Whenever you get a job the first thing you want to know after salary is what the benefits are. What kind of health insurance plan can we get with your company? The truth is, that depends on what insurance company they choose. It also depends on how much money they are willing to spend on each plan. Of course the best prices only occur at group packages. These plans make obtaining insurance incredibly affordable in contrast to an individual health insurance plan.
There are several reasons why group health insurance plans are so affordable. First of all, whenever you buy anything in bulk you can expect a price break. That is exactly what happens with group insurance packages. The insurance company is going to get paid a lot more when several people buy plans. Secondly, if everyone buys the same package the prices will be less. If you want a custom plan you should consider an individual plan and expect to pay more. Fortunately many group plans do offer variants of the standard group insurance plan, but that also carries with it some additional fees.
With the economy the way it is right now, we should be thankful there are still opportunities to save a tremendous amount of money with health insurance. Group insurance plans provide that opportunity and allow us to support our families without fear of illness or sudden injuries. Additionally our dental and prescriptions are also covered under most of these group plans. That means that if you have a dental emergency or need to fill a prescription, you will save quite a bit of money.
Although group insurance keeps costs down, there are other ways for you to help keep the overall cost of insurance down. Take care of yourself. Make sure you eat the right foods and brush your teeth 3 times a day. Consider taking walks for 30 minutes per day and do some weight training at least once per week. Encourage your children to exercise as well. There is so much we can do as a nation to ensure our health insurance costs remain low so that everyone can afford them. Lawmakers are playing a role as well with laws that prohibit excessive lawsuits against medical mistakes, and discarding ideas like prohibiting insurance to those with pre existing conditions. We are all on the right track to saving money in these desperate times.
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Lead Generation Company Includes Cheque With Sales Letter
Two of the greatest challenges for a company doing direct mail sales lead generation are getting attention and creating attractive offers. A compelling package with a poor offer will flop. And a poor package with a compelling offer won't even get opened.
One advertiser who managed to both grab attention and make an irresistible offer is Coutts & Co., 15 Lombard Street, London EC1V 9AU, England. One of their staff, a Mr. R. W. R. Round, mailed a unique lead generation letter to law firms.
Stapled across the top of the letter was a cheque (or "check," as my American friends would say). The cheque was drawn on the company bank account, and was made payable to the letter recipient, in the amount of 25 Pounds Sterling, but was not signed.
In the letter, the writer presents his simple offer. He will meet with the prospect for 20 minutes to resent a remarkable new pension scheme developed for the legal profession. If the prospect hears the presentation and believes the writer has wasted the prospect's time, then the writer will sign the check and hand it to the prospect without a quibble.
The letter goes on to give a few credible reasons for why the prospect should meet with the writer, the most compelling of which is the fact that over 120 other law firms have already taken advantage of the
services of Coutts & Co.
This letter is remarkable for a number of reasons. It has stopping power. A real cheque (not one of those fake ones, so common in direct mail marketing) with my name on it would get my attention, at least long enough to motivate me to read the letter and discover what was going on.
And the offer is simple to grasp. "I'll tell you during a 20-minute meeting how our pension scheme helps your business, and won't waste your time, otherwise the check is yours to cash without further
ado."
The letter also sells the appointment and not the product (pension plans), a wise move in two-step sales processes like this where a salesperson must close every sale. In these cases, the goal of the letter is always to find a buyer, not finalize a sale.
You could copy this tactic. Or you could dream up one of your own. If you manage to grab attention and present an enticing offer at the same time, good for you. If you can't, hire a professional.
One advertiser who managed to both grab attention and make an irresistible offer is Coutts & Co., 15 Lombard Street, London EC1V 9AU, England. One of their staff, a Mr. R. W. R. Round, mailed a unique lead generation letter to law firms.
Stapled across the top of the letter was a cheque (or "check," as my American friends would say). The cheque was drawn on the company bank account, and was made payable to the letter recipient, in the amount of 25 Pounds Sterling, but was not signed.
In the letter, the writer presents his simple offer. He will meet with the prospect for 20 minutes to resent a remarkable new pension scheme developed for the legal profession. If the prospect hears the presentation and believes the writer has wasted the prospect's time, then the writer will sign the check and hand it to the prospect without a quibble.
The letter goes on to give a few credible reasons for why the prospect should meet with the writer, the most compelling of which is the fact that over 120 other law firms have already taken advantage of the
services of Coutts & Co.
This letter is remarkable for a number of reasons. It has stopping power. A real cheque (not one of those fake ones, so common in direct mail marketing) with my name on it would get my attention, at least long enough to motivate me to read the letter and discover what was going on.
And the offer is simple to grasp. "I'll tell you during a 20-minute meeting how our pension scheme helps your business, and won't waste your time, otherwise the check is yours to cash without further
ado."
The letter also sells the appointment and not the product (pension plans), a wise move in two-step sales processes like this where a salesperson must close every sale. In these cases, the goal of the letter is always to find a buyer, not finalize a sale.
You could copy this tactic. Or you could dream up one of your own. If you manage to grab attention and present an enticing offer at the same time, good for you. If you can't, hire a professional.
Make Your Own Websites - Get Top Advice From Top People
Considering the rapid rise in popularity of the internet, a growing number of people are seeking to create their own website. Unfortunately more than 90% will give up within the first few months due to their lack of knowledge.
You don't have to be a computer whiz to make your own websites. Under proper guidance it can easily be done. A great way to stand out from the crowd is to have a good strategy from the outset.
One of the easiest ways to learn internet marketing is by regularly attending seminars.
After attending numerous intensive seminars, I usually end up with a bundle of written notes containing pertinent information, most of it being substantial and doable ideas that I subsequently cannot wait to put into practice!
Nothing compares to listening to a successful internet marketer telling you all about his thriving websites and revealing the techniques that he has used.
Often these seminars have a panel of many different speakers, who have totally different backgrounds, techniques and a different perspective on internet marketing, making it a unique learning experience. Where else would you be able to get such valuable and diverse information in one place?
Also, the fact that you will be able to interact and exchange ideas with other delegates acts as a great moral booster. Seminars are fantastic place to discuss anything from Squeeze pages to SEO with like minded people.
How do they work?
You will usually find two different types:
Strategy specific seminars
They work a bit like personal coaching.
To attend those you will have to pay a substantial fee. The number of delegates is usually only between 30-50, the speakers 2-3, and it is more work-shop based. You will receive personal step by step guidance on specific strategies. There is a lot of interaction (as the group is quite small) and practical tasks to achieve.
General seminars
This type is a lot cheaper and in many cases free. There are a large number of delegates anything from hundreds to sometimes thousands and 10 to 20 speakers.
The information and recommendations given will be general rather than "project focused". Due to the large number of delegates, there won't be any specific guidance on the various subjects.
Both specific and general seminars are enormously invaluable and although there are sales pitches in both, I would strongly advise a beginner to start with a free seminar and once more confident and knowledgeable to opt for a more specific one.
You don't have to be a computer whiz to make your own websites. Under proper guidance it can easily be done. A great way to stand out from the crowd is to have a good strategy from the outset.
One of the easiest ways to learn internet marketing is by regularly attending seminars.
After attending numerous intensive seminars, I usually end up with a bundle of written notes containing pertinent information, most of it being substantial and doable ideas that I subsequently cannot wait to put into practice!
Nothing compares to listening to a successful internet marketer telling you all about his thriving websites and revealing the techniques that he has used.
Often these seminars have a panel of many different speakers, who have totally different backgrounds, techniques and a different perspective on internet marketing, making it a unique learning experience. Where else would you be able to get such valuable and diverse information in one place?
Also, the fact that you will be able to interact and exchange ideas with other delegates acts as a great moral booster. Seminars are fantastic place to discuss anything from Squeeze pages to SEO with like minded people.
How do they work?
You will usually find two different types:
Strategy specific seminars
They work a bit like personal coaching.
To attend those you will have to pay a substantial fee. The number of delegates is usually only between 30-50, the speakers 2-3, and it is more work-shop based. You will receive personal step by step guidance on specific strategies. There is a lot of interaction (as the group is quite small) and practical tasks to achieve.
General seminars
This type is a lot cheaper and in many cases free. There are a large number of delegates anything from hundreds to sometimes thousands and 10 to 20 speakers.
The information and recommendations given will be general rather than "project focused". Due to the large number of delegates, there won't be any specific guidance on the various subjects.
Both specific and general seminars are enormously invaluable and although there are sales pitches in both, I would strongly advise a beginner to start with a free seminar and once more confident and knowledgeable to opt for a more specific one.
Create Your Own Web Page - Why You Must Use a Mailing List
Unless you keep in contact with your site visitors, chances are your competition will be talking to them and promoting their own products and services. This is something that you need to be aware when you first try to promote your own website effectively.
Once you are no longer in their mind, someone else will swiftly move in.
Online marketers should understand the importance of keeping themselves at the forefront of their prospective customers' mind by emailing to their list regularly.
This builds a relationship of rapport and trust with your potential customers and they will in turn be more likely to visit one of your website hyperlinks included in your emails.
Keeping in touch is key to increasing your web site traffic.
It is a lot harder to find new potential customers than it is to keep existing ones.
The best way to retain and benefit from your current customers is to become "a master" of keeping in touch.
There are several ways to achieve this, but the most efficient and economical is by using "Permission Email Marketing".
This means that the people you will be regularly emailing have explicitly given you "permission" to be included on your mailing list. This is a hundred times more efficient than using direct emailing.
Click the link below to get more top internet marketing strategies today.
1. How to implement it?
Opt-in forms
Get visitors to subscribe to your email list by inserting an opt-in form on your website. It should be placed in an easy-to-find prominent location. Near the top of the page is usually a good choice. It is important that you keep the form "short and sweet". If it requires more than 10 seconds to fill-in, most people will be put off!
Additionally, you can include a sign-up email address to your email signature. This should simply ask people if they would like to be included to your email list.
2. Offer a free gift
Basically you need to give your visitors a reason for signing-up. This will definitely help to turn your website visitors into subscribers.
Perhaps offer a free ebook, report or video. It should be something that they can immediately get access to and easily download.
3. Build your list
One of the primary objectives of your internet site should be to get visitors to subscribe to your list (newsletter, email) therefore having the chance to develop a relationship with them should be your top priority.
Building a considerable mailing list should therefore be your ultimate goal, but only include people that have given you permission to do so, otherwise you could be accused of "spamming" them.
Keep growing this relationship by regularly sending your list emails. Their content should be of value to your subscribers and related to your website.
Once you are no longer in their mind, someone else will swiftly move in.
Online marketers should understand the importance of keeping themselves at the forefront of their prospective customers' mind by emailing to their list regularly.
This builds a relationship of rapport and trust with your potential customers and they will in turn be more likely to visit one of your website hyperlinks included in your emails.
Keeping in touch is key to increasing your web site traffic.
It is a lot harder to find new potential customers than it is to keep existing ones.
The best way to retain and benefit from your current customers is to become "a master" of keeping in touch.
There are several ways to achieve this, but the most efficient and economical is by using "Permission Email Marketing".
This means that the people you will be regularly emailing have explicitly given you "permission" to be included on your mailing list. This is a hundred times more efficient than using direct emailing.
Click the link below to get more top internet marketing strategies today.
1. How to implement it?
Opt-in forms
Get visitors to subscribe to your email list by inserting an opt-in form on your website. It should be placed in an easy-to-find prominent location. Near the top of the page is usually a good choice. It is important that you keep the form "short and sweet". If it requires more than 10 seconds to fill-in, most people will be put off!
Additionally, you can include a sign-up email address to your email signature. This should simply ask people if they would like to be included to your email list.
2. Offer a free gift
Basically you need to give your visitors a reason for signing-up. This will definitely help to turn your website visitors into subscribers.
Perhaps offer a free ebook, report or video. It should be something that they can immediately get access to and easily download.
3. Build your list
One of the primary objectives of your internet site should be to get visitors to subscribe to your list (newsletter, email) therefore having the chance to develop a relationship with them should be your top priority.
Building a considerable mailing list should therefore be your ultimate goal, but only include people that have given you permission to do so, otherwise you could be accused of "spamming" them.
Keep growing this relationship by regularly sending your list emails. Their content should be of value to your subscribers and related to your website.
Large Plastic Easter Eggs - What Do I Do With Them All?
So you plan on buying over 100 large plastic Easter eggs for a super duper Easter egg hunt that you are putting on for all the kids in your neighborhood. But you are in two minds whether to use something else besides plastic eggs as you don't want to have to throw them all away once Easter is over, or have the hassle of storing them somewhere clean and out of direct sunlight for next year. Well, feel good about using large plastic Easter eggs for you hunt this year as they are handy little things to have around the house. Let's take a look at how they can be recycled and used around the house as handy containers.
Handy Little Household Storage Devices
If you have decided to go for a large plastic Easter egg that doesn't have any holes in and is pretty air tight, then they can be used as a fab way to keep paints or varnishes in for a small painting or varnishing job. For example, if you have sanded down an old wooden chair and plan to give it a new lease of life with a few coats of varnish. Then you can pour some varnish into one half of an egg instead of ruining one of your best bowls and annoying your wife.
Tired of pricking yourself on random loose pins or thumbtacks in your home office drawer, then use a large plastic Easter egg to store them in and put the egg neatly in your drawer. That way you will never be struggling to find a pesky thumbtack again.
Similarly, ever had the frustration of losing a screw or nut or bolt whilst assembling that flat pack furniture, then why not empty the bag of screws it came with into a large plastic Easter egg and put it conveniently into your pocket. So when you need the next screw, just take it out, pop the lid off, and grab the screw you need - perfect.
We all know that storing batteries in the refrigerator helps prolong their life. But ever had one of these batteries leak battery acid into your fridge? You can say goodbye to all your fresh fruit and vegetables as they would be contaminated. A great solution to this would be to store your batteries in a large plastic Easter egg and the slip it into the refrigerator. Therefore, if you batteries ever leak, your perishables will be protected and safe to eat.
Large Plastic Easter Egg Ideas for the Bedroom
Back in the 90s, ladies pantyhose were sold in egg shaped containers to keep them fresh and prevent them from ripping or laddering. Why not adopt this idea for your bedroom and store all your pantyhose in a large plastic Easter egg to protect them from any sharp edges and splinters you have on your nightstand. Also, it will be a lot easier to see how many clean pantyhose you have left in your drawer as you can just count how many eggs you have.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to great uses for large plastic Easter eggs this year; you are only limited by your imagination. So don't worry about being wasteful after Easter is over, there are a ton of great uses just waiting for you to try out.
Handy Little Household Storage Devices
If you have decided to go for a large plastic Easter egg that doesn't have any holes in and is pretty air tight, then they can be used as a fab way to keep paints or varnishes in for a small painting or varnishing job. For example, if you have sanded down an old wooden chair and plan to give it a new lease of life with a few coats of varnish. Then you can pour some varnish into one half of an egg instead of ruining one of your best bowls and annoying your wife.
Tired of pricking yourself on random loose pins or thumbtacks in your home office drawer, then use a large plastic Easter egg to store them in and put the egg neatly in your drawer. That way you will never be struggling to find a pesky thumbtack again.
Similarly, ever had the frustration of losing a screw or nut or bolt whilst assembling that flat pack furniture, then why not empty the bag of screws it came with into a large plastic Easter egg and put it conveniently into your pocket. So when you need the next screw, just take it out, pop the lid off, and grab the screw you need - perfect.
We all know that storing batteries in the refrigerator helps prolong their life. But ever had one of these batteries leak battery acid into your fridge? You can say goodbye to all your fresh fruit and vegetables as they would be contaminated. A great solution to this would be to store your batteries in a large plastic Easter egg and the slip it into the refrigerator. Therefore, if you batteries ever leak, your perishables will be protected and safe to eat.
Large Plastic Easter Egg Ideas for the Bedroom
Back in the 90s, ladies pantyhose were sold in egg shaped containers to keep them fresh and prevent them from ripping or laddering. Why not adopt this idea for your bedroom and store all your pantyhose in a large plastic Easter egg to protect them from any sharp edges and splinters you have on your nightstand. Also, it will be a lot easier to see how many clean pantyhose you have left in your drawer as you can just count how many eggs you have.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to great uses for large plastic Easter eggs this year; you are only limited by your imagination. So don't worry about being wasteful after Easter is over, there are a ton of great uses just waiting for you to try out.
What Is the Psoas Muscle and How Does It Cause Back Pain?
The psoas muscle (which is sometimes referred to as the Iliopsoas) is a large muscle that connects the upper back and the inner thigh. Though it might be difficult to imagine how a muscle could make this connection, the psoas is an extremely important muscle. It help to stabilize and torso as well as rotate the hips.
This muscle helps you sit up from lying down, stand up from sitting down, and it helps you walk. The psoas is very important in our day-to-day life. But sometimes lack of activity and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a contracted or tense psoas muscle. This may cause lower back pain and stiffness or lack of mobility in the lower back or hip area.
Over time you may hold your body in an unnatural way either due to poor posture, injury, or just having a job that requires you sitting all day. This causes the psoas to develop a "memory" to hold itself in a contracted or stiff state.
You may have a contracted psoas muscle as well if your back is generally out of alignment. Misalignment of the psoas muscle can cause your back to lean more to one side of the other. This can result in bulging discs, sciatica, or other types of back pain.
Since your psoas controls so many different movements from sitting up, standing up, and walking, it is likely that you may have difficulties or pain with these movements as well.
Understand that the pain you're feeling is the direct result of a muscle imbalance in your psoas. Specifically, the psoas is contracted and throwing other parts of your back and hips out of alignment.
There are really two things you can do to relieve the pain. The first is to correct any lifestyle problems that may be causing the stiffness in your psoas muscle. Maybe you need to stand up ever now and then during the day instead of sitting for hours on end, or maybe you need to practice improving your posture. Secondly, to loosen up the psoas muscle you will need to develop the daily habit of stretching out the psoas muscle. If you do this consistently, you can start to relax and loosen the muscle tension.
Stretching exercises that target your psoas muscle will help you open and release the tension in this muscle. Stretching your psoas may be difficult at first if you are not particularly flexible. Don't feel bad, if your psoas is contracted and stiff, many other muscles in your body are probably stiff as well.
One muscle in particular that you may need to stretch in addition to the psoas is the piriformis muscle, which helps to rotate your legs. Often times a tense psoas and a tense piriformis muscle will come hand in hand.
Keep stretching daily and over time, your psoas and other muscles in your body will gain flexibility and the pain you are experiencing will slowly go away as your psoas opens up.
This muscle helps you sit up from lying down, stand up from sitting down, and it helps you walk. The psoas is very important in our day-to-day life. But sometimes lack of activity and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a contracted or tense psoas muscle. This may cause lower back pain and stiffness or lack of mobility in the lower back or hip area.
Over time you may hold your body in an unnatural way either due to poor posture, injury, or just having a job that requires you sitting all day. This causes the psoas to develop a "memory" to hold itself in a contracted or stiff state.
You may have a contracted psoas muscle as well if your back is generally out of alignment. Misalignment of the psoas muscle can cause your back to lean more to one side of the other. This can result in bulging discs, sciatica, or other types of back pain.
Since your psoas controls so many different movements from sitting up, standing up, and walking, it is likely that you may have difficulties or pain with these movements as well.
Understand that the pain you're feeling is the direct result of a muscle imbalance in your psoas. Specifically, the psoas is contracted and throwing other parts of your back and hips out of alignment.
There are really two things you can do to relieve the pain. The first is to correct any lifestyle problems that may be causing the stiffness in your psoas muscle. Maybe you need to stand up ever now and then during the day instead of sitting for hours on end, or maybe you need to practice improving your posture. Secondly, to loosen up the psoas muscle you will need to develop the daily habit of stretching out the psoas muscle. If you do this consistently, you can start to relax and loosen the muscle tension.
Stretching exercises that target your psoas muscle will help you open and release the tension in this muscle. Stretching your psoas may be difficult at first if you are not particularly flexible. Don't feel bad, if your psoas is contracted and stiff, many other muscles in your body are probably stiff as well.
One muscle in particular that you may need to stretch in addition to the psoas is the piriformis muscle, which helps to rotate your legs. Often times a tense psoas and a tense piriformis muscle will come hand in hand.
Keep stretching daily and over time, your psoas and other muscles in your body will gain flexibility and the pain you are experiencing will slowly go away as your psoas opens up.
What Causes Lower Back and Pelvic Pain?
Maybe you've experienced it before. A sharp and stabbing pain in your lower back or hips. Maybe you're even experiencing it right now. What's going on here and what can you do about it?
First of all, I want to let you know that I'm not a medical professional, so I can't say for certain what may be causing your pain, but in my experience, most lower back and hip pain is the result of what is called Sciaitca.
I first experienced Sciatica several years ago while I was finishing up my senior year of college. It started as a dull pain in my right hip. At first, I just thought that I had slept in an awkward position or something and just brushed it off. But over the next week, the pain increased to the point where I could barely walk without having to stop to rest and let the pain die down. At this point, I went and saw a university doctor who explained to me what Sciatica is.
Essentially, there is a nerve in your body called the Sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back down to your legs and feet. It is the longest nerve in the body. When your Sciatic nerve gets trapped somewhere, then you will experience Sciatica.
Sciatica usually presents itself as a sharp and intense pain in the lower back, hips, buttocks, legs, or feet. However, it can sometimes be a numb or tingling feeling like you might feel when your leg is asleep.
What might cause sciatica? There are a lot of things that could lead to this condition. It is pretty much anything that puts pressure on the Sciatic nerve. In my case, it was my Piriformis muscle. This small muscle is located in the pelvis just above the Sciatic nerve. When the Piriformis becomes irritated it may contract or spasm and crush the Sciatic nerve.
Other common causes of Sciatica are bulging or herniated discs in the lower back, tension in other muscles in the lower back or hips such as your Psoas muscles, or Spinal Stenosis (a progressive narrowing of the spinal canal which puts pressure on spinal nerves).
But when you boil everything down, most of these causes are the direct result of muscle imbalances in the body. A muscle imbalance occurs anytime that a muscle is either too strong or too weak. This results in your body's alignment being shifted in order to compensate. When your body isn't in alignment, then pressure is placed on bones, nerves and inter-vertebral discs, which will cause many of the conditions that result in Sciatica.
So, then the way to relieve most cases of Sciatica is to balance out the muscles of the back and correct the alignment problems that cause pain. Most muscle imbalances can be taken care of with stretching exercises that help to loosen tense muscles and strengthen weak muscles. These stretching exercises take time to really work and it may be a several days or weeks before you start to see the benefits, but in the long run living without pain is a fair trade off.
First of all, I want to let you know that I'm not a medical professional, so I can't say for certain what may be causing your pain, but in my experience, most lower back and hip pain is the result of what is called Sciaitca.
I first experienced Sciatica several years ago while I was finishing up my senior year of college. It started as a dull pain in my right hip. At first, I just thought that I had slept in an awkward position or something and just brushed it off. But over the next week, the pain increased to the point where I could barely walk without having to stop to rest and let the pain die down. At this point, I went and saw a university doctor who explained to me what Sciatica is.
Essentially, there is a nerve in your body called the Sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back down to your legs and feet. It is the longest nerve in the body. When your Sciatic nerve gets trapped somewhere, then you will experience Sciatica.
Sciatica usually presents itself as a sharp and intense pain in the lower back, hips, buttocks, legs, or feet. However, it can sometimes be a numb or tingling feeling like you might feel when your leg is asleep.
What might cause sciatica? There are a lot of things that could lead to this condition. It is pretty much anything that puts pressure on the Sciatic nerve. In my case, it was my Piriformis muscle. This small muscle is located in the pelvis just above the Sciatic nerve. When the Piriformis becomes irritated it may contract or spasm and crush the Sciatic nerve.
Other common causes of Sciatica are bulging or herniated discs in the lower back, tension in other muscles in the lower back or hips such as your Psoas muscles, or Spinal Stenosis (a progressive narrowing of the spinal canal which puts pressure on spinal nerves).
But when you boil everything down, most of these causes are the direct result of muscle imbalances in the body. A muscle imbalance occurs anytime that a muscle is either too strong or too weak. This results in your body's alignment being shifted in order to compensate. When your body isn't in alignment, then pressure is placed on bones, nerves and inter-vertebral discs, which will cause many of the conditions that result in Sciatica.
So, then the way to relieve most cases of Sciatica is to balance out the muscles of the back and correct the alignment problems that cause pain. Most muscle imbalances can be taken care of with stretching exercises that help to loosen tense muscles and strengthen weak muscles. These stretching exercises take time to really work and it may be a several days or weeks before you start to see the benefits, but in the long run living without pain is a fair trade off.