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The Awesome Advantages To Owning A Roomba Vacuum

In recent years, it seems like technology has taken over our lives. Sometimes it’s hard not to wonder whether all this technology really does make things better, or is just technology for technology’s sake. But every now and then an improvement comes along that is clearly a big step forward from where we were before. The Roomba vacuum is such a step, and it’s unique design saves people a lot of time and energy.

There has always been one major problem with vacuuming your house – and that’s the fact that you have to do it at all! There are very few people who jump up and down with excitement at the idea of pulling out the vacuum cleaner. Most people would rather put their feet up and watch a movie, or read a good book. Wouldn’t it be great to have your floors vacuumed, without you having to do the work?

Well, that’s exactly what the Roomba vacuum is designed to do. It’s a huge leap forward in vacuum cleaner technology, making it an effective and smart way of vacuuming. The Roomba vacuum has a special robot inside, which is designed to make it move around and search for dirt on your floor. It will be able to negotiate its way around furniture and any other obstacles in your room. So you don’t have to worry that your precious furniture will get damaged when the Roomba vacuum bumps into it.

If you look around, you’ll find plenty of places that sell the Roomba vacuum. Most vacuum cleaner stores now sell them, and so do many electronics stores. Considering how advanced they are, they’re quite reasonably priced. That’s even more the case when you consider how much people would be willing to pay for a vacuum cleaner that did all the work for them!

A Roomba vacuum would make a great gift for someone who has difficulty moving about, or who struggles to push a vacuum around the room. It also removes the need to carry a heavy vacuum from room to room. They’re a great present for a grandparent, parent, or anyone else you know that could do with some help in vacuuming. Anyone who receives a Roomba vacuum will appreciate the care and thought behind your gift.

The directions are easy to follow, which makes it easy for anyone to work out how to use their new Roomba vacuum cleaner. So whether it’s for yourself or for someone you care about, take a look at the advantages of a Roomba vacuum and buy one today.

Auction Listings Are Vital to the Success of Fundraising Auctions

Fundraising Auction Tip: You should always provide potential bidders with a printed Auction Listing of both your Live and Silent Auction items at any Fundraising Auction. A printed Auction Listing is vital for several reasons:

An Auction Listing informs bidders of the order of sale, and what is coming up next. If you keep your bidders guessing, they will simply not bid.

If bidders are not 100% certain of what they are bidding on, they will not bid. A printed Auction Listing should answer any and all questions about what is being sold in order to encourage bidders to bid as much as possible.

Bidders often need time to plan their bidding strategies, especially on multiple and/or larger value items. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.

Couples often need time to consult with each other about what they are willing to spend on something. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.

Potential bidders need to know the specifics, the benefits, and the restrictions on any item they are going to bid on, especially on travel and/or other higher value items. A printed Auction Listing should answer all of their questions, in writing.

After bidders see that they have lost an item to another bidder, a printed Auction Listing makes it easier for them to re-strategize on what else they can bid on.
Printed Auction Listings generally come in 3 forms:

Printed in the Event Program or Auction Catalog.

Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-inserted into the Event Program or Auction Catalog.

Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-delivered to all attendees, or left on each dinner table in the room.
Auction Listings cost practically nothing to produce and they can make the difference between the success and failure of a Live and Silent Auction. You should never conduct a Fundraising Auction without one.

A Case Study

Let me share a real-life experience with you. Once I was hired to conduct a Fundraising Auction for a nationally renowned organization. The event was held in a major hotel, in one of the country’s largest cities, with several hundred “black tie” participants attending. It was an extremely professional event, with the music, singing, lighting, speeches, and awards all perfectly timed and choreographed. Everything was done to perfection… exception the Fundraising Auction.

Although I had signed an agreement to serve as their Auctioneer nearly one year in advance of the event, no one bothered to contact me for any advice or help. Approximately one week prior to the Auction date, I contacted the group to see if they had replaced me with another Auctioneer. But they said that I was still their man.

Upon arriving at the event I asked for a copy of the Auction Listing. I was told that there were none. I’m not sure whether they felt that the Auction Listing wasn’t necessary, or whether someone forgot to have them printed. This was never made clear. When I asked what I was to use at the podium, I was told to copy the list of Live Auction items from a committee member’s computer. It took me about 30 minutes to copy three pages of hand-written notes in order to prepare for my role as their Auctioneer.

I knew that they had created a PowerPoint program showing the various Live Auction items. When I asked whether the PowerPoint slide order corresponded to the order of sale I had copied from the committee member’s computer, I was met with a blank stare. The committee member left to check the slide order, and returned to let me know that the slide order did not correspond my notes, and he provided me with the correct slide order… hand-written on a paper napkin. This forced me to re-arrange my three pages of hand-written notes before taking the podium.

There was a Live Auction Table with descriptions of the Live Auction items that were to be sold, but the table was not clearly marked, and it received significantly less attention than the Silent Auction Tables, which were clearly identified. Since the Live Auction Table was located adjacent to the “Raffle Table”, it appeared that most people thought it was part of the raffle and therefore paid very little attention to it.

According to the event program (which did not include an Auction Listing), I knew approximately when I was to begin the Live Auction. At the designated time the Master of Ceremonies announced the start of the Live Auction to the several hundred people in attendance, and introduced me as Auctioneer. As I approached the podium I realized that photographs of award winners were still being taken… directly in front of the podium where I was to stand… which required me to stand aside for several minutes until the photographers were done. Can we say “awkward moment”?

As the photographers cleared, I approached the podium and began my Live Auction introduction. Approximately one minute into my introduction, the “Raffle Committee” approached the podium and stopped my Live Auction Introduction in order to pull the 8 or 9 Raffle Winners. These drawings lasted about 5 minutes. Upon it’s conclusion I was allowed to resume the start of the Live Auction.

When standing at the podium two intense and extremely bright spotlights were pointed directly at the podium. The lights were so bright that I literally could not see the center 1/3 of the room. I could see the tables on the right, and on the left, but was totally blinded when looking straight ahead. It took perhaps five minutes before the spotlights were turned off.

While at the podium and describing Lot #1, I had to ask someone to start the Lot #1 PowerPoint Slide… because apparently no one was assigned that job.

So with only the Auctioneer’s verbal description, and a PowerPoint slide, it appeared that few people in the room had any idea about what we were selling… or when we were selling it… until it was announced by the Auctioneer. As a result, bidding was extremely light and the final results fell several thousands of dollars short of where they should have been
The learning experience is this:

The Live Auction is where you place your better items, and where the real money should be made at any Fundraising Auction. Let bidders know as far in advance as possible what you will be selling, and the order of sale, so they can get excited about the Auction, and plan their bidding strategy accordingly.

Auction Listings are absolutely vital to the success of both Live & Silent Auctions. In my opinion, revenues at this Auction fell thousands of dollars short of where they should have been, because no Auction Listing was provided to the guests.

If bidders are not perfectly clear on what is being sold, including both the item’s specifics, benefits, and restrictions, they will not bid.

When you have a committee of volunteers, especially volunteers having full time jobs and/or very busy schedules, the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can help to keep the committee on track.

And once you retain the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer… use the services that you are paying for.

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Unconventional Yet Effective Ways of Earning Money – Home Based Business Opportunities

The definition of work has changed over the years. We have tried different ideas to make our lives better. Different aspects related to the professional life of man have undergone vast changes. Advanced and innovative technology has changed the work sphere and in turn the lives of men in various ways. These days, we do not depend on the traditional ways to earn money. In the present times home based business opportunities have increased manifold and as a result earning opportunities have also increased. Home based business is a new global phenomenon which is been explored by thousands of people across the globe.Internet has been the tool with the help of which home based jobs were introduced. With the help of this many people established home based business online. Internet has enabled people to do business from their homes and connect with their clients worldwide. It offers diverse opportunities of earning money to people all over the world. Home business in fact, has turned out to the perfect platform for people who have different problems in going out of home for work. They are also paid handsomely.Working from home has its own advantages. You do not have to take public transport and hence you can save that money. You can work according to your own convenience and terms. There is no time constraint when you work from home. The best part is that you will be your own boss when working from home. You will not have to tolerate your rude boss in office. Therefore, home based business opportunity offers a rare freedom which you can hardly get in any office. There are different types of home business plans available on the Internet. You have to choose the one which suits your routine and needs. Searching for these opportunities may be a little time consuming. But that will be compensated once you start working from home.There are several websites which will offer good home based business ideas. However, you must be careful of not getting bluffed by a scam. There are websites which offer exaggerated terms and conditions which apparently may seem to be great, but actually they may not prove to be so. You will need to think logically that these companies do not know about your goals, your passion or your expectations. Therefore, if they claim that the offer is tailor made for you, you have to be careful in taking their offer.Do your own research and do them carefully. Go through the homes based business review if possible and check the statistics to get the right kind of opportunity. Find out your real interest and search for business opportunities accordingly. Find the niche with which you can connect so that you can stick to the business for a long time. More time you contribute, the more profits you will yield. Digital product creation, affiliate programs, blogging, Internet marketing, online stores and outsourcing are some of the home based business opportunities you can look into.