My 2¢ Worth

 decided to mail this out a couple of days early this week. I'm leaving for vacation right after the mailing.

xpect the June 12^th issue from somewhere on the road. God only knows where I'll be at that time.

'm really going to be making the rounds covering 11 states and many thousands of miles. The states I will being seeing are, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and then back in Minnesota.

'm going to do a little spelunking in Southern Missouri, Northern Arkansas and then head to Magic Springs & Crystal Falls amusement park in Hot Springs Arkansas. I understand they have 5 roller coasters there. Great thing for this little boy trapped in a man's body.

here's a little river down by Noel, Missouri, whose name I can't recall, that I almost drowned in 2 years ago. I'm half tempted to canoe it again, but I probably won't.

he only other thing I really want to see is that Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. other than that I have no plans or itinerary; I'm just going to play it by ear. When I see a place that looks interesting, I'll stop and look, then I'll move on. It should be a great trip!

'll give you a full account upon my return. Maybe I'll be passing through your state and with any luck, I'll meet some of you during my travels.

Feature Article

Making Your Sales Copy Sell... Even In A Recession

by: Karon Thackston KT & Associates

I was talking with a group of business associates the other day and one question popped up that was of particular interest. "Is everyone finding that sales come MUCH slower these days?" The answer from all on the call was a resounding yes! The next question won’t surprise you... "What do we do about it?"

There is no doubt that individuals and business people alike are becoming more and more cautious with their money. Rather than buying anything and everything that peaks their interest, serious consideration is being given to each and every expense. That’s natural in a recession.

What that means is advertising copy has to work harder and better. No longer will a simple quip like, "You’ll love it" or "Be the first to own one" work. You have to earn each purchase. You have to prove your worth.

People who live and work in recession-laden times have specific criteria for making purchases. If your product or service "qualifies", you get the sale. The challenge comes in determining what it takes to qualify.

I’ve said it a thousand times: "Before you write one word, get inside the mind of your customer." You have to understand who the person/business is, what they need, what they want... and then give it to them.

In a recession, the focus turns from "trying" to "getting results". Those who might, in an ordinary economy, try something just to see if it would work will now demand proof of results. Those who would normally take a risk will now ask for guarantees.

In order to build trust and create an atmosphere conducive to converting cautious visitors into customers, you’ll need to make three things obvious in your copy:

1) Benefits. Yes, even novice advertisers know about features vs. benefits. But it is imperative that you fill your copy with as many of them as it will hold. In a recession, your customers will not wonder - but will demand to know - what’s in it for them. Let them know exactly what they will get for their dollar/pound/euro.

2) Results. In addition to benefits, your recession weary customers will want proof of results. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Testimonials are the easiest, provided they are verifiable. You can also use online demonstrations, case studies or a number of other effective methods of showing that your product/service works.

3) Guarantee. If - for whatever reason - your product/service does not perform as expected, your customer will want a safety net. Provide a guarantee or warranty to make them feel safe about spending their hard earned money.

4) Repetition. Lastly, don’t be surprised if it takes multiple exposures to your offer before a purchase comes. Instead of the usual 7-9 exposures, it may very well take 10-14 before sales come in. There are several reasons for this. Customers may need to consider, and reconsider, your offer before buying. They might need time to raise the cash to pay for your product/service. Expect - and plan for - slower conversions.

Give the customer what he/she needs to make a comfortable decision. By changing the focus of your copy to meet the qualifications of those cautious buyers in a recession, you will be able to convert leads to sales more quickly.

**************

Most buying decisions are emotional. Your ad copy should be, too! Karon is Owner and President of KT & Associates who offers targeted copywriting, copy editing & ezine article services. She is also author of the highly acclaimed "Step-By-Step Copywriting Course." Subscribe to Karon's Ezine "Business Essentials" at www.ktamarketing.com/ezine.html or visit her sites at www.ktamarketing.com and www.copywritingcourse.com.

Display the Current Date

You can display the current date on your webpage by pasting the JavaScript code below into your HTML document where you'd like the date to show.

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript"> <!-- Begin myvar = new Date(); Month = (myvar.getMonth() + 1) Year = (myvar.getYear()) if (Month == 1) {WordMonth = "Jan";} if (Month == 2) {WordMonth = "Feb";} if (Month == 3) {WordMonth = "March";} if (Month == 4) {WordMonth = "April";} if (Month == 5) {WordMonth = "May";} if (Month == 6) {WordMonth = "June";} if (Month == 7) {WordMonth = "July";} if (Month == 8) {WordMonth = "Aug";} if (Month == 9) {WordMonth = "Sept";} if (Month == 10) {WordMonth = "Oct";} if (Month == 11) {WordMonth = "Nov";} if (Month == 12) {WordMonth = "Dec";} document.write(WordMonth+". "+myvar.getDate()+", "+Year); // End --> </script>

Now the date will be displayed in the format shown in red below. If you want the full month to show, just change the month in the code to a long format ("January") and you are ready to go!

* Get these syndicated tip feeds for your web site, free. *

Second Article

CD-ROM Problems

by: Stephen Bucaro Bucaro TecHelp

Today there are many forms of CD (compact disc) media. CD-RW allows you to over-write previous data. CD-R is one-time recordable. This article focuses on problems with standard CD-ROMs (read only media), but some of the information also applies to the recordable forms.

A CD-ROM is written by etching "pits" into the surface of the disc. To read a CD, a laser beam is directed at the disc as it spins inside the drive. The areas between the pits, called "lands", reflect more light than the pits. A sensor in the drive reads the data by measuring the amount of reflected light.

Most problems with CD-ROMs are caused by mishandling. Fingerprints and scratches on the surface of the CD cause electrical noise when read in the drive. Never touch the recorded surface of a CD-ROM, always hold it by the edges. Never put a label on a CD-ROM, this can cause it to vibrate because of an imbalance.

Use the following troubleshooting guide.

Can't Read CD-ROM

First check the obvious. Try another CD-ROM in the drive. If you have another computer, try the first CD-ROM in the other computer.

Recordable CDs are made differently than regular CD-ROMS. Instead of etching pits into the surface of the disc, heat is used to burn spots on the surface of the disc. Some high-speed CD-ROM drives cannot read some recordable CDs. Also, the file structure on a recordable CD may not be compatible with the operating system.

No CD Sound

If the CD drive starts, but no sound comes from the speakers, try plugging a headset into the jack on the front of the drive. If the headset works, the problem is in your speaker system or sound card.

If the CD drive does not start, enable autoplay on your computer. Select Start | Settings | Control Panel | System. In the System dialog box select the Device Manager tab. Click on the + sign next to CDROM to open that branch. Then click on the name of the CD-ROM to highlight it. Click on the Properties button. In the properties dialog box, select the Settings tab. Check the box next to "Auto insert notification". Click on the OK button. Then remove and replace the CD.

Can't See the CD Drive in Explorer

Modern CD-ROM drives use the same ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) interface that a hard drive uses. (Sometimes called IDE for integrated drive electronics). A motherboard usually has two ATA channels, primary and secondary. Each channel can control two drives, master and slave.

In Device Manager, click on the + next to Hard disk controllers to open that branch. Make sure the Primary and Secondary IDE controllers are listed and they don't have a yellow exclamation (!) mark next to them. If one is not visible, the controller may be disabled in the BIOS setup. If there is an exclamation mark, the CD-ROM drive may be defective.

Eject Button Does Not Work

If a CD gets stuck in the drive, turn off the power to the PC. Then insert a straightened paper clip into the tiny emergency eject hole on the front of the drive.

Unusual Problems

Inside the computer's case, make sure the power cable on the back of the CD-ROM drive is not loose. Make sure the data cable is not loose on the connector on the back of the CD-ROM drive and on the motherboard. A loose cable may have worked until dust drawn in by the cooling fan accumulated inside the case.

The ATA channel master or slave assignment is configured automatically by the data cable or is configured by a jumper on the back of the CD-ROM drive. If a new drive has been added, check this configuration.

Some software records the letter of the CD-ROM drive from which it was installed. If you later remove or install a storage device, Windows will reassign the drive letters. The software may not be able to find the CD-ROM drive. If you can't reconfigure that software, you can go into the CD-ROM drive's Properties dialog box, select the Settings tab, and set a letter to be used by the drive.

Some CD-ROM drives require a driver. Follow the drive manufacturers instructions to install the driver. It can usually be done through the CD-ROM drive's Properties dialog box, Driver tab.

**************

Copyright©2002 Bucaro TecHelp.
To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank email to bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com

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