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IN THIS ISSUE • This Month's Featured Selection -- "Smart Questions to Ask Your Stockbroker" by Dorothy Leeds • MARKETING IDEAS CONTEST WINNERSAnnounced! Comms on nearly every continent shared in this month's showcase of prizes. • New Y2K Dividend Contest features thousands of dollars worth of exciting prizes! ...just for writing a few paragraphs. You could easily be the next winner. Last month, nearly everyone who entered won at least one of the prizes. Don't miss this one! • Y2K DIGITAL CATALOG On-Line Order Site lets you instantly enter an order for this powerful, personalized, promotional software package. • Future World's LEAD Campaign continues to help increase Communicator Business Expansion around the world. Three more leads included with Future Prints for the transaction month of June.
Future World's Quantity Discount Program offers exceptional prices on retail merchandise at reductions as high as 80% in large lots. This offers enough room to sell this merchandise at wholesale prices of 40% to 60% off retail and still earn substantial profit. Smart Questions to Ask Your Stockbroker
GET THIS MONTH'S FEATURED SELECTION FREE! This month's Featured Selection,"Smart Questions to Ask Your Stockbroker" will be sent along FREE with your first order during the month for just about anything, with a value of $5.00 or more, at no additional cost. Since most Comms place an order for merchandise or supplies at least once a month, the Featured Selection rides along free with any of the other items you order, usually without additional postage required. All you need to do is to ASK for the free monthly product when you place your order. Even an order for the Promo Pak, Item #9111 (containing the supplies you'll need to respond to the new leads on your FuturePrint™ this month) will be enough to qualify for inclusion of the Featured Selection, FREE. Just ask for it when you order products or supplies. It's that easy. We're pleased to send it along, with our compliments. Special Bonus! For those of you who have been asking to a sample sales for use in promoting your on-line business, John Wilson, Top Prize winner in this month's Marketing Ideas Contest, has just what you've been looking for. Here's a sample of John T. Wilson's winning sales letter: TWO FREE MONEY-MAKING
DISKS For just 6 first class stamps to cover post and packing, you can get two FREE PC computer disks and the opportunity to have your own low-cost internet-based business (for which you don't need to be on the internet yourself - or even to have a computer!). The first disk contains 30 highly informative articles by writer and publisher John T. Wilson on aspects of marketing, success, network marketing (lie earns over £1,000 a month from MLM - half from tile internet business, which is growing fast), personal development and making money in business. Titles on the disk include: Writing - the Business That Can Make You £180 a Day; Four Magic Rules That Can Guarantee Success, 7 Simple Steps to Getting Another job; Starling a Business When You 're Broke, Where Can I Find the Best Business Opportunities and lots more - all with FREE reproduction rights. The second disk is a stunning state-of-the-art full colour catalogue on disk, detailing a wide range of business and self-development books and tapes and giving full details of the lucrative but low-cost business opportunity which comes with it. This disk also comes with a FREE audio tape outlining the business opportunity in detail. John T. Wilson, MA, FIMgt., is an ex-college principal who used his educational and management experience to set up a career change organisation for teachers and others. He now writes, lectures and publishes in the fields of business and life change A FREE copy of his exclusive newsletter Great Ideas will be sent with the disks. Readers can obtain their 2
free disks by sending 6 first class stamps to Business Innovations Research
SECOND PRIZE WINNERS Joseph Charles Green's Marketing Idea [Not only does Joe have a last name that blended nicely with our Marketing Ideas Site color-scheme. He also has has a fetching idea that deserves consideration.] Imagine how many people travel by car and have to stop at traffic lights and in hold ups on motorways. Now think of what I read in a marketing book years ago "The best place to advertise - and the most expensive - is on the back of a bus". Well, this is true in England: there's always a bus in front of us. So, my idea for marketing Future World is for us all to place an advertisement on the rear window of our cars - advertising our Internet address .There is always another car behind us. And that car is replaced by another. How many cars follow us every day? Even if parked in a car park someone will read our advert. Just make it large enough for everyone to read it.
Laurie McFarland's Marketing Idea [Laurie is an experienced Future World Comm who has become successful despite many other obligations. Her on-line marketing ideas are remarkable sound and easy to follow. And, her insights are based on her own on-line experience. You'll appreciate her check-list approach to success.] As a stay-at-home mom with 3 children, one who is a very busy 3-year-old, I am devoting my marketing time to the Internet. Obviously the benefit of this is that I can do it all physically from home. However the problem with the immensity of the Internet is, "Where do I begin?" Below are some suggestions that I have read, that I hope will help other Communicators. 1. Because it can take up to a couple of months to start getting substantial amounts of reciprocal links from other related sites (developed on your own introduction web page) as well as getting good placements on the 10 leading search engines (stick to only these 10 to begin with) start your Internet marketing plan with these items. 2. After you have completed number 1, then spend time on emails, newsgroups, BBS's, mailing lists and commercial online services to get immediate cash flow, since these are "instant" marketing tools, that can generate income in a matter of days. 3. My own personal experience so far with free classified web sites is that if you can afford it, it is better to pay for the upgrade in positioning and definitely for a hot link to our Future World Web site. These upgrades are usually very reasonable. I am absolutely overwhelmed at how some paid classified advertising sites have gone up in price in the last year, some as much as 1000% and of course all in US dollars! One concern of mine at the moment is how to capture the email addresses of the people who come to the site but who do not buy or enroll. Below are 4 suggestions on how to capture addresses: 1. Offer a guest-book for visitors to sign in - try www.freeware.com or www.shareware.com and search for the words "guest book" or "guestbook" for assistance on this. 2. Offer a contest or draw where contestants have to enter their email address to qualify. This requires a CGI program. 3. Offer a newsletter or something else by email you can offer for free that they have to submit their address to receive. You can subscribe to Listserve or Majordomo (newsletter and mailing list services) for ideas. 4. Offer a copy of an article published on your webpage via an autoresponder. This would email them a copy of the article and you would capture their email addresses in your autoresponder logs. This method is rarely used but very effective! One Internet guru claims that the average conversion ratio is 0.2%! So for every 1000 people that visit your site, around 2 will buy. 4% is great but anything higher is rare. These figures alone show us that exposure is the key to SUCCESS!!! Robert Schwartze's Marketing Idea [Robert's idea involves the creation of an Ezine, an on-line electronic magazine, using some of the free web space, that you probably receive free from your local ISP (Internet Service Provider). Robert is an excellent teacher. Read his idea and learn exactly how to do it yourself, step-by-step using existing Future World on-line tools, clip art and "direct" linking software. It's fascinating and remarkably well-written. Oh yes, one foot-note of possible interest. Robert has been a Comm for an impressive 15 years. The very first Comm, assigned back in 1984 was 10001 (which belongs to Future World itself). Robert's number, 10006 was the fifth Comm number ever assigned. Few Comms know more about Future World than Robert.]
FUTURE WORLD + EZINES (NEWSLETTERS) = PROFIT As you are aware, the internet
provides a fantastic opportunity to market at I use a unique system that
lets me promote my Future World business at Many Future World Comms are
not familiar with the hyperlink system available I have just recently started
to publish a daily (Mon-Fri) business Example: 1 - Click-on my Future World 'Statistical Site' 2 - Click 'Personalized Showroom' Icon 3 - Click 'Business & Home Business Audio Cassettes & Books' 4 - Pick a title for the day....e.g. CLASSIFIED SECRETS #580 5 - Click on title from list given. Copy & Paste the ad back to my ezine. Now the fun part, I do not
write any copy. Future World already provides Future World's ad copy is
excellent... ADVITORIAL style. Hyperlink example: 10006 Comm ID# http://future-world.com/ cgi-bin/direct/10006/580 Future World even provides me with excellent copy for my masthead index: HOW TO MAKE A FORTUNE FROM CLASSIFIED ADS I never list a price. I prefer
the curiosity factor that will drive my reader Newsletters are easy to compile.
You don't need to do a daily. In fact, The great part is your reader
clicks on the e-mail hyperlink and you get the Give this system a try. My
newsletter is microscopic by Internet standards. Robert V. Schwartze LaPacifica Publications
Max Orlando's Marketing Idea [Sometimes, there is no substitute for using the "direct approach", something the Australians seem to have elevated to an art form. Notice how easily Max makes you a marketing Wiz using only the basic marketing materials found in every Communicator's home. "Thanks, Max"] Hi, my name is Max Orlando and I live in Sydney Australia. I would like to tell you how I have built my Future-World business so far. I use classified ads, my internet showroom site and the color catalogs to promote myself and the products. When someone inquires about one of the products I send them a color catalog with details of my Internet address. But if they inquire about the business I also include the clone brochure as well as the ultimate business brochure. On the catalogs I stick a teaser label with my Internet address, on the catalog I put the showroom address and on the clone brochure I put the cloning address. The label would read as 'HARD TO FIND BOOKS TAPES CD-ROM'S or MAKE BIG MONEY ON THE INTERNET' followed by the appropriate Internet address. All The Best,
Chantel Mackay's Marketing Idea [Chantel's next idea involves the effective use of local target marketing.] MARKETING BY TARGETING SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS In your community, you will
find numerous "special interest groups", ie. Your first step is to familiarise
yourself with the Future World catalog The next step is to identify
special interest groups in your community that Here are some examples. In
my country, we have an organisation called the Sales orientated companies
may be keen to give their sales staff copies of The list is endless! Examine
your own community to see if any of the above The final step is to approach
the special interest groups and sell the
John Rognstad's Marketing Idea [John's idea is a simple, but powerful follow-up system. Experts know that effective follow-up is one of the defining areas of behavior that separates highly successful people from average individuals. It is important to read John's idea with care. Using this approach with people who have already visited your personally-created web site, as John proposes, can be very effective. Using this approach with a list of individual's email address who have not originally contacted you is forbidden under Future World's rigid anti-spam policy. There is a fine but important line of distinction here. Following his instructions exactly could be as effective for you as it has been for John.] FOLLOW UP UNTIL THEY SIGN UP As I have seen a lot of people
visiting my websites, but then have never heard from them again, To follow up we need some
kind of address, at least their email address. One week after
their When I have gathered a lot
of email addresses I am careful not to send a lot of advertising
to their STARTING MY OWN E-ZINE. If you live in a small country like myself, you may even be the first one to offer an ezine on Internet business in your language. Many people may be interested in this, so go on advertising it. And who knows, one day in the future, you may be running your country's leading e-zine. And when people are signing up; ASK FOR THEIR POSTAL ADDRESS as well. As many people will delete
your emails, partly reading them or not reading at all, but they
will read your letters. When advertising these days I always
ask for their address. Then I send them the opportunity cassette,
catalog and a letter. A few weeks later I send the [green] clone
brochure. You may have a lot of email addresses without their postal address. Offer something free by mail, or half price to get their address. You will need both email and postal address to succeed with most of you prospects. So again my message is: Harvey Segal's Marketing Idea [Don't miss Harvey's idea. It's a kind of mini-marketing success course, complete with a free digital marketing book to build traffic to his sites. He even offers a foolproof method for getting visitors to come back to his site again and again. You can't help but appreciate Harvey's concepts.]
Marketing Future World on the Internet by Harvey Segal Whatever business you promote
on the Internet there are 1. Offer a high quality and
in-demand product Future World have provided
the first two for us This leaves one remaining task - getting traffic. My preferred method is to offer free information - articles about Internet marketing techniques, tips and resources. Such articles are always in great demand from publishers of business newsletters or webmasters who need content to attract customers. At the end of each article I add a 'signature' which contains a brief description of my business site and the URL (www.supertips.com). Interested readers then click to my site where they find more free information and also the various products which I promote. These include of course Future World and I devote special pages to 'preview' both the products and the business opportunity with enticing copy to lead on to my Future World site. Other ways of attracting traffic include search engines, advertising in newsgroups and forums, and promotion in discussion lists. Newcomers to Internet Marketing may not be familiar with these terms so I have written articles especially for them explaining the whole cycle of Internet marketing from choosing a product, how and where to advertise, through to setting up and promoting a web site The result? These articles get picked up and start to circulate around the Net, with publishers often coming to me asking if they can reprint them. In addition, I have written a downloadable book "The SuperTips Book of Internet Marketing" which I just give away - for FREE at supertips.com. Why? I encourage readers to offer it as a free gift to THEIR customers and associates - and so on. Of course they have to retrieve it from my web site where they are then hopefully attracted by my other offers. A perfect win-win situation, which produces a constantly increasing flow of traffic to my site. How do I retain these visitors and persuade them to return ? I invite them to join my free weekly newsletter the "SuperTips Ezine" which provides useful free content, thus building up a group of opt-in subscribers who are much more likely to respond to offers than a bought-in mailing list. My advice to other Communicators: * Use the category software links to focus on a particular topic. For example you could design a page on health related products, linking to the category 'helcat', submit it to the search engines or indirectly promote it in your signature when contributing to appropriate discussion groups. * Offer free information: there is no limit to the variety of topics for which you can write useful articles - I even show you how to copy mine. This will ensure continual traffic to your Future World site. Harvey Segal For more of the winning Marketing Ideas that were submitted this month, check out the Marketing Ideas Site. Future World's FREE Lead Program Continues To Help Your Business Grow By Helping You Find More Customers and Communicators The latest leads from this campaign will appear on your FuturePrint for the month of June, which will be to you mailed on or near September 10th, 1999. We suggest that you to send each of these leads a Future World Catalog, a Zero-Limit Marketing Plan brochure, and a short personal letter or note. If you don't already have these items on hand, a Pak of 10 Catalogs, 10 of the Zero-Limit Marketing Plan brochures and 10 reply envelopes (plus a bonus 45-minute Future World Opportunity Cassette and a duplication license that allows you to make as many copies of it as you wish) are just $9.00 (plus shipping). Order item #9111. Be sure to ask for a copy of this month's Featured Selection, Smart Questions to Ask Your Stockbroker, when you order item #9111, and well send this audiocassette program along with your order FREE! You are welcome to order this or any other promotional item by email: sales@future-world.com or by voice mail at: 972-399-8400 extention #1. The sample wording for several different personal letters that you might wish to include in your lead mailing is available on-line at: future-world.com/pages While no one can guarantee that these leads will become Customers or Comms, our research shows that they are 16 TIMES more likely to buy from you than a name from a rented mailing list. An American Comm comments on what the Future World contests are really all about. Once you look past all the excitement of winning one of Future World's international contests is something more fundamental, and infinitely more important that the publicity or the prizes. Here's a recent letter from a Comm in Mississippi who read some of the recent Marketing Ideas written by other Communicators. Perhaps her description of the effect they had on her can say far more than we might be able to. Dear Rene, I have not really had much interest to date and therefore haven't done much with my site. However, this month's contest entries contained a lot of suggestions that have somewhat restored my interest. I really enjoyed reading about actual people out there working at this. Sincerely, Janet Stockwell We hope that you'll get involved with every aspect of Future World. Enter the contests and the drawings and vote for the entries of other Comms. The inspiration, the ideas, the enthusiasm, and the emotional charging that can result are impossible to measure in terms of money or success. But, they are, nonetheless, priceless...as Janet has reminded us. Thanks for writing, Janet. All of us at Future World hope that one of the ideas you read about will act as a catalyst to really get your business started in a highly profitable way. Rene Cray
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Featured Selection |
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In the last decade, prices on may of the world's stock exchanges have quadrupled. The markets are roaring with an intensity never seen since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution when stock markets first emerged. In the rush to get on the bandwagon people with zero knowledge of these soaring, but potentially volatile markets, are sinking their life's savings into stocks and then "keeping their fingers crossed". With the advent of on-line trading, even the broker is removed from the equation, leaving investors to face the bare markets without the protection of even a fragment of knowledge. And, as demand forces commission rates lower, finding market knowledge is becoming more and more difficult.
A recent series of commercials, created by the brokerage firm of Charles Schwab, features a lone speakerphone in the center of a stark computer room, with tapes drives humming and not a human in site. The customer, on the other end of the phone asks a question, "What's the difference between a limit order and a market order?" and then waits patiently and endlessly for an answer that never comes.
Well, this month's featured selection is the sought-after missing piece in the market mayhem puzzle, a collection of not only smart questions to ask your Stockbroker, but the answers to those questions. You'll even find the answer to the question posed in the Charles Schwab commercial right there on page 59 if this wonderfully complete, remarkably thorough book of answers to virtually every market question.
This is the information you and your customers need to face the markets with knowledge and confidence, to give you the facts and the conviction to know when to buy, when to sell, and perhaps most important of all, when to stand aside. Don't even think of making a trade or taking a stock position without absorbing the priceless knowledge in this essential book, by financial guru, Dorothy Leeds, and her two savvy co-authors, Joan Orazio and Lawrence B. Greenbaum.
"If you're looking for the inside story -- as a first-time investor, occasional dabbler, or sophisticated financier, this is the the one book you really need!" -- Caroline Vanderlip, Senior Vice President, Affiliate Relations, CNBC
"An absolute 'must read' for anyone who wants to win in the world of investing." -- Steve Crowley, TV Money Expert and author of Money for Life
"A practical, informative book for every investor. I wish I'd read it years ago." -- Robert L Shook, co-author The IBM Way and The Winner's Circle: How Ten Stockbrokers Became the Best in the Business
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Item # 1012
Paperbound Book - 213
printed pages
Author: Dorothy Leeds with
Joan Orazio and Lawrence B. Greenbaum
Price: $8.99
for Smart Questions to Ask Your Stockbroker 213-page Paperbound Book - Item #1012 Single copies: $4.49 10 or more copies: $3.99 |
AS ALWAYS This month's Featured Selection,"Smart Questions to Ask Your Stockbroker" is sent along FREE with your first order during the month for just about anything, with a value of $5.00 or more, at no additional cost. Since most Comms place an order for merchandise or supplies at least once a month, the Featured Selection rides along free with any of the other items you order, usually without additional postage required. All you need to do is to ASK for the free monthly product when you place your order. Even an order for the Promo Pak, Item #9111 (containing the supplies you'll need to respond to the new leads on your FuturePrint™ this month) will be enough to qualify for inclusion of the Featured Selection, FREE. Just ask for it when you order products or supplies. It's that easy. We're pleased to send it along, with our compliments.
First prize: the latest, greatest, fastest, most powerful Pentium III Computer from GATEWAY, with a total value of $2000.00 or, $2000.00 in cash, goes to John Wilson of St Ives, Cornwall, ENGLAND.
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"I'm delighted" John said, upon first learning of his First Place win in an overseas phone call from Dr. Dimke. "I'm in Future World heaven. I''ve been using an old 486 computer that was constantly crashing and I really needed something more up-to-date to handle my rapidly expanding Future World business. Winning this new state-of-the art system will make a significant difference. Thanks to Future World and to everyone who voted for my Marketing Idea."
John's marketing idea entry is simple, innovative and yet, incredibly effective.
[We know that...because he has recently enjoyed some remarkable recruitment success with his method. Comms were apparently quick to note the workability of John's approach, which they enthusiastically voted for. We could summarize his idea, but John writes so well that we will let his idea speak for itself (complete with his own "colourful" British spelling). In the package he sent us, John also included a copy of the items he suggests giving away, including his elaborate "electronic book on disk", and his sample sales letter, which appears in the column at left. Here's John's winning marketing approach: ]
"As a Scot I don't spend money if I can achieve the same thing for free! So my favourite marketing idea combines the FREE principle in two ways.
First, I create a FREE offer to attract potential Future World subscribers. I've often used the technique of giving away free reports, which works very well, bringing hundreds of requests which are fulfilled together with relevant advertising material, e.g. details of health products sent out with a free report on aspects of nutrition. It's the best way I know to get new customers cost-effectively.
Second, I write a short informational piece as a simple Press Release setting out details of the FREE offer and why it should interest people, then I send it out to a few dozen appropriate magazines and newspapers who then give me - FREE PUBLICITY! Not only is this better than paying for advertising, but it is well known that editorial information and comment pulls more response. I anticipate reaching between 50,000 and 100,000 from an expenditure of about £15 - you can't even get a classified ad for that!
My current offer for Future World is to offer a FREE electronic book on computer disk with 30 of my articles and reports on aspects of business, self development, network marketing etc. plus another FREE PC computer disk (the Future World catalog) and also a FREE audio tape outlining the business opportunity that comes on this second disk. I also offer a FREE copy of my business opportunity newsletter Great Ideas (so, if Future World doesn't appeal, perhaps they'll subscribe - I also build a new mailing list!).
I ask people to send 6 first class stamps for post and packing for this mega-offer, so the net cost per pack is £1. Asking for, stamps goes against the prevailing wisdom of making it easier for people to respond to your offer, but what I want is qualified response - I don't want to be sending my Future World information pack to every Tom, Dick and Harry who will send for everything just because it's free! So, if they are prepared to invest a few stamps to get the information, I know that they are genuinely interested, and motivated enough to make some effort to get what they want - and that's what I want - motivated and committed Future World Comms!
As a writer I can produce my own appropriate and (I hope!) informative reports for photocopying or on disk for pennies and sent out with the impressive Future World material. If you're not a writer it's easy to find sources of free reports, including electronic books on disk (ask me). What is important is to source and offer a report which targets the right people for the Future World business, so a report on making money on the Internet, a report on some aspect of personal development, doing business or making money is what to look for.
Try it. It works!
John T. Wilson
Four Second prizes for Future World's internationally acclaimed Copiable Cassette Library Version 2.0, with a retail value of $499.00 each were to be included in this contest.
However, competition proved to be especially keen in this second-place category. In fact, when the final votes were counted, there were three two-way ties, creating a perplexing problem for Judges. Rather than create a new set of rules, at the last minute, to cover tie-breaking in this situation, we decided on a simpler solution: to award everyone in this category the second prize, even those with ties, increasing the total number of second place prizes from four to seven. Incredibly, we haven't heard a single complaint from any of the second place winners. We'll take that silence to mean "approval".
Here are the SEVEN second-place winners whose entries received wide-scale acclaim from Comms around the world:
Joseph
Charles Green - Reading, BERKS -- ENGLAND
Laurie McFarland - Pickering, ON -- CANADA Robert Schwartze
- Bakersfield, CA -- USA
Max Orlando - Glenfield, NSW -- AUSTRALIA
Chantel Mackay - Johannesburg -- SOUTH AFRICA
John Rognstad - Brumunddal -- NORWAY
Harvey Segal - Southgate, London -- ENGLAND
Speaking of "around the world", notice what a cosmopolitan collection of winners we have in this category.
And, don't forget the twenty, yes twenty Third Prizes: featuring the New Wheel Mouse
These contestants won powerful new "Wheel Mice" for their computers as a result submitting their winning marketing ideas:
Mohinder
Kalsi - Milton Keynes -- ENGLAND
Johan Sternberg - Norrhult -- SWEDEN
Philip Ian Jones - Wrexham - ENGLAND
William L Redmond - Lake Worth, FL -- USA
Al R Sweet - Fernie, BC -- CANADA
Joe Radowski - Chicago, IL -- USA
Peggy McClain - Hot Springs, AR -- USA
Stephen D Brown - Halifax, MA -- USA
Phyllis J Thomas - Grapevine, TX -- USA
Robert A Lossie - Roseville, MN-- USA
Chintua E. Alozie, Westbury, NY -- USA
Samuel L Henderson, Jr - Pelham, AL -- USA
Evelyne M Collins - Whalan, NSW -- AUSTRALIA
Debra E Bertrand - Sherman Oaks, CA -- USA
Dennis F Lastique - Prospect, VA -- USA
James Hofman - Naperville, IL -- USA
Dennis Tino - Fairmont, MN -- USA
Alan Searing - Hoddesdon, HERTS, ENGLAND
Sam Wyatt - Chester, PA -- USA
Kay Glenn - Visalia, CA--USA
Robyne Clark - Coffs Harbour, NSW -- AUSTRALIA
Carol Parnell - Los Angeles, CA -- USA
Fourth Prizes: All remaining contestants who did not receive enough votes to qualify for one of the first, second, or third-place prizes will automatically receive the fourth place prize of a free Vanity URL Address setup, as described in more detail in the Vanity URL Address Drawing.
All entries for this month's Marketing Ideas Contest were posted on-line at the Marketing Idea Site and Comms worldwide were invited to vote for their three favorites. Judges used the polling results to determine the winners in all four categories. This approach allow Comms to determine which marketing ideas they found to be the most workable and usable.
The Spectacular "Odds" of winning
Congratulations to all the contest participants and to each of the winners. In this instance, the group of winners and the groups of participants are one and the same since everyone who participated won something. If you've every bought a lottery ticket or entered a sweepstakes where the fine print lists the odds of winning at 1:40,0000 (one chance in 40,0000) or higher, the Future World Contests are a breath of fresh air. This month with 24 prizes and a mere 36 contestants, the chances of winning were 2:3 (two chances in three). By adding the fourth place category, we increased the chances of winning to a certainty, 1:1 (one chance in one), eliminating the element of chance altogether.
The point is simple, when you think about the Future World contests, we want you to think about winning. Everyone can win. Even in contests with more normal levels of participation the chances of winning one of the prizes will usually be 1:3 or better. We understand that writing marketing ideas can be challenging, which is why we appreciate everyone who took the time to draft an entry. But, remember that next month, our Y2K Dividend Contest is one that ANYONE can win. No marketing expertise is required. We don't grade down for less than perfect grammar. And, for writing just a few paragraphs, you could be the next big winner. It's easy! We hope to see your name on the Entry Submissions page. YES!
The Marketing Ideas Contest had a dual purpose, as you may have guessed. It gave us the chance to give away some exciting and useful prizes. But, it also helped to arm every Comm on the planet with an impressive collection of additional marketing tools and ideas. You are now free to use any of these methods that appeals to you (and doesn't violate Future World advertising policies) in your personal advertising and promotion campaign. Any product or business opportunity is easier to promote when there are a wide range of fun ways to promote it. Combine these methods with the testimonials from the prior contest and you may have an unbeatable marketing combination.
We've tried to design each contest to produce multi-faceted benefits that will positively affect each Future World Communicator, not just the winners. We want to help you set your sites ever higher, expand your potential, increase your sense of accomplishment. We hope this first contest has helped to do all these things, and perhaps more.
If you were impressed and inspired by the entries, so were we. If not, if you think you could do better, we cordially invite you to participate in our next contest. Perhaps you'll be the winner of a fabulous prize, just by penning a few words of praise for your favorite on-line company. We'd love to hear from you.
A million news stories have prepared us for the worst...the total collapse of civilization as we know it when the clock strikes twelve this coming New Year's Eve. But, as the actual data begins to come in, it appears that Y2K will be a classic "tempest in a teapot", or as Shakespeare so aptly quipped, "much ado about nothing".
One major hurdle, passed just days ago, was the dreaded September 9th, 1999 date. To computers using compressed numeric data format, the date "9-9-99" reduces to simply: 9999, a traditional programmer's code symbol for "STOP" in computer machine language. But, as the news came in from around the world, it appears that nothing stopped except a few old mainframes that hadn't been running for years and were fired up again just for the test. Interestingly, almost no resources had been committed specifically for the resolution of the 9999 bug, because of the preoccupation with Y2K, "Year 2000" issue. So, some experts were concerned that the 9999 bug would catch system controllers off guard and create a substantial glitch -- a glitch that just didn't materialize.
Why? Probably because mission-critical computer systems are no longer using a 2-digit years in their date expressions. The same 2-digit year date, is the primary specter of Y2K, a "ghost in the machine" that the successful passage of the 9999 benchmark now suggests is a credible fear only in the minds of the truly paranoid.
As is so often true in history, highly anticipated negative events often have a reverse effect, instead producing widespread optimism and opportunity when the dreaded event fails to materialize. This may be exactly what happens with Y2K. Instead of a techno-nightmare, plunging the planet into digital chaos, Y2K is far more likely to signal a benign dawn of the 21st century and the emergence of a techno-utopia.
The focus of Future World's Y2K Dividend Contest is to re-evaluate the "Y2K Millennium Bug” as the far more likely, "Y2K Millennium Dividend”. With the change to the year 2000, thousands of incredible once-in-a-millennnium opportunities will be created. Here's my idea for just one such "Y2K Dividend":
Since the first hint of an impending Y2K problem more than four years ago, individual, companies, universities, and government institutions have been working to upgrade their computer systems before the arrival of one of the first truly immovable deadlines in history, the last stroke of midnight December 31st, 1999, just three months from now.
Humans overreact to impending events. It's just something that they do. And the less they know, the more they seem to overreact. If everyone on the planet were a computer technician, this Y2K updating process might have been handled in a very different way than it has been. But, most people aren't computer technicians. In fact, 85% of the population is still largely computer illiterate. Only 2% of the population uses a computer well and really understands how it works. Less than 1/2 of 1% of the population can write even a simple computer program. To most people, it's still a mystery box. We know this, because the vast majority of people in business, industry, education and government, who simply could not afford to have their systems go down on New Year's Eve, made the safe, conservative choice: they simply dumped their old computer hardware and software in favor of new, certified Y2K-ready equipment and programs.
As a result of this global "overreaction", tens of millions of computer systems, mostly personal computers and mini-mainframes, have ended up on the planet's virtual scrap heap. This "silicon surplus" may represent one of the greatest techno-opportunities since the dawn of civilization. Recently released software "patches" allow a computer user with only medium level proficiency to upgrade more than 93% of these discarded systems to effectively run in the year 2000 and beyond. The truth is that as many as 65% of these discarded computers may not have needed to be replaced and will work just fine in a year 2000 environment without modification. And, for the relatively few that need nothing more than a software modification to become Y2K-ready, the software patch is free and can be used to upgrade the BIOS of the computers that need it is just a minute or two.
Though there are hundreds of sites devoted to Y2K on the Net others, Microsoft has put together one of the most impressive Y2K upgrade sites which you are welcome to visit at: www.microsoft.com/y2k There are also many more free Y2K resources available on the Net by simply typing "Y2K" into any the popular search engines.
If you don't have access to the Internet, Microsoft will actually send you your own copy of their Year 2000 Resource CD by calling 1-888-MSFT-Y2K toll-free.
...Imagine being able to literally buy tens of thousands of computers for $5.00 each, or less!
Now that your own computer is Y2K ready, imagine being able to literally buy tens of thousands of computers for $5.00 each, or less. For the first (and perhaps the last) time in history, here's how to do it.
Step 1: Launch a local "Computer Drive". Offer to pay a donation to any of a dozen or so different local charities or schools, or churches, in exchange for each old computer or monitor that is collected during your city-wide "computer drive". In any community, there may be literally thousands of old systems just sitting around collecting dust that people have no idea what to do with. This drive offers them a chance to unload this old equipment and support a worthy cause at the same time.
Step 2: Get the word out through every non-profit organization in your community. Get volunteers to drive around and pick up the old equipment on a Saturday and drop it off at your garage or office. Think of it. For $5000.00, the price of just a couple new Pentium III systems, you might easily be able to collect 1000 or more computers, monitors, keyboards, mice and printers, and old versions of software and operating systems.
Step 3: Clean the components. A little isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol can make the outer cases of these computer and peripherals look almost new. Monitors, keyboards, mice, and most other peripheral devices won't need much more than cleaning and vacuuming (using a device such as the hand-held minivac being offered as one of the prizes in this contest).
Step 4: Evaluate and Upgrade as needed. It's easy to run one of the many freely down-loadable Y2K compatibility software checkers on them. For the relatively few machines that will require an upgrade, another free and readily obtainable Y2K BIOS upgrade allows you to "flash" the computer's BIOS, which will allow it to properly display and hold a year 2000 date and beyond even after power-off. Once it passes this test, the computer is ready to resell. If any of the the computers or peripherals fail to work properly or to upgrade successfully, you can use them for spare parts. Even a computer with a non-upgradable BIOS has a valuable hard drive, a floppy drive, a CD-ROM drive, a modem, a video and sound card, and memory chips that are instantly interchangeable with most other PC's.
Step 5: Package your finished systems for resale. Wrap the components of your finished computer systems in large clear plastic bags, for that "freshly refurbished" look. That's it! You're done.
What most people never suspect is that 90% of the technical work that most of these seemingly obsolete computers require can be performed with nothing more than an ordinary Phillips screwdriver. It's that easy! The remaining 10% can be completed with the tools in an inexpensive computer tool kit, such as the type we're giving away as one of the Y2K Dividend contest prizes. Such kits cost less than $25.00 and are readily available at most computer stores.
Learning to work on the inside of a computer is also relatively easy. Several different videos on "how to upgrade your computer" are available from computer stores and on-line stores that will take you through the entire process step-by step. If you can use a screwdriver and and can plug and unplug data cables, you can probably upgrade most computers.
Now, here comes the payoff. And, it comes in a way that you may not expect. Within the last few months, computers have come down drastically in price. For $500.00 to $600.00 you can get a new, reasonably fast, reasonably powerful computer system. Add a couple hundred more for a monitor and a similar amount for a printer and you have a complete system. So, most people won't be going to the time and trouble and expense of repairing or upgrading their old system that they may easily have paid $2000 or more for, when they can buy a new one so inexpensively. So, their old computer system may currently be acting as a doorstop somewhere.
But, thanks to your city wide "computer drive", you will have collected most of these high-tech "door-stops" for a total investment, or donation of $5.00 or less...printer and monitor included. So even after spending a few minutes to check, upgrade and clean each computer system, your total cost per unit is still ridiculously low. That's why you can afford to what you're going to do next...to actually sell and entire Y2K-ready system for an amazingly low price of $95 to $195. At these unbelievably low prices, a huge new low-end market opens up to you. Your two largest markets will be households who need additional systems and household who have never before been able to afford a computer.
A 40-year old dream becomes a reality at last!
When I was six years old, I remember visiting the 1960 Seattle World's fair. It was a little boy's dream come true. The fair's theme was "Century 21". Among the vast collection of futuristic wonders was General Electric's "Home of the Future". One of it's amazing features was a super-modern kitchen with what appeared to be a personal computer on one of its countertops that displayed recipes in full color on the display screen. Of course there were no personal computers back then, and precious few color TV's. Mothers from all over the world gasped with delight when they saw this. But, as we are about to actually enter the 21st century, how many kitchens actually have a recipe computer? Not many. In fact, nearly half of America's kitchens, no one cooks anymore. But, in the other half, a recipe computer that can also access the Internet, for additional on-line recipes when needed, could easily become a must-have appliance if it were available in the $95.00 to $195.00 range. Such a kitchen application may not even require a printer. This is a potential demand that you can supply, at a handsome profit.
And, of course, every child in every household really needs a computer of their own. At $600. to $1000. per box, this may be out of the financial reach of many families, but at $95 to $195 each, every child really could have their own computer -- their own gateway to the Internet or access to a CD-ROM-based encyclopedia, such as Microsoft's Encarta.
And, even for families that have never been able to afford a computer before. A used, Y2K-ready, $95.00 computer and a $9.95 per month Internet connection should be able to fit the budget of nearly every household in the industrialized world. In that handful of cases you may encounter where this is still too much to afford, you may wish to consider donating a few of your refurbished systems to children with promise. From a satisfaction standpoint, you may discover that the rewards of your altruism will warm your heart even more than the financial returns of this amazing venture.
With a $25.00 tool kit, a $19.95 Upgrade Video, a couple freely downloadable upgrade programs and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, you can turn computers that you obtained free, or for a donation cost of $5.00 or so, into marketable systems worth twenty to forty times more than you paid for them. That's a 2000% to 4000% profit. This is not an isolated opportunity! There are literally millions of computer systems out there right now just waiting for you. A five thousand dollar investment in a few truckloads of obsolete computer equipment could easily result in $100,000.00 to $200,000.00 in profit.
Commercial computer equipment offers yet another similar opportunity. It is a little more demanding to work on, but the potential return on investment is even higher. In this instance, the market is not businesses who might need a second computer system, but rather businesses in third world countries that were never before able to afford computerization. Use the Internet to make contact with interested companies and/or importers of computer equipment in these countries and you might discover that you can earn 100 times your cost or more -- a 10,000% return on investment.
These are just a two examples of the opportunities created by what I call the "Y2K Dividend". Thousands of other such opportunities exist or will soon exist within the next few months. How many machines, documents, forms, or displays have "19__" in them? They are all about to become obsolete forever. One set of opportunities will be created for those who can find ways to recycle the old stuff. Another set of selling opportunities will be available to those who find creative ways to sell customers the new stuff with "20__" embedded in them. As you begin to think about the whole Y2K Dividend concept, other ideas will begin to emerge. The more you consider this, you quickly discover that list of Y2K opportunities becomes endless. Capitalize on these ideas right now. One way to do this is to: Write down your best Y2K Dividend idea and send it in as your contest entry. Do this, and you will also create another opportunity for yourself, the chance to win some awesome Y2K prizes.
First Prize: Free participation in a large-volume direct mail advertising campaign that includes the preparation and mailing of over 5000 pieces of professional, full-color, clone brochures, targeting the very best mailing lists in the world. If your Y2K entry is selected as the best by the Comms who will vote for it electronically on-line, and if you skillfully manage the resulting business this campaign will create, this prize could easily continue to generate an income of thousands of dollars per year for you for life! Of course, no one can guarantee business success in any venture. How long your business remains profitable and how much it will eventually earn for you is a factor that will depend upon you. But, Future World will be there, as we have been for the past 15 years, encouraging and supporting you every step of the way. And, you should know that other Comms who have managed to launch a direct mail campaign of this size are still continuing to earn thousands of dollars in annual income several years later. A few, who have been especially skillful in the management of their businesses are earning even more. You could easily become one of them. Over time, the total value of this prize could become astronomical. The first prize sets everything in motion to provide this potential lifetime income opportunity for you.
Second Prize: A Smaller, yet substantial, All-Expenses-Paid Marketing Campaign...also designed to create a potential “income for life”!
Two Second Prizes: Even if you don't win the first prize, two smaller,
but still substantial versions of the marketing campaign will
be awarded to the two second place winners. These marketing campaigns
include 1000 pieces of direct mail to the same premiere-quality
lists as used in the first prize-winning campaign. Again, with
care and skill these campaigns could also be be parlayed into
substantial income over time. Use these funds to enhance your
21st Century lifestyle, or better still to finance the "Silicon
Surplus" plan, any of the other Y2K Dividend ideas, or your
own super "Y2K Plan".
Third Prize: Sony's leading edge, hand-held "Voice Balloon" Thought Recorder.
Three Third Prizes: Sony has just introduced these wonderful, new
21st Century devices called “Voice Balloons”. They
are actually Integrated Chip hand-held personal voice recorders.
Here's a chance to enjoy some of the fun and convenience of leading
edge technology. About the size and shape of a pocket watch,
these incredible state-of-the-art devices, not much larger than
a Star Trek Comm badge, can store up to 99 messages, with up
to 10 minutes of total recording time, with and easy-to-read
LCD display. Each Sony Voice Balloon comes with a complete
instruction booklet and incredibly, batteries ARE included. This
is the perfect device to carry with you anywhere and make digital
note of your latest Y2K idea, especially in situations where
writing writing might be difficult, whether you're jogging, driving,
lying down, or working in low-light situations. One-touch playback
let's you listen to your idea again, instantly.
Forty Fourth Prizes: The up-to-40 winners of fourth place will have
their choice of either of two different high-tech product accessories:
(1) The first is a hand-held micro mini-vac for fast, easy vacuum
cleaning of computer keyboards, cameras, and other small or delicate
electronic appliances. This is the perfect tool for cleaning
up the hard to reach places in computers that you are upgrading
for resale using Dan Lee Dimke's Y2K Dividend idea. (2) The other
optional fourth place prize is an 11-piece computer tool kit,
specially designed for work with computers or other small electronic
appliances. It includes several types of screwdrivers, a torque
driver, and even a prom-puller for the easy and safe extraction
of computer chips from their sockets. Here are all the mechanical
tools you'll need to upgrade just about ANY computer to Y2K.
Comes in a handy, easy-to-carry, padded, leatherette, zippered
case.
Click this link to visit the Contest Entry Site where you can submit your idea on-line. Then, simply tell us about your Y2K Dividend Idea in 500 words or less. If entering by mail or fax, send us your idea, preferably typed, using as many additional sheets of paper has you need, to:
Or, submit it to us by mail on a PC computer diskette, if you wish. Should you happen to have access to email but don't have an Internet account, you are welcome submit your entry by email by sending it to:
It is important to remember that your Y2K Dividend idea can be just about ANY business or income opportunity, or opportunity for the betterment of mankind, that is created by the transition to the year 2000. This opportunity MAY be related to computers, but it doesn't HAVE TO BE. Embedded chips in a variety of other non-computer products may offer a potential Y2K dividend. Any kind of product that currently bears a date beginning with "19__" could have Y2K Dividend potential. A wide range of services associated with these date-sensitive products may also offer potential Y2K Dividends. Though the new millennium doesn't actually begin until 2001, everyone on the planet who uses the Julian Calendar has written the year with a "19" in front of it for their entire lives. Changing to 2000 is an enormous change that will have some far-reaching effects. Look just a few months into the future and see just one of the many opportunities that this change will create.
You may write about any Y2K idea that you have actually used, or even considered using. Or, you can write about a Y2K Dividend idea based on your own research on the Internet, in books, or magazines, etc. that you have then rewritten in your own words. Of course, any exact quotes from another published source need to be enclosed in quotes with credit given to the original author, the publication source, and the date of publication of the quotation. It is also important to remember that final winner selection will be through votes cast by other Comms. So, your idea needs to be believable, understandable, and workable. If you've actually used the method you are describing, a few words about your results are always an excellent finishing touch for an article. It's the equivalent to allowing your audience to "taste the food after a cooking demonstration".
The total number of prizes offered in this contest is 46. If the number of entries submitted exceeds this number, the top 46 finalists will be selected by Future World judges. Naturally, if the number of entries is 46 or less, everyone will win one of the prizes. The final selection of the leading ideas will be made by the popular vote of fellow Communicators via an electronic on-line poll.
A single paragraph is probably not going to win this contest. But, that doesn't mean that you have to write a book either. A short article, describing your Y2K idea, or technique, or approach, may be all you need to win one of the 46 great prizes. We urge you to enter this contest, because, unlike many other contests, the chances of winning are very very high, with better odds than perhaps any contest you've ever entered. Because, the top prizes are something anyone of us can use and appreciate - a potential lifetime income. If you are like most Comms, you joined Future World to earn more income. Winning this contest will allow you to do that almost instantly. This is the largest and most valuable prize ever to be given away in Future World history. We want to send it to you. So, jot down your Y2K idea and send it in, especially if you've never entered a Future world contest before. Your idea could easily become one of the winning entries.
Remember, great scholarship or a superb writing style are not required. We, and the Comms who will vote for you, are just interested in hearing about your creative Y2K ideas and innovations and how to make them work. Because these ideas will be shared on-line, all Comms will benefit from this contest, even those that don't enter. Because, every Comm, Worldwide will have access to the entire collection of Y2K Dividend ideas. Any one of these once-in-a-millennium ideas could easily make you rich. So, everyone wins! Enter Today!
Unlike the Marketing
Ideas Contest, which apparently took
more time to sit down and write than most Comms had to spare,
The Vanity Site Drawing was an effortless point-and-click entry
process that hundreds of Comms found a few spare seconds to participate
in. This was the largest drawing we have ever held with over
$20,000 worth of free programming and set-up awards (slightly
more than 200 of them, worth $99.00 each). Everyone is talking
about our new showroom Web-Site address feature, which is scheduled
for release in the next few days, that allows you to use short/powerful
site addresses.
To announce this new vanity address service with fanfare, we have given away the initial programming set-up (a $99 value) for 200 personalized vanity site addresses, to the Winners listed below who will be able to choose the name may wish to appear after the domain name, future-world.com/, which may contain up to 25 letters. Personalized names will be assigned in the order received. So, if your last name is Smith, you'll want to reserve your personalized site name early.
This Drawing is was open all active Comms worldwide. Participation or use of these new, abbreviated and personalized URL addresses does not require an Internet connection.
Here are the Vanity URL Site winners:
Abdul Hamid Bin Ahmad
Ibrahim
Akili Damone Hight
Akili Hight
Al Sweet
Alan Nunez
Alan Searing
Alexander Burgess
Alf Amartey
Allen J Fitzgerald
Alvaro Mendoza
Amadu M Turay
Anders Danielsson
Andre J Myette
Andrew J Eley
Anthony Saunders
Antonio Candolfi
Art M. Hernandez
Aylia Rizvi
B A Poe
B B Jones
Barbara June Cutajar
Barry D Burtt
Bennette Nesbitt
Bernard Stephan Rynecki
Bill Kitchen
Bill L White
Birgir Edvardson
Bozena Gawlikowska
Byron Edwards
Byron W Edwards
Carol Brinkley
Carol Parnell
Carol Thompson-Ellis
Ceretha Beyna
Charles F Fisher
Cheryl Smith
Clarence Ezzell
Clyde E Bass
Colin Ceres
Courtlee Heath
D J Laroe
Daniel Lee
Daphne Porter
Dave A Kent
David Anthony Chavez
David James
Debra E Bertrand
Dennis Jeffrey Tino
Dennis Lastique
Dominique Leon
Don Mears
Donna Griffith
Donna Jackson
Douglas W Bierl
Duane Jordan
Edward M Nervig
Ernst R Keidel
Ferdel (Jim) Davis
Fern Springs
Franklin George
G Robert Mohr
Galen Yuen
Gary Soon
Gary W Perr
George Watson
Gerald P Glinski
Ghulam Rasool
Glenn Mcgowan
Grant Eldon Yocum
Greg A Dabicci
Gussie B Richaerdson
Hal Schreur
Haroon Khan
Helen Lentz
Herbert W Cogburn
Herman Crittenden
Ildiko Petho
Iris E Cowart
Isaac Odoom
Jack D Hale
Jack Melnick
James A Rayfield
James C. Hall, Jr.
James C Scott
James Carpenter
James E Davis Sr
James Fannin
James Hofman
James J Cook
James Ritchie
Jeanne Rutledge
Jerry L Gieg
Jerry L Sayers
Jerry Stanley Horton
Jim & Pat Terrell
Jim Mckinney
Joao Abrantes
Joe And Bryce Castello
Joe Radowski
Joe Wissler
John B Fifer, Ii
John Deeprose
John Dixon
John Downey
John Fidelibus
John H Rowlands
John Holland
John Moore
John P Cook
John Rognstad
John T Wilson
Joseph Charles Green
Joseph R. Mason
Joseph Sanfratello
Joyce Lewis
Juergen Alex Lorenz
Johan Sternberg
Kay Glenn
Kenneth Lunar
Kevin F Griffin
Kim E Morris
Ladonna Love Dunbar
Lambda Enterprises
Larry Gene Porter
Laurie Mcfarland
Linda Ann Barnhardt
Linda Sadler
Lorena Riley
Louis Mileusnich
Lynne C. Jackson
Mai Rathbone
Marita Evangelista
Martin Forgus
Martin Lashley
Martin Osipov
Martin Windebank
Mary Coon
Max E Thierry
Michael Armstrong
Michael W. Anderson
Michael Winand
Michael Winand
Michale Holmes
Millicent Bunn
Minnie E Howard
Mohinder Kalsi
Mohunlall Dosooye
Mrs Jane Gaul
Nathaniel Robinson
Nick Tarabocchia
Noel Welsh
Olen Foster Martin
Ormand W. Eskew
Pam Engelbrecht
Pamela Montooth
Pamela Moore
Paul Braymer
Paul J Maxwell
Peggy Mcclain
Pete Wagner
Peter Winter
Philip Ian Jones
Phyllis J Thomas
R D Jeffries
R Ronald Haney
Ralph R Kinegak
Randy Ketza
Richard Brinson
Richard Cieslak
Richard Leonard
Richard Reed
Rick Oreilly
Robert L. Edmonds
Robert Ely
Robert Lossie
Robert M Njonjo
Robert Ridley
Robert V Schwartze
Robert W Gillespie
Robert Wanless
Ron Jeffries
Ron Reid
Ronald Altro
Ronald E Fowler
Royce Crawford
Sam Wyatt, Jr.
Samuel L. Henderson, Jr.
Scott A Spohn
Sergio Farina
Sonia L Martin
Stephen D. Brown
Stephen M Stabnau
Steve & Sue Marsden
Steve Holt
Ted E Franek
Terry Fraley
Thomas A Howard
Thomas C. Wheeler
Tracy Mullins
Trevor Joy
Truman Tournear
Ven G Kalugdan
Veronica Jolyne Pendleton
Vic S Carrara
Waqar Akhtar
Wilber Tindall
William A. Pitt
William Domingo
William M Herndon
Willy Oldebring
Winnie Moon
The Vanity URL Registration Site, now under construction will be available to accept Personalized Site Name reservations within the next few days. When it is ready, the winners will be able to claim their winning site by visiting the Vanity Registration Page and selecting their own, personalized site name within the future-world.com domain. Watch for the announcement at your counter site, or check the vanity site registration page when it's ready, at: