Kirsten On Awakening

From AwakeningInChrist Yahoo Group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AwakeningInChrist . . . God Bless You Holy One!
AwakeningInChrist Main Page

Dear everyone,

This mornings "date with the Holy Spirit" involved being in full study mode, reading and taking notes from the text.
The following points are from the Undoing of Fear section.
The dreamer of the dream does not know he sleeps… The separation started when… The mind made sickness… The miracle is the first step in giving the function of causation back to cause and not to effect… Healing only the body is half the lesson... The mind is sick that thought the body could be sick…
Questioner: So the dream reflects the separation of myself and God.
I believe I turned on God and in doing so what I have created seems to have turned on me. Because I fear God the figures in the dream seem fearful… What can you tell me about this?
Answer: Know that you are the dreamer. You actively dream the dream. The world reflects the thoughts / beliefs within your mind. Remember me always. When I am the guiding light within your mind in every moment you are remembering God because I hold the memory of God always. You are asleep in the sense that you have turned away from God in fear. When all fear of God has left your mind you will awaken.
Question: I don't really think I fear God, I didn't even know
God in this lifetime until 2 years ago…why do I fear God?
What does it look like in this world? (At this moment I experienced feelings of nervousness and fear welling up)
Answer: This world, the dream that you are dreaming, plays out your fear in form. As you believe/dream that you deprive your Father of his Son you dream of deprivation and separation.
This world plays out the fear – You believe you are the cause of your existence, that you can create your own life and that you have experiences within this world - some of which you choose, some that happen to you.
This is a backwards and utterly untrue perception. Question: It seems like a struggle this morning. I've written and crossed out several sentences.
Why is this?
Answer: Resistance is high.
When you really understand the concept of cause and effect, of true Cause and Effect v's false cause and effect, you will see this world for what it is.
Right now you are having glimpses.
Confusion produced this dream and when you have cleared your mind of all confusion you will be free of the dream.
Question: What would be helpful to keep in mind right now as I continue to learn and apply this? Answer: God Loves You.
Answer: :-) I shared with Regina that it felt like a struggle rather than a freeflow this morning and lo and behold she was having the same experience. We immediately felt joined and so grateful to be sharing this experience right now.
Thank you Holy Spirit, I am eternally grateful for your gentle, loving guidance.
With much love,
Kirsten

Kundalini Awakening

http://www.swamij.com/kundalini-awakening.htm

from Brian of Church of the Holy Instant
My Groups Holy_Instant Main Page

The Tablecloth

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities.
When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas eve.
They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc.,and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.
The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in.
One of the items was a beautiful handmade ivory colored crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall.
He bought it and headed back to the church. By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it.
The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later.
She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry.
The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet.
She asked the pastor, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials "EBG" were crocheted into it there.
They were.
These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria.
The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth.
The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria.
When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
He was captured and sent to prison, and she never saw her husband or her home again.
The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home as that was the least he could do.
She lived on the far side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.
What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve.
The church was almost full.
The music and the spirit were great.
At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.
One older man who the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war.
How could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he insisted his wife flee for her safety, how he was supposed to follow her but was arrested and put in a prison, and how he never saw his wife or his home again in all the 35 years between. The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride.
They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman a few days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and observed the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.

questions about the genesis of ACIM

Here are the original Guidelines Given By Jesus to Helen Schucman and
Bill Thetford for the overall use of A Course In Miracles in the
world. These Guidelines are still very helpful and practical today.

1. A Course In Miracles was copyrighted when it was first published
in the 1970s in order to keep its thought-system intact during the
first 3 decades of its birth and distribution to the world.

2. A Course In Miracles was intended to be a self-study course. Only
Jesus & the Holy Spirit can reveal the meaning of the Course to the
student's mind. Only God knows the readiness of the student to
receive this revelation.

3. A Course In Miracles was only to be published by those who devoted
their lives to its guardianship.

4. A Course In Miracles was not to be commercially advertised. It
has and will make its own way around the world. Freely you have
received, now freely give.

5. Free copies of A Course In Miracles were to be provided to those
people who could not afford the cost of the Course. This function
was originally the responsibility of the publisher, and now is up to
everyone who hears and Answers the Call. A Course In Miracles is now
offered freely on the Internet for those who wish to read and/or
print a copy of the book for their study and use.

6. No one was to make any money from A Course In Miracles. Revenues
and donations are always to be used for sharing and extending the
Course with the world and experiencing the Inner Peace of the Kingdom
of Heaven within.

Thanks to Trisha Aude for sharing these Guidelines through the years.

Love & Blessings,

David

http://awakening-mind.org

Frequently Asked Questions from Advertisers
To read the FAQ for Viewers, please click here.To read the FAQ for Publishers, please click here.Why advertising on blogs
What are Blogads good for?
If these things are so great, why don't I see any big companies buying Blogads?
Word of mouth? What do Blogads have to do with "word of mouth?"
But why don't most big companies "get" blogs?
So is this peer to peer?
Where else can I look for information about Blogads?
Sales Questions
We are an ad agency. We would like to brainstorm and talk about our campaign. Can you help?
I work for an ad agency. What are your net prices?
Why do Blogads run continuously for a set period?
What kind of clickthru can I expect?
Can my ad appear at the top of an advertiser's adstrip?
How can I ensure that my ad is prominently displayed on a page?
Ad formatting, specifications, ad submissions
I don't have a userid, how do I get one?
What are the technical specifications for ads?
Can I put links inside my ad text?
Can my ad be animated?
Can I add Flash to my ad?
Can I add HTML to my ad?
Why can't I see exactly what my ad will look like on the "preview" page?
How many days does a "one month" ad run?
When will my ad appear?
I can't upload my image. What gives?
It says that my ad text is over 300 characters. What am I doing wrong?
Questions about submitted ads
Can I revise an ad?
How do I revise my ad?
I've revised my ad but the new text isn't showing up yet on the blogs.
If next to an ad it says "Draft " what exactly does this mean?
It says ˝Deferred˝ next to my ad. What does this mean and what should I do?
I've bought an ad on multiple blogs. Can I see click counts for each?
My ad looks different on different blogs. Is there anything you can do about this?
What is the "replicate" check box? Does ticking it mean my ad will continue running seamlessly after the original one expires?.
On the blogad results detail page, why do I have lots of impressions one day and none the next?
I cannot see the Edit link on the Manage My Ads page.What is wrong?
Why advertising on blogsWhat are Blogads good for?Blogs are ideal for promoting books, gigs, candidates, software, EBay auctions, legal services -- goods and services that require a strong intellectual or emotional engagement with an audience. Most of all, Blogads are good for new products and services that require word of mouth to really catch fire.If these things are so great, why don't I see any big companies buying Blogads?Recognizing the Blogosphere's superior signal-to-noise ratio, some PR agencies _are_ starting to pitch ideas to bloggers. And Microsoft apparently has carved out a budget for communicating with bloggers. But these folks are the exception at present. Some sleepy ad executives turn up their noses at an ad that's cheaper than lunch.Word of mouth? What do Blogads have to do with "word of mouth?"Most purchases are made in a social context. Only 1 in 10,000 people buy something really new; most of us wait until two or three or ten friends or peers try something. (Were you the first person in the Western Hemisphere to get a tattoo?) So marketers are obsessed with "word of mouth." But you can't rely on demographic slicing to get good word of mouth... unless you've got thermonuclear ad budget. You've got to think in a new dimension, and advertise to groups of influential people who know each other, respect each other, talk to each other. Blogs make the networks of peers reachable. Now you don't have to hit 500,000 eyeballs to stir up some word of mouth... it's far better to talk to 500 people who know and respect each other, right?But why don't most big companies "get" blogs?First, despite the buzz, blogs aren't yet used much beyond certain circles of programmers and journalists. The medium has to be widely used for most big companies to get excited. Aunt Millie, Laura Bush and Homer Simpson have to blog. Second, blogs are defining new social and demographic cohorts -- for example "warbloggers" -- that are still too fuzzy for an ad agency to pitch to a big client. Only members of these groups are going to understand the value of their media. Finally, big companies need to spend big money... it is not worth GM's time to buy an ad for $30, $300 or even $3000. It will be years before you can buy $30,000 of advertising on a cohort of blogs. Finally, bloggers doesn't pay a commission to the ad agencies who lubricate the traditional advertising mechanism both offline and on.So is this peer to peer?Yep. For a while at least. While software, books, music and magazines are sold by big companies, obviously they are usually created by individuals or small groups. Blogads pricing and scale should mesh well with the individual creators' needs and wallets.Where else can I look for information about Blogads?Visit archives full of quips and quotes about Internet advertising trends.Sales QuestionsWe are an ad agency. We would like to brainstorm and talk about our campaign. Can you help?Please contact our sales expert Anthony Perry at (919) 338 8144 or get in touch with us via http://www.blogads.com/contact.I work for an ad agency. What are your net prices?The prices you see displayed on the blogs or on the blogads order page are net.Why do Blogads run continuously for a set period?You get more branding and the reader gets the ability to come back tomorrow and click the ad... rather than waiting 'til the ad gets regurgitated again from some mammoth database queue of ads.What kind of clickthru can I expect?Some advertisers get 5% clickthrus, some get 0.01% on the same blog. The key thing is to keep your ad fresh. You've got a great chance to really dig into the minds of a key network of decision makers, to drive word of mouth. Tweaking your ad every couple of days or completely revamping it is a great way to get into a dialogue with these people.Can my ad appear at the top of an advertiser's adstrip?Bloggers get to designate where ads appear. On some blogs, you can order on a premium or patron slot to ensure your position.How can I ensure that my ad is prominently displayed on a page?While click thrus on even the biggest adstrips are competitive with industry averages, advertisers who want prominent placements can order "premium" ads on some bigger blogs.These ads are generally priced at 2 to 4 times ads in standard slots and can be backlogged.Ad formatting, specifications, ad submissionsI don't have a userid, how do I get one?You create a userid when you first create an ad by filling in the "e-mail" and "password" fields.What are the technical specifications for ads?Your image can be up to 150 pixels wide by 200 pixels tall (jpeg or gif, max 16K) plus an optional 30 character title and 300 visible characters of text, which can include simple HTML tags like b, i, link and u. We discourage fast or infinitely looping animation, since these annoy readers and decrease your clickthrus. You will be able to edit your creative at any time during the campaign.Can I put links inside my ad text?Yes. This format is perfect magazines who want to posted links to different articles as well as to their subscription form. Likewise, a company pushing multiple services can link to each individual service. An added benefit: this format makes the ad look like an ad. Not for nothing these things are called blogads.Can my ad be animated?Yes, although some bloggers reject ads that loop infinitely. Best to stop your ad after three or four rotations. Also remember that although you may design your ad as a joke (a + b = c!?) the reader may see the punch line first and never see the set-up line.Can I add Flash to my ad?We are sorry but this is currently not possible.Can I add HTML to my ad?You can add bold and italics, but centering won't work. Adding a link in the ad text will disable our clickthru count; put the destination link into the designated field.Why can't I see exactly what my ad will look like on the "preview" page?Since ads could run on different adstrips with different formatting and widths (depending on the taste of the individual bloggers), we can't give you a true preview unfortunately.How many days does a "one month" ad run?31When will my ad appear?In most cases, bloggers approve ads immediately. Sometimes bloggers don't get our e-mail because of spam blockers. If your ad hasn't run in 24 hours drop us or the blogger a note.I am unable upload my image. What gives?Your image likely exceeds the 16 Kbyte limit, 150 pixel width or 200 pixel hight. Note also that images must be either jpeg or gif. If your ad fits all these requirements and you still have trouble uploading it, please drop us a note via http://www.blogads.com/contact and attach the image to your message.It says that my ad text is over 300 characters. What am I doing wrong?The blogad text limit is 300 visible characters including spaces and at most three s. If your text fits these criteria but you are still getting an error message, please drop us a note via http://www.blogads.com/contact and include youe ad text in the messageQuestions about submitted adsCan I revise an ad?Yes please. This will improve your clickthru. Please keep your new ad is in the spirit of the original, so the host blogger gets what s/he bargained for.How do I revise my ad?When logged in, click on the "edit" link in the "status" column beside your ad. If this link is not visible, check your firewall or antivirus software (Norton, etc). Turn "ad blocking" OFF, hit reload on your browser and the "edit" links should appear.I've revised my ad but the new text isn't showing up yet on the blogs.Sometimes it takes a few minutes before your revision appears on the blogs. If you think you have been waiting for too long now please get in touch via http://www.blogads.com/contact and we will investigate.If next to an ad it says "Draft " what exactly does this mean?Draft means you have not yet paid for the ad. Click the edit link in the row of the ad, and proceed to payment after the preview page.It says ˝Deferred˝ next to my ad. What does this mean and what should I do?This means that the blogger has put the ad on hold for some reason. This stops the clock from ticking, so your ad will still appear as long as it was purchased for. Feel free to send a polite note to the blogger to find out the specifics of the deferral or drop us a note via http://www.blogads.com/contact and we will try to help.I've bought an ad on multiple blogs. Can I see click counts for each?Click the impressions or clicks link and you'll find a page containing breakouts by blog and by ad version.My ad looks different on different blogs. Is there anything you can do about this?Most site designers try to serve 97% of the people 99% of the time. Bloggers want their sites to look nice, so if your ad looks bad, please drop them and us an e-mail.What is the "replicate" check box? Does ticking it mean my ad will continue running seamlessly after the original one expires?Replicate simply saves you the time of creating the ad from scratch. It does not automatically guarantee seamless continuity. (Someone may have jumped in the queue ahead of you.) Make sure you include the expiry date of your current date as the "Run after" date.On the blogad results detail page, why do I have lots of impressions one day and none the next?Because this information actually tracks ads by version, not by dayI cannot see the Edit link on the Manage My Ads page.What is wrong?If you are running Norton Security, or other similar software, make sure you either have Adblocking turned off or whitelist Blogads pages. Once you've done this, you will likely see the Edit link.

Natural Selling

http://www.naturalselling.com/ecourse.html?source=tellafriend

Paula Bruce3020 Bridgeway, Ste. 134Sausalito, CA 94966.0Phone: [1] 415-332-6577Fax: [1] 415-332-0684
CASS' RENTAL MARINA - website
Lois Keating-FisherP.O. Box 643Sausalito, CA 94966.0Phone: [1] 415-332-6789Fax: [1] 415-332-5729
Description: Sailboat rentals, charters and instruction.
CAT BALLOU, INC. - website
Ellie & Chuck Longanecker1433 KingfordCarmichael, CA 95608.0Phone: [1] 916-487-1246Fax: [1] 916-484-6719
Description: Cat Ballou is a warm, spacious, comfortable 42' Catamaran. Cat Ballou does not have the tippyness that is experienced with a single hulled boat. Great for parties, weddings & convivial outings.
CAT CHALET
Saga Perry7 Harrison St.Sausalito, CA 94965.0Phone: [1] 415-332-1721
Description: Cat rescue and shelter.CALHOUN'S LIQUOR STORE
William Calhoun317 Johnson St.Sausalito, CA 94965.0Phone: [1] 415-332-6232Fax: [1] 415-332-6236Dryrobertl@aol.com wrote:

old house account leads for you.

Clipper Yacht Harbor - 332-3500 (No Contact Name)
Hamilton Credit Union - 883-5955 (No Contact Name)
Heart of Humanity - 898-4278 - Verlinda Montoya
Home Instead Senior Care - 883-6260 - Julie Ann Anderson
Home Theater by The Sea - 603-356-9695 Nathanial or Diane Gurien
IET Nutrition Works 800-987-7530 Ed Bauman
Intuitive Psychiatry - 332-3269 Carol Banyas
Independence Forum - 707-769-2898 - Nancy Greer
ITA COnference - Melody Sullivan 805-563-6701

Good Luck and let me know what happens

Robert

Storie

For Marketing Articles About How To Sell More Ads

http://www.articlehub.com/Marketing/page206.html

13 elements

13 Elements of Winning Small Business Advertisement

Nobody can guarantee a winning ad. The only way to know for sure is to test it. But there are several elements that you can incorporate into your ad or sales letter to give it a better chance of being a winner. Use these elements as your own personal “winning ad checklist.”
Element #1 – Smart Ad Placement
The first step in positioning your ad for success is increasing its chance of being seen by your target market. Running the world’s best radio ad for your retirement planning services on a local hip-hop station wouldn’t be a good idea.
Find out what your target market watches (i.e. sports, cooking, business), where they watch it (i.e. car, home, airport), and how they watch it (i.e. newspaper, magazine, radio). Until you know this information, you cannot make smart choices about ad placement and you’ll likely end up wasting a lot of your hard-earned dollars on an ad that didn’t even get seen by your target market.
Element #2 – Focus on Your Objective
You’ll never get what you want if you don’t know what you want. This is true in your personal goals and also your advertising efforts. You must have a specific objective for your ad if you want people to act. Is it to call your office, come to your store, or go to your website?
Whatever your objective is, gear all the elements of your ad to persuade consumers to fulfill your objective. Suppose you want readers to call your toll-free telephone number, then your call-to-action should be, “call our toll-free number now!”
If you include a testimonial, have your endorser say something like, “when I made a call to your toll-free number…” or you might include copy that says, “one toll-free phone call can change your life forever.”
Multiple objectives will confuse your prospect and when people get confused, they usually do nothing.
Element #3 – Irresistible Offer
If you have ever seen the ginsu knife infomercial you have witnessed the anatomy of an irresistible offer. Not only do you get the set of ginsu knives, but also you get the “magic shredder”, the “never-dull chopper”, and the “easy egg slicer.”
BUT that’s not all – you also get the “2-in-1 blade sharpener” and if you order in the next 10 minutes you’ll also receive a second set of ginsu knives! Now that’s an irresistible offer. Who could resist all these bonuses for the price of one set of ginsu knives?
The secret to constructing an irresistible offer is to add valuable bonuses and extend risk-free, easy-to-pay terms. Continue heaping valuable bonuses on your customer until they throw up their hands and say, “Okay, I give!”
One last thought about your irresistible offer. Sometimes you can make your offer so irresistible that it appears to good to be true. Always tell the reason why you can make such a great offer. This will add credibility to an incredulous ad.
For example, you might be having a sale that advertises 70% off retail price. When people see “70% off” many will think that all you have done is boost your price 50% just so that you can advertise a 70% off price.
But if you tell them you can offer 70% off because the recent hailstorm caused some very slight damage to your product and you need to liquidate. People can now reconcile you great offer in their minds so that it makes sense and is believable.
Element #4 – Unique Competitive Advantage
Why should your prospect do business with you over any of your competitors. Even those that have lower prices! Do you have a “wider selection than anybody in the tri-county area” or do you “deliver within eight hours after the purchase”?
Often your unique competitive advantage is the biggest benefit you can offer your prospects so consider including it in your headline, bulleted copy, or your guarantee.
If by chance, you don’t have a unique competitive advantage(s) then you better get one…fast. Not having a unique competitive advantage with which to show value, results in competing solely on price - - and that’s a losing proposition (unless you have a significant cost advantage).
Element #5 – Advertorial Style
Studies have shown that consumers read new articles seven times more than they do advertisements. It is said that the average consumer is presented with over 3,500 ad impressions per day. We have become jaded to promotions and commercials.
Cloaking your ad in a news style editorial format will not only pull more attention, but also instill credibility, which is one of the major roadblocks to consumer response. “Advertorial” (advertisement – editorial) type ads include compelling headlines, lots of informative, interesting text, quotes, and a judicious use of graphics.
The reason advertorial ads are so compelling is that people are tired of in-your-face sales ads and would prefer the silent, soft sell of an authoritative news article.
Element #6 – Compelling Headline
Your headline is the most important part of all the technical aspects of your ad. 80% of the success of the headline can be attributed to its headline. A powerful headline is either, (1) benefit driven, (2) news oriented, (3) curiosity driven, or (4) how-to oriented.
The following is an example of each:
Benefit Driven Example:
“You Too Can Have a Slimmer Figure Without Dieting”
News Oriented Example:
“Amazing New Formula Cures Arthritis Pain”
Curiosity Driven:
“Are You Making These Deadly Hair Care Mistakes?”
How-to Oriented:
“How to Flood Your Business with New Customers for Under $50”
It’s a good practice to develop a minimum of 30 variations of your headline before you select the one you’ll use. Readers satisfy their interests by scanning headlines. If your headline doesn’t grab attention your ad will never be read, let alone noticed.
Element #7 – Sell the Benefits
Your prospects don’t care about you. They don’t care about your awards, the name of your business, how much you sell, or how good you think you are. They only care about how you, and what you offer, can benefit them. So leave out all of “me” copy and sell the benefits. Ultimately people only want two things, to (1) gain pleasure, or to (2) avoid pain.
Tell people how your offering will help them either gain pleasure or avoid pain by expressing them in the form of benefits. Don’t confuse this with listing the features of your product or service. People aren’t concerned as much with features as they are with what the features will do for them personally.
To do this, list each of the features of your product and then determine the benefits, both the potential of gain or the avoidance of pain, your prospects will receive as a result of each feature. Hint: Studies have shown people respond better to the fear of loss (pain) then they do to the promise of gain.
Element #8 – Make it Risk-Free
Consumers are naturally skeptical. With all the scams, rip-offs, and untruthful ads consumers have experienced, who knows what to believe anymore? You must make your ad credible and risk-free. The good news is that it’s easy to do. Using a combination of these three strategies will provide a powerful risk-free offer.
Strategy #1 – Use Testimonials
Testimonials from real people are powerful. People don’t like to be guinea pigs. If they’ve seen that someone else has received the promised benefits, it provides instant credibility. Hint: Including pictures of the endorser will double the effectiveness of your testimonial.
Strategy #2 – Offer a Strong Guarantee
Provide as strong a guaranteed as absolutely possible. If you can’t provide a strong guarantee for your product, perhaps you shouldn’t be selling it. Unfortunately, too many small business people fear that customers will take them up on it. Let me ask you, when was the last time your took somebody up on their guarantee? Seldom do guarantees get exercised. Use a powerful guarantee.
Strategy #3 – Include Facts and Statistics
Use facts and statistics from reliable sources to bolster your claims. People find comfort in positive, scientific proof.
Each of these strategies will build credibility and reduce the risk prospects naturally feel when contemplating an offer. Above all, be truthful and honest!
Element #9 – Call-to-Action
When someone tells you that they don’t like being told what to do - - don’t believe it. People do want to be told what to do. In fact, people need to be told what to do and when to do it.
Phrases such as, “call now”, “come in today”, “sign up right now” trigger emotional response mechanisms that get your prospect to take action on an offer that secretly you want to take advantage of anyway. Make your call-to-action explicit and clear, so your prospect knows exactly what to do.
Element #10 – Urgency
Admit it, the vast majority of people are naturally lazy and like to procrastinate. Without a real or perceived sense of urgency your prospects will drag their feet. To compel your prospect to act immediately you must inject a feeling of “scarcity.”
Scarcity is felt when the supply of either time or product quantity is limited. For instance, placing a deadline on your offer makes your prospect feel as though they have to take advantage of your offer before they lose the opportunity. An example of this tactic could be rescinding a discount offer or a special additional bonus within a specified period of time.
Another tactic is to limit the quantity available so that people will feel the need to take advantage of your offer before your product runs out. It’s not unusual to see offers stating, “while supplies last”, or “only 50 available, first come, first serve.”
If you use scarcity tactics (and you should), make sure that you hold true and keep your word by rescinding the offer when you say you will. If not, you will lose credibility and the tactic will backfire on you.
Element #11 –Simple to Respond
Most people buy on impulse rather than logic. If your prospect finds it difficult to take advantage of your offer during their moment of impulse, you will lose the sale. Make it easy to do business with you.
Many people communicate in different ways. Some like to call on the phone, others like to go to the Internet, and yet others will only fax you their order. It’s important to offer multiple ways to be contacted such as telephone, fax, website, cell phone, pager, or any other communication method.
Studies have shown that the vast majority of people take advantage of impulse buying using the telephone more than any other method. The same studies show that when you offer a toll-free number, response rates increase. Finally, if you offer a recorded message with a toll-free number in which people can hear a message and leave their contact information, response rates increase even more. Element #12 - Graphics
Using a graphic is the first step in a three-step system for getting your audience to read your ad. The first step is to attract your reader’s attention with an exciting graphic, step two is to pull them into your ad with a gripping headline, and the third step is to persuade them to take action with your copy.
A good graphic can attract the attention of your prospect and draw them in to your message. However, a common mistake advertisers make is to add graphics that overpower the copy, leaving little space to tell their story. Although a picture is worth a thousand words, it can also be interpreted a thousand different ways, sometimes causing confusion.
Graphics should draw attention and add to your message. Exciting graphics showing action are always an eye pleaser. Including someone in your graphic from the target market you’re trying to reach, actively using your product or service, is also a good choice that will add to your message.
Element #13 – Accountability
Small businesses don’t have a lot of money to spend on advertising and; therefore, must hold their advertising dollars accountable. Without knowing what ads are pulling better than others, you could be wasting a lot of money.
To avoid this, you need to track the response rates of your ads. Instead of asking your customers where they heard about you, get definitive proof by implementing a process by which you can track your ads.
For instance, using a separate phone line or extension number for specific ads can help you determine the source of the inquiry. Another tactic may be to use a unique landing page on your website for different promotions. If you’re using lead generation by direct mail, tell the recipient that they need to bring the mailer in to take advantage of your offer.
If you are using radio or television as your primary medium, offer the audience a special report whether it is a paper report, audiocassette, or a video. This not only helps you track your response rate but give your prospect a good reason to respond.
Conclusion
As you track your ads, keep the best pulling ads as your “control” piece.
Vary the different elements of the ad to determine if your new ad pulls better than your control ad. If it does, make that ad your new control ad.
Although, none of these elements alone can guarantee a successful ad, the combination of these elements will increase the potential for your ad to be a solid winner. As a reward for reading the entire article, you can click here to see a good example of a winning ad.
Article by David Frey

Eddie Wu
Gerald Bleth
Regional Developers of
San Francisco/Marin County
Phone: (862) 823-6559 (Eddie)
Email: ewu@massageenvy.com

San Rafael / Montecito Plaza 219 3rd St. San Rafael, CA 94901

Linda Duke
Duke Marketing
(415) 492-4534
duke@dukemarketing.com

Fireman's Fund Philanthropy

Fireman's Fund® Heritage
Supporting Firefighters for Safer Communities

"Supporting firefighters is a mission that dates to the very beginning of Fireman's Fund Insurance Company.
It is the foundation upon which our company was built, and it is the one to which we are returning again."

E-mail for Fireman's Fund Heritage.
Toll-free number: 866-440-8716

Fireman's Fund Foundation
Community Involvement in Marin and Sonoma, CA

"In 1953, we established the Fireman's Fund Foundation, an independent charitable organization, to support human needs as well as educational, cultural and community activities. Since then the Foundation has donated more than $33 million to nonprofit organizations."

from website

Worlds Records

P. O. Box 1922
Novato CA 94947
(415) 898-1609
Requestinfo@worldsrecords.com
The collector's choice for music featuring quality SWING, BIG BAND, DIXIELAND, JAZZ, NOSTAGLIA, TANGO, POP, BOP, WESTERN SWING, BLUES, RHYTHM & BLUES (R&B), COMEDY, and more since 1974. We are located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Northern California, in the town of Novato. We offer mostly Compact Discs (CDs) and DVDs, with some Video titles (VHS) and box sets as well, with special sale events on a regular basis.
Mailing List /Catalog Request

Mahoney Architects

What other architect has renowned cartoonist Phil Frank contributing to their website? Or has a black belt in karate? Is it karate? Or has won more architectural awards than most people have coffecups?
Colleen Mahoney mahoney-architects.com
PO Box 1053 Tiburon CA 94920 415-435-6677
6 "C" Street Petaluma CA 94952 707-765-0225
Contact: mahoney@mahoney-architects.com
Copyright ©2002 Mahoney Architects All Rights Reserved

Golden Gate Opera in Marin

Marin Scope is Presenting a Page in

Support of Opera's Return to the Marin Center!

March 22nd, and April 5th

Please advertise to satisfy your culture loving customers!
Ad rates:
Sponsors $100 Patron $250 Benefactor $500
see website

MADAMA BUTTERFLY by Giacomo Puccini April 22 & 23, 2005 8 PM Marin Veterans Memorial Auditiorium San Rafael, CA Call 415-499-6800 to order Ticket Prices:

Tickets are $60, $45 and $30 depending on location.Children (recommended 9 years old and up) $10 off Full time students with ID $10 off Groups of 15 or more $2.00 off per ticket Groups of 25 or more 10% off

Glorious opera tragedy at its best, set in the mountains of Nagasaki, Japan, 1905
Jeong, Chernisheva, Kato, Deaver, Minagro, Sdvaron
Conducted by: Geoffrey Gallegos
Stage Director: Edna Garabedian
Scenic Artist: Paula Langhoff Barton
Costume Designer: Tracy Bell

Sponsors include:
Marin Scope, Bank of Marin, Marin Independent Journal, Marin Theatre Company, See's Candies
Student Show April 20, 1 PM
Ticket Information: 415-388-7827
Box Office: 415-499-6800
Ticketmaster Office

COMING--

GIANNI SCHICCHI by Puccini with THE TELEPHONE by Menotti
October 15, 17, 23 and 30, Legion of Honor Florence Gould Theatre

English Spanish

Calendar of Arts Activities - 2005/2006 Season

• Outreach 2005:
• October 2005: Bizet's Carmen
  
  
• November & December 2005: GGO's 9th Annual Hansel and Gretel
  Legion of Honor Florence Gould Theatre, SF
  
  
• March 2006: Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten
  
  
• April 2006: Il Trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi
  
  601 Van Ness Avenue, Suite E-3814
  San Francisco, CA 94102
  Tel: 415-388-7827
  Fax: 415-388-7111
  Email: info@goldengateopera.org
  
  Outreach Opera-tunities
  805 Everest Court,
  Mill Valley, CA 94941
  Tel: 415-388-7827 or 415-383-5162
  Fax: 415-388-7111
  

Welcome All

Welcome to California Scope! This blog cover the activities of Carl Macki and others at Marin Scope Newspapers.
We are here to serve and entertain you.