Blog.WinGolfer.com

It is often quite easy for the Web business owner to overlook the importance of offline promotion. In reality, all your potential customers live offline. They work in the community, shop at the neighborhood supermarkets, attend various places of worship, read newspapers, watch television, visit the doctor and are members of various organizations.

Each of these facts is an opportunity to promote your Web site in the real world, and by routinely combining offline methods with your online promotions, you will effectively extend your reach in the virtual marketplace.

Here are 11 simple ways you can do that:

1. Word of Mouth - This is obviously the most cost effective and powerful way to let people know about your Web business. It may also be the most under-utilized, which is ironic since the majority of your site’s content is made up of words anyway. Use every opportunity to talk about your Web site to friends and family. Make it a point everyday to tell six strangers about your business. The impact of this publicity will astound you.

2. Stationery - Include your Web address on all your business stationery, especially business cards and letterhead.

3. Fliers - A simple flier announcing a special offer and displaying your URL can be put together for next to nothing. You can give these out at community events, distribute door to door or ask permission to place them in businesses in your neighborhood.

4. Brochures - A well-prepared brochure is a convenient tool for presenting an overview of your business and highlighting your product or service benefits. They can be handed out or mailed in response to requests for more information.

5. Community Boards - Many supermarkets, diners, restaurants, laundromats, bookstores, and local businesses have a section on their premises where you may place your business cards, fliers, brochures and announcements.

6. Promotional Items - The familiar and ubiquitous promotional coffee mug, key chain, pen, magnet, calendar, tee shirt and baseball cap, are excellent items to display your company logo or Web address. You can sponsor an event for a community organization or little league club and give these items away. Your business will always be associated with the event.

7. Card Exchanges - Very often, local business organizations and Chambers of Commerce will sponsor events where business owners can display their products and network with each other. These are great opportunities to establish contacts and develop sound professional relationships.

8. Press Releases - Put together a one- or two-page document with news about your company’s new product or service, and send it off to the editor of your local newspaper, radio and television station. Editors are always looking for something news worthy to feature. This could result in a newspaper article, a radio interview or a television appearance. The exposure is good for business.

9. Newsletters - If you offer an online newsletter, consider printing copies of it and getting permission to leave a few in your doctor’s or dentist’s waiting rooms. You could place some on community boards in your town and try a few of the methods mentioned above to distribute it.

10. Bulletins - Many places of worship circulate a bulletin at their services that includes inexpensive advertising. Consider placing a classified or small display ad for an extended period in such a publication.

11. Answering Machine - Program your answering machine message to mention a new product or special discount and invite the caller to visit your Web site for more information.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of offline promotion choices. The opportunities are only limited by your imagination.

Many of the above strategies require little or no money, and can be executed as you go about your daily routine. The exposure you gain could be worth the time and effort many times over.

If you want to expose your business to the widest possible audience, you must vigorously and consistently promote it online as well as offline. Effective promotion is to your business, what the wind is to a sailboat. You wouldn’t make much progress without it.

Discount baseball bats are abundantly obtainable online. In many cases, online stores can offer reduce baseball bats at great prices because there is less overhead than at a sporting goods store and, in many cases, there is no sales tax or shipping charged. When you shop for baseball bats online you have access to a endless and easily available selection user product reviews to help you get a feel for which bats are best for you, and also can save a great deal of time.

Make sure you’re buying the best when you buy mark down bats. Of course you can get the same quality and top-notch selection when you buy your bats from a discount vendor online or wholesale that you could get from an expensive sporting goods store or specialty store. The key for you, the consumer, is to be able to pick out the quality from among the pack of other so-so, average, and below par bats out there.

This process is also very personal. Select a baseball bat as you would golf clubs. It ought to be perfect for your specific arm length, height, grip, and swing feel. You wouldn’t take just any driver off the shelf and stride over to the tee. You would make sure that your driver has the right sweet spot for you. Then you’ll qualified to drive 300 yards. It’s the same with baseball bats. You want the bat that will help you to propel the center field fence.

First, contemplate the barrel size of the discount bats you’re shopping for. The barrel size involves the top part of the bat. It measures both the barrel length and barrel diameter. When it comes to a sweet spot on a baseball bat, you want a longer barrel. The everyday wisdom is that longer barrels, generally speaking, have larger sweet spots.

This goes against customary practice, though. Most players tend toward smaller barrels and a lighter bat for faster swing speed. Your standard baseball bat will have a diameter of about 2.5 inches. Your standard fast pitch softball barrel will be slightly bigger at 2.75 inches.

Your second measurement of consequence for your discount bats is the bat taper, which is the diameter of the bat at its handle. Your normal baseball bat has a taper of 31/32 of an inch. This size varies, nonetheless, depending on the weight of your bat. There are players who claim that a narrower taper on a lighter bat allows them to turn their wrists faster, while there are others who say the bigger taper helps lessen the discomfort when you don’t catch a ball with the sweet spot.

Many baseball bat dealers offer blemished baseball bats at severely slashed prices due to a cosmetic imperfection such as chipped paint.

New Baseball training products are ready for sale for the 2007 year. Some of the big hitters are the hitting machines. Hurricane Baseball Hitting Machine made with adjustable ball speeds easily adjustable for multiple skill levels. You do not have to adjust the machine to accommodate left handed or right handed batters. This machine offers a challenging workout without picking up balls. Inexpensively priced at under $200.00 this machine is perfect for team practices.

Big name companies like Franklin have added innovative design to many of its baseball helmet products including such features as one size fits all sizing, embroidered chin straps, and, stylish two tone finishes in a varies o two toned color schemes. And let’s not forget the little guys. Tee ball teams will enjoy the comfort and ponytail channel offered by Franklins Tee Ball helmets. The ever popular confidence boosters of the baseball glove line for 2007 season include performance enhancing grip features. Tighter fit through the back of the hand and front palm areas, accomplished through sewing techniques and a variety of cut patterns. You are sure to get the perfect bat grip with this contour fit system.

Other baseball training aids for this year are some old favorites with a new flair. The advanced pitcher training gears include new designs for the 2007 year. Light weight and portable, the Traveler is an upgraded version of the SoloHitter made for hitting practice. This is a favorite of schools, camps, and home users. Boasting a steel frame for durability it can withstand all weather conditions for year round outside use. Beginners enjoy new models of the Personal Pitcher featuring 4 adjustable speeds and utilize the wiffle ball so that the hitter can concentrate on the “keeping your eye on the ball” theory. It is battery operated, and is speed adjustable by moving the location of the machine to increase or decrease reaction time. Practicality makes this product a must to own, and the very affordable price makes it even more attractive.

For all ages, learning to have your hips leading the ball, timing of the ball in the hitting zone, and correct stance can be a series of repetitive and mundane movements. Confidence building with new players and allowing them to have the opportunity to get his/her swing in anywhere is the idea behind the hitting tee with automatic ball return. Not having to hit into nets all of the focus is on obtaining that perfect swing.

So as you prepare for the 2007 baseball season, take a look at some of the great new products available from some of the big name companies, the new training gear, and get good!

The Parisians not only take their food and wine seriously but also their shopping. Shopping in Paris is an art.   Once you know a few secrets, Paris can the best place in the world to buy discounted designer items. 

I’ve also observed how the French shop.  They buy quality rather than quantity.  Two or three classic pieces each year, normally bought during their favourite shopping time “Les Soldes”. 

Twice a year, the French do some serious shopping.  Summer Sales in August and Winter Sales in February.  These are government controlled and while there’s a lot of dissatisfaction among retailers about these restrictions, I believe it works well for consumers.

But what if you can’t shop in sale time?   You have several choices.  Warehouses (entrepôt); second hand stores specialising in designer brands only (dépot-ventes) or private sales (held for a short specified period and online).   If you are a Paris resident, ‘ventes privées’ offer great bargains (see below for three of the best sites).

But back to retail shopping.

Warehouse outlets:
Not far from the popular rue de Rennes (home to the big brand ZARA, H&M & GAP) is rue Placide.  For designer labels, head to ‘Mouton a Cinq Pattes’ (Sheep with five Paws) This Parisian institution has every imaginable designer label on sale; although some items have been there so long they’ve made a comeback.  They have three stores in this small street, which is a bit of a mystery.  Lots of bargain bins to search deep and wide while I can’t guarantee a ‘Hermes Scarf’ you may find a Louis Vuitton or a Chanel, lots of Gucci belts and other surprises.

Word of warning; finding your size can be disappointing.  Anything under a European 40 or US 10 should be fine with skirts, shirts and little tees.  Anything over might be limited to their choice of jackets, coats (fur and leather) and other accessories. I guess there’s some truth in ‘French women don’t get fat’. 

In the same street you will find the outlets for Carroll and ETAM which offer good classic work suits and tops as well as numerous children’s boutiques and shoe shops. It’s a small street and well worth the detour.  At the end of the street, it’s back to luxury shopping at the Bon Marche or a spot of lunch in their recently renovated “Le Grande Epicerie Paris’.

At the opposite end of town is rue D’Alésia.   My Parisian friends tell me they don’t shop there as it’s just not chic enough but I don’t believe them.  Its only a short metro ride away from high street shopping and well worth a visit, particularly if you like Cacharel and Sonia Rykiel.  There are lots of small stores stocking Armani, Dolce & Gabbanna, American Retro and numerous French labels. It’s quite a long street so you could easily spend a full day shopping there.

At Cacharel I couldn’t resist a hip length woollen jacket, with a rabbit-fur lapel (€660 reduced to €120) and a frilly, high-neck silk blouse (reduced from €320 to €90). There’s also a great selection of clothes for children; girls’ embroidered cardigans at €30, boys suits from €100 as well as lots of cashmere twin sets around €80-120. The ground floor is dedicated to Monsieur:  Suits, shirts and sweaters at great prices.

Also impressive are the two Sonia Rykiel stores.  As France’s queen of ‘knits’ you can be assured of quality and there’s plenty of her trademark bright coloured wool tops and skirts for under €100.   Both stores had last winter’s stock greatly reduced and some new season items, albeit some with flaws.  The larger of the SR stores has a section dedicated to the under 2s.  You can image how cute this is.

Lastly, shoes, glorious shoes.  Head to rue Meslay; the entire street is dedicated to our ‘pieds’.  I would recommend going straight to No 13.   This store specialises in Charles Jourdan (should have more stock after the liquidation) Valentino and Langerfeld.  Prices range between €80-200 and there’s lot of classic styles and colours. 

Afterwards, there are over 50 stores to browse.  Many offer ‘copy’ designs in Chanel and Prada but the quality often matches the prices.   I saw lots of the Italian brand Superga from €25, Converse and Todds.  When I visited in winter there was an extensive range of leather boots from €150.

To diverge a little, minutes away from rue Mesley is the rue Temple.  This district is famous for its wholesale jewellery supplies: Beads, chains, tools as well as costume jewellery.  It’s a great street as there’s always a frenzy of activity.  Retailers bargaining with wholesalers.  Large garbage bags of costume jewellery being dragged back to the 5th and ready for a mark-ups of 70-100%.  These stores usually only sell to retailers but you are free to wonder around and you can always ask if you see something you like.  If you can buy in quantities, they will almost certainly turn a blind eye in demanding the necessary retail registration details.  I’ve never had problems buying semi-precious stones and chains.

Now, back to shoes, for all fans of the ‘stiletto’.  I am going to recommend a store on the outskirts of Paris, “Mini-Prix’.  It look more like a 7/11 but you will find designs by Jill Sanders, Ralph Lauren, Blackberry Neal Alexandra, Patrick Cox and Gianfranco Ferre - sorry no Manolo Blahnik -  all for less than €200. 

Surprisingly, some new season stock. They also have a small range of designer label handbags but I wasn’t too impressed with the collection.  It’s not far from the Porte de Versailles, the major trade exhibition hall in Paris.  There’s really nothing else in this area, a couple of stores promoting clothes, but not a great collection.  However if you like heels, you’ll love this place.

Of course, this is only a tiny selection of the many places in Paris.  Everyone has their favourite and I’ll certainly be back to Cacharel when time and budget permit!

Address list:
Cacharel & Sonia Rykiel - rue d’Alésia Métro: Alésia, t: 01 45 42 53 04
Mini-Prix, rue Boulevard Victor  M: Balard
Shoes rue Meslay – M: Rennes

Tired of walking up and down stores trying to find discount golf equipment? Well, we understand what you are going through. But dont lose heart, today the Internet has paved way for a whole new world of interesting opportunities. For people seeking there are answers available with the click of a button. So, get online, and start your search right away. From the comfort of your living room or work space you can find the equipments at a cheap price.

Putting green, speed meter, or swing helper are some of the equipments most commonly purchased by people who are into golf either as a hobby or have been playing it professionally. There are websites that deal with only certain set of equipments whereas some others provide you with everything required for the game. You could pick up clubs, balls and tee along with gloves, shoes and hat as well. It makes it easy for people beginning their golf games to learn about all that is required for the sport. There are some who pick up all items except a tee, and when they are on the course, they might suddenly realize the need for the same. Instead of feeling embarrassed and wondering who to borrow it from, next time you are online, just purchase one for your own use.

Check on the different brands available, and do a comparative study of different brands and products. This is so you know which is the cheapest or most commonly used. Sites like eBay and other popular online shopping websites will have a multitude of options for you to choose from. They give information regarding the equipments available on their site, along with the price and other specifications. These sites will also mention the cost of the product and any shipment charges to be paid, and the time it takes to be delivered to your doorstep. How easy is that?

You can pick up golf shoes in white leather that you had been eying at the local mart, except it was double the cost quoted on the site. Similarly, a pair of gloves that fit snuggly, letting you hold the club and swing well is also a must have in your golf kit. Make a list of all the products you require, and then do your shopping. This will make it easier for you to plan on what you need and what you have. While picking up discount golf equipment, you will learn that you save a lot of money and time. This is only possible thanks to the advancement in technology and there being so many options. If you had to walk up and down million stores, you would be tired and ready to give up on your latest passion. The Internet however makes it easier, by giving you tips on what is good and must have, and others that you can do without. Try out the equipment before stepping on the grass, this will help you move easily and play better.

If you are into the clothing retail business, you have to deal with the fact that people are constantly looking for fresh or new items. This goes especially when you are only selling women’s apparel. The females have always been known to be very picky when it comes to the style and design of the clothing that they are wearing. They make sure that they are always in-fashion. What is more, they see to it that they are not left behind the times when it comes to their sense of fashion. If you want to usher in more customers to your clothing shop, you need to sell only the most fashionable and most stylish clothing items.

You might think that managing a clothing boutique or shop requires you to spend much for your stocks. You are probably one of those people who think that stylish clothes are expensive. What is more, you probably think that you need to have a huge capital in order for you to start this type of business. However, high prices do not apply to all fashion apparel. If you want to save when shopping for retail clothes, you might want to check out wholesale women clothing. This is offered to apparel store owners who want to buy cheap clothes for lesser prices. Wholesale fashion clothing allows you to shop for garments for your boutique for a price that you will never expect from such chic designs.

There are a lot of wholesale clothing suppliers all throughout the country. You will be able to find them locally or over the Web. However, you will be able to get the best deals when you shop from Asian fashion wholesale manufacturers. One of these wholesale suppliers from the continent is CausewayMall, which is also a wholesale online shopping mall being highly recammended. This Hong Kong clothing wholesaler offers you Japan & Korea fashion clothing. When you talk about the fashion statement from these countries, the most common design that you will notice is funky. Plenty of the store’s wholesale women’s apparel is comprised of items which have fun styles. There are off-shoulder or drop-shoulder tees. There are some blouses which have balloon-sleeves, while some come with large bows. Aside from wholesale fashion cloth, there are also accessories. These accessories are comprised of socks and hats. You are offered with designs such as checkered socks or elastic socks.

CausewayMall is a fashion wholesale company which offers more than just fashionable clothes and clothing accessories. When you shop for wholesale women clothing, you will be able to avail of a discount. You have the opportunity to buy in bulk orders and get the clothes for an economic cost. They offer 5% and 10% discount for bulk purchase over US$1000 and US$2000. Though these clothes are affordable, the quality is not compromised. The apparel is made from fabrics which come only from good materials. What is more, the style of the clothes is similar to those which you find from top brands. If you want to supply your clothing shop with the best designs, shop from this Korea fashion online store.

Casta Del Sol, Coyote Hills, Diamond Bar, Lake Forest, Meadowlark, and Rancho San Joaquin are all words that golfers in Orange County love to hear, because they are the names of some of the best golf courses in the area. When you are looking for Orange County tee times, golf enthusiasts know that these great courses offer a wide range of OC tee times so that you can golf to your heart’s content. Discount tee times in CA are widely available at these fine Orange County golf courses as well, so you can play often.
When you go out for a day of golf, you will want to make sure that you have all of the proper golf equipment with you in order to enjoy the day more. Golf clubs are all important. The most you can take out with you are fourteen clubs, and you will usually want a selection of woods, irons and putters. Another crucial item of equipment to bring along is enough golf balls. Amazingly, the 300 to 400 dimples on a golf ball are there to improve the aerodynamics of the ball. Today some modern golf balls use a new radio-frequency identification tag that lets golfers use a handheld homing device to find those out of the way shots. Golf tees help keep the ball propped up and can be made out of plastic or wood. You will also want to carry some ball markers to mark where your ball was on the green if you need to pick it up.
You will likely use a golf cart when you go out for a day on any of the wonderful Orange County golf courses. If you play at the Coyote Hills Country Club in Fullerton, they offer golf carts with a GPS system because the course is located on approximately 250 acres of scenic land.
Comfortable golf shoes that come with different types of spikes in the soles will make your day of golf much more pleasurable, as will a good pair of golf gloves so that you don’t get blisters from playing. You will want to play a lot in Orange County, especially at the Diamond Bar Golf Course, where the long layout containing wide fairways will make for a great game on this eighteen-hole championship golf course.
Playing golf at night is a great way to unwind after work, and at the David L. Baker Golf Course in Fountain Valley you may do so, thanks to the night lighting that they use there. It also offers six lakes and bunkers for your golfing enjoyment.
Having the right equipment with you when you visit these spectacular golf courses will help ensure that you have a wonderful experience.