Tina's Blog

Las Vegas Update...

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:08:07 -0600

I was asked about my Vegas trip and I forgot to update you, very sorry about that! OK, so this is what I know about Vegas...make sure you take someone that you want to spend time there with, take a lot of money incase you find Caesars mall, get there early if you want to see the Treasure Island show, if you have to run from one end of the strip down to the other, it will take over 45 minutes and don't forget your inhaler, don't buy drinks with your dinner, wait until you get into a casino and get them for free, and the best lesson I learned was wearing heels was not an ideal choice for after my meetings! you live and you learn, so I am sure the next time I go there I will do things right! For starters I will take my boyfriend with me, who I missed the whole time, I will stay away from caesars because its too tempting, I will stop to see more tings including shows, I will spend more time there, and I will take a pair of tennis shoes. All in all it was fun, but I would only do it again if Steve could be with me! (I have to have someone carry me when I forget my inhaler! LOL)

Rental Income Property

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:01:07 -0600

If you have any interest in income property in the Lafayette area, I encourage you to give me a buzz or keep checking back at my new website once I get it up and going. I have some clients here in town that are getting ready to list several of their rental properties with me in the next few weeks, and they have already told me that they will be priced to move. These owners take care of thier properties and I know you will be impressed! Keep checking my website, they will be there soon!

Keep an eye out....

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:58:09 -0600

I will be creating a new website pretty soon that you must see! I am going to make sure it is edgy and technologically advanced. I will still use the url: www.tinadevoreralty.com but this site is going to offer you so much more! I will make sure it is user friendly and can link you to sites that you use the most! This is very exciting, as I have done my research and have seen what is out there. There are so many mmore options than i could ever imagine. i'm about to get techy! :)

i like to stay busy....

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:54:14 -0600

I have taken on a new task/job which I think will be a fun challenge. I am the new finance manager at Mark Dimmich's Cars To Go in Lafayette. This seems like a natural progression from what I do day to day anyway, and so far I really like it. We have began an in-house financing program that I am in charge of and I believe it will be very successful. This is just like runing an apartment complex to me, I am checking people out, interviewing them, selling them, and processing the paperwork. I never thought I would get back into the car business again, seeing how I have been out of it for 9 years, but who knew! so i can help you get the car you want during the day and then help you get the home you want at night and weekends! did I mention that I love to stay busy?! :)

holidays!

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:48:00 -0600

I hope you had a very happy holiday season! I know that I did! Now I am ready to begin a new year and I have made myself several goals for 2008. all of which I expect to reach...I'll keep you updated! This is definately Indiana, with its ever changing weather and unpredictable forcast. I was expecting to walk outside today and be cold but it is a very nice day for January! Our grass is still green...I'm ready for the spring! Happy holidays and best wished to you and yours!

space needed

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:00:52 -0600

I am looking for a property zoned for general business in Lafayette, IN for my client. He is looking for something moderately priced and to possible be able to have cars there to sell. Have anything like this??? Please let me know by sending me an email to tinadevore@realtyexecutives.com. He wants to make a move as soon as possible. He is not interested in leasing at all, so please do not ask. Thank you!

Tina DeVore

House for Rent

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:58:28 -0600

Lafayettes gorgous south side location. 3 Bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 ar garage with opener. Garage is heated and has a ceiling fan and attic. Beautiful foyer and open deck. View goes out to pond. Located at 3116 Dover Lane, Lafayette, IN 47909.

rent $1050/mth

deposit: $525

1 Year lease

If you are interested or would like to set up a showing, please contact me at 765-490-5621. Thank you and have a great day!

Tina

Have you been to Vegas?

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 08:23:30 -0500

I never have! I am a military brat, so I have been all over the world, but I haven't traveled that much inside the united states.

Next week I will be taking my first trip to Las Vegas. It is for business, but there will be plenty of time for me to go out there and see some sights. My question for you...what MUST I see? I want to go to the most amazing places, see the most amazing shows, etc. I am not a big gambler, but i can't wait to see all the lights and the night life.

I was told the fountain show infront of the Billogio is amazing and I plan to catch that. The only other MUST on my agenda now is the designer mall at Caesars Palace!

What else??????

I want a memorable experience. Please let me know if you have been there and what I should do!

Thanks!

Subsidized housing

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 08:18:55 -0500

I have managed all types of proeprties before...market, college, tax credit, and rural development. I am now adding section 8 to my list. I must tell you, this is hard work. For anyone who thinks that they have a tough job, manage a HUD proerty. At least with tax creidt you recertify people annually and there are not a ton of occassions where you have to do an interim. At subsidized properties, I have to redo every file everytime something changes by $200 per month or if someone has a baby, etc. So at any given time I have 50+ files sitting on my desk being certified again.

A fun example that happens almost daily (extreme sarcasm)...

Someone gets a job at a local fast food store. Now they have $200+ in income a month so i have to verify, redo leases and paperwork. They now have a new rent figure, its all figured out. The day they come to sign that new lease they inform me that they no longer work there. Now we have to sign the lease and redo all the paperwork and I have to verify again that they no longer work there so adjust thier rent to $0. Then they have to sign a new lease again. But the kicker is.....in a month, they might find another job!

For every person out there who runs a subsidized property....I understand! You are a glutten for punishment...like myself!

The upside of running a subsidized property....there is never a dull moment! You are helping people get back on thier feet! you can really make a difference to some people! That out weighs all the negatives!

Pink Ribbons

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 08:10:39 -0500

Are you displaying your pink ribbons proudly? It is my belief that even though now is Breast cancer Awareness month, we should display our ribbons whenever we want to. I am sure everyone knows someone who has had breast cancer. It is a very serious thing and I am glad that we do set aside time to talk about it and raise awareness. I encourage every woman to go have a test done. Woman tell me they are afraid to get them done for 2 reasons...1. what will they find, 2. it will hurt. My respopnse is...you are going to hurt so much more if you don't find out you have this until its too late. Get it done now, get it over with so you can say "i don't have it".

Just Listed!

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 20:37:12 -0500

TINA DEVORE
Your satisfaction is my top priority!
(765) 490-5621 Cell • (765) 807-2607 Offi ce

LAFAYETTE

tinadevore@realtyexecutives.com www.tinadevorerealty.com

Well kept home in Coventry Glen Subdivision, just off of Twykenham Blvd. 3 bedroom, 2 bathrooms,

2 car garage, 1572 SF. Built in 1994, this home is offers a several extras including kitchen

appliances, Bay window, vaulted ceilings,large deck, access to pond, mature landscaping, pond

& rock garden, heated fi nished garage with fan, motion detectors and security camera, stage, gorgeous

ceiling fans, walk in closets and so much more.

MLS #9930454 $146,000
3116 Dover Ln
Lafayette, IN 47909
$146,000

Realty Executives Commercial

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Mon, 28 May 2007 15:32:34 -0500

Commercial Real Estate is a very unique and complex business, and Realty Executives is proud to have many "Executives" and offices that specialize in this segment of our industry. Whether it is land, office condos, industrial space or a small office, Realty Executives has a slew of professionals waiting ready to assist you.

Choose from one of the two choices below - and Experience the Advantages of Working with an Executive...

Online Search
For those who wish to search online, we have joined our website with LoopNet - the leading listing platform in the commercial real estate sector. Their LoopLink product powers the web sites of more than 1,200 commercial real estate organizations - including ours - and seamlessly integrates their web sites with their listing service.

This listing service provides access to more than 290,000 commercial property for lease and sale listings, including $200 billion of property listed for sale, 2.6 billion sq. ft. of space for lease and 3 million acres of land for sale.

With more than 700,000 members, this attracts the largest community of commercial real estate professionals including brokers, investors, tenants, property managers, landlords, and appraisers.

Welcome to our new Executives!

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Mon, 28 May 2007 15:30:34 -0500

We have added a lot of new faces around the office! Welcome to all of you. It will be a pleasure getting to know everyone! Below is an updated list of all the Executives and thier contact information should you have any questions!

Executive Name	Office Name & Location	St/Pr	Phone
Betty Braun	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-807-2623
Mandy Campos	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-586-8500
Maria Campos	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-807-2605
Jill Davis	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-414-0579
Tina Devore	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-807-2607
Sue Frazier	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-807-2621
Dawn Greer	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-490-1782
Rochelle Grove	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-491-0733
Duke Long	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-743-6000
Stephanie Sondgeroth	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-807-2608
Joe Sperback	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-807-2634
Laura Stigers	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-807-2602
Joni Widner	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-807-2610
Noralene Wyngarden	REALTY EXECUTIVES Lafayette Lafayette	IN	765-490-5753

Bids Needed

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Mon, 28 May 2007 15:14:21 -0500

I am managing two properties in Frankfort among the several things that have been keeping me busy and I am currently needing some bids for the following:

Apartment Painting

Carpet Cleaning

Heating and Air conditioning work (HVAC)

If you are interested in placing a bid, please email me for more details. You can reach me at tinadevore@realtyexecutives.com. This is the summer months and we have a lot of turn over and we need a few dependable crews to get some of this work done. We will also accept landscaping bids for next year.

Thank you and please let me know if you have a crew interested. They must be able to provide a COI (Certificate of Insurance). Thank you!

Moved in!

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Mon, 28 May 2007 15:10:38 -0500

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to take a minute and update everything that I have moved into my new place. Very pleased with how the weather cooperated. Who says a woman can't do it all? I have managed to move myself and unpack everything I own within 1 weekend!

If you have contacted me recently and I have yet to follow up with you, I will get with you this week. I have taken over running two large properties and that has taken up more of my time than expected.

Have a happy holiday!

Tina DeVore

Pink!

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Thu, 03 May 2007 22:41:18 -0500

All of you who know me know I am obsessed with pink. I do have other colors in my wardrobe, but it is mostly pink. If I wear another color, it is usually going with my pink outfit. I want to know from you, honestly, does this drive you nuts? Pink makes me happy. Pink also reminds me of breast cancer awareness, march of dimes, little girls on swing sets and playing with dolls and it reminds me of the 80's! I do not see any of this as wrong! I enjoy being a girly girl!

This conversation came up the other night with some friends and I would like some more input to see if I am way off base here. I think you should wear what you feel comfortable in. What do you think?

Blackberry

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Thu, 03 May 2007 22:27:34 -0500

I just ordered my first smart phone an I am very excited. I don't have a personal assitant so I am hoping the Blackberry Pearl will suffice for now. I did some research on the phone and I asked someone who has one and the love it.

Now my biggest thing is I wanted one for a PDA. Like I said I hope it will suffice for a personal assistant for now. The phone also features Email capability, a 1.3 megapixal camera with a flash, an expansion slot for more memory, I qwert key pad, instant messaging capabilities, a gps capability, a map capability and it has bluetooth. I know I am leaving something out.

Cnet rates the phone at a 7.3 out of 10. The draw back to the phone according to Cnet is the expansion slot for the memory is behind the battery. There are also no external controls for the MP3 player but since I will not be using it for that much I won't mind that.

The pros according to Cnet are the excellent email capabilities, the bluetooth and the video playback. The email and PDA are what I am going to be using it for mostly. You can also log onto the local MLS and check out houses for sale through the phone as well. So I hope this phone will do for my persaonal assitant right now.

Now to all the personal assistants out there. I know you are very important parts of the real estate office and you handle a whole lot more than any phone could ever do so don't be hatin on me. I just needed someone to remind where to be and when to be there so I could not justify paying someone to sit around and tell me what to do. :)

I will let you know in the future how the Blackberry performs.

Property Needed

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Thu, 03 May 2007 22:17:02 -0500

I have a client who is needing approximately 1,000 square feet of space on Lafayette's south side. My client has a very good business in another town and would like to see how it would go over in Lafayette. If you have anything on or near 350 South, please let me know. You can send information to my regular email address of tinadevore@realtyexecutives.com and I would be happy to forward the information on. We are looking for a vanilla box.

Thank you!

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Tue, 01 May 2007 21:03:21 -0500

A big thank you goes out to everyone who came out over the weekend to help support the March of Dimes. It was a very big turn out and I think we can all feel pleased with how the day was done! There were some really big teams there and it gives us all something to strive towards. We hope next year our team is even bigger!

Wheather you donated money, came and walked, or supported this cause in your own way, I think I can speak for everyone when I say THANK YOU!

for the people who are touched by this personally, I know that Saturday let them know there are thousands of people right here in Tippecanoe County that care! We look forward to doing it again!

Small Business Marketing Magic

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:55:31 -0500

Once upon a time, in 1969, there was a young woman who had a dream of starting her own company. She had ideas, talent and work ethic to spare but what she didnt have was cash. After careful research she found that marketing would cost more than all the other aspects of her business combined. Out came the credit cards, family loans and savings. After a few months the woman realized that she had mortgaged her future to the hilt and she still couldnt make enough money to buy her way out of debt. Sadly, she closed up shop and went back to a job she hated at an uncaring corporation.

Fast-forward thirty years and meet a young man working at an insurance company who dreamed of starting his own small business as a financial planner. He had the education and experience but what he didnt have was cash. The year is 1999 and after a few weeks of research the young man realized that marketing and promotion were vital to the success of his business. However, the young man knew about a magical method of promotion that wasnt available to the young woman in 1969. What was the magical method he used to start his business part-time and build it into a full-time thriving practice after six months? The answer, of course, is the internet!

Its true that the internet seems like a capricious magician that selectively waves a magic wand over some small businesses. However, the reasons for this became glaringly clear to the young man after he completed his research. He discovered that success is garnered by avoiding scams such as business opportunities that seem too good to be true. In addition to hard work and patience he stayed away from spam, Free For All Links (FFAs), pyramid schemes, network marketing, sweepstakes and investment fraud. He used http://www.scambusters.org to avoid anything that remotely resembled a scam.

The young man developed a marketing plan focusing on the internet and after six months he found the following free or nearly free strategies worked best:

Press Releases - Particularly helpful if the release is tied to an upcoming holiday or a recent event.

Creating Content - Offering articles and case studies is by far the most reliable way to find clients and brand yourself as an expert in your field.

Book Reviews - Some on-line books stores like Amazon.com allow you to post reviews of books youve read. These reviews will be tied to an About Me page that can include information about you and your business and your URL.

Forums - Joining forums that cover your area of expertise is a good move. Help people by answering questions about your topic and include your URL in your signature.

Testimonials - Wise marketers ask every existing client for testimonials to be used on their website and/or printed marketing material.

Newsletters - Keeping in touch with customers and prospects with an on-line e-zine is a good way to build a steady stream of loyal clients.

Teleseminars - A small investment in a bridge line allows a group of people to sign up for a free or fee based seminar on your area of expertise.

Referrals - Proactively asking clients for referrals works better if they are offered a discount on products or services in return.

Solo E-zine Ads - Solo ads are an advertisement or article sent by itself to a list of newsletter readers. Many solo ads are competitively priced and offer a generous amount of room for your message.

The young man learned a lesson that we can all appreciate. There is no get rich quick schemes that work on or off-line. The only way to prosper hasnt changed over time... build client relationships with hard work and excellent customer service. Cultivate patience and find your own internet magic by following in the footsteps of the young man.

(c) 2005, Davis Virtual Assistance. All rights in all media reserved.

Bonnie Jo Davis is a Virtual Assistant and Publications Coordinator. She has been using her favorite marketing technique, article submissions, for herself and her clients for over ten years with great success. Let Bonnie teach you what she has learned and you too can profit from her experience. Visit http://www.ArticleSubmissionSites.com for more information today!

The 3 MOST Powerful Forms Of 'Viral Marketing' That PUT Your 'Opt-In' List Building On 'Auto-Pilot'!

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:54:17 -0500

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it.

The Money Is In The... LIST!

I bet youve heard this catch phrase once or twice while
surfing around on the Internet.

I know I have.

But, the question that usually arises is... How do I
effectively build one that wont cost me an arm and a leg
in the process?

Well, todays your lucky day because Im going to highlight
3 of the MOST powerful ways to build your targeted Opt-In
List by using the Power of Viral Marketing as your
engine.

And the best part about using these 3 Viral methods Im
about to mention are... they cost virtually Nothing to
produce, are Highly targeted, give You INSTANT Credibility
and are in constant demand by website owners.

So, with that said, lets move on to what these 3 Viral
methods are and how they will benefit you and your List
Building efforts.

1. Writing Special Reports.

- Special Reports work great because they allow you to go
into more depth about the Topic or Problem in question
where youll then be able to lead them to how your
Product or Service(or Affiliate product) can fix there
current problem.

- They give you Instant Credibility, which builds trust in
your customer that you are knowlegdable in your
industry.

- Website owners are always looking for quality **Free
Stuff** to give away or offer to there Visitors and/or
Subscribers.

This is where you could CASH-IN, especially if you make
your special report Brandable. This gives the website
owner even MORE incentive to give your Freebie away if
they can make Money in the process.

- And your Contact Information will always be inside, no
matter what. Meaning, as your report is being passed
around the Internet youll always be able to lead your
potential customer back to your website where they could
sign-up for your newsletter and/or read up more about
your Products or Services you offer.

2. Putting Together A Free eBook.

- Free eBooks work great as well and have the same
benefits as I outlined through the special report.

The only difference using this approach is, you can put
together a free ebook in less time then it would take to
produce your special report simply because it doesnt
even have to be your own material inside, it can be
someone elses.

Just make sure you put together a free ebook with
quality information inside.

- And they also allow you to target more then one Product
or Service inside because free ebooks are usually a
compilation of related articles targetting a particular
problem leaving you room to diversify.

3. Writing Articles.

- Writing Articles is probably ONE of the Best and Most
Effective Ways to produce a wave of Viral traffic to
your website because every website owner needs FRESH
content to feed to there visitors and/or subscribers.

- They also allow you to Target your audiences problem
specifically that theyre dealing with.

- And at the end of the article you have a spot called the
Resource Box to insert your personal Bio and/or
Website information.

Just imagine if your article were to be picked up by
some Newsletter Editor with a large list or High Traffic
website and they use it as a Featured Article in there
publication, you could see an INSTANT Surge of targeted
traffic to your website overnight.

Thats where your Resource Box comes in.(Take a look
at how mine is formatted at the end of this article.)

Well, that about sums it up for the 3 MOST powerful Viral
Marketing methods being used today by most Internet
marketers, and for good reason, because they work.

Now, with all that said, what do these 3 Viral methods
all have in common thatll put your List Building efforts
on Auto-Pilot?

- Theyre in HIGH demand by website owners.

- Theyre HIGHLY Targeted.

- They give You INSTANT Credibility in your industry.

- They have YOUR Contact Details leading to Your website.

...and Most important of all, theyre all FREE!

Just think for a minute, by using only ONE of these methods
listed above, how it could put your Opt-In list building
efforts on Auto-Pilot.

This article represents just a summarized version of all
the different List Building techniques available online,
But, in my opinion, these 3 are the most effective.

============================================================
Want Targeted prospects to swarm your site 24/7? It takes
5 minutes to set-up, its Automated, Viral and FREE! --
http://compactURL.com/bwjm -- Or you can pick up a FREE
copy of Cory Threlfalls New special report called, How To
Tap Into The TRUE Power Of The... INTERNET! at --
http://www.internetwondersezine.com/sar_report.html

9 Steps to Success in Affiliate Marketing

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:53:13 -0500

1.Join an Affiliate Program: Join programs that interest you personally. There are affiliate programs for almost any product or service you can think of so do some research and find one that is right for you. If you have a passion for your product niche it will be a whole lot easier to stay motivated and be successful.

2.Build your own website to promote your product: You will need to build a website with your own domain name (ie. homeworksolutions.biz) and pay a monthly fee for hosting as opposed to going the free route and sharing a domain (ie. yourname.homeworksolutions.biz) If you dont know much about web design thats quite ok. You will find there are lots of companies out there who offer very affordable website design.

3.Start a reciprocal linking campaign: Start exchanging links with other websites in your niche. You will find lots of webmasters willing to add a link to your website as long as you return the favor. The more websites that link to you, the higher page rank you will have in the search engines, therefore leading to more traffic to your website.

4.Start your own newsletter: The newsletter can simply consist of articles related to your products and website. Always add a signature containing a link to your website at the bottom of each newsletter entry. That way when people read your articles they can continue on to your website. If you dont want to write your own articles, there are many webmasters who will let you use theirs for free. Submit your newsletter to as many websites as you can.

5.Build an Email List: Owning your own email list is one of the most important tools you can have as an affiliate marketer. The best way to build your list is to buy leads, that way you dont have to worry about getting in trouble for spamming. Lots of companies sell quality leads (email addresses) consisting of people who have requested information about your products. With every lead you buy you can in turn sign them up for your newsletter.

6.Get an Auto Responder: With an auto responder program you can make the process of buying leads and adding them to your newsletter completely automated. You can save hours of time with this approach.

7.Write your own Articles: To be successful with affiliate marketing you will eventually have to write an article or two. This may sound a bit overwhelming in the beginning, but after you have been building your business for awhile you will get into it. Always include a signature at the bottom of the article containing your website link. Then post your article on as many websites as you can. A search for article directories in any search engine will give you lots of places to start.

8.Add an Article page to your website: Post all of your articles on this page and any others you find related to your niche. Having an article page will add content to your website and will help with your page rank. Search engines like Google and Yahoo love websites with lots of relevant content.

9.Join an Online Forum: Becoming a member in a forum is a great way to stay current with the products in your niche. Talking with fellow entrepreneurs will keep you motivated and help generate new ideas as well as answer all your questions.

Find out how you can put these 9 steps to work immediately with your own Money Making Website designed to generate Huge Residual Profits. Get Details at: http://www.homeworksolutions.biz or contact me at: support@homeworksolutions.biz

Marketing Success Defined

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:52:05 -0500

On a personal basis, there are likely almost as many definitions of success as there are people in the world.

In marketing, though, there are just four measurable elements of success:

Profitability, Market Share, Customer Satisfaction and Customer Retention.

Profitability requires little explanation. The very reason businesses exist is to make a profit, or generate more revenue than they pay out. Profitability may be increased by reducing overhead and the cost of goods sold-or by increasing the price to the buyer.

But prices can only be raised so much. Per the laws of price elasticity, as prices rise, unit sales tend to decline, as does Market Share; which brings us to our next measure of marketing success.

Market Share, as a measure of success, is important to marketers since the greater the share, the more stable the brand"s performance is in the marketplace. A product with 65% market share is a force with which to be reckoned. A product with 3% share is vulnerable to a variety of market factors such as competitive pricing, promotions, loyalty to better-known brands and more.

Financial managers understand the impact of Profitability and Market Share. But concepts such as Customer Satisfaction and Customer Retention are softer items and tend to be treated as lesser by those managers. Yet, the long term success and growth of a brand is highly dependent on them.

Customer Satisfaction doesn"t appear on a balance sheet. It can"t be measured in dollars and cents. It"s measured by the customer"s feelings about a brand. Does the brand deliver its promise? Is it a good value? Does it bring status to the owner? Is the customer generally happy with the product? Customer Satisfaction begets repeat purchases, loyalty, word-of-mouth advertising and, of course, long-term profitability via Customer Retention.

Customer Retention, the final measure of marketing success, is closely tied to Customer Satisfaction, Profitability and Market Share.

A satisfied customer is likely to remain loyal to a brand, thus enhancing market share over the long-term, as new customers are acquired. Retained customers increase the profitability of a brand. In the course of acquiring new customers, retained customers" purchases can be counted on for continued profit performance.

It"s widely known that it"s five times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to keep an old one. Makes you wonder why marketers don"t generally invest more in Customer Retention, doesn"t it?

Few business organizations focus on all four elements of marketing success, probably because they"re difficult to balance and manage as separate items, yet they"re strongly interdependent.

The four elements of marketing success are reasons enough for financial managers and marketing managers to gain a better understanding of one another"s" disciplines and work toward the common good of their companies.

Mark Levit is managing partner of Partners & Levit Advertising and a professor of marketing at New York University. For more information visit http://www.partnerslevit.com or call 212.696.1200.

Alert marketing - Get Google search results by e-mail

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:50:47 -0500

Sometimes our jobs as marketers means we need to look beyond the obvious. Google, for example, offers their Google Alerts service. At first glance, this may seem most useful to companies who want to track certain searches within their industry, or to hobbyists who want to stay on top of changes in their topics of interest.

But Internet marketers can also use Google Alerts to help keep track of whats going on around the net, and even to keep tabs on their direct competition for that matter. Google Alerts, which are email notifications, can be created based on the top 10 Google news stories, but more helpful to marketers is the possibility of creating alerts for the top 20 Google web search results.

By setting up alerts for your competitors company, web site, brand, or product name, you can monitor search results for changes. Some results may indicate a new product launch, or perhaps a publicity campaign, and you will be able to make appropriate adjustments in your own business.

If you want to market an affiliate product through SEO, you can monitor the top 20 results for a search on that product. You will know if and when your site breaks into the top 20 results, and can watch it as it hopefully continues climbing to that first position.

There are other uses as well. SEO firms can monitor clients results. Niche marketers can easily monitor both industry news and niche search results. You can even monitor search results for your best keywords and your own high ranking pages.

Google Alerts, though free, can provide valuable marketing intelligence to online entrepreneurs who take advantage of it.

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.sitetube.com. Visit his website for the latest on planning, building, promoting and maintaining websites.

Lingo

Tina DeVore (Realty Executives) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:49:09 -0500

Got Lingo? The Terminology Of Marketing With Articles

Every field or discipline has its own specialized vocabulary and marketing with articles is no different. Understanding and using the lingo of marketing with articles will help you get the most out of this brilliant technique. Continue reading below for a set of terms and definitions for marketing with articles.

Article Announcement Newsgroups/Lists - E-mail lists that accept article submissions from subscribers. Some newsgroups only accept articles in one narrowly defined topic while others will accept any topic.

Article Directory/Archive - A web site that accepts article submissions in a large variety of topics and organizes them by category. A few of these sites require you to pay to have your article archived on site.

Autoresponder - An e-mail message that is sent automatically when an email is received to the email account address. It is also used by authors in automatically delivering properly formatted text article submissions to editors.

Bibliography - A list of web sites, books and articles referenced in an article or publication.

Byline/Resource Box - A four or five line biography and contact information for the author of an article.

Copyright Notice - A one or two line statement that should be included in every article that includes the copyright symbol, date and owner.

Essay - A short article on a single subject written from the author's personal viewpoint.

E-zines - Periodically published electronic newsletters delivered by e-mail.

E-zine Directories - Online directories of periodically published electronic newsletters.

Ghostwriter - An accomplished writer who researches and writes an article on an assigned topic under someone else's name.

Paid Market - A publication that pays writers for articles. Paid markets often require original, unpublished articles.

Point of view - The perspective from which an article is written.

Query letter - A brief letter often sent by e-mail to an editor that proposes an article topic and content for publication.

Reprint guidelines - A set of guidelines that are determined by the author that must be followed in order to reprint an article.

Style guide - A document specifying the details of writing style such as punctuation, spelling and capitalization, etc.

Syndication - The process by which a web site is able to share information, such as articles, with other web sites.

Synopsis - A general overview or summary of an article.

Writer's Guidelines - A set of guidelines determined by the publisher that outline requirements for articles such as topic, format, length, etc.

Learning these terms is required homework if you're just beginning to market your work. After all, this is our lingo... real words for real writers. Singing our ABC's fuelled us towards writing, knowing our lingo propels us towards success in marketing with articles that sell.

Bonnie Jo Davis is the author of the e-book "Articles That Sell: Use The Best Kept Secret On The Internet To Promote Your Business For Free!" Visit http://www.ArticlesThatSell.com/atsebook.htm to learn more about marketing with articles.