.quippingqueen.blogspot.com)

A Water Garden Feature without doubt is the cherry on the cake giving the ultimate finish to enhance the beauty of a garden or patio - but unfortunately some gardeners are put off because of the work involved with the installation and maintenance of having a water feature. Cost can also hamper the decision of adding a water garden in your courtyard etc.

Expense may not be an issue if you decide on doing the work your self. If you have a good manual at your side when you take on the task then that is the first step in the right direction - follow the instructions accordingly and all should be okay. By chance if you are not DIY minded then you need not worry because Water Garden Features come in all different shapes and sizes thus cutting costs to meet your budget - where you can have an expert fit the fixture.

Small water garden features not only will save on the pennies but will save on the labour also when it comes to the cleaning. And with what you save you can buy different garden novelties.
Combining a fish pond with a water garden has to be carefully planned if plants like the lotus and lily are used; you need to have access to these. Your water garden needs to be approx 16 to 18 inches deep. This is good depth for plants to flourish. Young plants are not dependant on deep water.
How you ornate your water garden feature is entirely up to you but we do not want is to over do it, to much can spoil the appearance.

Water Gardens that host too many plants and shrubs can lose the effect of what you want to inject from the whole project and that is beauty. Shelving is best kept to a minimum if the feature is small - plants can be elevated on to rocks. Shelving is a good idea - it keeps the fish happy providing them with cover from the rays of the hot sun.

Nature comes to the fore from your Water Garden Feature with uninvited guests - what you have to remember water will always attract aquatic life and also children so be careful. Frogs toads and newts will enjoy your water garden feature just as much as you, if not more - so be prepared. There will be the upkeep of the pond/waterfall you have installed - the work involved with the maintenance will not be heavy work if you keep on top.

Installing a water garden feature is not a complicated mission unless you make it one by not having the right tools for the job. Be sure to obtain a good book with details on how to erect and to find the best place to locate the feature. Also do some research on what flowers and plants are suitable? How to clean and maintain a water garden are all important issues you need to know about and last but not least find out what you have to do to meet with the fishes needs and requirements if there is to be any marine life in your pond or pool.

Safety Tip - When next at the garden store purchase your self some netting or mesh so that the Water Garden Feature can be covered in your absence. This is a safety measure for when - CHILDREN ARE AROUND AND YOU ARE NOT.

Behind the scenes on gardening can be found at
Water Gardens

Information on garden birds
Feathered Friends

When discussing whisky the first thing that needs to be know is that there are two legitimate spellings. The Scotts and Canadians spell whisky without the “e”, while the Irish and Americans spell it with an “e” as in whiskey. This should be the first indication that the world of whisky is a very complicated one and has many regional differences in taste and production. This is part of what makes whisky such an interesting and enjoyable spirit.

Historically it is believed that the Irish were the first to make whiskey, however the Scotts have also laid claim to being the first whisky producers. The Irish used the term “uisce beatha” (”Water of Life” in Gaelic) to describe whiskey, so it must have been important.

Both the Scottish and Irish make whiskey the same way, except for the malting and distillation process. In Scotland the malted barley is roasted over open peat fires to dry, this results in the grain picking up the peat flavour. In Ireland, the malted barely is dried in closed ovens, and is never exposed to the smoke. The process of mashing and fermentation is much the same for both countries. In the distillation step, the Irish, most of the time, distill their product three times, which results in a very pure distillate which makes Irish whiskey exceptionally smooth. The Scottish distill their product twice and this results in more flavour in the spirit.

In North America there is Canadian whisky and American whiskey, which has a number of regional classifications including Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey. Each product in North America is unique and is regulated by the government. Canadian whisky is the number one imported spirit into the United States and is second in consumption only to vodka.

American whiskey has a number of regulation depending on the definition of the product. Bourbon must be made from fermented mash of not less than 51% corn, rye, wheat, malted barely or malted rye grain. It cannot be distilled at a proof higher than 160 and must be stored in new oak barrels at a proof of 125 or less. Blended American whiskey must be made from at least 20% whiskey aged two or more years with the remainder made from unaged neutral grain spirit. American corn whiskey must be made from a minimum mash of 80% corn. Tennessee whiskey follows the same regulations as Bourbon, but is charcoal filtered (Lincoln County Process), so it does not qualify as a bourbon.

Canadian whisky must be ages for at least three years, but for the most part the Canadian government allows the expertise of the distiller to define the characteristics of the final product so there are no limits on distillation proof or barrel requirements. Any Canadian whisky that is aged for less than four years must have the age listed on the bottle. Most Canadian whisky is aged for six or more years. Canadian whisky is generally a blended spirit. The term “blended” means that the final product is made from a number different types of distilled product. For example, a Canadian whisky may be composed of corn, barely, wheat and rye distillates that have been aged in selected used or new oak barrels. Some Canadian producers put all of the grains in one vat and ferment them as a whole and pre-blend and age the distillate. Other producers ferment each grain individually and age each distillate separately and then blend a final product from a mixture of spirits. Most Canadian whisky is distilled twice.

This article has only scratched the surface of the whisk(e)y world. There are many regional characteristics of whisky and many other counties are producing this fine spirit. It would take a lifetime to explore the complete world of whisky, but it would be a worthy attempt.

Darcy O’Neil is a bartender with a formal education in chemistry. His motive for becoming a bartender was part by chance and partially to fulfill his culinary desires. You can read more about Darcy on his www.theartofdrink.com/blog/“>bartending, spirits and mixology site.