Authenticity - How Genuine is Your Business To Others?
By Bill Guertin

Three hundred Spartans, at war against a million Persians. The battle is ancient, but the movie is modern. When “300″ was released in early 2007, the epic war film of the Battle Of Thermopylae, the critics were appalled blood, gore, devoid of a plot, and more severed meat than you d find in a Brazilian steakhouse, they howled.

Then the movie opened. Consumers responded. And in two days time, the critics words were like the Persians, lying in bloody heaps on the ground. People loved the movie they passionately spread the word to their friends and their cyberfriends, in their blogs, and on their online forums. They ignored the critics, if they had ever heard them at all, and showed up at the theatres in droves.

For a movie slated for mediocrity by the experts, “300″ grossed $70 million in its first weekend, far outpacing the second place movie at $27 million. With its release on DVD and in rental outlets, it has gone on to gross over $300 million in its first nine months.

What the critics forgot was that they aren t the movie-going public. You are.

Consumers are now in love with authentic communication that is unfiltered and unbiased. The explosion of electronic communication like text messaging, IM, and blogs provide strong evidence that hype is no longer hip. Reality TV, the ultimate unfiltered mass entertainment vehicle of the new millennium, is the anti-script. The stars are now everyday people, and the influencers are now consumers with keyboards.

People care what others with similar interests think, and it has never been easier to discover what they are thinking, what they like, and what they don t like. This is the new advertising it s word-of-mouth to the millionth power.

Ironically, the more we communicate in open, honest “wiki” ways, the more we become repulsed by hype and empty promises, as consumers and as business owners. Those salespeople stuck in the tired, plaid tactics of the past are finding it harder and harder to sell with Reality. They wave their arms around, obliviously blaming the economy, the competition, and the new guy for their lack of results.

Those who have found Authenticity are winning.

In business, Reality = Authenticity. Authenticity is being real about what you do, the promises you are making, and who you are. Unlike charisma or charm, Authenticity is attainable through practice. Utilizing your assets, forging an original story, being open and honest, and being consistent are all components of discovering your Authentic story.

We created the Four Laws of Authenticity to help you discover - or re-discover - that wonderful, powerful and GENUINE story that the public wants to hear today. These Four Laws - The Law of Freedom, The Law of Originality, The Law of Transparency, and The Law of Repeatability - are critical for you to learn and understand if you are to be perceived as one that others can trust.

When you become Authentic, you and your business become more interesting. You get much better at starting conversations. You learn how to bridge your personal experiences with your sales message. You stay focused on the attributes of the brand that meet your customers needs. And you become more successful at whatever it is you do.

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How real are you?

If you d like our FREE E-book, “15 Ways To Become More Authentic In Your Work”, we d like you to have it with our compliments. Simply go to http://www.RealitySells.com

Bill Guertin is the co-author of Reality Sells: How to Bring Customers Back Again and Again By Marketing Your Genuine Story. Bill is a sought-after expert in sales and marketing, and is Chief Enthusiasm Officer (CEO) of The 800-Pound Gorilla (http://www.The800PoundGorilla.com), a business development company whose list of sales training clients include teams from the NBA, the NHL, and Major League Baseball.

To learn more about Bill s book, please visit http://www.RealitySells.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Guertin
http://EzineArticles.com/?Authenticity—How-Genuine-is-Your-Business-To-Others?&id=919810

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Seven Alternatives To Consider Before Getting A Reverse Mortgage

By: Tim Paul

Reverse mortgages are hot. Baby boom demographics, inadequate retirement funding, and problems in the traditional mortgage market (pushing brokers into alternate products) have combined to make marketing of reverse mortgage products to senior citizen homeowners one of the hottest niches in the mortgage business.

And the effort is paying off for marketers. Federally-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) are the predominant type of reverse mortgage in the U.S. Recently, the number of HECMs originated has averaged about 9,000 per month, more than double the average in 2005. Moreover, about two-thirds of the total HECM reverse mortgages ever issued have been originated in the last two years.

Reverse mortgages are only available to homeowners age 62 and older who have paid off their mortgage or have only a small mortgage balance remaining. The sales pitch for these loans is enticing: tax-free retirement income for as long as you own the home - even for life; no monthly loan payments; no repayments until the home is sold, and payment options flexible enough to meet any need! In many cases a reverse mortgage is the ideal tool for senior homeowners.

But there is one big drawback with reverse mortgages: high up front closing costs that can sometimes reach $20,000 or more. Combined with the regular interest that accrues on the loan balance, the up front costs can make this an extremely expensive way to borrow. To spread these costs out and make the cost of borrowing reasonable, it is imperative that the borrower be confident in their ability to remain in the home for at least 5-7 years and, preferably, longer. Unfortunately, government data shows that most HECMs are paid off in seven years or less.

So, while a reverse mortgage may be a good fit for seniors in many situations, it is always important to carefully explore alternatives to see if a more cost-effective means to achieve your retirement financing goals is available.

We discuss below seven alternatives for you to consider:

1. Intra-Family Loan - Do you have a relative or friend with deep pockets and a good heart? An intra-family reverse mortgage loan can be an excellent way to gain the advantages of a reverse mortgage, but avoid most of the costs. The concept is straightforward: instead of a bank lending you retirement funds in exchange for a lien on the house, structure an arrangement with a relative or friend to lend you the money instead - collateralized with your home, of course. You can avoid most of the up front costs this way and have more flexibility to set interest rates and loan terms. There is even a company called Circle Lending (http://www.circlelending.com/familyadvantage/reverse-mortgage.asp) that specializes in drafting these loans as “official” arms length transactions and then provides monthly loan servicing just as a traditional lender would do.

2. Price Appreciation Agreement - There are also firms that will give you money today in exchange for an “equity-share” in the future appreciation of your home’s value. These programs are usually aimed at higher value homes (over $500,000) and may only be available in areas of the country with a track record of strong property value growth. The benefit of these programs is that you may be able to tap into your equity without the high up front costs of a reverse mortgage. The drawback is that it could cost you substantially more in the long run in the form of foregone home appreciation.

If you think this type of arrangement may be a good fit for you, here are two programs to look into to: Equity Key (http://www.equitykey.com/) and, Rex Agreement (http://www.rexagreement.com/)

3. Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) - As noted, reverse mortgages make most sense if the homeowner is able to remain the home for seven years or more. The reality, however, is that more than one-half of all HECM reverse mortgages terminate in less than seven years. To finance short and intermediate cash needs, a HELOC loan may provide a more cost-effective way to tap into your home equity. With a HELOC, closing costs are generally minor (sometimes zero). The downsides are two-fold: 1) there are monthly loan payments required and, 2) you will likely need to show the lender that you have adequate income to make the required loan payments.

An “interest-only” HELOC loan typically requires monthly payments equal only to the accumulated interest on the amount borrowed to date. With care it is possible to borrow an amount each month that provides cash for living expenses and is adequate to make the monthly interest-only payment. In this way the HELOC mimics a reverse mortgage with interest building up in the loan balance until the loan is repaid when the home is sold.

4. Delay Receipt of Social Security Benefits - The majority of Americans start their (reduced) social security benefit at the earliest possible age (62). While people may feel it is smart to “get the money while you can”, the truth is that Americans are living longer than ever before and the decision to take early social security can cost you several hundred dollars per month for the rest of your life. People in their seventies and eighties often feel a reverse mortgage is needed to close a budget gap - a gap that might not exist if they were receiving full social security benefits.

5.

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For generations, it was common for elderly homeowners to sell their homes and use the proceeds to buy or rent a smaller, more affordable dwelling. This remains a viable strategy and one of the best methods available to ensure you get full use of your hard earned home equity.

It is sometimes possible to sell your home to an “investor” and who will then rent it back to you. This provides you with needed cash while allowing you to remain in the home. Investors like this type of transaction since they get a “good” tenant who likely will take good care of the property.

6. Deferred Payment Loans - Many states, local governments and nonprofit organizations sponsor loan programs for the benefit of “house rich, cash poor” senior homeowners. Much like reverse mortgages, these programs lend money today that is paid back when the senior homeowner sells the home or dies.

The drawbacks are: 1) the use of loan proceeds is usually restricted to a specific purpose (e.g. home repair, payment of property taxes or special assessments, etc.) and, 2) eligibility may be restricted to seniors qualifying as lower income.

Deferred loan programs often have very low (even zero) closing costs and interest rates. This which makes them an alternative worth looking into before deciding on a reverse mortgage. To find out what deferred loan payment programs are available in your area, contact the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for your region (http://www.eldercare.gov/Eldercare/Public/Home.asp).

7. Other Assets - Home equity should be viewed as a financial asset on par with CDs, stocks, bonds, cash-value insurance policies or other investments you may own. Before deciding to “cash out” home equity with a reverse mortgage, compare this strategy to other possibilities like selling other financial assets you may own. Stocks and bonds can be turned into cash much more efficiently than home equity can.

Deciding whether to take out a reverse mortgage is an important financial step for both you and you heirs. Be sure to consider the alternatives before making a final decision.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8909.shtml

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