The Content Composer Org

The advent of the New Media and Internet have increased possibilities of online marketing and internet retailing with new features of interactive shopping, pod casting and e-marketing. Consumers are connected to online shopping sites with WiFi, Internet or 3G mobile phones. E commerce has taken a new dimension in retailing with increasing number of people shopping online and even making flight bookings online (Papers4you.com, 2006). One such example is the traffic on the British Airways website. A comparative analysis of popular travel related websites and online ticketing facilities give us details on transaction costs, and individual and company perceptions on e commerce facilities for ticketing and travel.

Internet marketing however meets with major challenges of keeping pace with consumer demands and developing relationship marketing to maintain consumer loyalty (Enzmann and Schneider, 2005). The advantages and disadvantages of internet retailing could be studied in contrast to traditional marketing considering issues related to online branding, consumer loyalty, spam, and advertising strategies. The challenges of online marketing could be studied with the same models used for general marketing management such as 4Ps or 7Ps models and trends in internet marketing and transactions can also be studied (Papers4you.com, 2006). Online pricing remains one of the major challenges and so is the prospect of virtual interactions with customers as opposed to face to face interactions in a traditional market. Issues of security and privacy are important in e marketing and shopping through secured sites is one of the major concerns of consumers (Enzmann and Schneider, 2005). Direct email marketing of goods and services has led to debates on spam and the need for strict legislation on email marketing.

Online marketing seems to have completely revolutionized marketing techniques although it has limitations on usage, privacy issues and security. The different traditional and non traditional advertising media such as newspapers, television, magazines, newsletters, direct mail, telephone, and internet may have to be compared more thoroughly and extensively to understand whether in the future online marketing would replace traditional marketing completely.

Apart from ease and convenience of internet marketing, one major advantage of internet marketing is customization or personalization of products and services to suit the needs and tastes of individual customers (Ho, 2006). Tailored products or services may not have been a very wide option in traditional shopping which shows that interactive shopping has moved a step closer to the needs of the consumer and has improved the shopping experience in general. Online branding has made local consumer goods popular in global markets (Ibeh et al, 2005). The concept of relationship marketing is an important strategy for the new media and is an important tool within the contemporary marketing environment in all spheres of business, from financial services to electronics products. Online marketing has been used by banks and supermarkets and charities like Oxfam suggesting the rapid change in marketing methods used by a wide variety of organizations and show the wide acceptability of online retailing and marketing in changing business environments.

Bibliography

Ching H.L.; Ellis P. (2004) Marketing in Cyberspace: What Factors Drive E-Commerce Adoption? Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 20, Numbers 3-4, pp. 409-429(21)

Enzmann, Matthias; Schneider, Markus (2005) Improving Customer Retention in E-Commerce through a Secure and Privacy-Enhanced Loyalty System Information Systems Frontiers, Volume 7, Numbers 4-5, pp. 359-370(12)

Ho, Shuk Ying (2006) The Attraction of Internet Personalization to Web Users Electronic Markets, Volume 16, Number 1, Number 1 pp. 41-50(10)

Ibeh, Kevin I.N.; Luo, Ying; Dinnie, Keith (2005) E-branding strategies of internet companies: Some preliminary insights from the UK The Journal of Brand Management, Volume 12, Number 5, pp. 355-373(19)

Papers For You (2006) “P/M/445. Internet marketing: problems and prospects”, Available from http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/sprtmrk8.htm [17/06/2006]

Papers For You (2006) “P/M/434. E-marketing vs. traditional marketing: upsides and downsides”, Available from http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/sprtmrk8.htm [18/06/2006]

From our deconstruction of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters at www.managing-creativity.com/

The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the Hollywood movies we have deconstructed are based on this template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

The Hero’s Journey:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

and more…

Sample Movie Deconstructed: Manhatten (1979)

FADE IN: Context: pictures of Manhattan; a writer; versions of chapter 1.

Meeting the Hero in his Ordinary World: Isaac and Tracy with Yale and his wife.

Hero’s Inner Challenge: second ex-wife writing a book about the break up.

Hero’s frustration with his Ordinary World: “…I’m dating someone that does homework…”

Interdiction: Yale really likes Mary.

Developing the Loyal Ally: Yale happy in his Ordinary Word; he wants to stay in Manhattan to date.

Hero’s Inner Challenge: Isaac talks to his ex-wife.

Hero’s pushing out of his Ordinary World: Tracy thinks she’s in love with Isaac; he tries to dissuade her.

Call to Adventure : Isaac meets Mary with Yale at the museum.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: Mary talking as they walk.

Refusal : who the hell does she think she is?

Hero’s breaks from his Ordinary World: Isaac quits from the TV studio.

Resisting the First Threshold: Isaac worried about not having any money now that he’s quit.

Creatures of the First Threshold: the MOMA opening speech.

First Threshold : Isaac meets Mary at the MOMA party.

Developing the Goddess: Isaac with Mary after the party.

Pushing toward the Physical Separation: “..are you going to stay with Yale?”

Pushing toward the Physical Separation: “..want to take a walk by the river…”

Developing the Interdiction: Isaac phones Yale to see of he is still into Mary.

Goddess making a break from her Ordinary World: Mary trying to get away from Yale.

Developing the Hero’s Inner Challenge: Isaac goes to see his ex-wife; are you still going to write that book?

Developing the Hero: Isaac takes his kid out for the day.

Pushed to the Physical Separation: Yale can’t get away from his wife.

Physical Separation : Mary calls Isaac; wanna go out.

Warning: the storm.

Celebrating the Crossing: Isaac and Mary laugh.

Trials:

Trial 1 [Goddess]: Goddess dissatisfied with her Ordinary World: I am really disappointed with Isaac.

Pushing the Transformation: wanna go out next week?

Resisting the Transformation: I don’t think it is a good idea.

Trial 1 [Hero]: Isaac thinks it’s a good idea that Tracy goes to London.

Riding a horse carriage in Manhattan.

Trial 2 [Goddess]: Goddess dissatisfied with her Ordinary World: In Mary’s apartment; she shouldn’t be going out with a married man.

Pushing the Transformation: New World: Isaac moves into his new apartment.

Trial 2 [Hero]: Isaac doesn’t want Tracy in the apartment.

Trial 3 [Goddess]: Yale breaks up with Mary.

Pushing the Transformation: Mary goes over to Isaac’s apartment.

Trial 3 [Hero]: Tracy has noodles in Isaac’s apartment.

Meeting the Oracle: Encouraged to Seize the Sword: Yale tells Isaac to give Mary a call.

Journey to the Sword: Mary and Isaac out in Manhattan.

Guardians of the Sword: Isaac kisses Mary in her apartment; Mary resists.

Seizing the Sword: in the museum; driving home after the restaurant; back in Mary’s apartment.

Rebirth through Death: Isaac breaks up with Tracy over ice cream; he loves somebody else.

Isaac alone in his apartment now.

Reward: Isaac and Mary go out to the country; Isaac and Mary after sex; romance in their apartments; rowing.

Pushed to the Atonement: we never see you anymore; when will we get a chance to meet her.

Resisting the Atonement: asking Yale if it’s OK to bring Mary around.

Atonement with the Father: Mary meets Yale again; uncomfortable at the concert.

Developing Characters and Relationships: this city is really changing.

Apotheosis: Mary meets her ex husband; “…this thing is really subjective…”

Foreshadow of the Return: Yale calls; Mary picks up.

Ultimate Boon: Viking Books really like Isaac’s first four chapters; I bought the car; the trip in the new car.

Disgust: they find the ex-wife’s book.

Magic Flight: Isaac confronts his ex-wife; I came here to strangle you; an interest in this book for a movie sale.

Rescue from Without: Mary tells Isaac she’s still in love with Yale; Isaac goes to see Yale in Uni.

Time Shift.

Rescue from Without: seeing Emily; he shouldn’t have let Tracy go.

Crossing the Return Threshold: Isaac analyses himself; tape recorder; getting the harmonica; running back.

Master of Two Worlds: seeing Tracy before she leaves.

FADE OUT:

Learn more…

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://managing-creativity.com/

Having an up to date Resume is vital in today’s job market. Whether you are a shelf filler for the local supermarket or a high powered executive. Resume writing is not difficult. Like all good writing there are some basic rules. If you follow them, what you produce will be simple, clear, well presented and almost guaranteed to get you that job interview.

There are many books and much information on the web about how to write your own resume. Many offer resume templates, or free resumes. The writers who run this website (www.textwriters.net) will also write your resume for a very reasonable fee. If you are not delighted, you don’t have to pay, it’s as simple as that!

A gentle word here about presentation. You would not turn up to a job interview in dirty torn jeans, with long dirty hair long dirty fingernails, and spinach in your teeth — would you? If your answer was yes, then this could explain why you are unemployed.

The same care and attention you lavish upon looking professional should be applied to your resume. Your resume and cover letter are often the first point of contact with your prospective employer. You only get one chance to make a good first impression, so don’t waste it. Use the best quality paper you can afford. Before hitting ‘print’ make sure that you have re-set the printer to ‘best quality’ and not ‘draft’. It will take a little more ink, and usually be slower, but the presentation will be first class. Make friends with your spelling and grammar checker. Run the resume through both several times and correct everything brought to your attention.

The first step in writing your resume is to gather together your information. The first section of your resume should give information like your full name, your address, and your telephone numbers. Keep it brief, but make sure you include vital information.

The information you provide to each prospective employer should be different. It makes sense to have a ‘core resume’ and to adapt it to the individual needs of each prospective employer.

For example, if you are applying for a summer job as a lifeguard, and you have proficiency certificates in life-saving, then it makes sense to make these stand out more in your resume. They should not be at the bottom of a long list of certificates and qualifications on page three, since they are highly relevant for this particular application.

On the other hand, if you are applying for a position in a bank, they would not necessarily be that interested in your life saving qualifications, and probably would be more interested in your photographic memory when it comes to numbers.

Tailoring the information, relevant to the requirements of the recipient of your resume is vital. And fortunately, with the advent of home computing, it has never been easier.

By Erica of http://www.Textwriters.Net
We are professional freelance writers, no job too big or too small. We are happy to provide free no obligation quotes on request. We make words really work.

With the amazing growth of the forex market, you are going to see an astounding amount of traders lose all their money. Unfortunately, they haven’t followed the simple steps I have laid out for you. Go through these steps and give yourself the greatest opportunity to achieve your goals.

1. Have Faith In Yourself

To reach the level of elite forex trader, you must trust in yourself and your forex trading education. You must be willing to make all your trading decisions, instead of relying on someone else’s thoughts or ability (or lack of). Of course, you will prepare yourself fully before every risking any money.

2. Accept Your Learning Curve

Unless you are a veteran trader, you will lose money trading the Forex market. This is a near certainty. I don’t say this to talk you out of trading. In fact, quite the opposite. You will be trading against others that fall to this reality day in and day out. You, however, will not risk a dime until you have learned the skills you need to make money trading the forex.

3. Decide What Type of Trader You Are

There are many ways to trade the forex. They range from very active to very patient. You must decide which style suits you best. The best time to learn this about yourself is while you are trading a demo account. There is no need to allow your learning curve to cost you money.

4. Get Educated

Education is the shortest path to elite forex trading. Regardless of your ultimate goals, you will reach them quicker with a great forex trading education. Take some time to review different options before deciding on who to trust with your forex trading education needs. A forex seminar will help shorten your learning curve drastically.

5. Continue to Get Educated

In order to achieve and retain elite forex trading skills, you must constantly be adding to you knowledge base. Your education should never end. In fact, one of the key points to look for in an elite forex trading course is ongoing education. It’s nice to have an ongoing relationship with the person/people helping you to achieve your goals.

What separates an elite forex trader from all others is their desire and ability to be independent. Many traders are willing to follow signals, systems, strategies, or anything else you may call them. By taking this approach, however, these traders are only as good as the people they follow.

An elite forex trader will lead. Their decisions will be calculated and analyzed to near perfection. They will make decisions with no hesitation, and handle the growth of their account in a predetermined, intelligent fashion. Take your trading to their level and you will never look back.

Eddie is Head Instructor at

Foreign Exchange University. We highly recommend his
elite forex trading course.

There are many important documents in the world of business and business ownership, but perhaps no one document is as vital to your financial future as the financial statement.

It is this simple statement that banks, investors and potential partners will use to gauge the current success of your business, and to calculate its future odds of success.

==Using Your Financial Statement To Get Your Business Off The Ground==

Just about everyone who has ever held a nine to five job has dreamed of striking out on their own and leaving the rat race for a slice of the pie.

This approach can be a great choice for many people, but it is important for any would be entrepreneur to understand the world of business, and to understand just what goes into the average financial statement.

Preparing a detailed business plan, including a strong financial statement and a compelling executive summary, is a big part of getting any business off the ground.

==Understanding The Financial Health Of The Business==

It goes without saying that the financial statement will detail the financial health of the business, including the sources of income, all of the business related expenses and of course the profit and loss statement.

The financial statement should also detail the past performance of the company, including how the current performance compares to what the company has done in the past.

==Using A Mentor To Help You Create Your Financial Statement==

The new business owner with a solid business background behind them may have little trouble creating a solid business plan and financial statement, but those who lack such a business background will probably need some help creating this important financial document.

It may be a good idea to seek a business mentor who can help guide you through the creation of your first financial statement. After you understand how the statement works, and what it should include, it will be far easier to create another financial statement as you more forward.

The de-humidifier is a niche product. Its only job is to remove moisture from air to alleviate the problems of mould and mildew. It is very similar in operation to a window air conditioner.

A dehumidifier though will add heat to the room, while an air conditioner will remove heat.

The de-humidifier is an appliance that requires regular maintenance. This may be because it’s icing up, overflowing, not removing enough moisture, or simply time for a good cleaning to maintain its efficiency. If you don’t feel handy enough to attempt this project contact your appliance repairperson.

The following is a step-by-step method used to return your de-humidifiers to its peak efficiency.

Tools required

1 Multi pocket container (old ice cube tray)

2 Long handled brush

3 Oil can

4 Rags

5 De-greaser or spray detergent

6 Selection of screwdrivers

7 New filter

Lets get started ———–

1… Remove water collection bucket and put aside.

2… Remove the filter from rear of machine. Filer is usually within a frame and simply pops out. If no filter proceed to next step. If it is a disposable filter simply replace it with a new one. Other types are made in a plastic frame and can be cleaned and reused.

To clean a filter lay it flat in the sink and sprinkle surface with powder laundry detergent. Plug sink drain and turn on hot water. Cover filter with enough water to submerge. Soak for 15 minutes. Remove from water and rinse. Hang up to dry while proceeding to next step.

3… Remove the rear grille from the main body of de-humidifier. If none proceed to next step. If there is resistance then look for hidden screws. If grille locks into cover proceed to next step. Once removed place the grille aside until later.

TECHNICIANS HINT: Dehumidifier may use different types and sizes of screws. Use ice cube tray to segregate.

4… Remove metal cover of de-humidifier to access inner workings. Cover screws may be difficult to see because are often painted to match body color. Usually two or three screws along each side of base.

Once screws are removed lift the cover straight up. Use extreme caution at this point. Front grille may be secured to cover. Some fronts are put together like a puzzle. Parts often interconnect or are screwed to one another. If front grille lifts off with cover try to separate before proceeding. Front grille may lock into groove along front edge of cover. Avoid pulling off any wires from humidistat or indicator light.

5… When cover removed this will expose the heating and cooling coil. They may appear as one but are actually two separate coils in very close proximity. Both will need to be cleaned.

Use a narrow brush to remove surface dust and dirt from the front and rear surfaces of coils. Use an up and down motion to avoid bending fins. Area between two coils must also be cleaned. Use caution, the fins are soft aluminum and can be easily damaged.

Once surface dirt is removed, spray with de-greaser or light cleaner. There is a good product on the market called HVAC cleaner. As the name implies it is meant for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioner coil cleaning. If this is not available Fantastic Spray cleaner used in kitchens and bathrooms works quite well.

Remove dirt and excess cleaner by slowly pouring warm water into fins. Do not allow the water to enter any electrical connections or components. As an added precaution cover the motor with one of the cloth rags to protect it from the water.

6… With cover, rear grille, and front grilles removed locate fan motor oil holes. Add a few drops of oil to each end of the motor body. Use a general purpose (3in1) oil or clean motor oil. A #30 oil is sufficient. Three or four drops on both ends of the motor body are sufficient. Add the oil slowly, pausing a few seconds between each drop. If added too quickly over-lubrication will result.

7… Straighten any bent fins. Use a fin comb if available. If no fin comb then use something soft such as a Popsicle stick. Straightening the fins will increase the efficiency of the airflow through the coils. Use caution as these coils are filled with high-pressure refrigerant.

8… Wipe any dirt from fan blade using a soft rag. Do not bend blades. This would cause a vibration that would harm the motor.

9… Vacuum all surfaces including front and back of grille assembly. Vacuum underside of metal cover. Vacuum dirt buildup from base and any other exposed surfaces.

10… Drain any water left in the base and allow it to dry.

11… When completely dry plug in and test operation. On some models testing may require temporary override of bucket overflow switch. Test that cooling coil begins to sweat water within few minutes of operation. If everything appears okay unplug and reassemble. Insert water collection bucket slowly to avoid damaging float switch mechanism. A bend float arm can allow water bucket to overflow, or affect compressor startup.

Repeat this simple step-by-step procedure every year. If you do, the machine will be ready for many more years of dependable service.

TECHNICIANS HINT: Invest in an appliance condenser brush to clean the coils. Can be used to clean a multitude of household items including, refrigerator, air conditioner, de-humidifier, vacuum cleaner, and electric dryer. A great multi-function tool for a do-it-yourself person. Approximately $10 at any appliance parts store.

Understanding where horses come from has been a long road for most equestrians. Using that new understanding can dramatically change how one handles, cares for, and trains or rides their horse.

“We treat horses the way others tell us to, as well as the way we were treated as children,” says Gwenyth Browning Jones Santagate, of Douglas Massachusetts. “That usually borders on abuse, even for experienced equestrians. My dad taught me that if I REALLY wanted to know about an animal, then I needed to look at things from its own point of view. I later tried the ‘formal,’ ‘traditional’ methods – and HATED it. When my daughter’s ‘babysitter’ mare was severely abused in our absence, traditional methods of discipline simply didn’t work, so I went back to my ‘feel’ methods to reclaim the mare’s mind.”

Because of this horrific incident, Gwen vowed never to forget “that horses are people, too … just in different bodies. They are kindred spirits with more generous hearts than any human can ever realize.”

In her efforts to reach and educate humans, Gwen is holding a two-session teleseminar that focuses first on understanding the psychological underpinnings of the horse, and in the second session, on what to do with that understanding. The sessions are scheduled for June 22, 2005, and July 6, 2005. There is a fee, which includes both sessions, class materials, and some unannounced bonuses.

For more information, or to sign up, individuals should go to http://www.EquineTeleseminar.net.

Patricia Reszetylo has been a horse-addict ever since she first met horses in 1978. Her mother thought it was “just a phase” – but it seems to be a rather long-lived phase. Patricia is happiest when her life revolves around horses, and has had several businesses that are horse-oriented. She is the author of the horse business ebook, “Hor$e Cent$: Infiltrate and Dominate Your Local Equestrian Market Using Pre-Equestrian Classes,” and hosts teleseminars on various equine-related topics.

Visit her at http://www.EquineTeleseminar.net

Originally published in Procats Online Magazine

Circle hooks have created a debate in the last few years between anglers who fish rivers and those who fish lakes. When using circle hooks in rivers, I haven’t had much trouble fishing in good current. Although they performed well in current, fishing calm water areas such as the big reservoirs I ply for giant blue cats, the hook design gave me a bit of a problem with the hook-up ratio in the slack water. I began having hook-up problems when I fished areas with no current because the bait wasn’t held straight on the hook. Full circles were oftentimes double hooking back into the chunk or live baits causing me to miss a lot of fish. What would I do when I am anchor fishing in a lake with a lot of slack in my lines due to boat sway from the wind? I went back to my old standby treble and J-style hooks for quite awhile.

Circle hooks are designed to hook the fish without much rod movement by the angler. Just leave it in the rod holder and as the line gets tight and the rod bows down, the pressure penetrates the hook into the corner of the mouth of the fish and the fight is on. I felt this was a no brainer in current areas, but I tried to picture how these specialized hooks were going to work in lakes without current. I tried to imagine how a fish swims off the bait in a lake as opposed to a river. Without current, the fish could swim in any direction with the bait. The fish might swim at your boat or they might swim crossways with your boat, making a tight line hook up with a circle hook very difficult. A year ago I learned from some other catfishermen that Daiichi came out with a modified circle hook that would work in all situations. If the fish didn’t swim away from the boat, the angler could still set the hook on the fish! Last year I gave the new circle hook called the Circle Hook Lite a try.

After I began to use the hook, I found out in short order that a quick, had jerk wasn’t the ticket to hooking blues manually with circles. As soon as we started using a long sweep of the rod, we started hooking fish that weren’t being very cooperative. Fish would move to the boat, away from the boat, along side the boat – every direction you could imagine and we were catching them just as good if not better once we learned good circle hook technique.

Anatomy Of The Circle-Hook Hook Set

Once you notice a fish has taken the bait and is not moving away from the bait and is not moving away from the boat and tightening the line, pick up the rod. Then reel in as much line as possible until you feel the steady pressure of the fish on the end of the line. Once the tip of the hook has started to penetrate, the hook and the fish will do the rest. It’s as simple as that. If the fish isn’t giving much resistance, you can use a long sweeping motion of the rod to bury the hook.

Other Benefits

The other neat option that the CircleChunk Light has is a bait-stop barb on the shank to help with that persistent problem of double hooking your bait. There is no perfect hook, we all have to accept the fact that sometimes the most bone jarring of strikes never result in a hook up, and some little pullovers result in a mighty deep hook set, but after using these hooks for a year I’m convinced they work better than my old stand bys.

I was a pretty hard sell at first, I’ll have to admit, but I’m glad I gave the circle chunk lite a try. I have used them in both current and slack or dead water situations. These hooks perform the same wherever you fish. I feel good about using hooks with such consistent performance as well as being a quality-made and super-sharp hook right out of the package. After years of trying all kinds of hooks from big treble hooks to kahyle hooks, I believe that the improved circle hook Daiichi has come up with is a fantastic option for any angler.

Fishing done right is work, and the harder you work at the perfect hook set the happier you will be with the reward at the end of your line.

Copyright © 2004-2005 Jeff Williams

You have permission to publish this article free of charge as long as you are not selling it and that you include the author bylines immediately visible with the article and, if published in an electronic medium such as on a web site, you provide a link back to www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com in the author bylines, both where the web address is listed as well as well as with the text “Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service”:

Jeff Williams runs a Truman Lake Hybrid Bass and Lake of the
Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service offering lodging and guided trips in Missouri. To book a trip, learn more tips, or find out how Capt. Jeff would fish your own local waters, call 1-866-HOOKSET or visit http://www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com today!

I recently finished a massive study of profitable and unprofitable sites. The average length of the profitable site’s sales letter was 1.8 pages. The average length of the unprofitable site’s sales letter was 2 pages.

Shorter ad copy was more profitable on average than long copy.

Of course that is heresy. Many, many famous copywriters swear by long copy. Still… the study was valid and it is a fact… known profitable sites had shorter copy than known less profitable sites on average.

I then remembered that I had done a similar study way back in June 2002. That study wasn’t based on profitability, but it was comparing length of copy to an action… in that case, a click. The shorter the anchor text (the clickable text), the higher the click-thru rate… on average.

Still, I had a decision to make. Would I follow my own advice? I thought about the hours that I had spent coming up with 10-13 pages of sales letter for the three products I recently released. I thought about the hours I spent in Glyphius optimizing each of the dozens of paragraphs. Could I really just hack up those sales letters based on these two studies?

I realized that I wasn’t quite a believer yet. I needed some backup data before I was willing to hack up my own sales letters. Since the results were so heretical, I suspected that most of you would also need some reeassurance that the study was, in fact, valid… that I hadn’t read the numbers backwards or something.

Then it came to me. Without spending the hours I usually do for one of these studies, I thought of a way to validate it with a different dataset.

Clickbank has just such a dataset! They know the profitability of the sites in their network and they show them (loosely and not completely documented) in that order in the marketplace.

I immediately went to check it out. I used the Money & Employment category first since it is also the most profitable category in the Clickbank marketplace. I went to each of the first 10 sites and did a “Print Preview” and shoved the page count into a spreadsheet. At the end, I graphed those 10 data points and then superimposed a linear line on the graph.

The original study data was confirmed. As we went down the list in order of receding profitability, we also increased in number of pages of sales copy on average.

Then I quickly went to the Marketing & Ads category. This is the category that many of us who sometimes sell to each other (the incestuous market) use. I repeated the study once again. The graph showed the same linear slope.

OK; I was convinced. I went over and hacked away at my Glyphius.com sales letter. I got it down to a bit less than 3 pages from it’s old 13 pages. I read it. I was pleased with the result. It tells what is being offered and let’s them order it. It isn’t redundant. It doesn’t hide the price until “later” in the sales letter. It’s the kind of page I like to order from myself.

How did we get into this mess of believing the copywriting “gurus” about long copy? It’s really a bizarre thing to be teaching now that I look at it in retrospect.

My most successful ad copy has ALWAYS been short… no exceptions. When 911 hit, I put up a page for Gas Masks (I know… pretty cruddy thing to do… I feel bad now). I sold 340 gas masks in a 24 hour period of time. Did I write a long sales letter? No; I put up a picture, said “Gas Mask: $235″ and had an order link.

When I sold my Jaguar last year, did I write a 15 page sales letter? No; I put an ad in the paper that said 2005 Jaguar, 10,000 miles, premo condition, $53,000 and included a phone number (not the real details).

When I sold a house last year… the entire ad copy was much less than a page.

When I sold seats to a $10,000/seat two day seminar, the ad copy was only a slightly oversized post card.

Why do we think we should be writing a book to sell a $20 ebook? Who started that rumor? Has he been sufficiently flogged yet? What a waste of time. I wonder how many ebooks have sales letters that are longer than the ebook itself.

From now on… I’m not worried about the length of the sales letter. I’ll just tell about the product, give the guarantee, show a customer testimonial and let them order it. If the average profitable sales letter is only 1.8 pages long… and the average profitable sales letter is shorter than the average unprofitable sales letter… that’s good enough for me.

James D. Brausch recently released a 3 hour online home study course (video format) on statistical copywriting. The home study course includes his Glyphius copywriting software. For more information, visit: www.StatisticalCopywriting.com

The first and perhaps most important “secret” is to realize that your methodology or approach (no matter how good) is only part of being a highly successful trader. This applies to any trading style including, day trading, swing trading or position trading.

The simple fact is that a bad trader can screw up a fantastic trading system. Conversely a talented trader can take a mediocre strategy and make money with it.

Why? Please read on and I will explain.

Many traders/investors that I have talked with think that to be a “Super-Trader” that they must possess some type of highly advanced trading techniques or software along with nerves of steel and a highly developed intuitive feel for the markets. In addition they think that these elite group, have some “inside information” that they don’t.

You will be relieved to know that the above is not necessary. There are actually only a few things that separate traders who consistently make money and those who don’t.

And here they are…

* Skilled traders find a strategy or market pattern that offers a high probability for success. They make money by exploiting this edge over and over again.

* Skilled traders never deviate from their methodology or “wing it”.

* Skilled traders never enter a trade without a entry and exit strategy. They know exactly when and where to cut their losses as well as taking profits.

* Skilled traders never ever let a winning trade turn into a losing one. The easiest way to ensure that this doesn’t happen is to place a protective stop at or a few ticks in the money once your position is up several points.

* Skilled traders never hope, pray or wish that their stock would go up. They understand that when they are wrong they are wrong and the best thing to do is cut their losses short.

* Skilled traders never trade with their emotions. They don’t allow themselves to get caught up in the latest and greatest investment
hype.

* Skilled traders always have one goal in mind: To preserve their capital at all costs. They do this by never taking on too large of a position. A good rule of thumb to adhere to is never use more than 5% of your funds on any one trade. This way in the worst-case scenario the stock could drop to zero and your account would not be severely affected.

* Skilled traders never get too greedy. There is an old saying that “Pigs gets fed and hogs get slaughtered”. These traders don’t try to make one big trade that will turn them into instant millionaires. They don’t try to hit home runs, instead they understand that it is better to keep hitting singles and making smaller consistent profits.

* Skilled traders enter and exit trades swiftly and decisively.

* Skilled traders listen to no one else’s opinion concerning the market or particular trade they are in.

* Skilled traders are often contrarians. They will be buying when others are too scared to and sell when the crowd starts buying.

That’s it, the secrets to making big money in the markets. Perhaps that is a bit of a let down as you were hoping for something a bit more esoteric and complicated.

Let me assure you that if you follow the above principles that you will take your trading skills and profits to a level that you never thought possible!

This article is courtesy of Dr. Jeffrey Wilde, a trading veteran with 15 years of experience in all major markets. He is a trading coach to over 1400 traders in 38 countries.

For additional info: http://www.win-at-trading.com