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NEW Features:
The Marketing Co-op's Newest Additions

Specialty Postcards
The Marketing Co-op has added six new cards that you can select for a special event or announcement. Tell your contacts in a bold, noticable way that you have moved, hired a new employee, save a date, and more. These cards are already available on the Select Postcards page, and six more specialty cards are coming soon!

Allow Contacts to Add Themselves to Your Database
You asked for it, and The Marketing Co-op delivered. Unique code now allows you to add a link to your existing website or emails providing people with an easy method to add themselves to your current Marketing Co-op database.

A personalized URL is provided when you sign in to each of your Marketing Co-op accounts. A small jpg "button" graphic is also provided for use on your site (you are not required to use these graphics). Simply insert the uniquely determined code (and graphic, if desired) in your website or in the body of any outgoing email to link people back to your unique Marketing Co-op "opt-in" page. Your webmaster will also be assist you if you are unsure how to use this code.

Once set up, anyone who clicks on this link will be taken to a specific Marketing Co-op page — labled with you and/or your company's name — where they can provide their contact information and automatically "opt-in" to your email contact list. You will be notified immediately that someone has added themselves to your database. You will also be warned if your database is reaching the limit of your subscription plan so that you can either clear names out of your database, or upgrade your current subscription plan.

And as always with The Marketing Co-op, this new feature is simple to use, extremely efficient and free to our subscribers.

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Featured Columnist:
Steve Adubato, PhD.

Steve Adubato, PhD., has enjoyed a distinguished career as a broadcaster, author, university professor, and motivational speaker. His book with Theresa Foy DiGeronimo is called "Speak from the Heart: Be Yourself and Get Results" and demonstrates that being a great communicator is about making an authentic connection with people, it is not simply about being "a good talker." What follows is an excerpt from from his book.

Speak from the Heart: Chapter 15 – Teamwork in Action

We are all members of a team — whether that team is at our place of work as department members, or in our homes as family members, or in our communities, or in our schools or our churches. At some point in our lives we all combine our energy and skill with those of others to accomplish a common goal. On our various teams, the members may come from different backgrounds and different skill levels. They may have different approaches to business and life, yet still we come together to accomplish things hat none of us can accomplish individually.

In this chapter, we’ll explore the kind of communication tools that the leader of any group needs to productively manage, support, and build a team. We’ll also see how different kinds of communication can nurture the growth of a team — or crumble its very foundation.

Do It Now
Here’s a checklist that will help you communicate your values, goals, concerns, and aspirations to your team members so you can all be on the same page working toward the same goal:

  • Have an informal sit-down talk with each member of your team so you can find out more about him or her personally. Later, have regular conversations to keep in touch.
  • Build trust among team members by creating opportunities for team members to build personal relationships.
  • Share the spotlight by encouraging team members to voice their opinions.
  • Always give credit when it is due.
  • Let team members make some important decisions.
  • Allow team members to take risks and provide them with a net when and if they fall.
  • Expect mistakes. It’s part of the learning process.
  • Communicate integrity and a sense of calm when crisis strikes.
  • Listen to your team members.
  • Stand up for what you believe in through your own good example. Actions speak louder than words.
  • Commit to being a “coach” as opposed to simply the “boss” on your team.

There is no effective leadership without effective communication. Being part of a team, winning together, losing together, growing together, sharing together, being together can be one of the most rewarding, fulfilling, and spiritually enriching experiences in your life. Lead that team by using your communication skills. You will find that you will all grow together.

From SPEAK FROM THE HEART by Steve Adubuto. Copyright (c) 2002 by Steve Adubuto. Published by arrangement with The Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., NY.

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Member Spotlight:
Hair O' The Dog

The phrase "Hair O’ The Dog," or the complete saying, "the hair of the dog that bit you," can be traced back hundreds of years to the Emerald Isle of Ireland. Back in the day, animal bites, and in particular dog bites, were very common and often led to severe wounds, infection and even amputations. Primitive "medical science" had a somewhat dubious method of treatment for bites: catch the dog that nipped you, cut off a bit of its hair, and make a paste from the hair to apply to the wound. Did this work? While it probably had a positive psychological effect on some patients, there is no evidence that the paste had any medical benefits.

Today, the phrase "the hair of the dog that bit you" has come to be associated with having a bit too much of your favorite libation. It is commonly believed by drinkers that the best way to rid one's self of a hangover is to down a glass or two of whatever it was that you over-indulged in the previous evening.

Following this derivation, the "Hair O’ The Dog" has become the namesake for one of the biggest yearly black tie extravaganza's in the city of Philadelphia. It is a get together of thousands of close friends for a night of excessive fun, excessive food, and excessive partying.

Hair O' The Dog organizers credit the ever-growing success of the event to good marketing, including services provided by The Marketing Co-op. The first event had a turn-out of about 100 people, while over 4,000 party goers have attended the formal event to date. For it's 10th anniversary in January 2004, Hair O' The Dog hosted an intimate evening – for just 1,500 attendees.

The Hair O' The Dog has grown so much in popularity that once a year has proven inadequate. Now, a casual summer event has been added to gear up for the formal winter gala.

To top it off, Hair O' The Dog is a charity fundraiser. With the help of sponsors and attendees, over $80,000 has been raised and distributed to organizations such as the Bethesda Project, World Trade Center Relief Fund, Project H.O.M.E., Habitat for Humanity, the National Constitution Center, the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Foundation, Friends of Memorial Hall Fund and Sunshine Foundation.

For more information about Hair O' The Dog events and sponsorships, visit www.hairothedog.com.

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Artist Spotlight:
The Newark Museum

The Newark Museum invites you to enjoy its outstanding collections, exhibitions, programs and educational resources in its multi-building campus located in the heart of the Downtown Arts District of Newark, New Jersey.

Founded in 1909, The Newark Museum underwent an extensive four-year, $23 million renovation and expansion which was completed in 1989. The design by the world famous architect Michael Graves was awarded the American Institute of Architects' Honor award. 

The Museum complex, the largest in New Jersey, weaves together 80 galleries of art and science, a mini zoo, planetarium, gift shops, cafe, auditorium, sculpture garden, schoolhouse and the Ballantine House, the restored 1885 mansion that is a National Historic Landmark.

The Museum also offers a variety of spaces for entertaining, including the elegant Engelhard Court, the richly decorated Ballantine House, the beautiful Alice Ransom Dreyfuss Memorial Garden, and the Billy Johnson Auditorium, as well as spacious art galleries. Whether it is a private wedding or other celebration, corporate entertaining or a  conference, The Newark Museum will make your event one to remember.  

For further information about The Newark Museum, its collections, exhibitions, programs, activities, services and more, visit www.newarkmuseum.org.

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