International romance is no longer something people or newspapers are interested in talking about; it’s kind of ordinary. Every day thousands people are chatting to somebody overseas via online dating sites. If you ever grow tired of your local dating market, you can always explore new global markets where you can score more!

The demographics of a particular country may provide an exciting opportunity for you to meet a partner of better quality than is available for you at home.

Men to women ratio differ dramatically between countries.

For example, latest figures from The Economist show that in United Arab Emirates there are 186 males for 100 females! It’s clear competition for eligible females should be stiff there.

The lowest men to women ratios are in Eastern Europe, with countries like Russia and Ukraine having only 88 males to 100 females. There situation is exactly opposite way around: eligible bachelors are more precious than gold.

The latest Russian census provided astounding figures of 10 million more women than men!

No wonders modern Russian women utilize global markets and seek love and romance elsewhere!

So if you were a single male, exploring your dating options in Russia would make perfect sense.

Global markets not only influence economy on a wide scale; they also affect people’s personal lives.

One can choose to be a passive element of globalization, or an active user of new exciting opportunities offered by it.

What is YOUR place in global markets?

1.Is this best use of my marketing dollars? 2.What message do I want others to get about products and services I provide? 3.How might I leverage a “free” offer into revenue for my business?

Once you’ve decided to offer a product or service as a raffle, here are some tips for ensuring success:

1.Choose event and what you will offer wisely. If people attending are not part of your target market, your name will fall on deaf ears. 2.Offer a product or service that won’t put you in poor house when it comes time to make good on that prize. Yes, some people will take “free” prize and never return, so don’t over-commit on what you can afford to offer. Offer something that’s not a one-shot deal so you have an opportunity for repeat business. 3.Whether you’ve donated a product or service, make it a point to attend raffle event and introduce yourself to prizewinner. Make it personal. 4.Assume that prizewinner will pay for your product or service next time if they have a solid, quality experience this time. At very least, you want them to tell others how great that experience was. 5.Ask questions and share information with them about other products or services you provide. They may not need one you raffled again, but what else might they need that you offer? 6.Listen. I mean, really listen. If they say they need a reminder from you to use your product or service again, offer it! 7.Ask for another appointment, another order, or a referral before they leave. 8.Follow up with prizewinner next day or week to see how product or service is working for them. 9.Ask for referrals, again. 10.Ask prizewinner to contact raffle coordinator and share their positive experience about your product or service. If you’ve donated to a monthly or weekly event, you’ll get a second round of exposure when prizewinner provides a testimonial about you. If it’s an annual or one-time event, you might get a listing in next newsletter or marketing communication to that group.

Donating a raffle prize can be a key component to your marketing strategy with minimal expense and risk. Following 10 points above will keep you focused on leveraging those marketing dollars and reducing that risk. As for me, if anyone knows of a good stylist, I’m still looking…