The Roundup: Sept. 30, 2002
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=========================================================== If you'd like to discover little known ways of becoming a self-made millionaire, I highly recommend you check out: this link =========================================================== Table of Contents
1. Editor's MusingsEnd of September, gang! It's time already to begin planning your marketing campaigns for the holidays. Not to mention your personal shopping. Sigh. Just a reminder. There are a couple of things I want to tell you about this week. First, for ezine publishersThere is a new, free service available to you. When you join SoloSwaps.com, you trade solo ads with other publishers. You already know how effective solo ads can be, and you also know how expensive they are. This service eliminates this aspect of your marketing budget. I've joined. I hope you will too. Oh, and just so you know, I do not plan to send the solo ads to this list of subscribers. I have another list of people who have agreed to receive marketing messages in exchange for a free ebook. Register Here to Trade Solo AdsJigsaw Fans? Do I have any jigsaw lovers among my subscribers? I've begun creating computer jigsaw puzzles using Vancouver scenes that I take with my digital camera. There's a new puzzle every week that you can download at no charge. They're freeware, so you can give them away to as many people as you want. Why am I doing this? Mainly because I enjoy this type of tinkering around on the computer, and this project lets me do something I enjoy while marketing my web site at the same time. Download your first puzzle at jigsaws.nightcats.com 2. How to Write an Effective Letter of Complaint by June CampbellYou're so mad you could spit. That #*^$% company got your order wrong again. You're gonna fire off a letter that'll make made their head spin. Nobody's gonna treat you like that! Sound familiar? If it does, you're not alone. We've all been there. The difference is that some of us write letters that get results. Others write letters that get us ignored or ridiculed. Written correctly, a letter of complaint can be very effective at getting you the results you want. You might even get more than you expected. Some letter writers report receiving surprize gifts and merchandise in response to a well written complaint. Many businesses appreciate knowing when something is going wrong, and they will do what they can to create goodwill with a dissatisfied customer. The following suggestions will help you write a letter of complaint that's likely to be read and acted upon. Complain only when appropriate. Sending numerous, frivolous letters of complaint will get you nowhere. Send your letters only for genuine complaints, and only after initial communication with company representatives has failed. In other words, if the widget you bought didn't work as expected, you would ask the sales person or the customer service department to correct the problem before you fire off a letter of complaint to head office. Address the letter to the correct person. You need to reach the person who has the authority to correct the problem. Inevitably, this will be a supervisor, a manager or a company executive. If your complaint is with a local business, address the letter to the owner or manager. If you're dealing with a local branch of a large corporation, you'll need to find out whether your complaint lies with the local branch or if the problem was created by policies set by a corporate office. If it's with corporate office, you'll send the letter there. It might take some detective work to find out who should receive your letter. If you can't find out by asking, try the company web site, annual reports, or business directories in your local library. Be courteous and professional. Avoid sarcasm. No matter how angry you are, sending a rude, discourteous, inflammatory letter will not help you get the problem corrected. Keep it short. One page is all you need. The manager is more likely to read and act on your letter if you keep it brief, factual and to the point. No one has time or patience to wade through a six-page tome. Be factual. Identify the problem and outline the efforts you have made to correct the problem. Remember the five rules of journalism: Who, What, When, Where and How. Identify what you want. You have a complaint. What will it take to make things right? Do you want your money refunded? Do you want the product exchanged? Do you want a service contract extended? Do you want an apology? Stipulate what you want. Remember to date your letter and include full contact information, including account numbers or any other info that the recipient might need to trace your problem. State consequences when previous letters have failed to get the problem corrected. It is both unnecessary and ineffective to start out with threats of various punitive actions. Remember, the recipient doesn't appreciate receiving threats any more than you do. But, when previous attempts have failed, it's time to state what you are prepared to do, and when. You might say, "And, if I have not heard from you by the 30th of this month, I will take action." Taking action could mean contacting your credit card company, filing a complaint with a consumer agency such as the Better Business Bureau, seeking legal counsel, etc. Here is a sample letter of complaint that could be used for a first written complaint:
Interested in publishing this article in your ezine, website or print publication? This article is available for your use provided you include the info box below. ========================================== How to Write Business Plans, Business Proposals, JV Contracts, More! No-cost ebook "Beginners Guide to Ecommerce". Business Writing by Nightcats Multimedia Productions www.nightcats.com ========================================= 3. Product RecommendationMouseClick for WebMasters-- ABSOLUTELY FREE!This tool provides you with information you need when marketing your web site. This award winning, fast, tiny program is incredibly valuable resource to help you improve your search engine ranking. Internet Marketing Chronicles called it an amazingly awesome tool for Internet marketing. When installed, this program interfaces seamlessly with Internet Explorer #3 and higher to give you a search engine optimizer, search engine position reporter, search engine submission, site link popularity and keyword density analyzer - for each site you visit. Right click your mouse, and you find these features added to the regular menu of options. It's fast, easy, useful, and its FREE! It does what Alexa does... and more. And, unlike Alexa, it does not have an adware function. Get yours now. You will not be asked for your
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link to my web site. Recommended Service: Bravenet Web ServicesLooking to fancy up your web site but don't know how to install CGI scripts? Or perhaps you have a budget web site and aren't permitted to run your own scripts. Or maybe you just want something for a short time and don't want to spend time or money. Bravenet to the rescue. When you sign up for the free membership, you have access to any or all of the wide range of Bravenet scripts. Since all run on Bravenet's server, you don't have to worry about installation, service compatibility and other related woes. You simply copy and paste a few lines of code to your web page. Register (no charge) and use their wide range of services absolutely free. Or, if you prefer, pay a modest sum and remove their small advertisement from your web page. I've used Bravenet services for quite some time, and I can vouch for their reliability and good customer service. Here's a sample of a Bravenet Tell-a-Friend script on my site: See Tell-a-Friend These are the free Bravenet services that you can use: Tell-a-friend, Affiliate Program Maintenance, Web site Hosting, Guest Book, Guest Map, Message Forum, Photo Center, Hit Counters, Free for All Links Pages, Mini Poll, Live Chat, Human Click, Greeting Cards, Email Forms, URL Redirect, Password Gate, Site Ring, FAQ Service, Mailing List, Incredimail, Classified Ads, Vote Caster, Daily Cartoon, Super Search, Messenger, Financial Tools, Quote Stream, Site Search and News Headlines. Click here for your free services Internet Sites -- reviewed by June Campbell *** Totally Off the Record *** Affiliate Intelligence
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4. Freebies and Good DealsA. SAVE BIG BUCKS! b. *** *** *** CASH FOR SURVEYS *** *** *** c. WHERE WRITERS, PUBLISHERS & ONLINE ENTREPRENEURS CONNECT d. Sentience-- the ezine for coaches, counselors and people interested in self growth. Published weekly. Subscribe e. Free Tutorial - Become the Master Recruiter you want
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to asti1-subscribe@topica.com or visit http://ca.internations.net/biz/mdgrant 6. Joke: A Legitimate Tax DeductionThe Tax Department was questioning the owner of a small deli about his tax return. The deli owner had reported a net profit of $80,000 for the year. "Why don't you people leave me alone?" the deli owner complained. "I work like a dog, everyone in my family helps out, the place is only closed three days a year. And you want to know how I made $80,000?" "It's not your income that bothers us," the agent said. "It's these deductions. You listed six trips to Bermuda for you and your wife." "Oh, that," the owner said smiling. "I forgot to tell you - we also deliver." To subscribe to this newsletter, visit this link. "How to Booklets"-- topics include business proposal writing, business plan writing, brochure writing,an independant contractor's agreement, a sample joint venture agreement and more. Click www.nightcats.com This Ezine is listed in The Free Directory of Ezines |
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