Cruise Ship Vacations for Seniors

In many areas of the world, including the United States, we often view senior citizens as having limits.  While health issues may plague some senior citizens, most individuals are healthy and happy.  In fact, many consider their senior years to be the prime of their live.  If you are one of those individuals, you could experience fun and excitement aboard a cruise ship.

One of the most common concerns aboard a cruise is safety.  Many senior citizens and their family members are concerned with the health risks of taking a cruise.  If you or your family has fears associated with extended cruises, you may want to seek guidance from your family physician.  With a simple visit, your physician may easily be able to determine whether or not you are up for the voyage.

If and when you receive the okay from your doctor, you can begin to further examine vacationing aboard a cruise ship.  When examining cruise ships, you are encouraged to examine a number of cruise lines and each of the ships that they have available.  To get started on your search, it is advised that you examine Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Princess Cruises.  The foresaid cruise lines are just a few of the many that service travelers; however, they are often considered the most popular.

When examining a particular cruise ship, you are encouraged to search for activities and services that you are attracted to. These services are important because they are often the only way for seniors to find the perfect cruise ship.  At the current time, there is not a large, well-known cruise ship company that offers cruises specifically for senior citizens.  That does not mean that you shouldn’t take a cruise.  It does; however, mean that you may need to spend more time researching your available options.

You can and should search for cruise ship activities based on your own preferences.  Many seniors prefer cruise ships that offer elegant dinning facilities and activities geared towards mature crowds.  If safety is a concern, you may wish to vacation aboard a family fun cruise. These cruises are geared towards individuals and families of all ages. Many times, a family fun cruise has a more appropriate environment.  Seniors, including yourself, may find this environment warm and welcoming. 

Once you have made the decision to take a cruise ship vacation, you may be excited to book your reservations.  Senior citizens are urged to refrain from purchasing tickets and making travel accommodations on a whim.  This is because many seniors qualify for cruise ship and other travel discounts.  Many of these discounts are offered by AARP, Triple A, and other membership clubs.  Even if you may not qualify for travel deals and discounts, you should still see if they exist.  Until you look, you never know if you can book a cruise at a discounted price.

Cruise ship travel is a fun, exciting, and rewarding experience, no matter what your age.  All most all cruise ships are safe enough that you can even vacation alone.  If you are concerned with your safety while traveling alone, you may want to invite along family or your senior friends.  With a large number of discounts, it is quite possible that you can all enjoy a vacation aboard a cruise ship, without having to go broke.

THE DO'S AND DON'T'S OF PROFITABLE MAIL ORDER ADS

Regardless of how you look at it, the most important aspect of
any successful mail order business is its advertising. In fact,
mail order success is wholly dependent, and even predicated upon
good advertising.

First of all, you've got to have a dynamic, spectacular ad that
attracts the eye and grabs the interest of the people you're
trying to sell to. Thus, unless your ad really "jumps out" at the
reader, your sales won't live up to expectations, and your ad
money will be wasted.

The eye-catching appeal of your ad must start with the headline.
Use the headline to very quickly create a picture in the minds of
the reader--a vision of all their problems being solved, and
attainment of the kind of happiness they seek. If your headline
fails to catch the attention of your prospect, you cannot hope to
capture him with the remaining of the ad, because it will go
unread! So in writing your advertisement for just a little while,
so you must quickly interest him in your offer, show him how he
can get what he wants, and then cause him to send immediately for
your "solution" to his problems. Your copy must exude enthusiasm,
excitement, and a positive attitude. Don't be afraid to use a
hard-sell approach! Say what you feel and believe about your
offer. And use common, "everyday," but correct English.

Even so, you can and must remember to be honest. Don't exaggerate
or make claims you can't back up. Never make promises you cannot
or don't expect, to keep. To do so could get you in trouble with
the Federal Trade and Fair Practices people.

Stress the benefits of your product or service. Explain to your
reader how owning a copy of your book (for instance), or
receiving your services will make his life richer, happier, and
more abundant. Don't get involved in detailing all the money
you've spent developing the product or researching the
information you're selling, or you're selling, or your
credentials for offering it. Stress the "sizzle" and the value of
ownership.

It is important to involve th reader as often as possible through
the use of the word "you." Write your copy just as if you were
speaking to and attempting to sell just ONE person. Don't let
your ad sound as a speaker at a podium addressing a huge stadium
filled with people, but as if there were just one individual
"listening."

And don't try to be overly clever, brilliant or humerus in your
advertising. Keep your copy simple, to the point, and on target
toward selling your prospect the product or service because of
its benefits. In other words, keep it simple, but clear; at all
costs, you don't want to confuse the reader. Just tell him
exactly what he'll get for his money; the benefits he'll receive;
how to go about ordering it. You don't have to get too friendly.
In fact, becoming "folksy," and don't use slang expressions.

In writing an ad, think of yourself as a door-to-door
salesperson. You have to get the attention of the prospect
quickly, interest him in the product you're selling, create a
desire to enjoy its benefits, and you can then close the sale.

Copywriting, whether for a display ad, classified ad, sales
letter or brochure, is a learned skill. It is one anyone can
master with a bit of study, practice, and perhaps some
professional guidance.

Your first move, then, is to study your competition, recognize
how they are selling their wares. Practice rewriting their ads
from a different point of view or from a different sales angle.
Keep a file of ads you've clipped from different publications in
a file of ad writing ideas. But don't copy anyone else's work;
just use the ad material of others to stimulate your own
creativeness.

Some of the "unknown facts" about advertising--and ad writing in
particular--tell us that you cannot ask for more than $3 in a
short classified type ad. Generally speaking, a $5 item will take
at least a one-inch display ad. If you're trying to sell a $10
item, you'll need at least a quarter page--perhaps even a half
page of copy--and $15 to $20 items require a full page. If you
are selling a really big ticket item (costing $50 or more) you'll
need a four-page sales letter, a brochure, separate order coupon,
and return reply envelope.

If you're making offers via direct mail, best to get into the
postal system with it on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, to be sure it
does not arrive on Monday, the first and busiest day of the week.
And again, unless you're promoting a big ticket item, the quality
or color of your paper won't have any great effect on the
response you'll get, but the quality of your PRINTING definitely
will, so bear this in mind when you place your printing order.

One final point to remember: The summer months when people are
most apt to be away on vacation are usually not good months for
direct mail. But they ARE good for opportunity and advertisements
in publications often found in vacation areas, and in motels and
hotels.

Again, it cannot be stresses too much or often: Success in mail
order does, indeed, depend upon advertising, and as with anything
else, quality pays off in the long run. Read this report again;
study it; let it sink in. Then apply the principles outlined in
it. They have worked for others, and THEY CAN WORK FOR YOU!
 


HOW TO MAKE BIG MONEY FAST, RENTING MAILING LISTS

Anyone wanting or needing to build a fast source of income should
definitely consider establishing a mailing list rental business.
All it takes to get started is your time, and once you're
organized, you can easily parlay this business into a $100,000 a
year income.

The first thing of course, is the compiling of names for your
mailing lists. This is done simply by noting or listing on 3 by 5
index cards the names/addresses on all incoming mail. Arrange
these in zip code and alphabetical order, and you're almost ready
for business.

To build your list of names simply run an advertisement in as
many of the mail order publications as you can afford, offering
free list of 100 mail order buyers for a self-addressed and
stamped envelope. And again, as you get these responses to your
ad, list their names/addresses in your card file system, and file
them alphabetically with your other cards.

Another way to build your list of names fast is to run a short
classified type advertisement offering a free report of some sort
of money-making idea, in exchange for a self-addressed, and
stamped envelope. As you do with all of your other incoming mail,
list the names/addresses on your index cards and file them with
the other cards.

When you've got a thousand names in your file, the next thing is
to purchase a box of self-adhesive or peel and stick labels, and
type your names/address onto these sheets of labels. Typing 31
sheets--33 labels to a sheet will give you 1,023 names on 31
sheets of labels. Take the sheets of labels to your nearest
photo-copy shop; copy them onto plain paper masters and you're
ready for business.

Meanwhile, be sure to file your plain paper masters and hold
them/guard them with your life. You can send out the labels you
typed on to your first customer.

Look thru all the publications offering advertising space for
mail order operators--clip out and study those advertisements
offering mailing lists--and from these, make up or have made up
for you, a similar ad.

You should be offering your lists for a one-time a $5 per 100
names; $20 for 500 names; and $40 for 1,000 names.

Check with your paper sources for best wholesale prices on reams
of plain paper, gummed labels, and the peel & stick kind. At the
same time, explain what you're about to do with the owner or
operator of your local copy shop, and arrange a deal where by you
can copy your names at reduced prices, so long as you provide
your own paper.

Then, when your orders start coming in--you simply take your
"master mailing lists" to the copy shop, copy them unto plain
paper, gummed or peel & stick labels, and send them out to your
customers. Basically, we suggest that you do all your copying
once a week, package all your orders, for that week, and drop
them off at the post office with just one trip.

Much of the time, you can get free advertising and at the same
time pull in a lot of new names of people who are interested in
mail order, by writing and submitting articles to the various
mail order publications. If you arrange such a deal with a
publisher, run your mailing list ad, and tag your articles with
something such as: For more information or if you have a
particular questions, write to met at...

It would also be a good idea to check out your own capabilities
of producing and mailing out a mail order ad sheet--just a
one-page flyer with 3-columns of ads on one side and a full page
advertisement of some program or product you're promoting on the
other side. The, with such an ad sheet, you contact all the mail
order publishers and offer to run their ad in your publication in
they'll run yours in their publication.

Whenever you're selling a new name/address to your card file,
always mark on the card whether or not you received any kind of
orders from that person. You should also number your mailing
lists--mark "01" on the cards of the first 1,000 names you type
onto your masters, "02" on the next thousand and so on until you
retire or sell your business.

Finally, when you've accumulated 5,000 or more names in your card
file. (incidentally, you can easily store your 3x5 cards in old
number 6 envelope boxes or even shoe boxes. Whenever you're out
shopping, simply ask the store manager or owners if they have any
such boxes that they can give you.)

Anyway, as I was saying, once you've got 5,000 names on file, you
can begin contacting some of the national list brokers and
setting up arrangements for them to a broker or rent your list
for you. Usually, they get 20% of the rental fee each time they
rent your list--a small price to pay when you understand that
these people can rent your list to 50 to 100 times per year. They
do all the advertising and selling for you with your only
responsibility being to work out arrangements to get the lists to
the rental customers.

THE END OF THIS REPORT

HOW TO RECRUIT DEALER/DISTRIBUTORS TO SELL FOR YOU

Everyone dreams of owning a super money-making business where
other people do all the work, and their only duties involve the
approval of sales and bank deposit slips. It's the only way to go
as a business owner.

The problem is however, not too many people seem to know how to "
put together" such a business. What you're really talking about
is an operation where you supply the product and other people do
the selling-A prime source with a dealer or distributor network.

Assuming that you have the product, you'll also need a sales kit
and plenty of impressive, eye-catching promotional materials. If
you don't supply or offer to supply materials with which your
sales force can sell the product, you'll have a hard time
enlisting people to sell for you, and you probably won't set any
sales records relative to your product either.

Let's assume that you've just written a book-HOW TO MAKE $100,000
PER YEAR AT HOME, WITH YOUR TYPEWRITTER..Okay, in order to sell
this book, you've got to get the word out to the people that you
have such a book available. Advertising on your own is going to
cost you money, and unless you've got a good understanding of the
advertising business, you may never reach your full sales
potential-besides, the time and effort expended in finding the
"right" place to advertise, the placing of your ads, monitoring
your returns, and the frustrations of dealing with the curiosity
seekers, will quickly wear you out. Such is not the way you
envisioned your life when you got the idea to write the book, get
rich and enjoy a life of leisure.

So, just as soon as you've got your book written-the book is your
product-get some "bids" out to the advertising agencies in your
area, the freelancers, and the advertising department at your
local colleges. What you want these people to do is make up an
advertising circular promoting and selling your book. Now then,
in a different-maybe smaller-type, and kind of like an
afterthought-at the bottom of this circular, you include the
phrase: Dealer Inquiries Invited...

Look over all the submitted circulars and choose the one (s) you
consider the best. then have a supply of these printed up at your
local print shop, obtain a mailing list of opportunity seekers,
and get them in the mail.

Just as soon as you've dropped these first circulars in the mail,
start writing your dealer/distributor letter. This should be
simply an explanation describing how you will dropship orders for
their customers, allowing them a certain commission on each sale
and, the price per copy you'll sell your book to them in
wholesale quantity lots. At the same time, this letter should
include a copy of your advertising circular, and an explanation,
reassuring these dealers that they can reproduce this circular
with their name/address in place of yours on the order coupon.
You might even include a brief note that you will pre-print these
circulars with the dealer's name/address and ship them to him for
a wholesale printing price. All of this boils down to your
supplying him or her with whatever is needed to promote and sell
copies of your book for you. The bottom line is simply that you
can only reach so many people, and sell so many books yourself.
With 1,000 people helping you-mailing out advertising circulars
and running small ads in hundreds of opportunity seeker
publications-your costs of running your business will be minimal
while your book sale skyrocket.

Remember though, you need an impressive, eye-catching advertising
circular or mailing package for your sales force to use as their
own, and you need a clear easy-to-understand books in wholesale
quantity lots, and the availability of advertising materials for
your dealers.

The advertising circular should be dual purpose- you send it out
to solicit sales of your product, and at the same time, recruit
dealers who are impressed with your advertising materials and
feel that they can make some money for themselves by promoting
your product. Again, this needn't be much more than a simple
"throw-way" line at the bottom of the circular: Dealer Inquiries
Invited...

Now that you're organized thus far, the next thing is to contract
to run as many small DEALERS WANTED ads in as many of the mail
order publications as possible. Such ads can be either a
classified or a small, but eye-catching one inch display ad:

        DEALERS WANTED! Outstanding new book. Sells
        like wildfire! Everybody wants a copy! Make
        $10 profit on every $15 sale! Details for
        SASE to: 

Basically that's all your "dealers wanted" ad needs to say, and
then with plenty of exposure in all the mail order publications
over a period of six or eight months, you should have hundreds of
people all over the country selling your book for you. Simple,
easy, almost cut and dried, but it works!

In building my own business from scratch over the past 10 years,
I've found that once you've established a basic
dealer/distributor network-or a list of people selling for
you,you can add hundreds of related products, and the orders just
keep coming in. Give it a try and see for yourself just how easy
and profitable it can be for you!

HOW TO WRITE PROFITABLE CLASSIFIED ADS

Everybody wants to make more money... In fact, most people would
like to hit upon something that makes them fabulously rich! And
seemingly, one of the easiest roads to the fulfillment of these
dreams of wealth, is mail order or within the professional
circles of the business, direct mail selling...

The only thing is, hardly anyone gives much real thought to the
basic ingredient of selling by mail--the writing of profitable
classified ads. If your mail order business is to succeed, then
you must acquire the expertise of writing classified ads that
sell your product or services!

So what makes a classified ad good or bad? First of all, it must
appeal to the reader, and as such, it must say exactly what you
want it to say. Secondly, it has to say what it says in the least
possible number of words in order to keep your operating costs
within your budget. And thirdly, it has to produce the desired
results whether inquiries or sales.

Grabbing the reader's attention is your first objective. You must
assume the reader is "scanning" the page on which your ad appears
in the company of two or three hundred classified ads. Therefore,
there has to be something about your ad that causes him to stop
scanning and look at yours! So, the first two or three words of
your ad are the utmost importance and deserve your careful
consideration. Most surveys show that words or like this. MAKE
BIG MONEY! Easy & Simple. Guaranteed! Limited offer. Send $1.00

These are the ingredients of any good classified
ad---Attention--Interest--Desire--Action...Without these four
ingredients skillfully integrated into your ad, chances are your
ad will just "lie there" and not do anything but cost you money.
What we've just shown you is the basic classified ad. Although
such an ad could be placed in any leading publication and would
pull a good response, it's known as a "blind ad" and would pull
inquiries and responses from a whole spectrum of people reading
the publication in which it appeared. In other words, from as
many "time wasters" as from bona fide buyers.

So let's try to give you an example of the kind of classified ad
might want to use, say to sell a report such as this one...Using
all the rules of basic advertising copywriting, and saying
exactly what out product is, our ad reads:

      MONEY-MAKER'S SECRETS! How to Write winning
      classified ads. Simple & easy to learn-should
      double or triple your responses. Rush $1 to
      ABC Sales, 10 Main, Anytown, TX 75001.

The point we're making is 1) You've got to grab the reader's
attention...2) You've got to go "further stimulate" him with
something (catch-phrase) that makes him "desire" the product or
service...4) Demand that he act immediately...

There's no point in being tricky or clever. Just adhere to the
basics and your profits will increase accordingly. One of the
best ways of learning to write good classified ad is to study the
classifieds--try to figure out exactly what they're attempting to
sell--and then practice rewriting them according to the rules
we've just given you. Whenever you sit down to write a
classified, always write it all out--and then go back over it,
crossing out words, and refining your phraseology.

The final ingredient of your classified ad is of course, your
name & address to which the reader is to respond--where he's to
send his money or write for further information.

Generally speaking, readers respond more often to ads that
include a name than to those showing just initials or an the
number of words, or the amount of space your ad uses, the use of
some names in classified ads could become quite expensive. If we
were to ask our ad respondents to write to or send their money to
The Research Writers & Publishers Association, or our advertising
costs would be prohibitive. Thus we shorten our name Researchers
or Money-Makers. The point here is to think relative to the
placement costs of your ad, and to shorten excessively long
names.

The same holds true when listing your post office box number.
Shorten it to just plain Box 40, or in the case of a rural
delivery, shorten it to just RR1

The important thing is to know the rules of profitable classified
ad writing, and to follow them. Hold your costs in line.

   Now you know the basics...the rest is up to you.