In-Tune News You’ll Want To Use

General Omar N. Bradley, who played a major role in World War II, once observed that “[i]f we continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner” (Quoteworld.org). This ominous prediction, however doomsday it may sound, is well on its way to becoming truth. Americans as a whole are too dependent on technology and such dependence is dangerous.

Perhaps the most recent indication that Americans are asking too much from technology is the Blackout of 2003, so designated by our country’s news anchors. On Thursday, August 14, some 50 million citizens were left literally “in the dark” from Detroit to New York City in biggest and longest blackout in American history. Remarkably, mass panic and rioting did not occur even in New York. Officials actually remarked that the arrest rate was lower that night than average (Adler). What did happen more than usual were calls to the fire department to put out fires; “a number of which were caused by New Yorkers’ unfamiliarity with the technology of candles” (Adler). As humorous as it is, it also shows the serious consequence of over familiarity with too much technology. Have we “progressed” so far that lighting a match becomes as wondrous as it might have been to ancient people who accidentally caused a spark to set wood on fire? Fires were not the only trouble that night; hundreds of people were locked out of hotels for over a day because the doors’ dependence on electric keys; many people could not buy basic necessities because they usually used credit cards which no longer worked due to the power outage; many of the elderly who depend on electric to pump oxygen or to power other medical necessities had to go to hospitals whose generators were, mercifully, functional.

The danger, however, was and is far beyond a simple inconvenience. All of America learned a lesson on September 11, 2001: the enemy can attack almost without warning. If nearly three thousand lives were lost on that day, how many more could have been lost during the Blackout had the Enemy chosen to strike? The thought is not pleasant.

The Oscar-winning movie The Matrix offers a futuristic view of what could happen should humans become too dependent on technology. Perhaps it is most apparent when Morpheus tells Neo how the machines took over Earth and instituted “a neural-interactive simulation” that gives the movie its title (”Theory”). The thought that machines could overwhelm and enslave the human race might be too “sci-fi” for some people to believe but in the wake of Blackout we would do well not to be so smug.

Technology has, in many ways, enhanced the quality of life for humans. The good side should not overshadow the darker side, however. The dangerous addiction Americans currently have to technology might be our downfall so remember the Blackout and, with proper supervision, learn how to light a match.

Works Cited
Quoteworld.org. QuoteWorld. 13 September 2003. http://www.quoteworld.org/
Adler, Jerry. “The Day the Lights Went Out.” Newsweek at MSNBC.com. 13 September 2003.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/953580.asp
Theory of Knowledge: Philosophical Issues in The Matrix. Princeton University. 13 September
2003. http://www.princeton.edu/~jimpryor/courses/epist/notes/matrix.html

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Erin is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/
which is a site for Creative Writers. Visit her portfolio at http://Writing.Com/authors/rose_shadow

I have certain parameters for what is truth for me. When I hear something new, something that may stretch me a bit, I put it through my “truth sieve.” I have to sift through it to make sure it is true for me.

My desire is to be open to new ideas but still to stay within the boundaries of what is true for me. As a coach, how do I find a balance between being open to new ideas and not crossing over into what is not true for me?

What a great question. Here’s one way to stay in balance. Since you’re a coach it should be a good fit for you. Listen to whatever is said with your ‘coaching ears’ on. What I mean by that is to listen to try on what you hear. To truly try it on to see what you can learn that will in some way enhance your life. This is a combination of keeping a ‘beginners mind’ of openness while also listening for those ‘nugget of gold’ insights that can contribute in some way to your life.

If you think of each conversation you’re in as a mound of dirt that has been ’seeded’ with nuggets of gold insights, then your job is to sift through the dirt until you uncover the gold. Whatever doesn’t fit for you, simply let it go, and don’t get stuck with it. One easy way to get stuck with something that someone says it to realize it doesn’t match for you, so you end up making the person wrong and discounting everything they say. When you do that, you’re no longer listening with your ‘coaching ears’ on.

Now, here’s a coaching assignment to take these insights and put them in action:

Pick 3 conversations this week and listen to them with your ‘coaching ears’ on. At the end of the conversation, write down at least one insight you gleaned from it. From this list of insights from the various conversations pick at least one insight and take some action that will help you integrate the insight into your life.

©2005 Brad Swift of Life On Purpose Institute, Inc.
This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this resource box are included.

Dr. Brad Swift founded Life On Purpose Institute in 1996 with the vision of creating a World On Purpose by assisting people like yourself to clarify their life purpose & live true to it. Determine how on or off purpose your life is with the fun & insightful Self Test at:
http://lifeonpurpose.com/_forms/self-test.php?source=ezart
Inspire yourself with a fr.ee subscription to Purposeful Pondering Ezine:
http://lifeonpurpose.com/index.php?dir=_ezines&task=view-ezines

When the time comes for you to purchase your new home, both you and the seller will have to come to an agreement.

The major component of the sale that both you and the seller will have to agree on is the purchase price. On a smaller scale, you both must come to an agreement on the down payment, what stays and what goes, and any minor work the property may need, etc.

Once you and the seller have come to an agreement, you will both be required to sign the agreement of sale which is provided to you by your realtor. Your realtor, who acts as your advocate will go over all of the stipulations with you before you sign the actual paper work.

Once the agreement of sale is signed, you can than move on to following through with all of the other necessary conditions required to purchase your new home.

An agreement of sale is defined as follows:

A written signed agreement between the seller and the buyer in which the buyer agrees to purchase certain real estate and the seller agrees to sell upon terms of the agreement. Also known as contract of purchase, purchase agreement, offer and acceptance, earnest money contract or sales agreement.

Jennifer Hershey has more than twenty years of experience in the Mortgage Industry as a loan officer. She is the owner of www.explainingmortgages.com/, a mortgage resource site devoted to making mortgage terms and products easy to understand.

Violence against women is one of the primary health problems facing adults today. Many people are not aware that childhood maltreatment is a powerful risk factor for health problems in adulthood. Its victims can suffer lifelong health effects.

Maltreatment is best viewed as a risk factor for a wide range of subsequent health problems. Were you neglected, sexually abused, or physically abused as a child? An important step is to face the truth about how you suffered as a child. Health effects have to be assessed within a developmental perspective. There are several avenues by which abuse can affect health.

The first avenue is physiological. Traumatic events can alter the brain and body. The human system of self defense becomes disorganized and overwhelmed. Traumatic events produce profound changes in physiological arousal. The nervous system becomes sensitized and comes to anticipate trauma. There can be dental, vision or hearing problems. An adult can suffer from headaches, backaches, chest pain, pelvic pain, chronic pain and fatigue.

A second way that abuse that affect health is behavioral. Adult survivors may engage in harmful actions or behaviors and become very self destructive. Some behavioral examples are self-injury, shame, suicide attempts, eating disorders, high risk sexual activity, compulsive spending and gambling and substance misuse. These behaviors may be used to numb feelings so the pain can be coped with. These high risk behaviors can impact health.

A third avenue is cognitive - child abuse is associated with distorted beliefs and perceptions about one’s self and one’s behaviors. These negative beliefs can undermine health and lead to low self-esteem, self blame and feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy. It may be common for adults to have perceptions of helplessness, chronic danger and consequent hyper-vigilance. An adult may become shamed-based and feel they are worthless, unacceptable and bad. This vicious cycle can drive a victim inside a private world of suffering, loss of power, re-victimization and deep self doubt. Beliefs can certainly impact health.

Interpersonal difficulties is another avenue. Adults survivors can have difficulties in their adult relationships. Examples include difficulties in trusting others, inability to set boundaries, avoidance of intimacy and close relationships and sexual difficulties. These difficulties can result in social isolation, marital disruptions and divorce. Past maltreatment or victimization can set up an adult victim for relationship failures. This can lead to poor health outcomes.

Finally, the fifth avenue can be in the area of emotional difficulties. An adult victim can have anxiety, fear, terror, and sadness. They may adopt a position of surrendering to life and feel they are abandoned to their fate. They may develop antisocial behaviors that isolate them in relating to others. An adult may suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which can significantly impact daily life. Another result could be depression and that disorder can have a devastating affect on health.

A history of childhood victimization and maltreatment can have a significant impact on adult health. It can be associated with a range of difficulties in adulthood.

Developing healthier coping skills is a major focus of personal coaching with an adult who has this history. Coaching can assist an adult in managing stress more effectively. Personal coaching can help an adult to learn to nurture and care for themselves. There is alot of power in self care. You deserve to live a most joyful and healthy life and personal coaching can assist you on your path to extreme self care and wellness.

Debra Tullis, MSW, LCSW, BCD is a life coach and a clinical therapist. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and worked in the social service field for the last 24 years. She is Board Certified in Clinical Social Work and is working toward a certification in life coaching. She is the owner of Coaching for the Good Life and is a member of the International Coach Federation, Coachville, and the International Association of Coaches. To learn more about Debra’s services email her at lifeisgood2@sbcglobal.net or visit her website at http://www.coachingforthegoodlife.com

As far back as when I was in high school I noticed a funny thing going on. A couple would have been going out for a year of two, and one or both sets of parents would start in with “The Question.” “When are you two going to get married ?” Some young couples I fear get married just so they don’t have to answer that question anymore ! So they get married. Then what do they hear ? ” When are you going to have a baby ?” These two questions have always made me wonder, do we rush our young couples to marriage/parenthood?

Don’t get me wrong marriage and parenthood are both wonderful things ! Yet they are happier, and have a better chance of success if they occur when the people involved are ready. This can mean a number of things. I have always believed every relationship has its own natural pace. The only two people who can accurately sense this are the people in the relationship.

We also have to consider are the two people “relationship ready ?” Many couples coming out of high school for instance may be very mature, but many are not. Have the couple thought hard about how the nuts and bolts of how their marriage will work ? Who will keep the checkbook ? How do their views on childcare compare ? Where and in what type of dwelling will they live ? If they can’t give specific answers to these and many more important questions, they are probably being rushed.

What about being financially ready ? Does either member of the couple have a full-time job? How does college fit into their plans ? Does either of them plan to join the military ? The military actually discourages its member from marrying in their first 2 or 4 years of service. This is because the salary paid the lower ranking members of our military is not enough to support a family. And the people in charge know it !

I have nothing against young couples marrying. Even these days people do marry young and live happy lives together. Its just sometimes I wonder if we are really acting in the you couple’s best interest, or rushing to grandchildren. Rushing into marriage or parenthood at any age is very foolish. The thing with younger couples is they are more likely to lean on the judgement of adults they trust. This is more than just a single sit down discussion. We always should be mindful of if we are unintentionally nudging things along faster than they should go. Of course the answer you get from the couple will probably go something like ” But we’re so much in love !” Love is great, no marriage can succeed without it. At the same time we experienced couples know that love alone is not enough. This is one of those times when we need to tell the young people we care about what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

Don’t discourage them. Love them enough to make sure they take the time they need to make the right decision form them.

Many physical therapists in private practice have the appearance of a very successful business that is built on the backs of about four to five doctors. Now if anything would happen to any of these guys, the value of these practices would drop markedly. How can you run a practice for many years and then take a good look at it and realize that you have five doctors that represent more than 50% of the referral base? Exactly how can that happen?

Well, it’s quite simple really. When you start your practice you have a couple doctors who kind of like you and offer to send you some patients. When the numbers are down and you’ve got to go out and stimulate more referrals, it sure is a lot easier to go and talk to the guys who already love you and are referring and try to get them to send more. If you’re very successful at doing just that, what ends up happening is the group of doctors that you’ve gone out and knocked on their doors and spoke to end up sending you quite a bit more. Well, that is always great provided that the doctors always love you, decide to never open their own practice, and do not die.

What if there was a way that you could broaden your referral base and get many doctors sending you a few new patients every month to create a more long term stability, so when one goes on vacation the stats don’t crash?

In order to understand how things work in regard to getting business and growing your practice, you have to take a good honest look at what does not work consistently with every private practice physical therapist. For example, we go out and knock on doors of the doctor’s offices when we don’t know the doctor and the doctor does not know us. We think that we are going to get this opportunity to sit down and talk to him and he will just be elated and send us droves and droves of new patients. Deep down we know that if the doctor doesn’t already love us he’s really not interested in talking to us, but yet we go out and do it anyway.

Now let’s draw a parallel to a vendor that comes in wanting to sell you some piece of equipment, say an e-stim machine. The guy comes in, he brings his device with him, and he sits in the waiting room and waits for you. You come out and say hello. You talk to him for a few minutes and you have no interest whatsoever in buying another e-stim machine. But instead of telling him you’re not interested, you’re polite and you ask a lot of questions about it. You ask how much it is and are their any kind of payment plans for it, etc. But you know you’re not going to buy it. Why? Well, one, you may not need it and two you may have a vendor you prefer to work with. But it’s somewhat rude to tell the guy to get lost. It’s the same thing with doctors. If you get an opportunity to meet with the doctor he or she most likely is not going to be rude with you. They’re going to ask questions like; “Tell me a little about your practice?” And you will go on explaining your philosophy and what kind of treatment that you do and all the letters after your name and what makes you better than anybody else.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re talking he’s looking at his watch? He’s got his hand on the wall, leaning towards the door and yet you continue on. It’s the same kind of thing you do when the vendor starts talking to you about that e-stim machine. You say “Well, tell me a little about it.” And you look at your watch and you lean towards the door and you dart your eyes left and right towards other patients or other staff hoping that someone will bail you out. Doctors do the same thing. Hopefully we can see that.

There are exceptions to this of course. There are the doctors who know you and love you. They know your good work and know of your competence. Those guys you actually can go and sit down and talk to them and they will be interested in what you have to say because they know you’re good and they know you get results. Doctors who don’t know that will pretend to be interested in what you have to say.

Have you noticed that some doctors won’t meet with you unless you buy lunch for the entire office? That ought to tell you something. One, he’s not interested in speaking to you and two, neither is his staff. Quite honestly, you will have better results buying lunch for a doctor’s office that is referring to you, but you don’t stay. In other words, you purchased the lunch, you make sure it arrives, you make sure they know it came from you and you leave. At least the staff members who were sitting there eating will say something nice about you. Like “Wow, that’s pretty nice of that practice to swing by and buy us lunch.” You probably forced that practice to have a staff meeting. Which isn’t all bad. But if you stand up there and talk for 20-30 minutes about your practice and your philosophy and everything else, believe me, if it’s the kind of physician that requires a lunch in order to meet, the staff and the doctor have heard the story and the song and dance many times.

In other words, if a doctor requires you to buy lunch for the entire staff in order to have a few minutes of his time, you’re wasting your money and your time.

Let me ask you a question. How do doctors who don’t know anything about you feel about you trying to educate them on patient conditions? Do they appreciate it? Do they heed your advice and do they welcome it? Probably not. Of course, your attention goes to the exception, Dr. Jones, who just knows that you’re the best guy in treating spine conditions in the state and he will listen to every word you have to say.

All I’m talking about is the doctors that don’t know you. When the doctor says tell me a little about your practice, you start educating him about your philosophy of treatment, about how you treat a spine condition that is different than anybody else, or what different studies report, etc. And you’ll find that the guy who doesn’t already know that you’re the best in town will be kind of bothered by a physical therapist spouting off that they know everything. Now many physical therapists feel that they know a lot more than physicians do about physical therapy’s ability to help musculoskeletal conditions. They have to keep that to themselves. In actual fact, from the point of view of the doctors, they know more than the physical therapists do. PT’s don’t have to accept it to be true, but they do need to accept that it’s the doctor’s viewpoint when they talk to doctors.

It is because of this tendency of physical therapists and practice owners to want to educate doctors on their services, to want the doctors to know they’re the best physical therapists or clinicians in town, that they are not the one to go out and cold call doctors. The best person to go out and represent your practice is somebody who doesn’t know anything about how to treat somebody. Let me show you how it works. Let’s say that you’ve got this reputation for your spine rehab program, that people woo over it, that it’s well know to be the best in town. And somehow everyone knows.

Then you have somebody who is a non-clinician go into their office and have a chance opportunity to meet with the doctor. The doctor says “Well I’ve been hearing an awful lot about your back rehab program. Can you tell me a little bit about it?” The non-clinician simply says, “Well doctor, I would love to tell you all about it, but in actual fact, what I notice is a patient comes in and they can’t even sit in the chair, they have to stand up and hold onto the back of the chair and then after a few treatments they’re walking out feeling great. I really don’t know how they do it. But all I know is that the program works.”

Believe it or not that will create more interest, than if you would have told them how you treat and your philosophy and what techniques you use, etc. It has a bigger impact for him not to know exactly how you treat things. Try it, you’ll see. But again, the worst person to represent your practice is the physical therapist or practice owner.

Shaun Kirk is President and Co-Founder of Measurable Solutions Inc., a consulting firm engaged in all areas of business management. Measurable Solutions trains entrepreneurs and executives how to be consultants to their own businesses, so they not only can expand their own business but any business. With his partner, he has built the most rapidly expanding company of its kind in the world. Visit his website at http://www.measurablesolutions.com

Wouldn’t you like to know all the Internet marketing “secrets” that have made me the man I am today?

I live in a house way too big for my beautiful wife and myself. We eat three square meals a day and can snack anytime we feel like it! We drive our luxurious Cavalier to the beach and swim anytime we want (when I’m not busy making money on the Internet and the beach is not closed because of E. coli levels or ice fishing).

It wasn’t always this way. I remember just about fifty-two short years ago when I had no clothes. The doctor had to wrap me up in a blanket. But I applied myself for decades and finally starting making money on the Internet.

Did you hear about the guy that made fifty million dollars in one day on eBay? Peanuts! If you want to make really huge amounts of cash from e-commerce, listen to a guy who’s been there.

Why should I tell you (a perfect stranger) all my tricks of the trade? Why don’t I just keep the information to myself and make a ton of cash with that knowledge?

These are good questions. This proves that you are thinking and that people on the Internet are not stupid or gullible.

The real reason I am sharing this information is because I like people. In fact, I like you. I consider you one of my closest friends because you are interested in my one passion, Internet marketing. The fact that you have read this far proves your interest. Because you are so smart and motivated, I want to help you.

The fact that I am going to release only 5,000 copies of my Internet marketing “secrets” at $5,000 a pop, for a cool $25,000,000, has absolutely nothing to do with money.

You see, I don’t really need the money. We only have three more payments to go on the Cavalier. My fridge is full of Canadian beer. So, money is obviously not my prime motivation.

My charging you $5,000 for my Internet marketing “secrets” is my way of giving back to the community. Really, I’m doing all this to help you because I want to leave behind a legacy. I want people to say (after I’m dead and have no clue about what’s going on) what a great philanthropist I was.

By the way, the lawyer at the legal clinic said I should tell you two words: “Earnings Disclaimer”.

Even though anyone as smart and motivated and good-looking as you is sure to make billions on the Internet working two or less hours a week, he insisted that I tell you. (Aren’t these creative types hilarious?)

He says: “There is no guarantee that you will make any money. Some persons are stupid, lazy and ugly and have zero chance of success.”

What a party pooper!

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. To learn more about Internet marketing and other profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit www.yenommarketinginc.com/netmrktg.html

Teaching children proper money-management skills cannot be underestimated. A lot of parents focus on helping their children with math homework and bedtime reading, but fail to give them the much needed skills we all use to control our money. There are things we can do to influence our children and help them make proper decisions regarding their finances as they grow.

Giving your children an allowance is an excellent way to begin teaching them the basics of money. To instill the concept of work, one can attach chores or light responsibilities to this money at a young age. Make your expectations clear and, if they can read, post these requirements on the fridge or a bulletin board.

When your children are ready to spend their hard-earned money. Take them to the store and help them pick out a new toy or whatever it is they desire. Take your time and ask them to explain the differences between toys. Have them discuss why certain toys are more expensive than others and whether or not this extra expense is worthwhile. Carefully examining their purchases before making them will encourage them to think about their options before they make a purchase.

Another way to teach children how to be responsible with money is to take them along on a grocery shopping trip. Make a list of the items to buy with your child before you leave. Take a long a calculator and explain your budget to your child. Make it into a game to see who can find the cheapest item of what you need.

A little extra time spent can make your children much more aware of their actions with money. Teaching your children early on to appreciate money will make a big difference in their lives later on. They will suffer from less debt and anxiety about money than their peers and they will be able to make better financial decisions for themselves and their families.

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

When I first attempted to make money online I was so naive just like any newbie. But I learned from the school of hard knocks. I learned by trial and error and by just doing.

In the beginning I submitted my site to every search engine under the sun. I tried traffic exchanges, banner exchanges, FFA’s, safelists, online classified ads etc. and not surprisingly I got zero results. If anything… I was very good at getting sp-ammed.

I wasted weeks and even months of my time with stuff that didn’t work. But little by little I started to head in the right direction. I dropped all the stuff that didn’t work and looked for other ways to bring traffic to my site.

I subscribed to a whole bunch of ezines and started posting fr-ee ads. The results weren’t great but at least this time I was getting some results. My confidence started to build and I knew I was heading in the right direction.

Then I started to spend a little money on my business and used pay per click search engines and things really started to take off for me and my confidence grew more.

Then I started writing articles and press releases and and in the middle of all this I would spend time learning how to optimize my site for the major search engines to get a high ranking.

The sales started coming in regularly. But I didn’t sit back. I wanted to convert more of my visitors into customers.

I added an opt-in form on my site to capture email addresses and set up an autoresponder to automatically follow up with my prospects. Eventually I added an alert box to capture email addresses which really exploded my mail list.

I started learning more about copywriting and experimented with different copy and headlines etc. on my site to get maximum results until eventually I had a consistent sales machine over at http://www.ineedsmokes.com

And when I had a sales machine that was on auto-pilot I then started pursuing other projects to make additional money.

But you know, it took alot of work to get to this point. It is a constant learning process and I still try to learn as much as I can because you never “know it all.”

If you think you “know it all” you are finished because the internet changes so rapidly you’ll quickly get left behind.

If you’re new to online marketing… it won’t happen for you overnight. It will take work, dedication and even sacrifice.

You need to keep working your business, be consistent and learn as much as you can about this internet marketing game and most importantly apply what you have learned.

Some techniques and tactics will work great in one business… but not in another. You won’t know unless you try. Find the things that work for you and build upon it.

And eventually… you’ll get there too.

About The Author

Al Martinovic publishes the Millenium Marketers Newsletter featuring powerful internet marketing concepts, killer strategies, useful tips, and no bull business advice. Subscribe Fr-ee Today: http://www.milleniummarketers.com

TACTIC #1 — Never simply slash your prices, unless you’re trying to empty obsolete inventory. Instead, try repackaging your prices so they’re more affordable in the short-run so more prospects can afford them. For example, rather than pricing your service for the year, “Our monthly newsletter is only $39 for the year.” Instead, try “Our monthly newsletter is only $3.25 per month.” If you accept credit cards, it’s very easy to set up reoccurring monthly charges that are billed to your subscribers without having to intervene every month beyond the initial account set up. The upside to offering your subscription on a monthly basis is that you can now market a $3.25 headline versus a more expensive $39 headline, i.e. you’re able to offer services at a more affordable rate without slashing prices.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE
Here’s another example. Just last night I was on the phone with a potential marketing client. As a small business owner she’s trying to get some marketing help and is on a tight budget. My standard hourly consulting fee is $225, which is not always appealing to some businesses. However, in trying to work within her budget I suggested that my services could be more affordable for her if she allowed me to help her through email instead of face-to-face or on the phone. Let’s face it, when you’re on the phone with a client it takes longer to accomplish what you’re doing since you’re not only answering their questions, but you’re building a relationship and talking about unrelated topics. It’s difficult not to. In fact, you should! No matter what type of consultant you are, building a successful business is not about the initial sale, it’s about establishing a long-term relationship with customers.

One-off sales don’t lend themselves to growing a profitable business; rather, deep customer relationships do! However, since I was able to establish a trustworthy and comfortable relationship with my prospect on the phone, she thought my marketing services through email would be a win-win. Did I slash my prices? No, instead I found a more efficient way to offer my services, whereby I could offer them in less time and therefore, my client will pay less money. This strategy could work for business coaches, fitness experts or personal chefs, when the latter prepares meals in her home rather than in a client’s home.

TACTIC #2 — Create tightly niched product or service offerings. For example, if you’re operating a personal concierge service, rather than just offer errand services at $25 an hour, try prepackaging specific errands with associated lower pricing. Why? Because you can offer a more aggressive price when isolating your fee to one particular service. If your customer challenges your reduced price as compared to your higher hourly fee, your response is simply, “I’m able to offer this lower packaged price because of economies of scale. While I’m out delivering your bundles to the Post Office, I’m also delivering packages for five other customers.” Ultimately, your customers will never know how many other customers you’re delivering for that day; however, the key is not to simply slash your pricing because you believe that reducing your prices will bring you more business. The key is to provide consistent and professional pricing practices.

P.S…Yes, business is slow for many entrepreneurs right now; however, be cautious with your pricing methods. Don’t simply slash prices; instead incorporate long-term and short-term strategies that are always complementary to each other. If you offer a product for $15 today, then again at $35 six months from now, you must have your reasons in place, otherwise you’ll aggravate your customers.

Sharron Senter is a New England-based marketing consultant, speaker, writer and founder of Senter & Associates, a marketing communications firm that helps small businesses deploy low-cost marketing strategies. Sharron is well known for her free monthly emailed marketing tips, found at http://www.sharronsenter.com. She’s also the cofounder of http://www.VisitingGeeks.com - an onsite computer repair, networking and security company based north of Boston.