How to Choose a Great Gift For Dad on Father's Day

With the Fathers Day barely a month away many of us are still hunting for gifts for Dad. For many of us choosing a present for Dad is a challenging and daunting task. After all, a Dad is a person who has provided us everything ever since we are born and still continue to support us in whatever way possible. The concept of giving Gifts to father or father like persons in our life like grandfather, step father, father in law, uncle or whoever is like a father to us on Father's Day is a wonderful way to express our gratitude for all the love and support they have given us.

We can never compensate for what our Fathers have done for us but the least we could do is express our gratitude. But what do we give a person who has given us everything in life? However, if we consider his personality, interests and hobbies coming up with a unique gift idea for Dad should not be difficult. Gifts like flowers may not be ideal when it comes to gifts for Dad but he may like manly gifts. If Dad likes fishing or golf, a fish rod or a golf kit would be appreciated by him. Similarly if Dad is someone who likes to be well groomed always gifts like sunglasses, cologne, cufflinks, ties, watch, wallet etc should work well. If Dad likes Gadgets then he should like latest gadgets. Gadgets like Apple iPods, Apple iPhone 3GS, Sony PSP, Garmin Hand held GPS, Blackberry Smart Phone, Digital Camera and Digital Camcorder etc are hot favorites with men. Men are also known to like Video games.

Everyone likes to be appreciated. So it is not wrong to say that a Dad would appreciate it too. Giving Dad a memento or trophy with the words 'Worlds Best Dad' or 'Number 1 Dad' would be a great idea. Similarly a Certificate with such words would not be a bad idea too. Some unique ideas can be writing a poem for him or buying him Lunar Real Estate or naming a star after him. When considering buying presents for father on father's day, birthday or any special day in his life, health options like health insurance policy or health club membership should work well too. In fact anything we know that Dad would like would be an ideal present for him. On second thoughts, I think for a father any gift given by a child would be special no matter how cheap or costly it is. It is the feelings with which we give the gifts make it special one.

On this Father's day which falls on the 3rd week of June (June 20th, 2010) let us take the opportunity to show how much we appreciate him not only by buying Gifts for Dad but also by spending some time with him talking to him and by giving him a warm hug too.

Anamika is an Expert on topics like Feng Shui, Relationships, Astrology, Hindu Mantras etc. Visit her Blog on Relationships and Dating for relationship advice on various issues.
http://relationships-love-marriage-articles.blogspot.com

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Can I Just Pretend I Really, Really Care About You and Send You an E-Card For Christmas?

This weekend, the missus and I wrapped up our shopping for family for the holidays. I have to say: "We were more thoughtful this year than any time previously..." (at least I thought so)

We really thought through the whole process and I am pumped by the stack of "stuff" sitting in our kitchen that needs to be wrapped.

It's about the relationship, right?

There are people you care about - people around whom you really want to build a history. It kind of parallels your deal making process.

Makes sense, right? You want to do business with people that you can stand being around. People you like.

That's about building a relationship. Not seasonal email torpedoing. But a consistent communication thread.

My inbox got me thinking....

How special would you feel if you were sent the following e-card from someone that you spent money with this year? I love the "We hope this communication is welcomed..." Makes me feel like you really remember who I am. And are you really giving me the option to unsubscribe from next year's seasonal greetings? You tell me. Maybe I am being picky. Now how about this one... Are you feeling the love?

I now have to click on a link to go a site to see all the Christmas warmth you can't wait to share with me... As if that isn't enough to do, there is the obligatory signature language informing me that I could be sued for mishandling the email you are sending me. WOW.... way too much baggage for me to do anything with. I just have to archive it...

These both ended up in my inbox (along with a tiresome few others...) and I just didn't have the energy to keep clicking through to link after link so I could get in the Christmas spirit. It kind of made it all feel like a "chore"...

Like maybe our relationship wasn't so important after all...Know what I mean? It gets you thinking. What's the logic behind this?

Who emerged from their marketing "bat-cave" with the fantabulous idea that impersonal seasonalized hyperlink creation was something that made customers feel like "you care"?

Was there a memo in the late '90s that I missed?

Two words: CALL ME...

I know I'm a little cranky when it comes to this stuff, but doesn't it seem a little dis-ingenuous? Even if you give the sender the "benefit of the doubt", you can't overlook the general lack of creativity. The fact remains that in the haste to have another "client touch", the marketer forgot to put himself in the recipient position.

Here's reality: No one really reads this stuff. (Not even your grandma who has unlimited Facebook time)

Maybe the first one you get (right after Thanksgiving), but right around the second week in December you are left with no other choice but massive select-and-archive. You even feel a little bad about it, but you justify if by telling yourself that if you have time, you'll dig them out later at home to look through.

And you never do... It's just not a high priority.

Without a relationship, you just avoid all the rest of the noise coming at you.

And certainly this mirrors a hunch I have had for some time now as I talk with C-level executives and ask about their behavior to inbound messaging. I decided to test my theory. About a week ago, I put a poll up on LinkedIn asking the following question:

"If relationships really do matter in sales, why don't we build better ones throughout our selling process?"

Here are the overall results:

* 40% stated that they didn't have enough access to the right people to build a great relationship...
* 10% noted that they tried to build good relationships but didn't know how to keep it up...
* 20% thought that it wasn't really a good use of their time... AND
* 30% admitted they weren't really sure how to build great relationships...

When you study this further, you see that ALL of the CEO's who responded to this question answered the same - that they had not developed this skill of long term relationship building.

Are you surprised? You might have thought that senior level executives had "schmoozing" all figured out. Maybe not. Maybe there's more to that cocktail parties and fast one-liners.

The numbers get more interesting when you look at the size of the companies responding. All of the big guys (who would have the biggest sales and marketing budgets) all noted that they didn't have access to the right people to build great relationships.

Essentially, the guys with the most advantages toward building the best relationships were the least likely to know how to get the right people. Interesting indeed.

When you look at the age for relationship building, it becomes even more significant. The young guys and old guys fall into the same category - limited access to the right executives. While the mid-life high-performers know the right people, but aren't really sure what to do to keep their attention.

Kind of what you would expect from life, right? You work hard to get somewhere; and then once you're there you push so far and fast ahead that you lose valuable ties to people who could be a valuable resource to you.

Young or old, big or small - we all need to work a little harder to keep our relationships strong. They are our lifeblood, our lifeline to accomplishing our life's mission.

So think about how you treat your relationships.

Are you asking friends to triple-click through your e-card nonsense, or are you bold enough to just say "Thank You" and mean it.

These days, Dan is partner in a private equity technology accelerator and a former technology CEO. He is an early-early-early adopter of game-changing technology. He blogs regularly on his motivational selling blog The DEW View! He is a husband to a cute gal named Sara and father to two energetic boys. He's just an ordinary dude who happens to have an outrageous vision. And he wants to change the world.

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Top 3 Unique and Unusual Vampire Costumes For Kids This Halloween

Vampire costumes for kids are probably one of the most popular costume choices for little ones each and every Halloween. So is there really a way to make sure your little blood thirsty vampire stands out from the crowd this Halloween? Of course there is.

You have no doubt noticed that vampires have become very popular these days. Thanks in part to television shows like The Vampire Diaries and True Blood and of course the hugely popular series of Twilight books, the popularity of vampire costumes is at an all time high.

So how do you find a costume that is different from the standard department store kids vampire costume? The answer is to find a costume that offers a bit more originality and has at least one interesting element that other costumes don't have.

For example, one of the most unique vampire costumes for kids that I have seen is a light-up costume that is really quite awesome. This kids costume comes with a black vest that has tiny red fiber-optic lights attached to it that look like dripping blood.

Not only would your child love to have light up blood dripping from their costume, but it is a wonderful safety feature too. Considering vampires are mostly dressed in black, this is a great way to make sure cars and other trick-or-treaters can easily see your child.

Another one of my favorite child's vampire costume is one that comes with a stake through the heart. A brown vinyl stake is attached to the shirt of the costume and it looks as though your little vampire has already been put out of his misery. A little bit of humor adds a unique appeal to this special costume and any little Dracula would be proud to wear it to the Halloween bash.

And don't forget that little girls can be blood sucking vampires too. The popular trend for girls this year seems to be a Gothic type of vampire (or Vampira) costume for female vampire fans. These costumes are quite elaborate and to be honest, are actually quite beautiful! Any little girl would feel like a real dark princess of the night in one of these fabulous costumes.

All of these vampire costumes for kids have one thing in common. They are really cool, very affordable and will help your child fulfill their fantasy of becoming one of the un-dead if only for one night.

So don't settle for an ordinary and boring costume this year - get one of these unique and unusual vampire costumes for kids! Check out these bestselling vampire costumes and you'll see how easy (and cheap) it is for your child to look amazing this Halloween.

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