Almost every company on the planet sets out with the main objective of making money. This is generally done by producing some form of product, or offering a service, and then charging customers money for it. This fundamental theory is fairly straight-forward, although it contains many specific details.

First of all, it is a very rare case that a company can offer a product or service that is truly unique and cannot be supplied by anybody else. This means that your enterprise will be contesting with other businesses that sell a similar item and you will both be trying to earn money from the same customers, who only want to spend their money once.

Marketing is the primary tool used by modern firms to draw potential customers to do business with them and not with their rivals. It is a very broad topic that is influenced by a great deal of internal and external variables, but when done right it can be the one business practice that can make or break a company. Any time spent on marketing will reap benefits, although spending this time efficiently can yield incredible outcomes.

So where should you begin when creating a marketing strategy for your own company? Well, each situation is different, and every industry will have its own set of strengths and weak points that must be taken into consideration, but there is a marketing principle that can be applied to almost any corporation to be used as a marketing platform. It is called the “Marketing Mix”.

The Marketing Mix

The marketing mix was a term that was first coined in the 1950′s and is a phrase that is used to express the fundamental building blocks of any marketing strategy. It reflects the fact that marketing is not a straightforward, blunt-edged business technique, but rather a subtle balance of different aspects of business functions. It got its name since it is similar to the ingredients checklist for a recipe.

The term was later developed to include the idea of “four P’s” that described the essential elements of the marketing mix. The formalisation of these P’s made it very clear for company managers and marketers to quickly relate the elements of marketing to the strengths of their own companies, and by doing so could very quickly create a tailored and effective marketing strategy.

When we were preparing the unveiling for some of our company products we used concepts from the marketing mix to devise a plan.

Product

Whilst every element of the marketing mix is a necessity, the “product” element mentioned as one of the four P’s is perhaps the most critical of all. It identifies the physical product or intangible service that your business will be offering, and at the end of the day it is the reason that buyers are going to spend money with you. If this element is not correctly managed then your company will find it hard to survive.

Many people do not think that marketing has any role to play when it comes to the physical product that your company is selling. In fact, the typical train of thought very often bears the exact opposite sentiment. Surely it should be the opposite way around – your manufacturing department creates an item for sale and then it is the job of the marketing department to discover ways to sell it, right? This is not necessarily the case.

Take the computer software market as an example. There are many established brands of both operating system and software application solutions on the marketplace already, and since the market is relatively well saturated it would be very tough (and expensive) to “take on the big boys”. So how can the principles of the marketing mix help in this circumstance?

Rather than developing an operating system and then trying to craft a marketing strategy to take on the likes of Microsoft or Apple, it would be more effective to look at what types of product are sought after in the current marketplace, and how feasible it would be to produce and sell them. By being mindful of the marketing mix early on in your product development period you can avoid business dead-ends at a later time.

Once your goods have been designed and created it is still a vital skill to be able to objectively evaluate your own products to recognise the reasons why a customer would buy your product rather than a competitors’. The technique is called product differentiation and is one of the fundamental skills of the product part of the marketing mix pie.

A different form of this part of the marketing mix is known as product variation and is generally used to either prolong the lifecycle of a product already in the market, or to make your brand new product attractive to as many consumers as possible. Again, this technique can be applied at all stages of product development.

The motor industry uses this approach very effectively by offering different engines, trim packages and interior options with the cars that they sell. They use the marketing mix to great effect to sell their own products in an extremely competitive marketplace. Whilst these companies may have substantial marketing budgets, the same concepts can be applied to all businesses.

An example of one of the most recent forms of public marketing is the new horse games for girls site which offers versatile and accessible means to reach potential consumers.

Price

Another key factor in the marketing mix relates to the price of your products or services. This isn’t a simple case of performing market research to figure out the highest price that your customers would spend (although that can be a handy tool to use), but rather making use of the price of your products as a strategic tool designed to achieve any specific goals your company has. The potential benefits of an effective pricing plan are surprisingly substantial!

Although it may seem obvious, it’s still worth pointing out that price has always been, and likely always will be, one of the crucial factors that shoppers take into account when they are making a purchase. It is also worth noting that customers don’t always consider the lowest price to be the best price. In fact a price that is too low can often turn buyers away.

There are many questions that you need to ask yourself while devising a good pricing strategy, key among which are the price sensitivity of your clients, what your rivals are doing and how can pricing boost your own profits. From a strategy point of view though, pricing can be covered by two primary principals; price skimming and penetration pricing.

Price skimming

The principal idea behind price skimming is to make as much money as possible from the sector of the market which is price-insensitive and will be willing to spend a premium amount of money to get a product or service early on. Not only can this approach deliver excellent financial advantages, but it can also advertise an exclusive and high quality image of your item.

This pricing strategy is very often used in the consumer electronics market where customers will often eagerly await the launch of a new mobile phone or computer games console. Manufacturers could set almost any price they wanted to and there would still be a loyal base of customers that would pay it. By using this method as part of a pre-ordering strategy, a company can help to smooth its own money flow.

Penetration pricing

Penetration pricing is at the other end of the pricing spectrum, and is tailored towards gaining a large market share at a short-term cost so that monetary benefits can be made long into the future. It can be a high risk strategy, but when employed correctly it can create revenue streams for many years to come. When establishing a price for penetration it is still essential to not give a poor impression of your product by aiming for too low a figure.

Another thing to keep in mind is that “price” is the one part of the marketing mix that will generate income for a business. The other members of the four P’s will all cost money to create or carry out. So it is even more essential to get your pricing technique right.

To optimise our web site for search engine visibility we selected large childrens bean bags as an aimed key phrase since it relates to our business and what we offer.

Place

Place is the portion of the marketing mix that is often disregarded by companies, but it’s still a significant part of selling your product effectively. In a nutshell, it describes the method in which you deliver your product to your customer, and subsequently how you receive money from them.

The most common ramifications of place-based marketing are the physical locations in which your goods are sold. For the vast majority of consumer products, this involves the distribution infrastructure between your production centres and retailers and other outlets around the world. Since distribution of a physical product costs money it is important to determine your own priorities and modify your distribution network appropriately.

With the increasing use of the Internet by your potential customers, marketing techniques have had to consider how they use the Internet to help deliver their products. By using the Internet as a place of contact (or even as a whole distribution channel in download-based markets such as MP3s) companies are now able to reach out to a large pool of potential customers.

Promotion

When you mention the word “marketing”, many people immediately think of the promotional side of the marketing mix, although as we have seen, this is only one branch of a more complete system. Promotion can be employed on a very individual basis or as a mass communication tool, and whilst it might be an expensive undertaking it is often an essential one. The primary concern of promotion is to deliver a specific message that will improve sales.

Advertising is one of the most typical forms of promotion. Classically it would be done by posting on billboards, creating short clips for TV and radio or by physically distributing flyers or leaflets to potential buyers. With the arrival of the information age we have seen a great increase in promotion via e-mail and the Internet, or just as targeted advertising materials posted through your front door. The potential for individualised advertising has never been so great.

Another important part of promotion involves branding, which will not necessarily yield more product sales directly, but relates back to one of the initial functions of marketing; getting customers to choose your product over those of your rivals.

Putting it into Practice

As previously mentioned each business is different and will have different marketing requirements. By using a mixture of the four P’s discussed above you can take a good view of your own marketing plan.

Introduction

Mobility – it’s only literally possible to realize what mobility represents if your capacity to move around freely is limited, then it takes on a entire new purpose. Living with a person who is partially disabled gives me an understanding of the kind of consequences that people with disabilities have to deal with. When you are able and sure footed there is no true appreciation with the disadvantage of not having full mobility of your person. Aside from which no one will be particularly interested unless it concerns them themselves.

We all take it entirely for granted when everything functions as it should and we get on with living our lives concentrating on making money, raising a family, having a good time and other such typical everyday activities. In actual fact quite often you really don’t even like to see those who are disabled and in bad shape because it makes us aware of our own vulnerability which reminds us of our mortality. Next time you see somebody who is in a wheel chair, detect your own response to that individual, and be aware of how one deflect eye contact and cautiously get out of the way. Those that use wheelchairs in many cases state how people they meet will talk to the carer and ignore them as if they are useless too deaf.

Early Disability Aids

The first type of disability aid that most people will be familiar with is the walking stick. For some, it will be something to make them feel more secure on their feet when they suffer some impairment in walking. If a person has a broken leg or hip then crutches for a period of time will be needed and later a stick until full mobility returns. When I broke my hip I found the most frustrating thing was that I could not carry a cup of tea from one place to another so I improvised with a trolley on wheels which I could push along. When you have to use two arm crutches as I did to get about, there are no arms left to carry anything. For non spilling things you can use a bag to carry your things in which can be attached to your crutches, but not cups of liquid. Recently when visiting my husband in hospital I watched while the nurses unpacked a Zimmer frame on which they attached a plastic box with a tray for a lid. It was fixed like a basket on a bike. The patient had to practice pushing it along, and I realised it was because he lived on his own and needed to be able to transport things but couldn’t manage without two handed support. These types of early aids are common for people as they get older and lose their youthful mobility because of age related difficulties. These are additionally needed for those who have suffered incidents and injuries so that non permanent mobility is affected.

Independence

One of the major frustrations for people becoming disabled is their loss of independence and freedom to be able to do what they want, when they want. If a person becomes disabled after years of normal living and independence there will be a great deal of frustration and a need to make adjustments to the new situation. However, whatever the disability experienced there are a vast range of aids to help people live as independent a life as possible.

No matter the amount of disability there is a need to buy mobility scooter to keep self-sufficiency.

In the Home

When suffering loss of mobility or normal functioning whatever the reason, the first task is to create safety and functionality in the home where the level of disability determines the type of support needed.

One of the first things to consider is the quality of comfort while resting. Correct support in bed and while sitting in a chair will allow the muscles to relax properly so that the body will function as well as possible. There are a range of Orthopaedic beds which allow for many different positions from lying to sitting and the best examples are the hospital beds where you will find electronic buttons to change the position of a patient with ease. Chairs can also be found that will allow for different positions and even a vibrating and massaging function incorporated into the frame. A friend of mine had a chair specially made which reclines, vibrates and massages in three different places and also tips forward when you want to get out for ease of standing up. When we stop by all of us want a go in it as it is such great fun.

The next trial when disabled, is the function of toilet, bathing and dressing. There are a huge range of aids to chose from such as commodes and other toilet necessities, grab rails for showers and baths. My mother is severely arthritic and cannot get into the bath anymore, so she has a seat which lowers and raises her in and out of the bath. There are also walk in baths and then specially adapted showers with stools and slip mats to aid the sufferer. Also as my mother is partially sighted she can’t see the numbers anymore, so she has a set of speaking weighing scales.

Having managed the getting up, washing and dressing as well as maybe a good rest in the special chair, moving around the home will be next on the agenda. Depending of the level of incapacity it might be that a simple walking stick or Zimmer frame will support mobility. As well as grab handles in the bathroom, handles can be mounted alongside entrance doors and steps to help with negotiating different levels. Just because people suffer some sort of disability it doesn’t mean that they want to leave their homes, but when they live in a house and have stairs to negotiate then the use of a stair lift is a wonderful invention. Severely disabled people may need a wheelchair in the home which needs lots of room and perhaps expanded doorways for it.

The next activity for independent living is food preparation and dining. Standing can be a problem so a high stool to perch on might a boon. Otherwise do as much preparation as possible sitting at the kitchen/dining table. If a person has a problem with holding cutlery and kitchen utensils, there are specially adapted items with larger handles for ease of use. With arthritis in the wrists, lifting items such as kettles and saucepans can be a problem, but there are available cleverly designed kettle and teapot tippers for ease of pouring. Using a food processer and electric gadgets will save a great deal of time and effort when preparing meals. Another simple aid which my mother found very useful is a grabbing stick or ‘Reacher’ that picks up items to save bending down.

When in control of the four wheeled mobility scooter the right pavement sense is essential so that one don’t run over other pedestrians.

Maintaining the home is sometimes difficult for a disabled person. Obviously there are washing machines, dryers and dishwasher to aid with tasks in the home but you can also get remote control vacuum cleaners that are radio controlled with a joystick or key pad such as for toy boats and aeroplanes. Long handled brushes and dusters help with hard to reach corners particularly the microfiber dusters that attract dirt and dust to them.

Other items available for people who experience some level of limitation may be lever type handles for taps to make them easier to use. If a person has lost their grip there are special items to open cans, bottles and jars. Because my mother is partially sighted she has large buttons on her telephone and speed dialling so she can stay in touch with her family who are spread far and wide. She can order goods by phone which means with such aids she is able to retain her independence and stay in her own home. It seems that whatever the disability there is some clever invention to help overcome the problem.

Outside the Home

To enable a person who is disabled to live as normal a life as possible then aids outside the home are just as important as those inside. Wearing an alarm cord around the neck is a wise precaution so that if a person does get into difficulties while outside they can call for help. To be able to move around easily outside may only require a walking stick or a Zimmer frame for support but where mobility is more restricted, wheelchairs or electric scooters may be necessary. My mother used to love to garden but now the arthritis and osteoporosis has taken hold and her eyesight is impaired, she is severely limited in any activity outside. On a good day however she does have a garden stool which enables her to do some weeding and tidying of the flower beds. There are even wheeled seats for moving along the edge of flower beds when weeding. Long handled garden items can be used to avoid bending or kneeling and raised beds will allow even wheel chair users to tackle the garden plot. Ramps may be installed to allow a wheelchair to move from one level to another, and sit-on lawn mowers are a possibility if you have a big enough lawn.

There is a relatively new product on the market called Flexiloc which is a modular system of tough polyurethane tiles that interlocks to form ramps of any size. It has the advantage of being able to run straight, turn corners, be used indoors or outdoors and has a good grip surface that is more comfortable than conventional surfaces. It can be used as a temporary solution where a permanent ramp is not possible and is easily dismantled to be reused again and again.

If a disabled person relies on a wheelchair then automatic gates and garage doors which open remotely is a big help. Cars or vans used for transporting electric scooters are usually specially tailored vehicles with ramps or lifts to allow the mobility scooter to be loaded up. Sometime cars may have to be adapted to allow for the lack of functioning of particular limbs. My husband cannot manage the foot pedal movement required for gear changing so we have switched to an automatic car to enable him to still drive.

Your all terrain mobility scooter will be able to have a container or plastic box on the front to hold your items when shopping or off roading, you can also visit this company to see see the full range of mobility scooter accessories.

There is a vast range of mobility scooters available both new and second hand. The mobility scooter is mostly a four wheeled vehicle which travels between four and eight miles an hour. However for the electric scooter there seems to be more three wheeled versions which travel at a maximum of six miles per hour. The speed is determined on the weather, the terrain and riders weight. A three wheeled scooter is inherently less stable and unless greater manoeuvrability is required it is better to get the four wheeled variety. Some scooters can be completely folded up to go into the boot of a car. The scooter usually has a chair with arms mounted over the battery enclosure with handlebars like a bike for turning and controls in reach of the hands. They are very easy to operate and comfortable to ride. The chairs vary with the amount of padding and enclosed back, usually the more expensive the more padding there is.

As well as the open versions of mobility scooters there are enclosed ones to protect the passenger from rain and wind. These come with lights, windscreen wipers, full suspension, mirrors and lockable doors as with a car and can cover larger distances. I have noticed them in my local area travelling along the road rather than on the pavement.

Home Remote Controls

Where an individual is physically unable to get about inside or outside the home the use of remote controls is a valuable aid. Being able to manage and operate your entertainment centre remotely is only one of the possibilities. The availability of remote controls for opening and closing of blinds and curtains, switches for electrical equipment such as ovens, lights, cooking appliance and washing machines, is a great help. For people who cannot easily answer the door there is a keyless door entry system designed to fit most latch locks which enable the elderly, the disabled and partially sighted who have difficulty using keys, to manage their security remotely.

One story I read in the paper a few weeks ago was of a young man who was so obese, in the region of forty stone, that he could not move out of his bed. He had an entertainment centre in his room remotely controlled and he ordered food online to be delivered to his house. There were three healthcare workers in attendance at all times to turn him in bed and see to his bodily needs; as well as people to cook for him the food he had ordered. He was waiting for a stomach operation to staple his stomach together to reduce his intake of food. And all this was paid for by the tax payer. My feeling was that if there was no one to take such good care of him he would soon lose weight because he would not be able to get about and eat all that food.

Conclusion

For the children who were born with a physical disability, may never know what it is like to be fully mobile and they may constantly yearn to live an ordinary life. For those who were once completely functional, when they become disabled they have to come to terms with their loss as well as face up to their own mortality. If the time comes when you are no longer able to do all the things you used to do, then be sure there are numerous creative devices that can assist you maintain as much independence as possible.

So how exactly does an individual overcome the difficulties of social anxiety?

Overcoming social anxiety is the big question an increasing number of people are asking and they want a long lasting resolution. About 14% of Us residents experience some form of social anxiety at some time in their life. There is many different ways in which you can suffer from it, some people just experience overly tense before talking in public or at an interview.

However, there are numerous other individuals that have severe social anxiety, which means that they can not have regular social interaction. They are petrified of what could happen if they begin a conversation. These individuals are focused on what other people may think or say about them. The anxiety that are felt are due to there thoughts, it has been proven that individuals with social anxiety disorder can heal themselves by change their thought patterns.

The following situations are usually frightening for people with social anxiety disorder:

Introduction to a unknown person.

Being the center point of attention.

Being watched.

Talking with a group.

Performing on stage.

Being criticized.

Speaking with authority figures.

Going on the first date.

Making phone calls to strangers.

Eating and drinking in public.

Talking up in a conference.

Attending parties or other sociable gatherings.

Some of the psychological symptoms of social anxiety disorder are:

Intense nervousness for days or weeks prior to an upcoming social occasion.

Intense fear of being evaluated by others, especially those that you don’t know.

Excessive self-consciousness in normal, everyday social scenarios.

Excessive worry that you will do something which will be embarrassing.

Avoidance of groups of individuals to a degree that it upsets your life.

The good news is that you will find several beneficial cures and self help techniques can allow you to rise above the concerns. The techniques differ depending on your position and the degree of your problem. Outlined below are some typical social anxiety treatments:

Medication drugs:

There are medical drugs for treating social anxiety, ask your doctor for more information.

Counseling:

Private treatment, group treatment, and support groups, can all assistance in overcoming social anxiety. The support groups might be a good choice for many individuals. They’re totally free and the people attending have all experienced the same situations as you.

Self Help:

There are some herbal solutions that have proven to help lessen social anxiety. You will discover loads of self-help books online that can teach you how to overcome social anxiety and able you to empower yourself.

The contents of this article is taken from my experience of anxiety and how I was able to overcome anxiety by understanding the cause. I am not a medical expert so must advise that you consult a doctor before acting on any medical advice given.