The Poker Nightcap

On July 25, the Venetian hosted the final event of the Deaf Poker tour. In its fourth season, the deaf-only poker tournament had a huge participation, breaking last year’s main event record by 42 and reaching a total high of 136 players.

Launched in 2006 in Atlantic City by a group of six deaf friends who wanted to bring the top deaf poker players on the East Coast together for the chance to play Texas Holdem in real tournaments, the deaf-only tournaments provide deaf players the opportunity to play in events where there are no barriers of communication.

The deaf-only poker tournament offer players the chance to prove they can play the game using only sign language to communicate, and it is just another of the many challenges that deaf players need to face when playing any competitive sports.

As the deaf poker players became more serious on the green table, Las Vegas and big events such as the WSOP started to look really appealing and not so far out of reach. According to Jarrod Musano, one of the deaf poker tour founders, they had all played at a local table at casinos or at small tournaments, and Las Vegas was just a dream. A dream came true today.

And while poker is growing among the deaf community, it’s definitely not the only tournament the deaf players challenge themselves with. From bowling to golfing to basketball, they are showing how in sports there are no barriers of communication.

An opt-in e-newsletter is one of the most effective marketing tools you can use because it is fast, personal, and inexpensive. Many small businesses are using e-mail newsletters to introduce themselves to new customers
and to communicate with existing ones. By sending useful information on a regular basis, you maintain continuous contact without being annoying. In addition, an e-mail newsletter can enhance your credibility and increase sales.

Creating an E-mail Newsletter

Producing your newsletter doesn’t have to be a monumental task. First, decide on the frequency of
publication. This is based on how much time you have to do the work. Publishing it monthly or quarterly is
probably a comfortable pace for both you and your readers. Next, produce a graphic design for your layout.

Many e-mail list management companies provide online templates for their customers. You simply type or paste
in your information online and an HTML or text-based newsletter is automatically created for you.

Now it’s time for the content of your newsletter. Concentrate on topics that your readers will be interested
in, not only the ones that you find fascinating. Try to use real-life applications. For example, you can
describe past successes and maybe even interview a customer or two. This way, you tell your audience how you
solved a problem that relates to them and conveys that you are a results- oriented professional.

12 Tips for Successful E-mail Newsletters and Campaigns

1. Do not purchase, trade, or borrow an e-mail list

Sending e-mail to people who have not specifically requested to receive your mailings (opted-in) is almost
always regarded as spam.

2. Make signing up and unsubscribing easy and visible

Add a sign up form to your home page or link to it and ask your customers if they would like to sign up when
you speak with them in person. You may only want to ask subscribers for their e-mail address, first and last
name, and one or two other questions such as their interests. This will allow you to target future
mailings.

3. Use double opt-in registration

There are two standard methods for online registration, single and double opt-in. Double opt-in is the
preferred method because it requires confirmation.

4. Link to your privacy policy

Place a link to your privacy policy near your list sign-up form. Your policy should describe how you handle
the information you collect and how people can contact you in case they have any concerns or
questions.

5. Send a welcome message to each new subscriber

Once someone subscribes, send a welcome message immediately. Include a description of what they will receive,
how frequently, and how to unsubscribe.

6. Keep accurate sign-up records

Sometimes, you or your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will get a spam complaint from someone who forgot they
subscribed to your list. Keep accurate records that include the date and web address from which they signed
up.

7. Ask your members to opt-in again if you are using an older list

If you have not sent a mailing for a while, ask subscribers to indicate that they want to stay on your list by
sending you an e-mail, clicking a link, or visiting a web page.

8. Remind people that they subscribed

Include a standard heading each time you send a message. A short note such as, “Thank you for subscribing to
our newsletter, Mary,” will remind recipients that they requested your mailings.

9. Avoid certain terms in your subject line and message text

If your message contains words frequently used by spammers, people will delete it and possibly file a spam
complaint. ISPs often filter e-mails with suspicious subject lines and it is also illegal to use deceptive
or misleading ones.

10. Include your physical address and phone number

Put your phone number and postal mailing address in your message. This allows readers to contact you to place
an order or inquire about your services. In addition, federal legislation requires physical addresses on
commercial e-mail messages.

11. Send your mailings regularly

Keep in touch with your subscribers frequently so they don’t forget they signed up to receive your mailings.
They will begin to anticipate your messages if you adhere to a schedule.

12. Reply promptly to each inquiry or spam complaint

When and if you receive an inquiry or a spam complaint, respond to it as soon as possible. Always include the
subscriber’s sign up information with your response.

Following these simple suggestions will help you retain your subscriber base, which is fundamental for a
thriving permission-based electronic newsletter or outreach campaign.

Raj Khera is a partner in MailerMailer, a web-based e-mail list management service that provides customers the ability to create and track opt-in newsletters and e-mail campaigns. Receive a full copy of the E-mail Marketing Metrics Report: http://www.mailermailer.com/metrics.

Copyright 2005 by Raj Khera, MailerMailer LLC. All rights reserved.

Printable greeting cards are in a category all of their own. These websites are catering exclusively to the population that doesn’t want to be out buying cards but still wants to choose and send greetings the traditional way. The concept of e-greetings has come under some amount of criticism from such people, because it lacks the personal touch and feel of paper.

Now, printable greeting card websites allow the user to create a theme greeting with a customized, personal message. They put a variety of cards on offer, all of which can be printed along with matching envelopes. They give one the option to choose a colored card or black-and-white card. These printable greeting cards also come with a bunch of pictures one can use on the front of a card.

The sites advise the user to keep in mind the capability of the particular printer that is going to do the job. Some images are simple drawings with few colors, while some are photo-quality images.

Also, if one wants to choose from preformatted titles, one may simply choose the “blank” option and then write out a separate message. At any point during the process of designing and printing, if the user decides to change some of the selections, they can do so by using the back button on the browser.

Most sites offer envelopes along with cards, but sometimes the ordinary ones won’t do. Most printable greeting card sites will offer tips on how to create matching confetti envelopes.

Creating custom cards is another fad that sites are selling. The user is allowed to try making and printing a card for free. Then comes the question of membership. Essentially, they are of two kinds, one that allows you unlimited access for a fee and the other, basic membership model that is free. They also provide designs and borders and ideas, which can be copied to help embellish the end product.

Printable greeting cards make life easier if one is web-enabled. They remove the monotony of cards produced en masse and add a touch of adventure into the whole business of publishing and printing personalized greeting cards.

With the different direction in fashion also means the change in what designer boutiques such as Matches supply. The fashion boutique have changed to clothing experts at staying up with the current clothing trends in style and having a plentiful range of latest t-shirts from designers such as Catherine Malandrino, Miu Miu & Marc Jacobs. Check out this seasons Alexander McQueen fashions at Matches Fashion.

Although the high fashion company is only small, in the 17 years the high fashion company have been open their trendy clients have seen them rise from a small tiny boutique to a collection of three bigger boutiques found in prime and popular areas such as Notting Hill, Richmond and Wimbledon and another seven tinnier retail stores situated over other parts of the city.

The store have been doing fantastic since the launch of their website, the response from customers has been fantastic. The vast choice of all the leading designer shoes have made the high fashion company one of the leading businesses in the UK to go to for the latest fashion. The hip website itself is built to resemble a fashion magazine, and because of this the good-looking website easily attracts tasteful customers who want to shop. Also Matches have introduced their monthly newsletter which folk might sign up to online and the newsletter should be posted or emailed to you. The newsletter will tell you of any new dresses from James Jeans that will be arriving in the company along with any discounts or special offers, sales etc that should be happening in the future. With this newsletter you could feel like a VIP as you could always be the 1st to know about any special advanced stock views or special evenings that the designer clothing store may be holding.

Every fashion season the fashion experts from the fashion boutique focus on editing the international designer collections right down to the most sought after handbags. The designer clothing store also constantly seek out emerging designers to bring the trendy customers the leading in cutting edge mini skirts and accessories.

Information Overload

With information overload rapidly killing traditional forms of online advertising – today the key to effective marketing is relevancy.

Smaller businesses with a niche or limited product range are more often than not focused by default but for the larger company with a diverse product range the ‘all things to all men’ approach to advertising is becoming less and less effective.

Monthly newsletters may have worked in the past but with the online marketing juggernaut churning out newsletters after newsletter along with countless other marketing material the newsletter is loosing its punch.

With over zealous spam filters and the sheer weight of marketing material it is not enough that a newsletter is well written and well presented it has to be wanted, and to be wanted it has to be relevant.

How confident can a newsletter editor be that if a subscriber did not receive their regular copy that the subscriber would look to see why; how confident can anyone be that the subscriber would even notice?

For the larger supplier who has a diverse product range the websites and newsletter has to become ‘intelligent’ and move away from the ‘these are the answers to everyone’s problems’ and develop the individually customised websites and newsletters that says ‘these are the answers to your specific needs’.

Adding intelligence

To achieve high relevancy companies need to be able to accurately profile their customers and likely to be at the heart of a high relevancy marketing initiative will be a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database.

Along with demographic and personal information such as location, age and gender a good CRM database will also store the customer’s lifestyle preferences and build up an individual picture of each customer’s likes and dislikes.

Amazon is one such company that has led the way with website relevancy and with their ‘one stop’ shopping philosophy and vast range of stock it is easy to see why it makes sense for them to highlight to each individual consumer what products may be of greatest interest.

Amazon do this by greeting their returning registered users by name and offering recommendations based on previous purchases and profile information that can be further fine tuned by each customer.

A company that builds an effective CRM database with accurate and current information is in a position to develop both on and off line precision marketing.

With good CRM information newsletters can be delivered with the most relevant story first, a simple step that could make the difference between a potential consumer dismissing, or reading, what has been sent.

How to achieve accurate and effective CRM information

The CRM database is a pool of information and the first task for any company wishing to take the CRM approach is to populate the CRM database with quality information. The most obvious starting point is existing customers and the information that has already been collated such as any existing inquiry and ordering processes.

However, although useful ordering and inquiry processes will not on their own fully profile the existing customer and nor will they profile the potential customer.

A good, cost effective method of populating a CRM database is to conduct online surveys and questionnaires where demographic and personal information can be gathered along with lifestyle and general profiling information.

A small incentive may be required to ensure a good response but companies need to take advantage of the human trait where many people are willing to express an opinion. Online surveys can be targeted at the existing customer in the form of customer satisfaction and product evaluation surveys as well as the potential customer in the form of market research, advertising and general promotion.

Using to days breed of online survey websites such as www.SurveyGalaxy.com anyone can now generated online surveys on the fly, they are easily adaptable and can be used to react quickly to shifts in the market. Online surveys offer an effect non-passive marketing channel, quite unlike any other form of advertising, where the survey mentally engages the consumer.

Using an online survey websites such as www.SurveyGalaxy.com where the gathered survey information is by stored in a database it is a simple task to upload the relevant information into the CRM database.

If the CRM database is the queen bee of any precision targeted marketing campaign then the online survey represents the worker bee, gathering information and delivering the message.

With good CRM information companies are able to reduce their costs by not wasting time sending information to people who have no interest in their product. By keeping their powder dry for when they do have something that a particular consumer will find useful and of interest they will be able to maximise their marketing resource and develop better communication with the consumer.

When it comes to marketing relevancy is undoubtedly the new black.

Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy Ltd a web site that allows anyone to create, design and publish online surveys. For more information please visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com

Spring is here, which means the warm weather months will be upon us. For most Great Dane owners, we’re relieved. Our Great Danes can run loose in the yard while we air-out our homes from the long winter months. Hibernation is over and we can take our furry friends to the park, the beach, and on trips. But we want to have a safe summer! In order to do that, we should glance over a few tips and rules for the safety of our Great Danes. For most of you, these are just reminders. For new pet owners, these should be used as a guideline:

Traveling by Car

On very hot days in particular, try not to take long car rides with your Great Dane. While you’re behind the wheel, consider your Great Dane’s feelings. YOU may not be warm enough to have the air conditioning on. What if you were wearing a down jacket? Your Great Dane’s coat is just like a down jacket. Consider his comfort. Always provide plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

Stopping at the Store ‘real quick’

Forget it. It doesn’t matter how quick it is. Do not leave your dog in the car while you’re shopping in the summer. It’s cruel. It’s inhumane. If someone wants to report you-they can, they will, and they should. You decided to take your Great Dane with you. If you plan to go shopping or window-browsing, leave your dog at home. While this may sound harsh, we’re very aware of the repercussions of leaving your dog in a locked car: death. On a hot summer day-your dog can succumb to fatality in less than five minutes in a hot car. Pease be responsible.

Poisonous Foliage

If you see mushrooms growing in your yard, remove them immediately. Your Great Dane can become seriously ill from eating them. Some plants and berries are hazardous to your Great Dane’s health as well. If you’re not sure which plants pose a threat, research the shrubs and plant-life in your yard to see if they’re pet-friendly.

Mowing Your Lawn

Some Great Danes may be petrified of your lawn mower, others may think of it as a game or a noisy thing they wish to attack. Regardless of how ‘funny’ it is, accidents easily happen this way each summer. Your Great Dane should not be in the vicinity when you’re cutting grass. Most vital veins are located in your pet’s limbs. Should they get cut by your mower, they may die from their injury.

Jen Carter is staff writer for Dynamite Great Danes – owned by professional qualified Great Dane Breeder Gale Renz. You may publish this article only if you do modify it in any way.

See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property. It is a transfer of an interest in land, from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner of the real estate when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.

So how do you find a lender or broker you can trust’ Settlement costs can include everything from broker commissions and loan-origination fees, which cover the lender’s costs in processing the loan, to appraisal and credit-report fees, among others. Brokers work with many mortgage bankers and, as a result, can sometimes find slightly more competitive rates 11 percent perhaps lower but dealing directly with a mortgage banker can move a loan along more quickly. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is evidence of a debt of 9 percent. Although most mortgage experts say that rates 8 percent are pretty much the same wherever you go, give or take this tiny 8 percentage. Different lenders charge different fees. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower. Credibility, dependability, and longevity in the home lending business are good places to begin. Both banks and brokers have their strengths and weaknesses. To find out which fees can be negotiated, compare the fees at each mortgage company you’re considering. Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately.

Translated in Dutch: Woon je in Lingewaard of Albrandswaard en heeft u BKR notering’ Lenen met BKR is nog nooit zo gemakkelijk geweest. Koop een ander huis met forum bkr hypotheken duitsland, 414964euro is geen obstakel om te lenen. Van Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude tot Dronten, financieren met een BKR notering kan hier altijd.

A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan for 3 percent. Start with credibility. It’s not easy to know if the prices quoted by lenders are reliable. See which lenders are charging fees 11 percent and for how much. Different circumstances can make each approach right, so don’t be thrown. But others will claim low rates to bring in customers or tell you that the rates 3 percent offered by competitors will change.

Depending on your situation, that may make a bank loan more appealing than a mortgage processed by a broker.

Many of these fees are fixed but some can be negotiated.

And of course, each loan and each borrower are different. Some will quote you precise, competitive rates 7 percent. In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans 7 percent secured on real estate rather than other property and in some cases only land may be mortgaged.

After you’ve been using QuickBooks for while and have been balancing your account regularly, you will only irregularly have trouble reconciling it. However, if you are just getting started, you may have trouble getting your QuickBooks bank account to balance. For that reason, let me offer some suggestions for balancing a bank account that’s causing you trouble.

Check for missing transactions

Account balance trouble stems from only three causes:

Reason 1: You cleared a transaction the bank hasn’t recorded

Reason 2: You forgot to record a transaction, or perhaps several transactions

Reason 3: Either you or your bank incorrectly recorded a transaction

Therefore, when you find yourself with reconciliation troubles, first make sure that you are not missing some transaction. Go through the bank statement line for line, comparing each of the transactions listed there with the contents of your account register. If you find the bank statement lists a transaction that your QuickBooks bank account register does not, then you need to record it in QuickBooks.

Confirm you haven’t incorrectly cleared transactions

Once you confirm that the QuickBooks bank account register includes all transactions, verify that you have not incorrectly cleared transactions that are still outstanding. To do this, thoroughly review the QuickBooks account register and make sure that each transaction marked with a “C” does, in fact, appear on the bank statement.

Compare amounts

If the two reviews described in the preceding paragraphs don’t explain the difference between your records and the bank’s, you need to check the actual transaction amounts that you have recorded against those shown in the bank register. In other words, if the bank register shows a check to your mortgage company for $500, you need to make sure that your account register also records the check as $500.

Unfortunately, it is easy to incorrectly record transaction amounts in the QuickBooks account register. All it takes is pressing the wrong key. And, in fact, two data entry errors are particularly difficult to see: transposition errors and sign errors.

Keep a sharp lookout for transposition errors

Transposition errors occur when you transpose, or flip-flop, the numbers in an amount. If you write a check for $123, but record the check as $132, for example, you’ve transposed the 2 and the 3. And this error is hard to spot later. You look at the bank statement, for example, and see the digits 123. Then when you look at the account register, you see the digits 132. Unless you are looking not just at the digits used but also at their order, you may miss this error.

Don’t miss sign errors

Sign errors occur when you enter a deposit as a withdrawal, or a withdrawal as a deposit. All this really means is that you have entered some transaction amount in the wrong column. Again, this error is sometimes tough to spot because the transaction appears both on the bank statement and in your registerjust in the wrong column in the QuickBooks bank register.

If you come up with some difference with your records and the bank’s that is irreconcilable, try dividing the error by 2. Then look for a transaction equal to this result. For example, if you have a $200 error, divide $200 by 2 to get the result $100. Then look for a $100 transaction that is entered in the wrong column.

Some problems account reconciliation won’t fix

There are several common errors that account reconciliation won’t catch. Reconciliation won’t catch when you forget to record a transaction and the transaction hasn’t yet cleared the bank. If you forget to record a check and the check is still outstanding at the end of the statement month, for example, the check doesn’t appear in your register and it doesn’t get listed on your bank statement.

Another kind of error that a bank reconciliation won’t catch stems from entering a fictitious transaction in the account register. For example, if you enter a check in the QuickBooks bank account register that you never wrote or a deposit you never made, the check or deposit will never clear the bank.

Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to find these sorts of errors. Mostly, you need to apply simple common sense to prevent them. In the case of forgotten uncleared transactions, your only recourse is to be careful in your record keeping. Try to establish a system whereby you regularly record the checks you write and the deposits you make.

Seattle certified public accountant & author Stephen L. Nelson wrote Quicken for Dummies and more than 100 other books as well. Nelson holds an MBA in Finance and an MS in taxation. His web site is http://www.stephenlnelson.com

Many years ago I went into one business as CEO. The Business was losing £1m annually. Casually wandering around (listening and communicating) I asked a member of the sales team, “how do we find our customers?” Reply “we don’t, everyone knows (name of company)”. That business was dying. After much deep root and branch change, which is another story, it did not die but I am sure you get my point.

Whether you are CEO of a multinational or a one person business, without a marketing strategy, your products and services will not reach any one.

Central to that strategy is communication – using it to attract customers and converting their interest in to sales. There are many tools for us to use ranging from direct mail and PR activities to web sites and even text messaging. The aim at all times must be to keep those customers happy and coming back for more.

How we market our business is evident in the way we produce our letters, e-mails and brochures. We must consistently convey the right image. Of course we must listen to what our customers and prospects say and respond accordingly. Marketing should be on going, no matter how well we are doing.

Successful marketing need not be costly but it does mean that we must understand our market(s) and have an effective means to attract customers to our products, services and business. Be vigilant and take action!

Article by Michael Harrison, Author, Publisher and Business Consultant. Learn from an expert! Go to: http://www.be-your-own-business-expert.com/Marketing.html Subscribe for your Free weekly newsletter. Information for career and business minded people. Subscribe today http://www.be-your-own-business-expert.com/Bulletin.html Access our archives when you subscribe. **Attn: Ezine Editors / Site Owners / Webmasters / everyone** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site as long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed above. You can use other articles similarly from http://www.be-your-own-business-expert.com/Article.html OR subscribe to our FREE newsletter issued weekly. Each issue is packed with motivational, business and personal development material.

Years ago Sir Isaac Newton observed “What goes up, must come down” and hence we now have the Universal Law of Gravitation. Today’s small business owners can apply similar principles to their own growth and viability through the Five Universal Funnel Laws for Businesses “What goes in, must come out!”

Universal Funnel Law #1 – Every business needs a plan of action. A strategic plan that clearly articulates “Who does What by When” and may require the assistance of a small business consultant.

Universal Funnel Law #2 – Every business needs prospects. A marketing plan is a proven way to reach and begin to develop relationships with future clients.

Universal Funnel Law #3 – Every business must have sales. A sales plan along with a sale model or process works to convert prospects into actual sales.

Universal Funnel Law #4 – Every business needs customers or clients. A customer relationship plan further develops loyal customers and serves as a source for ongoing referrals.

Universal Funnel Law #5 – Every business demands dollars. A financial plan records the results of all activity.

These Universal Funnel Laws operate together and if you are a visually thinker, like myself, lay inside each other. Universal Funnel Law #1 is the largest funnel as it holds the other four funnels. As your business expands, so do these funnels. The questions to ask yourself are: Do I know all Five Universal Laws? And, more importantly, do I have plans in place to maximize my daily efforts to that my actions are ultimately increasing my business dollars?

Word Count: 255 words
Copyright 2005(c) Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S.

This article may be freely published. Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).

If doubling your results or performance is important to you, then visit http://processspecialist.com/ to learn some additional secrets and tips. Sign up for a free monthly newsletter. Please feel free to contact Leanne at 219.759.5601 or visit to http://processspecialist.com/.