Building your fortune is a very long and hard road for some and quicker for others, but however you got there, the last thing in the world that you want is to see some scumbag burglar target your house at the Christmas crime prime-time and take that all away.
Jaclyn O'Malley of the Reno Gazette-Journal (11/21/2007) says "Crooks know that vehicles and homes will soon be full of Christmas gifts. They also know that some people will abandon their homes around the holidays in favor of a winter vacation paradise. And every season, law enforcement statistics show crimes such as residential burglaries and vehicle thefts slightly increase toward the end of the year."
It's an unfortunate fact that wherever someone is successful, there is a human parasite waiting to deprive them of their success. It may sound cynical, but it is true. When a person has achieved a great deal, criminals see as much opportunity in that person as his or her business partners do.
Although I am an optimistic person, I am also practical. If a burglar were to strip me of my material assets by cleaning out my house while I was on vacation, that would be terrible. However, my family are much more important to me than all the possessions in the world and I will never allow them to be harmed by a burglar who breaks in while they are home. I assume that if you have a family, you feel the same way. That is why I'm writing about some simple physical security measures to protect your hard-earned assets.
Lt. Bob McDonald of Reno police suggests concealing presents and valuables so that they are not easily visible from outside your home. Furthermore, he says "other ways to make a home safer are to increase outdoor lighting, purchase a dog and invest in an alarm system. He also suggested talking to strangers through the door instead of opening it when someone knocks or rings the doorbell." (Reno Gazette-Journal, 11/21/2007)
The idea is that first and foremost, you must not present your home as an easy target ripe for the picking. You can't hide the fact that you live in a beautiful house in a nice neighborhood, but you can certainly make your house the most difficult target in that neighborhood. Even if your house isn't that mansion on the hill, that might be all the more reason why a burglar will choose yours as a target this Christmas. Burglars, like most people, will look for the quickest path to riches. The difference between them and most people is that they will hurt others to obtain their wealth quickly. To prevent them from doing that, we have to become the path of "greatest resistance."
Very few burglars will challenge an alarm system that is used regularly, but skilled burglars will "case" a potential target residence to examine the routines of the inhabitants. If they find that the security system is rarely, if ever, used then the target is as easy as a house without any security system. The same is true for door locks, but I hope that is painfully obvious.
In any case, the safest way to prevent your house from being burglarized this holiday season is with a monitored security system that is used consistently, without fail. Many people shy away from monitored security systems because they believe them to be extremely expensive, but there are some extremely simple and affordable options available. Compare at http://uberhomesecurity.com/
Burglars will also hesitate at the sight or sound of a large dog, and will normally opt for a house with no such deterrent. This is a great secondary line of defense after the locks and alarm system, but large dogs are not in every homeowner's game plan. Small dogs are just about as effective, given the fact that they often have a bark much bigger than their bite. Burglars fear the noise almost as much as the physical threat, particularly when the infiltration attempt is at an odd time of day or night. If a dog of any kind is not an option for you, you might still consider a "beware of dog" sign, but this will only work for the burglar who doesn't do the research to notice that no dog is ever seen outside the house.
There are numerous other options to incrementally improve your home security situation, but try these primary suggestions first. Protect your home perimeter with excellent modern locks and a monitored security system, and then consider additional supplementary measures.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Why Michael Rakow is Thankful for Sheepdogs this Thanksgiving… and Always!
I am eternally thankful for sheepdogs. If you have a few minutes to read the words of LTC (Ret) Dave Grossman below, I promise it will be well worth your time. I actually met LTC Grossman about seven years ago, and he was one of the most intelligent and moving speakers that I have ever witnessed. See if that feeling translates into the written word for you with this excerpt from his book “On Combat”:
On Sheep, Sheepdogs, and WolvesBy Dave Grossman
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.
Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.
Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there that will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.”…
If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
Let me expand on this old soldier’s excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, which is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools.
But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.”
Until the wolf shows up! Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.” The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, “Let’s roll,” which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. — From sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
“Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”
“There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men.” - Edmund Burke
Here is the point I like to emphasize; especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust, or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.
I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, “I will never be caught without my gun in church.” I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy’s body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”
Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for “heads to roll” if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids’ school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them.
Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?”
It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.
Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn’t bring your gun, you didn’t train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear, helplessness, and horror at your moment of truth.
Gavin de Becker puts it like this in “Fear Less,” his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: “…denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn’t so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling.”
Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level.
And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.
If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be “on” 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself… “Baa.”
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically, at your moment of truth.
On Sheep, Sheepdogs, and WolvesBy Dave Grossman
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.
Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.
Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there that will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.”…
If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
Let me expand on this old soldier’s excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, which is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools.
But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.”
Until the wolf shows up! Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.” The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, “Let’s roll,” which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. — From sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
“Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”
“There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men.” - Edmund Burke
Here is the point I like to emphasize; especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust, or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.
I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, “I will never be caught without my gun in church.” I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy’s body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”
Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for “heads to roll” if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids’ school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them.
Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?”
It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.
Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn’t bring your gun, you didn’t train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear, helplessness, and horror at your moment of truth.
Gavin de Becker puts it like this in “Fear Less,” his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: “…denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn’t so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling.”
Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level.
And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.
If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be “on” 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself… “Baa.”
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically, at your moment of truth.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Holiday Action Saves a Sour Shopping Season
[By: Beka Ruse]
Usually, U.S. retailers earn 20-80% of their entire yearly gross during the holiday season. But this year, things are different. The sluggish US economy has prompted Deloitte Research's Carl Steidtmann to fear "the worst Christmas ever" in the retail sector. Short of going door to door in a Santa suit, how can businesses increase profits and prevent a blue Christmas? Despite economic gloom, industry leaders have found that an e-mail follow up strategy can increase sales by a cheery 35%! To weather the ailing economy, use a follow up autoresponder during your holiday campaigns.
What Does It Do?Follow up autoresponders follow up with your leads for you. You create a series of messages, and decide when they should be sent, (daily, weekly, etc.). Your autoresponder will send the messages to each new lead automatically. With no further intervention from you, your leads will remember you throughout the winter chill. And this regular reminding will mean more sales during the all-important holiday shopping season. Give yourself the gift of a higher conversion rate! Follow up automatically using these simple steps:
Offer Useful Information
Personalize Your Messages
Track Your Leads
Broadcast Tailor-Made Offers
Offer Useful InformationWrite your follow up messages for your leads - not for yourself. You want to talk about your great service, but your leads just want to know what they'll get out of it! At some point, you must have purchased something like your product. What were you looking for then? Was it information about pricing, styles, or holiday gift wrapping? Maybe just a clearer explanation of the product? Figure that out, and put the answer in your follow up messages. That's what your leads want to know.
Personalize Your MessagesYou don't open postal mail addressed to "Current Resident", and your leads aren't going to read e-mail addressed to "Dear Internet Friend." People are simply more likely to read messages that address them by name. Autoresponders let you use variables to personalize your messages. This way, you write just one message, but Lenny Lead reads "Happy Holidays, Lenny!" while Kate Customer reads "Happy Holidays, Kate!" Names are only the beginning of the personalization features available, though. In addition to full, first, and last names, some autoresponders let you add e-mail addresses, dates, or an ad category. The best even correct the capitalization in your leads' names, giving your messages a much more professional look.
Track Your LeadsGet even better results from your snowballing list of leads by experimenting with follow up content and timing. Your experimentation will be much more successful if you have access to proper statistics. Only use a follow up autoresponder that offers detailed lead statistics. Look for live, graphical stats that show your incoming leads broken down by day / week / month, all of your active leads, and leads who have requested removal from your list.
Broadcast Tailor-Made OffersTo get more bang for your holiday buck, look for an autoresponder that also lets you broadcast extra e-mails to all of your leads. Some even allow you to send tailor-made offers only to leads who meet certain criteria. For instance, send everyone who's been on your list for a month a special discount. Or, notify all leads interested in a certain product when a new shipment comes in. Follow up messages keep leads warm. Use periodic broadcasts to convert them to sales!
Prevent a Crummy ChristmasBusinesses of all sizes have seen their sales grow by leaps and bounds because of automated follow up. Implement your follow up strategy now to make the best use of holiday leads! Then, enjoy the season - your autoresponder is following up for you!
Beka Ruse fights spam as the Business Development Manager at AWeber Communications. Ad tracking, live stats, and a strict anti-spam policy. Automated E-Mail Follow Up From AWeber.
References:Sydell, L. (2001, October 23). Holiday Online Retail, National Public Radio's MarketplaceCovert, J. (2001, October 23). NY Fashion Designers Launch Bid to Revive Holiday Sales, Wall Street Journal
Usually, U.S. retailers earn 20-80% of their entire yearly gross during the holiday season. But this year, things are different. The sluggish US economy has prompted Deloitte Research's Carl Steidtmann to fear "the worst Christmas ever" in the retail sector. Short of going door to door in a Santa suit, how can businesses increase profits and prevent a blue Christmas? Despite economic gloom, industry leaders have found that an e-mail follow up strategy can increase sales by a cheery 35%! To weather the ailing economy, use a follow up autoresponder during your holiday campaigns.
What Does It Do?Follow up autoresponders follow up with your leads for you. You create a series of messages, and decide when they should be sent, (daily, weekly, etc.). Your autoresponder will send the messages to each new lead automatically. With no further intervention from you, your leads will remember you throughout the winter chill. And this regular reminding will mean more sales during the all-important holiday shopping season. Give yourself the gift of a higher conversion rate! Follow up automatically using these simple steps:
Offer Useful Information
Personalize Your Messages
Track Your Leads
Broadcast Tailor-Made Offers
Offer Useful InformationWrite your follow up messages for your leads - not for yourself. You want to talk about your great service, but your leads just want to know what they'll get out of it! At some point, you must have purchased something like your product. What were you looking for then? Was it information about pricing, styles, or holiday gift wrapping? Maybe just a clearer explanation of the product? Figure that out, and put the answer in your follow up messages. That's what your leads want to know.
Personalize Your MessagesYou don't open postal mail addressed to "Current Resident", and your leads aren't going to read e-mail addressed to "Dear Internet Friend." People are simply more likely to read messages that address them by name. Autoresponders let you use variables to personalize your messages. This way, you write just one message, but Lenny Lead reads "Happy Holidays, Lenny!" while Kate Customer reads "Happy Holidays, Kate!" Names are only the beginning of the personalization features available, though. In addition to full, first, and last names, some autoresponders let you add e-mail addresses, dates, or an ad category. The best even correct the capitalization in your leads' names, giving your messages a much more professional look.
Track Your LeadsGet even better results from your snowballing list of leads by experimenting with follow up content and timing. Your experimentation will be much more successful if you have access to proper statistics. Only use a follow up autoresponder that offers detailed lead statistics. Look for live, graphical stats that show your incoming leads broken down by day / week / month, all of your active leads, and leads who have requested removal from your list.
Broadcast Tailor-Made OffersTo get more bang for your holiday buck, look for an autoresponder that also lets you broadcast extra e-mails to all of your leads. Some even allow you to send tailor-made offers only to leads who meet certain criteria. For instance, send everyone who's been on your list for a month a special discount. Or, notify all leads interested in a certain product when a new shipment comes in. Follow up messages keep leads warm. Use periodic broadcasts to convert them to sales!
Prevent a Crummy ChristmasBusinesses of all sizes have seen their sales grow by leaps and bounds because of automated follow up. Implement your follow up strategy now to make the best use of holiday leads! Then, enjoy the season - your autoresponder is following up for you!
Beka Ruse fights spam as the Business Development Manager at AWeber Communications. Ad tracking, live stats, and a strict anti-spam policy. Automated E-Mail Follow Up From AWeber.
References:Sydell, L. (2001, October 23). Holiday Online Retail, National Public Radio's MarketplaceCovert, J. (2001, October 23). NY Fashion Designers Launch Bid to Revive Holiday Sales, Wall Street Journal
Get Fat for Thanksgiving Without Any of Your Grandma's Recipes
Grandma's recipes are great for turkey, stuffing, and cranberry but not for making money. The only kind of fat that I'm gaining this Thanksgiving is in my bank account. For those who want a fat account this Thanksgiving instead of - or maybe in addition to - a fat belly, the quickest way to get there is to stop listening to Grandma's old fashioned financial advice.
I have recently become something of an expert on the funnel concept in network marketing, and I have been amazed at how well it works when you apply it correctly. See, the thing about a funnel system is that if you are going to invest in this powerful business building tool, you can't go into it with your Grandma's marketing plan. This funnel isn't some cornucopia or horn of plenty that just fills itself from day one, but it does build momentum as you apply an effective marketing strategy with your team. Then, and only then, does it become the massive Uber Funnel that acts like a horn of plenty for your bank account.
All Thanksgiving analogies aside... as hard as it is to believe, the Uber Funnel system (based on Ty Coughlin's revolutionary Reverse Funnel System) really works and makes huge residual profits by doing what we in the industry have tried to do for years. It quite simply eliminated the BS part of network marketing, where you run around like the Mad Hatter inviting everyone and anyone to your tea party. Those were the outdated recipes (for failure) that I have been eliminated by automating the process through the funnel system.
I know that I can only afford the time and energy to work with serious home-business entrepreneurs, and funnel makes sure that we build our teams with business-minded marketers. Secondly, the system provides "plug 'n play" automated income streams, complete with online training, so those new serious players on our team can get up and earning faster than ever. This system is all about the automation and elimination of the major business stalling problems that we have all encountered if we have been in MLM or NWM for any length of time.
Yes, I have an interest in the Uber Funnel system because my team and I use it profusely, but anyone reading this can easily check it out for themselves and see if you don't find it solving those same annoyances and archaic business killing methods that it resolved for us.
http://uberfunnel.com/
I have recently become something of an expert on the funnel concept in network marketing, and I have been amazed at how well it works when you apply it correctly. See, the thing about a funnel system is that if you are going to invest in this powerful business building tool, you can't go into it with your Grandma's marketing plan. This funnel isn't some cornucopia or horn of plenty that just fills itself from day one, but it does build momentum as you apply an effective marketing strategy with your team. Then, and only then, does it become the massive Uber Funnel that acts like a horn of plenty for your bank account.
All Thanksgiving analogies aside... as hard as it is to believe, the Uber Funnel system (based on Ty Coughlin's revolutionary Reverse Funnel System) really works and makes huge residual profits by doing what we in the industry have tried to do for years. It quite simply eliminated the BS part of network marketing, where you run around like the Mad Hatter inviting everyone and anyone to your tea party. Those were the outdated recipes (for failure) that I have been eliminated by automating the process through the funnel system.
I know that I can only afford the time and energy to work with serious home-business entrepreneurs, and funnel makes sure that we build our teams with business-minded marketers. Secondly, the system provides "plug 'n play" automated income streams, complete with online training, so those new serious players on our team can get up and earning faster than ever. This system is all about the automation and elimination of the major business stalling problems that we have all encountered if we have been in MLM or NWM for any length of time.
Yes, I have an interest in the Uber Funnel system because my team and I use it profusely, but anyone reading this can easily check it out for themselves and see if you don't find it solving those same annoyances and archaic business killing methods that it resolved for us.
http://uberfunnel.com/
Monday, November 12, 2007
Veteran's Day Thank You
Today I just want to take a moment away from all the business of the day to say thanks to all our men and women who have served bravely in our armed forces. For more than two centuries Americans have willingly done the hard work of protecting us against all enemies both abroad and at home. Today they protect us from an unseen enemy who hides in the shadows and strikes at innocent civilians.
My cincere gratitude to all of those who keep my family safe each day. Fortunately we can go on about our business traveling to and from our jobs, eating at restaurants, visiting malls, and leading a life without fear because our troops are keeping terrorists on the run and in decades past our troops fought to keep this country and our allies free and secure. We owe a tremendous debt for this daily comfort, and I am eternally grateful.
My cincere gratitude to all of those who keep my family safe each day. Fortunately we can go on about our business traveling to and from our jobs, eating at restaurants, visiting malls, and leading a life without fear because our troops are keeping terrorists on the run and in decades past our troops fought to keep this country and our allies free and secure. We owe a tremendous debt for this daily comfort, and I am eternally grateful.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Veteran's Day Message For My Military Friends
Last night I was a guest speaker at one of the largest American Legion posts in the country. As I sat enjoying my dinner with two or three hundred other veterans and their families, I was struck by the how much each of these men and women vividly remember about their experiences in the military. For some of them, it was 50 years ago or more that they served this great nation, but so strong was their pride that they never forgot all the things that they loved about their time in the military.
To be sure, many of the memories are also sad and difficult to deal with over the years, but it seemed that in most cases the honor, brotherhood, and character-building experiences were what really remained in the hearts and minds of these vets. Time spent in military service is a lot like other experiences in life, where we tend to edit out the bad times and remember the good. I suppose the difference between military service and other life experiences is that it is so much more rich with life-changing and character-building experiences that shape the individuals for a lifetime.
This lifetime impact is why experiences from 50 years ago are still as clear as if they were yesterday. The brotherhood (and sisterhood) among all of us in the military explains why I could sit down at a table of vets whom I had never met before (many of them twice my age), and instantly feel a bond with them. There is that automatic respect that we share with all others who have served. Whether that service was one year or thirty years, the respect is earned by all those who have served honorably in the military of this greatest nation the world has ever known!
On Veteran's Day 2007, I am saddened however to see that service to country is no longer considered a necessary contribution for those who call themselves citizens of this country. To be sure, there are countless other ways to serve the country without joining the military, but why aren't parents teaching their children that some type of service is necessary, not optional? Do they think all of these luxuries - yes, things like food and shelter are luxuries in many parts of the world - and all of these freedoms were just given to us at "no cost to the consumer"?
My indignation at this problem is nothing new, and generations before mine have felt it too, but an evening among real American citizens brings it to the forefront. It is particularly evident when I speak with people who have come to America from other countries and have become citizens of this country. In my experience, there is very little sense of entitlement and no "taking it for granted" among naturalized citizens of the United States. Naturalized American citizens tend to truly understand the value of the life that we enjoy here, and many of them serve heroically putting their lives on the line for this nation.
The point here is that Americans have the freedom to just glide through life leeching resources from fellow Americans and complaining about every insignificant issue du jour, or we can take an active role in society, and earn the rights that we enjoy.
If you are too lazy to get your butt to the polls and vote on election day, then I don't want to hear you complain about the government. If you have an able body and mind but choose not to serve in the military, then don't try to tell the military how you think they should do their jobs - just sit back and be happy they are protecting you and your right not to serve. If you never donate any of your time, money, or work to charities and humanitarian organizations, then don't expect any help from those organizations when you are down on your luck. If you can't stand and show a sign of respect when you hear the national anthem and see the flag of this country passing by, then go live in some other country that you have more respect for. If you can't separate your political beliefs and feelings about war (or a particular war) from the unfathomably brave work that the troops are doing, then go live in some part of the world where the threat is on your doorstep every night, and see how you feel about those US troops protecting you then.
Take this article for what it's worth. Whether you like it or hate it doesn't matter to me. I for one, thank God daily that I live in this great nation where generations my family have lived and served under the protection of a military that has become the greatest this world has ever known. This greatness is not simply determined by power, but by the willingness to take action to make a difference in the world even if it is very, very hard! That's what Americans do, so please thank a veteran for making a difference in your life and paying the price for your freedom and safety.
If you are a veteran reading this, you have my most sincere thanks and eternal gratitude for your service!
To be sure, many of the memories are also sad and difficult to deal with over the years, but it seemed that in most cases the honor, brotherhood, and character-building experiences were what really remained in the hearts and minds of these vets. Time spent in military service is a lot like other experiences in life, where we tend to edit out the bad times and remember the good. I suppose the difference between military service and other life experiences is that it is so much more rich with life-changing and character-building experiences that shape the individuals for a lifetime.
This lifetime impact is why experiences from 50 years ago are still as clear as if they were yesterday. The brotherhood (and sisterhood) among all of us in the military explains why I could sit down at a table of vets whom I had never met before (many of them twice my age), and instantly feel a bond with them. There is that automatic respect that we share with all others who have served. Whether that service was one year or thirty years, the respect is earned by all those who have served honorably in the military of this greatest nation the world has ever known!
On Veteran's Day 2007, I am saddened however to see that service to country is no longer considered a necessary contribution for those who call themselves citizens of this country. To be sure, there are countless other ways to serve the country without joining the military, but why aren't parents teaching their children that some type of service is necessary, not optional? Do they think all of these luxuries - yes, things like food and shelter are luxuries in many parts of the world - and all of these freedoms were just given to us at "no cost to the consumer"?
My indignation at this problem is nothing new, and generations before mine have felt it too, but an evening among real American citizens brings it to the forefront. It is particularly evident when I speak with people who have come to America from other countries and have become citizens of this country. In my experience, there is very little sense of entitlement and no "taking it for granted" among naturalized citizens of the United States. Naturalized American citizens tend to truly understand the value of the life that we enjoy here, and many of them serve heroically putting their lives on the line for this nation.
The point here is that Americans have the freedom to just glide through life leeching resources from fellow Americans and complaining about every insignificant issue du jour, or we can take an active role in society, and earn the rights that we enjoy.
If you are too lazy to get your butt to the polls and vote on election day, then I don't want to hear you complain about the government. If you have an able body and mind but choose not to serve in the military, then don't try to tell the military how you think they should do their jobs - just sit back and be happy they are protecting you and your right not to serve. If you never donate any of your time, money, or work to charities and humanitarian organizations, then don't expect any help from those organizations when you are down on your luck. If you can't stand and show a sign of respect when you hear the national anthem and see the flag of this country passing by, then go live in some other country that you have more respect for. If you can't separate your political beliefs and feelings about war (or a particular war) from the unfathomably brave work that the troops are doing, then go live in some part of the world where the threat is on your doorstep every night, and see how you feel about those US troops protecting you then.
Take this article for what it's worth. Whether you like it or hate it doesn't matter to me. I for one, thank God daily that I live in this great nation where generations my family have lived and served under the protection of a military that has become the greatest this world has ever known. This greatness is not simply determined by power, but by the willingness to take action to make a difference in the world even if it is very, very hard! That's what Americans do, so please thank a veteran for making a difference in your life and paying the price for your freedom and safety.
If you are a veteran reading this, you have my most sincere thanks and eternal gratitude for your service!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Web-Hosting for Non-Millionaires
I'll keep this one shorter today, because the basics are pretty simple. You don't have to have tons of cash-flow or masters degrees in marketing to get your domain name(s) and start establishing a web presence.
There are plenty of rip-off domain hosting services out there, and many of them go by big, well known names. It's not that they are bad at what they do (although some are). It's just that most charge too much for the service that they provide, and they're always trying to get you to add unnecessary services, upgrade to platinum memberships, optimize your site for a fee, etc.
I have been using 1&1 hosting http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=16168634 for a while now, and I haven't found a better value out there for the money. This is particularly true when you're keeping the content of your site relatively simple. You can get 3 domain names and a control panel of very easy to use development tools for less than $10/mo., and a single domain purchase was $6.99/yr., last time I checked. For an example of a relatively basic simple site designed with the 1&1 tool, check out my website at http://wealthonmyterms.com/
Once you get to the point where you want some more advanced tools, you can use one of the domain names that you already purchased from a company like 1&1 (see above) with a more sophisticated service like Third Sphere http://succes43.thirdsphereplus.com/ , but since this article is about how establish a web presence the easy and inexpensive way, I'd caution you that there are a lot of tools that come with your Third Sphere account, and the sheer variety of options can be overwhelming at first. They also have strict policies on SPAM, so you will want to be careful about any e-mails that you send from your Third Sphere account.
OK, so now that you know what I use, I encourage you to shop around and see what services you like best. Please let me know if you can find a better deal for the money, because I'm always looking for new ideas to share with my fellow web-marketers.
Let me conclude by just briefly talking about SEO (search engine optimization). There are those who put a lot of stock in these tools, and will pay a lot of money each month to have somebody "optimize" their website. I've tried it myself, and haven't seen any real improvement in traffic or search rankings as a result. If you want to spend the money, go ahead and try it, but since we are talking about web-hosting for non-millionaires, I'd say leave that to the millionaires with money to burn.
I for one would rather make money than burn it and I'd rather help other people make more money than waste more money, so I'll keep posting more info in that pursuit.
Stop by and visit http://wealthonmyterms.com/ any time to learn more and sign up for a free e-book with tons of great information about how to build sustainable wealth online.
There are plenty of rip-off domain hosting services out there, and many of them go by big, well known names. It's not that they are bad at what they do (although some are). It's just that most charge too much for the service that they provide, and they're always trying to get you to add unnecessary services, upgrade to platinum memberships, optimize your site for a fee, etc.
I have been using 1&1 hosting http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=16168634 for a while now, and I haven't found a better value out there for the money. This is particularly true when you're keeping the content of your site relatively simple. You can get 3 domain names and a control panel of very easy to use development tools for less than $10/mo., and a single domain purchase was $6.99/yr., last time I checked. For an example of a relatively basic simple site designed with the 1&1 tool, check out my website at http://wealthonmyterms.com/
Once you get to the point where you want some more advanced tools, you can use one of the domain names that you already purchased from a company like 1&1 (see above) with a more sophisticated service like Third Sphere http://succes43.thirdsphereplus.com/ , but since this article is about how establish a web presence the easy and inexpensive way, I'd caution you that there are a lot of tools that come with your Third Sphere account, and the sheer variety of options can be overwhelming at first. They also have strict policies on SPAM, so you will want to be careful about any e-mails that you send from your Third Sphere account.
OK, so now that you know what I use, I encourage you to shop around and see what services you like best. Please let me know if you can find a better deal for the money, because I'm always looking for new ideas to share with my fellow web-marketers.
Let me conclude by just briefly talking about SEO (search engine optimization). There are those who put a lot of stock in these tools, and will pay a lot of money each month to have somebody "optimize" their website. I've tried it myself, and haven't seen any real improvement in traffic or search rankings as a result. If you want to spend the money, go ahead and try it, but since we are talking about web-hosting for non-millionaires, I'd say leave that to the millionaires with money to burn.
I for one would rather make money than burn it and I'd rather help other people make more money than waste more money, so I'll keep posting more info in that pursuit.
Stop by and visit http://wealthonmyterms.com/ any time to learn more and sign up for a free e-book with tons of great information about how to build sustainable wealth online.
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