Monday, December 24, 2007
Countertops can influence the total design of your kitchen. One of the most common reasons home owners remodel their kitchen is due to lack of usable counter space.
When you are remodeling your kitchen a new countertop gives the whole room a facelift. There are several types of kitchen countertops you can choose from.
1. Laminate Countertops - Some good things about laminate countertops are you can install them yourself, they are inexpensive, they are low maintenance, and you can find them in all kinds of colors.
On the other hand, you need to be careful with knives and hot pans because once a laminate countertop is damaged it is almost impossible to repair.
2. Ceramic Tile Countertops - These countertops can also be easily installed and they come in lots of colors and patterns, they are heat resistant, and easy to clean.
But ceramic tile countertops can be a tough surface to chop on and they can crack or chip.
3. Stone Countertops - These countertops are very durable, look great, and the granite ones also clean up quite easily.
On the down side you must regularly seal and polish them so they look good, and if your stone countertop is made of marble you need to be extra careful because of staining.
4. Stainless Steel Countertops - Stains are not a problem and the counter can take high temperatures without damage.
But you have to take some care when installing stainless steel because if they are not extremely well supported they can dent. They also are prone to showing scratches and nicks.
5. Butcher Block Countertops - They give your kitchen that warm feeling that only wood can give, your knives won't dull, and you can smooth out any scratches with sandpaper.
On the other hand you must use vegetable oil regularly to treat the wood and keep it looking good. Also too much water exposure can stain and rot the counter.
6. Solid Surface Countertops - Lots of plus's here, you can find a ton of patterns and colors and some styles look like granite or other stone choices, it is very durable, easy to clean, and with this type of countertop you can easily install custom integrated sinks.
But you will need a licensed contractor to install this type of countertop or you will void the warranty and you must be careful with your hot pots and pans.
7. Soapstone Countertops - These are very beautiful and they don't stain. Hot pans are also not a problem.
You do need to seal them with mineral oil quite often, and they are more likely to be scratched than granite.
8. Lavastone Countertops - Awesome countertops, they can resist water damage, scratches, and hot pans superbly.
But lavastone counters can be hard to find and they are very expensive.
So now that you know a little more about the materials kitchen countertops can be made of it should be easier to narrow down your choices when installing your new kitchen counters.
Robin Reckard, co-founder of Jorbins.com Lifestyle Magazine - http://www.jorbins.com/ keeps busy producing, writing, and editing for the magazine as well as raising and enjoying her six year old daughter.
Also visit Jorbins Kitchen Discussions and Kitchen Countertop Discussions for more great information concerning designing and remodeling a kitchen.
Copyright 2006, Jorbins Inc. - Reprints of this article can be made as long as the article is in it's entirety, unchanged, and the resource box with links and urls remain unchanged.
How To Buy Leads & Convert Them Into Eager Subscribers & Customers!
Today, I want to explain to you how to establish a relationship and rapport with your opt in email list. I want you to be so damned hot that you can create lists at will and have them eating out of your hand. I also want to explain to you the benefits of having a BIG and RESPONSIVE list (and how you can make a bundle from this without anyone buying a thing from you).
You And Your List - How To Establish A HUGE Rapport With Your List So That They Listen To Your Words Closely, Check Out Your Recommendations & Contribute To Your Bottom Line!
There are two main categories by which you can build your list - Paid (Leads/Subscribers) and Zero Cost (JV giveaways, forum & article posts etc). Today, I want to focus on how you can get a list FAST through BUYING LEADS and then converting them into loyal subscribers that BUY from you. Again and again.
When you buy leads, it's a different process to getting opt in subscribers who may have subscribed after seeing a forum or article post that you had written. They aren't as "warmed up" as the other type of leads. You need to win their trust, because when you first approach them you may as well be wearing a straight-jacket and come screaming at them wielding a rusty axe. They will run. Or in the subscribers game, delete your message fast.
Here are some highly potent tips for converting LEADS into loyal subscribers and customers. Pay close attention to them:
Part 1 - Tips On How To BUY Fresh & Potentially Responsive Leads!
1. The quality of leads you purchase will vary significantly depending on who you buy from. Don't bother with those cheap mailing lists offering 1 million email addresses for $10. Most probably they will NOT be spam compliant and most of them will almost certainly bounce. It's a waste of your time, energy and $10. If in doubt, question the seller of the leads - ask how the leads were collected and how spam compliant they are. The last thing you want is to get black listed just because you bought a cheap bunch of leads in good faith.
2. Make sure that you're buying leads that have expressed an interest in your niche. If you're in the home business niche for example then you need home business leads.
3. Make sure that the leads are no older than 60 days maximum.
Part 2 - How To Convert Leads Into Loyal Subscribers & Customers!
1. Remember, you're an axe wielding lunatic to them. Your first job is to establish TRUST with them. Tell them a little bit about yourself and explain that you're there to HELP them. DO NOT SELL anything in the first few mails. Studies have shown that it takes SEVEN points of contact before a lead/prospect will feel comfortable buying from you. So you need to present some killer content to them during this period. Prove to them that you're a credible, experienced person who can GIVE them what it is they're looking for.
2. Offer them a lot of QUALITY freebies - but don't just give the link and leave them to it. Explain to them HOW the product you're giving to them can assist them. Outline the benefits of the product. Tell them that usually you sell it for $49 or whatever but as a loyal subscriber they are getting it with your compliments. This seriously boosts your credibility and now like a dog wanting another tasty bone they'll be looking out for your next email. They're warming up.
3. Tell them that your door is always open. Invite their comments, questions and suggestions. You're building rapport now. More trust is being established. You're no longer someone just after their credit card - you're a human being who has spent time on them.
4. This tip will be rebuked by some. You'll hear some people say that you should just write simple, basic emails - that's just rubbish. DON'T BE DULL! People are human beings and they want to experience emotions. They want to know a little bit about you. Don't be afraid to ENTERTAIN them as well as offering them solid, gold-plated information. So let them know what you got up to over the weekend. Tell them about the cat in your garden that looks exactly like George Bush. I do - and you know what, it gets a response!
Having said that, it's critical to find balance between entertainment & hard-hitting content. You really must WOW them with the useful information that you're revealing. If on the other hand all you've got inside your mail are affiliate links and a cat that looks like the president then your subscribers will probably leave you in droves.
By the way I'm not saying that there really is a cat in my garden that looks like George Bush (though there is a squirrel that bares a remarkable resemblance to Tony Blair).
Part 3 - How You Can Use Your Opt In Subscriber List To Create In come (Without Them Even Buying Anything)
Once you have an opt-in subscriber list that has a good number of members and is responsive, the world just opens up to you. There are so many ways to create additional funds from them without them actually buying a thing from you. Here's how:
1. Adsense is exploding and new players are coming to the party. BIG players like Yahoo and Mr Bill Gate's Microsoft. When you have a targeted opt in list you can write articles of interest to them, send them to your blog/site that has Adsense displays and you can bet some of them will check out the ads. Money in your pocket. Now say that you had 50,000 opt ins and only 25,000 actually click on your post. Out of them, you achieve a 5% CTR (5% of these click on Adsense Ads) with an average commission to you of just $0.30 per click. Well even with these MISERLY figures, you've just made $350 from this one post. 3 posts a week = $1,125 per week (or $4,500 per month). Kinda makes you want to grow that list now doesn't it?
And by the way, some niches offer CRAZY payouts. Check out the details on this particular niche and think about how having an opt in list in this market could do some serious things for your bottom line:
http://www.digital-resale-rights.com/propertyprospecialoffer.htm
Or this niche, where your targeted opt ins can't help but click on your Adsense displays:
http://www.digital-resale-rights.com/travelmaldivesspecial.htm
2. You can if you wish offer paid adverts to your newsletter. Going rate for this is about $20 to $800 depending on the type of advert, number of subscribers and prestige of the list. If you're just starting out it'll be the lower end of the spectrum - but even so, that could be $60 for 3 classified ads and say $80 per solo. For some online business entrepreneurs, their entire business model revolves around paid ezine advertising.
3. Do people ignore you because you're a newbie? Once you have a big list it's an incredible leverage tool. You could easily approach potential JV partners cladded in a white panama hat & suit, smoking a Cuban cigar and say "Yo - want me to promote your product to my 50,000 subscribers? In return I want a solo advert for my product."... then blow smoke in their face. Don't do it to Russell Brunson though, he'll beat the stuffing out of you.
Point is, a quality list is the most powerful asset your internet business has. With it, you can write your own ticket. Again and again. You could create joint ventures till you're sick of collecting payments. You could do ad swaps with prominent personalities in your niche and grow your list even bigger. And then there's the main source of in come - back end offers to your own & affiliated products. Now do you see why the big guns with lists of 10,000, 50,000 or 100,000+ are raking in over $10Gs per month?
All the best,
Tuks Engineer
------------------------------------------------------------Would You Like Over $1,000 Of List Building Information, Software & Internet Buisiness Profit Resources More That Will Help You Build Huge Opt In Lists & Income NOW? Want It All For FREE?
http://www.digital-resale-rights.com/ibelifepass.htm
How to Build an Adsense Empire!
Want to build an Adsense Empire that will bring you thousands of dollars a month? Who wouldnt? Its fast and easy and fun to do. Here are some very interesting tips for you to build that dream:
1. Find a niche. Whats a niche? A niche is something that everybody is looking for (hopefully with very little competition!). The competition isn't very much to worry about now though, because soon you will have all the tools it takes to build that ultimiate niche website.
Let's say you use overtures keyword finder tool and do a search on gardening. You will get 211,318. That means that over TWO HUNDRED AND ELEVEN THOUSAND people typed in the word gardening for that month. Thats a lot of people who want gardening stuff. What kind of gardening stuff do they want? Do a search on gardening tips, gardening tools, gardening equiptment, gardening supplies. You will soon get the idea that tons of people want gardening stuff. Find your niche. Pick something that gets tons of searches...How about gardening containers? I found that over 10,000 people searched for gardening containers. Wow! Thats a lot of people!
Cool you found your niche!
2. Find a cheap domain name website. When you go to choose your domain name, make sure it has the words gardening containers in it. This is a search engine optimization tip.
3. Find a cheap hosting website. You need a place to put your new niche website, the less you have to pay, the better off you will be. Hosting can run anywhere from $4.99 per month to over $50.00 per month.
4. Set up your website. Make it look real nice and make sure the links to all of your pages work right. If you dont know how to make a website, you should hire somebody to do this for you. This is not recommended though, because this could have you spending lots of money. A lot of hosting sites have website builders that you can use. These are pretty easy to use, but they may not give your website that professional quality that people are so used to seeing now-a-days. My recommendation is that you learn html, some javascript, and some css too. I know this will take awhile, but its better that you build your website yourself, then have to pay somebody to do it, then have them come in periodically to update it.
5. Set up a Google Adsense account. This is free and easy. It only takes a few minutes. Read their guidelines! Place your adsense ads all through your website.
6. Get the google keyword tool, its free. Do a keyword search on gardening containers. Put all the keywords you find in the keyword meta tag-this is located in between the HEAD tags on your website. This is another search engine optimization tip.
7. The TITLE tag is also in between the HEAD tag on your website. You should include the words gardening containers in your title. This is another website optimization tip.
8. For a little extra income, you might want to consider getting into a few affiliate programs. Find websites that have something to do with gardening containers and see if they have an affiliate program you can join, most websites do. Once you are approved for their affiliate program, (most of these are free, I would stay away from the ones that want to charge you money-thats rediculous!), you should take pictures from their websites of the products they are selling. Take the pictures that have something to do with gardening containers, of course. Put them all through your website with href links of your affiliate link back to their website. Dont send the links to their home page though, make sure the links go right to the picture that holds the link.
People are going to be more apt to click on a picture of a product they want to buy, than a banner.
Make sure you state clearly that by clicking on the picture they will be taken directly to the website you got the picture from. Dont have the browser open in a new window, this annoys people. Dont worry if they leave your website for a few minutes, they'll be back. Research shows that most people use the back button on their browser.
9. Submit your website to as many search engines as you can. Dont send your request more than once. If you do this, it might get you banned from that search engine.
10. Put relative content on every page of your website...
11. Build another Adsense Empire! The more you build, the more revenue you will recieve. Things will be slow at first, it takes up to 6 to 8 weeks for a search engine to crawl your site. It takes 2 days to a couple of weeks for article directories to approve your articles.
Hey wait! What happened to number 10? Its kinda skimpy, hey? Well there are a couple of options you can do here. You can either do tons of research on gardening containers, if you dont already know everything there is to know about this subject, or you could buy private label rights articles. Private Label Rights Articles are cool, because they are all written for you, all you have to do is put a link to your new Adsense Empire Website in the resource box. You may need to do some search engine optimizing with these articles, (put your gardeing container in the headlines, etc...), but they are the easiest route to go.
For more information on private label rights articles, please go to:
https://paydotcom.com/r/4422/mrockroll1969/279988/
This article may be reprinted provided that the resource box and all links remain active.