The recent economic downturn has created financial difficulties for many consumers. As a result, the number of vehicle repossessions has increased in recent years. There is also evidence that a higher number of wrongful repossessions are taking place, which presents problems for consumers who may not fully understand their legal rights and consequently may fail to act when their vehicles are wrongfully repossessed. In most cases, lenders cannot repossess your vehicle unless certain conditions are met; these include:
your loan must be in default at the time of the repossession
if late payments have been repeatedly accepted, the lender must give you advance warning in writing of their intent to repossess the vehicle
Also, some actions taken by the repo company may also be illegal. For example, the repossession company can't threaten you or your family with physical harm or use force against you. Repo companies are also forbidden from breaking into your home or locked garage or using a master or duplicate key to gain entry to a locked area. These acts are considered a breach of the peace and usually lead to a wrongful repossession .
If my vehicle was wrongfully repossessed, what should I do?
If you believe the lender or repossession company acted improperly in repossessing your vehicle, it's essential to obtain competent legal advice about your options. An attorney specializing in consumer credit and repossession issues can advise you about your legal rights, including the right to sue the lender or repossession company for damages. You may be able to collect damages that can sometimes exceed the value of the repossessed vehicle and any deficiency balance you owe.
Document every interaction you have with the lender and the repo company. This information will be important in the event you do end up in court. And if an agent of the repossession company or the lender broke into your property illegally, make sure to report this to the police. Even though law enforcement officials will not usually interfere in repossessions, having the complaint on record can help your case in any legal proceedings you decide to pursue. If you or any of your family members have been assaulted or harassed by the repo company, report these actions to the police department as well.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Afforestation
Afforestation is the transformation of wasteland into the forest or the woodland. It is actually the conversion of land that has not been forested for more than the period of 50 years to forested land through planting or seeding. Afforestation is as far the best method to reduce the green house effect.
Benefits of Afforestation :
It restores ecological balance of all eco systems.
It maintains biological diversity
It act as catchments for the soil and water conservation
Plating tress can stabilize soils by increasing interception
Prevent floods and safeguard future of the tribal people.
Bring soil together and prevent soil erosion.
Afforestation act as windbreaks
Stabilized the climate and the forest products.
There is the constant need to develop massive afforestation programmes for the protection nad preservation of the forestry on the suitable land including the wasteland. A massive social forestry programme is needed to meet demands of the local people for the fodder, timber and fuel wood.
Both the governmental and Non Governmental Organizations have been propagating afforestation programmes.
Due to the industrial revolution many countries have seen the rapid decline in forests. Cutting of trees is not only a threat to the environment but also to the quality of life and to the economy also.
Reasons for the decline in forests :
Explosion of human and livestock population
Increased demand of timer, and fuel wood
Expansion of the agricultural land
Construction of the infrastructure along the mountains
National Afforestation and Eco Development Board :-
With the view to promote afforestation in the country, National Afforestation and Eco Development Board was set up in August 1992, which is responsible for promoting tree plantation, ecological restoration, and the eco development activities. The NAEB was concerned with the following functions:
- Suggests measures for the ecological restoration of degraded forest areas and adjoining lands through the systematic planning and implementation.
- To meet the fuel wood, fodder and other needs of the rural communities.
- Restore fuel wood, fodder, timber and other forest produce on the degraded forest and the adjoining lands in order to meet the demands for these items.
- Support the people,s movement for promoting afforestation and eco development with the assistance of the voluntary agencies, Panchayati Raj Institutions, non Governmental Organizations.
- Coordinate and monitor action plans for afforestation, tree planting, ecological restoration and eco development.
For more information log on to http://ecoindia/jungles/
Benefits of Afforestation :
It restores ecological balance of all eco systems.
It maintains biological diversity
It act as catchments for the soil and water conservation
Plating tress can stabilize soils by increasing interception
Prevent floods and safeguard future of the tribal people.
Bring soil together and prevent soil erosion.
Afforestation act as windbreaks
Stabilized the climate and the forest products.
There is the constant need to develop massive afforestation programmes for the protection nad preservation of the forestry on the suitable land including the wasteland. A massive social forestry programme is needed to meet demands of the local people for the fodder, timber and fuel wood.
Both the governmental and Non Governmental Organizations have been propagating afforestation programmes.
Due to the industrial revolution many countries have seen the rapid decline in forests. Cutting of trees is not only a threat to the environment but also to the quality of life and to the economy also.
Reasons for the decline in forests :
Explosion of human and livestock population
Increased demand of timer, and fuel wood
Expansion of the agricultural land
Construction of the infrastructure along the mountains
National Afforestation and Eco Development Board :-
With the view to promote afforestation in the country, National Afforestation and Eco Development Board was set up in August 1992, which is responsible for promoting tree plantation, ecological restoration, and the eco development activities. The NAEB was concerned with the following functions:
- Suggests measures for the ecological restoration of degraded forest areas and adjoining lands through the systematic planning and implementation.
- To meet the fuel wood, fodder and other needs of the rural communities.
- Restore fuel wood, fodder, timber and other forest produce on the degraded forest and the adjoining lands in order to meet the demands for these items.
- Support the people,s movement for promoting afforestation and eco development with the assistance of the voluntary agencies, Panchayati Raj Institutions, non Governmental Organizations.
- Coordinate and monitor action plans for afforestation, tree planting, ecological restoration and eco development.
For more information log on to http://ecoindia/jungles/
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Kansas City Bad Credit Car Dealership - Here to Help You
Do you have a bad credit history? Are you having trouble getting a dealership to take a chance on you? You aren't alone. In these tough times when jobs are scarce and the economy is up and down, but mostly down, it can be brutal trying to find a car when you need one most. Even in Kansas City, where dealerships are plentiful, it can be hard to find a Kansas City bad credit car dealership who works with buyers who have a less than spotless credit history. But, they are out there; it just takes a little looking around to find them.
If you have little or no credit because of poor choices in the past or because you were hit hard during the economic downturn, there is no reason you shouldn't be allowed the opportunity to rebuild your credit. In Kansas City, bad credit car dealerships know how to work with prospective buyers like yourself so that you can be driving off the lot in a new pre-owned car in no time. With in-house financing, these dealerships are eager to give you that chance you've been waiting for and just like you, they want to see you driving off happy, able to do what you need and go where you want.
Kansas City and the surrounding communities have become some of the most commuted areas in the country. If you live in Kansas City, but work somewhere like Olathe, or Lawrence, you must be able to have a dependable ride to get you back and forth. And, while family, friends, and co-workers may offer to give you a ride, there's no guarantee that one day they won't be able to because of illness, obligations, or their own car trouble. It's important to have the security of your own vehicle. Not only that, if you are someone who needs to rebuild their credit history, paying for a car is one of the best ways you can do this.
Don't let the fear of hearing a no stop you from pursuing your need to have a dependable car. In Olathe, there are bad credit car dealerships just waiting to help you turn your situation around. With a down payment and as little as three months proof of income, residency verification, a Kansas driver's license and the ability to have full coverage insurance or being willing to sign up for an in-house program that provides additional coverage with your liability, you can be driving home today in pre-owned vehicle that's in like-new condition, taking charge of your life once again.
If you have little or no credit because of poor choices in the past or because you were hit hard during the economic downturn, there is no reason you shouldn't be allowed the opportunity to rebuild your credit. In Kansas City, bad credit car dealerships know how to work with prospective buyers like yourself so that you can be driving off the lot in a new pre-owned car in no time. With in-house financing, these dealerships are eager to give you that chance you've been waiting for and just like you, they want to see you driving off happy, able to do what you need and go where you want.
Kansas City and the surrounding communities have become some of the most commuted areas in the country. If you live in Kansas City, but work somewhere like Olathe, or Lawrence, you must be able to have a dependable ride to get you back and forth. And, while family, friends, and co-workers may offer to give you a ride, there's no guarantee that one day they won't be able to because of illness, obligations, or their own car trouble. It's important to have the security of your own vehicle. Not only that, if you are someone who needs to rebuild their credit history, paying for a car is one of the best ways you can do this.
Don't let the fear of hearing a no stop you from pursuing your need to have a dependable car. In Olathe, there are bad credit car dealerships just waiting to help you turn your situation around. With a down payment and as little as three months proof of income, residency verification, a Kansas driver's license and the ability to have full coverage insurance or being willing to sign up for an in-house program that provides additional coverage with your liability, you can be driving home today in pre-owned vehicle that's in like-new condition, taking charge of your life once again.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Commercial Leases - What You Need To Know
Many people think that leasing for commercial purposes are easy as cooking rice. But in actuality, it is far from easy. When renting for commercial purpose, you have to consider lots of things. A commercial lease is also a very important factor to the success of your business. Your lease in a building can also be considered an investment for you. In a commercial lease, you might just want to lease a floor in the building, a stall in a mall or for big business, you might want to lease the whole building.
When signing commercial leases, there are terms that you must be familiar with first and you also have check the details of the lease. You must ask questions and you should also make changes and suggest so that the lease agreement is both beneficial to you and your landlord. Here are the terms you must be familiar with:
The use clause This clause is placed in the contract to protect the property you are renting. All the things you can and cannot improve or remove in the building can be found in this clause. You must be very careful in checking this part of the contract because it will greatly impact your business especially if the ambience or environment of your place will impact your salability to the customers.
The exclusivity clause Having a competitor in front of your stall is not good for your business. In the exclusivity clause, you can include an exclusivity clause wherein it would say that a competition in your kind of business should not be positioned near your stall. This is usually the case when you are renting a stall in the mall or a compound where there are lots of stalls available for commercial leases.
The premises The lease contract should clearly state and defined the premises included in your lease. Also ask your landlord to include the common area, if there are any, in the premises you are leasing.
The security the security of the building is a big concern for businesses. The lease contract must clearly state who is responsible for the security of the building. If the building is big and constitutes lots of floors, the lease should specify which part of the building is the concern of the owner and which is the concern of the leaser.
Clarifications on the renewability of the contract should also be asked from the landlord but does not necessarily have to be included in the lease contract. It is important that the leaser knows if he will be able to renew the lease to the property so that he can make plans ahead. Resolution for disputes over the lease of the property should be included in the lease contract. This way, the landlord could not just evict the leaser when disputes occur.
Terms and conditions regarding the lease of a commercial property may be a little confusing if you have no knowledge of some legal things. If so, then you must consult a legal advisor on this matter.
When signing commercial leases, there are terms that you must be familiar with first and you also have check the details of the lease. You must ask questions and you should also make changes and suggest so that the lease agreement is both beneficial to you and your landlord. Here are the terms you must be familiar with:
The use clause This clause is placed in the contract to protect the property you are renting. All the things you can and cannot improve or remove in the building can be found in this clause. You must be very careful in checking this part of the contract because it will greatly impact your business especially if the ambience or environment of your place will impact your salability to the customers.
The exclusivity clause Having a competitor in front of your stall is not good for your business. In the exclusivity clause, you can include an exclusivity clause wherein it would say that a competition in your kind of business should not be positioned near your stall. This is usually the case when you are renting a stall in the mall or a compound where there are lots of stalls available for commercial leases.
The premises The lease contract should clearly state and defined the premises included in your lease. Also ask your landlord to include the common area, if there are any, in the premises you are leasing.
The security the security of the building is a big concern for businesses. The lease contract must clearly state who is responsible for the security of the building. If the building is big and constitutes lots of floors, the lease should specify which part of the building is the concern of the owner and which is the concern of the leaser.
Clarifications on the renewability of the contract should also be asked from the landlord but does not necessarily have to be included in the lease contract. It is important that the leaser knows if he will be able to renew the lease to the property so that he can make plans ahead. Resolution for disputes over the lease of the property should be included in the lease contract. This way, the landlord could not just evict the leaser when disputes occur.
Terms and conditions regarding the lease of a commercial property may be a little confusing if you have no knowledge of some legal things. If so, then you must consult a legal advisor on this matter.
The Value Of The Golden Orange-yellow Topaz Gemstone: The "imperial Topaz"
Topaz is such an amazing and diverse gemstone is actually occupies two spots on the birthstone chart, and several years of the anniversary chart. Yellow Topaz signifies a November birth and the astrological sign Sagittarius, and blue topaz vies with Turquoise for December's birthstone.
The beautiful topaz whose name comes from the Sanskrit for 'fire' comes in an amazing variety of colors to match any taste. It is the stone of choice for the 4th, 19th, and 23rd anniversary dates. With all of its amazing diversity it is the "Imperial Topaz" that has the most romantic and mystical qualities thanks to the impact of its regal bearing and royal interests.
The "Imperial Topaz" is always a rich, deep golden to reddish orange-yellow. While it is simply one of the many varieties of topaz "Imperial Topaz" is the stone of choice for investment seekers, and jewelry lovers alike and is the stone for the 23rd anniversary as well as the true topaz choice for November's birthstone. Its rick golden color has a luster unlike any other stone and its hardy nature makes it a natural for jewel settings.
Royal Blood
The variety of topaz that is often called "Imperial Topaz" is named that because pink and red varieties were often used in the crown jewels and other jewelry of the 18th and 19th century Czarinas of Russia. During that golden age of Russian monarchy topaz ruled supreme and was the sign of royalty that few if any people of lesser station could afford.
Durability
The varieties of topaz have a hardness level of 8. Measured on a scale of 1 - 10 with diamonds being at the very top, the topaz is still considered a hardy and durable gemstone that is hard to damage in the course of normal wear and care.
Variety
Variety is the spice of life and topaz has a lot of it. It comes in colors including orange, yellow, brown, light to deep sky blue, pink, white, purple, green, and sparkling clear that is often cut in the "brilliant" diamond cut to resemble it.
Many of the colors of topaz occur naturally but some are created with a man-made heat process to enhance or change the color of the gem. Naturally deep blue topaz hardly ever occurs and is almost always a result of heat treating lighter stones. Pink also is a rare natural occurrence and is usually the heat treated version of yellow or brown topaz.
Location, Location, Location
Not just a real estate saying in the world of topaz the location it comes from means a lot. Russian topaz has a habit of fading over time. The most sought after topaz, and home of "Imperial Topaz" is Brazil. "Imperial Topaz" has the largest deposits in Ouro Preto, Brazil.
Imperial Topaz in Folklore
The mystique of topaz in general and "Imperial Topaz" in particular has captured the imagination of man for centuries. It was once thought to heal many physical and mental illnesses and ward off death. Roman soldiers often wore "Imperial Topaz" to war in the belief it would make them invisible to opponents. Many Romans also believed Topaz could improve eyesight, and ancient Egyptians believed amulets of topaz worn about the neck would prevent injuries.
Imperial Value
The "Imperial Topaz" is one of the more valued stones and can be hard to find. All topaz is tricky to cut and develop because it is prone to cracking while cutting which is often reflected in its price. Topaz is judged by the three 'Cs': color, cut, and clarity just like a diamond. The most important aspect when examining a topaz is the lack of impurities. A clear topaz is more valuable than an equal stone with marks, scratches, or cloudiness.
Care of the "Imperial Topaz"
While topaz is considered a hardy stone that is durable, it is still a fine gemstone that should be treated with reasonable care. The best care for any gemstone is prevention. Don't wear precious gems like "Imperial Topaz" while doing heavy or dirty work. Avoid wearing your topaz jewelry when asleep or playing active sports.
Cleaning topaz should be done with gentle cleaners, not harsh chemicals. While the Russian varieties are most prone to fading with exposure to light sources all topaz should be kept out of direct light and kept from exposure to heat as much as possible.
With proper care your "Imperial Topaz" jewelry will last a lifetime.
The beautiful topaz whose name comes from the Sanskrit for 'fire' comes in an amazing variety of colors to match any taste. It is the stone of choice for the 4th, 19th, and 23rd anniversary dates. With all of its amazing diversity it is the "Imperial Topaz" that has the most romantic and mystical qualities thanks to the impact of its regal bearing and royal interests.
The "Imperial Topaz" is always a rich, deep golden to reddish orange-yellow. While it is simply one of the many varieties of topaz "Imperial Topaz" is the stone of choice for investment seekers, and jewelry lovers alike and is the stone for the 23rd anniversary as well as the true topaz choice for November's birthstone. Its rick golden color has a luster unlike any other stone and its hardy nature makes it a natural for jewel settings.
Royal Blood
The variety of topaz that is often called "Imperial Topaz" is named that because pink and red varieties were often used in the crown jewels and other jewelry of the 18th and 19th century Czarinas of Russia. During that golden age of Russian monarchy topaz ruled supreme and was the sign of royalty that few if any people of lesser station could afford.
Durability
The varieties of topaz have a hardness level of 8. Measured on a scale of 1 - 10 with diamonds being at the very top, the topaz is still considered a hardy and durable gemstone that is hard to damage in the course of normal wear and care.
Variety
Variety is the spice of life and topaz has a lot of it. It comes in colors including orange, yellow, brown, light to deep sky blue, pink, white, purple, green, and sparkling clear that is often cut in the "brilliant" diamond cut to resemble it.
Many of the colors of topaz occur naturally but some are created with a man-made heat process to enhance or change the color of the gem. Naturally deep blue topaz hardly ever occurs and is almost always a result of heat treating lighter stones. Pink also is a rare natural occurrence and is usually the heat treated version of yellow or brown topaz.
Location, Location, Location
Not just a real estate saying in the world of topaz the location it comes from means a lot. Russian topaz has a habit of fading over time. The most sought after topaz, and home of "Imperial Topaz" is Brazil. "Imperial Topaz" has the largest deposits in Ouro Preto, Brazil.
Imperial Topaz in Folklore
The mystique of topaz in general and "Imperial Topaz" in particular has captured the imagination of man for centuries. It was once thought to heal many physical and mental illnesses and ward off death. Roman soldiers often wore "Imperial Topaz" to war in the belief it would make them invisible to opponents. Many Romans also believed Topaz could improve eyesight, and ancient Egyptians believed amulets of topaz worn about the neck would prevent injuries.
Imperial Value
The "Imperial Topaz" is one of the more valued stones and can be hard to find. All topaz is tricky to cut and develop because it is prone to cracking while cutting which is often reflected in its price. Topaz is judged by the three 'Cs': color, cut, and clarity just like a diamond. The most important aspect when examining a topaz is the lack of impurities. A clear topaz is more valuable than an equal stone with marks, scratches, or cloudiness.
Care of the "Imperial Topaz"
While topaz is considered a hardy stone that is durable, it is still a fine gemstone that should be treated with reasonable care. The best care for any gemstone is prevention. Don't wear precious gems like "Imperial Topaz" while doing heavy or dirty work. Avoid wearing your topaz jewelry when asleep or playing active sports.
Cleaning topaz should be done with gentle cleaners, not harsh chemicals. While the Russian varieties are most prone to fading with exposure to light sources all topaz should be kept out of direct light and kept from exposure to heat as much as possible.
With proper care your "Imperial Topaz" jewelry will last a lifetime.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
A Conversation With Legendary Copywriter Gary Bencivenga - Part 3 Of 6
Welcome, Business-Builder!
I'm sure you've heard of Gary Bencivenga.
Only a handful of copywriters in our generation have ever competed at anywhere near Gary's level over the long haul. And if our little fraternity held an election today, Gary Bencivenga would be unanimously elected King.
The following is Part 3 of my six-part interview with master copywriter, Gary Bencivenga.
Clayton: You had a fantastic article in one of the early issues of Bencivenga Bullets on, if I remember correctly, the two most important words in advertising. You said, it's not you, it's not free, it's yeah, sure.
Gary: I gave a seminar at Rodale once. I had the good fortune to never have lost a split run test at Rodale against some very tough competition selling books for the book division. I competed against Gene Schwartz and most of the top names out there, and I never lost.
So they called me in to ask, How are you doing this? Tell us the approach that you're following. So I ran through a whole list of headlines from their advertising, as well as many other examples from our daily lives. For example, what politicians promise every November I'm never going to raise your taxes and I'm going to give you universal health care ... I'm going to get rid of crime in our schools. And what does everybody say once that's out of their mouths? They say, Yeah, sure.
That's the biggest problem that most B-level copywriters face. They're always looking for ways to increase the strength of their headline, and the easiest way, apparently, is to increase the hype or ratchet up the promise. But usually that's going on in the wrong direction because you're sounding more like the politician who is promising an even more undeliverable promise.
You're usually much better with an under-promising headline. A great example that I learned in the days that I was working with Dan Rosenthal was for one of our clients who sold gold and silver coins and bullion. In this case it was an ad for silver. The headline was a famous headline that ran for many years, Why the price of silver may rise steeply. Thinking I was such a hot-shot copywriter, I said to Dan Rosenthal, who I believe was the author of that headline and the great, great ad that followed it, I said, Why are you saying, may rise'? You should test a headline that sounds a little stronger, a little bolder, such as Why the price of silver will rise steeply.' That way it sounds, Dan, like you believe what you're predicting.
So we tested my version and, of course, it bombed. Because of that disbelief factor. Most investors are savvy. So as soon as you promise something that really is unknowable such as will rise, they know that you can't predict the future. But when you build in a little bit of understatement, you suck them right in.
So I've learned to apply that principle in many, many headlines. One of my best headlines for Hume Publishing was Get Rich Slowly. I created an enemy out of all of the get rich quick investment courses and opportunities out there by saying, Look, if you're tired of all the hype, this is the course that you should be buying because if you got ,000 to ,000 to put aside each year, this is a course that could easily get you to the million mark. It's not going to happen in three, four or even five years, but if you want to retire with million and can only put ,000 aside in an IRA each year, this is how it's done.
That ad was virtually unbeatable for several years with a headline that the client didn't even want to test, Get Rich Slowly. They said, Gary, have you lost your mind? Who wants to get rich slowly? So I said, Look, people are so tired of get rich quick,' it's not believable anymore. Nobody buys without belief, so if you advertise something that can be believed, then most of the battle is already won.
Clayton: I think it kind of ties into that the Lies, Lies, Lies package you did for Mark Skousen's Forecasts & Strategies. It was really wonderful because there's not even a hint of a benefit in your main headline. It simply seized on a resident emotion the skepticism and frustration of investors who had heard it all, tried it all and were continually disappointed. And then in the deck copy, you came on with Why we investors are sick and tired of these things that are happening to us. And then the real payoff was, How getting richer is the best revenge. I'm doing that just from memory that's how powerful it was.
Gary: You remember it better than I do.
Clayton: Yeah, I still remember that headline. I can still visualize the package and the wonderful cartoons they used.
Gary: That was an example of humor actually working in copy. We took every target of anger that an investor can have lying politicians, with a cartoon of a classic looking politician, taking an oath to the flag, and if you look closely, his fingers are crossed. And he says, I promise never again to raise taxes.
Clayton: And the broker in a pinstriped suit behind a desk, smoking a cigar.
Gary: And the guy from the IRS was Darth Vader. The cartoons were just wonderful and that added a little bit of that entertainment factor you were talking about before but in an appropriate way. It was part and parcel of the sale.
Clayton: There were a couple of things that I loved about that. One was the little phrase, we investors in the deck copy. Because it immediately got Skousen on the side of the reader, it immediately made us friends.
Gary: That's a great technique to use. Instead of the usual I'm trying to sell you something, which sort of sets up immediately in the reader's mind a you-versus-me mentality, I found a way to shift gears by saying, it's you and me against these other guys. And if you can create an enemy in your copy, that's what happens. You set up a three-point discussion and you come around from your side of the desk to be on the reader's side of the desk and then it's you and the reader against the enemy that you're railing against.
It's a very effective psychological and copy technique to use because it takes the copywriter out of the role of trying to sell the prospect something and puts them both on the same side, as if the copywriter were a friend, consumer advisor, and helper.
Clayton: There's another thing about that headline that's very instructive, especially as I look back on it now. People often wonder why Rush Limbaugh, for example, is so successful. He has no real product to sell. He doesn't make your life better in any way. There are no benefits, really, for buying his books. But the service he provides for you is that he puts your thoughts and your feelings assuming you're in agreement with his politics into words. He gives you an outlet for the emotions that you're feeling about the things that are happening in the country. That emotional release is valuable to people, and as a result, 20 million people listen to him every week on the radio and buy his books and newsletters and so forth.
I felt that the Lies, Lies, Lies package did something very similar and it did it beautifully. It was one of the first-rate resident emotion packages that simply went to a group of people who had strong feelings about the subject at hand and spoke to those feelings, and by doing so, validated them. But they were actionable feelings and you were able to come back with a solution, a way to assuage that frustration in those people. I felt that was so much more powerful than simply going back to them as one more direct mail package promising huge profits.
Gary: That's a very astute analysis, Clayton. I think what helped me to create that package and this is something I do before I start any assignment was to ask, What are we really selling? And you try to come up with different answers to that question. If it's a newsletter, everybody had always answered, We're selling investment tips. But since there was so much competition from other copywriters and other publishers selling the same kind of investment tips, I reasoned if we change the answer to the question what are we really selling? we can open a whole new way to talk to our market.
So what are we really selling when we sell a newsletter from an investment advisor who wants to advise you on the most important financial decisions of your life? Well you're really selling a set of values, a partnership with somebody that you have to trust. The best way to come to trust somebody is to see that they do share your same values.
I call this the Credo Technique of Copywriting. The first issue of Bencivenga Bullets is about this technique. In fact, in that bullet I say what I believe about advertising. I believe advertising is designed to sell and not to win awards and applause. I believe you can always sell with integrity. I give the other beliefs, very strongly held beliefs that I have about advertising and that accomplishes a couple of things.
Number one, it tells what I'm about and if you have the same values, then we're a match. So I sell you on me before I try to sell anything else. If you sell not only the end product that the advisor or the person behind the product of service is offering whether it's the chiropractor who's selling his services or attorney or whoever it is but also mention the person's values that you also feel very strongly about, you sort of bond with them in a way that's much more powerful than any list of how-tos or other types of bullets purely based on information. You're bonding with them on a level of trust, which makes you different from every other person out there who is just trying to sell something because they want to sell it.
Clayton: Gary, studying every one of your packages has been just eye opening for me and one of the things that struck me was that you consistently made a friend before you asked for the sale.
Gary: I think you have to do that because people don't buy from other people unless they believe them and unless they trust them. If you don't sell yourself first, you're trying to short circuit the process by just rushing to the close of the sale too early.
Salesmanship has changed over the years. It used to be, in the days of Elmer Wheeler and Sell the Sizzle and Not the Steak, the life insurance agent or the real estate broker would try to corner you and answer every objection you could raise and just out of exhaustion, the hapless prospect would buy the policy or agree to do whatever the salesman wants.
But you know something? You don't see door-to-door salesmen much anymore. I haven't seen one in years. Why is that? It's because salesmanship has changed. We've all been marketed to so much, we won't stand for being manipulated that way anymore. We've evolved from a nation of much more easily-manipulated prospects to tough customers.
So if you just try to come onto people with the same old forms of salesmanship that used to work 10 to 20 years ago, they just don't work anymore because a) you don't have my trust; b) you don't have my values; and c) you're not my friend and I'm not going to buy from you unless I first have those feelings.
There's a great movie about this called Boiler Room, where they show how these people who used to do telephone marketing from the boiler room would have scripts with the snappiest comebacks to anything that the person might say about why they may not buy. They would try to embarrass people into making an investment over the phone. That way of selling, in most cases, is dying.
This is especially true in our field, where we try to sell to 1,000 or a million people at once. They could blow us off without us even knowing about it just by tossing our mail or clicking delete. Given that, I think that the best way to be selling anybody in the marketplace now is to win a friend first and the best way to do that is through an e-zine.
More and more, ice cold direct mail packages sent to ice cold prospects are going to fare poorly compared to promotions sent by people who have an e-zine relationship with somebody. And by that I mean an e-zine that really gives very high value as opposed to selling so much. I counsel people in all markets of goods and services to really develop a relationship with their prospects through a very valuable e-zine. Hold back on the selling. Establish a relationship of giving very valuable helpful information first and then introduce the sales later.
Even with e-zines, I get so many of them now, and I don't even open them much anymore. I send most of them to an email address I have at a place called Spam Arrest. And I'll just go down and check them all to be deleted. And then I'll uncheck maybe three that I'll want to read. The others get automatically deleted when I hit the return key. I delete them just based on the subject lines. And we all do this.
I only open those e-zines where there's going to be honest to goodness nuggets of information, not just another sales pitch. So most of the people out there, even with e-zine marketing, they've gotten the technology right but they don't have the psychology right.
Win a friend first and then try to sell later. It's so much easier to sell something to somebody who you have a relationship with. So the first sale that you have to make is that relationship, not the product.
Clayton: And that's what I feel that you've done in so many of your direct mail packages. In the Skousen package, the line We investors are fed up was that way because friendship is quite often based on commonality. Instead of the vaunted expert touting his past successes, you just climb in the boat with the prospect.
Gary: And I feel that's so much easier to do once you've established an e-zine relationship with your prospects. You can capture names very easily with an e-zine if you give good information and use that as a basis for growing your own list.
It's much easier to sell something to somebody who's satisfied with the relationship with you and with your past performance. And that's one of the most important principles of marketing and yet so many people just ignore it.
So many people in the internet marketing world just want to find that one hot product to sell, make a fortune, then find another hot product to sell in a totally different market. But business just doesn't work that way. You need to find a product or service from which you can get lots of repeat business because that's the most profitable and easiest business when people are coming back to you again and again.
To be continued in Part 4
I'm sure you've heard of Gary Bencivenga.
Only a handful of copywriters in our generation have ever competed at anywhere near Gary's level over the long haul. And if our little fraternity held an election today, Gary Bencivenga would be unanimously elected King.
The following is Part 3 of my six-part interview with master copywriter, Gary Bencivenga.
Clayton: You had a fantastic article in one of the early issues of Bencivenga Bullets on, if I remember correctly, the two most important words in advertising. You said, it's not you, it's not free, it's yeah, sure.
Gary: I gave a seminar at Rodale once. I had the good fortune to never have lost a split run test at Rodale against some very tough competition selling books for the book division. I competed against Gene Schwartz and most of the top names out there, and I never lost.
So they called me in to ask, How are you doing this? Tell us the approach that you're following. So I ran through a whole list of headlines from their advertising, as well as many other examples from our daily lives. For example, what politicians promise every November I'm never going to raise your taxes and I'm going to give you universal health care ... I'm going to get rid of crime in our schools. And what does everybody say once that's out of their mouths? They say, Yeah, sure.
That's the biggest problem that most B-level copywriters face. They're always looking for ways to increase the strength of their headline, and the easiest way, apparently, is to increase the hype or ratchet up the promise. But usually that's going on in the wrong direction because you're sounding more like the politician who is promising an even more undeliverable promise.
You're usually much better with an under-promising headline. A great example that I learned in the days that I was working with Dan Rosenthal was for one of our clients who sold gold and silver coins and bullion. In this case it was an ad for silver. The headline was a famous headline that ran for many years, Why the price of silver may rise steeply. Thinking I was such a hot-shot copywriter, I said to Dan Rosenthal, who I believe was the author of that headline and the great, great ad that followed it, I said, Why are you saying, may rise'? You should test a headline that sounds a little stronger, a little bolder, such as Why the price of silver will rise steeply.' That way it sounds, Dan, like you believe what you're predicting.
So we tested my version and, of course, it bombed. Because of that disbelief factor. Most investors are savvy. So as soon as you promise something that really is unknowable such as will rise, they know that you can't predict the future. But when you build in a little bit of understatement, you suck them right in.
So I've learned to apply that principle in many, many headlines. One of my best headlines for Hume Publishing was Get Rich Slowly. I created an enemy out of all of the get rich quick investment courses and opportunities out there by saying, Look, if you're tired of all the hype, this is the course that you should be buying because if you got ,000 to ,000 to put aside each year, this is a course that could easily get you to the million mark. It's not going to happen in three, four or even five years, but if you want to retire with million and can only put ,000 aside in an IRA each year, this is how it's done.
That ad was virtually unbeatable for several years with a headline that the client didn't even want to test, Get Rich Slowly. They said, Gary, have you lost your mind? Who wants to get rich slowly? So I said, Look, people are so tired of get rich quick,' it's not believable anymore. Nobody buys without belief, so if you advertise something that can be believed, then most of the battle is already won.
Clayton: I think it kind of ties into that the Lies, Lies, Lies package you did for Mark Skousen's Forecasts & Strategies. It was really wonderful because there's not even a hint of a benefit in your main headline. It simply seized on a resident emotion the skepticism and frustration of investors who had heard it all, tried it all and were continually disappointed. And then in the deck copy, you came on with Why we investors are sick and tired of these things that are happening to us. And then the real payoff was, How getting richer is the best revenge. I'm doing that just from memory that's how powerful it was.
Gary: You remember it better than I do.
Clayton: Yeah, I still remember that headline. I can still visualize the package and the wonderful cartoons they used.
Gary: That was an example of humor actually working in copy. We took every target of anger that an investor can have lying politicians, with a cartoon of a classic looking politician, taking an oath to the flag, and if you look closely, his fingers are crossed. And he says, I promise never again to raise taxes.
Clayton: And the broker in a pinstriped suit behind a desk, smoking a cigar.
Gary: And the guy from the IRS was Darth Vader. The cartoons were just wonderful and that added a little bit of that entertainment factor you were talking about before but in an appropriate way. It was part and parcel of the sale.
Clayton: There were a couple of things that I loved about that. One was the little phrase, we investors in the deck copy. Because it immediately got Skousen on the side of the reader, it immediately made us friends.
Gary: That's a great technique to use. Instead of the usual I'm trying to sell you something, which sort of sets up immediately in the reader's mind a you-versus-me mentality, I found a way to shift gears by saying, it's you and me against these other guys. And if you can create an enemy in your copy, that's what happens. You set up a three-point discussion and you come around from your side of the desk to be on the reader's side of the desk and then it's you and the reader against the enemy that you're railing against.
It's a very effective psychological and copy technique to use because it takes the copywriter out of the role of trying to sell the prospect something and puts them both on the same side, as if the copywriter were a friend, consumer advisor, and helper.
Clayton: There's another thing about that headline that's very instructive, especially as I look back on it now. People often wonder why Rush Limbaugh, for example, is so successful. He has no real product to sell. He doesn't make your life better in any way. There are no benefits, really, for buying his books. But the service he provides for you is that he puts your thoughts and your feelings assuming you're in agreement with his politics into words. He gives you an outlet for the emotions that you're feeling about the things that are happening in the country. That emotional release is valuable to people, and as a result, 20 million people listen to him every week on the radio and buy his books and newsletters and so forth.
I felt that the Lies, Lies, Lies package did something very similar and it did it beautifully. It was one of the first-rate resident emotion packages that simply went to a group of people who had strong feelings about the subject at hand and spoke to those feelings, and by doing so, validated them. But they were actionable feelings and you were able to come back with a solution, a way to assuage that frustration in those people. I felt that was so much more powerful than simply going back to them as one more direct mail package promising huge profits.
Gary: That's a very astute analysis, Clayton. I think what helped me to create that package and this is something I do before I start any assignment was to ask, What are we really selling? And you try to come up with different answers to that question. If it's a newsletter, everybody had always answered, We're selling investment tips. But since there was so much competition from other copywriters and other publishers selling the same kind of investment tips, I reasoned if we change the answer to the question what are we really selling? we can open a whole new way to talk to our market.
So what are we really selling when we sell a newsletter from an investment advisor who wants to advise you on the most important financial decisions of your life? Well you're really selling a set of values, a partnership with somebody that you have to trust. The best way to come to trust somebody is to see that they do share your same values.
I call this the Credo Technique of Copywriting. The first issue of Bencivenga Bullets is about this technique. In fact, in that bullet I say what I believe about advertising. I believe advertising is designed to sell and not to win awards and applause. I believe you can always sell with integrity. I give the other beliefs, very strongly held beliefs that I have about advertising and that accomplishes a couple of things.
Number one, it tells what I'm about and if you have the same values, then we're a match. So I sell you on me before I try to sell anything else. If you sell not only the end product that the advisor or the person behind the product of service is offering whether it's the chiropractor who's selling his services or attorney or whoever it is but also mention the person's values that you also feel very strongly about, you sort of bond with them in a way that's much more powerful than any list of how-tos or other types of bullets purely based on information. You're bonding with them on a level of trust, which makes you different from every other person out there who is just trying to sell something because they want to sell it.
Clayton: Gary, studying every one of your packages has been just eye opening for me and one of the things that struck me was that you consistently made a friend before you asked for the sale.
Gary: I think you have to do that because people don't buy from other people unless they believe them and unless they trust them. If you don't sell yourself first, you're trying to short circuit the process by just rushing to the close of the sale too early.
Salesmanship has changed over the years. It used to be, in the days of Elmer Wheeler and Sell the Sizzle and Not the Steak, the life insurance agent or the real estate broker would try to corner you and answer every objection you could raise and just out of exhaustion, the hapless prospect would buy the policy or agree to do whatever the salesman wants.
But you know something? You don't see door-to-door salesmen much anymore. I haven't seen one in years. Why is that? It's because salesmanship has changed. We've all been marketed to so much, we won't stand for being manipulated that way anymore. We've evolved from a nation of much more easily-manipulated prospects to tough customers.
So if you just try to come onto people with the same old forms of salesmanship that used to work 10 to 20 years ago, they just don't work anymore because a) you don't have my trust; b) you don't have my values; and c) you're not my friend and I'm not going to buy from you unless I first have those feelings.
There's a great movie about this called Boiler Room, where they show how these people who used to do telephone marketing from the boiler room would have scripts with the snappiest comebacks to anything that the person might say about why they may not buy. They would try to embarrass people into making an investment over the phone. That way of selling, in most cases, is dying.
This is especially true in our field, where we try to sell to 1,000 or a million people at once. They could blow us off without us even knowing about it just by tossing our mail or clicking delete. Given that, I think that the best way to be selling anybody in the marketplace now is to win a friend first and the best way to do that is through an e-zine.
More and more, ice cold direct mail packages sent to ice cold prospects are going to fare poorly compared to promotions sent by people who have an e-zine relationship with somebody. And by that I mean an e-zine that really gives very high value as opposed to selling so much. I counsel people in all markets of goods and services to really develop a relationship with their prospects through a very valuable e-zine. Hold back on the selling. Establish a relationship of giving very valuable helpful information first and then introduce the sales later.
Even with e-zines, I get so many of them now, and I don't even open them much anymore. I send most of them to an email address I have at a place called Spam Arrest. And I'll just go down and check them all to be deleted. And then I'll uncheck maybe three that I'll want to read. The others get automatically deleted when I hit the return key. I delete them just based on the subject lines. And we all do this.
I only open those e-zines where there's going to be honest to goodness nuggets of information, not just another sales pitch. So most of the people out there, even with e-zine marketing, they've gotten the technology right but they don't have the psychology right.
Win a friend first and then try to sell later. It's so much easier to sell something to somebody who you have a relationship with. So the first sale that you have to make is that relationship, not the product.
Clayton: And that's what I feel that you've done in so many of your direct mail packages. In the Skousen package, the line We investors are fed up was that way because friendship is quite often based on commonality. Instead of the vaunted expert touting his past successes, you just climb in the boat with the prospect.
Gary: And I feel that's so much easier to do once you've established an e-zine relationship with your prospects. You can capture names very easily with an e-zine if you give good information and use that as a basis for growing your own list.
It's much easier to sell something to somebody who's satisfied with the relationship with you and with your past performance. And that's one of the most important principles of marketing and yet so many people just ignore it.
So many people in the internet marketing world just want to find that one hot product to sell, make a fortune, then find another hot product to sell in a totally different market. But business just doesn't work that way. You need to find a product or service from which you can get lots of repeat business because that's the most profitable and easiest business when people are coming back to you again and again.
To be continued in Part 4
Be Well-Grounded about Home Loan Interest Rates with Varied Creditors
In the diversity of types of credits nationals should be cognizant about the ways to select a trustworthy moneylender. Home credits appear to be a quite painstaking and time-bereaving affair that demands a minute examination. Among basic details of home advances are interests which each financial institution appoints personally. How to count up the principles of appointing interests for mortgage credits? This item can aid you get the major concept of kinds and characteristics of mortgage loans.
Allow me to start from mentioning that mortgage loans can be destined for different purposes. The most casual kind is to hand cash to people for buying a new or a living home. Very often the individual's savings is not sufficient to purchase a house that is why he appeals to creditors to supplement a definite quantity of money. Reckoning on the quantity of money he wants to take the lending establishment will prescribe home loan rate and terminate conditions of pay back. The conditions of pay off depend upon the person's credit rating and his capability to pay regularly (that is, the source of income). There are floating and fixed mortgage advance rates. Compute which type of rates is more advantageous at the present phase and for the prospective while, however both demonstrate advantages and disfavors.
The second kind of home credits is equity home loan which is assigned at handing cash to citizens for different purposes against the value of their homes. The applicant's home is the pledge that assures the repay of the borrowed amount. The purposes of borrowing might be various starting from home repairs and ending up with starting manufacture or paying back other credits. Financial institutions prescribe also stable or variable rates for equity home loans. The applicant's credit history, ongoing credit rating and sum of loan etc. lay influence on the percentage of interests. The most beneficial for the borrower's finances is considered to be fixed rate home equity loan. Here are several characteristics and privileges of the very type of advance. This advance presupposes from 10 to twenty years for implementing the repay. Debtors see the biggest privilege of stable rate home equity loans in lower than with the other types of advances (particularly uncovered) interest rates. The reason for this is clear for the debtor assures the pay back by the value of his dwelling. Consequently, the debtor will pay less each month. Fiscal institutions seek for trustworthy customers, that is why do not expect receiving the very advance when you've poor rating. Sometimes people with excellent scores may fail in monthly pays that lead to loss of a house. This type of loan requires attentive computations for years ahead of time to make sure of your payment capabilities.
As a summary, try to search out the lender who can offer to you appropriate conditions of mortgage loan rate irrespective of what type of mortgage credit you're going to apply for. Moreover, there is an easy method to count up how much cash you can afford to take and repay each period with on-line service of mortgage advance calculator.
Allow me to start from mentioning that mortgage loans can be destined for different purposes. The most casual kind is to hand cash to people for buying a new or a living home. Very often the individual's savings is not sufficient to purchase a house that is why he appeals to creditors to supplement a definite quantity of money. Reckoning on the quantity of money he wants to take the lending establishment will prescribe home loan rate and terminate conditions of pay back. The conditions of pay off depend upon the person's credit rating and his capability to pay regularly (that is, the source of income). There are floating and fixed mortgage advance rates. Compute which type of rates is more advantageous at the present phase and for the prospective while, however both demonstrate advantages and disfavors.
The second kind of home credits is equity home loan which is assigned at handing cash to citizens for different purposes against the value of their homes. The applicant's home is the pledge that assures the repay of the borrowed amount. The purposes of borrowing might be various starting from home repairs and ending up with starting manufacture or paying back other credits. Financial institutions prescribe also stable or variable rates for equity home loans. The applicant's credit history, ongoing credit rating and sum of loan etc. lay influence on the percentage of interests. The most beneficial for the borrower's finances is considered to be fixed rate home equity loan. Here are several characteristics and privileges of the very type of advance. This advance presupposes from 10 to twenty years for implementing the repay. Debtors see the biggest privilege of stable rate home equity loans in lower than with the other types of advances (particularly uncovered) interest rates. The reason for this is clear for the debtor assures the pay back by the value of his dwelling. Consequently, the debtor will pay less each month. Fiscal institutions seek for trustworthy customers, that is why do not expect receiving the very advance when you've poor rating. Sometimes people with excellent scores may fail in monthly pays that lead to loss of a house. This type of loan requires attentive computations for years ahead of time to make sure of your payment capabilities.
As a summary, try to search out the lender who can offer to you appropriate conditions of mortgage loan rate irrespective of what type of mortgage credit you're going to apply for. Moreover, there is an easy method to count up how much cash you can afford to take and repay each period with on-line service of mortgage advance calculator.
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