Convincing your prospects to purchase from you is a hard job, but have you ever thought that you’re making the process twice as difficult for both parties if your prospects are convinced but don’t know how to buy from you? No matter how good you are at convincing your prospects, they won’t buy if they find the process cumbersom
First, you will want to check that people can find your order form easily and hassle-free. You can write a clear, concise paragraph to direct your prospects to your order form so that you can minimize the chances of them getting lost. You can also reduce the chances of losing prospects by putting a prominent link to your order page from every other page on your online store or in other language it called toko online .
Also, do you offer multiple payment options? Some people may feel comfortable paying via Paypal, some may only want to pay with their credit card and others might want to send a cheque. The more options you offer, the better your chances of covering your prospects’ desired payment method. After all, it wouldn’t make any sense to sell hard to a prospect only to find that they won’t be able to pay you when they want to.
On the other hand, you will want to prove that you are a credible merchant. Is your order form secured using encryption technology? You would want to look into SSL for this. You can also offer a money back guarantee so that people will feel confident about buying from you. How about after sales support? Who do they contact when they have problems after purchasing?
Alternatively, you can add customer testimonials, your contact information, address, and so on to boost your prospects’ confidence. Make them feel safe about buying something from you, a total stranger to them on the other end of the Internet.
As a conclusion, it would be very pitiful if you sold hard and sold well to a prospect and something goes wrong when he or she is ready to pay. Eliminate any chances of that to maximize your profits!
by: Andrew Bicknell
If losing weight seems to have become a lost cause for you because you find yourself bouncing from fad diet to the newest fat burning pill then it’s time you learn how to increase your metabolism with these seven easy to do lifestyle changes. If you can simply speed up your metabolism your body will consume more calories and before you know it those extra pounds will begin to disappear. And once those pounds are gone they will stay off because an increased metabolic rate will keep burning any extra fat before your body can store it away.
There are no secrets to these seven steps. They are easy to accomplish if you are motivated to lose that extra weight and take back control of your body.
1. Get More Sleep ? There are two reasons for this. The first is that many studies have shown that people who get 8 hours or more of sleep per night have a higher metabolism then those who get less sleep. The second reason is that getting enough sleep has an affect on daily energy levels. If you do not get enough sleep you will probably snack more throughout the day trying to compensate for the lack of energy you feel.
2. Exercise in the Evening .Our metabolic rate slows down during the course of the day. During a normal day most of our calorie burning occurs during the morning. Taking a walk or some other form of exercise during the early evening speeds up our metabolism and helps burn away extra calories. You don’t have to do an all out workout, just something to get the blood pumping and your heart rate up.
3. Get Moving ? Our sedentary lifestyle is one of the biggest metabolism busters we have to deal with. Look for way to incorporate more activity and movement into your day. Take a walk at lunch, use the stairs instead of riding the elevator, and don’t park in the space closest to the building where you work or at the mall. It’s the little things that will add up at the end of the day that count.
4. Protein ? Eating protein stabilizes your insulin levels which can have a big affect on how your metabolism runs.
5. Diet Choices ? The healthier your food choices the higher your metabolism will run. Your body needs nutritious high fiber foods to run at it highest level. The reason for this is simple; the body must spend more energy extracting all the nutrients from these foods which it needs to function properly.
6. Eat More Often ? This doesn’t mean stuff your self all day long. If you eat 5 or 6 smaller meals during the day you will not only find you eat less but you’ll have more energy as well, keeping you away from those sugary snacks. Skipping meals is a big no-no because this can actually cause your metabolism to slow down.
7. Lift Something Heavy ? Building lean muscle mass is one of the best things for increased metabolism that you can do. Not only will you burn calories while working out but lean muscle mass also consumes large amounts of caloric energy after the workout.
By learning how to increase your metabolism starting with these 7 easy steps you can rev up your body’s fat burning engine. The best part is these are all things you can do during the day and they require no special diets, pills, or even the latest exercise gizmo.
January 27th,2009
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According to most recent research information, 13 percent of infertility is credited to Smoking. Smoking has severe dangerous effects on the men who have sperm count on the lower side. Smoking not only affects reproductive ability of parents but as well causes cancer in their children by causing alterations in genes and chromosomes. While compare to non smokers, smokers need two times the number of In Vitro fertilization efforts.
In a statement, the BMA expected 120,000 British men aged 30- 50 had turn into impotent because of smoking. Up to 5,000 miscarriages every year were associated to smoking and passive smoking and tobacco was concerned in 1,200 cases of malignant cervical cancer each year.
Effects of Smoking on the sexual health of Males
1. Smoking reduces sperm density, entirety sperm count, totality number of motile sperm and citrate attentiveness in sperm.
2. It alters sperm morphology, sperm strength and ejaculated quantity of semen.
Effects of Smoking on the sexual health of Females:
1. Smoking speeds up the loss of reproductive function in females.
2. It precedes the Menopause by 1to 4 years.
3. It raises the threat of unprompted abortion and ectopic pregnancy.
4. Smoking causes alterations in ovum and effects reproductive ability.
5. High occurrence of childhood cancer in the babies of smoking parents.
Smoking leads to infertility
Smoking can cause infertility by changing the series of DNA in sperm cells. These alters could be hereditary to their offspring and make them infertile. So smokers not only injure themselves but also their children.
According to a investigate study published in the American cancer association journal, smoking causes mutations in the DNA which were hereditary by their children and undergo from infertility in the middle age.
Potential harm is straight proportional to the duration of contact. Most scary thing is these mutations are permanent.
Smoking mother damage their foetuses while smoking father cause infertility.
It is still not recognized whether these alters are inherited to their grand children.
Smoking accounts for 10 percent of medical deaths worldwide. Lung cancer is the main disease due to smoking. Smoking people are in moribund in urbanized countries due to health tutoring. Asian countries are experiencing unexpected rise in smoking habits due to little knowledge regarding its harmful effects.
There’s good news! Hundreds and hundreds of art and design scholarships are available to students, and you’re probably eligible for more than a few of them. Now, the bad news. None of them are going to jump up and grab you. So, where can you find these scholarships? More importantly, how can you win them?
This article offers a practical game plan for those of you who are trying to track down and win Art Scholarships that will help you on the path to a career in the visual arts. Get ready, though, because there’s a lot to do before you can even think about filling out applications and putting together a portfolio.
PART 1: WHERE TO LOOK FOR ART SCHOLARSHIPS
Start a list…it could get big! Here’s a sample of groups and organizations that often offer art and design scholarships:
- School, College and University Art Departments
- Community and Civic Groups
- Professional Organizations
- Your Employer, Local Businesses and National Chains
- Charitable Foundations
- Arts Festivals and Competitions
The first step for you will be to identify as many of these possibilities as you can. I’d suggest starting with the phone book to really hone in on the local ones; you’ll want to search the Internet, too, of course – but (believe it or not) an awful lot of the local groups that offer your best chances of winning still aren’t on the Web.
Next – start a table, a chart or a spreadsheet with columns like “Sponsor,” “Scholarship Name,” “Contact Name,” “Phone number,” “Amount,” “Requirements,” and (very importantly) “Deadline.”
Of course, you only want to put your valuable time into applying for the scholarships which best suit your ambitions… or the ones you can make out to fit your ambitions (we’ll get to that in the section below on “Winning Art Scholarships”). For now, though, put down everything you come across that’s even close, and once you’ve finished your list, you’ll be able to take a good, hard look at which options are most worth your efforts.
Hopefully, the ideas in the next section will get you going with a good list of choices.
Excellent Starting Points
Your High School
Talk to your high school Guidance Counselor to see what kinds of scholarships and awards are available. Many of them consider it part of their job to help you find scholarship opportunities, so they keep a file of them or a bulletin board with recent flyers they’ve received. This could prove to be a treasure trove of opportunities for Art Scholarships!
Check in with your high school Art Teacher, too. Many of them also keep half an eye on this sort of information, or they may also be members of professional organizations that have scholarship opportunities for art students (see the section below on Professional Organizations).
Very often, the high schools themselves offer monetary rewards for the best students in the arts, or the most dedicated from clubs and activities, which could include an art-oriented club. If your high school doesn’t offer a scholarship or award of its own, then at the very least, either your Counselor or your Art Teacher should be able to steer you toward other sources because they hear about stuff like that all of the time.
Your University
Most Art Departments offer scholarships to students attending their schools, either directly through the school or through business, benefactors and foundations that support the school. Many schools also offer them to prospective students.
If you’re attending or planning to attend a university, BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN to contact your Program Advisor to ask what scholarships may be available through the school or department (if you’re already attending, definitely check in with your Art Instructors, too!). Don’t forget to look for scholarship opportunities on the university department’s web site or on a bulletin board near the Art Department office on-campus, where they also are often posted. Here are some typical departmental scholarship listings:
- Baum School of Art
- Birmingham Southern College
- Cranbrook Academy of Art
- Goshen College
- Hendrix College
- St. Lawrence University
Most universities do offer scholarships to students attending their schools. That’s because they really, really want to keep you there. These kinds of scholarships are the easiest to find out about, but somehow overlooked by many students who could benefit greatly from the funding…and from the prestige of winning!
Just to reinforce this idea of funding from your university or college, the Department of Education reports that at public universities, scholarship and fellowship expenditures have risen consistently from 1980 through 1995.
This may be an indication that there are opportunities waiting for you. Again, at the very least, you should ask your Advisor about other sources if there are none available at your university for your circumstance.
Your Employer (or Your Parent’s Employer)
Many, many businesses offer some kind of funding program for their employees and their employee’s children, as part of the benefits package. This might be in the form of “reimbursable tuition,” “continuing education” or even internal grants, scholarships or awards. Even if you’re only working part-time, you still might be eligible.
Somehow, this is another fabulous financial outlet for academic funding that is overlooked year after year by many students. All you have to do is ask!
Community and Civic Groups
Chances are, there are some local community groups that are involved in the arts, whether it’s a “friends” organization to support a local gallery or museum, or a group of people who get together every other week to paint and share stories. Very often, members of these groups pay dues, hold art shows and auctions, organize fund-raisers, and then…. Guess what? They offer scholarships to local people like you who want to pursue an education in the arts!
These kinds of groups may not be easy to find because they generally keep to themselves, but you might try the following:
- Check your local yellow pages for art organizations
- Check in with your City Hall and ask about what community groups involved in the arts are registered or where you can find out
- Look in the local newspaper’s calendar section for art-related events, and mark down the sponsoring groups…or, better yet, call the arts editor or reporter and ask them what they know
- Scan the web with a search for towns in your area or your county and your area of interest in the arts
But these aren’t the only groups to try in your community! There are many other local groups that may not appear to be directly involved with the arts, but have a definite interest – or maybe they simply want to support artistic endeavors.
Step1
Look for scholarships for your specific disability. Assistance for physically handicapped students is separate from hearing- and learning-disabled scholarships.
Step2
Call the institution of your choice and ask to speak with the financial aid office. Request that they mail you information on college-based assistance for your disability. Also, ask about the college’s compliance with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).
Step3
Register with an online scholarship search program. Fastweb features one of the most extensive searches of scholarships on the Internet (see Resources below). You must fill out an in-depth questionnaire so they can match the best choices for you, but it’s free.
Step4
Contact local organizations to ask if they offer awards to disabled students. Each community has different clubs dedicated to funding for various scholarships. Optimist International has chapters in many communities that offer assistance for different needs. They consider requests.
Step5
Research private foundations in your state. Unpublicized scholarship opportunities exist and if you request an application, you can fill it out and detail that you are handicapped and looking for assistance.
Financial aid experts say the current economic troubles will very likely make the competition for scholarships more fierce than ever. They expect about half of all college students to receive at least a little free money to fund their education. To maximize your chances of getting aid in these tough times, experts recommend that students:
1) Be the early bird. Start applying for scholarships and lining up low-priced college options right now. “You want to make sure you are the first one in line,” says Cheryl Maplethorpe, director of financial aid for the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. Many grants are awarded on a first-come-first-served basis, she notes. And many low-cost colleges are cutting off applications especially early this season. College students who haven’t already filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid this year should do it as soon as possible. (High school seniors have to wait until January to apply for next fall.) You can search for nongovernmental scholarships by asking your high school counselor, your college’s financial aid office, and your college’s department for scholarship possibilities and advice. Many are also listed on websites like this one, scholarsite.com, or the College Board.
While there aren’t many private scholarships still awarding money for this academic year, students can—and should—start applying now for private scholarships for next year, because some of the biggest and best private scholarships, such as those offered by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, have October deadlines. And the most popular cheap four-year schools in California, including San Diego State University and Sonoma State University, will stop taking next year’s admissions applications for many types of students November 30.
2) Ask the boss. Check with the student’s and parents’ employers to see if they offer any kind of education or scholarship benefit.
3) Try low-cost colleges. Prepare applications (including transfer applications for students already in college) to some low-cost, in-state community colleges and public universities to provide a “financial safety school” option, says Eileen O’Leary, assistant vice president of student financial services at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. That way, even if you don’t get any free money, your bills still will be much lower.
4) Become a catch. Prepare applications to at least two (or even more, to increase your chances of setting off a scholarship bidding war) public and private schools for which you’d be a catch because of higher-than-average grades or some special skill or talent. Students whose grades or test scores are higher than the school’s average have a good chance of receiving merit grants. “Put as much detail as possible into your college application,” says Sandra Bartholomew, dean of enrollment management at Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vt. “Colleges have money to award for lots of nonacademic credentials” like leadership, community service, environmentalism, visual and performing arts, etc., she adds.
5) Fill out forms in January. As soon as possible in January, fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to qualify for aid next fall. While it is easier to complete the form if the student and parent have also filed their taxes, it is better to fill out the FAFSA with estimates (which can later be corrected) early than to wait past February 1. Students hoping to attend one of the approximately 300 schools that also require the College Board’s more exhaustive CSS/Financial Aid Profile application should also complete that before mid-February.
6) Appeal. Draft an appeal letter if the student has any financial difficulties not covered by the FAFSA, such as a parent’s job loss or mortgage problems. The student should send letters explaining the problem (with documentation, if possible) to any target schools and private scholarship programs, financial aid officers say. The letter to schools should request a “professional judgment review.”
Personal information, essays and transcripts – these are all fairly standard components of the scholarship process and the college application procedure. Another common factor, and one that you may not know much about, is the letter of recommendation. Many scholarship providers and admissions officers will request that you submit one or more letters of recommendation to apply for their scholarships or for entrance to their school(s). As a starting point for gathering those necessary letters, here is the ‘who, what, where and why’ of recommendations:
Who should you get a letter of recommendation from?
When you find out you need a letter of recommendation, you may be tempted to run to a family member (How could your grandma ever say anything bad about you??) or a friend, but your first choice should probably be a teacher, employer or some other non-personal acquaintance. Although having a letter of recommendation from a family member or friend is not a bad thing, most scholarship providers and educational institutions prefer that you submit at least one letter from someone who you are not emotionally tied to, as this person will be able to write more objectively and honestly about your qualifications and strengths.
What should your letter of recommendation say?
Sometimes a scholarship provider or college admission department will tell you what topics your letter(s) of recommendation should cover. When they don’t, it’s probably best to have the letter writer talk about your strengths, his/her relationship to you, and why he/she feels you would be deserving of the scholarship or admission. The writer can even provide examples of challenges he/she has seen you overcome, significant achievements you have made, and initiative you have taken. The letter of recommendation should be typed, but signed by the letter writer. Also, it is important that you give the person who is writing the letter for you plenty of time to write the letter. If he or she feels rushed, the letter of recommendation might not be as well thought out as you might expect.
Where should you tell your acquaintance to send the letter of recommendation?
The rules and procedures for each college and for each scholarship program will vary, so be sure to carefully read the application form and all instructions about how to send in your letters of recommendation. Some colleges and scholarship committees prefer that the letter writer send in the letter of recommendation separately from the application packet, to ensure that the student did not manufacture his/her own letter. Others prefer that you include the letter(s) of recommendation with the application packet so they do not have to worry about having incomplete application packets, but they may require you to submit the letter inside a sealed, signed envelope to ensure privacy and validity. Again, the rules vary, so be sure to pay attention to the fine print when trying to find out where to send in your letter(s) of recommendation.
Why do you need to submit a letter of recommendation?
Most scholarship providers and college admission offices want some outside perspective about the student who is applying for their scholarship or admission to their school. Before you get annoyed because a letter of recommendation is another thing you have to worry about, think about the positives. You may be able to use that letter over and over again. Not only can you use it for other scholarships you are going to apply for, you may also be able to use it for college admission, internship positions, and job opportunities. Letters of recommendation are a great way to showcase your talents and abilities for scholarship providers and admissions officers. An outside perspective that acknowledges your accomplishments and strengths can go a long way toward convincing an organization that you are worthy of admission or deserving of their scholarship dollars.
Many high school and college students are highly motivated to search for scholarships, which is a good thing. Scholarship scams, however, are not. So before you dive into the scholarship search process, be sure you are aware of scholarship scams and how to avoid them.
When you think about scholarship scams, two types should come to mind. The first is scholarship programs that are fraudulent, meaning there are no scholarship awards being given out and students don’t actually receive any funds. The second is less-than-reputable scholarship search services that take advantage of students while they are searching for scholarships. With both types of scams, there are certain warning signs that you should be aware of that indicate that the scholarship program or search service may not be what it appears to be.
Suspicious Scholarships
To avoid applying for scholarship programs that are scams, there are some red flags you should be looking for:
- Application fees – While there are a few legitimate scholarship programs that do require students to submit a small processing or application fee, most require no payment to apply. If you learn of a scholarship with a fee and you are concerned, contact the scholarship “provider” (i.e., the organization, company, or individual that is offering the scholarship) to find out exactly why there is a fee to apply and what happens with the “fees” collected from applicants.
- Hard-to-reach scholarship provider – How easy is it to contact the scholarship provider? If you call and the phone is disconnected, or if you email and your email is bounced back, there is a good chance that no one is handling scholarship requests. A legitimate scholarship provider will give applicants access to a valid email address or phone number.
- No recent winners – If you cannot find anything about prior winners, contact the scholarship provider to try to find some proof that previous scholarships were awarded. If it’s a new scholarship program, be sure to find out the specifics of how and when the recipients will be chosen; well-managed scholarship programs should provide answers to your questions about the award winners and selection process.
- Website Woes – Another possible warning sign of a questionable scholarship program is the quality (or lack thereof) of the scholarship provider’s website. Does the website work? Is the scholarship information updated? Not all scholarship providers have enough time on their hands to make sure the website is in pristine condition, but websites should (at a minimum) list the current details about the scholarship.
Search Services of Which to Steer Clear
There are many scholarship search services out there to help students find scholarships; unfortunately, some may be more harmful to students than you know. Watch out for the services that claim to have or offer things that are just not possible:
- “Secret” Scholarships – Services that promise to find scholarships for you that you can’t find anywhere else are usually not legitimate. Scholarship search services have access to the same information students have access to, so don’t let them fool you into thinking they have the inside track.
- Guaranteed Scholarships – If any service insists that it can guarantee you a scholarship, run the other way. Yes, there are lots of scholarship dollars available, but the truth is that no one can secure a scholarship for you but you. Only the student can complete the application process.
Also, be aware of the quality of the service you are using. Protect yourself by avoiding scholarship search services that:
- Inundate you with pop-ups – Don’t use a scholarship search service if you spend more time closing pop-up windows than you do actually looking at your scholarship information.
- Are overly “commercial” – If you are on the website to find scholarship information, you should be able to navigate through the website and access that information without being distracted or pulled away from that core purpose.
- Compromise your privacy – Look for a service that has a clearly stated and easy-to-understand privacy policy; you do not want your personal information sold or shared without giving your explicit permission to do so. The last thing you need is an inbox full of spam and a mailbox full of unwanted solicitations.
Although there are many questionable scholarship programs and scholarship search services out there, there are also trustworthy and reputable ones as well. These services can be invaluable in aiding students in scholarship searching and paying for college. A legitimate scholarship search service should save students time by providing them with customized lists of scholarships that are accurate and continually updated by a team of research specialists. For more information about scholarship scams and scholarship searches, be sure to visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website.
Now that you know the difference between scholarship scams and legitimate scholarship programs and search services, you’re ready to take the plunge and start searching for free money for college. Good luck!
Scholarship Basics — What You Should Know About Free Money For College
Article provided by ScholarshipExperts.com
To some students and parents, the word “scholarship” is just another one of those confusing college terms: student loans,
FAFSA, tuition and fees, EFC, grants, and work study. Little do they realize that knowing more about the scholarship process could save them thousands of dollars when trying to cover the cost of their education.
What are scholarships?
Scholarships come in a variety of forms, but are generally considered to be “free money” for college. Unlike loans, scholarships do not have to be repaid to the scholarship provider. Some scholarships are awarded directly to the student in the form of a check, while other scholarships are written out to the student’s college or university. Several different types of providers issue scholarships: clubs and organizations, charitable foundations, businesses, schools, universities, government agencies, and others.
Who can get scholarships?
It is a common misconception that scholarships are only for “straight-A” students. In reality, there are all types of scholarships for all types of students, including those with less than perfect academic records. Some scholarships are for athletes; others are for students planning to study in particular fields; and others for community service. Some scholarship providers just want to reward students for living in a certain city or state! Students also mistakenly believe that only college-bound high school seniors can apply for awards. Scholarships are available for all levels of college study, from freshman undergrads to graduate and Ph.D. students. There are also scholarships available for non-traditional and returning adult students.
How do students find scholarships?
Finding scholarships can be a very time-consuming process, but not if students use a reputable and accurate scholarship search service on the Internet, like monashliberals.org. Students can also ask their high school guidance counselors about any local or state awards that they qualify for. Students should contact the financial aid office at the college or university they plan to attend to learn if they qualify for any awards provided by the school.
When should students look for scholarships?
Each scholarship application has its own deadline. There are thousands of scholarship programs with spring and summer deadlines, and thousands more with fall and winter deadlines. The key is to never stop searching for new scholarship leads, even after beginning the freshman year in college. A good rule of thumb is to continue searching for scholarships for the duration of the college career.
We know they’re out there. We know you’ve heard them. Though these commonly discussed scholarship myths might sound convincing, we are here to tell you that anyone can find scholarships, not just a select group of people.
- You have to be financially needy to get scholarships – False! While there are many scholarships that consider students’ financial need, there are also many that don’t ask for applicants to submit any financial information. The Point: Apply for scholarships that don’t require financial need if you think you or your parents make too much money.
- Only smart people can get scholarships – Buzz! Wrong. You don’t have to be a genius to get a scholarship. Some scholarships do require applicants to have a certain GPA or SAT score, but many won’t ask applicants for any academic information. The Point: There are thousands of scholarships available that don’t consider your academic standing, so find them and apply!
- Scholarships are only for high school seniors – Classic incorrect answer! You can apply for scholarships throughout your academic career. There are scholarships available for high school students, current college students, graduate students, vocational students, and even doctoral candidates. The Point: As long as you are attending some type of postsecondary education, you can find and apply for scholarships.
- I’m too old (or young) to get a scholarship – Untrue. There are many scholarships available specifically for older or returning students. Also, many scholarships are available that children and teenagers can apply for, and if they win, the money will be held until they enroll in college. The Point: Don’t count yourself out for scholarships because you think your age makes you ineligible.
- Looking for scholarships is too time-consuming - We make the scholarship search process easy for you by providing you with a time-saving list of scholarships that match your hobbies, interests and academic background. The Point: Start searching for scholarships now with ScholarshipExperts.com!
