Making-Money-Month Is Now!

We go to great lengths to make sure our vehicles are ready for winter. Who wants to get stuck in sub-zero degree weather with a stalled car?

But what about during the summer? Believe it or not, the heat takes its toll on your car, too, so it’s important to keep your car serviced.

Periodic maintenance on your car will save you tremendous hassle in the long run. Your vehicle should last longer and command a higher resale price, too! I made it a point to get my car serviced according to the dealer’s schedule, and when I traded it in, I got far more than I expected due to the stellar condition of the engine.

Now I know this isn’t bedtime reading, but the owner’s manual can be your best friend - assuming you read it! At least take a look-through periodically. How about while you’re waiting to get your oil changed?

Follow the manufacturer’s recommended service schedules. This could save you a major breakdown.

Have the air conditioning system looked over by a qualified technician. A check up here can save you a huge bill later.

The greatest cause of summer breakdowns is overheating. Prevent this problem by making sure the cooling system is flushed and refilled as recommended.

Have your car’s belts, clamps, and hoses checked by a technician. This only takes a few minutes and is usually inexpensive.

Change your oil and oil filter every 3,000 miles or four times a year.

Replace air and fuel filters as recommended.

Get plenty of windshield washer solvent - we have a tendency to use a lot of this in the winter, so your fluids may be low.

Tires should be rotated every 5000 miles or so.

Check the spare tire to make sure it’s inflated properly. Also, make sure you have a jack along with it!

Transmission troubles equal money troubles equal emotional troubles! Have your transmission serviced periodically, and prevent big-time repair bills.

If you notice that your brakes are less efficient, get them checked out right away.

Have your battery checked periodically to see how much life it has left!

Inspect all lights and bulbs to make sure they’re working.

Carry a first aid kit, flares, jumper cables, a flashlight, and a cell phone.

There you go - a simple list to keep your car in great running shape. Remember, your car needs to be maintained and checked over even in the summer.

Taking care of your car takes only a few minutes each month, and pays you big dividends for the life of your vehicle!

Contributed by TheCarSites.com. Please visit http://www.TheCarSites.com for car articles and auto industry news.

The use of ultrasound scanning in pregnancy is referred to as Obstetric Ultrasound. Since its introduction in the late 1950s, Obstetric Ultrasound has become a useful diagnostic tool. It is used to “”see”" the fetus in its mother’s womb. In some countries, routine pregnancy ultrasound scans are performed to identify potential defects before birth.

Research indicates that pregnancy ultrasound is safe for the unborn child, unlike radiographs, which use ionizing radiation. Real-time scanners form a continuous picture of the moving fetus on a monitor screen. Very high frequency sound waves of between 3.5 to 7.0 megahertz are generally used for this purpose. They are released from a transducer, which is placed in contact with the maternal abdomen, and is moved around to “”look at”" any particular aspect of the uterus.

Recurring ultrasound beams scan the fetus and are reflected back onto the same transducer. The information obtained from different reflections is recomposed back into a picture on the display screen. The sex of the baby can generally be determined after 16 weeks, depending upon the sonographic machine and aptitude of the operator. Movements such as fetal heartbeat and malformations in the fetus can be gauged and measurements can be made accurately on the images displayed on the screen. Structural abnormalities in the fetus can be dependably diagnosed by an ultrasound scan, and these can usually be performed before 20 weeks.

A full bladder ultrasound is often necessary for the procedure when abdominal scanning is performed in early pregnancy. It is a relatively hassle-free, painless and safe procedure although there may be some uncomfortable sensations from pressure on the full bladder. The conducting gel is non-staining but may feel somewhat cold and damp. Otherwise, there is no feeling at all from the ultrasound rays.

Years ago, before I ever entered the field of marketing, I saw one of the greatest sales presentations I have ever seen, only I, and most of the 200 plus people in the auditorium weren’t aware that’s what was happening.

And it worked like a charm!

In fact, what made it most effective was that we weren’t really aware that we were being sold to. That in fact we were the targets of a carefully planned and executed marketing campaign that worked mainly because of that fact.

Since that time, I have used the technique myself in many different disguises and in more than one medium, but the marketing technique remains relatively constant.

In mail order marketing, it used to be called the two-step technique. My wife has another, more descriptive, name for it, but we’ll save that for later.

Here’s how it went down. It was the late 80’s, and I had completed 13 years of active duty in the army and was in the Texas Army National Guard, working full time as a federal purchasing agent at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas. Periodically, the powers that be would hold what were referred to as “Town Meetings”. All the offices would leave someone to answer the phones, and all the employees would meet for question and answer periods, procedure updates, or sometimes, informational briefings. When you got everybody in the room, there were a couple of hundred or more.

One day, a Town Meeting was held, and we were all told we were going to receive a briefing on personal safety. A professionally dressed lady was presented to us, and she gave an excellent, humorous yet fact-filled presentation on defending yourself, or better yet, avoiding placing yourself in dangerous situations. She covered many means of self defense and ways you could fight off or escape from an attacker. She gave special attention to the situations in which a woman might be accosted while shopping or on her way to her car, for example.

The presentation was very valuable, and I saw several people even jotting down her recommendations and cautions.

During a question and answer period that followed, one of the women present asked the lady where some of the items she had mentioned, and shown, during the presentation, such as Mace or pepper spray, could be acquired.

Funny she should ask.

You guessed it. As it happened, the lady represented a company which sold those types of items. She had some free handouts, and she had a table with samples of various self defense items on a table in the back, and a catalog for those who wished to take it home and look at it. She was prepared to take orders for things she did not have with her.

Before the last person left the building, she had sold almost everything she had brought, and had taken orders for several hundred dollars more.

My wife calls it “giving something away”, in order to make a sale.

As I stated above, it has long been known as the “two step” method. In the heyday of mail order, a free report was offered, and, when ordered, arrived with informational material on other, similar items. If the person bought from that presentation, they were offered more items. This procedure had two valuable results. It gave the marketer a growing list of people who responded to that type of presentation and were willing to purchase those sorts of items, and it helped establish a trust relationship between buyer and seller.

I can wave the world’s greatest product around all day, and offer it at reduced rates, but I will make many more sales if I am waving it in front of people who are interested and motivated to buy that sort of product, and…in front of people who already trust me!

Sometimes it is easier to lead the customer to choose the product than to sell the product to the customer.

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service. He has worked as an accountant, purchasing agent, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, instructor and long-haul, over-the-road truck driver. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He has been an active internet marketer since 2000, and now makes his living online. He has blogs on the subjects of Internet Business and Marketing, Health and Weight Loss, and Real Estate Investing.