In any consumer marketing research study, the survey is the key element. It is with the survey that the consumer opinions are collected, driving the data that ultimately leads to the all-important research findings. As such, developing a good consumer survey is crucial. Marketing researchers use a variety of tools for brainstorming in order to come up with the correct format and effective questions for the survey. However, few of these tools contain the advantages found in a Mind Mapping software tool. With a Mind Map, researchers have the ability to “map out” their ideas for survey questions in a creative and visually dynamic manner. By making use of diagrams that contain several points of visual and mental association, Mind Mapping software allows researchers to organize their thoughts surrounding the survey more easily and intuitively.

What is Mind Mapping Software?

Mind Mapping software is any software that is used to create images, diagrams, pictures, and other graphic visuals in order to show the relationship between ideas or other types of information.¹ With Mind Maps, the key concept or main idea of the information being presented is represented by a central image, located in the center of the map. Any themes surrounding the main idea are shown on “branches” that are attached to the central image, with subsequent themes of less importance attached by “child branches” or “twigs”. The resulting diagram is a “map” of the ideas and information shown in a spatial, rather than linear, format. Moreover, along with the ideas shown on the map are images, visual graphics, and colors that the constructor of the “map” associates with each of the themes and ideas. Mapping out information in this manner is widely believed to allow the brain to process the information in way that is more consistent with its natural functioning.

Using a Mind Map to Construct an Effective Consumer Survey

A team of market researchers has just landed a big account for a cake company that wants to know what cake flavors their customers prefer most. In addition, the cake company wants to collect some relevant demographic information about its customers, such as age, income, and education. The marketing team must develop a survey that will allow them to collect of the information the client wants, and they decide to use a Mind Map to help them do so. The team first begins by representing the main purpose of the Mind Map, the survey questions, in the center of the map. They then list the main objectives, or key pieces of information, they want collect, such as “Preferred Cake Flavors”, and “Demographic Information”, on the “branches” that are attached to the central topic. The team then brainstorms possible questions for each of objective on “child branches”. When they have finished brainstorming, the team selects the best question from each group of possible questions to include in the survey, and lists them on “twigs” attached to the “child branches”. Throughout the map, the team has added visuals, colors, and graphics in order to make it easier to conceptualize. The attached Mind Map exhibits what the team’s described diagram might look like.

Finalizing the Consumer Survey

Once the team has selected the questions they will use in the survey, they can now begin constructing the format of the survey. In order to do so, the team decides to use another Mind Map to brainstorm about the order the questions should be presented in. Following a similar method as described above, the team collaborates about possible question order, and subsequently decides upon the appropriate question order for the survey. Thus, the team was able to use a Mind Mapping software tool to determine both what questions to include in the survey, and more importantly, how to list them, highlighting the usefulness of Mind Maps in helping researchers develop effective consumer surveys.

1. Farrand, Paul; Hussain, Fearzana and Hennessy, Enid (May 2002). “The efficacy of the ‘mind map’ study technique”. Medical Education 36 (5): 426–431.

A number of things likely come to mind when you think of virtual real estate investing. You likely leap to real estate investing as real estate portfolios and real estate retirement plans, and then you may expand to thinking of short sales, bulk reo investing or virtual real estate investing. You probably also wonder how these things play out in real estate investors life in the current economy.

You will need to know a lot about real estate investing. To get the most out of real estate investing education, be familiar with basic information ahead of time. No matter whether you are interested in short sales, bulk reo sales, virtual real estate or just enhancing your knowledge as a real estate investor, knowing some real estate investing basics will help you succeed. You should review these three real estate investing basics to learn things even some experts do not know:

1. Real estate investing education is a true investment that always has a positive yield. In any real estate deal, there will be thousands of dollars in potential wealth. Knowing about getting that wealth is the key in the end to your success. When you know about real estate your odds of success increase with each real estate deal. Small investments in education yield big results upon implementation.

2. Any economy allows for success in real estate investing. Lots of people believe that real estate success is only possible in a booming economy. In fact a bad economy is not a bad economy for real estate investors. You can often find properties to buy at deep discounts. Additionally, you may find deals that would not exist in a booming economy. Real estate investing often is what turns the tide for poor economies. When the economy is not thriving, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate can all thrive. You can save yourself from financial difficulty along with others by knowing how to do these deals.

3. You do not need to have a great deal of money if you want to be a successful real estate investor. You can be a success in real estate investing no matter how much money you have on your own. There are many deals that will let you use other people’s money to do them. Private lenders will lend you their money if they think you are a good investment. An investor who is a good investment knows as much as they can when it comes to real estate investing. This will help you show private lenders that you are a good investment if they do not know about real estate investing themselves.

A good deal of wealth can be generated with real estate investing. You can create an income in any economy. You can create success for yourself using knowledge of real estate investing, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate. Knowing the basics of real estate investing will help you succeed as a real estate investor. Knowing some real estate investing basics (beyond what older gurus like Robert Allen teach) and applying them will help you succeed as a real estate investor.

Great real estate investing resources are available at RealEstate.BryanEllis.com.

There seems to be a lot of hype about Yoli, a product that’s still in its pre-launch stage. Shall we see what this business has and offers that makes it hog the limelight?

What’s Behind The Yoli Build-up?
Yoli means “to live” in Aztec. Launched by Robby Fender, Corey Citron, Rick Eisele, Daren Falter, Michael Prichard and Bobby Jones, Yoli is a dream business that’s aimed to reach the masses as a symbol of good living. This MLM business sells health drinks made up of nourishing natural ingredients. But the actual product sold here is the blast cap technology that’s supposed to retain the freshness of the ingredients and make best use of the nutrition content in them.

Yoli Blast Cap
Blast Caps are available in various styles. Other drinks lose most of their nutritional value because of their packaging; in Yoli drinks, the blast cap protects the essential nutrients by sealing them in. This way, the life of the products get extended; they are also handy to use while travelling. When the blast cap is fixed to a water bottle and uncorked, the contents get released into water without losing their nutritive value.

The Business
The company has been founded by veterans in the network marketing field and they’ve designed this business to be a distributor’s dream. There are lots of incentives for reps combined with good commission.
Sounds too good to be true? Let’s explore more to see if Yoli’s scam or straight.

Reasons To Go Yoli
-    The product has a distinct edge over others because of its Blast cap technology that not only helps protect the nutritional value, but also gives the drink a longer shelf life.
-     It’s easier to establish your business in a new company.
-    You could get a bottle of Yoli drink for just 3.99. Since the bottle is reusable and you just need to buy the blast cap for future refills, the product gets cheaper.
-    Yoli’s not a scam. It’s just an ambitious business launched with a view to revolutionise the network marketing field. However, dreams alone are not enough to make a ground-breaking find.

Challenges
-    This is a new business in a saturated field full of established veterans such as VEMMA, Freelife, AmeriSciences and Zrii. Loyal customers of these companies may not be willing to change to a new product.
-    In spite of the claims, there are no actual testimonials on the effect of the Yoli drink and the blast cap technique as of now.
-    Many join network marketing companies thinking they could get all their business done through people they know and referrals from them. This attitude has been the cause of failure of most reps to explode their MLM downline.

My View
The Yoli proposal seems to be a decent one, provided reps employ the right marketing techniques. This is the key to any successful MLM Opportunity. Use the internet to your best advantage to promote your business and get in touch with customers. Your business need not be limited to just friends and relatives; there’s a bigger market out there open to your products. Don’t draw limits to your trade.