Tree of Coaching

Archive for December, 2009

I was talking to a friend the other day about her job. She was not happy anymore working for the company, but was scared to do anything about it. I encouraged her to do a number of things.

#1 – Talk to management about how you are starting to feel and want to correct the problem before it gets worse. Explain to them any opinions you may have or disagreements you want to get on the table.

#2 – Start looking for a new job – don’t start going door to door, but keep an eye open for oppurtunities – tell your friends and family to keep their ears open in confidence.

#3 – If your meeting with management does not resolve your feelings then you must find something else. If you feel negative about your job, continuing to work is not only stressful, it can poison your home life too. Think about it – if you work all day somewhere you are not happy, what kind of mood are you going to be in when you get home?

#4 – Change is always scary. There are not many people who do not feel vulnerable when they are changing jobs. This is actually a good thing because it is a sign that you are leaving your comfort zone.

#5 – When you do leave your current job, do so politely with a two week notice if possible. I know it sometimes does not matter how nice you are, people still talk crap about you after you leave, but that is their problem and not yours. You need to be the mature adult in this situation.

See other articles at Jamie Ratliff.

About the Author

Jamie Ratliff is a blogger at Jamie Ratliff.

Buying used cars is a more practical way of avoiding a public mass transportation commute. However, with the industry’s numerous car dealer options, lack of education could lead you straight into a bad car deal.
So how do you know who to trust? Which car dealer is best to transact business? Here is some useful information on searching for the best used-car dealer.
1) Reputation: This is the most vital in choosing car dealers. Making business deals with fair, honest and accommodating car dealers is easy as long as you find a reputable dealership. You should check with the local Better Business Bureau for car dealers reliability report and you could ask relatives and friends for past car dealers they dealt with that guarantee satisfaction.
2) Services: Finding the best car dealers should not be the only factor to consider. Make sure the services the car dealers provide are appropriate. These services include:
* Check and check out – Most car dealers provide express maintenance and service appointments to its customers.
* Car loans – Some extend their services by handling or providing assistance with your financial needs.
* Service rates – Each car dealership has various service discounts. Service rates may vary depending on the name, location, other benefits, and negotiations.
* Warranty – Some car dealers offer free extended car warranties when you purchase used cars or service and examine vehicles from them.
3) Price range: Most people assume that the price you pay is for the whole vehicle. This is not the case when doing business with car dealers.
Majority of dealerships include ?add-ons? that may include window tinting, car accessories, CD changers, paint protector products, undercarriage coatings, car interior accessories and many more. Some dealers may try and force the customers into purchasing them usually install the add-ons.
If these additional accessories would be an advantage for you, it might be a blessing. However, if you prefer to purchase the car alone, check to see the car you wish to buy if it includes add-ons refrain from paying additional for each.
Extra fees such as dealer handling and dock fees are charged to set up a used car for sale, maintaining the car and preparing needed documents for the car sale. These extra fees could be negotiated since all of these services would only provide additional profit for the dealer.
Aside from a respectful, dignified and honest dealer, consider these factors in choosing the best car dealer. You may be purchasing a used car, but by looking for the best person to assist you, it will lead to a good investment.About the Author: Gregory Ashton, your resident automobile enthusiast, bringing to you over 20 years of vehicular passion, and expertise; presents for your approval his insider secrets on selecting, buying, and maintianing the car that is ideal for you. http://www.best-car-buying-tips.com

Have you ever frequented one business establish because you received incredibly good customer service and then left that business when the customer service was no longer incredibly good? What business management continues to fail to understand is that you left not because of poor products or services, but because of inconsistent customer service!Inconsistency in customer service performance is probably the greatest reason why businesses suffer sagging sales. When performance is inconsistent, even the most loyal customers will seek to spend their dollars elsewhere.In the spring of 2006, I experienced incredible service at a local gas station. The employee realized that her job was dependent upon satisfied and delighted loyal customers. She went the extra mile to cultivate customer loyalty. If the gasoline pumps, failed to deliver printed receipts, she gave the customer a sincere “I am sorry for that inconvenience and please have a free coffer on us.” If the beverage machine was not functioning correctly, she again provided a free beverage coupon. Her goal was to keep you a loyal and delighted customer. She knew only the would you return to spend more of your dollars.Nine months later, I have been consistently experiencing just the opposite at the same gas station. When receipts do not print, I walk in expecting a friendly and sincere “I am sorry for your inconvenience.” What I receive is a fast and insincere – “Sorry” with no explanation or concern. And I have not seen a free drink or coffee coupon.When customer service is consistently good or consistently bad, certain expectations are set within the customer’s belief system. These expectations will drive certain attitudes that are demonstrated through behaviors. For business owners, this means either repeat business to their establishment or lost business to the competition just across the street or down the road.If any business wishes to increase sales, then consistent customer service through the improved performance of all employees is the simplest way. Forget the specials, the lost lead items, but take action right now to provide excellent customer service that delights and is consistent yesterday, today and tomorrow.Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. is a business coach who specializes in strategic planning with offices near Chicago, IL and in Indianapolis, IN. She writes, speaks and coaches businesses along with individuals to quickly double results through the creation of an executable strategic plan.One quick question,if you could secure one new client or breakthrough that one roadbloack holding you back from success, what would that mean to you? Then, take a risk and give me, Leanne, a call at 219.759.5601 to experience incredible results.Visit http://www.processspecialist.com/ and explore everything from free articles to connecting with Leanne.

Home improvement projects can improve the look and value of your home dramatically. Though in some cases, using a home improvement project as a way to increase the value of your home can actually backfire and cost you money. So how will you be able to tell if the project that you have planned will add to the value of your home or decrease the value of your home?

The first thing that you need to know is the appraised value of your home. You must know the appraisal value, or estimated resale price, of your home before you can determine if a project will increase or decrease the value of your home. Although you may feel that your home is worth a certain amount of money, and that a home improvement will increase the value by X amount of dollars, your feelings will not set the final selling price, the appraisal will.

When completing a home improvement project that you believe will dramatically improve the resale value of your home, you need to consider your neighbors houses. If you have the nicest house in your neighborhood, but you are trying to sell it for twice as much as the appraisal value of other homes in the neighborhood, you will be disappointed.

A general guide is to not try to sell your home for more than 20% of what the surrounding homes will sell for. For simplicity, let us assume that the homes in your neighborhood are appraised at a value of $100,000. This would mean that you could expect to get about $120,000 out of your home if you make selective home improvements.

What this means for you as a homeowner is that you should seriously rethink any home improvement project that would cost more than $20,000 going by our above example. Using the above example, it is easy to see that a $30,000 home improvement project would cause you to lose money in the long run.

Now, if you can make a home improvement that costs very little, but results in a higher resale value, it may be a good idea to pursue that project. Going back to our example, if you can spend $5,000 on a project and this results in your home being appraised at $115,000, then it is a great investment idea.

You also want to consider the appeal that your home improvement project would have to a future owner. For example, swimming pools and hot tubs may be something that you enjoy, but would a potential buyer pay extra for those features? There are some fairly safe projects that you can pursue that other home buyers generally find valuable. Some of these include kitchen remodeling, adding or remodeling a bathroom, adding a new room, landscaping, etc.

Also keep in mind that maintenance projects do not usually result in an increased value for your home. Replacing a broken furnace or hot water heater usually will not improve the value of your home when selling it. These are considered maintenance issues that all homeowners expect the home to have working. Most people would not consider paying full price for a home that does not have these basic features in working order.

The bottom line is that if you are interested in increasing the resale value of your home you need to make smart decisions. Smart decisions on which home improvement projects to tackle can put extra money in your pocket when you sell your house.

About The Author:

Emerson Lockwood writes on topics related to Home Technology, Home Improvement and Home Financing. You can read his articles on
interior remodeling and home remodeling at his website: http://www.superhomeideas.com

Whatever is born of God overcomes the world.

1 John 5:4

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world?our faith.

Have you ever reached a place so close to Jesus that the world held no comfort for you, no security and nothing in the world really appealed to you? Have you ever overcome the world?

Jesus said we should deny ourselves.

Matthew 16:24

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

This has three steps

1 Deny ourselves
2 Take up our cross
3 Follow Jesus

Denying ourselves

So what did Jesus do?

He left his house, his family, his position as an income earner and a person who obeyed the law and within five or six weeks He was in the temple whipping people in anger in front of the rulers of Israel’s faith.

Overcoming the world is overcoming SPENDING on the ever ending supply of things to buy and start to SOW into things that benefit the kingdom of heaven and which end in having treasure stored in heaven.

To stop spending we need to deny ourselves.

Overcoming the world isn’t just an optional extra, it’s a condition of being born of God.

In John’s day disciples to the faith must have had some good solid teaching as even the young men had overcome the wicked one and the Word of God was abiding in them.

1 John 2:14

I have written to you, young men,

Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,

And you have overcome the wicked one.

If people had the word of God abiding in them they would be a lot stronger in the faith, they just seem to have an ever rising pile of books in their library but they have a Holy Spirit that is waiting to come alongside and teach them the Word of God.

Denying ourself is not buying a book about this and a book about that. Denying ourself is picking up the Bible and learning it and letting it abide in us. For:

1 John 2:24

24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

If we abide in the Son then the Son will direct our steps and answer our prayers.

John 15:7

7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

The Holy Spirit will direct us.

John 15:14

14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
Denying ourself is obeying Jesus. Because obeying Jesus goes against our inner man and our fleshy nature.

Take up our cross

Jesus carried a cross for more then the time it took to carry the wooden cross to Calvary. From the time Jesus knew the law and the prophets Jesus carried a burden and it was a form of a cross.

Taking up our cross is also STOPING BUYING and SOWING into the Gospel.

There are many wrong Gospels being preached out there. This article might not get re- printed on their ministry web-sites, but generally buying Bibles for a third world country is a great investment in the kingdom of God.

Of course when you start to deny yourself your cross will come to you. When you start sowing into the Gospel and reading the Word instead of books and books, you will find that you start acting different and this may cause you to suffer a cross as you start to bear fruit.

John 15:16-21

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

18 ?If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ?A servant is not greater than his master.? If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

When you take steps out of the world it may be first your Christian friends that first persecute you. When you start to share revelations that the Holy Spirit has given you and your start to sow into the third world and start to buy less and less and sow more and more, your actions will cause even some of your best Christian friends to feel convicted, and instead of following you they may strike out at you.

It’s not until you really start reading the Bible that you come to realise that the Gospel preached in churches seems like a watered down babies Gospel. Many run after teaching after teaching and we have been taught to do that from our leaders and the people selling the teachings when the Holy Spirit inspired John to share with us:

1 John 2:26-27

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

That says quite clearly that the self same Holy Spirit is able to teach today just as Jesus taught His own apostles. And if we abide in the Word we know we will abide in Jesus and He will direct our steps.

Follow Jesus

To be simple it would suffice to say follow what the Bible has to say, though there is so much in the Bible. I have an article called the The-Fifty-Commands-Of-Jesus online here. Perhaps you can read and follow that!

Have a great day!!

Matthew fellowships in a Salvation Army church and has preached on a number of occasions. He is being trained up by the Lord to be a gifted teacher and writes new articles each week here on this site. He is Pentecostal in his giftings and yet comes from a traditional Baptist background and is open to addressing any church in Australia that would like him to preach or share with their congregation.

Matthew is the author of a new book called The Musings of a Mad Prophet which is a collection of articles on mental illness, divorce and many helpful Christian subjects. He shares his life, his breakdowns, his marriage collapse and many helpful insights in a large format 264 page book. He will encourage you, inspire you and the Holy Spirit might convict you in his writings and would be happy to hear from you via email. His book is available from here.

You can read what one reviewer has said about the articles in his book one by one as Matthew posts them titled “articles reviewed for Musing of a Mad Prophet” from the expert author link below and you can contact Matthew via email at http://www.online-prayer.net

Champions League Soccer already in the CL Group stage. Ecobika -> Sports Betting tries the figure out the -> best bets.

The football CL matches are divided into 2 days, the all the games in the group take place on the same day. You find wide range of bets among -> gamebookers offer.

The games played on Tuesday 12 September:

AS Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk

Though the odds low on Roma, currently @1.47, teams from Ukraine – interestingly enough and despite the real power – are traditionally very weak in this stage. -> Roma to win.

Bayern M?nchen v Spartak Moscow

Almost the same above is true for Russian teams, M?nchen to win is almost a done deal.

Chelsea v Werder Bremen

Mourinho’s team is not the best yet! But the odds, (-> currently -> @1.42 at gamebookers) will drop further till the first whistle!

FC Barcelona v Levski Sofia

No comment needed, a class difference, unfortunately reflected in the odds. ->Ecobika’s full balance is on Barca.

Galatasaray v Bordeaux

This is one of the less predictable game in the 1st round of CL, maybe the draw has the best risk/award ratio.

Olympiacos CFP v Valencia

The same, as mentioned before, Valencia won in the Primera Division away! Maybe 0-0, or 0-1 ->correct score pays good money at -> gamebookers!

PSV Eindhoven v Liverpool

If Chelsea is not the best yet, what can we say about Liverpool, conceded 3 goals at the weekend’s cityderby. But if you rememberer, the same inconsistency already have happened with Pool – no prediction from Ecobika.

Sporting Lisabon v Inter Milan
Internazionale is the favorite to win Scudetto in Serie A in Italy, maybe a victory here too, just what Inter made in Florence at the weekend!

The next Champion League CL games will be played on Wednesday, 13 September.

AC Milan v AEK Athens

No comment, home banker of Ecobika!

Anderlecht v Lille OSC

This is a very tough call, 0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1?

Dynamo Kyiv v Steaua Bucuresti

As Ecobika has mentioned, interestingly, and despite their real power, the teams from Ukraine are not good in this stage, and Steaua is world famous about its defence. Ecobika thinks that oddsmakers overfavorizing Dinamo. Maybe the draw’s risk/award is far better, than home win!

FC Kopenhagen v Benfica

Well, after Ajax’s fiasco…But which is the better team? Benfica to win!

FC Porto v CSKA Moscow

Russian teams are not good enough abroad on CL games, the odds around 1.80 on home win at -> gamebookers reflects the most likely outcome.

Hamburger SV v Arsenal

What the hell, again, an English team, out-of-form, like Liverpool. But Arsenal played the final in Champions League, do not forget this fact. Ecobika thinks that Arsenal wins in Hamburg.

Manchester Utd v Celtic

MU is simple too good, unfortunately the odds reflects this fact. The main problem with this game, that Celtic can adopt its style. No pick from Ecobika.

Olympic Lyon v Real Madrid

The odds are interesting: currently home win 2.35, draw 3.10, away win 2.95 at -> gamebookers. The two powerhouses will play a very entertaining game, at least Ecobika expects this. OVER 2.5 goals maybe the best idea.

Whatever your bet, Ecobika -> Free Sports Betting Picks wish You Good Luck!

About the Author

-> gamebookers. The two powerhouses will play a very entertaining game, at least Ecobika expects this. OVER 2.5 goals maybe the best idea.

Whatever your bet, Ecobika -> Free Sports Betting Picks wish You Good Luck!

Multivitamins with minerals can help your body function better. Find out why.

What are multivitamins with minerals and why do I need them?

These multivitamins contain minerals, which are natural-occurring substances that cannot be produced by our own bodies, and which you have to get from your (a) diet and/or (b) supplements. You may have shortage of the necessary vitamins and minerals because of a disease, poor nutrition, pregnancy, or because your body cannot absorb such substances properly. That is why you need multivitamins that have increased their potency by combining several vitamins and minerals together in one dosage.

Multivitamins with minerals are available in the forms of capsules, tablets, injections, and liquids. But, like other prescription drugs, improper use of multivitamins with minerals can also lead to ailments. Keep these pointers in mind to protect yourself:

1. DO NOT OVERDOSE. Even though supplements can be bought over-the-counter, professional advice from your doctor or an experienced herbalist is needed to determine the appropriate dose. Remember that your body requires only small amounts of these substances, especially minerals, so going overboard in its ingestion can be harmful.

2. DO NOT CHOKE. If the multivitamins with minerals you are taking is not of the chewy variety, it is imperative for you to drink a glass of water for every dose that you take.

3. MEASURE CORRECTLY. If you will be taking your supplement in its liquid state, do not guess how much you will take without the aid of proper measuring devices. Use a spoon that can measure doses, or cups that have the same function.

4. TAKE MULTIVITAMINS DURING OR AFTER EATING. Food helps absorb and transport the multivitamins you take to the cells in your body that need it most. That is why you should avoid taking such substances on an empty stomach. Better eat before you take any kind of medication or supplement.

5. INFORM YOURSELF. Keep yourself updated to the latest researches about vitamins and minerals. Some manufacturers recall their products because of side effects and other such problems, so you need to constantly update yourself. Know if the supplement you are taking is bringing you more harm than good.

IMPORTANT: Remember that only pharmaceutical GMP-compliant manufacturers can give you genuine supplements (like multivitamins with minerals) with the right dosage and absolutely no fillers. The FDA does not regulate the supplement industry, so GMP compliance is your only protection.

The product we personally use called Total Balance – http://www.health-product-we-use.com is the most natural and effective supplement we have come across. We have been using this product for over 3 years with excellent health results.

We highly recommend you learn more about our best natural nutritional supplement if you are interested in improving your overall health.

Jean Helmet runs a series of health websites, We offer a free health book for subscribers to our websites newsletter. We cover everything you need to know on nutrition and how to improve your general overall health. Check out our nutrition e-book, for more information on nutrition and the products we use.

Being in the self-defense and security industry, I?m always looking for new innovations in the self-defense weapons market. I’ve spent a lot of time and money over the last few years researching and buying stun guns. Some of them are truly awesome; some of them are truly lame.

It never ceases to amaze me at what some manufacturers will develop in an effort to stay ahead of the market. The next few paragraphs will attempt to describe some of the more innovative ideas and try to steer you away from some of the less effective ones.

To begin with, let’s first describe what a stun gun is and what it does.
A stun gun is a self-defense weapon that takes the electrical energy from an ordinary battery and increases that energy through a set of coils to produce a high voltage current. The energy from a simple 9 volt battery can be increased to produce as much as much as 400,000 or 500,00 volts, and with multiple 9 volt batteries or lithium batteries, some stun guns can produce as much as 1,000,000 volts of current.

When a person is touched with the electrodes of a stun gun, and the button is pushed, the current does a great deal of work very quickly. The electrical current overloads the neuro-electrical impulses from the muscles to the brain causing muscle spasms, loss of muscle control, mental confusion and loss of balance. These effects can last for about 5 or 10 minutes, allowing you to get away from an attacker, or allowing law enforcement officers to handcuff an assailant without much resistance.

Nowadays, stun guns do more than just produce high voltage for self-defense. Many of the newer stun devices on the market also have added features that make them even more useful.

Some of the newer technology has produced stun guns that have flashlights built right in. So you can carry an inconspicuous flashlight while walking at night, and still be prepared to deliver a shocking surprise to any would be attacker.

Other stun guns have built in personal alarms that allow you to draw attention to your situation, and if that doesn’t scare off your attacker, the high voltage electrical shock will stop them in their tracks.

I’ve even seen stun guns with pepper spray built right into the device, although the few that I’ve actually purchased have turned out to be inferior quality and I would never sell them on my own website.

Some stun guns are rechargeable so you don’t have to purchase batteries, just plug them into a wall outlet and recharge the internal battery. Although, this technology is still fairly new to me so I can’t personally testify as to how long the battery will hold a charge, or how many times it can be recharged before it stops working.

One other great feature on some stun guns is the wrist strap disable pin. Put your hand through the wrist strap and if the stun gun is taken away from you, the pin comes out, disabling the device so it can’t be used against you.

In my opinion, the most interesting thing about the newer stun gun technology is the ability to disguise a stun device as an everyday object.
In my travels, I’ve come across stun guns disguised as cell phones, pagers, flashlights, pens, umbrellas, and even gloves with a stun gun built right in.

I can only imagine what someone will come up with next. But if it’s out there, I’ll find it, and when I do, I’ll let you know about it.

SA Rubin is the owner of North American Security Products, LLC. A company dedicated to providing you with the means to protect and defend yourself against crime.
For more information on Stun Guns,
visit http://www.naselfdefense.com
where you’ll find a complete line of self defense weapons and security products.

Whisper it quietly, but there are certain members within the Villa Park faithful anticipating great things under Martin O?Neill.

Without wishing to tempt fate, Aston Villa’s impressive start to the season is hopefully an indication of things to come under the often eccentric Irishman.

A combination of O?Neill’s eye for talent, in tandem with the vast wealth of new American owner Randy Lerner could be the catalyst for success Villa fans everywhere have been dreaming about.

With an almost identical squad that David O?Leary had at his disposal, Martin O?Neill has instigated a quite remarkable turnaround in fortunes.

Playing a formation that incorporates two out and out wingers in local lads Luke Moore and Gabriel Agbonlahor, O?Neill has instilled an attacking instinct in his players and brought about an exciting brand of football.

Villa’s fans currently watch their side in a state of disbelief following last season’s insipid and colourless mix of football.

The game itself was an entertaining affair with both teams putting emphasise on attack.

Opening exchanges were end to end but it was Villa who opened the scoring as early as the forth minute.

A whipped cross from the left was met with a bullet header from Mellberg on the six yard box.

The point blank header from the Villa defender was superbly saved by Roy Carol only for Liam Ridgewell to bundle the ball over the line from close range.

Villa continued to create chances as the half wore on, the closest being an Angel header that crashed back off the crossbar.

West Ham hit back early in the second half, a corner converted by the in-form Bobby Zamora.

The Hammers sent on new Argentinean striker Tevez, but despite some clever touches he was unable to break a solid looking Villa defence.

Villa debutant Petrov came closest to grabbing a winner with a delicate lob over the goalkeeper that was hooked off the line.

About the Author:

Steven Cronin writes the hottest English Premiership Football news, results and opinion at http://www.sargas.co.uk/english_premiership_football

6 Postcard Marketing Tips That Can Improve Your Mortgage BusinessSubmitted By: Tom Domin
If you’re currently involved in a postcard marketing campaign or just thinking about starting one, here are some significant tips you can add to your knowledge base that will help make your mortgage marketing efforts a real winner.
1. A black and white postcard always gets a better response than a full color one. Yes…there are experts in the field that recommend black and white versus color. Here’s the logic: color can many times be distracting to the reader especially when it’s crammed into a relatively small area like a postcard. Most color cards are just too busy resulting in your mortgage message being lost in the shuffle. Leave the color cards for the biggies that can spend tons of dollars to make color work effectively for them.
By using black and white you can drastically reduce your postcard printing costs. Instead, use text boxes in your layout and incorporate shadings and shadows to highlight important sections of your offer and your advertising message.
2. Repeat postcard mailings are an absolute must. So many times I have been told the following: “I tried postcard mailing once and it didn’t work for me.” Well, they’re right, and it probably won’t work well for them the second or even third time.
Why are repeated mailings and contacts so important? The numbers provided by National Sales Executive Association remind us why:
2 % of all sales are made on the 1st contact,
3 % of all sales are made on the 2nd contact,
5 % of all sales are made on the 3rd contact,
10 % of all sales are made on the 4th contact,
80 % of all sales are made on the 5th thru 12th contact.
Need I say more! If you’re not willing to do a campaign (multiple mailings), then don’t do a mailing at all. A one shot postcard mailing will not change your mortgage business, your bottom line, or your life in any way.
Sorry to be so harsh, but there are some things that just must be said!
3. Never allow an outside company to physically mail your postcards. A couple of years ago I contracted with a company to provide a mailing campaign for me to include the actual mailing service.
On the advice of a friend, I had embedded names and addresses of friends throughout the list to check the deliverability. This is a common practice in the industry and is called “salting the list.” When you rent a list (you never own a contracted list) they “salt” the list so that they can be sure that you only use the list once.
To make a long story short, over 50% of my salted addresses never received my mailing. Did my mailing company charge me for the entire contract including postage and only deliver half of it? There’s just no way to know. The Post Office is always the easy and convenient culprit but, there’s just no way to know for sure.
Always maintain 100% control of the most expensive part of your postcard campaign!
4. Postcards are read 99.9% of the time. I’m really sorry to be the one telling you this…the Postman (Postperson if you prefer) is reading your postcard…and, so is everyone else that touches that card. In fact, your card is being read even if it’s a lousy one!
If you don’t believe this fact, test it yourself. The next time you receive a postcard just throw it away without reading it. It’s almost impossible. The first thing you do is check to make sure it was addressed to you and then you flip it over to quickly read the message. Or, you read the message and then flip it over. Either way it’s like a magnetic…people need to read it. And, the really great thing is…there’s no envelope to open.
With a postcard, even if they throw it away, they already saw your message regardless of whether they think they did or not. They saw it enough to throw it away, didn’t they? The fact remains…junk mail gets thrown away. And postcards are really junk mail to a lot of people.
This fact is…although they may be junk mail to some people…postcards get read no matter what…even if they get thrown away without fully understanding them…postcards do get seen. It’s really the only advertising medium that can’t be ignored.
5. Always run a split-test with your postcards. Yes…every market is a little bit different. What works in one area doesn’t necessarily work for another. Change the headline or even the message and send two separate mailings.
Measure the response you receive and compare the two mailings. Keep track of your results and use those results in subsequent campaigns. Your mailings will continue to improve and so will your mortgage business.
Continuous testing and experimentation should be an integral part of your direct mail program.
6. You can grow a business using only postcards. Many years ago I started a company using postcards as the primary marketing method to employers. The business idea: provide company recognition to employees on their birthdays and hire anniversary dates using…you guessed it…postcards.
The company was sold within two years with over 200 customers (including one Fortune 500 account) helping to fund my next project.
I love postcards and the business they can generate. I still use them in my mortgage business today. Give them a good chance, and they’ll work for you too! Follow these tips and your postcard marketing program will be in a class by itself.
About the Author:

Tom Domin is the author of “101 Ways to Originate Mortgages” and publisher of “Tom’s Mortgage Tips” a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter geared for Mortgage Professionals. Put your mortgage career on the fast track and sign-up for FREE at http://www.MortgageMarketingToolKit.com/
Article Tags: postcard, postcards, sales