tglviugpa

1. Fear Of Having Nothing To Say

As a small business owner, you know a lot more than you may realize. And although running out of material is the number one reason cited by small business owners for not launching an E-Newsletter in the first place, I have never come across anyone who knew enough about a particular industry or topic to start a business in it, who didn't also have a nearly endless supply of content to choose from.

Remember, your clients and others who have an interest in your area of specialty, don't work in it every day the way you do. The things that are second nature to you, whether it's how to purchase life insurance if you're a broker; how to write a press release if you're a marketing consultant; or how to troubleshoot a light switch if you're an electrician; are all news to those of us on the outside of your industry.

The people who are going to read your newsletter have questions. You on the other hand, have answers, opinions, experience, and perspective. When it comes to your industry, you understand what matters and what doesn't, and how all the pieces fit together. These brief, useful nuggets are the things you write about.

2. Fear Of Technology

An E-Newsletter has a lot of moving parts. There are mailing lists to manage; links to set up; images to lay out; responses to track; and dozens of other small pieces to coordinate and fine tune, all in the course of writing and publishing a newsletter month after month. Managing this process efficiently requires a fair amount of technology churning away in the background. That's the bad news.

The good news is that email marketing has finally evolved to the point where there are dozens of vendors out there who, for a very small fee, will take care of most of this for you (go to Google and search on email marketing vendors for a look at what's out there). So while it's true that you will have to go down a learning curve before you can switch your newsletter publishing into autopilot, you no longer need technical skill to get there.

Managing the logistics of a monthly newsletter can be tedious at times, no question. But if you've ever successfully assembled a gas grill, you're more than technically qualified to publish an E-Newsletter.

3. Fear Of Publishing On A Regular Basis

Although you may be sold on the value of a regularly published E-Newsletter, you may still be worried that once let out of its cage, this beast won't ever leave you alone. The truth is, you're right to be concerned. If I had to point to one factor that plays the most significant role in the failure of company E-Newsletters, it's that the people behind them stop publishing.

Like starting an exercise program, we all go great guns out of the gate: telling everybody we know, celebrating every issue. But (also like exercise), by month four or five the thrill is gone, and many people start to wonder how to quietly put the thing out of its misery.

I'm happy to say that I've discovered two solutions to this potential problem.

First, publish monthly. Although it may seem that dropping back to a less frequent schedule will reduce the burden, in practice the opposite is true. The less often you publish, the bigger a deal it is, and the more it seems to hang over your head. A monthly schedule however, means that the next issue is never more than 30 days away, and you will find yourself less concerned with achieving perfection each time.

Second, create a publishing schedule and stick to it. First Tuesday of the month, third Friday, whatever. The important thing is that you bake it into your monthly work schedule. An E-Newsletter will never be today's top priority, and unless you explicitly determine when it will come out, you're more likely than not to keep pushing it to the back burner.

4. Fear Of Writing

I hear it every day from the small business owners I work with: "I can't put out an E-Newsletter, I'm a lousy writer." Well, you'll be happy to learn that writing an E-Newsletter - like email in general - is a lot more like talking than writing.

People don't expect to read prose on screen, and they don't want something that reads like an article from a local business journal. They want a piece of you and your expertise. As a result, the most effective E-Newsletters are those that sound as if the company leader is just talking; filled with all the slang, run on sentences and joking around that comes out in person.

After all, E-Newsletters are simply glorified emails, and email is fundamentally a two-way conversation. The more you can write in an authentic, friendly, spoken manner, the more it will feel to readers like somebody (i.e. you) is really on the other end. So don't worry about something that your high school English teacher would be proud of. Focus on turning out something that breaks down the walls between your company and your customers. Something real.

5. Fear That SPAM Makes It All A Waste Of Time

There's no doubt about it, SPAM has decreased the effectiveness of E-Newsletters over the last 12 months, and we are all much more aggressive with the delete key than ever before.

But, let's put that into some perspective. A good E-Newsletter sent to your house list will still be opened by over 50% of the people it's sent to. That's 5?, 10?, 50? times better (you pick) than the percentage of people who read your newspaper ads; respond to your direct mail; or accept your unsolicited phone calls. The fact is, for the small business owner, an E-Newsletter represents the first time in history that she's ever been able to cost effectively communicate with her entire customer and prospect base over and over and over again. Not only that, but thanks to the inherently democratic nature of email (i.e. the big boys don't get any more space in the email inbox than the rest of us), an E-Newsletter gives us the opportunity to not just compete with, but outperform our much larger competitors for the attention of readers.

Yes, SPAM has taken some of the shine off of this diamond. But make no mistake, it's still a diamond.

A Final Comment

You may be waiting to launch your E-Newsletter until everything is "just right." Until your mailing list is large enough; until you've stockpiled enough columns so you'll never run out; until you've hired that new marketing person; etc., etc.

I've got news for you. No matter how much you plan and prepare, things are going to go wrong even then. I've been midwife at the birth of dozens of E-Newsletters, and every time we launch one (every time), something goes wrong. It's never the same something, but it's always there. So don't worry about it, just get in the game.

Three reasons: First, because the cost of error online is exceedingly low. If you make a mistake -- or simply change your mind! -- you can fix it. Nothing about your newsletter need be permanent, from the name to the look to the content. Every issue is an opportunity to start fresh.

Second, because time is your enemy. Relationship marketing (of which, your E-Newsletter is a tactic) is a long term approach. The sooner you get started reaching out to your circle of contacts, the sooner you'll see the results. With an E-Newsletter in particular, you lose much more by waiting than you gain by perfecting.

Third, because experience is your friend. You can do all the research in the world, but until you've got a living, breathing newsletter of your own, it's just a theoretical exercise. There's only so much insight to be gained intellectually; the real "A-ha's" occur when you get behind the wheel and drive it yourself.

Bottom Line: These five fears are common among burgeoning E-Newsletter publishers, but on closer examination, not all that daunting. Go ahead, get started with yours today!

Michael J. Katz is Founder and Chief Penguin of Blue Penguin Development, Inc., (http://www.BluePenguinDevelopment.com) a Boston consulting firm that helps clients increase sales by showing them how to nurture their existing relationships, and that specializes in the development of electronic newsletters. He is author of the book, E-Newsletters That Work.

Until a few years ago, the only market of mobility scooters comprised of the elderly and the disabled. However, in recent years, people of almost all age brackets are opting for mobility scooters given their convenience and comfort in getting around places. This has led to a wide expansion of the market, leading to several new versions and modifications in mobile scooting to be introduced. As the prices are increasing, a consequential secondhand market has also opened up.

In past years, mobile scooters had no resale values. The prime reason for this was most scooters were prescribed by doctors and hence they could be available to the buyer with coverage of the entire cost. Mobile scooters are also VAT exempt, and hence they are very cheap buys. But now, people wishing to buy scooters without prescriptions have the option of buying a used scooter.

There are certain precautions to be taken while considering a used scooter. The prime area of concern is the battery in electric mobility scooters. Though rechargeable lead batteries are used, it should be realized that batteries have a limited life. More often than not, new batteries may be needed while buying used scooters. Other electric features like the charging points and the motors need to be tested.

Mobility scooters are highly flexible vehicles. Major moving parts are the wheel axles, the tiller and the seat. All of these must be properly scrutinized, especially the seats. Scooters have cushioned plush seats that can swivel from 90 degrees to 360 degrees. The swivel must be checked. This is also true of the tiller, without which the scooter will lose its maneuverability.

Mobility scooters are generally companions for life and are not resold. People may consider selling them if they buy newer and better scooters, or in some other unfortunate circumstance. Though not necessary, it is advisable to know a bit about the history of the scooter. This would throw some light on how the scooter has been used and give an idea of the maintenance it would require.

The price of a used mobility scooter depends on the seller. It may range from $100 to $500, depending on the features and the brand of the mobility scooter.

Mobility Scooters provides detailed information on Mobility Scooters, Electric Mobility Scooters, Used Mobility Scooters, Mobility Scooter Reviews and more. Mobility Scooters is affiliated with Cheap Motor Scooters.

I was having a discussion the other day with a young couple who informed me they never use their alarm. They said it was in their home when they bought it and found it too troublesome to arm and disarm.

I was then advised they quite often unintentionally leave windows and doors open because of their hurried lifestyle. What bothered me the most about this couple was their acceptance of the dangers that could lie ahead.

Let's face it, we live in an accelerated world where dashing off in a hurry has become common place. A world which reflects the definition of time as being," A period long enough for something to be done".

A time dominated life can have some unhealthy effects, especially when we neglect our largest investments. Rushing off in a hurry and forgetting to lock the windows and doors in your home could cost you.

Spending money on alarm systems and monitoring is an excellent idea as long as you take the time to arm the system when needed. If your life is too busy to take a few moments to secure your home, remember those few seconds are all a burglar needs to execute a break-in.

The same principles apply to your vehicle. Your vehicle may have an immobilizer, but if you have a steering wheel lock, use it! Layered security is a huge deterrent, the more obstacles a burglar has to penetrate the better chance you have of finding your vehicle where you left it.

Take a few moments and lock your vehicle insurance and registration papers in your trunk , instead of the glove compartment. Again it only takes a few seconds and won't allow the bad guys to source out your name and address.

If you don't take the time to reinforce your home or vehicle security, someone will take advantage of your shortcomings. You probably have heard the story about the guy who always arms his home alarm, and the one time when he didn't , his home got broken into.

Or the person who always takes their car keys with them, but the one time they left their keys in the ignition, somebody helped themselves to the car. How about the person who always locks their outside shed but again the one time they forgot somebody pilfered their ride-on lawnmower.

The truth of the matter is most of these people constantly forget to arm or engage security on their home or vehicle. Complacency comes at a high cost when your playing Russian Roulette with thieves.

So before you leave home, take the time to walk through your home checking for unlocked doors and windows and make sure you arm your security system. If you own a vehicle, allow yourself enough time to engage your steering wheel lock as well as the immobilizer.

Don't let a burglar take advantage of your hurried lifestyle by putting precious time in his or her hands. Just remember even in the least possible situation a break-in may not be likely but I can guarantee you, it certainly is possible.

Frank Fourchalk is widely recognized for his sustained commitment to education in Home and Business security throughout North America as a result of his syndicated newspaper columns. Mr. Fourchalk has written for The Toronto Star, The Vancouver Province, and several other daily newspapsers including the New York Post. For more information on your home security check out http://www.yourhomesecurity.ca