Prepare For A Tornado!

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Betty Knutson
Prepare For A Tornado!

Prepare For A Tornado!

With the recent events in Oklahoma, horrific tornadoes, I thought this would be valuable information to share.  I have been through a tornado and know the devastation they bring, physically and emotionally.  Please read these tips.

Tornado Preparedness!

Tornadoes can occur in every state and has the capacity to strike with little or no warning. The damage from a tornado results from high wind velocity and wind blown debris. Because they can occur in any state and also accompany tropical storms and hurricanes as they move onto land, each family should make preparations before a tornado strikes.

Tornado Facts:

They may strike quickly, with little or no warning.
They may appear nearly transparent until dust and debris are picked up or a cloud forms in the funnel.
The average tornado moves Southwest to Northeast, but tornadoes have been known to move in any direction.
The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 mph, but may vary from stationary to 70 mph. The maximum speed is over 300 mph.
Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water.
Tornadoes are most frequently reported east of the Rocky Mountains during spring and summer months.
Peak tornado season in the southern states is March through May; in the northern states, it is late spring through early summer.
Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 pm and 9 pm, but can occur at any time.

Tornadoes are categorized based on sustained wind damage:

F-0 40-72 mph Chimney damage, tree branches broken
F-1 73-112 mph Mobile homes pushed off their foundations or overturned
F-2 113-157 mph Considerable damage. Mobile homes demolished. Trees uprooted
F-3 158-205 mph Roofs and walls torn down. Trains overturned. Cars thrown.
F-4 207-260 mph Well constructed walls leveled
F-5 261-318 mph Homes lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances. Cars thrown as far as 100 meters.

What’s the Difference Between a Watch and a Warning?

Tornado Watch – Tornadoes are possible. Remain alert for approaching storms. Watch the sky and stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio or television for information.

Tornado Warning – A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Take shelter immediately.

Signs of a Tornado

Always be on alert when a strong storm is approaching – with the right conditions it could turn into a tornado. Look for these additional signs:

Dark, often greenish sky
Large hail
A large, dark, low-lying cloud (particularly if rotating)
Loud roar, similar to a freight train.

If you see approaching storms or any of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.

Preparing for a Tornado

These swirling vortexes of destruction can cause fatalities and destroy in a matter of seconds with paths of up to 1 miles in width or more. Therefore it is in one’s best interest to prepare beforehand. Pre-planning is critical in helps your family react more quickly and fluidly to the situation at hand. Sitting down as a family to discuss protocols, procedures and what they should expect during a tornado will help them grasp the severity of the situation.

Make a Plan

The first thing you should do to prepare for any emergency is to sit down with your family and create a preparedness plan that includes pertinent contact information, alternative emergency locations, and have important papers safely put away or downloaded onto a flash drive for easy carry.

Sometimes certain preparedness subjects can be hard for small children to understand. Children have a psychological need for security and stability therefore, prepare your children by building their natural resilience to these situations. Read more here.

Further, if you store food and water for emergencies, plan to have meals that will require minimum fuel or electricity usage. There are many layers of a preparedness pantry, so depending on how long your want to prepare for, you may want to start off with shelf stable foods such as canned goods, just add water meals, freeze dried meals, etc.  For a calculator for how much food you need to be prepared, click here. You must anticipate that you will be without power until restoration efforts begin, so keep easy to make meals in mind. Also, don’t forget to store lots of water. You must have water for drinking, food preparation and for sanitation issues.

Communications is an important aspect of tornado preparedness.

In any emergency, always listen to the instructions given by local emergency management officials.

Sheltering in Place

Your family could be anywhere when a tornado strikes–at home, at work, at school, or in the car. Discuss different shelter areas to go to during a tornado. Moreover, talk with members of how they can  protect themselves from flying and falling debris.

According to the American Red Cross, “the key to surviving a tornado and reducing the risk of injury lies in planning, preparing, and practicing what you and your family will do if a tornado strikes. Flying debris causes most deaths and injuries during a tornado. Although there is no completely safe place during a tornado, some locations are much safer than others.”

At Home

Pick a place in the home where family members can gather if a tornado is headed your way. One basic rule is AVOID WINDOWS AND MIRRORS. An exploding window can injure or kill.

The safest place in the home is the interior part of a basement. If there is no basement, go to an inside room, without windows, on the lowest floor. This could be a center hallway, bathroom, or closet.

For added protection, get under something sturdy such as a heavy table or workbench. If possible, cover your body with a blanket, sleeping bag, or mattress, and protect your head with anything available–even your hands. Avoid taking shelter where there are heavy objects, such as pianos or refrigerators, on the area of floor that is directly above you. They could fall though the floor if the tornado strikes your house.

If you live in a mobile home, bear in mind that these do not offer adequate shelter. They can turn over from high wind velocities. If you live in mobile home, evacuate immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter from a tornado. Get out immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter.

Car Safety

The least desirable place to be during a tornado is in a motor vehicle. Cars, buses, and trucks are easily tossed by tornado winds. DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO IN YOUR CAR. If you see a tornado, stop your vehicle and get out. Do not get under your vehicle.

If you find yourself in a car when a tornado is hitting follow these safety protocols:
Immediately get into a vehicle, buckle your seat belt and try to drive to the closest sturdy shelter.
If your vehicle is hit by flying debris while you are driving, pull over and park.
Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows; cover your head with your hands and a blanket, coat or other cushion if possible.
If you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway, leave your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands
Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location.
Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.
Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries.

Outdoors

If you are caught outside during a tornado and there is no adequate shelter immediately available, do the following:

Avoid areas with many trees.
Avoid vehicles.
Lie down flat in a gully, ditch, or low spot on the ground.
Protect your head with an object or with your arms.

Long-Span Buildings

A long-span building, such as a shopping mall, theater, or gymnasium, is especially dangerous because the roof structure is usually supported solely by the outside walls. Most such buildings hit by tornadoes cannot withstand the enormous pressure. They simply collapse.

If you are in a long-span building during a tornado, stay away from windows. Get to the lowest level of the building–the basement if possible–and away from the windows.

If there is no time to get to a tornado shelter or to a lower level, try to get under a door frame or get up against something that will support or deflect falling debris. For instance, in a department store, get up against heavy shelving or counters. In a theater, get under the seats. Remember to protect your head.

Office Buildings, Schools, Hospitals, Churches, and Other Public Buildings

Extra care is required in offices, schools, hospitals, or any building where a large group of people is concentrated in a small area. The exterior walls of such buildings often have large windows.

If you are in any of these buildings:

Move away from windows and glass doorways.
Go to the innermost part of the building on the lowest possible floor.
Do not use elevators because the power may fail, leaving you trapped.
Protect your head and make yourself as small a target as possible by crouching down.

Shelter for People with Special Needs

Advance planning is especially important if you require assistance to reach shelter from an approaching storm.

If you are in a wheelchair, get away from windows and go to an interior room of the house. If possible, seek shelter under a sturdy table or desk. Do cover your head with anything available, even your hands.

If you are unable to move from a bed or a chair and assistance is not available, protect yourself from falling objects by covering up with blankets and pillows.

If you are outside and a tornado is approaching, get into a ditch or gully. If possible, lie flat and cover your head with your arms.

Injuries from a Tornado

Injuries sustained from a tornado can be serious and life threatening. Do not attempt to move seriously injured people unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. Get medical assistance immediately. If someone has stopped breathing, begin CPR if you are trained to do so. Stop a bleeding injury by applying direct pressure to the wound. Have any puncture wound evaluated by a physician. If you are trapped, try to attract attention to your location.

Reconnecting with Family Members

When disasters are concerned, things can go awry very quickly.  And in some cases, families can become separated.  When a family is separated from one another, providing pertinent information to medical personnel or first responders becomes more challenging due to heightened emotions from the stressful situation. Click here to learn how to create personal ID cards for children and to have essential information stored for this situation. After a disaster, let your family and friends know that you are safe and well to bring peace of mind to concerned family members. This website is designed to help make that communication easier.

Emotionally reconnecting with family members can also be difficult. Due to the trauma involved in surviving a natural disaster, some children will exhibit symptoms of post traumatic stress. Click here to learn how family members can help their child get through this difficult time.

To conclude, the best way to prepare for a tornado is to frequently check supplies and have family members practice where to go and what to do during a tornado. Practice makes perfect and helps to calm fears when and if this natural disaster occurs

Source:

Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Cookbook: 300 Recipes to Turn Your Emergency Food into Nutritious, Delicious, Life-Saving Meals. When a catastrophic collapse cripples society, grocery store shelves will empty within days. But if you follow this book’s plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply, your family will have plenty to eat for weeks, months or even years. Visit her web site at ReadyNutrition.com.

This information has been made available by Ready Nutrition

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It Is Easy To Get Started With Your Norwex Home Business!

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Betty Knutson

conference2012 049It Is Easy and Free To Get Started With Your Norwex Home Business!  ‘With the health and ecological approach, the dialogue and contact with our customers is wider and deeper, because we talk about the consequences of chemicals on health and planet Earth and not only about great products.’  Yes, Norwex offers GREAT products; economical and time saving, and very effective as well.   Online sign ups are easy! Are you ready to make a difference in your life, as well as the lives of so many others? It’s easy- you may go to my Norwex website, BettyKnutson.norwex.biz, click on “Join Us” & then “Sign Up Now”. Once you’re registered, you’ll receive your Consultant ID# & Norwex will send you your Starter Kit without any upfront cost and as long as you have at least $2000 in sales in your first 90 days, you never pay a dime for it!! Pretty sweet!! And be sure to look at our getting started bonus offers. If you have any questions, please contact me. 605-873-2603norwex-logo-white-on-blue (1)

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Chemical Pollution In Infants! Scary!

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Betty Knutson

Article: We’re in contact with uncontrolled chemicals.

We’re in contact with uncontrolled chemicals!

January 14, 2013|By Sandy Bauers, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

In testimony before a Senate subcommittee, Ken Cook spoke passionately about 10 Americans who were found to have more than 200 synthetic chemicals in their blood.

The list included flame retardants, lead, stain removers, and pesticides the federal government had banned three decades ago.

“Their chemical exposures did not come from the air they breathed, the water they drank, or the food they ate,” said Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, a national advocacy group.
How did he know?

The 10 Americans were newborns. “Babies are coming into this world pre-polluted with toxic chemicals,” he said.More than 80,000 chemicals are in use today, and most have not been independently tested for safety, regulatory officials say.

Yet we come in contact with many every day – most notably, the bisphenol A in can linings and hard plastics, the flame retardants in couches, the nonstick coatings on cookware, the phthalates in personal care products, and the nonylphenols in detergents, shampoos, and paints.

These five groups of chemicals were selected by Sonya Lunder, senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group, as ones that people should be aware of and try to avoid.

They were among the first picked in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recent effort to assess health risks for 83 of the most worrisome industrial chemicals.

Lunder’s basis was that they are chemicals Americans come in contact with daily. You don’t have to live near a leaking Superfund site to be exposed. They are in many consumer products, albeit often unlabeled.

Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others have shown that they are detectable in the blood or urine of many of us.

Plus, much data exist showing their harm. “We have an incredible body of evidence for all these chemicals,” she said. “In all cases, we have studies linking human exposure to human health effects.”

Lunder and others see these five as symbolic of the government’s failure to protect us from potential – or actual – toxins.

“A lot of people presume that because you’re buying something on the store shelf . . . someone has vetted that product to make sure it is safe,” said Sarah Janssen, senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, another advocacy group. “Unfortunately, that’s not true.”

Some chemicals are regulated through laws governing, say, pesticides or air quality.  But most are regulated through the Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA. It has been identified as the only major environmental statute that has not been reauthorized, or revised, since its adoption in the 1970s.

Since 2005, U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D., N.J.) has worked to change that. In 2010, he introduced the first version of the Safe Chemicals Act, which would require companies “to prove their products are safe before they end up in our home and our children’s bodies,” he said recently by e-mail.

A later version, with 27 co-sponsors, passed out of committee in July. He has vowed to keep fighting for a vote in the full Senate.The American Chemical Council, a trade association representing large chemical manufacturers, declined comment, although it too has called for reform.

“Public confidence in TSCA has diminished, contributing to misperceptions about the safety of chemicals,” council president Cal Dooley said in 2011 testimony. But he said the proposed law would cripple innovation in fields from energy to medicine. It would “create an enormous burden on EPA and on manufacturers with little benefit by requiring a minimum data set for all chemicals.”

EPA officials declined comment, but in a series of appearances before the Senate subcommittee on the environment, staffers repeatedly said the current law is not protecting Americans.

In July, Jim Jones, acting administrator of EPA’s office of chemical safety, said that “with each passing year, the need for TSCA reform grows,” noting that it had “fallen behind the rapidly advancing industry it is intended to regulate.”

When TSCA was passed, it grandfathered in, “without any evaluation,” the 62,000 chemicals in commerce that existed before 1976, Jones said.

He noted that in the 34 years since TSCA was passed, the list of chemicals has grown to 84,000, and EPA has been able to require testing on only about 200 of them.

Also, the agency has regulated or banned only five.

An oft-mentioned case of regulatory failure is that of cancer-causing asbestos. In 1989, “after years of study and nearly unanimous scientific opinion,” Jones said, the EPA banned it.

Two years later, a federal court overturned most of the action because the EPA had not chosen the least burdensome control on industry, as required.

The court ruled that old asbestos uses could not be revived. New uses were prohibited. But current uses could remain.

Adam Finkel, executive director of the University of Pennsylvania Program on Regulation, said that Europe leads the U.S. in chemical testing and regulation. There, officials put the onus on the makers to prove a chemical is safe.

Meanwhile, the science keeps outpacing the rules.

“The real issue of TSCA reform is that science is not what it was 30 or 40 years ago,” said Linda Birnbaum, head of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

In the past, she said, “we were looking almost exclusively at visible birth defects. We were concerned with cancer.”

Researchers are now looking at chemicals’ effects – some extremely subtle – on numerous other conditions, including reproductive development and disorders, diabetes, heart problems, asthma, autism . . . even obesity and learning disorders.

Paradigms have evolved so that researchers can study concurrent exposure to more than one chemical, as happens in real life. Toxicology has grown from a descriptive science of what has occurred to a predictive one.

Of the five chemicals identified by Lunder, flame retardants have figured prominently in recent research studies.

In late November, researchers led by Duke University chemist Heather Stapleton showed that a flame retardant removed from children’s sleepwear as a suspected carcinogen was still in lots of couches.

More than 40 percent of the 102 couches bought between 1985 and 2010 had the chemical, called tris, according to the study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

That issue also published a study by the Silent Spring Institute, an advocacy group in Massachusetts, that traced the path of toxic flame retardants from couches to household dust to the bodies of children, who often crawl on floors and put fingers in their mouths.

Officials say children’s small size and rapid growth may make them more vulnerable to toxins.
The research showed that most homes had levels of at least one flame retardant that exceeded a federal health guideline.

One of the latest health studies of PBDE flame retardants, in November’s Environmental Health Perspectives, found that fetal or infant exposure could adversely affect a child’s fine-motor coordination, attention span, and IQ.

A Chicago Tribune investigation, published in May, found that many flame retardants do not even provide meaningful protection from fire.

Bisphenol A, another chemical facing scrutiny, held promise because it could be used to make hard, clear plastic and protective liners for canned foods and beverages.

Noting thousands of studies examining its effects, the National Resources Defense Council petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to limit its use as a food additive, which would also preclude its use in packaging.

The FDA denied the petition last year, although many manufacturers have removed it from baby bottles and sippy cups. Some, including Campbell’s Soup of Camden, say they plan to shift to alternatives.

 Source: http://articles.philly.com/2013-01-14/news/36334028_1_safe-chemicals-act-flame-retardants-sarah-janssen/3
Concerned? I can help you rid your home of most of the household chemicals!  http://BettyKnutson.Norwex.biz
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Norwex Microfiber Is Amazing!

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Betty Knutson

 

Streak-free windows with these cloths.

Are you tired of streaky windows?

 Norwex microfiber cloths are amazing!

Norwex microfiber is a blend of polyester and polyamide. This fiber is 1/200th the size of a strand of human hair. When this high quality microfiber is combined with just water, the cloths remove everything on the surface leaving you with a REAL Clean! This multipurpose microfiber Enviro Cloth removes dust, dirt, and grease from all washable surfaces.   You will be simply amazed at the effectiveness of these superior, antibacterial, microfiber cloths.  They are self purifying as well.  No more stinky kitchen cloths; a real plus!  These cloths are machine washable and dryable!  No bleach please.  All our Norwex microfiber cloths and Norwex mops have a 2 year warranty!  Satisfaction guaranteed!

You can purchase these cloths online at http://BettyKnutson.Norwex.biz   Low shipping!

Questions? Need more information?  Email me at greencleaningbiz@yahoo.com 

Join My Team!

Join My Norwex Team!

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Living With Integrity is a Bedrock of a Free Society.

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Betty Knutson

I found these excerpts from his article soul-stirring, so am sharing it.

Living with integrity is a bedrock skill for living well that requires the use of reason and is always an ongoing work in progress. It is also the primary quality of character necessary for a free society.
The best definition of reason that I’ve ever come across is from Nathaniel Branden: “Reason is the non-contradictory integration of experience.”
As conscious, thinking beings, our task, regardless of our status, regardless of our IQ and regardless of our circumstances, is to make the best sense out of our world (objective reality), our internal subjective experience, our relationships and our options. Reason is the tool of thought that we use to accomplish this.
We use our capacity for reason to make sense of what we can; and we can either live congruently or incongruently with what we understand. When we are honest about what we know and we then seek to integrate that knowledge through our words and deeds, what we are doing is living with integrity.
Living with integrity is no small feat. To be conscious of your experience and honest about what you perceive, think, feel and believe can take tremendous courage in some situations. And while Winston Churchill famously said that “courage is the first of human qualities,” I believe that living with integrity is the fullest expression of courage.
Living with integrity provides the structure of personal character that makes courage matter.
To the extent that you seek to be conscious and seek to know the truth, to the extent that you are honest with yourself about what you know, think and believe, and to the extent that what you know, think and believe is consistent with what you say and what you say is consistent with what you do, to that extent you are living with integrity.
When you strive to live with integrity you grow a positive reputation with yourself and that reputation can earn you a sense of deep comfort within your own skin. The more you are honest with yourself and live what you know when you’re together with others, the easier it becomes to know what to do in any given circumstance.
But this is not something that affects just you. When you think of people who have been great forces for good in the world, who do you think of? Make a quick mental list of two or three people right now.
I don’t know who you thought of but I’ll bet you they were not people who kept their views shrouded in endless qualifiers, or people who lied and cheated to accomplish something great, or people who talked a great game but didn’t follow through.
Sophistry and appeasement do not generally enhance the good – but they can allow evil to fester and grow.
People who make a positive impact on the world are people who act with courage and integrity; and their impact – your impact – can be substantial.
That is the power of living with integrity. That is the impact that you can have on others when you stay true to what you know and believe, even in the face of pressure from authority or seductive peers.
Living with integrity is fundamental to owning your own life, and to living your life well. It is also the most powerful stance to take in life, and it forms the backbone of national character that we need to regain our freedom.
Joel F. Wade, Ph.D. is the author of Mastering Happiness

 

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What Happens When You Set Aside Rejection?

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Betty Knutson
What Happens When You Set Aside Rejection

-By Tammy Stanley

A number of weeks ago I completed an extraordinary communication course and then had the opportunity to invite people I knew to an evening event at which they could learn about the course and register for it. I couldn’t help thinking of one of my friends that I had not spoken with for a number of months. I thought of how great it would be to reconnect with her and to have her attend the event with me and learn about this course.

I know this will shock you, but when I called, I had to leave a message!

Fortunately I know a few things about inspiring people to call me back, and a short while later my friend returned my call. Naturally I had my Irresistible Offer ready and I presented the opportunity to come to the event and for us to get re-connected. My friend expressed appreciation that I had thought of her, but she declined my offer, as she just didn’t have time to take a course right now.

Of course I let her know that I could certainly understand that and then reassured her that the course wasn’t going away and that she would have the opportunity in the future to take the course, if it was something she wanted. I then shared with her that because it had been a few months since we had connected, I would truly enjoy getting together for coffee or lunch.

She then explained that she was absolutely flooded with work challenges and couldn’t even think about getting together with me for two weeks to a month, and even then she doubted if she would be able to fit it in. She then began to tell me some of the things she was facing at work, and as I listened I could hardly believe my ears – the challenge that was creating so much stress for her was her relationship with her boss. communication problems.

At that point I said to my friend, “Now that I hear what you are going through, I cannot help thinking how beneficial it would be for you to get together with me, even if that time is on the phone – I’ve been involved in coaching individuals going through similar situations for the last 6 months and I have no doubt that we could create a breakthrough for you. My friend then let me know how much she appreciated that but she just wasn’t in a financial position to hire me at the moment. I then laughed and told her that when I presented that offer I was only offering it as a free service to her as my friend.

The next thing I knew she had pulled out her calendar and suggested a 5 o’clock meeting the very next day. When she met with me the next day at 5, she spent 2 hours with me! If you recall, when I first spoke to her about getting together, she told me that she didn’t have a moment to spare for at least two weeks and more likely a month.

Now perhaps she only made room in her calendar to meet with me because I wasn’t charging her a consulting fee, but in actuality prospects do not make room in their calendar for something they don’t want, whether it’s free or not. I know I have been offered plenty of weekend stays at lovely resorts, if I simply listen to a 2-hour on-site sales presentation. I have no problem saying “No,” regardless of the freebie being offered.

My friend had no time to get together with me until I showed her that the time she would spend with me could help create the breakthrough in communication that she obviously needed with her boss. Once I showed her that I had something she wanted, she had plenty of time for me and right away too!

Your prospects and customers are no different – until you listen and truly grasp what they need or want, it’s difficult to persuade them to take you up on whatever you are offering.

It is not uncommon that you have to set aside your feelings of disappointment or rejection. If you allow yourself to get caught up with feelings of rejection and/or disappointment instead of settings those feelings aside, you will not be able to hear what your prospects/customers actually need and want.

By setting aside your worries, you create the space to just be there for your prospects and customers and grasp what they need. Once you offer them what they need, they often see value in taking you up on your offer.

 

Author, Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker Tammy Stanley publishes the propelling ‘Sales Refinery Insights’ weekly ezine for direct sales professionals. If you’re ready to jump-start your direct sales business, make more money, and create more value, get your FREE tips now at www.tammystanley.com/ezine/ezine_offer_ds.htm

 

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Bring yourself up emotionally.

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Betty Knutson

One more reason that the thoughts that we “feed” our brains and subconscious make such a HUGE difference in our lives. We all wish to be spiraling UP emotionally, growing in gratefulness, positive expectation, passion, joy & love.
If you find yourself spiraling the wrong way, it’s powerful to replace the negative self-talk with some of the words on the upward spiral.

Use words and thoughts like, contentment, hopefulness, optimism, positive expectations, relief, enthusiasm, passion, joy, knowledge, empowerment, freedom, love and appreciation.

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Where Are All The New Surfers?

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Betty Knutson

Want to know what annoys the heck out of me about traffic exchanges?

As an experienced surfer, I am deeply disappointed in how few traffic exchanges are growing the community by advertising outside of TEland.

Most owners are content with swapping members by setting up surf promotions with other exchanges and trading credits as their sole way of getting members to see your pages.

Basically, they raid other exchanges for members.

But. . .

New surfers are the lifeblood of the industry.

Without new surfers, the industry would shrivel up and slowly die.

I may sound a wee bit melodramatic, but the fact of the matter is this. . .

There are only a handful of exchanges bringing in fresh blood.

And surfing those exchanges is the smart thing to do because ;

* The sheer profit power of helping “still wet behind ears” newbies get started on the right foot is tremendous.
* Your advertising resonates with new surfers because they have yet to see everything under the sun.
* They haven’t joined everything yet.
* They are still full of hope and dreams.
* Smart new surfers seek help.
* They need the tools to succeed.

Plus new surfers want more free traffic. That means surfers can actually get results promoting other exchanges.

And when an exchange discovers a secret source of surfers, they become the hottest exchange to promote for all the reasons I mentioned above.

One such exchange is PowerCashStream. It’s owned by Aron and Shawn McElhaney, two twin brothers living Colorado.

Aron focuses marketing PowerCashStream outside traffic exchanges with pay per click advertising.

“I don’t advertise in other traffic exchanges because I let the members have those referrals,” Aron told me over Skype. He continues, “I go outside of traffic exchanges and advertise for new marketers looking for free traffic.”

Why pay per click?

“Sometimes I ask myself that,” Aron said. “But,” he goes on, “it’s a fast way of finding new marketers, who haven’t heard of traffic exchanges yet.” And since many marketers don’t want to surf or their products are not suitable for traffic exchanges in the first place, I have to sift and sort to find new surfers.””
We also want to reach out and bring in surfers from the other exchanges too,” Shawn chimed in, “ but we want our members be able to build their own downlines. And we to reward them in a BIG way for doing that. That’s why we have a platinum level that pays 80 percent commissions when their referrals upgrade.”

Shawn has also done everything he can to make surfing fun, enjoyable and profitable. The big thing in my book is how they put the chat on the right hand side of the screen. That’s an important feature, because the left hand side is where our eyes naturally go. That’s where you want your pages!

The owners get it.

And bringing in new surfers is what makes PowerCashStream stick out from the flood of new exchanges popping up all over the place.

I don’t recommend many new exchanges these days, but I have no hesitation whatsoever, suggesting you grab your free membership at PowerCashStream.
Check it out here!

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What is your style of gardening?

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Betty Knutson

What is your style of gardening? Are you a ‘straight line’ gardener or are you one that welcomes help from the wind and finches? This subject peaked my interest, as I have noticed much variation in the garden plots in our community garden. There are the garden plots that eminate greater excellence, maybe stemming from expertise or a proper personality. Then there are the garden plots that show creativity and a relaxed personality. Still I see garden plots that show neglect which saddens me. Yes, my garden has even portrayed it when my days have been filled with other activity, maybe spring cleaning. I usually get into the garden to correct this situation, because I am anticipating a bountiful harvest of juicy, succulent, fresh organic vegetables.
My mother planted our garden with much precision. She used the ‘stakes and twine’ method and rows were straight and seeds properly spaced. This is definitely helpful when one uses a garden tiller, but I didn’t inherit that ‘gardening gene’ so my rows are not perfectly straight. However, I do reap many luscious vegetables and fruits from my ‘creative style’ garden. I welcome an occasional sprouting, volunteer tomato seed that has sprung through the rich, mellow, black soil in my garden. I know, from past experience, that this tomato plant will supply me with juicy, sweet tomatoes. I give it my blessings and hoe around it, probably put a tomato cage around it and let the sun and rain nurture it. I plant many ‘heritage’ seeds so I know they will produce as they did the previous year.
I am not scientific nor proper in my gardening style, but there will still be a bountiful harvest of ‘mouth watering’ organic produce with God’s blessing.

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Respect And Appreciate Your Customers!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Betty Knutson

I found this article written by Shari Hudspeth so helpful in our business of direct sales, that I just had to share it with you.

There are Boundaries
I am frequently reminded that there are boundaries we don’t want to cross, and that there is a right way and a wrong way to take care of our customers. It seems that good customer service is often a lost art in today’s market.

 

One day I was working in my office. It was one of those days that I had back-to-back calls. As I was working on the phone, a window company’s representative came by the house. She talked to my husband and offered him “incentives” to simply have someone come by and do an evaluation on the condition of our windows. A while later two women came by to do the inspection. They were there for two hours and took a good deal of my husband’s time taking him to each window to show him what needed to be done. After they had finished, they wanted to talk to the two of us to give us an estimate. My husband came up and looked at my calendar and made an appointment for them to come back that day (not knowing that I had added two more calls to my day). As an aside, our daughter and granddaughter had been gone for days and were due back that afternoon. I was leaving for Atlanta very early the next morning and was dying to get my hands on that sweet baby and hold her until I had to leave! When they came back, I was in no mood or space to hear a presentation. I tried to be polite; I said, “do you mind if I just grab Isabelle (my granddaughter) and bring her in?” The sales person responded with, “as long as she doesn’t spit up on my paperwork.” Strike one. I was trying to pay attention but Isabelle was fussy, and as they drug me from window to window again, I asked if their plan was to show me each and every window they had shown my husband already. “We did have an appointment,” she reminded me. Strike two. As they continued to show us more and more plans and pictures and ask us to make on-the-spot decisions about what we would do here or there, and Isabelle grew fussier and fussier, one of the sales reps said, “do you need to see to something so that we can have your attention?” Strike three.  I finally explained that this was a bit premature as we were contracting someone to do our backyard and that was our immediate commitment. “Are you saying that your yard is more important that the structural safety of your home?” Strike four. It took some very direct language to get the two of them out of our home. Let’s just say that they convinced us that our windows need to be replaced and that when we did replace them… it wouldn’t be with their company. They crossed the line. They crossed several lines. They offended us on a number of levels. They were focused on the sale and were completely insensitive to the client they were speaking to.

 

We have a relative who is in direct sales. The last time I was in the field, she used to call me all the time to try to recruit me over to her company. She is family, so I tried to be polite. “Thank you, but I love what I am doing.” She kept calling and pushing. So I tried to be more direct: “I’m not leaving what I am doing to join you.” She kept pushing. Then she went to a company-sponsored seminar where they gave her a “really great” visual to use. This was years ago and I still remember it vividly. We were in our living room and she said, “they told us, when somebody says no to you regarding the business opportunity, picture them with big Mickey Mouse ears on them, because somebody has to wait on you at Disneyland and if they don’t join you, that’s just the kind of work they will be doing!” I thought, seriously? Can you imagine your company training to that kind of an attitude? It certainly wasn’t a company I wanted to be a part of. You have a great opportunity to offer people, but the truth is, no matter how good it is, it isn’t the right place for everybody. We share our great business opportunity with people and let them decide if it fits their life. We need customers, hostesses, AND recruits to have a successful business, don’t we?
There are boundaries. There is a right way to do things, and a wrong way to do things.
Years ago, a Kirby vacuum salesman came to the door. He was incredible. He showed us the difference his vacuum could make in our home, especially with a son who has severe allergies. He did a wonderful job of asking questions, asking permission to show us different things, and he was soft-spoken and courteous. We had a built-in vacuum system at the time, and he showed us that we needed a new, very expensive vacuum. Then his seasoned partner showed up. “The closer.” He was so hard-sell that I finally told him to be quiet before he blew the sale for his very competent partner. We gave the “rookie” as many referrals as we could think of, because his approach was warm, honest, and informed. Years later, we still have that vacuum and think of him often and fondly.
The lesson here is that we can learn from people who do things well, but we can also learn from people who don’t do things well. We can remember how certain approaches and presentations make us feel. In turn, we can use what we learn to approach people and share with them in a way that makes them feel valued and important.

There is a right way to do things, and a wrong way to do things.

The right way to do things is:
- Treat people with respect.
- Value their time.
- Ask questions frequently to discover their needs and desires.
- Share what you have to offer in a way that creates desire, so that they want it. (Whether it is purchasing your product, booking a show, or joining your business).
- If their decision is “no” or “not now,” genuinely thank them for their time and consideration.
If their decision is “yes,” thank them and appreciate them.
Every one of us wants to feel like we are valued and appreciated. A really good salesperson, whether they are selling a product or an opportunity, understands that is not only important to make the potential customer feel valued and appreciated, but that they are valued and appreciated.

 

You are capable of excellence, so go for it!
Shari

 

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