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Halloween was conceived as means of confusing evil spirits that wandered the earth in search of vulnerable and unsuspecting souls. Originally, people dressed as frightening apparitions in the hope that the spooky baddies would leave them alone as they traversed the dark and shadowy paths and streets of their villages and settlements.

It makes sense that this time of year would create fear among primitive people whose lives were based on superstition rather than scientific fact. It was clear that at this time of year - the time of the harvest - things could go terribly wrong. Wait too long and the crops wither in the fields. Harvest too early and crops could rot in the heat or - if eaten too green - could sicken people and livestock.

In addition, this was the time of year that livestock was slaughtered for the winter. If the weather turned warm again, meat could rot, and even if the meat could be properly stored, the rotting bones and carcasses could cause illness or attract wild animals and insects.

For this reason, long-ago peoples built huge bonfires to ward off animals and burn the remains of the slaughter. Bonfires remain a major function of Halloween because of this connotation. In Ireland, where metal was scarce and precious - especially once the English got over there and started pilfering all the good stuff for themselves - and root vegetables relatively abundant, lanterns were carved from turnips. Ultimately, the Irish got lanterns just like everybody else’s, but the turnip lamps were revived each year by children looking for treats throughout the neighborhood - part of the celebration, in that very Catholic country, of the Vigil of All Saints Day.

There is a lot of confusion between the All Saints Day and All Hallows Eve. All Hallows Eve - later shortened to Halloween - was a pagan holiday, and, like so many pagan holidays, the Church tried to obliterate it by creating a holier, more appropriate celebration with which to replace it. For children and people of a partying mindset, however, All Saints or All Souls Day lacked the spooky and tantalizing attraction of Halloween.

As a result, you’ll see a lot of emphasis on costumes and snack-size candy bars this month. And while the old evil-spirit-warding standbys - ghosts, witches, pumpkin-men, and the undead - will have plenty of face time, Halloween has evolved to allow trick-or-treaters and other partygoers to take on the persona of their Own Personal Heroes.

As such, there will be a lot of angels, princesses, and German beer frau - some of them completely literal, and some of them really slutty. As for guys, you’ll see superheroes, movie idols, and ladies’ men of all shapes and sizes.

What I wonder, though, is why people wait for Halloween to make themselves into the people they want to be? In real life, you can dress like a real star - and in something other than garish nylon that ties in the back.

Be a real superstar. In a well-cut dark suit, you can be any number of characters: Dracula, James Bond, the guys on Law and Order, the guys on Mad Men. You could also be really successful on days other than October 31.

Add a white shirt for Dracula, a green turtleneck and some neck bolt for Frankenstein, a lab coat for Dr. Jekyll, and a fancy gold lighter and a shaken martini for 007. A red ribbon festooned with medals can turn you into a vampire or Prince Charles (don’t forget the joke teeth for both of those costumes), and a black tie can turn you into a creepy undertaker.

To really top off your look, add some cufflinks. Cufflinks add the perfect finishing touch to every outfit, and they make the final statement for Halloween. Especially with today’s fashion fixation on skulls and bones, there are cufflinks that can take you from a smart joke at the office to the Best Costume prize at the local pub or the country club.

Children play make-believe all the time, and get to live out their fantasies at Halloween. We’re adults. Fantasy is all well and good, but why not be a master of your own destiny and make your dream a reality?

Dress like a man - not a kid.

Whether your interests are in silver, gold, artistic, sports, or other theme-related cufflinks we’ve got you covered. Cufflink Aficionado carries a broad range of men’s cufflinks designed to meet each connoisseur’s individual style and interest. Our selection of Holloween cuff links are sure to top off that perfect look!

You might think it incredulous, but having news releases can really help build your internet marketing career. In what way, you may ask? For one thing, it is part of that thrust of the business which constitutes article marketing. If you are having news releases regularly, there are a host of benefits you can expect from it while building your list:

It builds credibility.

This is the most obvious advantage of concocting your own news releases. You get to have more credibility when it is disseminated. The fact that it is a form of news article renders it with a sense of immediacy and eliminates the light perspective with which feature articles are viewed. When you have a news release, there will be facts, updated facts about your business and will have more people interested since it is urgent and in the news.

It builds links back to your site.

Since you will be giving out information about your website, your updates and your business within a news release, it really helps build links back to your site. People who will be administering those news releases to their readers will be compelled to link back to you so that your readers will be able to reach you if they have additional questions. Since interests are to be raised when the information is disseminated via a news release, you will find that there will be more links to your site.

It is a good way to acquire media attention.

The free publicity is what makes news releases so appealing to the internet marketer. If you are able to make your news releases more viable and attractive, the media will be really committed to getting updates on you and keeping tabs on you on a regular basis. It all boils down to how “news worthy” your news release is.

It is an alternative to fullblown advertising attempts.

Fullblown advertisements are unwieldy, tedious and not to mention extremely expensive. If you are really after maximum exposure at minimal cost, then go ahead and make that news release available. It is a very suitable alternative to advertising campaigns, and I am telling you that it will yield the same effect.

It is shorter than press releases and more up to date.

Press releases contain some sort of history of your business and all those other stuff few people would take the time to read. Some people do not like press releases because it is time-consuming as reading material. On the other hand, news releases are shorter and pretty much gives you a bold introduction to those who may not have heard of you prior to seeing the news release.

A news release can be very challenging to make. You have to strike the balance between sticking to the facts and promoting yourself. The good thing about news releases is that it costs little for you to make use of. If you are well able to incorporate this with other styles of building site traffic, then you are definitely on your way to becoming a master list builder.

Joel Christopher is a best-selling author, speaker and mentor, known worldwide as The Masterlistbuilder. To find out more on how you can triple your leads, sales and profits. Go to http://www.Masterlistbuilder.com

Change management is a structured approach to change in individuals or organization to achieve a smooth and efficient transition from the current state to a desired state. From an individual perspective, the need for change may be in the area of behavior. From a business perspective, the change may be a new business procedure or policy and/or the adoption of new technology. But managers today are facing a flood of continuous, overlapping, and accelerating change that has turned their organizations upside down and managing people through that kind of change requires effective communication and leadership strategies.

Here are some tips on managing people through change:

TIP No. 1: Resistance to change: Recognize that change happens only through people. The emotional effects of change need to be considered and understood by all involved in the change process. Understanding resistance and working with it is key. Take the long view; realize that change takes time and should not be forced to occur too quickly.

TIP No. 2: Give people a stabilizing foundation: Here leader plays a very critical role to create stability through constant reinterpretation of the past, present activities and vision for the future

TIP No. 3: Change is constant: Educate the people that change really is the only constant. Make people understand that solidity has a shorter life span and we should focus on getting ready for the next transformation.

TIP No. 4: Champion Information access & knowledge sharing: Keep people informed all the time; Keeping the lines of communication open as required.

TIP No. 5: Speak with one voice: Employees need to hear a consistent message, even if it’s bad news. Stick to the freezed script, and don’t say “I don’t know” when the real answer is “I know, but I’m not allowed to say.”

TIP No. 6: Encourage feedback: Create forums where staffers can ask questions and discuss their concerns. It’s better to have discontent out in the open than festering in the cube farms.

TIP No. 7: Don’t let knowledge walk away: You want your best employees to stay, even if their jobs don’t. Smart companies offer in-placement services that make it easy for staffers to find other opportunities within the organization

TIP No. 8: Get the skills: If your managers don’t have the necessary interpersonal skills, bring in an HR or change management consultant to help make the transition

TIP No. 9: Give up the Illusion of control: leaders need to loosen their grip in order to align the energies and talents of their teams and organizations around change initiatives. No one likes change that is mandated - but most of us react favorably to change if we are part of it. Make them feel like they have been involved in the decision making process and share the required power with others to encourage the implementation.

TIP No. 10 Encourage People to mingle: A true leader trait is to believe in the culture of self improvement and also guide his team to improve. Increased focus on relationships and networking would help to pick the best individuals to drive the required changes. Always try not to pick people whom you can map to self on behavioral aspects.

TIP No. 11: potential benefits and new opportunities the changes may bring: When we are planning to roll out certain changes, one of the best way is to start rolling out some sessions which would help first set of intended audience to digest and then they would help in spreading the same org wide with better conviction and clarity. This would help them in briefing out potential benefits and new opportunities the changes would bring.

TIP No. 12: Detail out a plan for the change implementation: Make plans, but hold your plans loosely. Plan should be adapted to change as needs change. Use systems approach to ensure that all aspects are considered while planning and implementing change.

TIP No. 13: Team approach: Use a team approach that involves many stake holders in the change process, Involve as many people as possible, communicate the essentials and respond to people needs.

TIP No. 14: Implementation dip: Be prepared for “implementation dip.” note that things often get worse temporarily before improvement begins to appear.

TIP No. 15: Make change stick - Reinforce the value of successful change via recruitment, promotion, new change leaders. Weave change into culture.

Conclusion: By methodically working on the 15 Tips for effective change management, you can greatly increase your odds of rolling out a change successfully.

Srinivas Yellugani holds a Masters degree in computer applications and does have 10 yrs exp in IT industry. Green Belt certified and implemented six sigma in software. Worked on Technologies: Oracle, C++, and Java. Domain exposure: Banking, Utilities, GIS, Resources. He is in to project management and presales for the past 4 years.

When starting from Newport News it is about 15 miles to the Yorktown Toll Bridge heading up Highway 17 and 100 miles to Fredericksburg then if you take Highway 1 into Washington it is another 45 miles to the bridge into Washington DC. Another way to go is to take Highway 17 from Yorktown Toll Bridge 80 miles to Highway 301 and cross into Maryland to Highway 5 and from there, well all roads lead to Washington DC as they say?

The roads in Virginia are not so bad and yet Highway One needs some work, watch those bike rims if you are traveling over 20 mph in places, you have to wonder what our tax dollars go for these days? The roads in some parts of Washington DC some would perhaps disagree with you if you called them; Actual Roads. As for traffic, I prefer to do this ride on a weekday if you have the luxury, less traffic. In Washington DC I prefer the weekends although traffic always is a bear.

The best part about this route is that there are a lot of fellow cyclists at all points and if you have a major problem, catastrophe or second flat tire with no additional tube, getting a ride is fairly easy. Folks in Virginia are pretty nice and if you take the Maryland road as your last leg, most are fairly nice too, although fewer of them are driving pickups. There are many good stops along the way and it is a route you will enjoy and see something new each time. Explore it and consider this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

who at this time are working very hard at the forefront of internet marketing, are driving affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is an excellent way to earn money while at home. The phrase, “Affiliates are an extended sales force for your business”, which is often used to explain affiliate marketing, is not 100% accurate.

Business

The increase of number of internet businesses in combination with the increased number of people that trust the current technology enough to do shopping and business online caused and still causes a further maturing of affiliate marketing. Just like any other business venture, the proper research needs to complete first, so that you know ahead of time how much money, time and effort you can expect to spend before you see a profit. Do not be afraid to ask questions, be more afraid of what NOT asking questions are costing you and your business. If you are successfully running a business online, whether is be through creating your own sites, or running your own PPC campaigns, you will most likely stay in the same place if you do not start asking questions.

Information

The idea is to publish quality information within the site, and to link “in context” to related merchant’s sites. Give them the information to make a quick decision, and pass them to the merchant to close the sale. Establish your site as an authority site for information about this product or niche for your visitor. People do occasionally go on the internet looking for products or services to buy, but most often people go on the internet to find information: information about a problem that they have or a skill that they want to learn; information about being prettier, smarter or healthier.

Success

Being apart of a affiliate program that is successful is not as easy anymore. Your success will be only limited by your desire to Successful. The bottom line here is that in order to become a successful affiliate marketer and make money on the internet, you must first do your homework. All successful affiliate marketers must now be constantly innovating, constantly learning and constantly evolving their methods and tactics.

Income

There are many ways to earn income without ever dealing with a customer. Diversify your business into multiple streams of income. If you can build a website, write about something that interests you, or where after doing research you find there is a demand in a niche for knowledge about a subject you are an expert in, you could supplement your income, or even replace your current income, as an affiliate marketer.

Marketer

Blogging Offers Big Benefits to Affiliate Marketers If you’re an online marketer active in the process of affiliate advertising, blogging is one free promotional strategy that can help you drill into your niche’s needs. Articles can be posted on an affiliate marketer’s own website and used in newsletters and emails that will be sent to an opt-in list. Some people out there have just jumped, feet first, into affiliate marketing because they wanted to make money on the internet.

Autoresponder

Crush Your Competitors: Autoresponder are simple and yet powerful must-have tools for all online businesses. Personalized Autoresponder are an integral part of any online marketing campaign. Autoresponder automate not only provide information delivery to clients, they are a great marketing tool that can also take the headaches out of email related administration tasks. Autoresponder help you save time in many ways and can be useful for many different occasions, from prospecting to sales, from reminders to FAQs. Autoresponders are a great way to convert your prospects into customers by automatically following-up on their sales inquires or requests for information, 24 hours a day. If your autoresponder needs are simple, such as merely sending a single message reassuring your customers that you’ll get back to them, you can probably use the free Autoresponders that usually come as part of your web hosting package. You can use autoresponder to automatically send out Newsletters & Promotional Material Personalized Reports Product/Service Information and Guides Site News and Info/Updates Personalized messages for customers.

Conclusion

Why you can’t set it and forget it” Affiliate marketing programs are often the quiet one of the major online marketing methods. Currently the most active sectors for affiliate marketing are the adult, gambling and retail sectors. However, no matter what niche your affiliate marketing business occupies, monetization must start with significant volumes of relevant traffic. You can even build a successful affiliate marketing business right in the convenience of your own home. Indeed, affiliate marketing is one of the simplest and most effective business opportunities on the web today. As you learn more about affiliate marketing and begin to grow with your affiliate income, you will discover new and better ways to work at home and continue to increase your income using less of your time.

If you want to know how to build a real money making internet business and squeeze it for every penny you can, blog resources and news that you can use from the best internet marketing tools and the best advertising techniques for your blog site promotion. Come visit me at http://www.4uwebcash.com

My current MLM business venture has taught me that Network Marketing is not a selling business. Network Marketing is a teaching and mentoring business. My success today is directly related the skills my mentors in my MLM organization have taught me.

What type of MLM training really works?

Different things will work for different people, but you must lay a strong foundation before you begin to frame the house, otherwise there is nothing to hold up the structure.

I have pulled training from a variety of sources. Some of the most beneficial MLM training I have received has been “Colors To Success” personality training, Understanding your Policies and Procedures and Compensation Plan, The 5 Pillars Training, & How to build a list.using a duplicatable system.

Colors Training teaches you how to relate to the various personality types. Understanding people will do as much to help you reach your MLM goals as any other training available.

By understanding your policies and procedures and compensation plan, you can determine if the company is set up so that the distributor has a chance for success.

• The way you get paid affects the marketing strategies you will need to use in your business plan to be successful.

• Many companies have strict guidelines that you need to know about because they can and do impose sanctions up to and including taking a monthly check or termination if their policies are violated.

Consider the management team; know who writes your checks. You will want them to have built their own down-line and have MLM specific management experience and integrity. You will have to learn how to research them to find out this information.

Does the MLM Company have a flagship product and is there more than one? One product isn’t enough to sustain your business.

Do you have a duplicatable lead-generating system? Having a duplicatable lead-generating system that will work for ALL personalities is crucial to MLM success.

Network Marketers must learn that this is a teaching and mentoring business. You are there to teach your prospects and mentor them, not “sell” them on your deal quickly.

It takes a lot of time and effort to effectively train a new person in your business. You are not looking for a warm body; you are looking for the “warrior“. Warriors build Network Marketing businesses; warm bodies waste their money and your time.

The same is true for retailing the product. You must build a relationship with your customer and provide ongoing service after the sale.

Network Marketing really just means we can build a business without having to do it alone. By using the resources around us and “networking” with other people, everyone benefits.

Brenda Bunney

http://MLMSuccessBunney.com

brendab@brightok.net

Brenda Bunney is married with two children. She is a successful network marketer who believes anyone can be successful with the proper tools and mentoring. She enjoys helping others empower themselves with the network marketing skills they need to build a successful business.

Here is your weekly summary of security alerts, fixes and threats you need to know, to play safe on the Internet.

Thinking of Vista? Better Read This!

If you are using Windows Vista or planning to make the jump soon, you had better know that the operating system is spying on you. Some 20 or more programs, features and services are busy collecting data about you and your work habits.

All this information goes, you guessed it, straight to Microsoft. If you read the Privacy Statement or End User License Agreement (EULA), you would have a clearer idea of the record data harvest that Vista is pulling in. Microsoft does not deny or hide it. In fact, you consented to it merely by using the features.

They claim they do not use the info to identify you. But they could very easily do so. Among the data received is your IP address, of course, which is all they really need to find you. Or a law enforcement agency could demand that Microsoft turn over the data.

And just what does dear old Mother Microsoft do with all that data? A close reading of the many user agreements reveals it: absolutely any old thing they want or feel like.

Among the services and programs that harvest your data and send it on to Microsoft are: Windows Update, Digital Certificates, Windows Media Player, The Malicious Software Removal Tool, Internet Explorer 7, and Windows Defender. The company says if you do not like it, just stop using the services or features.

That is not really practical in the case of Windows Update. Thanks to Microsoft’s sloppy code, we all have to update our operating systems once a week. And you thought the Windows XP Genuine Advantage Notification Program was a pain…

What is a happy Internaut to do, other than turning off these programs? In many cases you can find alternatives from other companies (hint hint: Firefox). Also, you should have a good firewall installed on your pc. It should alert you when Vista tries to phone home. Just say no.

MySpace.com Attack – Again – Update Windows Now

Hackers are using MySpace.com accounts again to mount attacks on unsuspecting surfers. The criminals succeeded in installing fake navigation buttons on some user profile pages. When you click on them, you are taken to malicious computers that then try to infect your computer.

The attack seems to have been installed on perhaps a few dozen pages. Most were soon removed by the administrators of the site.

There are two parts to the attack. First, botnet software is installed on your computer, turning it into a zombie that can infect other machines. Second, the malware presents you with a fake MySpace.com login page, to try and get your user name and password.

The important point here is that this attack uses several known flaws in Internet Explorer that have been previously fixed. If you update your Windows once a week, you are not at risk, even if you use MySpace.com

Updating Windows regularly is one of the best things you can do to stay safe on the Internet. Do not neglect it.

Are Security Suites a Good Idea?

I always recommend that you have anti-virus and anti- spyware programs running on your computer, as well as a firewall, among other programs. Many companies publish great programs that will accomplish these tasks.

The trend in the last few years has been for publishers to branch out and cover all three bases. For example, a publisher that makes well-known anti-virus software comes out with a firewall and anti-spyware programs. And the maker of a great firewall issues an anti-virus program, and pushes it hard at you.

Getting all your security programs from one vendor is what we mean by a security suite, or collection of software. So, is it a good idea?

In a word, generally no it is not, for at least two reasons. First, companies often specialize in one area, say anti- spyware programs. Their programs may work great. But when they branch out to other areas, the results may not be as good.

Second, if you get all your defensive programs from one vendor, there may be similarities in the structure and organization of the programs. If a hacker succeeds in learning how to circumvent the anti-virus software, he may quickly gain control of other programs from the same vendor.

And you do not want to be at the mercy of one company for all your security needs. What if they raise their prices? Or worse yet, go out of business? It is far better to pick and choose the best programs from among many publishers.

Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online – A Complete Guide. He has been keeping surfers safe since the last century. Find more popular Daily Tips & information right here: => http://mypcsecuritysite.com

Syd Tash is a noted security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online - A Complete Guide. He has been keeping surfers safe since the last century. For more free Daily Tips and info to keep you safe online, visit http://mypcsecuritysite.com and bookmark it!

More and more individuals are taking charge of their health as they learn about the benefits of a regular fitness program. This change is not limited to one demographic group. As we know, aging baby boomers are concerned with staying healthy, physically fit, and living independently. People 55-years and older constitute 25% of the 6.1 million Americans who reported using services of a personal trainer in 2004.

There is also a significant increase in children’s utilization of personal training and fitness regimens as a growing number of parents become aware of the health risks of childhood obesity. In addition, children of all ages and fitness levels seek out the services of a personal trainer to get that extra edge in their particular sport, due to the competitiveness of youth athletics.

Corporate America is also getting on the personal training bandwagon. Businesses recognize the benefits of personal training and are offering exercise programs to employees. A fitness program increases employee productivity by relieving stress and improving morale. It also reduces insurance premiums and makes a great recruiting tool for senior-level talent.

Because people of all ages and varying physical conditions are turning to personal trainers to help them achieve their fitness goals, the need for your services and a professionally run training facility are in high demand. You owe it to yourself and your clients to take that next step. But how? A franchise model-approach to your business may be the answer.

Joining a franchise organization gives you name recognition, a proven business model, instant credibility with potential clients, and takes away the trial and error of starting a new business. A good franchisor will train you in all aspects of the business and allow you the opportunity to own your own business. “Be in business for yourself but not by yourself”. Do not be fooled into thinking you can’t afford a franchise, because truth be told, you probably can’t afford not to.

Did you know that Franchise businesses are twice as likely to remain in business after five years of being in operation than non-franchised businesses?

* A 1999 study by the United States Chamber of Commerce found that 97% of franchises opened within the last five years were still open for business.

* A Small Business Administration study conducted from 1978-1998 found that 62% of non-franchised businesses closed within the first six years of their existence.

Risk Minimization

Like any small business, you face financial risk from day one. These include signing a lease for space, leasehold improvements, purchasing equipment, advertising costs and general start-up expenses. Then you need to decide on a location, hire a staff, and begin to advertise. Choosing the wrong location, hiring more staff than you need and spending too much on marketing are all potential business killers. A franchise organization has developed a business model that is a proven success. They are experienced in the start-up phase and will help minimize any costly mistakes. Utilizing your money most effectively and providing you with a sound business model are essential to your success.

Established Marketing Plan

Marketing and advertising is a major expense. It is easy to make mistakes and be ineffective if you lack the experience. Successfully promoting your business is a key to its longevity. Buying into a franchise provides you with an established plan and effective advertising materials to best utilize your marketing dollar. As a franchisee, you will benefit from continued brand name recognition and multi-media exposure.

Collective Buying Power

Purchasing equipment and other office supplies is costly. Buying on your own does not leave you with much leverage when dealing with large companies. Reducing your cost on these items is very important when estimating your start-up costs and evaluating your bottom line. As a franchisee, you will benefit from better discounts on goods due to collective buying. This means power in numbers. It will also eliminate the trial and error of finding reliable vendors.

Successful Site Selection

More than any other decision you make, the location you pick to open your business is essential. You must take many factors into consideration. Parking, adjoining businesses, access, and convenience are just a few. Surprisingly, a busy area does not always generate success. Too often, a new business is overwhelmed by the other businesses nearby. Another common mistake is positioning yourself in an area that is not conducive for the services you are providing. Although offering a great service, if your location does not fit the profile of your potential customers, it is just a matter of time before it fails. Our franchise team performs a detailed demographic analysis of the area under consideration. This information determines whether or not it is an ideal location.

Start-Up Assistance

The start-up phase of any business can sometimes be overwhelming, with all the decisions and details in front of you. The extra time diverted from building-up your clientele can be very costly, especially if you don’t have a good plan in place. It takes time to increase your client base, so your budget has to support you during those early months. A franchise group helps to streamline this crucial start-up phase. They provide you with a plan, help you make those tough decisions and develop a Grand Opening marketing package. Time is of the essence. It is important to sign-up new clients even before you open your doors.

On-Going Support

A new business is delicate. It requires constant attention. Too often the need to keep in touch with marketing trends, new training techniques and other business related issues gets neglected. Even if you found the time, you might not have the resources or expertise necessary to keep your business growing. Once again, a franchise organization can help fill this void. The franchisor can provide you with a team of field consultants designed to monitor and offer assistance to your business. They will make periodic visits to your location and make a 24-hour support line available.

Uniqueness to the Market

Making your business stand apart from the competition is a challenge. Why should clients select your facility? What makes you better than the rest? New business owners should ask themselves these questions and more. The good news is a franchise group has the answers. Through trial and error and endless research, a franchise has developed a specific model for success. From protocols and procedures, to studio colors and logo, all of these elements are carefully chosen and proven successful within the market place.

There are many franchise opportunities from which you can choose. For 9 years, Personal Training Professionals’ (PTP) proven business model has been our road map for success. PTP goes beyond a typical health club; it is a state-of-the-art facility that provides all the services offered by a large health club, but in a personal, highly professional atmosphere. At the core of our approach is the passionate belief that individualized exercise programs promote long-term improvements in health and fitness. Our custom-designed programs deliver the motivation, proper instruction, and consistency that constitute a successful health and fitness regimen. Providing highly effective health training services since 1998, PTP is now offering qualified individuals the opportunity to own a PTP franchise of their own.

Jason Baer, B.S. Exercise Science and AFAA Certified, is the founder and owner-operator of Personal Training Professionals | PTP Franchise. Mr. Baer received the 2006 National Leadership Award as the Honorary Chairman to the Business Advisory Council and is an Honored Member of the United Who’s Who among Executives and Professionals. His contribution to the fitness industry and reputation among his peers are his proudest achievements. For more information visit http://www.ptpfranchise.com or call 866.97.PTP4U.

Bad news sell newspapers - well whoop de do for newspapers! It certainly doesn’t do the rest of us any favours. The UK’s red tops struggle to find a front page headline unless Amy Winehouse slaps someone or a Big Brother contestant farts on air unless there’s a sensational crime to write about. Failing that it’s a case of let’s follow the broadsheets and create gloom and doom in the UK by reporting on every last snippet of bad news from the high street.

This desire to sell newspapers regardless of the messages sent out by the news articles creates further gloom and despondency in the high street which spreads throughout the land to create a massive downturn and a countywide malaise. And what for? Just to sell newspapers? That may not be entirely true but it is not without some credence and it is a fact in the UK that bad news will rise to the top of the pile to be reported before good.

Look at this example: the source is the BBC News website and you might think that the headline is from last week - but no, it is in “mid-boom” on 24 May 2005 and the article reads:-

Profits and sales tumble at M&S

Marks & Spencer saw its profits fall by almost a fifth last year and has admitted that the outlook for the business remains “challenging”.

The retailer’s annual pre-tax pre-exceptional profits fell 19% to £618.5m… Chief executive Stuart Rose said conditions were tough but insisted the company was “on track”. “Clearly it is tough. The economic climate has turned out to be tougher than we forecast but we are on track.”

But as it turned out, M&S definitely was on track and in May 2006 posted profits of £751.4m which was a 35% rise on 2005. In 2007 M&S posted profits of £965.2m which was 28.5% up on profits in 2006. Pre-tax profits for the year to 29 March 2008 were £1,007m and sales rose to £9 billion.

This was the first time in 11 years that M&S profits had topped the £1 billion mark. You might think, “Well that’s great news for M&S” but what was the headline?

This is from the Times Online May 21 2008:

Marks & Spencer profits reach £1bn but there may be trouble ahead amid downturn

In the Telegraph 3 July 2008-07-10 Marks & Spencer shares tumble as retailer issued profit alert Chairman Sir Stuart Rose said that in the past few weeks “consumer confidence levels have deteriorated markedly and market conditions have become more challenging.”

Retail analysts will downgrade forecasts on the back of the profits warning. In a flash note to clients Nick Bubb, retail analyst at Palli International, cut his pre-tax profit forecasts for the current year from £850m to £800m “at best”.

How about if the headline had read: Forecasts say that M&S will make over £2,000,000 profit a day this year Or M&S profit forecast for 2009 is £244,000,000 better than the last time it said that the economic climate was tough in 2006!

What I am getting at is that if you want to look at things in a pessimistic light then just read the papers and then panic. However, things are not all gloom and doom and we can interpret so many facts and figures in a more positive way. No matter how dark the outlook is being painted by the newspapers and other news media, there are always opportunities to do well if you are willing to look for them and to make the most of those opportunities when they present themselves.

I work in an industry that is closely allied to advertising and marketing and it is at times such as these that the industry feels the pinch. Corporate budgets are cut and the first in line for the chop is often the advertising budget which is absolutely crazy. Still, I would hate to see newspaper headlines that read: Agency Closures due to forecasts of reduced profits and would much rather see: Agencies bring client success despite forecasts (not much of a headline but it might make the trade press). However, in order to achieve client success agencies will have to work harder to make their sales and marketing campaigns stand out and get noticed.

One area in great need of improvement in effort is direct marketing. I am still receiving letters form credit card companies, insurance companies and so on that have not changed one iota in style for years. And yet if there is a squeeze on, shouldn’t these direct mail pieces be screaming at me rather than offering the same old lame format that is unquestionably heading straight for the bin.

For years, one company has been spreading the message that companies should try harder to make their marketing efforts really work. Maximize your opportunities by ensuring that your marketing efforts really do hit home. That company is Whitney Woods, specialists in promotional products which are based on cardboard engineering techniques and a UK market leader in interactive marketing products and pop up mailers. This company’s product range offers different ways in which to beef up a direct marketing campaign in order to give it maximum effect and increase the chances of the campaign becoming a great success.

The company’s range can be turned to all kinds of advertising, marketing and promotional applications and UK agencies should consider these ideas before making plans for future promotions. It will certainly give air to some new ideas and perhaps make the difference between success and failure in what are supposedly difficult times for the industry.

Article by Paul Whitney.

Whitney Woods Ltd is a manufacturer of promotional marketing products designed using sophisticated cardboard engineering techniques. The company is a market leader in this field in the UK and publishes a range of over 50 products covering the areas of promotional pocket media, interactive marketing products, information discs, promotional pop up cards, creative folding and automatic pop up mailers. Whitney Woods also publishes a range of products which are particularly suited to Christmas promotions and for use as company Christmas cards. In addition, the company incorporates a direct marketing division incorporating a full service mailing house and also supplies eyeletting and hand finishing services to the UK’s print industry. http://www.popupmailers.co.uk

All of a sudden there appears to be a huge number of articles and web pages about audio books. What’s the scoop on this?

Simply put, downloadable audio books are a hot new trend, a trend that is getting ready to explode. Some months ago a company released a limited number of franchises, whose owners are now promoting the “Rolls-Royce” of audio books.

Don’t confuse these audio books with the poor quality recorded-in-the-garage audio books that you may have seen around the web. No Siree ! These are the creme-de-la-creme of audio books. They are the top titles from the world’s leading publishers including Time Warner (Hachette), Simon and Schuster, Naxos, Harper and Collins, Brilliance, BBC, and so on.

The titles are equally as impressive and includes best sellers from our top selling authors including Patricia Cornwell, Stephen King, Dan Brown, Michael Connelly, Michael Chrichton. These are top of the tree fiction writers and the list of impressive authors doesn’t stop there. What about the top authors of self help, health, fitness and business books from Robert Kiyosaki, Ken Blanchard, Wayne Dyer. Paul Coelho, Dale Carnegie and more…more..more!

Industry sources are making predictions that downloadable audio books will outsell printed books in the next few years with some predicting that downloadable audio books will overtake printed books as the No1 best selling product on the Net.
In 2004 the off-the-shelf audio books on CD and cassettes recorded sales of around $800 million. In 2005, industry estimates for audio books was $2 billion. In just one year there was this massive increase!

But it won’t stop there. Why? Because TIME is the most precious commodity in people’s lives these days.

Multi-tasking has become the norm as people look for ways to better utilise their time while doing the chores, jogging, commuting, waiting in queues, etc. With the advent of the mp3 players such as the ipods, Palms and other devices, people have been listening to audio books while they are on-the-go. It’s possible to learn a new skill such as a speaking a foreign language, hear a murder mystery or enjoy a great romance book while going about the day.

There’s even time to learn to speak Chinese in time for the 2008 Olympic Games!

Not going to the Olympics? So learning Chinese may not be a priority. But, how about losing weight? Achieving better sleep at night? Why not lighten up your day with some comedy, after all, you might as well have the last laugh! Visit http://www.myfavouriteaudiobooks.com and click on your favourite category.