When, Why, and How to Use Mailing Lists

Mailing lists may be the cause of more heartbreaks than anyother single factor in mail order. A poorly chosen list, a weakmailing and the high cost of mailing to a list can tax theoptimism of a new dealer very, very quickly. Arm yourself withknowledge before embarking on a course like this!

Whether you should use a mailing list to sell your productdepends on several things:

Is it too complex an offering to be explained in a 30 word ad?

Can you afford to mail 200 to 1,000 pieces on the chance thatyou won't get a single order?

Can you make a profit selling your product to only two to twentypeople in a 1,000 piece mailing?

Will a re-order of your product be required, and can you makeyour re-orders pay for the losses you will likely get frommailing to a list?

Do you know enough to choose the right list for your offering?

It takes either great faith in your offering or great stupidityto mail with a list. Most list companies today, specialize in"opportunity seekers" - people generally quite new to mail orderwho are either looking for a product to sell or an offer thatwill get them rich in a hurry.

Most of these "opportunity seekers" are engaged in chain lettertype schemes at some point, and they use mailing lists to make gains in their plans. Most of them lose money, but enoughpeople will try it once to make money, and these pie-in-the-skydreamers are the bread and butter for a lot of mailing listcompanies. Unless you have a truly superior offering for theseopportunity seekers, and you probably don't, they are not worthyour time and money. Most of them are unsophisticated dabblers.

Multi-level lists, offered by many companies, are truly aninteresting way to test response to an MLM offer. Many MLMpeople like to write back - in their own handwriting - abouttheir successes and failures, and they will always respond to asuperior product.

Specialized product-buyers' lists can pull beautifully if theoffering is unique enough, and worth a try for merchandisemarketing.

Regardless of what kind of mailing list you use, be very carefulin choosing a good list. Many are sold and resold to peoplemaking the very same offering, which is a waste of everyone'smoney. "Free" mailing lists are usually as good as their priceindicates. Check the guarantees. Common sense will tell youwhich are good for you and which are good for the companyselling the lists. And check to see how the lists are compiled.Are they people who have already bought something by mail, orare they merely people who indicated they might want to buysomething by mail?

In conclusion, we recommend that you never start any campaignwith a mailing list when advertising is so much cheaper. Whileit may prove to be more profitable than advertising, keep thisrule in mind:

When you're ready to try a mailing list, be fully prepared tolose every penny you spend in buying and mailing that list,because it could happen.

Note to editors:
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Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
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DeAnna Spencer is a virtual assistant that helps entrepreneurs run a successful business by providing affordable administrative help. She also publishes a blog for small business owners. Visit this small business resource today.

Natural Dental Care: Keep Your Mouth Clean the All-Natural Way

So you think you need harsh chemicals to fight gingivitis, bad breath or tooth plaque? Not so! Natural therapies for oral hygiene can boost your gum disease fighting power both inside and out. Let's examine a few of the most popular natural therapies used today.

Herbal Natural Therapies for Oral Hygiene

Certain herbs have antibacterial properties and can aid in your oral hygiene routine as well as make your breath smell a little sweeter. Essential oils of almond, peppermint and spearmint, for example, may all be rubbed around the base of the gums as therapies for oral hygiene.

Tea tree oil has even more bacterial-fighting agents than the essential oils previously mentioned as therapies for oral hygiene. Adding a few drops of tea tree oil to your toothbrush during regular brushing will leave your gums feeling clean and invigorated.

Green tea has been credited for centuries as one of the best natural therapies for oral hygiene. The Chinese have long used green tea as an oral rinse for daily mouth care. Green tea contains powerful antioxidants that also help boost the immune system.

Vitamin Natural Therapies for Oral Hygiene

Vitamin C is known to boost your immune system, and can aid in fighting the growth of anaerobic bacteria that cause plaque on your teeth. Of all the therapies for oral hygiene, vitamin C therapy also helps fight off other illnesses such as colds and flues.

More Natural Therapies for Oral Hygiene

Ordinary baking soda is often accounted one of the best oral antibacterial substances out there. When brushing with baking soda, make sure the soda is thoroughly moistened, and that you arent pressing too hard on the brush. For extra cleansing power, rinse your toothbrush in food grade hydrogen peroxide before brushing.

Common Sense Natural Therapies For Oral Hygiene

1. Brush after meals.
2. Floss between teeth every day.
3. Swish water between teeth to rinse food particles out, or better yet, use a water pick or oral irrigator designed for the job.
4. Replace your toothbrush every six months, and consider getting the electric kind for efficient cleaning. Battery-powered toothbrushes are inexpensive and easy to find if you're not ready to invest in a countertop solution.

While all of these natural therapies for oral hygiene are helpful in preventing gum disease, you should still see your dentist twice a year for a thorough oral check up.

Blake Kritzberg is editor of FavorIdeas. Stop by for continually-updated celebrity wedding news, remarkable beach wedding favors, exclusive hairstyling articles and gorgeous and unique wedding favors.

4 Sex Mistakes That Single Parents Make

There is no greater responsibility than being a parent. These are the ones the you love and care for the most. You would do anything to make sure they are protected. The question is are your sexual decisions putting your children at risk?

These are some of the sexual decisions that may be harming your children.

1. Allowing sleepovers. This is just a bad decision. If you are not in a committed relationship with this person, then your kids don't need to see a different person most mornings. 2 or more times a week does nothing but make you look easy. This is not the message you want to send your children

2. Not taking time for yourself. There should be a time when you can just concentrate on your pleasure. This may be tough will all the busy schedules and demands on your time. You will be more relaxed and feel better once you have taken the time to please yourself. Your children will also thank you because now you will be less stressed and more loving.

3. Sharing your current sexual situation with your children. There are just some things that you need to keep to yourself. Problems between you and your "friend" should not be discussed with your children. They are not your counselors or therapist. If you must discuss this find a good friend. That does not include you children.

This is also true of the details of your sex life if it is good. All the details of your exciting evenings should just be good memories for you not visual images that you share with your child. Spare them the stories and enjoy them just for yourself.

4. Not knowing the sexual background of the person you are having sex with. You may be unknowingly exposing your children to a sexual predator. Many sexual predators use the parent to get to the children.

If your children are going to be around this person, make sure you have a complete background check done. This is information that you need to know. Make the sexual decision to be informed about who you have around your children.

Being a single parent does not mean that you can no longer have an exciting sex life. You deserve to be happy. It does mean that the sexual decisions that you make are important to those around you. Just make sure these decisions are the best for you and your children.

I hope that you like this article. If you did do me a favor and accept this FREE TRIAL Membership. It is quick, easy and best of all, did I mention it was FREE.

Also for more tips visit my site at http://www.hotwomensecrets.com I wish you the best in your relationships.

Blood Pressure and Heart Size in Athletes

In 1976, 413 high school runners in Finland competed in a 2000-meter race. At the time of the race and in a follow-up study twenty-five years later, the faster runners had much lower blood pressures than the slower ones (International Journal of Sports Medicine, July-August 2005.)

The researchers wanted to know whether a maximal endurance test to measure aerobic fitness in adolescence would predict hypertension in adults. This is the first study to show that faster teen age runners have lower blood pressures and that the lower blood pressures persist long after they stop running. In their teens, the faster runners were more fit than the slower runners, and their dedication may have persisted into later life; or the faster teen-age runners may have had some physiological advantage that kept their blood pressure lower and made them less likely to suffer heart attacks in later life. Either the faster runners were genetically superior to the slower runners, or something in their lifestyles made them faster as teenagers and also caused them to have lower blood pressures throughout their lives. Either way, the findings of this study should encourage early participation in sports and lifelong exercise habits.

Sometimes doctors mistake a large, strong healthy heart caused by vigorous exercise with the large, weak, sick heart of cardiomyopathy. A report from University College London Hospitals describes the case of a professional athlete who was prohibited from playing football because doctors didnt order the right tests (European Journal of Echocardiology, August 2005).

In cardiomyopathy, the enlargement is caused by the hearts inability to pump blood through the body at rest because of poor pumping power and inability to fill adequately with blood. A person with this condition can die during exercise. On the other hand, people who exercise vigorously over many years can develop a very large muscular heart which is stronger than normal and far less likely to suffer any disease. If this patient had an echocardiogram and treadmill exercise tests read by a physician experienced with athletes, he would not have been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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Welcome To America - David

Coming to America thats right, David Beckham is coming to America to play soccer in Los Angeles. The greatest thing to hit soccer since Pele, David Beckham is looking to draw the type of crowds that he did for Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Soccer has become increasingly more popular in the United States over the past 10 years, with nearly 3 million children playing in youth soccer leagues across the country. Not since Pele joined the New York Cosmos in 75 has a soccer player drawn so much attention in the United States. Since the advent of the Major league soccer league in 1993 and the mens World Cup in 1994 soccer has benefited from a strong and steady increase that will either continue to grow or die on the vine with the success or failure of one Mr. David Beckham.

David, we look forward to seeing what you can do to help increase soccer awareness across the United States and who knows maybe some day your former team will come back to United States and you get a chance at redemption.

Your wife is already a tv star and both of you have a lot of history here in the States. Let's hope you can bring to this country what the rest of the world already knows. Your a great soccer player who needs to lift himself up to the level of the sport and become worldwide. Now is your chance!

Good Luck David and welcome to America!

For more information on getting started in soccer, visit soccer-resource.com today!

http://www.soccer-resource.com can get you started in playing what the world already knows, that soccer is a fantastic sport!