peterxu's Blog

Book Upgrade Story My wife, Irene and I dreaded a trip in coach.

We had obtained two frequent flyer program tickets on American Airlines departing from Orange County heading to Dallas, Texas.

While riding in Coach is not as difficult as traveling in the rowing section of a slave galley ... its close.

What to do

You can never get a First Class upgrade from a frequent flyer mileage ticket ... or can you

The Platinum desk repeated the policy to me over the phone.

The counter personnel laughed at my request.

The gate personnel rolled their eyes.

My last chance was the flight attendant.

Handing my book Negotiate like the Pros to the flight attendant with the inscription, Thank you for the complimentary First Class upgrade you are about to give my wife and me! I held my breath.

Ha-ha! she said. Sorry but you know I cant.

Thats okay, I replied, it never hurts to give it one more try!

Then, right before the aircraft pushed back, the flight attendant waved at me and gestured come forward with her finger.

First Class to Dallas! And they said it couldnt be done!!!!

The glamour of travel wears thin for many seasoned veterans.

Shortcuts, time and money, savings techniques are a big part of the road warriors survival.

Deals with air carriers, hotels, ground transportation providers, and restaurants are plentiful and fun to make.

Air Travel Pick one or more:

1. Flying is fun.
2. Flying is awful.
3. Flying is boring.
4. Flying is a necessary evil.
5. Flying is nerve wracking.
6. All of the above.
7. None of the above.

The best part of these programs is that they are all free and available to any frequent flyer.

Upgrades, special seating, advanced boarding privileges, and airport club memberships are all negotiable with one of these frequent flyer programs.

Hotels

Sheraton International (soon to be Starwood), Hilton, Marriott, and other major hotel chains have frequent traveler programs too.

Upgrades to suites, concierge or club levels, free nights, and travel benefits can all be negotiated with the assistance of these programs.

These programs are also almost universally free of charge to the frequent traveler.

Restaurants Tip on the way in. You have a better chance for good service.

Ask the maitred for his or her suggestions. In fact, ask them to order your meal. Youll get the chefs best that evening and youll make a friend for the future.

Never send your food back ... If you do they will spit in your soup!

Bio

As a California Criminal Trial Lawyer with 28 years of courtroom experience, JOHN PATRICK DOLAN has handled everything from traffic tickets to death penalty murder cases. Dolan is a recognized California State Bar Certified Specialist in Criminal Law and a true courtroom veteran. He is AV (highest) Martindale-Hubbell rated.

For any company, proper marketing of their products is very important. However, note that if your company often develops new products and services, then a marketing plan is not required in the research and development phase of the products. Streetwise marketing is completely planned on direct response. This includes crafting of different Offers, then packaging of catch-lines in such away so as to attract a lot of consumers.

Streetwise marketing requires pretty much the same skills as those required for the internet marketer today who writes and presents e-mails, blogs, static web pages and other web-related and multiple-media-related avenues (based upon street knowledge: what works now and what doesnt on the Internet) to sell products effectively. To have such streetwise marketing plans, it is necessary to craft an overview with positioning statements. Consider these points of focus for your streetwise marketing plans:

1) Streetwise marketing plans include important strategies for specific services or products. It is has been observed that these plans have more relevance than budget numbers. In such plans, one must add some specifications regarding particular products that are different from your other products. Streetwise marketing plans must include the most important parts such as projected sales, costs and profit predictions.

2) Involving your other colleagues in the Streetwise marketing plan is very beneficial. You can assign each product or a set of similar products to each of your colleagues. It is not possible for a single person to manage all of the products or the services. If that responsibility is on one person, he or she cannot spend adequate time to focus on campaigns for every product. So even if your colleagues have less experience, they can definitely help you make and developing different marketing plans for the assigned products. This will help to increase a sense of responsibility and also motivate them.

3) You can even figure out whether to launch the new product or service or not. And for this purpose while making plans, one must focus on larger issues. For example, advertising often falls into the last stage of a product launch, so dont concentrate on that in the beginning. You must focus upon issues like pricing, market size, projected sales and competitor implications. Once you have decided that you are definitely going to launch the proposed product or service, then you can plan and implement marketing tactics and then plan different advertisements based on that.

4) Streetwise direct marketing includes web-based marketing like internet-media, webpages and email. Email marketing is a very good marketing option in todays world for many while its still free or at least very affordable. Streetwise marketing also includes database marketing, which is being applied through internet marketing by emails or web pages with leads capture forms most often within the code.

In conclusion, while making streetwise marketing plans, you need to focus on specific goals and expectations from your products and services. This will definitely help you to promote them well.

There is possibility of making mistakes in the beginning but you can improve as time passes and as you launch different products. And last but most important, your streetwise marketing plan must be good enough to earn you a substantial profit. This is a given to grow and succeed today.

Parmdeep Vadesha is a property investment expert and founder of the largest community of property entrepreneurs on the web who buy below market value properties from distressed homeowners facing repossession, divorce and bankruptcy. He writes a monthly newsletter for 70,000 property investors worldwide - http://www.Property-System.com

There are many Website owners trying to find authentic drop shipping companies for their online retail business. An authentic drop shipper is a supplier of wholesale products who will drop ship single item orders direct to your customers. Our business (www.hienotedirectory.com) is focused on researching and publishing information about authentic drop shippers for Internet based retailers. Our experience has taught us the dos and dont of identifying authentic drop shippers. Lets now cut to the chase. In finding an authentic drop shipper, it is important to avoid the three Ms. What are the three Ms of drop shipping

(M)inimum orders

(M)iddlemen

(M)embership fees

We are going to examine each one of these to get a better understanding of their meanings, and how they impact you as an Internet retailer.

Quick Lessons For Success

Okay, lets see:

- You have your website running.

- You can accept payment from customers.

- You have good drop shippers to supply product r, a least you are thinking you do. How do we know for certain

As a quick check, we are going to validate the last bullet by seeing if we avoided the three Ms of drop shipping.

1. Minimum Orders. An authentic drop shipper does not require you to buy minimum amounts of product to do business with them. An authentic drop shipper will drop ship in single item quantities to your customers. Sometimes, companies require minimum orders because they cannot absorb the cost structure of single item drop shipping. Drop shipping is generally more expensive to do for the supplier. To offset their costs and unload the products, they will require you to order product you do not need. As an online retailer, you will want to avoid this situation.

2. Middlemen. This is the classic, unnecessary, middle layer of distribution. Middlemen, as the name implies, are the people in between you and a drop shipper. When you place an order with them, they order product from the actual drop shipper. Take their slice of the profit and have the real drop shipper send the products to your customers. They can also steal your customers as they are getting all of the shipping and contact information from you. At that juncture, they can send whatever they want to your customers such as advertising with lower prices. These folks should be avoided whenever possible. They are taking your additional profits by giving you pricing often close to retail. In some situations, they can also lengthen the delivery time to your customers. Again, you do not want this to happen. You need to ask the correct questions in order to avoid these folks. Questions such as, Are you the manufacturer of the product Or, Do you stock inventory of the products you sell are good questions to ask. We even ask folks to arrange a time for us to come visit their warehouse.

3. Membership Fees. An authentic single item drop shipper will not require you to pay membership or processing fees. Should you be paying someone to sell their products No! Beware, they could be a middleman. Avoid any membership fees or dues. An authentic drop shipper does not require membership fees to sell their merchandise. In some cases, we have found that these so-called drop shippers charge membership fees for products that might not be doing well in the market place. The supplier wants to make sure they make money by charging monthly fees as they know you will probably be struggling to make money selling their products.

How you spot an authentic drop shipper.

Now that we have an awareness of the three Ms to avoid, we can summarize some of the rules and validations for our drop shipper search. Our checklist of rules can begin to look something like the following:

They will drop ship single item orders without minimum requirements.

They will not require you to pay any member fees or monthly fees.

They will offer you true wholesale pricing so you can make a profit.

They will not put any of their own promotional materials in with your customers order.

Once a drop shipper can meet the above criteria there are other logistical items to consider such as the following:

They will put your company name on the shipping label.

They will ship in a plain box without any of their company logos or information on the box.

They will include a plain invoice in with your order without any pricing.

There are other items to consider for an authentic drop shipper validation, but the above lists can get you going in the right direction. Remembering to avoid the three Ms can prevent those costly mistakes in your online retail business.

Brad Beiermann Ph.D., is President of Hienote Inc., Crystal Lake, IL 60039. Dr. Beiermann is one of the leading experts in business technology and e-commerce. Hienote Inc. specializes in assisting businesses locate wholesale drop shipping companies. You can visit their site at http://www.hienotedirectory.com

Have you ever wondered why some business owners seem to always make money whilst others struggle just to break even One reason is that successful business owners surround themselves with the right people. Here Are 7 Types of People You Should Definitely Be Working With:

1. A Switched-On Internet Marketer: Bill Gates said recently that, Within the next 5 years 60 of ALL business transactions will take place on or be influenced by the Internet. Only a complete idiot would ignore the Internet.

But be aware you need an experienced Internet marketer - NOT just a web designer. You see, the trouble with the average web designer is that whilst they can create fancy Brochure websites (and charge you an arm and a leg in the process) they are as effective as screen doors on a submarine when it comes to marketing.

So you need to look for an Internet Marketer that understands:

- - How to get traffic to your website.

- - That offers you a complete marketing plan - not just a static website.

-- That builds you a website with an original graphic design and not just some off-the-shelf template.

- - Someone that doesnt just build you a website but that takes it to the next level and actually shows you what to do with it.

HINT: Someone like me use the comments link to contact me)

2. A Lead Generation Specialist: I often refer people to my friend James Yuille. Business experts like James can teach your sales team how to understand the process of the sale - a priceless thing. Jamess website is www.JamesYuille.com

3. A Proactive Accountant: The sad reality is that most business owners are flying blind when it comes to their business finances. The right accountant can change all that by helping you to get some simple financial systems operating in your business which in turn means you can plan more effectively.

4. A Business Coach: This is a very hard area for most business owners largely because the average business coach just isnt qualified to show you what to do. Now - before all you business coaches reading this get all offended and spit the dummy relax, if you have a proven track record in operating an exceptionally successful business in your own right - then what Ive just said doesnt apply to you does it

HINT: They have never done it themselves.

If you want outstanding results youll need to find a coach who has done more than just shell out $70,000 for a coaching franchise. Ask them to show you examples of successful businesses they have operated themselves.

5. A Good PA: If you really want to explode your results, get a personal assistant as soon as you can. Get someone that can free up your time so that all you do is work ON your business, rather than IN it.

6. A Venture Capital Expert: Make friends with someone who understands the process of raising venture capital and can help you get your business prepared for investment - that can help it appear attractive to a potential investor.

7. A Friend: Yes you read that correctly. You need to find someone that you can sound off to and that will give you honest, unbiased feedback.

Now stop and ask yourself:

Do I have these 7 people on my business team and if not, what am I going to do about it

About the Author: Do you want to sell stuff like a demented popcorn machine on steroids Then you should read Chris Bloors Blog http://SalesLeadSecrets.com in fact you should read it every day!

Let us look at a few of the big distribution networks in the US that we use today. The US Post Office for instance is a huge complex chain of symbiotic relations ships with vendors to deliver by truck, work with FED EX for air, previously that airmail idea started commercial aviation. The reason it grew big and evolved so well is because of the special teams and companies and individuals from the first air mail carriers to the Wells Fargo Coaches. A much better system than Paul Revere; although he was very simple with only two possible signals 1 or 2 f scenarios. Let face it 1 and Zero or 1 or 2 ifs are different than today.

Now let us compare that to a virus, terrorist, or simplest Paul Revere message, which is easiest to duplicate due to the lack of complexity and less chance of Murphyism. A virus therefore can adapt quickly and much faster than a Big Corporation like Big Blue or GE or a , government agency or complex life form like a Human Being. We have seen the AIDS virus mutate and evolve in our own life times, yet the human body still has a part of a tail bone, weird looking feet and a few parts off our stomachs no one can figure out what they are for It will take another 50,000 years to see those things change if we do not genetically modify ourselves in the next century. The huge system is like a human body and is also very complex. With many symbiotic relationships and various bacteria, viruses etc.

We have both good and bad bacteria, which all work together for the whole. Now then the virus is a simple special team. Like a Navy Seal Team, Football special team and it hitches a ride to get to where it wants to be similar to a city bus rider who switches buses to get to their intended destination. Our best distribution systems that can be observed in the world work in this fashion. If you want to design the most efficient distribution system for your business, you need to look at what works and ask yourself why Think about it.

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