Part one looked at telesales, yellow pages and other directories, using mailing lists and advertising in local papers and journals. In this article I will be considering direct selling techniques, leaflet drops and internet advertising.

1. Direct Approach

You could simply cold call on a company and hope you can get to talk to somebody. My experience of this is that it is quite a daunting task and by and large relatively unsuccessful in gaining new business. A lot of time, effort and fuel can be wasted as well as damage to ones morale which could take quite a severe battering as you experience one knockback after another. Not a technique to be recommended. However with regard to builders cleans it can be successful. What this entails is visiting any building site and passing your details, normally in the form of a business card on to the site manager. You may not be successful on that site but invariably companies will hang on to your details and may contact you at some time in the future.

2. Leaflet drops

If you are targeting domestic customers then these can be quite successful at increasing your client base. They are not to be recommended for commercial companies for reasons discussed in the first article. So I will presume that you wish to target the domestic sector. In which case you have to design a very professional looking leaflet, preferably in full colour and have it commercially printed. Do not try and print them off on your office or home printer because they will look less professional. The second and most important element in achieving success with leaflets is to target your areas very carefully. Do not necessarily aim for the most prosperous areas with the most expensive houses in, these in our experience do not provide the rewards that you might imagine they would. The middle income families are the most rewarding in terms of generating new customers. Having targeted your areas and had your 10 or 20 thousand leaflets printed use the services of specialist company to carry out the delivery for you. Under no circumstances consider doing it yourself! If you don’t believe me then try it and you will soon find out why you need professional help to deliver them. Then all you have to do is sit back and wait for the calls to come in. We have in the past worked on a ratio of one in two hundred producing a customer provided the target area has been wisely chosen.

3. Internet Advertising

This could command several articles by itself, but for the purposes of this article it outperforms all other forms of advertising. So get a website, promote it, constantly update it and watch the referrals pour in! You could employ the services of a website designer and an SEO expert or you could do it yourself. How will be left to another article in the future.

David Andrew Smith is the owner of http://www.wesparkle.co.uk a contract cleaning company who specialise in the care and maintenance of natural stone flooring such as marble and limestone.

Yellow Page Directory Users Have a Variety of Motivations

For your Yellow Page ad to be effective, it needs to anticipate and answer the questions that customers have in mind. That’s what made them pick up the directory in the first place. What those questions would be differs for each directory category — a restaurant or tire store don’t have much overlap.

The key to getting calls (and sales) is anticipating exactly which information will suit their needs. That’s why several businesses providing nearly identical products or services can have such different responses from their ads.

Service Buyers Probe for Intangibles

When people are considering making a purchase of services they seek out more information because of the intangible nature of what they’re purchasing.

David Frey notes, [There are] "slight differences between consumers who are looking for businesses selling products versus businesses selling services. The consumers looking for services want to know about the quality of their work, their experience and credibility, and an indication that they can be trusted. This information makes a BIG impact on how you will develop your yellow page advertisement."

Visit his website: http://www.markingbestpractices.com

The kind of service a business provides often dictates whether people would make their choice from the Yellow Page listings. They’re more likely to rely on a Yellow Page ad to choose a tree surgeon than a medical surgeon. Expensive or skill-sensitive services are usually selected through referrals, rather than from any kind of advertisement. In such a case, the directory is used primarily for contact information, not to assess the relative merits of the providers listed there.

Product Buyers Want to Find More than Information about the Goods

Sure, product buyers may want to know about features, sizes, colors, brands, etc. But they, too, will be searching for the intangibles that set one operation apart from the others. Can you service the product? What are your payment options, etc.?

After all, they know that they can buy a particular product from many different sellers. But what sets those merchants apart in their mind is how sellers would make the sale most convenient for them. And they’re examining your ad for signs that you’re going to be easy to do business with. That goes way beyond your listing products carried.

Counteract the Widespread Mistrust Factor

People have been burned, and are less trusting than they used to be. They’ve seen the television exposes of shoddy businesses and dishonest service people. They’ve been overcharged and manipulated, and they don’t want more of the same. So they’re less and less likely to trust any ad’s self-declarations. Build in confidence-building elements like testimonials, guarantees and return policies, certifications, awards, and other quality assurances. Trust building information may be the tie breaker with other similar ads.

The directory jams all the competitors in together. And they look pretty much the same. So you need to study what your competitors are doing (and not just in their ad), so you can point out differences that matter to directory users. Start with the businesses within your heading. But you have other less apparent competition, you should check out as well. If someone doesn’t buy from you (or someone else in your heading), where are they most likely to go instead?

For example, if you sell draperies, you might find that buyers decide to get blinds or awnings instead. If you can solve all their window or too-much-sun challenges, make that clear. Or you might see the need to place a small ad in those headings also.

Get to Really Know Your Customer

Buyers have more choices than ever. And they’re better informed. Many rely on the Internet search engines, even when they’re going to buy from a nearby supplier. So the directory is only one way they get desired facts. But unless you’re in tune with the stated and unstated information they’re looking for, your window of opportunity can pass in seconds.

Directory users really are looking for a reason to choose one business from the rest — so they can move to the next stage in their buying process. Make their task simple by knowing their preferences well enough to provide exactly what they want to know. That makes you their only logical choice.

Copyright 2005 Off the Page

Dr. Lynella Grant Author, Yellow Page Smarts: Make more money from your directory ad in tandem with your website http://www.yellowpagesage.com Smarter ways to attract more YP customers. Local Search resources Off the Page Press (719) 395-9450

The power of image has determined that it takes thirty seconds to form impressions about educational ability, capability, level of sophistication, personality, integrity, social ancestry and sense of humor. Many decisions not to hire or do business with someone are based on your appearance. People who are well dressed and groomed are liked more, demand higher fees, and are considered more intelligent, successful and competent.

Men have the power to do all of the above. What are clothes saying about you? It is not always easy to know because people do not always tell you whether or not your appearance is appropriate (do people always tell you if you have a piece of broccoli stuck between you teeth?).

Color is extremely importance as we are judged over 60% alone on this nonverbal communication. People perceive this character attributes:

Red = power

Pinstripes = authority

Briefcase = efficiency

Studies also show that that presentation can even influence the perceived quality of one’s work:

Polished shoes = will produce detail oriented work

A tailored suit = will produce advanced results

Baggy khakis, v-neck sweater = will take a casual approach to a problem Your second assignment is to ensure that your message is CONVEYED: I am competent and I belong!

Dr. Joyce M. Knudsen is known for two specialties: (1) International Home Study Certification Program for Image Consultants, Worldwide. (2) As a Certified Behavioral and Values Analyst she provides assessments on personal lifestyle development, DiSC Classic, DiSC General Characteristics, Time Mastery, Indra, Team Dimensions and so much more. Dr. Knudsen is the author of six books on the subject of self-image, a distinguished IMMIE Recipient, honored with the Award of Excellence for Education and was the very first Master Status Member (highest level of achievement) of The Association of Image Consultants, International.

Experience powerful new skills in dressing for success, business etiquette and social skills. You can read more about Dr. Knudsen on her web site at http://www.imagemaker1.com and you can test yourself to excellence on http://www.testingforexcellence.com

Effective advertising is an investment in your business. Ineffective advertising is a liability and a waste of money. Here are the top 5 things to avoid making sure you advertise effectively.

1. Don’t advertise at all

If you are in business and you don’t do some kind of advertising you are not doing business. The only excuse for not advertising is that you have more business than you can handle and then you should expand, raise yoru prices, and advertise more.

This is not to say that you should buy advertising that you cannot afford. If you’re strapped for cash, look for low cost advertising options like co-op advertising, buying remnant newspaper space, flyers, direct mail, or negotiate for trade.

If you are reading this then I am assuming that Coke and Nike are slightly larger companies than yours. These companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year in advertising. Why? Well, how long do you think they would keep brand dominance if they stopped advertising today? Pepsi and New Balance would take over in a matter of days or weeks.

If things are slow – that’s a ridiculous reason not to advertise. How do you expect them to pick up – magic? Studies show companies that advertise through economic downturns out perform their competitors during the downturn. When the economy picks up they boom.

There are too many cost effective ways to advertise for you not to be building your business.

2. Put all your eggs in one basket

One ad in one place does not make an effective campaign. A good advertising strategy includes a good mix of methods. Studies show that ideally you should be reaching your customers 4 or more ways.

Combining radio or TV advertising with print will increase the ROI of both. Multiple exposures to your message has a synergistic effect. Don’t blow the budget on a tv or radio campaign and forget other channels.

3. Don’t target your advertising

If you are selling a product or service targeted to people that earn in the top 2% income and you advertise in a mass market medium like the newspaper you are wasting 98% of your advertising dollars.

Who are your customers and where are they likely to see your message?

I saw a great example of targeting recently. An upscale steakhouse advertised in a golf magazine. Golf is a fairly expensive hobby, and many who golf for business networking also do business lunches and dinners in upscale restaurants.

4. Run a cute or gimmicky ad

Ads that are cute and gimmicky may win advertising awards (and frequently do) but they do not sell unless they are designed to sell.

I know you have some wonderfully creative idea for an existentialist ad that violates the advertising principles that billions of dollars and hundreds of years of research have proven effective. Good luck! Creativity is great, but ground it with good marketing principles.

5. Advertise inconsistently

Ok you ran your 2 column inch display ad in the back of the local newspaper once and you didn’t get the 50,000 new customers you want. So, you pull the ad, change your whole message and put it somewhere else. No dice.

Testing response is ok, and it’s a good idea to test campaigns. However, advertising takes time to work. Did you know that the average person who responds to an infomercial has seen that infomercial 7 times? Print advertising builds to a level of maximum effect after 4-6 months. Even direct mail takes multiple hits to be effective.

Consistency and repetition are cornerstones of effective advertising.

Copyright 2005 J D Moore

J D Moore - Marketing Comet
Small Business Marketing Secrets
http://marketingcomet.typepad.com

Whats in a name? Possibly your entire image – take time to choose the right name.

Think about the last time you named a child or a pet or perhaps that prize-winning racehorse! How many days and nights did you agonise over choosing just the right name? Think of all the baby name books, the names that jumped out at you while watching TV or listening to the radio. How they sounded when you said them out loud. A lot of time and effort was spent in coming up with just the right name because you knew that you’d have to live with your decision for many years. Choosing a name for your company and products can be just as difficult.

A good name portrays personality, stands out in the crowd and is memorable. A great name is one that is easy to spell, pronounce or remember and tells the consumer what you do. A perfect example is Toys R Us. Everyone instantly knows what the company sells.

Image with Impact

Reinventing a brand can take many forms – new packaging design, advertising, sometimes a whole new personality. The key is to make sure all of those elements work together and portray the same image. Find that one look or message that describes your business and stick with it. Use the same colour scheme, fonts and design on all your communication materials – business cards, letterheads, brochures, web site and e-newsletters.

However, you can’t live on branding and image alone. Public Relations – relationships – are still the key to successful business practice. You need to continue to communicate consistently with your customers and clients. Branding is more than just a pretty cover – it’s about the total customer experience. Your brand needs to have some impact to help you generate leads, make sales and develop new relationships with your clients. You want your business to leave an impression – on your customers, your employees, your suppliers and the public at large.

But you still need to have accountability. You need to follow through with great customer service, quality of management and products and services. Make sure customers are happy with the end product and the service you provide. Be vigilant with every contact you have with your clients and help build the overall company brand and image.

Image and You

What about personal image? There is no doubt that personal presentation plays a big part in succeeding in your career and business operations. They say that 67% of first impressions are accurate. What sort of first impression are you making? Take some time to do a bit of self-analysis and look at plus and minus personality traits. Things like sloppy dress and bad manners can be your worst enemy. We invest a lot of time, money and effort into our businesses or upgrading our skills for the job, why not invest a bit of effort into ourselves. We’re worth it!

Sue Currie is a professional speaker and the director of Shine Communications Consultancy an executive development company. Sue’s strategies help boost your public profile and increase profits by enhancing your professional image and building brand visibility.

Through her consulting and speaking programs on image and media, she helps you to grow your company’s major asset – You! Sue enjoys helping others to bring out their personal best and Shine. To find out more visit http://www.shinecomms.com.au

I get calls every week from lawyers saying they’re not getting calls anymore from yellow page advertising. Having done quite well in the past, they’re afraid to discontinue the advertising. They want to know what’s going on and what to do.

Apparently, lawyers are not the only ones. In his article "Quit wasting money on Yellow Page advertising" by Peter Fernandez, D.C., a yellow page, print advertising and practice management consultant for chiropractors, Dr. Fernandez answers the question, "Why has advertising in the Yellow Pages changed from one of the best ways to advertise to one of the worst in just a few years?" (See 1, below)

This article will attempt to explain where all the calls went. I believe lawyers began advertising in the Yellow Pages much earlier than on TV because of the cost; most lawyers were reluctant to become pioneers of TV advertising; and lawyers were pursued by yellow page salespeople, but not by TV salespeople. Since 1976 through the mid-1980s, the Yellow Pages and classified newspaper ads were virtually the only place a potential client could find a lawyer advertising. Consequently, lawyers advertising in the Yellow Pages did not have much competition and had very good results.

Many more lawyers flocked to the Yellow Pages which then became very crowded. In the last few years, and after a few pioneers, many of the lawyers advertising in the Yellow Pages discovered what every other business has long known, that TV is by far both the most effective and cost-effective media. According to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, from January 2004 through September 2004 lawyers have spent $287.3 million on TV compared with only $71.3 million on print media, $11.4 million on radio and $4.1 million on Internet advertising. According to research done by the Television Bureau of Advertising, the public’s perception of television gets the votes for Most Authoritative and Most Exciting. Both influential and persuasive, TV wins over other media, in both categories, by a wide margin among Adults 18+. TV scores 81.8% in the Most Influential category, with newspapers a distant second at 8.5%. TV scores 66.8% Most Persuasive with newspapers, again a distant second at 14.2%.

Just as buying something wholesale or in large quantities, your cost per person reached from advertising is reduced when you buy media that reaches more people. Broadcast TV reaches many times more people than a county-wide yellow page book and therefore costs much less per person reached. In the New York DMA (broadcast TV market), there are 29 counties reached by TV. If there was only one yellow page book in each county, you would have to advertise in 29 yellow page books to reach the same geographic area as TV. Unfortunately, there are several yellow page books in each county. Smaller community yellow page books produce even less of a return on investment because they reach even fewer people. Many lawyers have found out that for the cost of a full-page advertisement in just two county-wide yellow page books, you can advertise on TV with a respectable budget and reach the population of an entire DMA.

Today, due to the large number of lawyers advertising on TV, potential clients are being diverted away from yellow page books. Additionally, in the field of personal injury, the problem is compounded. Seriously injured people are usually in bed in a hospital or at home watching TV. Lawyers advertising on TV reach potential accident clients long before they can even get to yellow page books.

When lawyers first began advertising, there was only one yellow page book. Now there are commonly three, four or even five county-wide yellow page books and several village, community or neighborhood yellow page books as well. Some advertisers have even lost their position in the Yellow Pages because they signed a contract with another yellow page book not realizing it was a different book and they couldn’t afford two books. Because a consumer will typically keep one yellow page book and throw out the others, the question an advertiser faces is which yellow page book to advertise in or to advertise in all of them. Will your advertisement be in a yellow page book that’s thrown in the garbage? I keep only one book and it stays in the closet, rarely used. Today, I use the Internet instead of a yellow page book.

While there was once only one Yellow Page book in town receiving 100% of yellow page advertising revenue, they are now losing a large share of that revenue to several competing yellow page books, but their operating costs remain fixed. All of the yellow page book companies must print and distribute the same number of books. Unless all advertisers advertise in all three yellow page books, the publishing companies have to increase advertising fees thereby increasing the cost of reaching a yellow page consumer. In an effort to increase revenue, yellow page books have even begun creating new real estate to sell including advertising on the covers, spine, tabbed pages and even Post-it Notes style ads. These high visibility advertisements also divert yellow page consumers from regular full-page advertisements.

Simply stated, there was once only one yellow page book in town; it was cheaper to advertise in the book; there were fewer lawyers advertising in the book; there were few lawyers advertising on TV; the Internet was not what it is today; and there were far more people using the Yellow Pages than there are today.

So what’s a lawyer to do with yellow page advertising? If you’re one of the three or four largest advertisers in your market with an advertising budget large enough for a substantial TV advertising campaign including billboards and radio, you may want to consider advertising in all of the yellow page books. If you’re not one of the largest advertisers in your market, my suggestion is to discontinue advertising in yellow page books and to spend your money on TV. If you have a 1-800 vanity telephone number available and extra money in the budget, you should also advertise on billboards and radio.

1 http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/1997/feb/feb1997fernandez.htm

Philip L. Franckel, Esq., publishes articles on Lawyer Advertising at http://www.Lawyer-Advertising-Blog.com and manages http://www.HURT911.org Mr. Franckel is an advertising consultant and previously worked with Illustra Films Worldwide, a television production company, producing TV commercials for Diet Coke, Bayer Aspirin, Fuji Film and others.

A good logo design is highly instrumental in establishing a business brand and creating a long lasting impression among its customers. It should be able to create a powerful impact on the viewers and successfully exude the nature and attitude of a business. Ideally, a company logo design should be able to communicate your company ethos, principles, mission and the nature of product/service offered, to the viewers.

A professional logo design would establish a professional image of your company and strengthen your brand. Actually, in most cases the consumer gets the first impression about the company through your logo. Your business logo should build a brand that is strong enough to give your consumer a visual imagery of your company. People should be able to identify your company on sight of your logo.

Trend shows, most of the good logos are simple and often text based. Think of the IBM, SONY or Microsoft logo, even if you view a part of it you will be able to recognize the company. It is extremely essential for a logo to be easy for people to remember.

This principle of simplicity applies n most cases, however, we often see exceptions in Government Organizations, Hotels and Luxury resorts etc because they want to put up a classical exclusive image. This again brings us to a very important point that should be considered for a good logo design — the nature of business.

While simplicity can be the basic principle for any logo design, the designs might vary widely depending on the nature of business. For example, a financial institution might like to use a bold face font to express solidarity and stableness where as a courier service or transport company might prefer italicized fonts to express the speed and movement involved in their business.

In addition, while specifying the design requirements for your logo you should consider the fact that you will probably have to use your logo on your fax cover and other places where it will be in black and white. You should ensure that your logo looks equally good and attractive in black and white.

I would also suggest avoiding a very trendy look for your logo if you are planning for a long-term business because what we concern “modern” today might be backdated tomorrow. It is very important that your logo designer knows how to maintain this balance.

While any professional logo designer should be able to create a Custom Logo Design once you have provided them with your specifications, you should be careful to select an experienced designing company and not land up with some single designer start up venture.

Last but not the least important factor is price. You are paying for your logo – something that is going to be used to establish your brand and represent your business for years, so you should be ready to pay a decent amount while it is also not necessary to pay some big amount like $350 for a logo. With the online logo design firms coming into business, now you have a wide choice of price for your logos and it should not be difficult to find a logo designer that fits your budget. Some logo design sites would even allow you to quote your own price for your logo.

If you have still not got a logo for your business or are not happy with your existing logo, it’s time you get your new logo. Wish you lucked with your logo hunt.

Ray Smith is a marketing Expert with years of experience in different industries and specialized knowledge on branding and Internet marketing. Custom Logo Design

Most people are aware of the typical online promotional techniques home business owners have marketed through such as banners, link exchanges, different search engines, newsletters, forums, and the like. However, a good home based business must also consider offline promotion strategies as well and how to use them in order to generate more business.

Remember, that simply because your business is online does not mean you are restricted to simply advertising online. Promoting offline gives you opportunities to reach the people who may never find your ad or web site online. The most important tip for offline promotion strategies of course is your web site URL. You want your URL to be easily remembered, so it is important to pick something memorable when creating your URL. Then, when you have decided on the perfect, catchy URL, it is even more important to make sure that it is distributed in the offline world.

There are many ways to do this. One, your URL should be on all stationary, invoices, and any communication you send should be branded with your URL. This is important because the more people see your URL the more likely they will be to remember it.Some advertisers have used billboards that have a large URL and nothing else on it, this creates curiosity in passersby’s who often times will go and check it out just to ease their inquisitiveness. Another strategy is to place a large magnet on the side of your company vehicle because it can easily list the web page address, any other information, and can easily be changed if necessary.

Make sure you have your URL displayed on your web pages. The reason for this is to target individuals who print out articles or other information to read later. You want these people to know the address of what they are reading so they can return. There is also a chance that other people will see what was printed and they will be able to see your URL.

There is always television and radio advertising when it fits in your budget. Off-peak hours advertising is not nearly as expensive as prime time advertising. You can check with your local cable channels and local radio stations for pricing information. They will also be able to help you find your target audience. For instance, if your web page hosts real estate listings in North Carolina, you will want to advertise on local North Carolina channels and radio stations. Advertising this way significantly reduces the price and gets the word out to many targeted individuals.

Also, contact your local newspaper and let the business editor know you have a new business and Web site and what you offer. Frequently, local newspapers are interested in featuring local business people and their accomplishments. This form of free advertising can really help get your business noticed.

Put on your creative hat and work on those offline promotion strategies, be creative and constantly thinking of new ways you can get the word out. Creativity will usually draw interested visitors. Promoting your business offline is every bit as important as your online promotions. Make sure your web site is up to date and ready for all of the new visitors you will get from your offline promotions.

Craig is a webmaster, author and work at home dad. Work at home visit Ultabiz.com And for your free special report go to Free Special Report

No, we don’t mean Bodie and Doyle… now I’m showing my age! So you’ve started your new business and the purse strings are tight (We know, we’ve been there!) So why should you be paying out good money for a logo that you could do yourself?

We’ll give you a few things to think about below…

1. Are You Memorable?

The one thing you want when you start any business are clients/customers! You need them to remember your company name and image in a flooded market, so your logo has to be original, memorable and eye catching all at once.

Most companies now have computer software that allows you to create images and text or even use clipart, but using clipart in your logo will limit your appeal, anyone could use the same image in their logo and then your original idea isn’t so original.

A designer will look at your company in-depth, finding out about your aims, goals, ideal customers, target market etc. They will also look at how you want to be perceived by your clients, whether it’s corporate, reliable, sexy etc and create a core brand for you, not just a logo design, but the colours and fonts that you use too.

2. Can You Use It?

There is also the problem that whatever you created your logo in may not be a programme that is design standard, these being Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand or Corel Draw. Printing firms are very specific about what file formats that they will accept. You might come up with an excellent idea but because of the way it’s been created you may have to pay to get it re-designed anyway.

3. Time Saving

Graphic Designers are expert at Graphic Design, whereas you are an expert at your business. By using their expertise you’ll save yourself time and get the job done right first time. They know how to create the right look and feel to attract your target market.

4. Too Close for Comfort?

Are you too close to your business to be objective? You may not be able to see your strengths and weaknesses as clearly as an outsider may. Designers can really see how best to present your business or product, and design your material for maximum effect!

Copyright © Rubber Cheese® 2005

Kelly Molson & Paul Wright run Rubber Cheese, a Design & Illustration company based in the Hertfordshire countryside.

info@rubbercheese.com
http://www.rubbercheese.com
Tel:01279 434488

To get your free help sheet, Finding the Designer for You, sign up for our monthly newsletter, Cheese Bites - http://www.rubbercheese.com/newsletter.html

Making money and corrupting the morals of a minor at the same time is not my idea of ethical advertising. Recently a television ad depicted a small boy breaking a window so the owner’s wife could upgrade to their own style of window. There were several messages inherent in this ad that bother me.

First, it says that it is O.K. to destroy other people’s property if the owner gets someone else to do it. It’s like arson, but without the fire. Then, if you lie to the insurance company (and your husband) and say it was an accident, you can use the money to buy a new window.

Of course, since the damage will be over a thousand dollars, the crime is now a felony. Felons can’t hold government jobs and are marked for life. Oh, yeah, insurance fraud is a crime, too. But who would fall for such an idea? You’d have to find a little kid, give him money and get him to promise not to tell who paid him and why. All eight year old children have to face life’s decisions sometime, don’t they?

Now, some ad executive decided to put these ideas on the tube so that millions of people see it, including a lot of kids. So what if the cost of insurance goes up, the cost of the TV ad is tacked on to the price of the product and everybody makes a profit? That’s a good thing, isn’t it?

Did you ever buy something advertised on TV or in a magazine and was disappointed with the quality or the performance of the product? While it is impossible to change the way some companies advertise their products, here are a few clues that will warn you away from being cheated. Over-the-counter medications are prime examples of the old carnival pitch. If words like ’sometimes’, helpful’, bigger’, or ‘more effective are used, then you know that without a comparative study and the percentages to go with them, these modifiers serve only to put a positive spin on the product.

When a medication is helpful, does that mean one per cent of the time or ninety percent of the time? How often is sometimes and bigger than what? Products touted as ‘amazing’ or ‘fantastic’ get your adrenaline going, but don’t let it get to your wallet. Personal recommendations are purely anecdotal and have nothing to do with a comparative blind study. Adjectives like ‘incomparable’, ‘incredible’ and ‘unbelievable’ often mean exactly what they say. Skin products are rampant with false claims and mythical properties. In science class, we learned that the human skin is practically impervious to anything you put on it except for some acids or strong alkali. A simple softening hand lotion is all you’ll ever need and then only in unusual circumstances. Hair shampoo is another catch-all for superlatives. A bar of hand soap in soft water will wash your hair fifty times for eighty cents and do a great job.

I once ordered three ‘Multi-fruit trees’ from a magazine ad. The picture showed apples , pears, cherries and peaches growing from the same tree! I paid my $5.95 and received three dried out sticks wrapped in spaghum moss. Not even Darwin himself could resurrect these specimens. Other similar items found their place in the attic, like FM transmitters (Fool your friends with your voice on the radio!), instant breast enhancers, fifteen watt bulbs that last forever, and an all-purpose stain remover that supposedly helps remove (almost) any stain. So don’t be taken in by the seemingly wonderful qualities of ‘bargain’ products. Rely on scientific studies, consumer reports and trial and error. If that doesn’t work, ask your mother.

Great age allows for making a lot of mistakes. I hope I learned from some of them.