november2008

Greetings!

We have a lot to be thankful during this coming week. We'll be talking about some of the challenges we all face with reality and why we should be thankful we have them. Plus, we'll discuss a few marketing thoughts and processes.

Can't read this email because you don't have your reader set to display HTML formatting? No problem, you can find the newsletter on virtualgalleriesonline.com.

Tight Economy

We have had lots of visitors - a good thing - to all of our ecommerce venues as well as our web sites. Unfortunately, the money is not flowing as well as one would hope. That is a marketing challenge.

Now, we are most thankful for those that are 'browsing' what we have to offer. Once that seed is planted, there is always hope they will remember what they liked and come back for a purchase later.

The challenge is the first impression the visitor perceives during reviewing our offerings. No retail sales person is present to 'talk' a visitor into a purchase, explain why what they are viewing would really look good in the den, office, or home environment. We rely 100% on the web site presentation.

We are thankful for the promotional efforts of our partners Art.com, Zazzle.com, PhotoStockPlus.com, and many others to come.

Marketing vs Selling

We chose this Thanksgiving theme because we want to develop a market for selling the idea of being thankful Thanksgiving Week.

Many folks think marketing is selling and vice versus. They are two distinctive entities though they are wed at the hip, is one thought. Marketing cannot exist without sales and sales cannot exist without marketing. Something of an oxymoron. Perhaps that is why many folks combine the two in their thought processes.

Marketing is about promotion, developing a reason why someone should think about spending their money for something they may or may not need at any given moment. Marketing is about figuring out why consumers behave the way they do and then filling a niche with proposed product.

Selling, on the other hand, is about selling the product that marketing developed. Because, without the product, you can't sell anything. Now, the key is about how good the product is and does it fit the lifestyle of the buyer? That's where a really good, moral, and ethical sales person comes in handy. The sales person's main goal is to convince the buyer the product is just right for him/her.

Marketing sets the tone. Sales executes the plan of the tone.

Sunset Promotions, Inc. to Get a Make Over

2009 is only five weeks into the future. Sometime during the first quarter of 2009, Sunset Promotions, Inc. will be changing its legal name to something more descriptive to what it actually represents. We're working on it now by passing our ideas onto our graphic designers and control groups for feedback.

We're tired of being categorized as part of the retirement communities that use the word "Sunset" to define what retirement is suppose to be. The "Sunset" years. Sunset originally came about because its owner is fond of photographing sunsets. Sunsets are suppose the be the gateway to the future. Only, it didn't quite work out that way. Where Sunset Promotions, Inc. is located, we not only have the retirement communities but also waste haulers of nearly the same name. It's time for a change.

All of us at Sunset Promotions, Inc. are thankful that we can embrace change as the beginning of a bright and fruitful future. We think of ourselves as a Marketing company. Technically, we don't sell anything. We charged that task off to our sister company, Partner Stores, Inc.

What's New?

Lots. Zazzle is our choice for lots of stuff to sell with our photographers' work imprinted. We also use Photo Stock Plus for a lot more stuff.

Now, the first question we get asked is why we have more then one site? Let's backup to the definition of Marketing. Marketing is about finding the markets where product can be sold. Not one of these selling places can be considered the panacea for all wins. Zazzle, for instance, has more selections that images can be placed upon, like US Postage Stamps. Zazzle also has frames that can be purchased with posters. Photo Stock Plus allows us to break down our photographers into individual galleries. Zazzle does not.

We continue to update virtualgalleriesonline with new

galleries. Each of the galleries is by what it represents. Like the US Postage Stamps, Post Cards, 2009 Calendars, and similar. We have many galleries that will be added in coming weeks.

We are thankful to our photographers Tom Najar, Chelsea Richer, Mike Bacon, Jennifer Rysdyk, Pam McDonald, Ken DeJonge, Crystal O'Mara, Keith Addison, David Chavez, Melanie Huber, Brian Love, Steve O'Toole, Adam Miedema, Rob C. Worth, Joseph Worth, and Rob M Worth, Jr. for being with us by providing really cool photography.

So, you're probably wondering who these photographers are and what they represent. I know each one of these photographers personally (a couple of them are related to me). It isn't easy getting on this list because I personally review a photographer's portfolio and decide if it is reflective of what the market might be interested in purchasing. Their bios are located at the Photo Stock Plus galleries. Click on their names to be taken directly there. Pam's photos are on her MySpace account as we are preparing her photos for inclusion in our marketing portfolio.

In a Tight Economy, Why Be Thankful?

I know there are a lot of people hurting right now for many reasons. Yet, for every hurt there is a silver lining. As a nation, we have FINALLY learned how to conserve rather then being wasteful. To this I say "Thank You".

More 'Green' is coming to help with the environment. While the Big 3 might go out of business, the silver lining is that as consumers we are demanding more fuel efficient vehicles that use less foreign petroleum products. We are learning to lead and practice our lives responsibly. To this we should all be thankful.

Now, if there were some way we could reign in Road Rage so that energy is channeled into more productive rather then destructive behavior. Let's be thankful that we have the ability to recognize Road Rage and not participate in it.

Let's be thankful that if we are looking for a better home that we do not have to pay inflationary prices for those homes.

Let's be thankful that as consumers, we sent a message to the various oil producing countries and speculators that we will not accept their dictums of price. As consumers, we have the right to send those messages by conserving our excesses. Let's be thankful that we have that right given to us by our creator.

Let's be thankful that we had the opportunity to express our desire for those who will lead our local, state, and national governments.

And, for those of us on Social Security, let's be thankful that it exists, especially in today's economic environment.

Let's be thankful for our families, friends, co-workers, customers, and everyone else we depend on to live our lives the best we can.

At this time, we are thankful to our Sponsors, Supporters, Family, and Friends. Below, we have their business logos presented to you. Visit their web sites, check them out, and then go see them. They have much to offer you for their products and services.

We are also thankful to all of our Affiliate Partners, a few of which are listed to the right. In return for us providing them with free advertising space, they will reward us a small commission whenever anyone makes an online purchase through one of these links. We've selected retailers that we believe will be the best for you this season.

Sincerely,

Rob Worth Jr
Sunset Promotions, Inc.
Partner Stores, Inc.
616.633.8992