Web Conferencing ? What is it?

Web Conferencing is, very simply, a meeting, conference or seminar that is held over the World Wide Web. Web conferencing can refer to audio, video or text-based conversations and are conducted in real-time.

Web conferencing is an incredibly useful resource for anyone who trades within a global market place. It literally allows you to be in two places at once - sitting at home or in your office whilst conducting a meeting with someone one the other side of the world.

In its simplest form web conferencing can take the form of free downloads such as Microsoft NetMeeting or Yahoo Messenger. Subscribers can participate in text-based 'chats', inviting others into their conversations and being able to communication in real-time. Add a simple digital camera to this equation and you have the beginnings of an elementary web conferencing application.

At the other end of the scale, the most sophisticated applications allow seminars and presentations to be made to hundreds of delegates at the same time. Meetings can be fully interactive, allowing question and answer sessions, the sharing of files and documents and slide show presentations to be broadcast.

What Can I Do With Web Conferencing?

How you choose to use web conferencing will very much depend upon your line of work. A webinar (an online seminar) is less interactive than a web meeting, but is a very effective means of presenting sales pitches, performance reviews and delivering staff training.

A web meeting on the other hand, can be fully interactive not only in terms of audio and video but also by allowing the sharing of documents and files and viewing them online.

What is Online Collaboration?

Online collaboration is an excellent resource for project management, especially when team members are located in different geographical locations. Online collaboration provides an advanced level of document management and file sharing. Documents and files can be viewed, modified and updated online and in real time.

What Are The Benefits Of Web Conferencing?

The main benefits of web conferencing are to be found in terms of time and money savings. The need for travel is greatly reduced, and therefore so are the associated costs of travel - tickets, accommodation, subsistence, to name but a few. Employees spend less time waiting for flights, travel or just generally being away from their desk and therefore have more time to spend productively.

Enhanced communication is another benefit of web conferencing. Where colleagues could perhaps only meet face to face a few times a year, for example, web conferencing allows them to meet on a daily basis, if required. With people talking more, work gets done more efficiently and more accurately.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of web conferencing depends on how sophisticated an application you need. Low-level, one-to-one systems can be set up these days for virtually nothing. The most advanced systems, unsurprisingly, can run into thousands of dollars. Careful research, however, and thoughtful analysis of what you need from a web conferencing system can allow you to budget accordingly and match a system to your needs. The chances are, if you are spending money on travel then you will recoup the cost of your web conferencing software over time.

Diane Parker is a web content writer who specializes in internet related topics. Her conferencing articles include: web conferencing software, choosing a web conferencing tool and internet conferencing.

Why Jesus?

There are many contradictions in life and none more easily seen than when contrasting how God teaches us to live by His Word, the Bible, and how we are taught in the world, the school of hard knocks.

For instance the classic for me was to 'look after number one', because nobody else was going to look after me. How different this is compared to God's way where He says, look after others and He will look after us. Another example is that Jesus taught the disciples not to worry about what they would wear, about food and shelter, but just "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you" (Mathew 6:25-34).

In "every day modern life" we tend to live flat out because things have to be done 'now'. We are tired, stressed, impatient, selfish and barge our way forward with all the worries of the world on our shoulders. We have downers to help us sleep, uppers to wake us up, coffee for the kick start in the morning, beer at lunch to soothe the stress and wine at night to help us wind down. The more we live this way, stress abounds and I have found it leads to ill health, indecisiveness and lack in ones life.

What does Jesus say in (Mathew 6:25-34), "Don't worry"? Ten times in this passage He says don't worry!! Why?

I have found that if we simply stop living this way for a while, (Romans 12:1-2) and put our trust in God, then life changes for the better. Through right living, He can and will bless us daily in every area. Take some time and read these passages in the Bible. Psalm 1, Joshua 1 and Jeremiah 17:5-8, and begin to see God's Kingdom Principles, and you will find out that you can TEST God to see if He has integrity. God is God and He honours His Word. The Bible is God's Word. If you read Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 again, you will find a great challenge, one which my wife and I have taken up and we can verify that God is a God of integrity and He does honour His word.

How does God want us to live? When we read the Bible there are lots of rules and regulations and lots of things we do not understand. The Bible can seem so complicated. The more I read though, the more I understand that because of my weak nature, my sinful desires, the more I realise it is so hard to do the right thing.

What are my standards of living for today ? Where do the limits begin and end? Well I don't drink or swear anymore, but can I steal that pen from work, do I use the bosses phone behind his back, do I work hard or do I bludge for the day? Can I justifiably get angry with my wife and kids and carry on as if nothing is wrong, even when I know I am going against God's will?

I believe that is why Jesus did and could sum up all these rules and regulations into 2 great commandments. We read them in Mathew 22: 37-40. Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandment hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Jesus said to love God and love your neighbour as yourself. Why you might be asking? Look what the Bible says!! God has written His laws on our hearts (Ps.37:31, Jer.31:33, 2 Cor.3:3 ) and has given us a conscience. When we follow our conscience we will inevitably begin to follow God and His Ways. Life begins to get better when you put other people first. Life gets better when you love God, others and yourself. Life gets better when you realise that you aren't the most important person in the world. Care for someone, help someone, give something to someone without expecting anything back. Try it, try Gods way, prove it for yourself.

It is by living with this very attitude of love for God and others and oneself, that will bring us more in tune with God and more out of tune with the world and its misdeeds. Look at it this way; love gives, but selfishness takes. Love cares for others but self looks after me. If you think about these two examples, which do you think is the better way to live?

Colin Thomson is an Electrician who works the Internet part time for extra income. He has been a Christian for 7 years and loves the Lord and His ways. You can get in touch with him through his affiliate opportunites at no obligation if you so wish through his website http://www.cthomson.plus.com

I Don?t Want To Be Sold; I Want To Buy

I went shopping for clothes today.

My plan was to buy a navy blue sports coat, a couple of shirts and ties and maybe a pair of black shoes.

Understand that as a sales trainer, I want people to ask me to spend my money. I'm not going to buy unless asked. Unfair you say! Maybe but here's the thing... Unless you ask me to buy, I won't.

How hard would it be for me to spend maybe $1,000? As it turned out, it was very hard. Let me recount what happened.

Store 1. A well-known CBD menswear store. Actually they were having a sale - up to $200 off sports coats. I went to the display, took a coat off the rack and put it on. A size too small. A well-dressed, well-groomed senior staff member came up and said there was one in the next size and gave it to me. I tried it on and it fit and looked good.

Reduced to $399 and there's me with cash in my pocket... I said I wanted to look at shirts so he put the coat back and left me alone. Taking two shirts, I went to the tie rack and picked out two nice ties. Then I took them back to the coat rack and held them next to the coat.

Talk about giving out buying signals!

I was completely ignored. All they had to do was to say, "Great selection - they go together really well. Was there anything else you wanted?" and over $700 would have found its way into their cash register.

I left the store with my wallet intact and no new clothes.

Store 2. Drove from the CBD to a suburban mall. I knew the store I was going to; found the sport coat rack and tried one on as two staff members watched. I looked at myself in the mirror, went to get a shirt and tie and held them up in the mirror too. No one spoke to me. I was there for ten minutes and again left with my wallet intact. Of note was that there were no other customers in the store at the time.

Store 3. A little more down-market this one - a guy with a purple open-necked shirt hanging outside his pants (looking like the host from a reality TV show like "Idol").

He saw me hovering around the coats and asked me if I knew my size. I told him and he showed me where they were, giving me four different colours and styles to try on.

He was really helpful, explaining fabrics and what to wear with them. I politely told him that they weren't quite what I was looking for so what he did next was to refer me back to store 2 where he said they had "better brands"

No sale. Three times I'd tried to spend several hundred dollars. I went home with the money still in my wallet.

No one asked me why I was buying the clothes; what I was planning to wear them with or where I was planning to go when wearing them. No one attempted to get my name for their list. No one bothered to ask me to buy. It's so simple, it's annoying.

Oh, and guess what else? Not one of them made any attempt to get my name, address, or email details. So none of them offered me the opportunity to hear in advance of new ranges, summer / winter sales. Missed opportunity.

Please understand, I don't want to be sold, I want to buy but I sometimes need help. Here's the message: If you don't ask, you won't get.

? James Yuille, Brisbane, Australia, 2004.

About the author:

James Yuille is a sales and marketing consultant and trainer with over 32 years experience. He is based in Brisbane, Australia. His free weekly sales and marketing newsletter provides topical information for business owners and salespeople. Find out more at http://www.jamesyuille.com

PR Failure Defined

I define public relations failure this way:

• key audience perceptions are not monitored

• a realistic, corrective goal is not set

• an improper, or no real strategy is selected

• a persuasive, compelling message is not prepared

• communications tactics are selected mostly by hunch

• and no follow-through perception monitoring is done to determine progress.

Failure insured! Similar, in fact, to the artillery commander who tells his gunners to point their cannons in any direction and fire them when they feel like it!

No plan, no results!

Why not deal this way with those external target audiences whose behaviors really have an impact on your organization?

Who are they? List them in order of their impact on your operation. And let's concentrate here on #1.

What do you really know about how they perceive your operation? This is vital, of course, because perceptions almost always lead to predictable behaviors. That's why it's so important that you get this step right.

Fact is, you must interact with members of this target audience and question them carefully. What do they think of you and your organization? Do you detect negative undercurrents? Are you surprised by certain inaccuracies or misconceptions? Has a rumor crept in to their consciousness to do its dirty work?

The answers prepare you for establishing the corrective public relations goal. For example, straighten out that wrong impression. Or fix that misconception. Or correct that unfortunate inaccuracy. Rumors, of course, need immediate attention to neutralize them in the minds of target audience members.

With your goal all set, what is your strategy for achieving it? This one is a time-saver because there are only three strategies designed to deal with this situation: create opinion (perceptions) where none may exist; or change existing opinion; or reinforce it. Your goal will point you toward the proper choice.

Now here is the real challenge ? preparing the message you will send to members of your target audience.

To be persuasive, it must be believable, clearly presented and compelling. Ideally it should deal with the most important problem you wish to correct so as not to divide the reader's attention. For example, an inaccuracy, misconception or damaging rumor. Of course, your message must use supporting facts and figures that have been carefully checked for accuracy.

Recapping, you have now monitored and evaluated opinion among your target audience to determine the extent of any problems, you have set your corrective public relations goal and strategy, and you have prepared an impactful and corrective message.

How will you effectively deliver that message to members of that important outside audience? The answer lies in communications tactics, which some refer to as "beasts of burden" because they will carry your message to the right eyes and ears.

There are scores of tactics awaiting your pleasure. For instance, you can use newsletters, special events, press releases or open houses. You might also consider face-to- face-meetings, radio and newspaper interviews, speeches or emails. The key consideration is that a communications tactic be targeted specifically at the members of your #1 external audience.

Sooner rather than later, you will wonder if your public relations effort is making any progress towards your goal.

And that will require that you put on your opinion monitoring hat and go talk to members of your target audience once again.

As them the same questions you used in your earlier information gathering exercise. Only this time, stay alert for answers that indicate perceptions are changing in your direction. Of course, this means that, before long, behaviors should be changing as well.

And that is the test for public relations success: perceptions altered and behaviors modified as called for in your plan.

When all is said and done, what you will have is an important outside audience more accurately informed about your organization and, thus, more likely to behave in ways that help you achieve your objectives.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly ? 2003

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

War Declared On Instant Messenger: How to Stop Your Child from Wasting Their Life Away Online

Hey Parents! I hate to tell you, but there is no such thing as "useful instant messaging". Your crafty child might try to take advantage of your lack of "Techie" know how when they say in that whiney voice... "But Mom?I'm IMing my friends about homework." Don't buy it! They are simply playing up the school is important bit so they can get you off their back.

To be fair, yes kids might spend a couple minutes discussing their school assignments. But for every 30 seconds of actual work, another 30 minutes are lost in useless chatter with the hundred or so "friends" on their buddy list! And if your child consistently pulls the "I didn't know the assignment" excuse, then bigger school problems than instant messaging are on the horizon.

You can easily stop the hours upon hours of instant messaging with one simple gesture? PULL THE PLUG! Now, I don't really mean to literally pull the plug out of the computer on your child. The last thing we want to do is get into a power struggle with your child, or break your $1500 computer.

No, what I mean is simply lay down the law. Allocate a specific period of instant messaging time per day. One hour of IMing is not going to kill anyone or their social life. And in that one hour time slot they will have plenty of time to discuss homework, their teacher, the new kid in class, or whatever.

Right now you might be saying, "That sounds great Chris, but what happens when my kid refuses to adhere to the allotted time?" When your child disregards your house rules it simply means they have too much free time on their hands. We all know that idleness is the devil's playground. It might be time to up their chore responsibilities. Or sign them up for an after school art class or even a sport or karate. Sometimes the best answer is to simply spend some quality time with them. Set up a time each day to play scrabble, take a walk or cook something together. It really doesn't matter what it is, just play to your kids interests and keep them busy.

The internet is a great tool, especially when it comes to education and homework. In the future we can expect to see an even greater merger of it with our every day lives. However, right now it's the great stealer of time. Getting sidetracked is very easy, (as some of you might know) and with the media induced, shortened attention spans of our children, whole young lives could waste away online. Teach your kids to use the Internet and Instant Messaging as intended. Sometimes we use it for work; sometimes we use it for play. Just be sure your kids know the difference between the two.

About The Author

Chris Pizzo is the President of Noble Learning Systems Inc. and the developer of the NEW "Amazing Homework Motivator" program.

Why are thousands of kids happily sitting down to do their homework each and every night?...Without a fight, an argument, or even a reminder? Click here now ==> http://www.HomeworkMotivator.com

Finding Long Distance

When a person moves, they need to hook up utilities. Often it can be difficult to know what you need to do and who to call. One such utility that needs to be taken care of is long distance. You probably feel overwhelmed because of the many promotions featuring long distance service. There are many kinds to choose from and many companies to look at. So, where do you begin? How do you find the best options?

The first order of business when looking for long distance is to decide what you need.

How many long distance calls do you make per month? Where do you call, within the States or overseas as well? And, how much time do you spend on those calls? Determining this information is likely to tell you what type of plan you will need. If you aren't going to use it much, a plan with fewer minutes may be the option to go with. If you use your long distance quite a bit, finding a flat rate plan may be an advantage. There is no need for an overseas plan if you do not have anyone to call.

The next things you need to consider are the companies that have plans that fit your needs. You can use the internet to compare and contrast companies. You can find information about many of them right from their websites. By doing this type of research, you can not only find the best plan available for your area, but you can also find a quality company you can trust. By taking this time now to determine the best company for you, you can start saving right from the beginning.

The Long Distance Resource Site is an all-in-one resource for everything about Long Distance.

A Look at Getting a Bad Credit Personal Loan

Trying to get a bad credit personal loan can be frustrating. It may be that you don't know where to turn to find the loan that you're looking for, or that you don't know the correct procedure for getting a bad credit personal loan. Perhaps every application that you make is turned down before you even have time to explain your situation. Don't worry, though? it is possible to get a bad credit personal loan, you just need to be able to give the lender a reason to have faith in you.

Credit where it's due

If you have bad credit, then you've done something to get it that way. Either your payments on previous credit lines were often late, or you simply didn't make some of the payments at all. Either of these factors will lower your credit score (which is a number that lenders use to determine whether or not you're a credit risk), and once lowered it can take years of on-time payments to restore you to good credit.

Of course, if you're going to make payments then you're going to need a credit line on which to make those payments. Credit cards, loans, and even some bank accounts are considered to be credit lines, and if you get one with bad credit then you might be looking at higher interest rates or sharper fees for late payments and overdrafts.

Finding the loan that you need

Getting a bad credit personal loan doesn't have to be as difficult as some might have you believe. Check with finance companies and other lenders to see what options they offer in the way of bad credit loans; often you'll be required to pay a higher interest rate or offer some form of collateral (such as an automotive title or property deed), but as long as you pay off the loan in good time you shouldn't have to worry about paying too much in interest or having your car or property repossessed. Should you be unable to find a bad credit personal loan through a finance company, you might want to check the internet for lenders of bad credit personal loans.

Once you've found the right lender for your bad credit personal loan, you need to decide exactly how much money you need (as opposed to how much you can get.) Don't borrow more than you have to? after all, you're likely going to be paying more in interest and you want to pay back the loan as quickly as you can. Borrow the minimum amount that you can get by with, and try to pay more than the minimum payment every month. With any luck, you should have the loan paid off in no time and be well on your way to restoring your credit score as well.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author's biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

The Pledge

You know kids, one of the things I've learned by letting more people know what's going on inside my head is that once you do people expect you to live up to what you've put out there. I've sort of learned on the fly here that using this knowledge as a burr under the saddle that is my life accelerates my growth. Where I used to piddle (piddle's a FUN word to say...) around on things that I was working on internally and hadn't publicly disclosed, it's become clear to me that if I make it wide spread knowledge that ???this is an area I'm working on getting better in???, you guys and girls let me know when I've missed the mark.

Thus becoming yet another source of motivation. The basic philosophy here being you sharpen me, I sharpen you, we encourage, lift up and motivate each other.

With this in mind I???d like to suggest a few things that we might all collectively work on . Hold still a minute would you. I need you to be my sharpening stone. In the new millennium and beyond here are just a few of the things you can look forward to from me. If you???d like, you can join me in reaching for greater success in any or all of these areas.

Let???s appreciate more of the things that tend to go unappreciated. The little things we take for granted. When was the last time you really stopped and considered the fact that there are people who have never ???seen??? and never will? When was the last time you were thankful for it? The gift of sight is no little thing. Is it?

Let???s be an example of what it is to be Christ like. Which do you think is better? To say with your lips that you subscribe to and follow the teachings and example of someone you admire, or to actually do it with your actions.

Let???s do more of the things that are worth doing, and less of the things that aren???t.

Let???s listen more often and more actively. It has been said that small people monopolize the talking while big people monopolize the listening. Let???s all be big people. As my grade school teachers constantly reminded me, it???s hard to learn while you???re talking. And of course we all know this whole thing is an exercise is in learning.

Let???s work during each day to be a better person at the end of the day than we were at the beginning. And while I???m on the subject, if this is not the case with each of us then what???s the point of going through the day?

Let???s all raise our standards so that we expect the best for and from ourselves and those that have been placed under our influence.

Like I said these are just a few things it might be good to focus on doing better. The list could go on and on. I was just thinking this might be a good time for some real personal evaluation. A time to get refocused on doing this thing better.

I thank you in advance for your help in sharpening me.

Thanks for listening.

Live some. Love some. Learn some. Everyday.

C...

Clyde Dennis, a.k.a. "Mr. How-To" has been writing and publishing Articles and Newsletters online since 1999. Clyde's company EASYHow-To Publications provides "How-To" information on How-To do, be or have just about anything one can imagine. For more information visit http://www.EASYHow-To.com. Email correspondence for Clyde should be sent to: cdennis@easyhow-to.com

Gear Needed for Fishing with Nymphs

Now that we've covered what nymph fly fishing is all about, let's next take a look at what sort of fly fishing gear you're going to need to do it. While nymph fly fishing uses pretty much the same gear you use when dry fly fishing, there is a few small items that any successfully nymph fisherman will want to have. These items are strike indicators, some small weights, and a good pair of fly fishing sunglasses.

Strike Indicators for Nymph Fishing

First, you will need some strike indicators. Strike indicators are generally bright orange, ungodly looking things that get put on your leader well above the fly or on the fly line itself, at the junction of the fly line and leader. These strike indicators are what you look at when nymph fishing ? not the fly itself. With practice and patience, you'll eventually be able to tell when "unnatural" movements occur in the strike indicator ? which most likely indicates that a fish just took your nymph fly imitation.

Exactly where to put the strike indicator is a matter of some debate, but ultimately boils down to what you are fly fishing for and where you are doing it. Wary Brown Trout in heavily fished waters, like the Missouri River, are not likely to be real wild about seeing a bright orange object just a few feet above the fly. On the other hand, more gullible trout or trout that receive less fly fishing pressure could probably care less about it. In short, use your judgment, erring on the side of caution (placing the strike indicator as far away from the fly as possible, for your abilities).

Small Weights for Nymph Fishing

The second thing you'll need for many rivers will be some small weights to add to your fly line or leader. In many, if not most nymph fly fishing situations, a floating line is still used. However, to get the fly down to the depth you want it to go will require weighting it (at least in faster water).

This is best done with the newer "twist on" non-toxic weights that are now available. Using these types of weights, an angler can put on as much or as little weight as needed to bring the fly down to depth, while at the same time preventing the fish from inhaling toxic lead (which can kill them).

Should you plan on fishing in really deep or fast rivers where even a weighted leader will not get the fly down to depth fast enough, then you will also want to look at investing in a sink-tip fly line. Sink-tip fly lines have the tip of the fly line weighted to sink, thus allowing it to sink the nymph fly more quickly.

Fly Fishing Sunglasses for Nymph Fishing

Another item of heavy importance is a good pair of polarized sunglasses. It's absolutely imperative that you be able to see the strike indicator, and polarized sunglasses are very effective for this.

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Rebuild Your Credit the Right Way the First Time

If you are one of the millions of people out there with bad credit you need to step up and start doing something to get yourself back into credits good graces. Having good credit is the only way to assure that you will get the best interest rates on any loans and credit cards that you apply for. If you have bad credit you may not even get approved, then what? If you applied for a loan it was probably for a good reason, if you don't get what on earth will you do?

If you need to establish good credit here are some tips to help you succeed the first time out:

Get a copy of your credit report

Once you receive a copy of your credit report be sure to check it over carefully for any errors or omissions. If you see any at all, no matter how small they may seem, inform your creditors immediately. Give them a call first and then follow up with a letter. They will have thirty days from the time they receive your letter to get the problem fixed.

Lessen the number of credit cards that you carry

The fewer cards you have in your wallet the less money you will be tempted to spend.

For the love of green grass, pay your bills on time, every month If you don't pay your bills (electricity, heating, etc.) on time this negative behavior will be put onto your credit report. This report is how creditors decide whether you are responsible enough to handle more credit or a loan.

Make your credit card payments on time

Just like with your ills, if you don't make your payments it will be added to your credit report bringing down your credit score. You should always try to pay more than your minimum monthly payments if you can. This will help you to start chipping away at the principal debt, lowering the interest you have to pay each month.

If you are so far in debt that you cannot see a way out there are people and services that can help you. Get in touch with a reputable credit counseling service and see what they can do for you. Just be sure to check them out with your local Better Business Bureau first. There are many of these services out there that are just out to get your money from you and you don't want to get sucked into one of these scams.

Rebuilding your credit is certainly possible, all you need to do is decide that it is something you are willing to buckle down and do. Then go for it.

Martin Lukac, represents, #1 Loans USA, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more: http://www.1LoansUSA.com

Why Branding?

Having a concise, clear image that you project to your clients and customers is important in today's market. More and more people are leaving the job market and creating their own business, whether by choice or necessity, so the competition continues to expand. Therefore it is increasingly important to stand out among your competition. You want your business to be memorable!

Customers remember images and feelings that are evoked more than just a name on a business card. What type of feeling do you want your business to evoke in your customers / clients? How do you want to be remembered? Do you want to be the first one your customer thinks about over your competition? Of course you do. But what do you want to be remembered for?

?Your excellent customer service?
?Your winning smile?
?Your product?
?Your prices?
?Your logo?

How are you different from your competition? What makes your business special? Ask yourself these questions and then look at the answers. Maybe you are already projecting a particular image. It is cohesive, or is it sloppy? Do you even have an image? Do you have a brand name? Do you have any sort of identity?

What about your services? Does each one have a different look, feel and image, or does it tie into the image of your business? Can you look at your services and see the brand name, image or theme running through each description? Choosing to use the same logo on all your materials, sticking with a consistent color theme and playing off a specific theme is part of branding.

For example, a recent episode of Taking Care of Business on TLC television highlighted a company that custom designed baby gift baskets. Their logo, color scheme and theme were brought together to expand their image. The professional business mentors assisted the owner with creating press releases and media kits for his baby company that were done like birth announcements. This created visual interest, continued the theme of the company and along with the logo and color consistency, the branding was top notch. As a result, he had several articles written about his business in key magazines that target his specific market.

What about your company? Does your image reflect your product? Do your customers recognize you by your business name or a product name? Are you consistent with your marketing message? These are ALL important questions whether you are starting a business or looking to expand your existing business. So, ask the questions, listen to the answers and create a plan for branding your business!

? 2005 Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster is a managing partner in Baraka Bay, a visionary business and organization development consultancy. They offer unique knowledge, techniques, and expertise to provide solutions, services and products for businesses, organizations and individuals. http://www.BarakaBay.com

Publisher's Guidelines: You may freely publish this article online, in email newsletters, or in print so long as the resource box and byline are in tact. Author would appreciate a notification, but that is optional.

Yellow Pages Ads - Buying Secrets

Yellow Pages Ads - Buying Secrets

OK- let's agree that many businesses can benefit greatly from Yellow Pages advertising. Let's also agree that few businesses enjoy paying for this "necessary evil". So how do you decide if it is right for you, what books to use, how much to spend and how to build a successful program? It's really easy if you understand some basic concepts.

Do you need yellow pages ads?

How important is the telephone as a "door to your business"? Does a large percentage of your customer base call you before they buy? Is your business one that gets customers that are area newcomers (I don't know anyone), emergency buyers (I need someone now!), dissatisfied customers (I want a new supplier), infrequent buyers (I don't know now who can do this) or comparison shoppers (I want to check with everyone)? If so, then yellow pages are probably a good idea for your business. Do not ignore Internet yellow pages that may serve you better than, or support, a print ad. Both reach customers when they are ready to buy.

White Pages Listings

White Pages Listings are valuable for companies due to their convenience for people that know your company name and have decided to call only you. Finding you by name keeps your customers out of the yellow pages where they may be tempted by the ads of your competitors. Most directories offer white pages bold listings and sometimes even small in-column ads. If you're in business then you need white page listings - period.

Which book is best?

Determine the key criteria Possession, Preference and Usage. Every rep will have great statistics to show. However the local phone company is usually regulated by a State agency and is held to strict accuracy on claims. Additionally the YPA (Yellow Pages Association) is the industry association that provides validation on much of the industry facts and figures. Local market facts ad relevance so be certain to consider this over "industry figures". The local phone company book is almost always the best Value Purchase. Secondary books can be of benefit but your cost per customer may be much higher than the primary book. Consider the following: Book "A" ad costs $100 and Book "B" ad costs $50. Book "A" has 80% Possession, Preference and Usage AND Book "B" has 20% Possession, Preference and Usage. Book "A" could deliver 8 of 10 shoppers and Book "B" could deliver 2 of 10. So Book "A" customers cost you $12.50 each while Book "B" customers cost you $25.00 each. Thus the value is in the "more expensive" ad space. It's really about return on investment. Buy smart. And again, the Internet yellow pages are a distinct advantage that the phone companies have to offer.

How much do I spend?

In short, no more than you have to. Don't get caught up in being under every heading or buying a bigger ad every year. Look at your chosen directory, your headings and decide what it takes to be competitive enough to generate the amount of business that you need. If everyone has an in-column space listing then a small display ad is quite dominant. If you are a small business and a full page delivers more than you can handle then it is a waste of money. Inversely, if you buy an ad size that is too small then your call counts could be horrible. I refer to people with these ads as making a donation to the publisher. In every heading the people with the most prominent ads "love yellow pages" and those with tiny ads or only listings always complain, "I don't get any calls from the yellow pages". Have your rep explain in detail how their company prices ads. The large publishers typically have a set rate for each item and a formal marketing plan with discounts. Many of the independent books place you in the position of needing to be a master negotiator in order to get the same deal as the customer on their last sales call. If a rep can't clearly explain their pricing plan then be very cautious ? they are probably misleading you and undoubtedly you will catch them bobbing and weaving as they try to explain how they arrived at their numbers. Hopefully you will have the same rep in subsequent years and trust will be established. Annual increases to your ad program may happen ? publishing and distribution costs do increase. Although increases may be valid you may be able to minimize cost increases by understanding the pricing plan. Don't be afraid to ask questions and make absolutely positive that you understand what ad items that you are buying. Review your program items before you sign.

How do I build a successful program?

First, know that your rep is in front of you to sell advertising and may not be the best person at ad design. Reps receive minimal training on professional advertising design and they usually make a sales call shorter by quickly steering you into an ad designed as a box with your "name, rank and serial number". An ad should be eye catching and provide a compelling reason to call ? offering a solution to the buyer. Yellow page users are ready to buy and are deciding on whom to call. Have an ad that presents you as The Credible Solution. Yellow page advertising is expensive only if you have an under performing ad design. When you consider the impact on your bottom line (the revenue and the expense) it may be worth it to get an outside service to design a high impact ad that you can use year after year. Always check with your ad agency to verify that you own the ad and will not have to pay annual royalty or licensing fees to use the ad in subsequent years or in multiple books. Agency costs for ad design vary greatly so shop around. Expensive ad designs may not reflect a higher quality nearly as much as they reflect higher profits for the egocentric design firms. A good ad of most any size can be done for $300-$500. In any event, remember that companies would not advertise in yellow pages if it did not work ? try it out!

Get Real Services of Marietta, Georgia, specializes in small business consulting, marketing services, advertising, logo and website design. The Company provides products and services for small to mid-sized businesses in the United States. For more information on working with yellow pages or yellow pages ad design please contact the company at 770.654.3223, send an e-mail to GetRealServices@bellsouth.net or visit http://www.GetRealServices.com