The Profit Funnel Plan

The Profit Funnel Plan

Nothing warms the cockles of a salesperson more than getting a new client. Often you are able to secure that new client because you have a quality core good or service that is provided at a competitive price.

While you may not make a great deal off that initial offering, there will no doubt be the chance to build on your initial rapport with your new client and engage in the task many sales people know as “up-selling.”

That is where the concept of the Profit Tunnel comes into play.

The Profit Tunnel is your pathway to building a relationship with your customer that begins with the purchase of initial goods or services. Once that initial relationship is established, you build on that relationship by evaluating the needs of your client and identify other goods or services that will also benefit your customer.

As you are able to acquaint, interest, and finally sell additional and often higher priced items to your customer, your profit margin will increase. The Profit Tunnel model works very well whether you are working with a brick and mortar business or going strictly with an online presence.

In both instances, the task involves winning the confidence of the prospect, identifying entry level products or services that will be of interest to the prospect, selling the prospect on the goods or services, and then continuing to offer additional products or enhancements that will make life even easier for that former prospect that is now your customer.

Low Ticket

When it comes to winning the confidence of a prospect,nothing speaks louder than a good deal. Persons who are responsible for securing goods and services for their employer love to save the company money.

It enhances his or her reputation with the officers and owners. At the same time, no one wants to end up with a low cost service that ends up being a dud. This means the good or service needs to perform well along with being cost efficient. 

Your job is to match low cost quality goods or services with the business type of your prospect. Once you demonstrate how one of your low cost offerings will consistently outperform the competition and save money for the prospect’s employer, you will be poised to help roll out your low cost offering throughout the organization, making your profit in volume distribution initially.

Once your offering is functioning throughout the organization, you may find that not only do you have the ear of your initial contact, but now you have the ability to interact with persons throughout the organization that may be interested in other offerings that you can supply. 

Providing additional goods or services that are in a similar price range will be another way you will increase the profit margin. This is sometimes referred to as lateral selling.

Simply put, you are not really pushing items with a higher price tag, or even enhancements to services you have already sold which would increase the profits. You are simply broadening your current situation to include more of the same, from a charge perspective.

There is nothing wrong with lateral selling. In fact, it can be quite profitable. However, in time it reaches a point where there is no more room for more of the same and you need to move on to the next level. 

Mid Ticket

Now safely ensconced with several low cost offerings, you can begin to look at other needs of your customer. Chances are you have goods or services that may be used on a less frequent basis, but carry a higher price tag.

With your low cost items working just fine for your client, you will easily be able to gain attention for these mid priced offerings.

As part of your presentation, it is important to demonstrate not only what you have to offer today, but also be prepared to present the attributes of the offering in such a way that your client can begin to brainstorm possibly uses within the organization.

You may want to have one or two ideas ready, just to prime the thinking process, if necessary. But the more your client can come up with possible uses, the greater his ownership of using the mid ticket item will become, and the closer you will be to another sale. 

Be prepared to have to wait until the timing is right to spring your mid ticket item on your client. If the item is only going to be used a few times a year, the interest level may not be there until the time is growing near for the next relevant event.

By all means introduce the item but if your client wants to put off the discussion until closer to time, lock in a date and time to renew the discussions. 

High Ticket – Extremely High Ticket

The dream of selling high ticket good or services is often the goal of the salesperson. After all, who would not love to be able to sell five thousand dollar items in one afternoon, rather than spend the entire week selling hundred dollar items in order to make the same commission?

Of course, you want to be on the alert for any chance to introduce and sell a high ticket item.

You have a couple of things going for you at this point in your relationship with your client.

First, there is the matter of the proven track record of the low ticket and mid ticket offerings they have already tried and found to be great for their business operations.Nothing breeds confidence in a supplier the way that an ongoing record of excellence will.

Second, you have demonstrated a continual desire to bring their attention to goods or services that have relevance to the business. You are not laying your entire product line out on the table and asking them to figure out what they need. You are someone who does the legwork first and then brings items to their attention. That you care enough to understand their business and do some legwork on their behalf says a lot about your integrity.

What his means for you is that when you call your contact about arranging a demonstration of a high ticket item, you are already more than halfway to making a sale. The attitude will not be “prove this is worth my time,” but“let’s find out how we can use this.”

When you go into a live or virtual demonstration with your client working with that type of mindset, your chances of closing the sale are very high indeed. 

The Profit Tunnel helps you understand that your relationship with your client works on several levels and in several phases.

Building upon the sterling reputation you establish with low ticket sales and rolling it into the sale of more profitable sales will not only ensure you a great commission, but also will provide you with a working relationship that will last for many years. 

Click here to learn more about supersalesmachine

To Your Success,

Jose Amoros

Invest Regularly in Advertising

Invest Regularly in Advertising

Those who choose to make their living by sailing on the rough and tumble sea of Internet marketing are, by nature,confident, self-assured people who well understand that investment in many things is a necessity for survival.

They invest in themselves by learning all they can about the products and services in their niche market. They invest their time, their effort, their energy, and, yes, their money in order to achieve success. You are obviously one of those brave souls. 

The one investment that every Internet marketer must invest in regularly in order to achieve success is advertising.The old saying, ‘Advertising Pays’ is as true today as it was when those words were first uttered by a long forgotten marketer of years gone by. It really does pay to advertise.You stand to gain more by advertising than what the advertising costs. That is always a given. 

When we talk about advertising and Internet marketing, we are speaking of advertising by a variety of methods that include both free and paid for advertising. All of the methods that we will discuss here are effective ways to advertise.

Some of them will require only an investment of time while others will include an investment of money, as well.Advertising, however, is essential. Advertising should be at the top of the ‘to-do’ list of every Internet marketer every day of the week. 

First, let’s discuss paid-for advertising. The fact is you are going to have to invest some money in advertising your product, your service, your website or, even, your free membership website if you are to have any success at all on the Internet. The Internet is a huge place. There are millions of websites. You are going to have to tell people where to find you in this enormous world of the Internet. 

When people are surfing the Internet looking for a particular product, service or just information, they always start that search by plugging the key words about their search into a search engine. Search engines are like keys that open the door to information about where to go on the Internet to find what is being searched for and you (your product, your service or your website) will need to be on the other side of that door when it is opened.

This is where PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising comes in.Your advertising budget needs to include a certain amount for PPC advertising. You can set a budget with search engines and limit the amount you will pay each day for PPC advertising. Set that limit as high as you can to begin with and then increase it as you soon as possible. 

Another very effective method of paid advertising is to take out advertisements in E-zines that are related to the products and services that you sell. There are thousands of people who regularly receive E-zines in their inboxes about subjects that are near and dear to their hearts.

Most E-zine subscribers actually read the E-zines that they subscribe to and if you have an advertisement in it, they will see it. Advertising in E-zines is a very effective, as well as, cost effective way to advertise.

Usually you can place advertisements in E-zines that have a very large subscriber list for $30 or less per mailing. The beautiful part is that you are advertising directly to your best prospects. 

Now, let’s discuss some ways in which to advertise that don’t cost any money. Paying for advertising doesn’t take much time but free advertising requires a time investment. You will always pay something for advertising... either money or time both of which are in short supply when you are an Internet marketer.

These free advertising methods that we will discuss are possibly even more valuable than the paid for ones that we have discussed before because they will not only advertise your product, service or website but, in addition, they will help to build your visibility and your credibility in your niche market. 

The first method of free advertising is to write articles and E-Books then submit them to article banks and E-Book repositories for other website owners or E-zine publishers to download and use for free. Articles should never be longer than 300 to 400 words and E-Books don’t need to be longer that 10 to 12 pages.

When you submit an article or an E-Book, you need to include a resource box that includes your name and a link to your website. A link to your website should be on every page of an E-Book. Articles and E-Books need to have attention getting titles that contain key words and the articles and E-Books themselves need to be key-word rich. 

The second method of free advertising is to join and post to blogs and forums that are dedicated to topics which relate to the products and services that you sell. Be aware that posting to blogs and forums takes time... and a lot of it. You will probably spend at least one hour per day posting to three or four blogs or forums.

This is, however, time that is well spent. Your signature tag that will be included at the bottom of every post you make should contain your name and a link to your website.This accomplishes three important things: 

(1) it is advertising for you, (2) it is building credibility for you, and (3) it is adding links for search engine spiders to count, thereby, raising your PageRank in the search engines. 

Link exchanges with other Internet businesses who sell products or services that are complimentary to but not identical to the products and services that you sell can be a very effective way in which to advertise, as well.

Link exchange partners should have a PageRank at least as high as yours and preferably higher. You can find link exchange partners in several ways. You can go to link exchange websites and find them there or you can simply plug key words into a search engine and locate them yourself. 

To Your Success,

Jose Amoros

List Building Strategies That Really Work-Your Bread & Butter

List Building - Your Bread & Butter

“Bread and Butter!” That is what people say who are walking along and an obstacle comes between them. They release one another’s hand and walk on either side of the obstacle,then rejoin hands and say, “Bread and Butter”. It’s symbolic. Bread and butter belong together. 

Another way the term ‘Bread and Butter’ is used is to denote the main substance of an enterprise. “That trick is his ‘Bread and Butter’ trick.” This means that it is the backbone of his act and that he depends on it and relies on it regularly to sustain him. 

Both interpretations of the term ‘Bread and Butter’ apply to list building and Internet Marketing. You just can’t have one without the other. You can’t separate the two because they belong together and, likewise; they are the sustaining part of an Internet marketers business. 

List building is the first, most important and most constant of all the tasks that Internet marketers engage in. Their lists are their bread and butter and their lists and their businesses belong together. Neither can exist without the other. 

You won’t have to wander around the Internet very long before you will find people saying that list building just isn’t important... and that it isn’t even necessary. Don’t you believe one word of that hooey... and that is precisely what it is... hooey!

That is without a doubt the worst Internet marketing advice that is available anywhere on the Internet... and there is lot of useless information out there. There is useless information but the idea of not building a list is just downright dangerous advice to follow. List building isn’t important... it is absolutely vital... it really is your bread and butter. Without a list, you are simply without a business. 

The CAN SPAM act of 2003 made is illegal to send bulk marketing emails without the consent of the recipients. That is the law. The penalties for disobeying this law are tough! You can be fined up to $11,000 per unsolicited marketing email that you send!

It wouldn’t take but one to do a lot of damage and if you send hundreds, you’ll never get the fine paid off… at least not in just one lifetime. Do you NEED an opt-in list? YES! Your list is your bread and butter. 

Now, let’s discuss ways in which one can go about building that bread and butter opt-in list. There are several ways that have been proven to be very effective list building techniques. 

One way to build your bread and butter opt-in list is to write articles and submit them to article banks.

If you weren’t blessed with any writing ability at all or if you simply do not have the time to devote to writing articles, you can have articles written for you by ghostwriters or you can join a PLR site and download articles that will just need some rewriting to prevent them from being identified as duplicate content by search engine spiders. These articles need to be no longer than 300 to 400 words and they need to be keyword rich. Your resource box needs to include your name and a link to your website. 

Another proven list building technique is to join and post to blogs and forums that are dedicated to a topic that relates to the products and services that you sell.

You must be careful not to post blatant advertisements on these sites. That’s a big no-no. You will need to post 3 to 5 times each and every week to these sites and you sig tag on your posts needs to be your name and a link to your website. 

Exchanging links with websites that sell products and services that are complimentary to but not identical to the products and services that you sell is another way to build your bread and butter list.

Now, some marketers do not believe in link exchanges. They object to the idea of two way traffic and don’t think that a marketer should ever post a link that takes traffic away from his or her website. The key word, however, is TWO way. A link exchange also brings traffic to your website that you might not otherwise ever see and every person who visits your website is a potential customer or, at the very least, a possible addition to that bread and butter opt-in list. 

Then there is paid advertising to consider for the purpose of list building.

A PPC (Pay Per Click) campaign is not free, of course, but if your list is greatly increased because of it then it will be money that has been well spent. PPC campaigns are very effective tools for list building... and more especially so if you can give something away for free. People do love ‘free’. Free reports... free utilities...free E-Books... if it’s free, it adds to your bread and butter opt-in list. 

A very effective, maybe even the most effective, way to use paid advertising to build your list is to advertise in E-zines that relate to the topic of your website and to the products and services that you sell.

E-zine advertising is very targeted advertising that has proven to be effective as well as cost effective. The people who will see your advertisement are the very people who are most likely to buy the products or services that you sell and to join your opt-in list... and, did I mention that it is cheap? You can usually get an advertisement in an E-zine for $30 or less. 

The well established and savvy Internet marketers all know just how important list building is. List building is at the top of their ‘to-do’ list every single day. List building is never considered a side effect... it is the object of their attraction to every enterprise that they consider undertaking. They know that their lists really are their bread and butter. They fully understand that without their lists that they are without a business and you should believe that with all your heart because it is true. 

To Your Success,

Jose Amoros

3 Potent Offline Ways To Help Increase Site Traffic

You already know about putting your signature link on your business card – and sure that might have helped increase site traffic – but there are 3 potent offline methods you may simply have never considered yet.

Using A Local Marketing PR Firm

Many of them are run by skilled single agents – and although good ones won’t dance for a penny, their services may not be as out of reach (or non-cost-effective) as you might think.

A local Marketing Consultant has her pulse on all the buzz. She knows every resource, probably has ideas about where to promote you – and all that even before you’ve taken off your coat and ordered your coffee.

A basic rule of business is to expend your energy where your money-making skills lie. So you can be focusing on those areas, leaving your Marketing PR consultant free to do what she does best – promote you and drive people to your sites.

Consider Local TV

We’ve all been used to thinking of TV and glossy magazine advertising as something only the Big Leagues can afford – and, in general, that’s certainly true.

But did you know that advertising with your local TV station can be surprisingly affordable?  As well as building your visibility as a “celebrity” – and even in just your own home town, you’d be surprised how far that goes!

One advantage: Local newspaper editors are much more inclined to print your press releases, if they know you’re seen on TV (and trust me, they know!)

And now there’s been a press release stating that Google will act as an advertising broker between local TV and NBC. According to the terms of the deal, Google advertisers will be able to buy ads on 6 cable networks owned by NBC (including Oxygen, MSNBC, Sci-Fi and CNBC. (This is actually history – it’s the first time Google has ever brokered ads via a television network!)

Offer A Weekend Workshop To Your Community College

Now this may not sound as exciting as your own local TV ad, or as workload-relieving as a simply hiring a Marketing Consultant or local PR firm – but offering a workshop to your Community College is a long term status and traffic increasing strategy every online business person should use! 

Draw up a solid proposal, find out who to contact and make your pitch. (After all, you do that online every day, right?)

Yes, you’ll put work into it, I guarantee – and you may not get immediate clients from your actual class. But I guarantee, you’ll learn far more than you teach, and it will open you up to brilliant ideas for your market (providing your workshop subject was actually relevant!)

And it’s another great opportunity to increase website traffic by sending out press releases – both to offline sources like local newspapers and trade magazines, and to online paid and free PR services (like PRWeb).

The thing about a little work: The more you do, and the more enthusiastically you put into it, the more you’ll notice benefits returning to you… So stay positive, stay proactive, make the most of every online and offline opportunity – and watch your credibility and business repuatation grow.

Jose Amoros

Click here to learn more about LINK_GENERATOR

Internet Entrepreneurship Survival Labor Replication

The closer you want to get to all of that free time and boatloads of money you've indubitably been promised time and time again... 

The more closely you must examine exactly what it takes to become as digitally automated as possible! Which also takes into consideration creative opportunities such as outsourcing, viral e-marketing and B2B JV barter.

One very excellent example is the awe-inspiring power of autoresponders. Depending on your particular approach; a deftly-crafted autoresponder series can cultivate long-term customers, clients, subscribers, etc...Only if the information you are divulging high-quality.

Another prime example is a genuinely high-quality, PLR e-book. Most especially if these can be re-branded,featuring your downlines' primary Web venture.

Perhaps a Strategic Joint Venture Alliance...or a Member Site- In which you provide your members with a step-by-step plan of action and everything they need to achieve their own success, on- line [tenacity not withstanding, of course]! 

In each of these examples, the Principle of Labor Replication [another demonstration of leverage] is invoked- your one and only Way to *consistent* Internet Success- 

Regardless of your offerings...but if you are not willing to actually put forth the effort and initially act upon your knowledge, and then this will merely be entertainment to you. 

Due Diligence

This is one subject that the vast majority of Internet Marketing 'gurus' avoid like the plague. 

Why? 

Because if they were 100% straight-up with you from the get-go and told you in no uncertain detail exactly just how hard, time-consuming and resource-consuming owning and operating your own truly successful biz op *really* is...

They somehow got it figured that you'll end up opting out and they'll end up losing the almighty buck they stood to make on your complete and utter ignorance. The faster and easier they promise you tons of money and leads; the far more cynical I'd be, if I were you.

And this applies to the so-called Joint Venture Systems out there, as well-of which I own several.

Good, solid long-lasting Joint Ventures actually do require a great deal of time, effort and giving of yourself...especially if they require a Joint Venture Agreement Contract.

However- these are the very the types of JV's that really can make you fabulously wealthy... seemingly overnight.

As a matter of fact, if it is anything short of a methodically built-up System- over a reasonable period of time [6 months to a year]...then I can all but guarantee you that you are setting yourself up for some serious grief.

Sure...the rare exception to the rule- such as that deftly-crafted and patiently-researched Joint Venture Proposal you hit BIG with in just a few short weeks or even days...because you done paid your Due Diligence!

An entirely different approach: Tell your people the *whole* truth- and nothing but.

Don't sell them pipe dreams, fluff and just plain crap; in the hope of making a sale. In fact, don't sell them anything. Give 'Till It Hurts [for being such a blatantly promiscuous sneezer...it happens to be one of Robert G. Allen's truly superb Principles].

And when you actually do attempt to 'sell' your reader something:

Do it in a way that they are both absolutely eager and confident in your recommending them such a kick@$$ deal, offer, etc. Treat your Reader [most literally] as if they were your best friend, and develop a relationship accordingly. And this is just one of many ways Due Diligence comes into play.

One very sad mistake made over and over again -particular to Internet Marketing proselytes and neophytes- is promotion of a cookie-cutter biz op that they are absolutely not the delighted end user of. Self-evident. 

If you're just starting out [or strongly considering doing so] - Do not fall into this fatal trap....

In other words, before you go wishing failure, stress and duress upon yourself...

Compliments of the infamous University of Hard Knocks:

“Be the end consumer of whatever it is you'd seriously consider promoting, and put it to the hardest-core Satisfaction Tests that you can possibly devise.”

One Chance on the Merry-Go-Round of Life

Find a means of online revenue that is something you are already approaching as a joyful leisure hobby; and then research out biz ops that naturally compliment your favorite hobby. 

After carefully researching and refining your biz op you'd like to focus on; aggressively put it to the test- as the end user- and see if it truly Stands and [over-] Delivers on all Promises made. 

And, though this may- at first- sound a bit oxymoronic; do NOT focus on making the sale. Instead, focus on the wants, needs and desires of your Loyal Readership, and sales will follow in a completely relaxed, zero-pressure manner. 

Your Readers will appreciate your lack of hype and high-pressure sales tactics; and will be quicker to recommend you [provided you freely quality content with them]! 

Jose Amoros

LETRESMOTIVA

Internet Entrepreneurship Survival Group Leverage

Like a long pole, that can shift a great weight with little effort; such is the case with succeeding in business. 

Your chances of succeeding- as an 'army of one' fall somewhere between zip, zilch and nill.

Social Marketing [i.e. Joint Venture Marketing] is the critical key to enjoying on-going success. There are approximate 100,000,000+ Web sites out there...and growing daily.

Without some good old' fashion Joint Venture Networking skills under your belt; you chances of *not* getting noticed are virtually guaranteed! Though there are many different types of leverage, two- in particular- will be explored in this segment:

Joint Venture Marketing Leverage

All but gone [certainly rare, to say the least] are the days when you could merely just e-mail an E-zine Publisher with a copy of your offerings and a 50% profit-share. 

You've got to captivate your potential Joint Venture Partners with a more strategic, longer-range heap of killer benefits, as well. Prove to them that you are extremely sensitive to *their* overall wants, needs and desires- not yours or mine.

Good Strategic Joint Venture Alliances take time to cultivate...It's all about building trust. 

When a List Master recognizes you as a genuine Expert within your niche, and that you just don't recommend anything that you- yourself- are not absolutely delighted with as the end-consumer...

They will be far more enthusiastic about JV'ing with you in the future, because people like to do business with people they know and trust...

?Are you someone who is trustworthy and whole-heartedly worth getting to know? 

?Does your JV Proposal showcase *them* in the 'limelight'?

?Is your focus on assisting them, in every way within your means, to help them grow their business and become even more successful?

If not- You need to seriously reconsider your marketing priorities...before you 'figure it out' the hard way!

That said...nothing can propel you to [seemingly] overnight success like a well-thought-out and deftly-crafted JV-Nothing. 

Every single truly successful marketer realized- at some point within their career- that in order to get to where their truly trying to be; they have to whole-heartedly and cheerfully assist others in doing the same.

This is especially true when making first contact with a good potential Partner...remember; it is you going to them, for something you want- Not the other way around.

Until you've cultivate your own Master List of 20,000,50,000, even 100,000 Loyal Readers; and you are now the one getting slammed with 10 to 20 Joint Venture Proposals per day, on average...

To create successful, mutually beneficial JV's; you must pole-position your wants, needs and desires in such a way as to naturally resonate with/compliment theirs. 

Often times, this is *much* easier said than done; as good JV Proposals require a fair and reasonable amount of selfless and candid receptiveness, attention to detail and deep meditation.

However...the dividends are supremely worth it! 

Jose Amoros

LINK_GENERATOR

Self-Injury: How to Stop this Dangerous Practice

Many wonder why anyone would practice self-injury, as it is painful and dangerous. However, with autistic children, self-injury occurs more often than not. There are several theories as to why this practice can be prevalent in autistic children, and there are some methods you can use to help ease this distressing practice.

Because autistic children are unable to communicate through language the way that others can, they often feel frustrated at not being understood or at not getting what they need or want. Thus, autistic children may commit self-injury, by banging their heads or biting themselves (among other tactics), to release some of that frustration that cannot be communicated through words. Also, self-injury is a way of getting attention. An autistic child’s frustration goes hand-in-hand with wanting attention. For instance, by scratching oneself until one bleeds, the autistic child will immediately get someone’s attention, and this person will work to understand what the child wants or needs.

This theory of frustration and attention has been the sole thinking for quite some time. Recently, however, studies have shown that self-injury can have a biochemical component that relieves some of the pain and frustration one feels by releasing endorphins, or “happy hormones,” into one’s system. The endorphins also provide a release for the autistic child, allowing him or her to temporarily forget about his or her frustration and pain. Furthermore, it is believed that if one practices self-injury enough, the endorphins will begin to help mask any pain associated with such behavior, making it an addictive action.

While some professionals say that ignoring the autistic child’s self-injurious behavior is an acceptable method of treating such practice, this can obviously be very difficult. Others have suggested that communication therapy and drugs may help an autistic child by providing him or her with another method of communication. There are drugs that will help stem the addictive behavior of releasing endorphins into the system, and thus help stop such behavior. There are also nutritional solutions available; vitamin B6 and calcium have been said to help many families with an autistic child.

For the family members involved, communication training to learn how to communicate with an autistic child is also extremely important. Because normal adults, and even children and teenagers, are so accustomed to communicating through easily recognizable words or body language, they have to learn that communicating with an autistic child requires a completely different process. By looking for solutions for both the family and the autistic child involved in self-injurious behavior, one may be able to overcome this distressing practice.

Jose Amoros

LETRESMOTIVA

Robotic Hugs: How a Hug Can Help Your Autistic Child

Autistic children and adults often seek pressure in a variety of ways to calm themselves and cope with sensory overload. Oftentimes, hugs and squeezes from other people can cause more distress because autistic children or adults are often unable to communicate their needs by indicating a particular amount or length of pressure. This is both frustrating and ineffective for both the autistic person and whoever is hugging or squeezing them.

The hug machine was created to help relive this frustration, putting autistic individuals in control of their situation. Both children and adults who suffer from autism sometimes crave pressure to help calm anxiety. Because of this, one woman with autism developed the hug machine, also known as a hug box or a squeeze machine. The hug machine has two padded sideboards connected near the bottom of the boards to form a V-shape. A lever helps push the sideboards together to create pressure; the lever also allows the autistic child or adult the ability to control the amount and length of pressure.

Studies are still being conducted to find out why those with autism respond to pressure and how it can produce a calming effect. The hug machine may affect the heightened sensory perceptions of those with autism who often feels disruptive or distressing behavior. By applying pressure, perhaps the autistic child or adult moves his or her focus to a single feeling—the pressure—which in turn produces a calming effect. For many autistic children and adults, anxiety can be completely incapacitating. Not being able to function with the anxiety is frustrating, and so appropriate social behavior is even more difficult. Sometimes, the only release from such anxiety is through pressure. To this day, the hug machine is used by several programs and researchers studying autism as well as therapy programs.

Remember that hugging or squeezing an autistic child may not help him or her. You may, in fact, increase their senses and cause more anxiety. Though you may not be able to purchase a hug machine, you may be able to create a similar object. Try wrapping the autistic child or adult in a blanket, where they can control how much pressure to apply. You can also look into buying padded boards that more closely simulate the hug machine’s side-boards and perhaps tie or tape some heavy-duty yarn to each side to allow the autistic child or adult control over how much pressure to apply and for how long. Contact your child’s school to see if there has been any interest in purchasing a community hug-machine. This may not be a cure to all your child’s problems, but it works well to help many autistic individuals cope with the world.

Jose Amoros

LETRESMOTIVA

My Child is Autistic—and I don’t Know what to Do…

Discovering your child has autism may be a distressing ordeal, and unfortunately, time is of the essence. As a parent, you do not have the time to consider why or how this happened, only what to do next. 

The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone in your struggle. By researching the disorder and finding others going through similar situations, you can help you child while still dealing with your own emotional response.

Join a support group for parents with autism. You can find these by contacting the national Autism Society of America. From there you can find local branches, many of which offer support groups for parents and families with an autistic child. Being in contact with other parents in a similar situation can not only help you feel less alone, but it can provide you with a myriad of resources. A parent support group will also help point you in the direction of the best doctors, intervention programs, and workshops for both your child and your family. 

Find a support group for any other children you have as well. Many parents forget that they are not the only ones who must learn to live and communicate with an autistic child. By locating a support group for your other children, you can help them from acting out or acting against the autistic child by teaching them about the illness. As a parent, you must create a supportive environment for the entire family in order to properly manage your child’s illness.

Consider marriage counseling if you are married. An autistic child can put serious strain on a marriage, leading to escalating arguments, neglect of each other, and even perhaps blaming each other for the situation. Marriage counseling from the very beginning can help a couple through this discovery and rough transition, and help build a better supportive environment for your children. Your marriage should not end as a result of having an autistic child, but the sad fact is that many of them do. Prevent this by using one another for support and by understanding that you may need help to deal with one another now and in the future.

Most importantly, start on the path to becoming an expert. Many times pediatricians or psychiatrists are not experts on autism, which can lead to improper diagnoses or incorrect treatment options. As your child’s best advocate, you must know everything you can about autism. Parents of Autistic Children can be a great resource; this organization offers training and workshops. 

The ASA has a newsletter and also offers a variety of information, from diagnosing to treating. As always, remember that a support group of parents with autistic children can always provide you with books and research that focus on the reality of the situation. 

Educate yourself and those around you to provide the most beneficial things for your child—love and guidance.

Jose Amoros

DOGTRAININGHEALTH

Does Your Dog Chew You Out Of House & Home?

Some times you have to laugh but other times you may want to cry at

what you just discovered your dog has ruined by chewing. Chewing is

usually a developmental phase that puppies pass through to relieve the

itch and pain of cutting new teeth. 

The majority of dogs stop chewing everything in sight once their new teeth are fully erupted, at about 9 months old.  The few dogs that do not cease chewing by age 1, either have acquired the habit of chewing from boredom, anxiety, and frustration, or have acquired an unusual gourmet appetite.

Regardless of the reason a dog chews, the behavior of chewing can be very expensive and very dangerous to the dog's physical well being. 

Correcting chewing, or any other behavior problem, requires that

someone be present to catch the dog in the act.  Showing the dog a shoe that was chewed several hours earlier and yelling at him may make you feel better, but there is little chance that he will connect the correction with the idea that chewing shoes is wrong. 

An unsupervised puppy left to roam the house may develop a taste for dangerous chew toys such as electrical cords, cleaning supplies, and other toxic items. The landscaped yard filled with possibly toxic plants, or rocks and wood  that can obstruct the dog's intestines is a similarly dangerous environment for the unsupervised puppy.  Dogs that chew and swallow rocks or other sharp objects often require costly and risky emergency surgery. 

To avoid mishaps when you cannot keep a watchful eye on the dog, confine him in an area where only appropriate chew items such as dog toys, rawhides, or knuckle bones are available.  You must exercise caution in which chew toys are left in the crate, because dogs have been reported to choke on some toys and rawhides. 

If you confine your dog to a crate during unsupervised periods, you don't have to worry about him chewing up prized possessions and furniture, or doing himself harm.  You may choose to dog proof the house by removing any prize possessions until the dog has passed through the chewing stage. 

Products such as Bitter Apple or Tabasco sauce may be sprayed on furniture and possessions to keep the dog from chewing, but check for staining before using them. Ninety-nine percent of the dogs find the taste of these products repulsive, but a few dogs think they are a gourmet delight.

One product that may not be attractive to any dog is ammonia.  Be

careful not to spray the ammonia when the dog is close by; it could

damage his olfactory system and eyes.  Read the instructions carefully to determine what is safe to spray on valuable possessions. 

Your dog should be well supplied with acceptable chew items such as old socks, safe dog toys, rawhides, chew hooves, and knuckle bones.  Only knuckle bones are safe; other bones will splinter and get caught in the dog's throat or intestines. 

If you are worried that your dog will not discriminate between an old chewable sock and a new sock, you may want to take time to play fetch with the dog and an old sock so the item will become his favorite toy. The old sock will carry the scent of the dog, whereas the new sock has your scent. The dog quickly learns the difference between the socks when you praise him for playing with and chewing the old sock and reprimand him for chewing on socks with your scent.

Have a great day with your dog!

Jose Amoros

SECRETSOFTHEBIGDOGS