KnowJunkie.com

Everyone wants the best possible value in every transaction, but each of us defines “value” in different ways. Some customers want the lowest price, while others will place a higher value on reliability, convenience or things like color, popularity (think Pokeman cards!) or durability. The challenge for business is to provide extra value for every customer, at the lowest possible cost of doing business. The following “Top 10″ suggestions are particularly suited to service businesses such as coaching or consulting, but can easily be adapted to other environments.

1. “Try before you buy.” Give clients a free sample, taste or experience before asking them to commit. This can often be done in groups or teleclasses. Done correctly, it gives you a low-cost opportunity to expose large numbers of potential clients to the value of your service, while giving the potential client a safe, easy way to sample your work.

2. Follow-up after the sale. Much like allowing prospects to sample your work, groups or teleclasses allow you to follow-up, add extra value and potentially sell additional services after the original commitment is over. Many coaches combine these pre- and post- groups into weekly or monthly teleclasses that are open to past clients forever!

3. Client newsletters. Use a weekly newsletter to keep past and current clients informed, add extra insights, techniques, tips and solutions to common problems. Published by email, they are free, and very easy for clients to forward to friends and colleagues, providing you with potential additional marketing. Extra: Insert a quick 1-page newsletter with your monthly billing statement!

4. Let clients share their skills. Invite your clients to share their experiences, their own tips, discoveries and enthusiasm with each other. Host a monthly forum and invite guest speakers. Often a client will have particular expertise or a skill they are willing to share with your other clients either in person or in your newsletter. Everybody wins!

5. Public newsletters. In the “information age”, the value of information is rapidly approaching zero, so capitalize on this trend and give away what you know! Display your skills, expertise and wisdom in either electronic form or on paper and invite past and present clients to participate, pass the information along, and provide a marketing forum for your business at the same time. Again, everybody wins!

6. Use your website. Ask your webmaster to add a newsgroup or set up a chat-room on your website. As you develop written material for your clients, post it on your website and make it available to other clients (you can password protect it) or to the general public. Let clients know that your information and experience are available to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

7. Celebrate with your clients. This ranges from sending flowers or champagne when they win the big contract, to sending birthday cards and holiday greetings. Everyone needs more hugs than we receive, so give your clients recognition whenever possible. Let them know you care.

8. Commiserate with your clients. Sometimes things don’t work out well, they lose contracts or miss the big promotion. That’s a great time to “gift” an extra session, to pay for the lunch or pick up the tab for the phone calls. Again, it’s about caring and building personal relationships that add real value and go far beyond minimum expectations.

9. Use your network for your client’s benefit. One of the most astonishing “extras” is to provide your client with the name of the perfect accountant, lawyer, chiropractor or web designer based on your rolodex of contacts. As your team of resources grows, use their combined talents and strengths to make appropriate referrals and put people in contact with each other. This is a huge extra that costs you nothing!

10. Ask your clients what they need. Routinely, ask your clients how you could go further, provide better service and be more effective with them. Almost always, they are delighted to be asked, they know the answer, and the request they make will typically cost you little or nothing to fulfill but will mean the world to that client.

© Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: “Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It’s all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com

When it comes to designing a direct sales piece, whether it be a
brochure or a sales letter, the little things really do count.
Focus as much on presentation as you do on the message.

Keep these 10 essential tips in mind when designing your direct
sales piece, and your results will go through the roof:

1. Bullet Points – The human eye is drawn to text that is
preceded by a bullet point. Bullet points shout to the reader,
“Pay special attention to me! I am important!”

Write up a laundry list of benefits. Make them easy to read so
prospects can skim through them quickly and get the gist of what
you can do for them. And always keep your laundry list of
benefits bulleted so the reader can’t miss it.

2. Cliff-hangers – Continue the last sentence of your paragraph
on the next page of your direct sales piece. Try to ask a
question or give a solution. This technique is called a cliff-
hanger. If your reader wants to find out what will happen, he/she
will have to turn the page. Because so many people fail to make
it to the second page of a direct sales piece, it is essential to
use cliff-hangers to hook your readers.

3. Simple Layout – Don’t confuse your reader with tricky layout.
Keep your indents, underlining, centering and subheadings
consistent. And don’t justify your right margins.

4. Mini-headlines – You can use paragraph headings like mini-
headlines to help your message stand out and keep the reader’s
eye flowing down the page. Keep these headings the same color as
your letterhead to give them that extra oomph.

5. Font – It’s always tempting to experiment with the myriad of
font choices your computer offers, but don’t get carried away.
Some of those fonts are impossible to read. My advice is to stick
with courier because it is the easiest to read.

6. Stationary – Keep your direct sales piece looking classy with
color stationary and good paper stock. Don’t go for the flimsy
stuff just because it’s cheaper. Your results will speak for
themselves.

7. Envelope Size – Size really does matter when it comes to
direct sales. Mail your letter in a 9 X 12 envelope and people
will think they are getting something important.

8. Personal Touches – Address the envelope by hand. It makes the
recipient of the sales piece feel special and important because
you took the time to add that personal touch. Sales pitches come
addressed by a computer, but a letter from a friend comes hand-
addressed. Your prospects will be more likely to open a friendly
letter than one they know contains a sales pitch.

It also helps to use a real stamp instead of a postage meter.
Again, people will think you took the time out to personally lick
each stamp and place it on their envelope. It adds that personal
touch that most sales pieces lack.

Keller Flynn writes sales making sales letters at DrNunley’s
http://WhizLetter.com Get your 900 word sizzling sales letter for
print, email, or your web site for just $345. We’ll have it in
your hands within a few days. Reach Keller at
mailto:keller@WhizLetter.com or 801-328-9006.

Do you like festive holidays and dislike holiday stress?

Do they greatly energize you, or do you feel somewhat on-the-edge? Do you try avoiding holiday stress when it begins, during and especially after it’s gone?

Or, have you been saying for years (with a tinge of unexplained disgust), “It’s just another day.”
You couldn’t care less about another “meaningless, rather fattening holiday stress, and perhaps an emotional marker” in the calendar?

As you relax, (go ahead now), and look through this article, you may discover valuable tips
to put spunk, laughter, and meaning with well deserved emotional rest into the future “festive days off”.

The personal energy of anticipation, preparation and plain attending to any festive times can in fact be preserved, stored and used more effectively – the FUN way!

Here are a few holiday stress reliever tips on how … you can!

Tip # 1:
YOU are in full charge here! Assess the total workload of all festive duties and decide which ones matter the most. It really all comes down to the moments spent with the ones you love. The limited time we all have to spend with each other is the most valuable.

Tip # 2:
Keeping things and matters SIMPLE is the name of the energy-saving game! Gifts, baking, parties, grocery shopping, kids events, menu planning, house decorating
and much more – they all can go on a diet instead of you at the end.

Tip # 3:
As for gifts, think gift certificates! They can be mailed-out or delivered directly to the recipient’s address with you going out for a walk by the river or in the winter wonderland park as a cunningly relaxing alternative.

A few helpful gift certificate ideas while managing holiday stress better:
Movies, restaurants, babysitters, house cleaning, theatre tickets, window washing, gutter clean out, massages, pedicures, manicures, heating ducts cleaning,
yard clean up and landscaping, painting, bed and breakfast getaways, or other various useful services that will save time for you (looking) and for the recipients (doing them in the middle of a temper-bursting work week).

Told you, you are in charge of your stress free holidays!

Lu Smith co-authored a unique book. Using their own case study, discover over 367 amazing techniques to outsmart stress effects on health.

Health and fitness franchises can be a great way to provide a service to your local community while earning a living for yourself and your family. Health and fitness franchises are growing in popularity throughout the country and abroad. You should take the time to research the many different kinds of health and fitness franchises that are available. In addition, it is helpful to understand the basics of franchising before you make a financial commitment.

Health and fitness franchises are franchise opportunities that allow you to take part in a ‘turnkey’ approach to starting a business. Instead of starting from the ground up, you are able to purchase the rights to a company name, product or service, along with helpful processes and procedures to get you up and running quickly. In exchange for providing you with everything you need to get started quickly and easily, health and fitness franchises will require a fee from you. It is important that you understand exactly what that fee will be before you agree to anything. Typically, health and fitness franchises will ask for a flat fee to get you started and a percentage of your sales going forward.

Once you have determined that health and fitness franchises are the right business for you, you will need to decide which type of health and fitness franchise you want to own. There are hundreds of options and opportunities for health and fitness franchises. Some target the type of customer, with a focus on women, for example, or children. Some specialize in a certain type of activity, such as boxing, or weightlifting, or aerobics. Take the time to decide what type of health and fitness franchise you would most enjoy running.

Be aware that most health and fitness franchises also allow you to provide additional services, such as tanning beds, or nutritional programs, or personal fitness coaching. These optional services mean that you can earn more than you had originally planned, and can draw a larger group of customers to your location. If you’ve always dreamed of working with people to improve their health and well being and of being a valued member of your local community, a health and fitness franchise may be the way to go. With a health and fitness franchise in place, you can earn money while you tend to the needs of others. “It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:8)

Many may wonder what is God’s will, or how do I put God’s will into my life? Well let’s see what the Bible says about God’s will. We must first understand that Jesus wants us to be holy. Let’s look at 1Peter 1:13 it says Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written; Be holy, because I am holy.

Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable. Through the living and enduring word of God. For, All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the word that was preached to you.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation not that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Now look at Ephesians 4:21 it says Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old-self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Look at Psalms 143:10 it says Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Now look at Philippians 2:12 it says Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyednot only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Now look at 1Thessalonians 4:3 it says God’s will that you should be sanctified; that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who give you his Holy Spirit.

Look at Ephesians 5:15 it says Be very careful, then, how you livenot as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Now look at 1John 2:15 it says Do not love the world or anything in the word. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the worldthe cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and doescomes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Look at Romans 12:1 it says Therefore, I urge you, brother, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Godthis is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will ishis good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you; Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Now look at Romans 14:12 it says So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Look at 1Thessalonians 5:16 it says Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Revelation 4:11 it says You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

In closing look at Romans 15:13 it says May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may over flow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Love Always,
Your Sister in Christ,
Mellody Davis

Enjoy more reading at: http://www.hostinghelps.com/allaboutjesus

At first glance, nothing seems more chaotic than a trade show floor. Jaded buyers rush by, hell bent on seeing the people on “their list”, while the newcomers seem a little bewildered by it all. The noise from the crowd rises and falls in a steady drone while flashing lights and other cheap tricks add to the confusion. But in this apparent disorder, a simple truth exists. The tradeshow floor is alive, full of energy and momentum. It’s energy flows and eddies around us and best of all, it’s possible to manipulate it for our benefit.

Today’s tradeshow attendees have a hidden agenda. Actually, it’s not so much hidden as “pre-determined”. Budget cutbacks in the travel sector and the consolidation of retailers means that fewer buyers are covering more ground in less time. They still visit the tradeshows, but the way they visit has changed. They pre-plan their agendas and pack as much as they can into a single day.

By all means do your homework to get on their “A” list – send out “pre-show” packages letting them know where you will be, have your sales force try to set specific appointments, and take advantage of the venue’s service to contact them on your behalf. But failing your Herculean pre-show efforts, what can you do to draw people into your booth? Gimmicks don’t work. Sex no longer sells! But in the ever changing world of the tradeshow, the answer could be the oldest cliché of them all, an “ancient Chinese secret”. Secrets from the “science” of Feng Shui could turn your booth into a magnet for positive energy and potential sales.

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese study of the environment, both natural and man-made, that has been practiced for thousands of years. Using elements such as lighting and color, Feng Shui masters used their knowledge as a tool to ensure the well-being of the Imperial Dynasties. No longer a closely guarded secret, Feng Shui theory focuses on methods to manage the flow of energy and when used properly, can “guide’ people into your booth.

One aspect of Feng Shui involves dealing with barriers that inhibit the natural flow on energy. That being said, the first step in designing your “energy friendly” booth is to create an open atmosphere. Eliminate any physical and psychological barriers by making your booth open and inviting. Push the furniture to the back and sides to create space for attendees to come into your booth and you’ve taken a big step towards being “irresistible”.

It should come as no surprise that lighting is a key element of the art of Feng Shui. Like moths are drawn to flame, the human eye is attracted to bright light and any booth that is well lit will attract attention. Lighting can also be effective in dealing with the stagnant energy that pools in dark corners – a strategically positioned flood light is an excellent way to deal with these energy drains.

Light that floods downward will help energy flow throughout your booth. In contrast, under-lighting creates an eerie “flashlight held under the face” effect and can make attendees feel ill-at-ease. Avoid this potential pitfall at all costs. Another thing to consider is the actual shape of the light and its base. In making your selection, look for rounded edges – an angular shape will reflect the light in a straight line, effectively “dissecting” your space and anyone standing in its path.

Skillful application of the space and lighting strategies will definitely increase your visibility but that’s only one part of the equation. Once you’ve mastered lighting, it’s time to turn your focus to color. But to unlock those secrets, you’ll have to read the next article in our series.

Patty Stripes is an editor for The Trade Show Booth, an online resource where she has posted various articles about improving your trade show booth performance and getting creative with trade show displays.

Tips to help you and your children move towards Simple and
Organized Living!

1. Outdoor Toys – Organize outside toys by keeping a large
plastic tub or crate on the porch/deck or in the garage. Go
through and throw away toys that are broken and give away or
sell toys that have been outgrown or are no longer in use.

2. Snacks – Keep children’s dishes and snacks on low shelves
so they can access them.

3. Baskets – Keep baskets or crates for toys in each room to
avoid scattered toys everywhere.

4. Videos – Label all video movies and turn them so that
kids can easily find the movie they are looking for. Go
through and do away with those that you no longer watch.

5. Make a Sandwich Center – Simply put lunch meat,
pre-sliced tomatoes, lettuce and what ever else your
children eat on sandwiches in a plastic container and label
it “Sandwich Center” and teach them to make their own
sandwich. All they have to do is open the fridge and grab
the “Sandwich Center” which contains everything they need to
put the sandwich together and return the container to the
fridge when finished.

6. Chore Time – Give children appropriate chores for their
ages. It is so easy for us as parents to do it ourselves to
save time and arguments but this is not doing our children
any good in the long run. Give them a choice of chores,
trade chores among each other in order to combat boredom
make it a fun process and they will want to do the chores.
When they do a good job let them know and likewise if they
do a bad job because they are in a hurry let them know that
also and have them do it better next time.

7. The Night Before – A great way to relieve morning stress
is to do what you can the night before. Children can take a
bath, lay their clothes out for the next day, have parents
sign notes, get their backpacks, jackets and books together
and have ready at an accessible place.

8. Donate Toys – Have children go through toys and donate
them or help them have a yard sale and earn extra money.

9. Pick Up Time – Have kids use 5 – 10 minutes daily to pick
up their room and this will save alot of time when room
cleaning day rolls around because they have stayed somewhat
ahead of the mess.

10. Backpacks – Have kids clean out their backpacks and
launder or wipe them clean once a week. Throw away all
papers that are no longer any good and only return the items
needed for the week or next day.

Angela Billings publishes a free online newsletter Home and
Family Ezine. http://www.homeandfamilyezine.com

Hook up the two of everybody’s favorite pursuits and what you will unearth is a vogue called a sportsbook betting web location. Really, what could be more inventive? If you envision a convocation of lads clapping for a given chosen favorite players, and more often than not bets are sure to be placed matching the ruckus. Wishing to catch a bit of the delights, spectators ordinarily try to foreknow who will make it the upcoming challennge. All of this comes to be a warmhearted challennge known as sportsbook betting web location. Slovaks, Swiss reach qualifying round

Conceded that it may easily appear addicting nevertheless sportsbook wagers is really merely an entertainment and of bonding with one’s buddies. You can bet a a puny quantity of gravy and all the same have an ultra cool time. Read on for a lot of recommendations to get you going sportsbook wagers.

In order to place a wager, you will call on a sportsbook betting web location, i.e. a place which receives sportsbook betting web location. In the United States, we have no less than four states to do sportsbook wagers legitimately, but inofficially you may do it everywhere as long as you find a bookie and you’re of legal age. Amongst the sporting contests you can choose to wager on are pro and college basketball + college football, professional hockey, professional hockey, and bets on both dog and horse racing. Patrons may choose to risk money on the whole score of a competition, at which point any given contestant will be knocked out, and even whether a tossed coin in a competition will come down either heads or tails.

The odds maker establishment confide in stats to help you out choose which players you trust will make it. First off, there’s the spread, meaning points leverage allocated to a weaker competitor that is presumed to take a licking by a given number points. Self-Evidently, this is the odds maker’s approach of making level bets possible for a Sportsbook. E. g. a punter could choose to risk money on a party that is presumed to take a licking and and all the same profit from the wager as long as the competitor takes a licking by a given number of points.

There are obviously a lot of varied styles of wagers, the straight bets, where you’ll choose the club you’re guessing is most likely to win or be defeated being the most common in sportsbook wagers. So do check it out and amuse yourself at one fell swoop? Only safeguard you won’t get overwhelmed and expend your total retirement income on a caprice. Otherwise you just might be caught regretful for life.

Like coal, diamonds are made from carbon. An old chunk of coal has little value, but even a small diamond can be quite valuable. Diamonds are one of the most precious jewels.

Diamonds occur as carbon crystals. Pure black carbon is not very attractive. A great deal of heat and pressure over a long time is required to force carbon to become crystals. This process occurs deep inside the earth at a very high temperature. The end product is a beautiful diamond.

Likewise our character is refined by the trials and tests that we must endure. We may be just an old chunk of coal, but the trials and pressures of this life can help shape us into a diamond some day in the Kingdom of God.

God Values Us Highly

Just as diamonds are valuable, God values us highly as shown in Matthew 10:29-31:

“29Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (KJV)

God knows us in detail down to the hair on our heads. Our Father has all power. He has personal concern for each of us and values us highly.

We Must Endure Tribulation to Enter the Kingdom of God

God who has such personal care about us blesses us in many ways. With the blessings come tribulations that help to shape our character. Acts 14:22 explains how we must endure trials:

“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” (KJV)

The Greek word for tribulation in Acts 14:22 is thlipsis. It literally means “pressure.” Therefore, tribulation seems very similar to how ordinary carbon becomes diamondsthrough pressure.

Enduring tribulation helps to build patience (Romans 5:3 and 12:12), which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Trials can help us to take our minds off the temporary pleasures of this life, consider what is most important, and seek the Kingdom of God more fervently.

Why God Allows Trials and Tribulations

Why does an all loving, all powerful God allow his people to go through trials and tribulations? The answer is that God is making diamonds.

The clarity of the diamonds that God is making will be internally flawless. A flawless diamond is rare and very expensive, but God bought us with the precious blood of the Lamb. In this flesh, we must struggle against the sin that so easily ensnares us. When God changes our fleshly bodies into eternal spirit bodies, we will be perfect.

Conclusion

We should endure with patience the trials, pressures, and difficulties of this life. God is our helper. He will never forsake us. He is preparing his jewels. We may just be old chunks of coal in this life, but we will be diamonds in the Kingdom of God. And diamonds are valuable; diamonds are precious; and diamonds are forever.

Alan D. Campbell lives in Brandon, Florida. For more good news, see his blog The Good News of the Kingdom of God at http://goodnewsofthekingdomofgod.blogspot.com

Have you ever dreamed of bringing decor-savvy individuals like to freshen the look of your rooms? Bring summer indoors in full force – without losing the comfortable and cozy furnishings you desire in the cooler months.

You can simply brighten up your home by putting the heavy drapery away and making the widows a focal point. While the light is great during the day – especially if you don’t need to turn on interior lights – you may dislike the cavernous black holes that they become late at night. For privacy and appearance, keep up the retractable blinds during the day and put them down at night behind a sheer curtain.

Decorating your rooms with mirror will also lighten your place as they capture the sunlight and bounce it around. This doesn’t mean a major change in your decor but you may find moving a large mirror to a different wall will optimize the light reflection in the room. Try it across from a window or on a wall that corners against the window wall for the most light distribution.

Moving the furniture into a ’summer arrangement’ can optimize your space and give it a more airy feel. If you normally place the living room furniture to focus on the fireplace consider turning them to face away. This can open up the space and make it more inviting for summertime get together. If you barbecue you might even switch the dining and living room area around if it will give you a better flow for entertaining and enjoying the evening sun during meals.

Roll up the area rugs, leave the table bare and get rid of excess blankets, pillows and other ‘comfy’ materials that tend to warm up the space.

If you have plenty of storage space (you’ve packed away all the winter clothes and drapery so you should be fine) you might like to use white cotton or canvas slipcovers on the furniture. Not only will it brighten the room, but they can come off easily to be cleaned so you needn’t worry about a stain – which is never a good look!

You can bring outdoor in by decorating your rooms with a large tropical with palm leaves. Adding some colorful cut flowers will add further summer appeal. However, too much of anything is not good. Don’t clutter your rooms with so many plants it feels like a conservatory.

By adopting some of these simple ideas, your home will easily surround with summer feeling.