Top 7 Things You Should
Know Before You Bid On a Business Product From an Online Auction

1. Know the value of the product before you bid. If it is brand new, check to see what retailers are charging for it. If it is used or reconditioned, you will want to pay way less than the retail value.

2. If the product's description or picture isn't detailed enough for you, contact the merchant to get more information before you bid. You don't want to take a chance on wasting your hard-earned money.

3. Know the highest price you will bid for the product and stick with it. Don't get caught up in a bidding war; you may end up paying more than the product is worth. Don't forget to add in the shipping price with your bid.

4. Visit a few online auctions before bidding because some merchants auction the same product in many auctions. You can usually purchase the product for a lower price in an unpopular auction because there are less bidders.

5. Know the time the auction begins and ends. You also want to know how long it will take to ship. If you need the product by a certain date, you'll want to estimate the time it will take to receive it.

6. Know the payment options the merchant accepts before you bid on their product. If they only accept checks or money orders, it may take even longer to get the product because the payment has to clear. If they accept credit cards, make sure they have a secure server.

7. Know if the merchant offers a warranty or money-back guarantee before bidding. You don't want to get stuck with a product that does not work or one that you find unsatisfactory.

It is Getting Hot - It Must be Summer

The memories of winter have all but faded as we battle the summer sun. This is an excellent time to boost your marketing activities to properly position yourself for the remainder of this year and 2002. Our workshop on "High Impact Marketing on a Shoestring Budget" was presented June 14 at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. Other talks will be given in the next few months at various Chambers of Commerce and service organizations. If you are interested in one of our presentations, please contact us. Our fearless (?) leader has been named Vice President of Programming for the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) and Board Member of the Northwest Suburban Manufacturers Association (NSMA). Get out and enjoy the weather while you can - whether golfing, fishing, batting a ball, or? See you in the Fall.

Success is going from failure to failure
without loss of enthusiasm
Winston Churchill (1974-1965)
British Prime Minister

Imagine an Ideal Week in the Future
It's a great way to plan to achieve your career goals.

We all know that setting goals for our lives and careers is a good thing. We're urged to do it by the experts. As 2001 begins, we have a sense of urgency to specify where we are going, where we really want to be. Sure, we all have goals related to finances, status and comfort. Such goals may be realistic or they may not, but we all really want to attain them. The problem is that the goals never tell us how to get where we want to go.
Goals can be very specific (a million dollars, a vice-presidency) or nebulous (financial independence, upper manage-ment). Either can be meaningful. The problem is that these goals are somewhere "out there" and have little effect on day-to-day realities. They're fine for predicting a destination, but they fall short in providing a road map. Here's an alternative method of looking at career goals.
Think about what you will be doing once the goal is achieved. We do this all the time with money. We say, "I wish I had a million dollars." and, "If I had a million dollars, I'd……!" We imagine ourselves buying things, giving to charities, helping our children, etc. Why can't we do the same with our life and career goals? Let's try it on a five-year timetable.
Set some five-year goals. Define what you want to have and where you want to be in five years. Focus on your work and financial condition if you like, but don't forget to include other facets of your life as well. Write them down by simply completing this sentence: Five years from now I'd like to …..
Now imagine yourself in 2006. Relax, close your eyes and fantasize what your life and career will be if your five-year goals are achieved. Where are you living? Where are you working? What are you doing? What's your family like? What are your social circumstances and community involvement? How are your finances? Be realistic. Stick with the achievement of your goals.
Outline an ideal week. You are looking at your 2006 calendar. It's full of things to do. Fill in that calendar for each day of the week with both business and social activities. For example, the agenda for Monday (or day one) could be: morning: meeting with key subordinates followed by meeting with employees; lunch with top management; afternoon: work on new computer applications; late afternoon: nine holes of golf followed by family dinner at restaurant; evening: watch football. As silly as it sounds, do this for each day of your future week, keeping in mind two key ingredients: 1) your five-year goals have been achieved and 2) you're doing what you want and like to do.
Make some copies of this "imaginary week" and file it with your goals for easy access. Revise it as necessary, as your needs and interests change, but don't make major overhauls unless your current situation renders your overall goals obsolete.
Make a point of quickly checking your imaginary week before each present week begins. Check it again at the end of every seven days to see how many of the things you listed for the future you have actually been able to do.
You now have a road map for your goals against which you can measure some of the elements of progress. As time goes by, you'll be able to check off items, or parts of them, that you have been able to achieve. For example, in your quest for "a million dollars" you may be able to give to a favorite charity. If you've identified that item on your imaginary list, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you've achieved a part of your goals in the present.
There's nothing magical about the timetable of a week. You might prefer a longer period, perhaps as long as a month. Don't make it too long or your calendar will turn back into nebulous goals. There's also nothing rigid about each particular day. Playing golf in the late afternoon on Thursday is the same as doing so on Monday. The overall point of this exercise is to be as practical and as specific as possible. The more items you list that you want to do, the more items you will be able to check off as you achieve them.
Of course, you can't completely predict some elements outside your control (promotions) that must come if your goals are to be realized. You will find that as your comfort increases with the achievement of those imaginary calendar items that you can control, you will become better qualified for the rewards that must come from others.
The final word: The structuring of an imaginary week is an excellent exercise for the development of subordinates. Instead of just discussing career goals, ask them what they would like to be doing at some point in the future. You'll find it a revealing key to their aspirations as well as a useful guide to help them grow.

...By Carter Johnson:
Buying Time Seminars
630-910-1927

DID YOU KNOW
One gram of sugar contains only four calories. (Isn't that good news?)

There are about 20,000 soil species in the US, and none of them is intentionally protected.

One quarter of all prescription drugs dispensed in the US, over the past 20 years were extracted from flowering plants. Yet fewer than 1% of the estimated 250,000 flowering plants scattered around the globe have been examined for their effectiveness against disease.

In the 1960s, the AMA counted over two-thirds of American doctors on its rolls. In 1999 it embraced barely 37% of the 620,000 practicing US doctors.

Six ways to bury a good idea!

1. It will never work.
2. We can't afford it.
3. We've never done it that way before.
4. We're not ready for it.
5. It's not our responsibility.
6. We're doing fine without it.

How to Keep Your Sanity
In Cyberspace!

Do you, like most Net entrepreneurs and Webmasters, spend hours in front of the computer? Do you often feel detached from the real world? Are the effects of computers draining your energy? Do you feel computers and the Internet are beginning to take over your life?
The nature of this business ties us inextricably to the computer - and it is easy to let it drive you mad. To succeed online, it is essential you keep your sanity in Cyberspace, so here are some tips:
1. Take regular breaks.
2. Get outside and rediscover your connections with the real world. Get out in the country, or even the park (if you work in a City). Just take some time to get re-absorbed back into the world.
3. Rediscover the human element - why not take the time to telephone or visit someone occasionally, for a nice piece of human interaction, instead of constantly using email.
4. Go mad for five minutes! Run on the spot, up an down the stairs - expending energy recharges your batteries.
5. If you find energy is a problem, or you have trouble sleeping after long days at the PC, you might find the electromagnetic radiation (given off by most electrical equipment) is affecting you. Research has shown this has a detrimental effect on energy and sleep habits, so you might want to look at getting some of the accessories which can counter the ill effects.
6. Take time out to think of nothing - let the brain have a chance to properly absorb and process all the information you've taken in.
The last point is particularly important. Whether you use meditation or relaxation techniques, go for a walk or just sit quietly, the brain needs quiet time to process, and allow creative thoughts from the subconscious to surface. I once found that I was working for hours at the computer, frustratingly pounding away, trying to find the solution to a software problem, convincing myself and all around me that I must persist in sorting it out. Eventually, I tired and gave up for half an hour. On returning, the answer was staring me straight in the face - the "time out" gave my mind the clarity and space it needed.
So, take some breaks, get out more and think of nothing. It will boost your energy, your creativity, and your SANITY!

TRADE SHOW
SUCCESS TIPS

Set and commit to
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES.

Establish a plan targeted at drawing people into the booth.

Prioritize leads to separate SUSPECTS from
PROSPECTS

ASK QUESTIONS to
determine which prospects are serious and which ones are just window shopping.

Get a commitment and
determine the prospect's priorities.

Adjust selling styles to fit the trade show setting.

Work the show diligently - talk with prospects - not other exhibitors and show sales personnel.

Establish a plan for following up all leads after the show.

e.business
e.business2business
e.commerce

embainc.com

everything for marketing your
product or services, on-line and
off-line

e has always been our first name.

elliott m. black & associates, inc.
e-mail: eblack@embainc.com
website: www.embainc.com

From the Editor's Desk

While summer is a great time to relax and soak up sunshine on the golf course, it is not a time to neglect the growth of your business. If you are in a quandry about what to do next to promote that growth, call us for a free evaluation of what marketing techniques could best be utilized to bring about your goals.

MAXINE, Newsletter Editor c/o EMBA
2511 Windsor Lane
Northbrook, IL 60062
Tel. No. 847-272-2884
Fax No. 847-272-3551
E-mail: eblack@embainc.com
www.embainc.com

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