9 Ways To Turn Old Blog Posts Into New Content Ideas

9 Ways To Turn Old Blog Posts Into New Content Ideas Ever play 20 questions? This is like that. Just with fewer questions. If you’ve written a blog post, something must have inspired you to do it- love of the topic. Looming deadline. Desire to grow traffic. It could be anything. Have you really poked and prodded those old posts, though, and seen if there was more you could squeeze out of them? Much of the time we write a post and think, â€Å"There, I wrote about that topic. Done!† and move on to looking for a new idea. We talk a lot about reworking and repurposing content, but maybe you need a mechanism to help prompt you to see your old blog posts in a new light. Find your favorite blog posts, and let’s go through some questions about them. Time to kick off the dust and see what new content ideas are lurking in your old blog posts. 9 Ways To Create Outstanding New Content From Old Posts via @JulieNeidlinger Question #1: Was Your Post A  Good Idea? You may have loved writing the post, but did it get the traffic and traction you’d hoped for? Did people comment and share it on social media? Are you looking at your dashboard and seeing dismal stats? If the post seems to have bombed, it doesn’t mean the topic was bad, but that your idea was the wrong approach. Or, it might mean that your traffic back when you wrote the post was smaller than it is now, and your new audience might not even know it exists. If a post bombed, there is a lot to learn from it for new content ideas. #bloggingtipsAnswer: Yes, it was. People loved it. Perhaps your post was highly successful in all the usual measurements, getting: High traffic Lots of social shares Plenty of social proof Active comments section Several bloggers linking in from their own blog posts If that’s the case, good job. But keep reading this post. You're still not done with that idea even if your initial post was successful the first go-around. Action: Go to the next question. Answer: No, it really wasn’t. If your post just didn’t seem to work the first time around, great news: Not that many people apparently saw it! You can rework the post entirely, and bring that topic of the pile. For those readers who might stumble on your old post, use a 301 redirect (not a canonical redirect, which is for search engines) to send your readers to the new one. You keep whatever traffic that old one may have received and funnel it to the new post. If you’re worried about using a 301 redirect, don’t be. It isn’t going to hurt you very much. According to Google’s Matt Cutts, you’ll lose only a â€Å"tiny little bit† if you use this technique. Don’t dwell on the old post. Point people to the new content you’re about to create. Action: Move on to question #2. Question #2: Do You Have More You Want To Say? As much as you may have written in that first post, are you dying to talk more about it? I know I have my favorite topics that I like to write about, and each time I sit down to write about them, new ideas pop into my head. Often, we can talk about a topic repeatedly because: There are changes or updates that affect the original take on the topic. You’ve learned some additional information. You’ve changed your mind. Reader feedback has made it clear you need to flesh out more of the topic. You feel like you just want to write more, or could say it differently. Take a look at your favorite posts, especially your older posts. Do these five criteria fit? Answer: Yes, I could definitely talk more about it. This is the best place to be. Not only do you have a foundational post to refer to when you write about that same topic, but you also have reader feedback and reaction to respond and refer to as well. Action: Move on to the next question, or write the new post. Answer: No, I’m done talking about it. If you feel like you’ve written the pants off of that topic, you probably won’t get much more out of trying now. I’d encourage you to use your editorial calendar, though, and add a note in six months or a year to revisit that old post. You might have more to say about it then, even if only to point out how that topic hasn’t changed for you. Action: Add a note to your calendar, and see question #9. Question #3: Is It A  Topic That Readers Could Benefit From More Coverage? Whether you want to write more on it or not, your readers may need you to. You’ll know if readers want more coverage by how and what they’re saying on social media (in response to that post) or in the blog comments section. Answer: Yes, readers seem to want to know more. More than once we’ve written blog posts that respond directly to comments readers have made on this blog. Comments that lend well to additional blog posts follow a general pattern. I don’t understand. I disagree, and here’s why. I don’t think this would work for me. Here’s my specific situation. Would this work for me? This is so helpful. I especially like the part about _____. New blog posts on that topic will explain what readers didn’t understand. They might show how to use an idea in several real-world scenarios so readers can identify better with how it applies to them. And, when someone picks out a part they really like...that’s a gold mine. Go into more detail. Action: Move on to the next question, or write the new post. Contact readers directly (like I did for this post) and ask them more questions about their comments to get even more ideas. Answer: No, there isn’t much interest. If people didn’t share the post much and readers didn’t seem to respond much, or only responded â€Å"great post!† it’s time to reconsider the original idea. Action: Head back to question #1. Question #4: Could You Write About It In A  Different Style? There are two styles at work in every post: your writing style, and your readers' learning styles. This provides you a huge variety of ways to write blog posts based on the same ideas. You may prefer to write in the style(s) of: Teacher Insider Outsider Expert Newbie Observer Cryptographer Convincer Your reader may prefer content that fits their propensity for: Visual learning Numbers and data Lots of text Social references (quotes, links, etc.) Action: Write the post or head on to the next question. Answer: Yes, I could mix it up a bit. You’ll naturally have one you prefer to write as, but you can force yourself to take a different style. Take your topic idea. Choose a different writing style. Wrap your head around what that will sound like. Then choose a learning style. For example, you may write as if you were a newbie relying on lots of text. The next time, you might write as an expert using lots of data. Action: Move on to the next question, or write the new post. Answer: No, I really prefer to write in my strengths. You know what? That’s perfectly fine. Writing is enough work without writing in weaknesses. If you don’t think you can write about the topic from a different approach, don’t worry about it. You have every right to maintain a consistent tone and style on your blog. Action: Move to question #7. Question #5: Could You Re-Edit It And Clean It Up? Sometimes those older posts are pretty good structurally, but they need some cleaning up. This is especially true for those massive lists of links that are such great attention-getters (â€Å"100 Best Apps For Finding Great Restaurants!†) but that age poorly. Answer: Yes, with some clean-up that post is still viable. When it comes to cleaning up a post, your focus should be on: Improving writing and grammar. (Yes, you’ve gotten better as a writer since then.) Finding and removing or replacing dead links. Updating references and data to reflect the current state of affairs. (e.g. â€Å"guest blog like crazy!† to â€Å"Matt Cutts said guest blogging is dead!†) Redoing images to fit a more current look. Remove any that might be guilty of copyright infringement. Canva and other free blog graphics tools might not have been around when you wrote the original, but they are  now! Adding expertise you’ve gained since you wrote the original post. You could rewrite the post but keep it similar in approach. Or, you could reference that old post and talk about how things have changed since then. Action: Clean up that old post, repackage it for now, and publish it new. Use a 301 redirect if the posts are highly similar. Move on to the next question. Answer: No, that post is a dog and no cleanup will help. Fair enough. Action: If the post is really bad, use the 301 redirect technique of question #1 to point it to a newer and related post on your blog (if you have one). Move on to question #9. Question #6: Could You Break It Into Pieces? If you’re doing long form posts, especially, you probably have a lot of content there that you couldn’t go into the greatest detail because, you know, 3,000 words. Breaking your original blog post into pieces means you can do that deep dive and turn one blog post into five. Answer: Yes, I could go into more detail. By breaking your blog post into detailed parts, you have the potential for creating a powerful series of content. That can be used in email autoresponder courses to help generate email sign-ups. It can be used as an ebook later. Hopefully you used a good outline and headings, because that will help in breaking up your post logically. Headings: Your headings and subheadings might be the basis for an expandable blog post. Numbered items: Your numbered items within that body content might be the basis for a list post. Questions: If you write and use questions in your body copy, find them. Can answering those questions be a post of its  own? Data: Any place you have data, charts, case study information, etc. is  a possible opportunity to expand and explain how and why. In long posts, data is often used as a proof. Going into detail is when you explain how you arrived at that data in the first place. Action: Write your new posts or head on to the next question. Answer: No, I don’t have any more detail to share. Perhaps the post was poorly structured, rambled, or carried all the detail you could possibly extract on the subject. Either way, it doesn’t seem a fit candidate for divvying up into smaller parts. Action: Move on to question #9. Question #7: Could You Write About The Post Itself? We all like a little behind the scenes. If you have a post that was successful or got a lot of buzz, would you be willing to talk about that experience? This is particularly valuable if you are in the content marketing niche. Other content marketers like to find out how you create your content. Answer: Heck yes, I’d love to share the experience. Pulling back the curtain to reveal what happened behind the scenes of a popular old post makes for a great story. In this type of approach, you’ll reveal: Your ideation, writing, and editing process. Social, comment, and direct email responses from readers (generalized, to protect their privacy). The struggles, laughs, and raging deadlines you had. Your reaction when the post became popular. What you learned from the experience. The last one, summarizing what you learned, is a very popular blog post approach. How many headlines have you seen that say â€Å"I did ____ and this is what I learned.† Action: Write the post, or move on to the next question. Answer: No. I don’t think anyone would care. I have just the site for you: Click here. Even if you don’t have a viral post or some massive 8th Wonder Of The Blogging World, your readers are probably still curious about how you work. But, if you insist no one would be interested, OK. Action: Move on to question #9. Question #8: Could You Rewrite It As A  Guest Post? You’ve done the research and the work. Why wouldn’t you extend it as a guest post? Guest blogging is still a fantastic way to take your content and get it in front of new readers. Answer: Yes, I’m into guest posts and this would work. The first thing you have to do is make certain that what you will be writing will fit the host blog’s guidelines. If they want only previously unpublished posts, you’ll need to rework it significantly so that your old post is not the same as the new one. Secondly, you’ll want to write your guest post to fit the host blog’s audience. It might not be the exact same as yours as far as their learning style or how the host blog wants posts written. Action: Write the post by reviewing question #6. Or, move on to the next question. Answer: No, I don’t do guest posts. That’s fine. Not everyone does. Action: Move on to question #9. Question #9: Can You Turn It Into A  Different Format Entirely? If you absolutely cannot write on a topic again, you’re still not off the hook. It’s now time to repurpose your blog posts. You have reached the point where you need to see your written content as visual content, or send it elsewhere to keep doing some work for you. This means you’ll take your blog post and turn it into: Infographics Slide decks Social sharing graphics Videos Podcasts Ebooks Webinars Syndication Email autoresponder course Printable worksheets That list is by no means definitive. There are many ways to repurpose content forms. Answer: Yes, this post would work well in a different format. Each blog post has an ideal repurposed format, depending on the type of post it is. We’ve identified 10 easy blog post approaches in the past, but there are so many more. Data: Blog posts with lots of data will do well as infographics, ebooks, and slide decks. How-to: Blog posts that are written as how-to posts will do well as videos, slide decks, webinars, email courses, and ebooks. Interviews: Blog posts that are interviews will do well as social graphics, with the best quotes pulled from the post for each graphic you create. If you can get the original interviewee back, a podcast would work, too. Lists: Blog posts that are lists do well as social graphics if the list items are memorable (one item per graphic). They also make great slide decks. Case studies: Case studies are great topics of conversation in a podcast or video. Stories: Blog posts heavy on narrative and â€Å"what I learned† work well as podcasts, ebooks, and videos. Reviews: Blog posts that review products or services often have a shorter shelf life and aren’t as evergreen. Used quickly enough while still relevant, they make a great video (especially if you demo the product). Updates on an earlier review are always possible. Checklists: These types of blog posts work well with ebooks, infographics, and worksheets. See what you can make of your post. By creating these alternate forms of your written content, you’re pointing people back to the original post in a new way. Answer: No, I’m done. Time to get started brainstorming and find brand new ideas. You’ve worn out the idea and squeezed the last drop of content out of it. Good job! Don't forget to get your own map of these questions to simply

20 Synonyms for Excuse

20 Synonyms for Excuse 20 Synonyms for Excuse 20 Synonyms for Excuse By Mark Nichol The sentiment behind the verb excuse can be expressed in many ways, whether the sense is of â€Å"remove blame from† or â€Å"stop blaming† (or even, in many cases, â€Å"deflect attention from blame†). Here are twenty words and phrases that will serve, along with their pertinent meanings. 1. absolve: free from guilt or responsibility 2. acquit: discharge from accusation or obligation; also, perform satisfactorily (as in the statement â€Å"I am certain that he will acquit himself well†) 3. blink at: approve of something wrong or allow something wrong to continue 4. brush aside: ignore or disregard something that is wrong 5. clear: free from accusation or blame (usually, in reference to someone clearing one’s name, or establishing one’s innocence) 6. close one’s eyes to: see â€Å"blink at† 7. condone: see â€Å"blink at† 8. discount: minimize the importance of something 9. dismiss: reject the importance of something, or formally act to excuse, as when criminal charges are dismissed 10. exculpate: prove not guilty 11. exonerate: see exculpate 12. forgive: stop blaming, or excuse someone’s transgression 13. gloss over: treat as not important 14. overlook: see â€Å"blink at† 15. paper over: see â€Å"blink at† (also means â€Å"hide†) 16. pardon: see absolve 17. shrug off: see â€Å"blink at† 18. vindicate: show that someone is not guilty (also means â€Å"validate or confirm something criticized or doubted†) 19. wave off: see â€Å"blink at† 20. wink at: see â€Å"blink at† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Is Irony? (With Examples)7 Tips for Writing a Film Review40 Synonyms for Praise

What disparity is there between defendants outcomes when you retain a Essay

What disparity is there between defendants outcomes when you retain a private attorney versus a public defender in a criminal trial - Essay Example While the presiding judge’s job is to ensure that the prosecution presents the case in a manner which is consistent with the law he is under no duty to ensure that council for either side is competent. As a result representation of a defendant at trial is very important if the defendant is going to benefit from a trial of the issues. It is important to remember that not all criminal trials involve jurors and not all parts of a jury trial require the jurors to remain a part of the proceedings. In Powell v Alabama Justice Sutherland explained the absolute requirement for legal representation at a criminal trial. He said that ‘the right to be heard would be, in many cases, of little avail if it did not comprehend the right to be heard by counsel. Even the intelligent and educated layman has small and sometimes no skill in the science of law. If charged with crimes, he is incapable, generally, of determining for himself whether the indictment is good or bad. He is unfamiliar with the rules of evidence. Left without the aid of counsel he may be put on trial without a proper charge, and convicted upon incompetent evidence, or evidence irrelevant to the issue or otherwise inadmissible. He lacks both the skill and knowledge adequately to prepare his defense, even though he have a perfect one. He requires the guiding hand of counsel at every step in the proceedings against him. Without it, though he be not guilty, he faces the danger of conviction because he does not know h ow to establish his innocence.’ (Powell v Alabama 287 U.S. 45 (1932)) In delivering the judgment for the court, Justice Sutherland went on to explain that in the event a defendant is charged with a capital offense and could not afford to retain council the court had a residual duty to appoint council for the defendant. Failing to appoint council was tantamount to a denial of the right to due process of law under the fourteenth Amendment to the

How do you create a truly customer-centric islamic financial Essay

How do you create a truly customer-centric islamic financial institution - Essay Example More particularly, in case of retail banking range of bank networks, size is an important factor, in which they are seen to suffer heavily (Presley, 2013). Figure 1 Source: (Garbois et al., 2012) Therefore, the Islamic banks should focus on these two areas; firstly on other channels like phone banking and online banking in order to increase market share. Secondly, the Islamic banks should also look for establishing alternative branch model depending on the needs of the customers. The alternative branch model also offers other advantages like reduction in operating cost, set-up time and capital investment. When the Islamic banks are competing with the conventional banks, it signifies that they are attracting the customers, who give less significance to the Sharia compliance while conducting their financial deals and more importance is given to the efficient services and products that are offered by the banking market in large (Anon, 2010). The three key elements that are most importan t while targeting the right customers segment are; firstly, is the identification of the customers segment that is least open to the Islamic banks for their financial purposes. This step leads to identification of the exclusion. ... Designing strategies to attract these customers can make the Islamic banks much more competent to face the competition from the conventional banks. In order to achieve this objective, the banks need to identify broader set of customer’s requirement and remain at par with the conventional banks in regards to pricing and ease of use. In this context, product innovation should be given paramount importance. There are some products that can be offered in the new Islamic banking structure that are not in compliance with the Sharia law like the hedge fund, which are for the high net worth individuals and derivatives, that are for the corporate clients. Some Islamic banks are now seen to offer derivative products by going against the compliance law (Bock, 2010). Top tips for creating and maintaining a customer-centric organisation In order to create a customer centric image, the organization needs to emphasize on the environmental and social efforts and apart from these, ethical valu es should also be given importance. In order to incorporate those in the Islamic banks, the employees should be educated about the Islamic bank structure and products. Customers play a very important role in generating revenue and sales for the organization, whether it is financial or any non-financial institution. Studies have shown that customer focus is very low in Islamic banks. Therefore, in order to increase the revenue, customer satisfaction should be the top priority. Following should be done in order to focus on the customers: Whenever dealing with any product, the salesperson needs to be very well aware of the product and services they are offering. This awareness is seen to

Nostra Aetate Essay Example for Free

Nostra Aetate Essay 1. What contemporary reasons would cause mankind to draw â€Å"closer together† and to strengthen â€Å"the ties between different peoples†? (2) Culture, common beliefs, sports, births, deaths, celebration, tragedy, reunions, weddings, music and war are all contemporary reasons that would cause mankind to draw closer together. Regardless of age or gender, one can still love a sport. When Steve Jobs passed away, the world mourned. Though tragic, death can bring many people together and teach them not to take everything for granted. Also, recently, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton brought together many people all across the world – everyone was watching. Of course, war. Though war isn’t really recent, when soldiers died for Canada, people were brought together at the time, they were safer, closer in numbers. Also, protests bring people together to fight for a common belief. In this sense, all the reasons that bring people together and strengthen the ties together are because EVERONE has been affected. When something happens and EVERYONE is affected, it causes people to come closer together. 2. According to the Church, what three things draw people to fellowship? (3) i) â€Å"One is the community of all peoples, one their origin for God made the whole humans race to live over the face of the earth.† Basically, we are all human, and our origin is God, and we all share and live on the Earth together. ii) â€Å"One also is their final goal, God. His providence, His manifestations of goodness, His saving design to extend to all men.† – This means that the final goal of mankind is to reach God through Salvation, and that He will be our Saviour. ii) â€Å"Until that time when the elect will be united in the Holy City, the City ablaze with the glory of God where the nations will walk in His Light.† – That this glorious city of God, heaven will come to the people who are good. These are the three reasons that draw people to fellowship. 3. List the questions that are examined by all religions. What is the basis of the universal need to recognize a Supreme Being? (3) Some common questions that are examined by all religions are: What is man?

Tennessee Williams: One of the Greatest and Most Controversial Playwrig

Tennessee Williams was known as one of the greatest and most controversial playwrights in American history. He once said â€Å"I believe that writing or any form of creative work was never meant by nature to be a man’s way of making a living, that when it becomes one it almost certainly loses a measure of purity† (Lewis 54). This statement shows that Williams was a genuine writer who wrote with finesse. He used his plays and poems to express his own thoughts and did not stifle an idea because the public would not agree with it. Williams was known for his Southern Gothic writing style. This is â€Å"a style of writing practiced by many writers of the American South whose stories set in that region are characterized by grotesque, macabre, or fantastic incidents† (â€Å"Southern gothic†). Some critics believe that Williams had sacrificed his talent to prosper in wealth; however, other critics believe his writings were original works of art. When Williamsâ₠¬â„¢ lover Frank Merlo died, he became very despondent and his writing began to languish. His plays were becoming less and less desirable and the amount of time each was on Broadway was decreasing little by little. Williams’ beginning writings were works of art, but they became predictable as time went on. Although he did use a lot of recurring themes and symbols, each individual piece had a life and moral value of its’ own. Williams was born March 26, 1911. His mother and father were Edwina and Cornelius Williams respectively. His mother was the divine essence of a southern belle whose main focus was being of high social standards. His father was a besotted shoe salesman who would later be claimed as the reason for Williams’ homosexuality. Williams’ siblings include Rose and Dakin Williams. It is ... ...odreads Inc, 2007. Web. 31 Mar. 2012. . Shmoop Editorial Team. "Tennessee Williams Awards" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. Smith, Nicole. "The Tragic Figure of Laura in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams." Article Myriad. Article Myriad, 6 Dec. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . "Southern gothic." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . Print. "Tennessee Williams." - Quotes, Biography, Quote, Works, Festival, Poetry, Poems, Bio, Writing Style, Autobiography, Bibliography. N. p. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .

Eprecision Manufacturing Company Essay

In a recent staff meeting, John Winkleman, president of ePrecision Manufacturing Company, addressed his managers with this problem: Intense competitive pressure is beginning to erode our market share in handhelds. I have documented 11 large orders that have been lost to Beckman and Wiston within the past three months. On an annual basis this amounts to nearly 10,000 units and $1.5 million in lost opportunities. Within the last 18 months, at least 16 serious competitors have entered the market. Two thirds of these DMMs have continuity indicators. The trend is the same for European and Japanese markets as well. Our sales of handheld DMMs in fiscal year 20_1 is forecast to grow only 1.7 percent. According to Dataquest projections, the handheld DMM market will grow 20.9 percent for the next five years. I think that figure is conservative. Our competitors are gaining attention and sales with added features, particularly at the present time with continuity indicators. Since a new el’recision general-purpose, low-cost handheld is two years from introduction, it is important that something be done to retain the profitable position of market leader in our traditional direct and distributor channels. Next meeting I want s?me ideas. The ePrecision Manufacturing Company is a major electronics manufacturer in the Northwest of USA, producing many varied products. The three products that most concern Mr. Winkleman are the Series A handheld digital multi meters (DMMs). As an innovator in the field of handheld DMMS, Mr. Winkleman saw his business flourish over the last two years. But now, with his three most successful products in late stages of maturity and a recession in _ full swing, times are not looking as rosy. The three multimeters of concern are model numbers 1010, 1020, and 1030. These three models form a complementary family line. The 1010 is a low-cost unit containing all standard measurement functions and having a basic measurement accuracy of .5 percent. The 1020 offers identical measurement functions but has an improved basic measurement accuracy of .1 percent. The top of the line is the 1030. In addition to a basic accuracy of .1 percent, the 1030 offers several additional features, one being an audible continuity indicator. (See Exhibit 1 for sales and projected sales of these three models.) EXHIBIT 1 Selected sales and projections Model 1020 1010 1030 Total FY 20 0 actual 67,534 37,455 25,602 130,591 (number of units) What we need is a face-lift of our existing product line to hold us over the next two years. Changes in color, a new decal, some minor case modifications, and most important an audible continuity indicator in the 1010 and 1020 should give us two more years of product life to tide us over. We can call this Series B to retain continuity in switching from the old to the new. As my analysis indicates, ePrecision’s decline in 101011020 sales could be reversed and show a modest increase in market share over the next two years with the inclusion of the Series B features [see Exhibit 2]. Discussions with large-order customers indicate that ePrecision could have won 40-60 percent of the lost large orders that were mentioned at our last meeting if our entire handheld family featured audible continuity. As you well know, the popularity of continuity indication has been confirmed in several other studies conducted over the past two years. An estimate of sales of Series B has been generated from inputs from field sales, distribution managers, and discussions with customers. Conservative estimates indicate that sales of Series B will increase 6.9 percent above current Series A levels, with a marginal revenue increase of $1.5 million at Us. list, and assuming the same list prices as the current Series A models. * Dollars During this current period of tight economic conditions, the market is becoming increasingly price sensitive. I am aware that our normal policy dictates multiplying the factory cost by three for pricing purposes and that the added factory cost of an audible continuity indicator is $5.00,. but for income purposes we should not tack this on to the current prices. My analysis indicates that an increase of $5.00 would reduce incremental sales by 20 percent, and an increase of $10.00 would reduce incremental sales by 80 percent. JR1024 EXHIBIT 3 Engineering Costs and Schedule The objectives for Series B, Models 1010, 1020, and 1030, are: †¢ All case parts moulded in medium grey †¢ New decal for all units †¢ Pulse-stretched beeper for 1010 and 1020 †¢ Rubber foot on battery door †¢ Positionable bail †¢ Manuals updated as necessary For these objectives, NRE costs will be: Manual (updated schematics for 1010, 1020, along with instructions for operation of beeper; model number and front panel changes for all units) Battery door mould (add three units) Battery door foot die Decal Bail improvement Photo lab PCB fab (prototypes) Engineering labour (25 person-weeks) Also remember that we must pay for some nonrecurring engineering costs (NRE) [see Exhibit 3]. These must come out of our contribution margin-which at el’recision is calculated by taking the total dollar sales less the 28 percent discount to distributors less factory cost for those units. I believe that increasing these prices will reduce our margins significantly, hindering our ability to cover the NRE, let alone make a profit. Therefore I propose we go ahead with Series B and hold the line on prices. Dennis Cambelot, a longtime ePrecision employee, spoke up with a comment on Dave’s proposal: Dave, I think this Series B idea shows a lot of potential, but pricewise you are way out of line. We have always added the standard markup to our products. We make quality products, and people are willing to pay for quality. The only thing your fancy MB.A. degree taught you was to be impractical. If you had gotten your experience in the trenches like me, your pricing theories would not be so conservative, and this company could make more money. At the close of the meeting, Mr. Winkleman asked that each manager consider the Series B proposal. He directed that this consideration include: (1) whether or not to adopt the B series; (2) if yes, at what price level; (3) alternative suggestions.