The network that's about you! -- Grow Your Team!

All Blog Posts (395)

Price Increases at USPS

UPS, FedEx and yes the US Postal service will raise rates too. Pricing for shipping services will change on January 18, the US Postal Service announced following a vote by its Board of Governors. Prices will change for Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select, Parcel Return Service and some international shipping products. Overall, shipping services prices will increase an average of 5 percent. The new prices are available at www.usps.com/prices New for 2009 is Commercial Plus pricing. New… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 19, 2008 at 5:00am — No Comments

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What's in Your Future?

Hi If you are like me, you are glad the election is over. We have probably all received many phone calls about who to vote for - or who not to vote for. We have received countless fliers. And we have for sure seen our fair share of political ads. But now that is behind us. In recent weeks, I have heard over and over again, "I am going to start my own business but I am going to wait until the election is over." I understand that we are in uncertain times so people have been hesitant to start s… Continue

Added by Karri Vialpando on November 19, 2008 at 1:53am — No Comments

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UPS releases new rates for 2009

UPS announced its new shipping rates for 2009, which will include an average 5.9% increase for group packages, as well as an average increase of 4.9% on air express and US Shipments sent abroad. The new rates take effect on January 5, 2009. UPS Freight announced a general rate increase of 5.9% which customers will be able to download the new rates and service guide at ups.com/rates beginning on December 18th. Last month FedEx announced it Express package and freight rates will increase and aver… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 19, 2008 at 12:18am — No Comments

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The Secret to Finding Time For Social Media

Keeping up with social media can be a taxing time consuming task. Here's the secret: Pick a couple of social networks -- mine are Twitter and some ning groups, MerchantCircle and MySpace -- and concentrate on those. You can't be everywhere and you don't need to be everywhere. Because social media is one part of my business, I do try every new platform that comes along. I will open an account in each one so I can see how they work, who's using them and what kind of usefulness they could have to… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 18, 2008 at 6:00am — No Comments

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The Week Ahead for November 17-20, 2008

Monday: October Industrial Production Tuesday: October Producer Price Index Wednesday: October Consumer Price Index, Federal Reserve Meeting Minutes, October Housing Starts Thursday: Weekly Initial Jobless Claims, October Leading Economic Indicators Friday: Larson note: Big reporting week to say the least. Look for positives in pricing and negative in production and housing. Then go back and look at your short term business plan and see what that does to your… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 18, 2008 at 12:11am — No Comments

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Will you be the first??

Hi everyone! I'm wondering if you could take a moment to help out a fellow Etsian?? The eSMArts team has started a team store to aid one of our own. All team members are contributing items and the proceeds from the sale will go to a fellow Etsian who had her laptop stolen.... this leav… Continue

Added by Diane on November 17, 2008 at 5:15am — No Comments

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Advertise Free With A Reputable Company

Advertising on USFreeads couldn't be easier, and you could be up and running literally 5 minutes from now! With over 525,000 members and growing by the minute, USFreeads is a widely known and trusted classified advertising source generating millions of dollars in sales for our advertisers every month. Advertising on USFreeads is quick and easy and starts with the registration process which creates an account with us so you can place ads. http://www.usfreeads.com/29322_refer.html Continue

Added by Paul Hines on November 17, 2008 at 2:15am — No Comments

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Marketers Must Engage the Muslim Consumer

Muslim Market is a $170 Billion Market, Why Aren't You Targeting It? This is an excerpt from the white paper "American-Muslim Identity: Advertising, Mass Media & New Media." A longer version can be found at Desedo Films' blog. "I’ve seen plenty of things making fun of us. ... We would love to be part of a general marketing campaign if the media world would accept Muslims as a common part of the North American diaspora." -- Amethyst, creator of Ninjabi Advertising in the U.S. has often inf… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 15, 2008 at 2:46am — 4 Comments

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Is E-tailing tougher than Retail?

These days being a retailer is hard enough but E-tailing or selling on the internet can be even harder. In addition to such normal retail issues as product and price, and E-tailer needs to deel with shopping care software, a way to manage returns, and a way to get customers to their e-store. Just by putting up a site and placing products on your page does not bring you customers. You think all this would be obvious to people getting into E-tailing So many people think that ujsut being online i… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 14, 2008 at 7:49am — No Comments

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Starbucks' 4Q Profit Down

You know if it is about coffee I need to report on it, so... Starbucks' 4Q Profit Down 97%, Same-Store Sales Drop 8% But CEO Schultz Believes Struggling Coffee Giant Has Hit Its 'Bottoming-out Milestone' Restructuring costs have taken a bite out of Starbucks' fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year profits, the retailer reported today. Fourth-quarter earnings plummeted 97%, to $5 million, from $159 million in the year-ago period. The figure includes a $105 million charge for restructuring, and ot… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 14, 2008 at 12:56am — No Comments

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Obama Win Could Spur Holiday Sales

Can Barack Obama save Christmas? Or will the Grinch rule? In a survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs, 8% of respondents said they are likely to increase holiday spending, thanks to the historic election of Sen. Obama to the White House. By contrast, only 5% said they would have increased spending if Sen. John McCain had been elected. While Michael Niemira, director-research at ICSC, admits those figures don't represent the bulk of consumers, he said it still… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 13, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments

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Pado Travel Agency Update!!

Hey there! Just a quickie update. Pado is undergoing some major transitioning from Weblink changes, Updating the website, and our partnering with a better and more resourceful Consortia. The agency website will be a little finicky for the next 2 weeks or so, therefore should you visit the website, please note that NOT ALL LINKS WILL BE WORKING EFFECTIVELY. However, to save you time let me know what your travel needs are by emailing me at: donna@padotravelprofessionals.com One final matter I… Continue

Added by Pado Travel Professionals on November 13, 2008 at 4:19am — No Comments

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What are micro communities?

Let me start off by saying, the concept of Social Media is not a new one. “Social Media" together with "Web 2.0" makes it look new. Social Media has been around since the inception of the Internet. Stop and think a moment, some of the most powerful social media outlets for your clients, services and products have been around a very long time - Forums and Message Boards. Forums and Message Boards are full of usually relevant content around a particular subject. Whether its subject is about colle… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 13, 2008 at 12:14am — No Comments

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Majority Of Companies Avoiding Social Media

The majority of businesses have no formal plans to adopt social media or use its benefits that can lead to better customer relations and increased sales. This should not surprise you at all. Fear and apathy are the primary barriers to using social media, according to a global survey by Avanade, an IT consultancy company. Over half of respondents to the survey said senior executives and IT staff resist adoption out of fear it will reduce employee productivity. Good point and in the hands of mos… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 13, 2008 at 12:12am — No Comments

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Top 5 Web Categories by Daily Visits

62% Search Engines 27% Social Networking 27% General News 19% Online Banking 13% Sports News *Source: Rubicon Consulting. 3,036 US Web Users age 13 and up. September 2008. Larson Note: Gives you a window of how to attract customers to your site and how to allocate your time and funds. .SE campaigns, SN efforts and time, banner ads? Howard Larson Larson & Associates Telesales & Target Marketing Professionals for new account acquisition Making good businesses great and great busi… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 11, 2008 at 8:00am — No Comments

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The Week Ahead for November 10-14, 2008

Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Weekly Initial Jobless Claims, September Trade Balance Friday: October Retail Sales, September Business Inventories, November University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index Larson note: Look for the silver lining in the reports this week, things like trade balance. Other things will not be pretty but keep your micro-economy in perspective what is happening in the broad base does not have bring you down. You don’t need to be gloom and d… Continue

Added by Howard Larson on November 11, 2008 at 1:08am — No Comments

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Grab Yer Ear Plugs!

Kiss My Blog I am by no means a blog expert, and not even a regular blogger myself. I do read many blogs and respond to thoughts and comments on issues. One thing I am tired of? Blogs that are trying to sell me something! And yes I'll say it - the baboons trying to recruit a down line through a blog make my skin crawl. What is a Blog? Well here is one definition - A blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of comm… Continue

Added by Kathy Buck on November 10, 2008 at 11:52pm — No Comments

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Don't Miss Out On This Free New Marketing Tool

Web Traffic Juggetnaut is a brand new site that gives YOU viral web traffic and online advertising without spending 1 penny! (OK, there are upgrade options too but you don't have to take them to benefit.) The coolest part is that the traffic & advertising actually GROWS bigger and bigger the longer you use it. It's breakthrough viral technology like I've never seen before and I wanted to share it with you. You can get started instantly in just minutes, and you don't even need to change anyt… Continue

Added by Paul Hines on November 10, 2008 at 1:52am — No Comments

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I Just Put A New Marketing Tool To The Test

Web Traffic Juggernaut is a new site that says it guarantees more web visitors and online advertising with very little effort or cost. So I decided to put it to the test... My first impression was the site looks professional and clean, with an attractive look and feel. It is easy to read and understand. Joining the site was easy and painless--they do offer 2 upgrade options but they are not required to gain the benefits. The Members Area is very well laid out and intuitive--I could figure out… Continue

Added by Paul Hines on November 9, 2008 at 3:25am — No Comments

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Giveaway!! My Sweetieroom Gift giveaway on being featured at Barefoot Mommy Blog!

My handmade Pink and White laces photo frame giveaway are adding up on Barefoot Mommy Blog whom created by Krissy and Angela. Many thanks for Angela explanations my crafts so… Continue

Added by Kelly's Sweetie Room on November 9, 2008 at 3:15am — No Comments