Family Matters

What is summer without a sleepover?  Boring according to some children in my neighborhood!  Ok, some parents may be naturals at hosting slumber parties and some of us may need a few pointers to help our kids have a great time (and hopefully keep too many tears from falling).  Here are some tips to help (Thanks to the Miller Messenger and Lori-Spriesters-bach for passing these along):

Kids Sleepover Tips

1. The ideal age for kids and slumber parties (according to child development experts) is approximately 8 to 14, but every child is different.
2. Use your child's age to determine the maximum number of guests to invite.  For example, if he or she is 8, invite no more than 8 children.  An even number is best to keep someone from feeling left out.
3. Post a list of house rules where children can see them.  Let children know that anyone who doesn't follow the rules will be sent home. (No one wants to go home--they will obey them...LOL)
4. Set up an outdoor campsite inside with tents, sleeping bags, twinkle lights around the room, and glow-in-dark stars on the ceiling.
5. Kids love to make their own food.  For snack time, set up a popcorn station with a selection of toppings like powdered cheese,ground cinnamon, chocolate sprinkles, etc.  Or for breakfast have a pancake or waffle station, complete with fruit, chocolate morsels, and syrups...(No spill lids)
6. As fun favor, give each guest a new pillowcase. (Dollar Store's are great for low cost) Let each child sign the pillowcases with a permanent marker as a reminder of the over night fun they had with your child. (This is called relationship building!)
7. Provide imaginative and educational books for them to read before going to sleep, provide flashlights for them to read by, they think it's fun.

Books are available at your local library to provide further information on safety and creative ideas.  For Imaginative and Educational Interactive Books stop by my Barefoot Books page at: http://www.marilyn-fisher.barefootbooks.com/ feel free to shop or join us in this Barefoot Journey!

A couple of library suggestions are:  Slumber Parties: 25 Fun-filled Party Themes, by Penny Warner, Meadowbrook, 2000.
Slumber Parties: What Do I Do? by Wilhelminia Ripple and Kathryn Totten, Oakbrook Publishing House, 2002.

Have fun and enjoy!
Until next time, Remember enjoy today as if there were no tomorrow!
Marilyn Fisher

Home - Based Business's You Have To Market Your Product! Part 3

Find your Niche

In an earlier post we talked about our competition, today I want to talk about what we are going to market and how we are going to market it.  There is an old saying: "To lead, find out where people want to go and then hustle yourself around in front of them." 

The top companies such as McDonald's and the woman who founded Mary Kay Cosmetics did this, and we know how they have done.  You can do this, too.  But you have to keep your eyes and ears open, and when you see an opportunity that fits your style take it, and a little luck now and then doesn't hurt.

In marketing their products, managers in the corporate world realize one important truth--to get the edge on the competition, one must have a product that is perceived as different from all the others and one that fulfills the wants and needs of customers better than any other product.  Okay, this is for the ladies out there:  You like wearing Makeup right?  Which would you much rather buy from?  Uncle Vinnies 1967 corner drugstore that still sells the same compact powder, that he has sold forever, or would you rather go to the Independent Distributor who sells the  New Mineral Based Makeup, that doesn't clog your pores, and is safer for your skin?  You see where I'm going with this?

This is called product differentiation.  If you build a better mousetrap, the consumer or prospect will beat a path to your door.  But if you build the same one that everyone else does, you'll have so much competition that you'll be in a non-productive battle over customers and prospects.  You must give customers and prospects a reason to come to you over any others.  You have to find ways to make them as enthusiastic about the product or service as you are.

Stay tuned for more on this same subject:  Niche's are not just your product...?

Enjoy!

Marilyn

Back to Who I Am, for a moment!

Today I had to do something that I don't like having to do often.  I made some mistakes this past couple of months, that could have hurt me financially had I not taken some of my own advice that I give to people I Coach and Train.  You know when you open your emails, you get all these pitches for this e-book and that webinar to help you get to the Top in search engines.  Well, being in business for myself I know that this is important, so I researched the people who wrote some of the e-books and decided to purchase some of them.  To the tune of over $160.00 in the past few months.

Had I not took my own advice and checked on All of my Business Ventures, I would never have known that I already Own and have for over a year, all of those e-books and alot more!  So remember don't do what I did, check on all of your ventures at least once weekly.  Auto-pilot is a great tool, but don't rely on it 100% of the time, human intervention is needed from time to time!  The same as Customer Service, if you don't interact with your Customers on a regular basis you will forget their name, or their favorite product.  The same is true with your website ventures, just like I had forgot what products I had placed in my own store.
Imagine what kind of sales I would have lost, if I had started suggesting to my customer to go and buy from someone else.

So I've chastised myself enough for one day, always remember: Experience is the best teacher!  I learn my lessons well and will be sure to apply them.

Until next time: Enjoy life to the fullest, as you only have 1 earthly life!

Marilyn Fisher