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By Jonathan Baldwin The conversation that takes place on a date makes or breaks the date. Everybody knows that infamous ‘awkward silence’, and the way it ruins dates. Similarly, great conversation makes for a great date. Less is More Ironically, the trick to seeming like a great conversationalist is not to talk a lot. The opposite is the case. The trick to seeming like a great conversationalist is listening, not talking. That is because people like to talk about themselves. If you incessantly talk about yourself and your interests, you will bore your date. In contrast, if you incite your date to do most of the talking, the date will happily talk about his/herself and his/her interests. Ask Questions You can get your date talking and keep your date talking by using questions. Questions are the key to keeping a conversation going, and thus coming off as a great conversationalist. At first, you can use general questions to get the conversation started. General questions are questions that apply to almost anyone, and are appropriate at almost any time. For example, a general question could be any of the following: “How are you?” “What did you do today?” “What type of music do you like?” To keep the conversation going, and make it more interesting, use follow-up questions. Follow-up questions will not only keep the conversation going, but will also show your date that you were listening. Follow-up questions are questions about what your date just said. For example, if your date just told you a story about his/her job, you could ask the date how he/she got that job or how he/she liked it. In another example, if your date just referenced his/her sibling, you can ask the sibling’s name and age, or ask how close your date is with their sibling.Common Topics You should allow the conversation to flow on its own. Nonetheless, if it slows down or if it has not yet started, then you can move the conversation to a common topic. Common topics include any topic with which most people are familiar, such as current events (not politics!) or the weather.The Comedian Trick Stand-up comedians have a trick they use to make funny jokes that appear improvisational when talking to the crowd. The comedian will ask a member of the audience a question, such as, “where are you from?” The trick is that the comedian has a joke set-up for almost any possible answer. (If the comedian does not have a joke about that particular answer, the comedian just asks follow-up questions until the comedian gets a joke-ready answer.) You can use the comedian trick not just for jokes, but for general conversation. For example, if you know a lot about dogs, cats, and birds. You could ask your date if they have any pets. When they answer what pet they have, you can talk to them about that particular answer. By doing this, it will appear as though you are just great at conversing about anything. The trick here is to have knowledge and anecdotes about a subject and then subtly steer the conversation in that direction. This does not mean that you just talk about what you want. It means you play off your date to make it appear as though the date is choosing the topic. In reality, the date is just choosing a sub-category of a broad topic that you chose.Go Out And Start Conversation Use the above tips to create thriving conversation on your dates. Remember, the more your date talks, the better. You only need to talk enough to incite your date to talk more. Jonathan Baldwin runs a dating service comparison website, Matchmaking Service. You can find a copy of the article here, Dating Conversation. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Baldwin http://EzineArticles.com/?Dating-Conversations—The-Lifeforce-Of-Dating&id=320908 small business credit cards for people that have bad credit how to inprove credit score what is the average credit score to buy a home debt consolidation lender

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By Kymberlyn Steel-Fannin A princess birthday party is nothing short of a magical affair. With a little attention to detail you can create an enchanted event that Her Royal Highness and her court will not soon forget. Here are five games you can play to make your childs princess party an extraordinary experience. Musical Thrones- Musical Thrones is the Princess version of musical chairs, the only difference being that one chair is decorated to resemble a throne. The throne can be decorated with silk flowers, ribbons and garlands. You might even want to place a crown on the seat. Just as you would in musical chairs, work through a process of elimination where a chair is removed after each round. Continue doing so until there is only one chair left (the throne)and two participants. The first person to claim the thrown is the Queen of the court. Jump the Moat- Using a large blanket fold lengthwise in an accordion fashion . Lay the blanket on the ground so that it creates a moat. Have the children line up in the front of the moat, each one taking a turn jumping the moat. With each round, unfold the blanket. As the game progresses the moat should become wider and wider. The game is complete once the blanket is completely unfolded. Leaping Frog Princess -Divide guests into relay teams, each team having an equal number of players standing in single file lines. Mark a point of reference that will ultimately become a finish line(garage, swing-set, etc). Tell the players that an evil spell has been cast upon them, turning them all into frogs. The only way to remove the spell is to return to the castle(finish line). The first team to reach the castle will resume their human form. The first player of each team will take a running leap. Where ever they land they will remain in a crouched position. The second in line now take a running leap over the first crouched player. Upon landing, the second player takes the crouch position. The first frog now returns to the line and the third player takes a running leap over the second player, then assumes the crouch position. This process continues until one of the teams reaches the castle. Treasure Quest- Hide a variety of items around your house or yard. Items could include play jewelry, wands or chocolate coins. Tell the children that a thief has stolen the Princesss jewels and as he fled he dropped much of it throughout the kingdom. Give each of them a loot bag and send them off to find the treasure. Toss the Prince- Divide guests into 2-3 teams. Have each team stand in an evenly spaced line, allowing approximately three feet between players. Give the first member in each line an egg. The egg should be uncooked and treated with extra care. You may choose to decorate each egg with a frog sticker or gently draw a frog face on the egg with crayon. The egg is tossed up and down the line until one player drops the egg. The team who goes the longest without breaking the egg wins. Planning games and activities for the perfect princess birthday party doesnt have to be difficult. Just take old favorites and give them a new twist. Your child will have a one-a-kind birthday experience if you just use a little creativity and a whole lot of imagination. Queen Kymberlyn resides in the Kingdom of Birthday Ballyhoo, where she offers visitors tips on how to throw a perfect princess birthday party. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kymberlyn_Steel-Fannin http://EzineArticles.com/?Princess-Birthday-Party—Five-Great-Games-for-a-Princess-and-her-Court&id=555625 georgia debt consolidation cheap car dealers who except bad credit in my area how to get money if you have bad credit bad credit auto loan arizona

By Martin Haworth Competency based interviews are intended to get the best from you, the candidate, whilst also fulfilling the needs of the organisation to get the very best person for the job. There are some easy steps to make the most of yourself and have a much better chance of success. Prepare well, but keep it sensible As long as you know the job you are going for, ask for details of what you will be measured against. Ask for a set of competencies. Ask for a job description. This sets you up to succeed, not just because you are better informed, but also because you have asked - which will impress the decision-makers, before you even get there! Get Creative Here is the time to use your own experiences to create ’stories’ which you can use in the actual interview. These ’stories’ are real scenarios that you have been a part of, which over a period of days and weeks beforehand, you write up. Maybe you will have 20+ initial ideas. Leverage! Take the very best scenarios and write them out, bullet points first. Then flesh them out, whilst referring carefully to the competencies you’ve been given. It is amazing how you can ‘tune-in’ your scenario to include many, if not all of the competencies. And if you can’t fit them all in, there will be a use for them - later! Practice By reading through your scenarios (and by now you should not have more than six or seven) you will familiarise yourself with the contents, so well, that they will become second nature - even in the scary experience of an interview. In the Interview There are some tactics in here too! Using your scenarios make just three key points about what you’ve been asked. Make them relevant and the right ‘weight’. Not too long or too short.After that, leave space for them to ask more - that’s what they are listening for.Say ‘I’ a lot - they want to know what your personal involvement and experience was, not ‘the team’ or ‘they’.Have fun - whilst not contrived, smile and make some simple jokes, if you feel comfortable with that - they want to employ happy as well as capable people.Can’t answer? That’s fine. Make sure that you reflect on your shortcomings by saying things like, ‘It’s one of the first things I want to develop in my next job - if you did your stuff on your scenarios and your competencies well enough, you will have covered 90% of the bases well and you’ll be forgiven for not being ‘perfect’. If you are really stumped - say so!Ask questions - relevant, about their culture, focus on developing you, opportunities - the positive ‘peopley’ things (remember it’s your chance to see if you want to work with them!).Also ask about current issues they may be facing - you did do your homework on them, didn’t you? Strong Ending! Keep the whole thing light, even as you leave at the end. Have a conversation in general terms - about anything! Do make sure that you ask them some things that are about them - they will love it if you ask them some open (what, how, when, where, who) general questions about your new job! About something nice in the building or their clothes - take as it comes and do what feels comfortable! Remember that competencies are there to help you and they provide a guide-map for your competency based interview success! 2005 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com. (Note to editors. Feel free to use this article, wherever you think it might be of value - it would be good if you could include a live link) …helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow… Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Haworth http://EzineArticles.com/?Competency-Based-Interviews—6-Steps-to-Success!&id=13038 lease bad credit debt consolidation secured loans mortgage for poor credit el paso refinance car loan bad credit

By Don Doman Getting new customers inside your business is sometimes a hard job. Once you get them there, you need to take every advantage. A would-be holdup man pointed a gun at a cashier in a Detroit store, but he dropped the weapon and fled when he realized the cashier had been able to reach the burglar alarm. In a few minutes the place was swarming with police officers. Seeing all the men in blue, the store’s manager immediately sent this message over the loudspeaker system: “Special sale now in progress for police officers only!” — Detroit Free Press I wonder if the manager selected products for the sale, or just gave a general discount. When you find an opportunity, you need to exploit it. Customers are hard to find. “New customers and new businesses require two things from any business person or company. Knowledge of the marketplace, a clear understanding of all the dynamics of marketing, and action are all required to locate, assess and activate new customers.” Ad copy for Finding New Customers For Your Business There is a classic business training video called Finding New Customers For Your Business. It’s very thorough and covers a lot of ground. It has two parts:Part One - Building the Foundation and Forming a Plan- 28 minutesPart Two - Executing the Plan - 32 minutes Part One explains Marketing and the Market and discusses the product or service, market segments, delivery systems, communications, price, and the competition. Part Two explains how to win new customers. The program presents ways to get new business from: Former CustomersExisting CustomersNew Customers Even though the fashions are a little out of date, this classic video presents great information. If you can look beyond the clothes, you can get a bargain. We can’t all just wait for customers to stream into our place of business like police to a hold-up. We need to set forward a plan to attract new customers. Once we’ve attracted them, we need to keep them and sell to them. We’re just as helpless as the hold-up man if we don’t have plans and strategies. Don Doman is a published author, video producer, and corporate trainer. He owns the business training site Ideas and Training (http://www.ideasandtraining.com), which he says is the home of the no-hassle “free preview” for business training videos. He also owns Human Resources Radio (http://www.humanresourcesradio.com), which broadcasts HR and business training information, program previews, and training samples from some of the world’s great training speakers twenty-four hours a day. You can listen and learn on Human Resources Radio. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Doman http://EzineArticles.com/?Finding-New-Customers-For-Your-Business&id=149825 credit score of 744 nationwide credit repair credit repair utica ny credit repair payment for deletion

By Scott Haywood Changing our eating behaviour is one of the critical lifestyle changes necessary if we are going to successfully lose weight and keep it off. For many people, changing eating habits is one of the hardest things theyll ever do, as anybody who has gone on a diet and tried to stick to it can attest. If youve tried to change your eating habits before and have failed, or if youre about to embark on a weight loss plan of your own that involves a change towards healthier eating, the tips in this article are designed to improve your chances of success. First things first One of the reasons most people fail to stick to a diet is that they take the wrong first step. There are broadly two ways to change your eating habits in order to help you lose weight: 1. Change what you eat 2. Change how much you eat Ideally, in order to maximize weight loss over the LONG TERM we need to change both. But its not a good idea to change both at once. This is where most people make mistakes. They try to change both at once or if they only change one, they change the wrong one first. When faced with the above two options, most people take option 1 first when the best first option to take to help you lose weight is typically option 2. Why? The reason is actually quite simple. It is far easier for most of us to go from eating 3 to 2 pieces of fried chicken for dinner than it is to go from 3 pieces of fried chicken to a garden salad. Sure, eating the salad will help us lose more weight than forgoing only one piece of fried chicken, but permanent weight loss is a long term process and going down to 2 pieces of chicken forever is far better than eating a garden salad for dinner for 1 week and then going back to 3 pieces of chicken for the rest of our life. Remember, we are trying to make permanent lifestyle changes here and most of us wont stick to these changes if they are too radical compared to what we are currently doing. Food reduction tips Here are some tips to help you reduce the amount you eat: Making small permanent changes are better than radical changes that you wont be able to live with. Don’t worry about falling back to your old behaviour for a day or two, only the long term counts. Use portion controlled packaged foods to help you (prepackaged frozen meals and single serve snack packs for example). Use smaller plates than usual to serve your meals. When eating out, buy entre sized meals or share a full sized meal with your partner or friend. Separate a third or quarter of the food on your plate and move it to one side before you begin eating, then leave that third or quarter uneaten at the end of the meal. Eat small amounts of food every couple of hours so youre not starving at main meal times. Drink plenty of water throughout the day most people mistake thirst for hunger. Eat slowly and concentrate on your meal dont watch TV while youre eating for example. Gradually reduce your serving sizes over time until they reach the ideal size. When eating take away, dont buy super-sized options. Remember that to make these changes habit you are going to have to continue to practice them consciously for awhile (maybe up to 3 months) until they become unconscious. Be the last one at the table to start eating. Put your fork or food down between bites. Chew or swallow each bite before the next. Pause in the middle of the meal. Dont eat while cooking this increases your total serving size, often without being noticed. Place leftover food in small, single serve containers. Have soup or a salad with low calorie dressing to begin a meal. As soon as you begin to feel full, stop eating. Try to reduce stress in your life and other things that cause you to eat on emotion. The second step OK, youve gradually started to reduce the amount of food you eat and are starting to slowly (but surely) lose weight. If you havent already, now is the time to start to become more active to improve your general level of fitness, increase your energy levels and of course speed up the weight loss process. Now that these habits are well established, its time to start thinking about making minor positive adjustments to what we eat. Instead of eating a piece of fried chicken for dinner for example (weve migrated from 3 down to 2 and now down to 1) maybe we can have a piece of fried chicken without the skin or a piece of grilled or broiled chicken instead. And maybe we can replace half of the chips that accompany our chicken with a corn cob or a handful of your favourite steamed vegetables. See how were making small positive changes that we can live with? While changing what we eat is often more difficult that slowly but gradually reducing how much we eat, there are things that we can do to make sure that when we do begin to change this aspect of our behaviour that we are successful. Healthy diet modification tips Here are a couple of things to consider when improving our diet: A healthy diet is a balanced diet and a balanced diet has plenty of variety - occasional fast food meals are OK; just don’t make them the staple. Plan ahead dont be forced into choosing inferior food options because you failed to think ahead. Start by modifying your breakfast. Breakfast is so important that it is the logical place to begin when trying to improve your diet. Whole-grain, high-fiber cereals with low-fat milk are an excellent choice. Understand and read the Nutrition Facts labels on packaged food. Compare the nutritional facts of like products and if possible, opt for the choice with the lowest calories, sugar, salt and/or fat. Be adventurous; try new dishes whenever you can. Remember that the cooking method you use can increase or reduce the calories contained in food. Buy a new cookbook or food magazine for food and healthier choice ideas. Exchange healthy recipes with friends. Try new restaurants. Alternate alcohol with low calorie drinks (water is perfect). Join a healthy cooking class. Start a healthy cooking dinner club. Invite friends over for a vegetarian (or other theme) meal. Make meals delicious as well as nutritious. Remove temptations from your home. Become physically, not externally connected to eating. Shop using a shopping list and never shop when hungry. Be wary at cultural and social events dont let your guard down. Feel proud every time you say “no” to a problem food. Neutralize food. There are no good or bad foods - all foods are OK when eaten in moderation. Stop Dieting. General Guidelines for behaviour modification In addition to the tips above, try some of these general guidelines to behaviour modification: Be ready to change. Develop a plan. Set goals, track your progress, and reward yourself to stay motivated. Make change fun. Slow down your busy lifestyle. Understand your personal barriers to change so you can avoid excuses. Dont look for quick fixes and easy options. Keep a positive attitude. Watch your language, especially when talking to yourself. Change your reward system so that it is not based on food and rewards behaviour modifications, not weight loss results. Enlist the help of qualified professionals (e.g. a registered dietitian, a physician, a personal trainer and/or a psychologist). Good luck and remember you can do whatever you set your mind to! For all your weight loss and healthy lifestyle needs, visit www.weightloss.com.au and become a happier, healthier you. Scott Haywood Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Haywood http://EzineArticles.com/?Changing-Our-Eating-Behaviour&id=35259 credit report letter bad credit need credit card christian bad credit loans your credit score and renting

By Elizabeth Saas Choose To Attend The Most Affordable Graduate Program Possible Because the best way to manage financial debt of any kind is to avoid it in the first place, when you’re applying to graduate schools, keep the costs of various programs in mind. Of course, you want to have a high quality educational experience, but often you can receive the same great quality education from a variety of institutions at a variety of prices. If you’re like most people, you don’t have the luxury of paying out of pocket, and that means taking on some student loans. To minimize the amount of debt you incur, choose a graduate program that comes close to being at the intersection of the best educational experience at the lowest price. Determine whether or not you are eligible for any kind of scholarships, funding, or teaching assistantships? Depending on what you plan to study, you might qualify for some kind of financial award that will defray the cost of your education. Are you a superstar in your field? If so, there’s probably money out there that an organization is willing to give someone like you to make sure you pursue your graduate degree. Another way to help keep financial debt to a minimum is to seek teaching assistantship opportunities as a graduate student. As a teaching assistant, you will probably have all of your courses paid for in addition to getting a stipend. These stipends vary from school to school. Some may be small enough to necessitate taking on student loans. Others may be generous enough that a frugal graduate student could get by on stipend alone — albeit with the caveat that he or she doesn’t mind a diet rich in Ramen and an apartment with at least one roommate. In addition to what a teaching assistantship can do for your tuition bills, gaining teaching experience as a graduate student can be very useful to those who are undertaking degrees that eventually will lead to a career in academia. Borrow Only What You Need Whether or not you have found ways to minimize the cost of your education, every graduate student should live with the creed that he or she will borrow only what is necessary to get by during graduate school. The temptation might be great to take out as much as you can, but you should avoid it, because after you graduate, the six months of grace period you’re allowed will fly by almost as quickly as the interest on the loans you’ll have to repay can compound. Plan For The End Of The Grace Period Before You Graduate When you graduate, you will have six months before you’ll need to start repaying your loans. With the hectic pace of graduate school, this six months — the grace period — might seem like plenty of time to figure out how you’ll make your monthly payments. You will be in a much better position to take on the responsibility of those monthly payments if you have something lined up before you cross the graduation platform. Review more industry related articles by Elizabeth Saas at CareersandEducation.com. Elizabeth Saas is a feature writer and often covers topics related to Campus degree programs and Career Advice. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elizabeth_Saas http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Manage-Financial-Debt-From-Graduate-School&id=391219 pharmacy phentermine cod buy phentermine cod buy phentermine online pharmacy buy phentermine 30mg

By Eddie Tobey LASIK, which stands for Laser In-Keratomileusis, is a laser eye surgery procedure where the shape of the cornea is permanently changed to eliminate the need for contacts or glasses. This procedure is done through the use of excimer laser. Once the procedure is completed, the patient has 20/20 vision, even after using prescription contact lenses or glasses. Benefits of Lasik Eye Surgery Lasik eye surgery continues to gain popularity because it offers several benefits to patients. One of these is that patients experience immediate restoration of uncorrected vision. After the procedure, astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness are reduced. Patients can enjoy activities without having to worry about their glasses or contacts since the correction is permanent. The result is constant once the refractive error has been corrected. Additionally, the visual recovery time for this surgery is minimal compared to other eye operations. A patient experiences a speedy recovery once the procedure is done. As a result, a patient can soon perform his work and other activities and won?t have to rest for a longer period. Risks of Lasik Eye Surgery In addition to the benefits of lasik eye surgery, however, there can also be risks. In some cases, patients can experience improper correction. This means that the desired correction is not achieved and astigmatism is induced. There are some patients who even lose lines of vision; this cannot be corrected with glasses or contacts. Another risk is that patients can develop severe dry eyes and need eye drops to keep from feeling pain. For most patients, this will go away after several months. But for some, this can be permanent, especially if the patient has already had dry eye problems in the past. Other visual abnormalities can also be experienced by patients such as glares and halos. In the first few months, patients can experience problems with glare at night and halos or hazy rings around bright lights at night. And occasionally, double vision can also occur. Lastly, lasik is a new technology, just approved in 1998, so the long-term effects of this procedure are still unknown. Lasik Eye Surgery provides detailed information on Lasik Eye Surgery, Cost Of Lasik Eye Surgery, Lasik Eye Surgery Information, Lasik Eye Surgery Centers and more. Lasik Eye Surgery is affiliated with Lasik Surgery. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eddie_Tobey http://EzineArticles.com/?Lasik-Eye-Surgery&id=277058 phentermine 37.5 without prescription cheap generic phentermine cheap phentermine online pharmacy cheap phentermine cod

By Gerry Oginski How many times do you hear warnings about what you should and shouldn’t do? After looking at warning labels and signs all day, we become desensitized to the warnings and they lose their importance. Walking in the airport we see signs saying “Hold handrail while going up escalator.” At the ice skating rink we see signs that say “Slippery, use caution.” On our medication bottles we read “Warning-may cause harm if not taken as directed.” On our laptop computers, cell phones, and digital cameras we see signs on the batteries that say “Warning-do not dispose in open fire.” What are these warnings supposed to do? Warn us of dangers to specific activity. Does it work? Maybe. Then again, maybe not. Think about the last time you really paid attention to such a warning. Did you read the fine print when you were given a prescription bottle- the entire warning packet? Admit it- if you’re like most people, you didn’t. Or, how about this one, “Warning, don’t operate heavy machinery if taking narcotic sedatives.” Why are these warnings necessary? Mainly because some folks don’t use their common sense when going about their daily lives. Almost each warning we see and hear about arises from some incident involving someone who got hurt by not being careful. “Don’t drink the gasoline if you are siphoning gas from one tank to another.” Do we really need all these warnings? Does the warning above really alert us to the inherent dangers associated with drinking gasoline? Isn’t it common sense not to drink gasoline? I’d like to think so, but some would disagree. The other day there was a horrible tragedy involving an 8 year old boy from Queens, New York, who was playing with a barbeque lighter in his home. You know what happened. He thought it was a toy and was making little fires under his bed. Three of his brothers died along with his grandfather. All because he thought the lighter was a toy. Do you really think a warning that said “Danger- keep away from children,” would have prevented this tragedy? Unlikely. Or this warning, “Danger, don’t touch open flame, you could get burned.” Unfortunately, warnings do not replace common sense. It also goes without saying that nothing replaces constant vigilance of your children. Veteran New York personal injury attorney Gerry Oginski recently observed a sign at a hotel that said “There is no substitute for parental supervision.” “The warnings that we see every day don’t have much significance when we’re inundated with them from every direction. We become desensitized to the dangers and warnings in our daily lives,” notes Gerry Oginski. Paying close attention to our kids and our own actions helps minimize the dangers we face in our lives every day. So be careful this holiday season. Attorney Oginski has been in practice for 17 years as a trial lawyer practicing exclusively in the State of New York. Having his own law firm, he is able to provide the utmost in personalized, individualized attention to each and every client. In our office, a client is not a file number. Client’s are always treated with the respect they deserve and expect from a professional. Mr. Oginski is always aware of every aspect of a client’s case from start to finish. Gerry represents injured people in injury cases and medical malpractice matters in Brooklyn, Queens, New York City, the Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. You can reach him at http://www.oginski-law.com, or 516-487-8207. All inquiries are free and totally confidential. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerry_Oginski http://EzineArticles.com/?Warning-Labels-and-Warning-Signs-Dont-Warn&id=116202 phentermine online doctors buy phentermine without a rx phentermine without prescription buy phentermine without a perscription

By Barry Seelig Consumer product innovation can be either functional or emotional. It can be generated by original research or come from an idea that has been around a long time; can be implemented behind the scenes yet still have an impact in the marketplace. And while the marketer’s perspective and the consumer’s point of view are not always aligned, the ultimate determinant of success is the consumer. If consumers accept it - there is InnOvation - and they respond with a round of applause. But what are the factors that influence consumer acceptance? First of all we must ask, ‘Is a true need being filled?’ Consumers are too savvy, busy, and overwhelmed by alternatives to invest in something that does not make their lives more convenient, pleasant, easy, or makes them feel good. For example, the idea of turning the ketchup bottle upside down was brilliant. What took so long to implement the obvious? But is it appropriate and relevant to place every product in an upside down package? Does the concept match the product or is it a forced fit? The second and more critical aspect of consumer acceptance of innovation is timing. Is the consumer really ready to accept this innovation? To be successful, an innovation must be aligned with consumers’ awareness and their ability to understand it. It cannot succeed if the advantages are not clear. For example, I worked with Johnson and Johnson in the 1990s in developing a paper-based secondary form-fill and seal container for storing and dispensing baby wipes. The concept failed in testing. Why? Because the consumer believed wipes in a paper container would dry out faster than those stored in plastic. In truth, the paper version was much better for retaining moisture versus plastic. Consumer perception at that time prevented the marketplace success of this valid innovation. It took another 5-7 years for these products to be accepted in another packaging form - which turned out to be a foil pouch. Finally, from the marketer’s perspective, there is the cost of entry. The first to enter the marketplace wins the position of innovator in the consumer’s mind and controls a vital territory. However, that marketer incurs development costs, consumer education and awareness building costs, and, since a good idea will be copied in a short amount of time, the marketing expenses of defending this #1 position. Is it better to be the second to enter? The answer, as with all business decisions, is an issue of risk v. reward. What is the cost of change v. the risk of not changing? Is the need to change being dictated by a competitor? Innovation is a critical part of brand marketing and growth. With a true InnOvation, the consumer responds with an Ovation, and the marketer not merely survives but prospers. Industry guru Barry G. Seelig is trained as both a structural and graphic designer. He has spearheaded innovation in packaging and design for the food and beverage, health and beauty aids, and pharmaceutical industries, since 1986 as president and chief creative officer of New York based applebrandsource. He can be reached at http://applebrandsource.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barry_Seelig http://EzineArticles.com/?Innovation—Gaining-Consumer-Acceptance&id=401792 buy phentermine on line buy phentermine with master card buy phentermine online phentermine diet pills by cod