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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Marketing Simplified

When planning new products, companies often start by segmenting their markets and positioning their merchandise accordingly. This segmentation involves either dividing the market into product categories, such as function or price, or dividing the customer base into target demographics, such as age, gender, education, or income level.

Unfortunately, neither way works very well...WHY?

People usually don't go about buying by conforming to particular segments. Rather, they take life as it comes. Segmenting markets according to market demand is a good start to build products that people want to buy.

"Purpose branding names the product after the purpose it serves"

"Knowing who buys it only tells you where to sell it -- don't mix it up with knowing what to sell OR have as a product"

"Just because the Product is something you don't sell, doesn't mean that you can't sell it -- as long it doesn't take extra resources in doing so, by all means SELL it"

"Create Products that People have a Need for"

Monday, February 7, 2011

Offering Prayers to Tian-Gong

Tian-Gong a.k.a Jade Emperor has his birthday on the 9th lunar day of the Chinese New Year. It is believed that earnestly and sincerely offering prayers to Tian-Gong on his birthday brings an increase in wealth, smoothness at work, improvement in studies, promotions, good business, good health, peace and auspice for the year ahead.

When these wishes and prayers come true, one should "repay" by offering thanks with special prayers on the 25th lunar day of the 12th lunar month.

To pray to Tian-Gong, the following items must be prepared:-

1. Tian-Gong-Jin
2. Shou-Jin
3. Da-Shou-Jin
4. Xiao-tian-jin
5. Shen-Ma
6. Joss-sticks, 3 Dragon Joss-sticks and 3 1-Foot Joss-sticks
7. Candles, 2 Dragon Candles
8. Dragon Gown Set

Other items include an altar table, fa-gao, sweets, biscuits, groundnuts, lotus seeds, hong-guo, noodles, hong-bao, lettuce, mandarin oranges, apples, pineapple, bananas, tangerines, golden fungus, black fungus, mushroom, vermicelli, beancurd, beancurd-sticks and red dates.

Knowing when to pray (at what time) is important too as well as the how to pray...