Let there be no doubt about it…you need to be very careful when selecting a professional resume-writer. These days, anyone can say, “I’m a resume-writer,” and technically never have even finished high school…much less have any idea how to write a professional resume that will get you interviews.

 

Also, with the popularity of the Internet, I have heard that some companies have actually tried to fool the public by ranking themselves as #1 in fake Top 10 Resume Writing Service lists! And let’s not forget those resume-writing services that actually send your personal information overseas and outsource the writing to someone who has no idea about the person you are.

 

Can you believe it?

 

When people are considering the purchase of professional resume-writing services, I advise them to “shop around.” So here are the five factors you should consider when choosing who to trust writing your professional resume and cover letter…

 

1. Are You Purchasing Services From A Resume-Writer Or A “Resume Factory?”

 

The easiest way to tell if the resume-writing service is a “resume factory” is their very low prices. No one can make any money in this industry charging less than $100 for a resume – unless, they have a production line setup. Or they create low-quality resumes or have poor service.

 

If you choose one of these “resume factories” that claim to have written thousands and thousands of resumes, you should know that although they say they never use “cookie-cutter” templates, they probably do.

 

And as a result, your resume will be just like everyone else’s and will sabotage your chances of getting calls for an interview.

 

2. What Kind Of “Process” Does The Resume-Writer Use?

A great resume can’t be written from a questionnaire alone, no matter how good the resume-writer is! Unfortunately, many of the resume-writing services make this very claim that they can create a winning resume with just a 20 question questionnaire filled out online.

 

Now seriously, how much could a complete stranger know about you in 20 measly questions without talking to you or meeting you?

 

You will find that the best professional resume-writers will be willing to meet with you in person (if possible), or do phone and/or email consultations with you as they write your resume and cover letter in addition to providing you with a questionnaire and compiling information from your previous resumes.

 

Additionally, when it comes to “turnaround time,” those resume-writers who promise to have your resume complete in 48 hours or less are either part of a “resume factory,” are using “cookie-cutter” templates and merely plugging in your work information, or they get a very low volume of business (something that should concern you).

 

So be sure to do your research about a resume-writer’s or company’s writing process before purchasing any of their services!

 

3. Does The Resume-Writer Have Any Proven Sales Or Marketing Experience?

 

Now this may sound like an odd factor to consider, but if you never learned this, you should know that your resume is a direct marketing sales-letter! Let’s face it – you have no doubt heard of best-selling authors. Have you ever heard of best-writing authors? Of course not! Those best-selling authors are able to sell and market the message of their books.

 

My point is this, just about anyone with spell check and grammar check on their computer can write a resume. But, it takes a very special person with a background in sales and/or marketing to bring that resume to life and “sell the reader” on why they should call you for an interview!

 

4. Does The Resume-Writer Offer A Guarantee For Their Services?

 

Any great resume-writer will stand by their work and offer to re-write your resume at no additional cost if it is not getting you any interviews within a certain number of days (usually 60-90). This is their professional pledge to you.

 

However, you as a job-seeker must also do your part in sending out more than just a few resumes, and most importantly – follow up with the employers you sent your resume and cover letter to. It’s amazing how few people actually do this!

 

Remember, your resume is a direct marketing sales-letter. Your “customers” are prospective employers. Any good salesman or saleswoman knows the rewards are in the follow-up!

 

5. How Much Does The Resume-Writer Charge For Their Professional Services?

 

I am sure that you have figured out (hopefully not the hard way) that in life, you definitely get what you pay for! Of course the price is important, but it is not nearly as important as having a winning resume that gets employers to call you for an interview today!

 

It all goes back to “cost versus value.” What do you get in terms of benefits for the price you pay? What do you get in the package deals? What kind of guarantee do they offer? Have they had other satisfied customers share their stories in believable testimonials?

 

You might want to look at it this way…

 

If I offered you a piece of paper with some scribbles and drawings on it for $1,000 – would you buy it? Probably not. However, if that paper with scribbles and drawings was a map that led to a buried treasure worth $100,000 or more – would you buy it?

 

Let’s hope so! That would definitely be the investment of the century! A hundred-fold return on your investment. (If only Wall St. could create those kinds of returns…legally!) I like to look at investing in a resume-writer the same way. If a resume-writer charges $200 for a professional resume, and that resume leads to a job that pays a yearly salary of $40,000 – you just made a two hundred-fold return on your investment! Now that’s really smart investing…

 

Additionally, if a professional resume-writer is guaranteeing his or her work and is willing to re-write your documents for 60-90 days at no extra cost to you, then you don’t have anything to lose. The risk is all on the resume-writer! So when you are considering investing in a professional resume-writer, take all of these five factors into consideration and make a wise career decision!

Known for writing winning resumes and cover letters that have led to job interviews for over 90% of his clients, Kristopher Marek provides professional resume writing services for job seekers looking for a better paying and more personally-satisfying career. If you are interested in learning more about his services, you can contact him via email at winningresumewriter [at] yahoo.com

You mentioned “…your page ranking.” What is page ranking and how do I get my pages ranked in law firm Internet marketing?

You don’t have to do anything to get your web pages ranked in law firm Internet marketing. It happens when the search engines send their spiders out to read your site. Google Page Rank is the standard on the Internet for success since 47% of the people on the Internet go to Google to do their searching and the other major search engines (Yahoo and MSN) use similar models as Google. If you rank high at Google you will rank high anywhere. The Google Page Rank system is from 0 to 10 with 10 being high and 0 being low. Probably more than 98% of sites on the Internet are ranked 0, 1, or 2. I do recommend you go to Google and get a Google Tool Bar since then you can see the Google Page Rank they have given you and every other web page you ever visit. This is a very useful tool in law firm Internet marketing. First it tells you how you are doing with your website. Next it tells you how well your competitors are doing with their websites, which tells you what you need to do to get a higher Google Page Rank so you are above them in the search engine results. Finally, it tells you how well your vendor has done for you in law firm Internet marketing and if you are searching for a new vendor it can tell you if they know what they are doing since they should show you sites they have built that have good Google Page Ranks. For sure that vendor’s site should have a good Google Page Rank don’t you think? There is another ranking system called Alexa that is not one you need to be as aware of based on Alexa toolbar users (well over 10 million of them last I knew) and where they are going. You can get their toolbar at Alexa.com. Alexa ranking is based on the lowest number being the best and the highest number being the worst. A low number is under 500,000 thus indicating a website that is in the top 1% of all websites in the world in terms of the traffic that comes to their site. For example CNN.com is #26, GE.com is 4,719, Google is #3, Yahoo is #1 and MSN is #2. The poor Alexa ranks are in the millions with most websites on the Internet being Alexa ranked “no data” not being at all unusual. You site is likely to be “no data” ranked, as are most lawyer sites by far. So be more concerned about your Google Rank.

You have been talking about “competitors” a lot in. Who are my competitors in law firm Internet marketing?

Your competitors in law firm Internet marketing are those people who are trying to rank high at the search engines for the same keywords as you are trying to rank high on. If your down the street lawyer competitor knows nothing about keyword research and how to build a law firm Internet marketing system then he will not be much of a competitor for you on the Internet. Fortunately or unfortunately most lawyers are doing it all wrong with vendors who are over charging and under delivering. You have a great opportunity to get out in front of the pack and stay there because by the time they wake up you will be so far out in front they almost certainly won’t be able to catch you in law firm Internet marketing.

Some way back you mentioned “RSS”. What is RSS in law firm Internet marketing?

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. Trying to stay up with all the new information on the Internet is clearly difficult given the size and growth of the Internet. What if you had a really simple way to get the new information posted at your favorite websites or get their newsletters without them getting caught in spam filters? That is what RSS is designed to do. You sign up on the web site of one of your favorites for RSS and they will send information (text, audio or video) to your RSS news reader on your computer or to your web based news reader (I use Yahoo.com). Where can you get these news readers? Here are some options:

For Windows

Newzcrawler.com

newsgator.com/NGOLProduct.aspx?ProdId=FeedDemon

awasu.com/

For Mac OS X

newsfirerss.com/

newsgator.com/NGOLProduct.aspx?ProdID=NetNewsWire

For Web Based

bloglines.com/

http://my.yahoo.com/

newsgator.com/ngs/default.aspx

While this technology is still new it is growing. Some Internet marketing experts think it will overtake email as the “killer application” on the Internet in a few years since it fixes the spam problem and reduces the number of newsletters coming to people’s in boxes. It is good but probably not that good. Right now I would put it on your site as a useful tool in law firm Internet marketing if you offer a newsletter or add content regularly since people who use RSS are going to be very interested prospects if they sign up on your site using RSS.

You said earlier “over charging and under delivering.” What should I expect to spend on an Internet marketing site with a vendor that can deliver excellent results?

You may or may not have to “start over” if you have a site now. Also know some vendors charge by the hour, some by the project and some a mixture of the two. If you are looking for a “value vendor” (one who is not the cheapest but also not the most expensive) to build a new website with all of the factors I have spoken about in place you will need to expect to spend from $8,000 to $12,000 for the new website. At this level of spending the website should have 20 pages or maybe a few more in total with the entire “on site” SEO in place. The fee for the site should include the services of a Webmaster (think of this person as being much like a “general contractor” who is building your dream house), keyword researcher, web designer, technician, and website copywriter. If you are looking for someone who is going to do the ongoing webmaster role (think here of having a professional Internet marketer on you team) taking you from where you are now with an existing site to excellent results then work with you ongoing to assess your current website circumstances in detail, make a plan for how to improve your circumstances via your current vendor, manage your current vendor so they implement that plan (or if necessary make the recommendation to you to leave your current vendor as well as find you another more appropriate vendor) you can expect to pay around $70 to $90 per hour to get a quality USA based person to do the job for you.

If you want to view his in depth “Internet Marketing Guide” you can go to http://www.CannonFireMarketing.com. Richard’s guide will take you much, much deeper than this executive briefing can. Richard is one of twenty-five SBI Certified Webmasters that you could “shop” if you desire at: http://directory.sitesell.com/certified/index.html. In the interest of full disclosure Richard built my medium size site (and growing) and has been a valuable addition to my team. Ken Evoy, MD, that I mentioned earlier, developed the CTPM model of Internet marketing that currently serves over 30,000 primarily small businesses with their Internet marketing needs, founded and owns the SBI system.

That is more than I expected to spend on law firm Internet marketing. Are there other options?

Yes. If you don’t currently want to budget for $8,000 to $12,000 you could begin with a 10 to 15 page site but be sure to do the keyword research (Richard Cannon can do this for you and is a master at it, one of the other SBI Certified Webmasters or maybe your current vendor). The lower number of pages would bring the cost down considerably. Later you can add pages (a must in law firm Internet marketing – like a page per month for solo and small firms). You could also go to guru.com (a virtual marketplace complete with a mediated process) where you can find cheap vendors (think India, Singapore, New Zealand, South Africa and Europeans here at $12 to $50 per hour) as well as value vendors (think $50 to $100 per hour in the USA). If all you want is a “brochure holder” type of site (so you don’t look behind the times) you can get one of those built without the keyword research for maybe as little as $800 to $1,000 by a value vendor or half that or less by a “cheap vendor”, however, you will likely “throw that away” when you decide to move up to law firm Internet marketing type site. If you really, really want to go inexpensive you could go to Yahoo.com’s home page and scroll down on the left side of the page to “small business” and click on that where you can buy something as a decent brochure holder type of site at a cheap price per month.

OK friends, we have completed part two on law firm Internet marketing. In part three we will cover should you have a vendor that has done lawyers websites in the past over a “plain” vendor, why do I keep mentioning the number of pages on a site, how to avoid overpriced vendors, what your domain name should be, intellectual property issues to consider and more. So keep on reading with part three to learn more on law firm Internet marketing.

You can download free now the 125 page Report titled “31 Proven Law Firm Marketing Strategies” by Henry Harlow and much more. You can increase your income; reduce your work hours as you serve your clients better than ever – guaranteed. http://www.Law-Firm-Marketing-Coach.com

Transmissions and engines play a major role in automobiles but a lot of drivers are not aware of this fact. Transmissions and engines will serve as a power plant and propels the wheels of automobiles. In addition, transmissions and engines will help drivers and the passengers get from point A to point B. Since they play such important tasks, they must be built well and there must not be any room for error during the process of manufacturing. Car manufacturers must guarantee the quality of the final product or these parts before they are going to install them to the automobiles.

On the other hand, thousands of people drive with broken automobiles every year due to repairs they did not get on their automobiles. Sadly, a lot of people do not realize the risks and problems a simple problem or leak on their transmission and engine can cause. It must not take car mechanics long to get the point across that the transmissions and engines should have been serviced in order to get your attention on your vehicles bill. When it comes to the repair of auto transmissions and engines, it is very essential to take the right measures and make good decisions.

Many times, a repair is good enough but if the failure is very serious, then, simple repair is out of question. In such cases, transmission and engine replacement may be the best solution. Whether you admit it or not, transmission and engine replacement is necessary if there is an extreme failure or situation with overheating. At times, these failures begin as little leaks which can be cause mechanical stress, high temperature deterioration and mechanical failure. But regardless of the situations behind the leak or failure, it is very important to take care of engine and transmission replacements before it will cost too much. As mentioned earlier, engines and transmissions are there to create mechanical power to propel or drive you around the city or country. Therefore, waiting for too long to replace faulty engines and transmissions might actually be a troublesome for the automobile. More than 100’s of people every year make bad decisions which can come from individuals who are not taking care of their cars. It doesn’t help when the auto repair shop guides you wrong with helping you decide what road to take with your auto repairs.

In order to try to minimize such failures caused by broken engines and transmissions, replacement or the engine or transmission consideration is needed. Take plenty of time in order to shop around to locate reputable service and know the engine or transmission replacement cost. Make certain that the manufacturer has good replacement standards and can deliver the quality service that is worth the costs. Make sure that the parts quality is good enough to prevent you from any form of re-occurrence of problems of your car. It may also be helpful if you are going to contact a technician or mechanic to find out what kind of maintenance services that is recommended for your car.

Many shops might prefer you to drop off without hesitation and they may offer higher price if they can get away with it, but ask yourself is it worth it? If you are thinking of the price tag, doing your research for a quality job, you must consider also if the engine or transmission replacement insurance is something you can take advantage of. You just have to know what are the requirements are for the insurance and where to purchase it locality. Having engine and transmission replacement insurance may not only help you financially but should ensure that you get standard quality of service at a time of need.

Engine and transmission replacement can cost people a lot. You need to always find a way on how you can prevent the engine and transmission replacement costs effectively and keep up with your cars maintenance.

by Guy Skiver
@ Guy’s Automotive

http://transmissionrepairtampa.com
3049 W. Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL 33614
813-353-1537

14611 N Nebraska Ave
Tampa, FL 33613 813-975-9307

As fashion and plus size evolve into a recognized and (soon-to-be) respected segment in fashion, so do the idiosyncrasies and nuances of fashion itself, as it pertains to plus size.

You see, ten years ago, plus size only belonged in one lump segment, leaving us fashionistas with very little or if any options for shopping and discerning which pieces were of a “fashionable” standard. However, now, with the amalgamation (yes, I had to use this word) and plethora of fashions within plus size clothing, one could easily find herself lost, frustrated, confused, irritated, or flustered when shopping for an ideal outfit or piece of clothing.

Why?

We no longer have “one type” of fashion option for the plus size woman- we have many. However, to better understand and sort through the madness of them all, a budding fashionista must first understand what these newer segments are and learn the identifiers of these to shop smarter, not harder.

No really… WHY?

See, as in the straight- sized market, you will find certain segments within fashion that are grouped together, and for the most part, you know what to expect when shopping from that retailer or specific set of retailers. With the evolution of Plus Size Ready-to-Wear Fashion, the same now holds true. For sake of argument, we will group these segments for plus size fashion as straight sized fashion does to help explain the price discrepancies, size differences, in relation to the integrity and quality of a retailers’ or designers’ garment. The fashion industry is divided into five segments: haute couture, luxury, contemporary, fast fashion, and discount.

* Haute Couture: Synonymous with “high fashion,” haute couture is a derivative of the French term “high sewing.” In France, the label “haute couture” is a protected designation. Designers, who attain this elusive and oft coveted title, produce custom-made clothing for the world’s most influential and wealthiest.

* Luxury: Pret-a-Porter or “Ready to Wear” is one-step down from Haute Couture relative to price and exclusivity, but still serves a discerning and well to do client.

* Contemporary: This fashion forward segment presents mid-priced fashions both fashion forward and quality driven. Oftentimes, these designers interpret fashions from the couture houses, making these fashions readily accessible.

* Fast Fashion: Quickly produced product in a cost efficient manner, delivering “high fashion looking” garments, at the lowest price possible. Relates to the manner of which items from the runway manufactured predominantly overseas with an extremely efficient turnaround.

* Discount: Usually looked at loss leaders, have quickly adapted to the fast fashion concepts leveraging their consumer’s buying power and reputation to fashion exclusive designer collections.

However, the division and classification of what to expect from these segments do not stop there. Please read further into each segment, sans Haute couture, as to understand which designers and brands fall into each classification and what differentiates each one.

Luxury Plus Size Designers

Yes! They do exist! Goods that are of a higher quality and a respective higher price point are the fashion leaders within plus size. Designers such as:

* Anna Scholz

* Cinzia Rocca

* Elena Miro

* Lafayette 148

* Marina Rinaldi

* Peggy Lutz

Are oftentimes carried in either specialty boutiques, specialty department stores such as Saks and Neiman Marcus command, at minimum, a $250 starting point. Expect the finest fabrics, usually imported from overseas, naturally a more conservative cut, with the exception of Anna Scholz and Elena Miro (the only plus size designer to continually show during Milan Fashion Week), impeccably tailored, fully lined, natural fabrics, with exclusivity in feel and wear.

Contemporary Plus Size Designers

Mirroring the contemporary collections represented in Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and Saks, contemporary plus size fashion offers the fashion forward plus size woman options tailored to her curves at a moderate price point. These designers such as:

* Amanda Uprichard

* David Meister

* Igigi

* Jibri

* Melissa Masse

* Monif C.

* Svoboda

Are often the thoughts leaders, innovators, and risk takers within the plus size fashion segments, as they continually challenge the status quo or the norm in what fashion should be for the discerning plus size woman. This segment’s prices usually range from the low $100’s and can command up to $500 for more specialty pieces. Quality in these fabrics are only a sidestep lower than their luxury counterparts, introducing innovative blends in fabrics, specific silhouettes inspired by the designer’s artistic inspiration, and, like its luxury designers, have more intricate detailing.

Plus Size Fast Fashion Designers

In the light of Forever 21’s counterfeit lawsuits, fast fashion has received a tarnished image although fast fashion provides an amiable compliment to its contemporary counterparts. Popular designers in this segment include:

* Torrid

* Faith 21

* Ashley Stewart

* Lane Bryant

* Evans

With the ability to mass produce up-to-the-minute trends and incredulously low price points, fast fashion provides edgy, often directly inspired from design houses, looks that range from as low as a $10 price point up to a $150 price tag. In order to deliver the trends to the market quickly, the quality, can, at times, be inferior to the luxury and contemporary designers. Expect polyester blends, wool blends, single stitched garments, either a looser silhouette or a variety of shapes that vary from garment to garment. To be worn for the moment, the lifespan of these fast fashion fashions are intended to last for the current season.

Discount Plus Size Designers

Challenging and changing the fashion climate over the last year, discount leaders have created strategic partnerships with Contemporary Designers to bring affordable fashions to the masses. Retailers such as:

* Old Navy

* Wal-Mart

* Target

Have collaborated with the likes of Norma Kamali, Just My Size, Pure Energy, and others to bring quality fashion at an affordable retail price. Discount leaders have allowed women an introduction into fashion options rarely seen and experienced. Discount designers serve as an introduction as well as dispel the notion of plus size fashion not being available. Each segment both provides and serves its purpose for the 60% of us plus size women in the ever diversifying industry of plus size fashion. It is important about knowing the differences in these segments so that you know what to expect when shopping a particular designer or retailer. Learning the difference affords you the ease of a headache or frustration when shopping to put your best curve forward.

Marie Leggette is a fashion blogger, stylist, and writer with over ten years in the retail, fashion world. As a plus size woman herself, Marie Denee is determined to bring high-end fashion to the discerning Plus Size Curvy.Confident.Chic Plus Size Fashionista. In the Fall of 2009, Marie Leggette launched her eponymous plus size contemporary boutique, MarieDenee.com to compliment her plus size fashion blog, http://www.thecurvyfashionista.mariedenee.com both highlighting fashions by designers who see fashion beyond a size 12.

So often, garden tractors are used solely to mow the lawn, something an ordinary lawn mower can achieve with ease. Garden tractors are built with more heavy duty work in mind.

A garden tractor will have tires with good traction for working in a garden, a smallish (around 5 gallon) fuel tank, a PTO (this could be electric or engine powered) with a hydraulic clutch, and some offer 4WD. Depending on the specifications, garden tractors can be used with a full line of compatible attachments such as: dump cart, trailer, tiller, broadcast spreader, snow thrower, blade, roller, sprayer, spike aerator, disk, plow, cultivator and rotary broom.

The Power Take-Off (PTO) shaft on your tractor allows you to use these pieces of equipment, but it also has the potential to cause major safety problems if you don’t use it correctly. The PTO is a shaft on the rear end of a tractor that transfers power from the tractor to another implement or piece of equipment such as a manure spreader or planter. According to the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, up to 20 percent of farm injuries occur as a result of PTO accidents. Therefore, operational safety of the PTO is critical. Make sure the PTO shaft on your tractor has a shield to minimize your chances of getting entangled in it. Never allow children near your tractor, especially if it’s running.

A lawn or garden tractor is handy for driving through barn alleyways and pens or for pulling a small manure or feed cart. It would be unsuitable, however, for routine fieldwork, arena work, or large-scale feeding or manure handling. Lawn tractors can be an expensive option for horsemen – by the time you buy a tractor, a cart, and other attachments, you might have reached the same price range as a compact tractor. You could end up with half the tractor for the same price. You might want to consider purchasing a lawn tractor for light duty or barn work if you are planning to buy two tractors.

The original garden tractors that appeared in the early part of last century were mainly two wheeled versions. As with most mechanical equipment of the time, they were large and heavy, in sharp contrast to modern tractors. After the 1950s, the popularity of two wheeled garden tractors peaked and the four wheeled versions began to increase in popularity.

TIPS WHEN SELECTING A GARDEN TRACTOR

1. The single most crucial aspect of purchasing a used tractor is condition. If you are in the market for a used tractor, and you find one in good condition (preferably with as many attachments as possible), buy it.

2. Look for a brand that is popular in your area, so you can pick up a few spares that will take the same attachments.

3. Select your horsepower carefully. Six horsepower is enough to power a small rider tractor, and half that for a two wheeler.

3. If purchasing an older tractor, stay away from automatic drive, the early ones weren’t very efficient, and all of them are complicated.

4. Make sure the model you select is a real garden tractor, not a lawn tractor designed only for mowing grass. The majority of manufacturers make both types.

5. Look to avoid orphan brands of tractors, but do not expect many of today’s dealers to have many parts for very old tractors.

The author seeks to promote knowledge of garden tractors and their different, unique uses. Visit him at http://usedgardentractorsforsale.com

Many sales problems can be solved by improved marketing. Selling harder is often not the solution. More . . . or just better . . . marketing may be what’s needed. Marketing presents a special problem for any company that has not yet developed a professionally staffed marketing department. This article looks at the various marketing functions. It describes some successful approaches to determining when to add “more” marketing to your company.

In The Beginning

Most successful companies grow from a small enterprise based on the founder’s idea or vision. In the early stages, the founder usually plays many roles. It’s common to see a founder handling engineering and/or sales roles. As the company succeeds and grows, many of these tasks are delegated to others.

The one area most often key to the long term success of the company is the function of marketing. This article covers:

• The marketing functions
• The problems they can prevent or solve
• The contributions you can expect from marketing

Marketing: The Difference Between Buying And Selling

The definition of marketing has been attempted by many authors. It is commonly referred to as the process of relating the potential customers’ needs and wants to the company, and then addressing the company’s solutions to meet those needs and wants back to the marketplace.

We have described marketing as the process of focusing on Who the customer really is, and What the customer is actually buying from you . . . rather than what you’re selling. What customers can buy from your firm . . . that they cannot buy from another . . . is the real reason they do business with you.

The marketing functions within your company that support this work can be divided into product marketing and marketing services to support demand creation and sales. Both functions are necessary to have an effective marketing effort. However, they are distinct. How much of each you need . . . and who should perform these duties . . . are important issues.

What Is Product Marketing?

The classic definition of product marketing includes the issues of product, price, promotion, and sales channel (place). The concept of product marketing holds true whether your company is a “product” or a “service” company. In the case of a service company, your “product” is the service provided.

To succeed, these product marketing issues (product, price, promotion, and place) must be handled so they are effective from the customer’s point of view. In the beginning, these issues are usually a key part of the founder’s vision. When the company succeeds, they often become too complex . . . and too important . . . to be handled part-time, by the chief executive.

Product marketing works over two different frameworks, each important, and fundamentally very different. These two areas are strategic and tactical.

Strategic Marketing

Strategic product marketing is the future component of the marketing problem. Strategic issues include:

• What business is your company in?
• What business should you be in?
• What products or services should be designed and offered?
• What technical capabilities need to be developed within the company or acquired from outside the company?

Other related strategic issues include:

• Marketing channel strategies (How do you reach your customers, then sell and deliver the goods?)
• Competitive positioning (What sets your company apart in the minds of your customers?)
• A complete understanding of, and ability to communicate to customers, What they can buy from your company that they cannot buy from any other company.

The strategic role requires a person who is a generalist, with a broad view of the market, the industry, and the company. This is the role most usually maintained by the founder/CEO. Portions of this strategic function may be provided by a senior marketing manager or by outside consultants.

Tactical Marketing

Tactical product marketing deals with issues that relate to the success of current products or services. These include:

• New products or services introductions
• Promotion of existing products
• Development of marketing programs and literature that are effective in reaching the customer
• Communicating the unique position that separates your company from your competitors
• Ensuring that the sales channels are being used effectively to reach customers

The development of tactical plans is a product marketing function. The execution of some of these tactical items may be accomplished by marketing services, as described next.

The tactical role requires a person with the desire and skills to “get it done.” Both tactical and strategic roles require great communications skills, and the ability to deal successfully with a wide range of peo-ple, both inside and outside your company.

What Are Marketing Services?

Marketing Services executes tactical marketing programs. This may include sales contests, public relations, advertising, trade shows, dealer programs, direct mail campaigns, etc. This function manages or provides the creative, and produces items such as brochures, advertisements, press releases, trade shows, etc.

There is obviously an overlap between tactical marketing and marketing services in the area of defining and planning these programs. A senior, experienced, marketing services professional may be able to perform some of the functions of tactical marketing. Unfortunately, many times we place an excellent marketing services person in a position which really is tactical marketing . . . and the results are not satisfactory.

Marketing Services’ function is to create and manage the tools, support materials, and collateral that tactical marketing has determined necessary to effectively implement the programs designed to achieve the strategy.

Skilled marketing services professionals have excellent input regarding these tools and materials to assure effective results. Asking them to perform the tactical product marketing function is quite another thing!

What Do Marketing Problems Look Like?

Sometimes it’s easy to see a marketing problem. One example of this is a stalled product.

You’ve spent many months developing a new product and feel sure of its merits in the marketplace. You’ve introduced the product, but it seems to be going nowhere. What do you need to do to take advantage of your investment and ensure the success of the new product (and perhaps your company)?

• Should you lower the price?
• Should you raise the price?
• Do you need to spend money on advertising?
• Do you need to kick off a public relations campaign?
• Do you need new sales channels, or do you need a program to “kick start” your existing channels?

Obviously some of these issues are tactical product marketing. Some may involve marketing services, or the problem may be fundamentally strategic.

Possibly, you have an unneeded or unwanted product or service. Maybe you have not fully determined what the differences are your product or service provides which are valuable to potential customers.

Another example of a potential marketing challenge is an important new product introduction.

• How do you ensure that you get the best press coverage?
• Should you introduce the product at a trade show? Or with a press conference? Or with a press tour?
• What literature and sales tools will you need?
• Does this new product (or service) fit your existing sales channel?
• What is the competitive environment in which this product will be introduced?
• How should the product be priced and positioned to take maximum advantage of the competitive situation
• What do your prospective customers think of the new product?

Again, some of these problems are tactical and some are Marketing Services. Executing an effective new product launch by relegating the planning and execution to Marketing Services, or worse, to your advertising agency, is a mistake. Given that 90% of new product introductions fail to achieve their sales goals, perhaps it’s time to consider that the execution may not be the problem. Perhaps there was never a viable plan.

Sometimes it’s more difficult to recognize the problem as belonging to marketing. It can still clearly be rooted there however. An example of this is the conflict between sales and the factory. Often the conflict looks like this:

The salespeople are frustrated. They see opportunity they can’t turn into business, and they blame the factory for not listening to them, and for being unresponsive.

The sales person says, “Why don’t they hear what I am telling them?” The factory staff in this case is often frustrated with field sales. “Why can’t they just sell what we have?”, is a common question from the factory.

Are the salespeople just complaining, so you should disregard them? Are the factory people being too “hardheaded?” Or is it possible that a marketing job, clearly defining the position of the product and communication of this to sales, has not been done?

If sales does not know the positioning, you will be getting inconsistent results and information from them. Has this happened to you?

Some marketing problems are easier to identify. You have an idea for a wonderful new product. But,

• What features should it have?
• What is the importance to your customers of each feature?
• Is there something else even more important about which you are unaware?
• How do you tell the story of the product so that you can get your sales people excited, and your customers to buy?

To answer these questions, what do you do? Do you conduct a focus group? Or a user survey? By phone, or letter, or face-to-face interviews? Or just design it, release it, and hope you were right?

The bottomline is that all of the above scenarios describe marketing problems which can be solved with the right marketing talent. Whether that expertise is full-time or a part-time, on-staff or from outside services are trade-offs you make to get the best solution your budget can afford.

Final Thoughts

The key to marketing is to see your company as you are seen by your customers. If you’re satisfied with your company’s results and feel that the future of your company is secure, then you may have all the marketing you need.

If you feel better results are needed, that you should be selling more, or your profits should be higher, or you should be doing a better job of satisfying your customers . . . then you should seriously consider adding marketing talent to your team.

(c) 1991, 2002 Customer Manufacturing Group

About The Author

Mitchell Goozé is the president and founder of Customer Manufacturing Group. For a free subscription to Customer Manufacturing Updates, e-mail us at info@customermfg.com, call (800) 947-0140 or visit the company website at http://www.customermanufacturing.com.

Adults, when they think of fitness and exercise, invariably imagine a well-equipped gym with cheesy music blasting over the speakers and sweaty people running on a stationary treadmill. To kids on the other hand, exercise and fitness are all about just doing what comes naturally – running about, climbing, falling, just being active. As kids grow older, team sports can be really great as a safe way to try out life skills. Team sports can help a child learn to work with other kids, share stuff, boost self-esteem, and generally fall in love with life. This is one problem here – what do you do if your child is not a natural athlete, or just doesn’t like sports?

To begin with, to not be interested in organized sports can be quite normal – it could conceivably be put down to a matter of personal taste. But you could try to understand your child’s reasons first to make sure that all is well. Perhaps there are deeper concerns that your child has, that come out of social anxiety. Preschool kids often have team sports made available to them; even so, it is not until the age of seven or so that children actually have the attention span or the mental development to actually grasp everything that goes on in a game. Kicking a ball while running or catching a ball, takes a good deal of limb-eye coordination; a child who hasn’t had the time to practice these skills properly might just not see the point. What you can do then is, you can practice at home with the child, the kind of skills that you believe she will need, playing a team sport at school. In the reassuring surroundings of home with no one else around to catch their failures, they might open up.

Your children’s fitness and health may be a great reason why you wish to have them take a team sport. But there are real reasons why they may not yet be ready for prime time. To begin with, the school sporting league can be all about the competition and the winning, and this can be off-putting to your child. Most children aren’t really appreciative of the pressure of competition until they hit the age of 12 or so You could try some places like the YMCA where they don’t keep score, to help a child to find her groove without the pressure.

Kids grow up at different rates. While one child may take up to the age of ten to gain excellent hand-eye coordination, another kid might do it at the age of six. Kids can also take time to come to terms with how hard it can be to keep up with everyone else. If your child really does need time to grow into her shoes, you can find children’s fitness activities outside of team sports. Swimming, horseback riding, golf, skate boarding, yoga, there are any number of choices for what a child can do to stay fit. Raising a child is all about finding a balance between what you decide is right for your child what the child wants for herself. With a little thought, finding the balance should not be all that hard.

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Fly fishing is an old exercise, over the centuries, the fishers and manufacturers have developed a lot of knowledge about the design of fly fishing equipments. This exercise beginning at the time of the Roman Empire, and till now the basics haven’t changed. The superior thing to do is to learn about fly fishing equipment and how all of the parts works before a person become one in the quest for catching variety type of fishes.

Using Fly Fishing Equipment

It is very important that you select equipment that is well fit to the particular fishing situation. While a particular fly rod might be used in different or special situations, its’ range of applications is very far narrower that a spinning rod. If one really wants to be familiar with about the equipment used for fly they should engage a fishing instructor or guide that is proficient in fly fishing equipment and have them teach the person what they need to know. By the ways, certain parts of the fly fishing equipment can be very costly but it’s a needed and part of learning to fly fishing.

More about Fly Fishing Equipment

When you want to try fly fishing for species other than trout, the rod and reel must be heavier but just as important is that the lure will be dissimilar. One can’t fish with spinner baits with a fly rod or plastic worms, but in the market there are baits that are sold for specific use with a fly rod. There are many smaller cork top water types of bait. Some look like a frog or other amphibians and aquatic reptiles. The difference between fly fishing lures and regular lures is easy to tell. The fly fishing equipment is a lot lighter than conventional baits. The action of the bait is imitated with the fly rod in a popping manner that will attract fish to the lure.

Following will explore some of equipment options. Although this may look quite basic, but I ensure you will learn something new and interesting.

Choose the Best Gear

With fly-fishing equipment, you have to choose the correct gear with the type of fishing in your mind. In order to do this, you need to study the basic gear that every fly fisherman, whether deep-sea fishing, going out to a local creek, lakes, rivers or streams, it is composed of the following components: the rod, reel, line, and of course the almighty fly.

The Rod

The rod is one of the most unique parts of fly fishing gear. It is longer and more flexible than your normal fishing pole, sometimes more than twice as long as the normal person high. The rods are sold by weight, the weights indicating a rod suitable to use in what type of situation. The higher number weights, its mean the rod is better for heavier game. For instance, a line weight of one to three is suitable to catch small trout. While a 15-weight line, is used for saltwater fishing for larger fishes. The material of the fly fishing gear is usually made of fiberglass or graphite. The graphite is the most common type. It is much lighter than the fiberglass, and it also casts line much better.

The Reel

The reel is used to store the fly fishing line and it has evolved so that mechanical improvements can make it an asset to your fly fishing experience. Now, the reels can help you catch fish more effectively, with drag systems that let you to better catch fish that pull a lot of line during the fighting. One thing you may want to take note is when you plan to go fishing in saltwater, you need to purchase a reel that consists of corrosion-resistant components like titanium or anodized aluminum.

The Line

When purchasing your fly fishing line, you need to consider the weight of your fly line; it must be match that of your rod for the best results. It is important to use the correct weight of fly line when fishing. These fly lines can be basically grouping them into two groups, Floating or Sinking Lines. The Floating Lines also call dry line are used for techniques that are require a top water lure or the fly just below the waters surface. The Sinking Lines are used for techniques that use a wet fly, which goes underneath the surface of the water, like when fishing a nymph or other under water bugs.

The Fly

It is important to use the correct files at the right places. You also need to tailor your flies to the fish that you’re trying to catch, whether wet or dry. Some flies, such as streamers, try to imitate and look like the small fish that make up the diets of other fish, while others, like midges and mayflies and attempt to resemble the surface insects that they take their names from. With this information and other pieces of fly fishing gear provided above, if you purchase based on what type of fish you trying to catch, it will definitely increase your successful rate.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit Fly Fishing Women to learn more about fly fishing in Canada and fly fishing in Montana.

Nowadays, children, besides of going to the school, practice a sport, mostly a team sport. And just like so many things, this also has its advantages and disadvantages on physical, emotional and mental field.

The decision of which one is greater, the advantages or the disadvantages depend on the point of view of the parents and of the children.

Emotional advantages:

- They will learn the value of teamwork

- They will learn how to work in a team

- They will develop their ability of trusting someone else

- They will learn how to select the trustful people

- They will make more friends

Emotional disadvantages:

- the pressure of being the best

- the possibility of not being the best

- possible emotional implications of not being the best can affect the self-esteem of a child

Mental advantages:

- physical activity stimulates the brain

- sport is a way of relaxing of the stress and pressure from the school, therefore, after exercises, the lessons will be automatically easier to understand and to learn

Mental disadvantages:

- competitive sport takes precedence over a child’s education

- learning may be neglected

- lack of mentally challenge

Physical advantages:

- they will learn the benefits of being fit, limber and strong

- it ensures a great and healthy growth of the body of the child

- they will be protected by obesity

Physical disadvantages:

- the danger of long-term injury

- early overuse of joints, ligaments and muscles can lead to joint and tendon problems, arthritis, back and neck problems

These issues have to be considered again and again before deciding on the type of sport that your child will be practicing.

For further information regarding sports, you can always rely on the Sport Folks Site!

I have been a health insurance broker for over a decade and every day I read more and more “horror” stories that are posted on the Internet regarding health insurance companies not paying claims, refusing to cover specific illnesses and physicians not getting reimbursed for medical services. Unfortunately, insurance companies are driven by profits, not people (albeit they need people to make profits). If the insurance company can find a legal reason not to pay a claim, chances are they will find it, and you the consumer will suffer. However, what most people fail to realize is that there are very few “loopholes” in an insurance policy that give the insurance company an unfair advantage over the consumer. In fact, insurance companies go to great lengths to detail the limitations of their coverage by giving the policy holders 10-days (a 10-day free look period) to review their policy. Unfortunately, most people put their insurance cards in their wallet and place their policy in a drawer or filing cabinet during their 10-day free look and it usually isn’t until they receive a “denial” letter from the insurance company that they take their policy out to really read through it.

The majority of people, who buy their own health insurance, rely heavily on the insurance agent selling the policy to explain the plan’s coverage and benefits. This being the case, many individuals who purchase their own health insurance plan can tell you very little about their plan, other than, what they pay in premiums and how much they have to pay to satisfy their deductible.

For many consumers, purchasing a health insurance policy on their own can be an enormous undertaking. Purchasing a health insurance policy is not like buying a car, in that, the buyer knows that the engine and transmission are standard, and that power windows are optional. A health insurance plan is much more ambiguous, and it is often very difficult for the consumer to determine what type of coverage is standard and what other benefits are optional. In my opinion, this is the primary reason that most policy holders don’t realize that they do not have coverage for a specific medical treatment until they receive a large bill from the hospital stating that “benefits were denied.”

Sure, we all complain about insurance companies, but we do know that they serve a “necessary evil.” And, even though purchasing health insurance may be a frustrating, daunting and time consuming task, there are certain things that you can do as a consumer to ensure that you are purchasing the type of health insurance coverage you really need at a fair price.

Dealing with small business owners and the self-employed market, I have come to the realization that it is extremely difficult for people to distinguish between the type of health insurance coverage that they “want” and the benefits they really “need.” Recently, I have read various comments on different Blogs advocating health plans that offer 100% coverage (no deductible and no-coinsurance) and, although I agree that those types of plans have a great “curb appeal,” I can tell you from personal experience that these plans are not for everyone. Do 100% health plans offer the policy holder greater peace of mind? Probably. But is a 100% health insurance plan something that most consumers really need? Probably not! In my professional opinion, when you purchase a health insurance plan, you must achieve a balance between four important variables; wants, needs, risk and price. Just like you would do if you were purchasing options for a new car, you have to weigh all these variables before you spend your money. If you are healthy, take no medications and rarely go to the doctor, do you really need a 100% plan with a $5 co-payment for prescription drugs if it costs you $300 dollars more a month?

Is it worth $200 more a month to have a $250 deductible and a $20 brand name/$10 generic Rx co-pay versus an 80/20 plan with a $2,500 deductible that also offers a $20 brand name/$10generic co-pay after you pay a once a year $100 Rx deductible? Wouldn’t the 80/20 plan still offer you adequate coverage? Don’t you think it would be better to put that extra $200 ($2,400 per year) in your bank account, just in case you may have to pay your $2,500 deductible or buy a $12 Amoxicillin prescription? Isn’t it wiser to keep your hard-earned money rather than pay higher premiums to an insurance company?

Yes, there are many ways you can keep more of the money that you would normally give to an insurance company in the form of higher monthly premiums. For example, the federal government encourages consumers to purchase H.S.A. (Health Savings Account) qualified H.D.H.P.’s (High Deductible Health Plans) so they have more control over how their health care dollars are spent. Consumers who purchase an HSA Qualified H.D.H.P. can put extra money aside each year in an interest bearing account so they can use that money to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses. Even procedures that are not normally covered by insurance companies, like Lasik eye surgery, orthodontics, and alternative medicines become 100% tax deductible. If there are no claims that year the money that was deposited into the tax deferred H.S.A can be rolled over to the next year earning an even higher rate of interest. If there are no significant claims for several years (as is often the case) the insured ends up building a sizeable account that enjoys similar tax benefits as a traditional I.R.A. Most H.S.A. administrators now offer thousands of no load mutual funds to transfer your H.S.A. funds into so you can potentially earn an even higher rate of interest.

In my experience, I believe that individuals who purchase their health plan based on wants rather than needs feel the most defrauded or “ripped-off” by their insurance company and/or insurance agent. In fact, I hear almost identical comments from almost every business owner that I speak to. Comments, such as, “I have to run my business, I don’t have time to be sick! “I think I have gone to the doctor 2 times in the last 5 years” and “My insurance company keeps raising my rates and I don’t even use my insurance!” As a business owner myself, I can understand their frustration. So, is there a simple formula that everyone can follow to make health insurance buying easier? Yes! Become an INFORMED consumer.

Every time I contact a prospective client or call one of my client referrals, I ask a handful of specific questions that directly relate to the policy that particular individual currently has in their filing cabinet or dresser drawer. You know the policy that they bought to protect them from having to file bankruptcy due to medical debt. That policy they purchased to cover that $500,000 life-saving organ transplant or those 40 chemotherapy treatments that they may have to undergo if they are diagnosed with cancer.

So what do you think happens almost 100% of the time when I ask these individuals “BASIC” questions about their health insurance policy? They do not know the answers! The following is a list of 10 questions that I frequently ask a prospective health insurance client. Let’s see how many YOU can answer without looking at your policy.

1. What Insurance Company are you insured with and what is the name of your health insurance plan? (e.g. Blue Cross Blue Shield-”Basic Blue”)

2. What is your calendar year deductible and would you have to pay a separate deductible for each family member if everyone in your family became ill at the same time? (e.g. The majority of health plans have a per person yearly deductible, for example, $250, $500, $1,000, or $2,500. However, some plans will only require you to pay a 2 person maximum deductible each year, even if everyone in your family needed extensive medical care.)

3. What is your coinsurance percentage and what dollar amount (stop loss) it is based on? (e.g. A good plan with 80/20 coverage means you pay 20% of some dollar amount. This dollar amount is also known as a stop loss and can vary based on the type of policy you purchase. Stop losses can be as little as $5,000 or $10,000 or as much as $20,000 or there are some policies on the market that have NO stop loss dollar amount.)

4. What is your maximum out of pocket expense per year? (e.g. All deductibles plus all coinsurance percentages plus all applicable access fees or other fees)

5. What is the Lifetime maximum benefit the insurance company will pay if you become seriously ill and does your plan have any “per illness” maximums or caps? (e.g. Some plans may have a $5 million lifetime maximum, but may have a maximum benefit cap of $100,000 per illness. This means that you would have to develop many separate and unrelated life-threatening illnesses costing $100,000 or less to qualify for $5 million of lifetime coverage.)

6. Is your plan a schedule plan, in that it only pays a certain amount for a specific list of procedures? (e.g., Mega Life & Health & Midwest National Life, endorsed by the National Association of the Self-Employed, N.A.S.E. is known for endorsing schedule plans) 7. Does your plan have doctor co-pays and are you limited to a certain number of doctor co-pay visits per year? (e.g. Many plans have a limit of how many times you go to the doctor per year for a co-pay and, quite often the limit is 2-4 visits.)

8. Does your plan offer prescription drug coverage and if it does, do you pay a co-pay for your prescriptions or do you have to meet a separate drug deductible before you receive any benefits and/or do you just have a discount prescription card only? (e.g. Some plans offer you prescription benefits right away, other plans require that you pay a separate drug deductible before you can receive prescription medication for a co-pay. Today, many plans offer no co-pay options and only provide you with a discount prescription card that gives you a 10-20% discount on all prescription medications).

9. Does your plan have any reduction in benefits for organ transplants and if so, what is the maximum your plan will pay if you need an organ transplant? (e.g. Some plans only pay a $100,000 maximum benefit for organ transplants for a procedure that actually costs $350-$500K and this $100,000 maximum may also include reimbursement for expensive anti-rejection medications that must be taken after a transplant. If this is the case, you will often have to pay for all anti-rejection medications out of pocket).

10. Do you have to pay a separate deductible or “access fee” for each hospital admission or for each emergency room visit? (e.g. Some plans, like the Assurant Health’s “CoreMed” plan have a separate $750 hospital admission fee that you pay for the first 3 days you are in the hospital. This fee is in addition to your plan deductible. Also, many plans have benefit “caps” or “access fees” for out-patient services, such as, physical therapy, speech therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, etc. Benefit “caps” could be as little as $500 for each out-patient treatment, leaving you a bill for the remaining balance. Access fees are additional fees that you pay per treatment. For example, for each outpatient chemotherapy treatment, you may be required to pay a $250 “access fee” per treatment. So for 40 chemotherapy treatments, you would have to pay 40 x $250 = $10,000. Again, these fees would be charged in addition to your plan deductible).

Now that you’ve read through the list of questions that I ask a prospective health insurance client, ask yourself how many questions you were able to answer. If you couldn’t answer all ten questions don’t be discouraged. That doesn’t mean that you are not a smart consumer. It may just mean that you dealt with a “bad” insurance agent. So how could you tell if you dealt with a “bad” insurance agent? Because a “great” insurance agent would have taken the time to help you really understand your insurance benefits. A “great” agent spends time asking YOU questions so s/he can understand your insurance needs. A “great” agent recommends health plans based on all four variables; wants, needs, risk and price. A “great” agent gives you enough information to weigh all of your options so you can make an informed purchasing decision. And lastly, a “great” agent looks out for YOUR best interest and NOT the best interest of the insurance company.

So how do you know if you have a “great” agent? Easy, if you were able to answer all 10 questions without looking at your health insurance policy, you have a “great” agent. If you were able to answer the majority of questions, you may have a “good” agent. However, if you were only able to answer a few questions, chances are you have a “bad” agent. Insurance agents are no different than any other professional. There are some insurance agents that really care about the clients they work with, and there are other agents that avoid answering questions and duck client phone calls when a message is left about unpaid claims or skyrocketing health insurance rates.

Remember, your health insurance purchase is just as important as purchasing a house or a car, if not more important. So don’t be afraid to ask your insurance agent a lot of questions to make sure that you understand what your health plan does and does not cover. If you don’t feel comfortable with the type of coverage that your agent suggests or if you think the price is too high, ask your agent if s/he can select a comparable plan so you can make a side by side comparison before you purchase. And, most importantly, read all of the “fine print” in your health plan brochure and when you receive your policy, take the time to read through your policy during your 10-day free look period.

If you can’t understand something, or aren’t quite sure what the asterisk (*) next to the benefit description really means in terms of your coverage, call your agent or contact the insurance company to ask for further clarification.

Furthermore, take the time to perform your own due diligence. For example, if you research MEGA Life and Health or the Midwest National Life insurance company, endorsed by the National Association for the Self Employed (NASE), you will find that there have been 14 class action lawsuits brought against these companies since 1995. So ask yourself, “Is this a company that I would trust to pay my health insurance claims?

Additionally, find out if your agent is a “captive” agent or an insurance “broker.” “Captive” agents can only offer ONE insurance company’s products.” Independent” agents or insurance “brokers” can offer you a variety of different insurance plans from many different insurance companies. A “captive” agent may recommend a health plan that doesn’t exactly meet your needs because that is the only plan s/he can sell. An “independent” agent or insurance “broker” can usually offer you a variety of different insurance products from many quality carriers and can often customize a plan to meet your specific insurance needs and budget.

Over the years, I have developed strong, trusting relationships with my clients because of my insurance expertise and the level of personal service that I provide. This is one of the primary reasons that I do not recommend buying health insurance on the Internet. In my opinion, there are too many variables that Internet insurance buyers do not often take into consideration. I am a firm believer that a health insurance purchase requires the level of expertise and personal attention that only an insurance professional can provide. And, since it does not cost a penny more to purchase your health insurance through an agent or broker, my advice would be to use Ebay and Amazon for your less important purchases and to use a knowledgeable, ethical and reputable independent agent or broker for one of the most important purchases you will ever make….your health insurance policy.

Lastly, if you have any concerns about an insurance company, contact your state’s Department of Insurance BEFORE you buy your policy. Your state’s Department of Insurance can tell you if the insurance company is registered in your state and can also tell you if there have been any complaints against that company that have been filed by policy holders. If you suspect that your agent is trying to sell you a fraudulent insurance policy, (e.g. you have to become a member of a union to qualify for coverage) or isn’t being honest with you, your state’s Department of Insurance can also check to see if your agent is licensed and whether or not there has ever been any disciplinary action previously taken against that agent.

In closing, I hope I have given you enough information so you can become an INFORMED insurance consumer. However, I remain convinced that the following words of wisdom still go along way: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!” and “If you only buy on price, you get what you pay for!”

©2007 Small Business Insurance Services, Inc. http://www.smallbusinessinsuranceservices.com

C. Steven Tucker, is the President of Small Business Insurance Services, Inc. and has been a Licensed Mult-State Insurance Broker serving the small business and self-employed market for over a decade. Mr. Tucker believes an informed insurance consumer makes the best health insurance purchasing decisions. Mr. Tucker has written several articles that focus on small business health insurance, which can be read on a number of web sites.

Mr. Tucker’s blog can be read at http://www.smallbusinessinsuranceservices.vox.com

If you have general questions regarding health insurance, or you are in the market to purchase a health insurance plan, you can contact Mr. Tucker through his web site at http://www.smallbusinessinsuranceservices.com,

via Email at smallbusinssvcs@aol.com or by plone, toll-free at 1-866-SBIS123 (724-7123)

With many people struggling to make ends meet and TV adverts with catchy jingles tempting you to sell your car for quick cash, it can seem appealing. Your car (next to your house) is probably your most expensive piece of equity and with this in mind, it can be tempting to sell it, purchase a cheaper make or model and pocket the difference.

Car auctions, whether they be physical or on-line, can be a good way of selling your car, safe in the knowledge that an experienced auctioneer has yours, and the auction house’s, best interest at heart. You may think that these things do not always necessarily go hand in hand but bear in mind that the auction house will take a percentage of the purchase price (buyers fee) as commission so it is in their interest to get you as much money as possible!

So, let’s start with the basics:

What is a car auction?

Car auctions have a long history within the automotive industry with many different types of business using them to either sell excess stock or purchase new stock for resale.

They are extremely popular in the USA and Japan and are gaining popularity in the UK where they are no longer seen as dirty places. This is mainly thanks to the industry making a concerted effort to change the reputation of the sector and make it more appealing to all people, not just those ‘in the trade’.

Car auctions sell cars, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, plant equipment, and some of them will also sell large goods vehicles and possibly caravans and motor homes.

Auction houses do not own the vehicles which they sell. They merely act as a shop front for many different types of seller. These can include leasing companies, fleet management companies, dealer groups, banks and financial institutions, governmental bodies, police, and of course private individuals.

Let’s look at each of these different sellers more closely:

Leasing Companies

Leasing companies rent vehicles to companies or private drivers for a set period of time (sometimes as little as 1 year) so the vehicles put into auction are usually young models with a good mileage and because the cars are usually leased from new, they may have only had one person driving them whilst going to a meeting twice a week! When the lease or rental period ends, leasing companies will enter their old stock into auction as their customers are more interested in leasing brand new vehicles. These companies are usually owned by banks or financial institutions.

Fleet Management Companies

These are similar to Leasing companies in that they lease their stock to organisations but differ in that they will supply their customers with a whole fleet of cars and manage that fleet on behalf of their client. Again, when the rental period for the fleet ends, the companies wish to take advantage of the capital wrapped up in their stock in order to replace it with new models.

Dealer Groups

If you have ever part exchanged your old car at one of the large, glass fronted dealers or showrooms, chances are it has subsequently been put into auction and sold. Dealer groups will also enter old or unsold stock (known as overage) from their forecourts in order to keep their showrooms looking fresh with the latest that the manufacturer(s) have to offer. Of course, buying a vehicle at auction which has been entered by a dealer group can be a bit riskier than the leasing or fleet companies as if someone has part exchanged their old car, you have to ask yourself why did they do it, what sort of person where they, how well did they keep it and how many previous keepers has it had?

Banks and financial institutions

Banks and financial institutions can fall into fleet and leasing companies as many of them have these elements within their respective corporate families and follow the same trends. However, banks can also enter cars into auctions that have been repossessed from their customers after defaults on loan or mortgage repayments. Obviously a car itself is of little or no interest to a bank, they are only interested in the value and the money which can be made from it.

Governmental bodies

Government bodies will run fleets of cars for their staff and key executives and will update this fleet on a regular basis with the old stock being put into auction. Separate Government departments will also enter a wide range of vehicles at auction from ex-defence Land Rovers or staff cars, to lawn mowers and diggers used on the local playing fields or in the local cemetery! Local Government may also enter cars into auction that have been seized by bailiffs follow non payment of bills such as Council Tax (depending on the Local Authority in question, these can be quite high end models).

Police

Police forces will auction vehicles seized from convicted criminals to either compensate victims, break up an illegal estate or regain public money gained fraudulently. The police also auction a variety of other items seized for similar reasons and may do this through an auction house or by holding their own property auctions. As well as these lots, all police forces will also run a fleet of undercover or unmarked vehicles and these will need to be constantly updated, with the old stock being put into auction to raise funds for the force.

Private individuals

This is the category of seller that we are really interested in. Private sellers can enter and purchase cars from auction and if their car is not sold first time round, they can tell the auction house to keep putting it in until they receive an acceptable bid. Be warned though, auction houses will charge you for each time they enter the car so if you have sold your car after a couple of sales, you may want to check your reserve price or rethink your options.

How does it work?

Most auctions work on the same principal; your prospective buyers bid against one another, raising the amount which they offer with each new bid they make until their competitors drop out and they are left as the highest bidder. All of your bidders will be in the auction hall (although an online element is becoming increasing popular) and all bids are made in the open. This type of auction is known as an ‘English Auction and its formula applies to the majority of vehicle auctions.

When your vehicle arrives at the auction centre, it will be inspected by the auctions technicians who will highlight any scratches, dents, scuffs, rust, etc and value the overall damage costs. It can be important to consider this when you think about your reserve as trade buyers will have a good idea of the vehicles value and of the damage costs and will factor this into their bidding. The damage cost will not be shown to any buyers, it is purely for the auction house’s records.

Your car will then be photographed and ‘lotted’, the process whereby your car is entered into a sale. It will be assigned a lot number and will be placed in the auctions yard to be viewed by the buyers.

At the same time, your vehicles details will be published online for buyers to look at before they arrive at the auction. This is a good way of building interest in your car and most auction houses will send our copies of their latest catalogues to their buyers.

You should do your best to ensure that you car is entered with all of the paperwork and material which you have relating to it:

• V5c Registration Document
• Hand book
• Any other manuals (SatNav, radio, etc)
• Service book
• Historic garage receipts of details of work carried out
• Locking wheel nut key (if your car has one)
• Any other information or items that came with your car when you bought it

All of these things are important to buyers and if you were buying a car, you would expect to have everything that you could have relating to it so think of these when you enter your car.

Of course, you will also have to leave your key and any spares with the auction.

In the auction halls…

When your vehicle is lining up to be driven into the auction halls, buyers will start to look closely at the car, looking for any damage and they may open the doors to look at the interior. Buyers are not usually allowed to test drive cars or look under the bonnet so this process of final inspection is important to them.

Once your car is in place in front of the auctioneer, the cars details and any special features, such as extra interior features, alloy wheels, etc, will be read to the audience. The auctioneer will then start the bidding with an opening bid below your reserve. If there is a great deal of interest in your car, bids can rise fast with many people competing. Eventually, the auctioneer may drop the increases in size to amounts that the last couple of bidders feel more comfortable with. This could mean that you see increases of £50 for your car rather than the £500s you were seeing right at the start. The buyer with the final highest bid has now bought your car as long as their highest bid was over your reserve. At this point the buyer has entered into a legal contract.

If the final highest bid did not quite meet your reserve, the auctioneer may class this a provisional bid and the auction will then attempt to negotiate between you and the buyer. At this point, you can ask for more money or demand that your reserve be met. If you go too high and the buyer pulls out, the sale will fall through. It is a balancing act between what the buyer is prepared to offer and the minimum amount you are willing to accept.

If you reach an agreement, the sale will go through as normal.

If agreement cannot be reached, you have the option to take your car out of future auctions and keep it, or enter it again in the hope of getting a better bid. Hopefully this won’t happen and you will sell your car but if you have to consider this you should remember that many auctions are used by motor traders who attend most weeks and if they see the same car go through each week, they will be less inclined to offer a high bid. Auctions will also charge you for each time you enter your car, with some also charging storage after a certain amount of time and sales, so you should consider these costs when thinking of the money you intend to make from the sale.

How much will it cost?

The fee to enter your car in an auction can range from £15-£30 depending on the size and reputation of the auction house and will be deducted from the total sale value of the car. This fee will be payable each time you enter your car in to a sale if it does not sell.

On top of this, there will also be commission deducted from the sale price. This will be on an increasing scale and will depend on the sale price of the vehicle in question. Always check with the auction house before you enter your vehicle and shop around the auction houses local to you to get the best deal.

After the sale

Assuming that a deal has been reached or that your vehicle sold straight away, the auction will not give any of the vehicles paperwork to the new buyer until full payment has been made. Once this happens, the auction will pass all material relating to the car to the buyer.

Most auction companies will also deal with the legal change in ownership on your behalf and will communicate the sale to DVLA Swansea with the vehicles V5c Registration Document on your behalf, as you do not know the buyers details. Some auctions charge for this service so check at time of entry.

Car auction companies are usually pretty quick in sending you the money for your car and can be as quick as a couple of days after the sale, usually by cheque or bank transfer. The entry charges and commission taken by the auction will usually be details on a remittance advice sent to you once your money has been sent to you.

Other things to consider:

When you are thinking of putting your car into an auction, you may want to think of these things which can increase your chances of getting a sale:

• Is the interior clean?
• Having crisp packets, drinks bottles or cigarette ends n the ashtray is not appealing and you would not by a car like that so why would anyone else?
• Do you smoke in your car?
• If you smoke in your car, try to banish the smell of stale smoke as best you can. Smoking in cars can also lead to burns on seats, trim and just about anywhere else so be aware of them.
• Have you got a complete or good service history on your car?

Buyers look at the service history on your car to see how it has been kept. A good service history usually mean that the rest of the car has been looked after properly. Main dealer stamps are highly sought in service history but your local approved garage will suffice.

Is there any tax left on your car?

Selling a car with tax allows the buyer to drive away with that car on the day they bought it. If your car does not have tax, they buyer will need to insure it, then sort out the tax before they can drive it. Since auction houses will not pass any vehicle documents to the buyer before full payment is made, this can lead to a great deal of hassle for the buyer as they will have to go away, sort the insurance, come back and pay for the car, go away and sort the tax (now that they have the MOT certificate), come back and finally drive away.

Trade buyers buying many cars will not worry about the hassle factor too much as they will get their new cars delivered by transporter, it mainly matters to them for the resale value which tax can add onto their forecourts.

When does the MOT run out (or does it even have one?)

Selling your car with MOT gives your car a boost in auction as buyers will just see it as an added expense if it does not have one. Your buyer will also need to have a valid MOT before they can ensure the car!

Are there cosmetic things that could be tidied or corrected before you enter it?

Are there stains on seats or interior trim that can be removed? Is there a brake light bulb that could be replaced? Are there stickers on the windows that could be removed?

Is it worthwhile sorting out that scratch before you enter it?

Getting a small scratch or dent repaired before you enter your car can increase the chances of it selling as it will not be noted on the damage report (as long as it is a good job!)

Do you have a spare key, SatNav disk, or old garage bills in the back of a cupboard somewhere?

You should do your upmost to ensure that you give everything associated with your car to the auction along with your vehicle. Things like spare keys add to the value and old garage receipts let your buyer know exactly what has been done, added, changed or mended to their new car as well as who done it.

Obviously, if your car has built in SatNav, you should include the disk for this along with any instruction manuals.

Remember, auction houses will inspect your car and so will our buyers sonly sort out scratches or other problems if you feel you can be a good job of it otherwise it just means that someone else has to redo your attempt meaning more cost and time!

This article is only meant as a guide as all auction companies have different processes, fees, client base and ethos but I hope that this article has given you some insight into the considerations of selling your car, van, lorry, tractor (or any other vehicle) at a car auction and if you do decide to follow this route, good luck!

In my next article, I will be talking about how an auction works from the buyers side.

T. Mapes
tom.mapes@sky.com