November/December 2007
Volume 9, Issue 1
An Anderson Insurance & Investment Agency, Inc. Publication
Protect your home and your loved
ones during this holiday season.
This time of year it’s easy for us to get caught up in the spirit of the
season and forget about staying safe. There are many things you can do
to keep you and your loved ones safe while you enjoy the season.
Keeping Your Home Safe:
Arrange to have packages delivered to a neighbor if you’re not
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home to receive them.
Consider simple outside decorations. Elaborate or large lawn
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pieces are often stolen right out of the lawn.
Keeping Young Revelers Safe:
Follow recommended age ranges on toy packages. Toys that are
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too advanced could be a safety hazard for younger children.
Check the size of the toy and make sure there are no parts that
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could be swallowed.
Immediately discard plastic wrappings on toys before they be•
come dangerous play things.
What’s Inside?
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Protect your home
and your loved ones
this holiday season
Page 1
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Avoiding holiday
travel stress
Page 1
•
Maximize your
marketing and
advertising dollars
Page 2
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Trivia Contest...You Can
Win!
Page 3
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Community Spotlight:
The PACER Center...
Page 3
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Shaun’s Corner
Page 4
Continued on page 3...
Avoiding Holiday Travel Stress
The holidays can be stressful even in the best scenarios, but add some long distance travel in to the mix
and things can become overwhelming. Use the stress busters below to keep you cheerful and in the holiday
spirit.
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Book in advance. Beat the rush and avoid the •
Stay Organized. Keep all of your travel docuheadache of last minute bookings. There are
ments together and easy to access.
many online travel services, but sometimes a
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Don’t Rush Yourself. Check your flights for
travel agent can save you time and energy.
delays and cancellations before you leave
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Get plenty of rest. Travel can be exhausting
for the airport and remember to arrive at the
so get a good night sleep before you leave.
airport early.
•
Drink plenty of water. Dehydration is the
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Stay informed. There are new regulations
number one cause of jet lag! Drink plenty of
regarding carry-on luggage so it’s a good idea
water before, during and after your flight.
to check before you pack.
•
Bring entertainment. If you are traveling
Relax! The holidays should be fun. Keep
with youngsters it’s a good idea to bring along •
things in perspective and remind your self why
some small surprises for them. Word games,
you are making the journey. Stay calm, breathe
books, and drawing supplies are quiet and
don’t take up much space.
deep, and enjoy yourself!
Check out our web page!
www.andersonagencyins.com
Business People: Get more from
your marketing and advertising
investment!
Preparing the
Perfect Turkey
Every chef and cook has their
own special secret for preparing
the perfect turkey, but just in case
you’re basting your first turkey or
looking for something different
here are some ideas for this
holiday season:
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Safety first! Always cook
your turkey to an internal
temperature of 165˚ - at this
temperature bacteria that can
cause food poisoning are
killed.
Pre-heat your oven to
425˚and start to roast your
turkey for 45 minutes, then
lower the temperature to 375˚
Baste or glaze your bird
every 30 minutes. (See below
for a great glaze recipe)
Don’t stuff your bird. Stuffing the turkey can cause uneven heating and the stuffing
may not cook properly. Instead use an oven proof dish
and some of the juices from
the turkey to add moisture
Autumn Turkey Glaze
1/4 cup sugar-free apple cider
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup honey
In a small bowl, whisk together
the apple cider, butter and honey.
Brush over entire bird every 30
minutes until done.
Your business is important to us, because without your business we
don’t have our business! With that in mind, we thought we’d pass on
some basic marketing and advertising tips. These were summarized
from an excellent book called, “How to Write a Good Advertisement”
by Victor O. Schwab.
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A Headline – Advertisements and sales letters should have headlines. Your company name is not a headline. The headline must
capture the reader’s attention and convey a compelling reason
for them to start reading the ad. A compelling reason means
there’s something in it for them to read your ad. What primary
benefit will they get from you?
Personal Appeal - Remember, people are bombarded all day long
with information. Your ad needs to immediately appeal to their
personal gain to get them to read it. You do that with a compelling headline.
Explain benefits, not just features. A feature is something a
product or service does. A benefit is what the buyer gets from
it. For example, a ‘hard candy coating’ is a product feature.
But, ‘the candy doesn’t melt in your hand’ is a benefit. M&Ms
became a huge success by conveying this simple benefit directly
to the prospect.
Do your best to explain the benefit that each of your products or
services provide to the prospect. You’ll get a much better response if you do.
Be different. Try not to have your advertising look like everybody else’s. Stand out and get attention – and then apply these
other tips to make the sale.
Guarantees – If you offer a guarantee, say it proudly. People are
skeptical; take their risk away, and they’ll be much more likely
to buy from you.
Testimonials – What someone else says about you is a thousand
times more effective than what you say about yourself. Get testimonials from your existing good clients and use them in your
ads and sales letters.
Be sure to tell the reader exactly what to do. This is called the
“Call to action.” Prospects must be led. If you want them to call
you, say so directly. For example, “Call Now!”
Don’t leave anything to chance in your advertising. Give the
reader clear reasons why they should do business with you and
then tell them exactly what to do next.
What a perfect time to launch a new marketing campaign and with
these easy to use guidelines you’ll be reaping the benefits in no time!
www.andersonagencyins.com
Community Spotlight
“Do the right thing. It will
gratify some people and
astonish the rest. ”
- Mark Twain
Our business is about helping people protect
their families and businesses. There are so
many fine organizations in our community
working every day to help people live, grow,
prosper, and lead better lives that we wanted to
share just a few of their stories. Each newsletter
will feature a non-profit organization that is
making a difference in your community, in your
life, in your world.
Trivia
E
very newsletter Anderson
Agency will have a trivia
contest where the winner will
receive a prize.
If more than one person has the
correct answer, the winner will
be the entry that reaches our
office first.
The only catch is that you have
to email your response back
to us. Send your answer to
[email protected]
Remember to include your
name!
What was
the name of
Cheerios when
it was first
marketed 50
years ago?
Email your answer to
[email protected]
Good Luck!
PACER Center, Inc.
8161 Normandale Blvd.
Bloomington, MN 55437
The mission of PACER Center is to
expand opportunities and enhance the
quality of life of children and young
adults with disabilities and their families,
based on the concept of parents helping
parents.
Phone: 952-383-0190
Website: www.pacer.org
Founded in 1977, PACER Center was
created by parents of children and youth
with disabilities to help other parents and
families facing similar challenges. Today, PACER Center expands opportunities
and enhances the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities
and their families. PACER is staffed primarily by parents of children with
disabilities and works in coalition with 18 disability organizations.
Continued from Page 1...Protecting
yourself during the holiday season...
Keeping Your Credit and Identity Safe:
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If you write checks, use only the necessary information, name, address, phone number. Never give your social security number.
•
Safeguard your credit cards and checks as you do cash. Don’t leave
them in jacket pockets or sitting out in restaurants, stores or hotel
rooms.
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Keep your purse or wallet on you. Shoulder straps should cross your
body, not dangle from your shoulder. Do not lay your purse or wallet
in a shopping basket and always be sure they are closed securely.
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Notify issuers immediately if your credit card is lost, stolen or misused.
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Take your time when making a purchase. Be sure you collect your
license, credit card or check book and your receipt.
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Keep your receipts and reconcile your credit card and bank statements. Promptly report any discrepancies to the issuer.
Make the most of this holiday season and stay safe! For more information
on how you can protect yourself and your loved ones during the holidays
please visit: www.nsc.org
Questions? Comments? Email us anytime at [email protected]
Anderson
INSURANCE & INVESTMENT
AGENCY, INC.
312 Central Ave SE, Suite 392
Minneapolis, MN 55414-1064
www.andersonagencyins.com
Phone: (612) 331-3712
Fax: (612) 378-0419
[email protected]
What’s Inside...
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•
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Ways to protect your home and your loved ones over the holidays...
How to get more from your marketing and advertising dollars
Avoiding holiday travel stress
Shaun J. Irwin,
CPCU, RPLU
President
2007 is definitely shaping up as a
great year for the Anderson Agency.
We owe it all to you, our fantastic
customers. Thank you so much for
supporting us and allowing us to help
protect you and your families.
We got to be on the KARE 11
Morning News on November 13th
to help promote Baskets of Hope for
the Emergency Food Shelf Network.
I know that I will feel very fortunate
and grateful as I share my holiday
meal with my family knowing that
the Emergency Food Shelf Network
Email us & tell us what you
is distributing 5,000 “Baskets
think of this newsletter.
of Hope” this holiday season
[email protected]
to needy families. Supporting
will make great leaders tomorrow and
Emergency Food Shelf
into the future.
Network and your local Food Shelf
helps your neighbors, friends and
I was just out in Anaheim on business
perhaps unbeknownst to you even
your family members have a nutritious and a group of us went to see Wicked.
Wow - what a show! If you are a fan
meal when times get a little tight.
of live theatre it was awesome. You
have to go to Chicago, New York or
For anybody that needs a reminder
Hollywood to catch it right now but if
that the world is going to be just
you happen to be in the neighborhood
fine in the next generation’s hands, I
don’t miss it.
recommend you coach a youth sports
team. Cindy, my wife, and I are lucky
enough to be able to coach school
ball and rec sports for our kids. We
can both assure you that the young
people we come in contact with are
hard working, conscientious, polite
and overwhelmingly positive. The
future has always looked a little scary
through the crystal ball but we’re
confident the young people of today
Gotta go! Happy Holidays to
everyone and their families!