Real Estate Investor Insider Secret #14: Testing Your Postcard Mailing

By M. Bradley

So your last postcard mailing was a bit of a disappointment in generating leads and sales for your real estate investment firm?

You know this could happen. But deep inside you were expecting good leads will come out of your first batch of real estate direct mail. Now you want the answer to why it did not work. You start to form your own theories. The headline was not magnetic. The call to action was weak. Or you think you should have added more persuasive testimonials.

Your job - and without a doubt one of the hardest and most frustrating for any direct marketer is to discover what aspects hindered this effort. Before you tear up your original copy and start from scratch, telling me that this is just impossible, consider using this very simple approach to correcting your copy.

Let me start off by telling you that I'm a "collector" of junk mail. Sure, some people may collect coins; others collect stamps. And still others prefer to collect Mickey Mouse items. Though, I find that junk mail is worth its wait in gold to my business. And I'll tell you why. My name is on a mailing list not once, but sometimes twice and even three times. Each time my name is worded a little differently or perhaps the address is just a bit different.

The reason being, my name on a mailing list is not just once, but sometimes twice or thrice, each time there is a difference in spelling of my name or address is little different.

So I get a chance to receive mailings twice. I find many times that mailing are not identical, I understood this is how a firm "tests" it's copy, each mailing with a different code, which they track to see which mailing was producing better results.

Yes! That was it. And you can use this illustration to your advantage in your next postcard mailing. If it didn't bring in the results that you expect it should, change one element - and one element only. Then mail it again. Better yet, mail the two side by side carefully placing different codes on them. Then you can get a true picture of which pulls better.

It may be a different headline. Or you may decide to place different testimonials on the postcard. It really doesn't matter what you change. Use your gut instincts. Just make sure to change one item only at a time. Then mail it. When the results roll in, then you can compare it to the previous one.

Are you starting to get the results you want? Then you may stop or continue testing to further increase your response rate. Or are you worse off than you were before? Then start to make new theories and again change one item at a time to correctly identify why your real estate marketing campaign is not pumping in sales leads.

Yes, this does take patience on your part. But you'll be surprised how you can perfect a less than stellar performance into an effective direct-marketing postcard campaign for your real estate investing firm. Just give it a try!

About the Author:

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Wall Clocks Have Been Part of Home Decoration For a Long Time

By William Warford

Today's world moves at an exceptionally fast pace so much so the extent that more and more people are succumbing to stress-related ailments. There is so much to do and so little time! Research shows that the average person is distracted from what they were doing every 11 minutes. This has put time management on the priority list of people who want to succeed in business, academics and almost anything. Many now believe that they way one manages their times determines their level of success in whatever they embark on.

In many instances, we would think that time management is hardly an issue because first of all there are clocks almost everywhere. Then there are wristwatches which are worn by a majority of people. These are important especially if one works in a place where time is of the essence and for most of us, this is the case. Today even cars have digital clocks mounted on their dashboard and this highlights the importance that people place on time.

Time management therefore, is an issue of utmost importance, whether someone is at work, in their cars or out and about walking on the streets. At workplaces, it is much easier to manage time because there are accountability persons (boss) and tools so everyone respects time and monitors it. At home however, it is a little different and there is no one but yourself to keep tabs on time. At home, people need wall clocks.

These clocks are not really not new and have been around since the Dutch developed them back in the 1st century. The word clock actually emanates from the word "cloca", which translates as "bell". These were used to signal to the locals the passage of time. They were also used to usher in a new event. These same clocks were also used by the government to alert people of any urgent news or issue announcements.

The wall clocks we have today have evolved from some of the earliest of the modern wall clocks that we have. Among these was the sundial which calculated time clock measured time by calculating the angle of the shadows in relation to the sun. Others measured the number of poles by gauging the angle and length of noonday shadow in relation to the sun. While this was not as accurate as the clocks we have today, they nevertheless created a great way to estimate time.

Then the clocks became more complex to include huge brass dials which we know today as grandfather clocks. These were very prestigious but were also considered to be pricewise beyond the reach of the average citizen. They were therefore common only with the upper class.

Britain as a country was the first country to create wall clocks and make them available for the average household. They have since been considered something of a honor and prestige to possess. People thus used the clocks to mark major celebrations, celebrate holidays and revere religious days.

About the Author:

Author is writer and regular contributor to Decorative Wall Clocks, a website with resources and information to help you find the right wall clock and accessories for your specific needs.

How to Keep Your Dog Motivated

By Owen Jones

Keeping the attention of a dog while training is not always easy. Dogs can be easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the dog training sessions to be sabotaged by boredom. Making dog training fun for the dog and the human alike is essential to creating a happy, well adjusted and well trained dog.

You should provide random positive stimuli during the day in order to maintain the interest of the dog. Doing things the dog like, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, are good ways to keep the dog's attention, but you must give him rewards for his successes.

For instance, in order to reward the dog for coming to you when you call him, ask the dog to come to you, without giving any clues about a walk, a car ride, or other treats.

After the dog has come to you and obediently sat down, attach the lead and start the treat. This can be either the before-mentioned walk in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the dog likes to do.

Providing some sort of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a tickle behind the ears, every time the dog does something you want him to, is a good method to maintain your dog's motivation while you are dog training.

If the dog knows something great is going to occur every time he follows your command, he will be more motivated to please you every time.

Distraction training.

When training any dog, it is vital to not allow distractions spoil the training. The dog must be taught to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and focus on what is being taught These kinds of distractions can even be used as rewards when training your dog to come when called.

For example, if your dog enjoys playing with other dogs, whether in the local park or with the neighbour's dogs, let him play freely with those other dogs. Then go into the park or yard and call your dog.

When he comes to you, give him lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the dog to go back to playing with his friends. Repeat this several times and praise the dog each time he comes over to you.

Your dog will soon learn that coming to your call results in good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being taken away from the park).

This so-called distraction training is one of the hardest things for your dog to learn, because dogs are naturally social animals, and leaving the pack is one of the hardest things you can ask your dog to do. Most dogs will be understandably unwilling to leave their canine companions, but it is vital to persist in dog training.

Training the dog to come to you when you call may require some thought on your behalf at first. For instance, waving one of his favourite toys, or a lure, is a great way to get your dog's attention and put the focus back on you. If your dog has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator too in dog training.

Once your dog begins to get used to coming when called, you can begin to reduce and then stop the visual cues and focus on making the dog obey just your voice. It is vital that your dog obeys voice commands alone, as you will not always have a toy or lure to hand.

About the Author:

Does your dog require training? If you require further details on dog training, then go over to our web site called Successful Dog Training Don't reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

Home Decor Geometrical Style

By Owen Bruce

Geometry is sometimes used in a rooms design due to the shapes and lines which are provided in furniture pieces. Usually a paint color is chosen before you figure out exactly what type of furniture you'll be putting in the space except sometimes it is actually easier to use furniture as the starting point if the room is a unique shape.

Although it's true that a room is static in that it has fixed and definite dimensions, it's also dynamic in the sense that you could make it look differently proportioned than it really is. By just mixing up the shapes and the lines that you use to decorate a room, you can drastically change how it looks overall.

No matter what type of house you move into one room sticks out to you. You don't understand the purpose of a window placement or the dimensions of the room so what do you do if you can research the design techniques which follow the geometrical decor. It will be able to advise you what exactly you should be looking for when designing in this room's space. You then can base your paint and the rest of the little decor around the wonderful furniture pieces which best fit this rooms shape.

Before putting in any new decor pieces, give the room a long hard look first. Consider how you'll be using the room and how many people you intend to have in it at any one time. It helps to be realistic when doing interior design, especially here where you play with the proportions and visual size of a room. No matter what illusions you use, you can only make an eight foot square room look spacious but not actually spacious enough for, say a living room or a recreation area. You can only influence the visual size of the room, so don't mix up visually fixing and physically redecorating it.

After you figure out exactly which way the furniture and objects should be placed you'll have to figure out which geometric shape will fit your rooms design. If you want the room to seem longer try using lines which will stretch out the view of the room. In other shorter rooms you can use lines as well but make them much shorter and box them together if applicable.

You may sometimes see curved furniture and wonder if you're able to use them in your type of space. Curved items are usually able to be used in any type of room's space but make sure you aren't carrying them out too much in the design. You can break up the curved effect with a few straight lines such as with the coffee tables and end tables.

If you have a boxier room you'll want to stick with tables which are more rectangular rather than an oval one. For a larger room which has curved wall the rounded tables and furniture will work perfectly. Always try to be creative when basing a room around a geometric design.

About the Author:

Leading Interior Decorators have finally revealed that area rugs are their number one choice for home decorating. And this Anji Mountain Sisal Rugs, has been very popular this year.

The DECT 6.0 Cordless Telephones: The Phone of Tomorrow, Today.

By Eric W. Davidson

The new DECT 6.0 is the latest phone that has completely revolutionized telecommunications. These phones offer Wi-Fi capabilities as well as great number of new features. The DECT 6.0 phone is a great user friendly phone that will surely make anyone in the market for a new phone happy.

The DECT 6.0 cordless phones have an amazing range. These phones have the fewest percentages of dropped calls in the market. Never again will you experience the frustration of losing a conversation in mid sentence.

The DECT 6.0 cordless telephones have great sound quality, which has been improved from the previous model. You will never hear any static or interference talking on these phones. The sound quality is crystal clear.

These phones also feature great privacy protectors. In the new DECT 6.0 system eavesdropping is close to impossible. Any other phone can easily be bugged or wire tapped. But the DECT 6.0 prevents anyone from listening in on your conversation.

One feature one might find futuristic that is found on the DECT 6.0 is the video chat functionality. This is one of the newest features available on home phones. Utilizing this functionality a person is able to hold a video conference with anyone else using a DECT 6.0 cordless phone. The LCD screen displays crystal clear images in high resolution.

DECT 6.0 Cordless phones come in sets that often include multiple sets of cordless phones. The multiple sets of cordless phones all work with crystal clear technology and can simply be plugged into an electrical outlet rather than into a phone jack as long as the main unit is plugged into a phone jack. This is a great feature as it allows the home owner to have a phone in each room without the extra expense of having phone jacks run professionally throughout the house.

One of the most useful features on the DECT 6.0 cordless phones is the ability to use them as intercoms. This can come in very handy for anyone who wants to contact a person located in their house. Being able to page someone with your phone is incredibly useful in case you need to relay an important message but cant leave the room. Along with a pager the DECT 6.0 phone systems also include an advanced answering machine function.

The DECT 6.0 cordless phones are the best advancement in home phone technology. They offer some of the best features to be ever featured on a cordless home telephone. With so many applications to everyday life they are one of the most useful telephones to be released in a long time.

About the Author:

Eric W. Davidson wrote the article to point out all the reasons why the DECT Cordless Telephones are the best cordless phones on the market. Find it and other Cordless Telephones at E-WorldDirect.com

Solar Panel Watt Calculation - Working Out Your Home's solar power requirements

By Tim McDonald

With America's change of government has come a larger interest in people wanting to use solar power at home, to aid global warming and save on their increasing electricity bills.

But when you install solar power, how much do you actually have to generate to say cut your bills by 50%? And what kind of costs will you be looking at?

Here is a simple 4-step formula to help you calculate your home's solar panel watt requirements and costs:

1 - Calculate Daily Power Used:

Your first step is to work out the average daily kilowatt hours (kWh) used. This can be done by looking back at your last twelve months power bills, and see how much power used per month, and get the monthly average. This will give you a better estimate of your average power needs by eliminating the effect of the seasons. It is calculated by adding up all 12 bills and dividing the total power used by 12. If you do not have the the past year's bills, then look at your most recent one.

Then divide your monthly usage by 30 (the average number of days in a month, to get your daily power used.

- Let's use an example: If our monthly energy usage is 800kWh, then the average daily power used is: 800/30 = 26.7 kWh a day.

- So to reduce your electricity bill to half, 26.7/2 = 13.4 kWh of solar power per day is needed.

2 - Calculate The Total Wattage Of Solar Power Needed:

Before you can work this out, you need to find out how many usable hours of sunlight your region gets per day. A simple way to find that out is to have a look at an insolation map - there is one available on our website, where the original article was posted.

Now take the average daily kWh calculation and divide that by the number of daily usable sunlight hours, then multiply that by 1.25 (to take into account the wasted energy from wiring, charge controllers. batteries, and inverters).

- From our same example, if we lived in California where it gets on average 5.5 hours of usable sunlight per day, the solar panel watt requirements are:

13.4 kWh / 5.5hrs x 1.25 = 3.045 kW or 3045 Watts per day.

This indicates that our home solar power system must have the minimum capacity to produce 3045 Watts of power.

3 - How Much Will This Power Cost You?:

Next you need to work out how much it will cost to buy solar panels that produce at least 3045 Watts. Currently the highest average cost for solar panels in North America is $4.85 a Watt.

- Following on from our example, the solar panels will cost 3045 x 4.85 = $14,768 to only halve our monthly power costs. This excludes the cost of wiring, charge controllers, batteries, inverters, and installation fees.

4 - Offset Tax Credits And Rebates:

Before thinking that your solar power investment is going to be $14,768 to only halve your power bill, you need to subtract any tax rebates and subsidies on offer.

With the new renewable energy tax credits going into effect from January 1, 2009, and state-side rebates from states such as New York, Connecticut, New Jersey or California, our solar installation costs will be much lower than expected.

- Let's use our example: If we were from California we would receive tax rebates of about 20% of the cost, and a federal tax credit of 40% on the remainder. So after rebates and credits, our solar panels would cost us:

$14,768 - $14,768 x (20%) - $14,768 x (1 - 20%) x 40% = $7,089.

Since there are many factors that go into calculating your solar panel watt costs, please only use our steps as a rough estimate. Some things were impossible for us to take into account, such as special offers by solar installation companies, where they offer you discounts on the full installation (including charge controller, inverter, battery, grid-tie electrician costs, etc).

But, from our example it would cost a Californian about $7089 to invest in solar panels that can reduce his electricity bill by only 50%. We, on the other hand, know how to source cheaper and even free solar cells, and build our own solar panels, which makes the cost MUCH lower. If you are a DIY fanatic then it would save you a lot of money if your bought a solar power guide that show you how build your own solar panels.

About the Author:

Good news is that you can now try the Earth4Energy Ebook for FREE, before deciding to build your own solar/wind power system, and slashing your electricity bill by as much as 80%. Another guide to consider getting is Efficient Planet. Follow the link to read the full review.

Outdoor Party Lights Add Spectacular Evening Ambiance

By Jane A Moore

If your last backyard party was missing just that little something extra, why not change the afternoon bar-b-q into an evening out, and deck out the backyard with outdoor party lights to add just the right amount of pizzazz! Whether you are looking for a disco effect, or want to light up a quiet romantic evening, lighting plays a big part in the character of your backyard. An extra bonus to lighting your outdoor space is the added security it affords when you are not having an event.

These lights can be relatively inexpensive. Be creative when thinking about your lighting scheme. You can use lights that are specific designed for parties or you can use other types of outdoor lighting like perhaps Christmas lights. If you are careful and the weather cooperates you can use some indoor lights outside but remember not to leave them outside over night.

There are a number of different types of lightening you can use for your party. The lights you choose will depend on the type of party you are throwing, your budget and the location of the party. Try to think about your lightening scheme globally. Lighting schemes generally fail to achieve the desired effect if they are done in a piecemeal. Sometimes drawing a diagram can help you decide what the overall effect is going to be.

Remember that the amount of lights and the design of the lighting you install should be appropriate to the type of event you are planning to host. Family occasions with both young and old attendees would typically benefit from a brighter lighting scheme, whereas a 30's something party will typically require a bit more ambiance and a little less 'spotlight' effect. For a very small intimate event, very soft lighting with individual lighting focal points will create a great ambiance.

Intimate dinner parties can be further romanticized by dim lights or candle light. Often lights in the distance, for example rope lights twirled around the base of a tree, can add a special touch. Christmas lights, if monochromatic, can be the perfect lighting for outdoor parties. There are also special outdoor lights in the shapes of large balls or stars. These would be perfect if hung from a tree.

If you have a water feature to play with, this can add an entirely different dimension to the types of party lights you are able to feature. Whether you are at a cottage on the lake or the ocean, or you have a backyard pool, or even just a small water fountain, spotlights and underwater lighting can create wonderful lighting effects and will add a sense of spaciousness to the event. However you choose to light the water feature you have available, make sure to find lighting specifically designed to be in contact with water, and keep all extension cords and receptacles well out of range of water and wet areas.

Make sure to look for books and magazines that have examples of outdoor party lighting ideas before you plan your decorating project. If you think of your outdoor space in terms of a complete lighting project, you will be able to create a much nicer ambiance for your next backyard gathering, or even just for you to enjoy each evening by yourself.

About the Author:

To find out more about outdoor party lights go to exterior lighting.