How to Win Competitions: Everything You Need to Know to Win a Fortune
2008
How to Win Competitions: Everything You Need to Know to Win a Fortune
2008eBook
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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781741764246 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Allen & Unwin Pty., Limited |
| Publication date: | 07/01/2008 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 2008 |
| File size: | 560 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
How to Win Competitions
Everything you need to know to WIN a fortune
By Sherry Sjolander
Allen & Unwin
Copyright © 2008 Sherry SjolanderAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-74176-424-6
CHAPTER 1
GETTING STARTED
'I started comping because being home with two kids is beautiful, but not exactly intellectually stimulating. I wanted other grown ups to talk to, plus winning was an attractive proposition. I keep doing it for the wins and to have some goodies I could not otherwise afford, and the friendships ...'
— Tabitha
Now you've read about the benefits of comping, let's get your new hobby underway. This chapter will fill you in on all you need to know to start entering and enjoying competitions.
Probably, the first decision you'll need to make is whether to comp alone or join what is known as a 'comping club' or group. You don't need to be a social person to join a comping club and there are advantages to being with people who share your newfound hobby. Comping clubs are very much like any other hobby group. They are social clubs where people who comp can get together to share information, tips and tricks, learn how other members comp, ask questions and make new friends. There are two types of groups: Internet based and those where members meet in person on a regular basis.
Online groups
Online groups are the largest type of comping club. They often have thousands of members from all over Australia. To find one of these clubs, do an Internet search for 'Australian competitions'. There are three or four major online comping clubs in Australia and this search term will place them all on the front page of the results for you. The benefits of Internet clubs include:
Finding competitions
It takes considerable time to find competitions you can enter. Online comping clubs do the work for you and list all available competitions.
Finding entry forms and products
It can sometimes be difficult to find entry forms for store competitions, because other people may have taken them all or your local store hasn't received their supply. Online clubs have this problem covered by offering an entry form swap service. A swap service allows members to ask other members for entry forms which are then sent between parties through the mail. The most it will cost you is a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Although comping is competitive by definition, club members can be generous in helping others. If other members do not have any spare entry forms to send you, they may know where to obtain them in your area. They may also know which stores are stocking the different products needed to enter various competitions. This will save you ringing or driving around your area looking for what you need.
Getting all the answers
Many magazines such as That's Life!, Take 5, New Idea and Woman's Day require you to solve puzzles in order to enter their regular competitions. If you love these types of competitions but are short on time, members of online clubs post the answers on the forum which you can copy directly onto your entry form. Although posted in good faith, answers are not guaranteed to be correct. Other members will point out any errors though. If you enjoy doing crosswords such as those found in Lovatts, club members are a valuable resource for helping you solve the trickier clues.
Sorting
Online comping clubs also sort all the competitions into categories. This makes life easier if you are only interested in certain types of competitions or are just focusing on one particular type of competition for that day, such as store competitions. Some clubs allow you to sort by prize as well so if your only goal is to win a car, you can filter out competitions that don't offer a car as a prize.
Keeping track of entries
It is probable that once you start comping you will enter hundreds of competitions every week. Trying to keep track of what you have and haven't entered can be tedious. Many competitions only allow one entry per person and you may breach the terms and conditions if you forget your previous entry and enter a second time. Some online clubs offer record-keeping software which saves you a lot of time and effort. The software allows you to tick off which competitions you have already entered, which ones you are not interested in and those you would like to have a second look at later.
Local groups
If you don't have a computer or do not wish to join an online club, joining a local group could be a good option. These groups meet in person on a regular basis and provide an entry form swap service and usually a newsletter letting you know about current competitions. Look in the classifieds section of your local newspaper to see if there are any groups near you. If not, you could start your own group. You may like to have friends and family as your initial members. Once you have four or five people, place an advertisement in the local paper, put flyers on bulletin boards or do a letterbox drop to encourage people to join. As the founding member, you will initially be responsible for the newsletter members receive, finding entry forms for people to get them started and of course, finding competitions for everyone to enter. Once your group has had their first few meetings, you can start allocating these activities to other members so everyone becomes involved.
Going solo
You may not benefit from joining a club if you only want to enter specific types of competitions and are already in a routine for finding and entering them. However, if you want to start comping to make friends and enjoy the social aspect of the hobby then a group is for you. It is worth considering that solo compers rarely win as much as those who are members of a club.
Allocating a budget
Whether you decide to comp alone or as part of a group, there are plenty of things to spend money on when it comes to comping. These include the items listed below.
Magazines, newspapers and puzzle books
Depending on what you choose to enter, you could spend up to $20 per week buying these. Some magazines and puzzle books are released monthly or quarterly and you may need to allocate a monthly amount to spend on them.
Qualifiers
These are the products you need to purchase in order to enter some competitions (usually store competitions). You can identify these types of competitions because the information relating to them usually starts with the words 'In order to enter, simply purchase XYZ at participating stores ...'
Qualifiers range from a can of fly spray through to a stereo system for your car. The cost may be anything from $2 for an air freshener to several thousand dollars to have an airconditioner installed in your home.
Pay TV
Many channels on pay TV run competitions you can enter from your television screen using the remote control. You will be charged for these entries.
Mobile phone
You will need a mobile phone if you want to enter competitions that have SMS entry only. Entries into these competitions are charged at a premium rate which costs 55 cents per message at the time of writing.
Stamps and envelopes
Depending on how many mail-in competitions you enter, you can expect to spend between $5 and $20 per week on stamps. Don't forget to factor in the cost of envelopes, too.
Telephone
Many competitions can be entered over the phone by dialling a 1900 number. If you put in just one entry for each of these competitions, it will cost approximately $10 to $15 per week, which is added to your telephone bill. Calls to 1900 competition lines cost 55 cents at the time of writing.
Internet access
The ideal Internet package for comping would be broadband access with unlimited downloads. Many websites running competitions have a lot of graphics which may slow down a dial-up user. These sites can also use a lot of your download allocation, so a plan without restrictions is recommended. However, many compers have dial-up with an upper limit on downloads and don't experience too many problems.
If you are just starting out and trying to decide what to spend your money on, I'd recommend: magazines; qualifiers; Internet access; stamps and envelopes. If you don't already own a mobile phone, it's not worth buying one just to comp with as most competitions have more than one entry method. Most pay TV channels that run competitions also have a companion website where you can enter for free, so subscribing just for the competitions is unnecessary.
How to spend your budget
Now you know what it's possible to spend your money on, let's look at what is realistic.
When you first start comping, you enter every competition you see. However, you soon learn where best to direct your money and energy and start to remove some types of competitions from your routine. If you are not on a budget then this won't be an issue for you, but you still need to make a decision on how much you will spend. Time and energy also needs to be taken into consideration. Set yourself limits on how much you will spend on:
• Qualifiers. If the answer is 'any amount', then set limits on how many of those items you will buy for how many entries. It is pointless spending $300 to win a prize that is only worth $300 unless it's an item that you couldn't reasonably purchase yourself.
• stamps and stationery each week
• 1900 phone calls each week
• SMS entries each week
• Magazines per week and month. Decide on what is value for money for you and what you would also enjoy reading.
Once you have decided on your limits, try sticking to these for six months. When you are new to comping, you won't have much idea of which types of competitions you are good at winning. You need to allow time for winning patterns to emerge. You can then increase your budget in certain areas, in line with where your wins are coming from, and decrease it in other areas that appear unproductive for you.
Tips for entering cheaply
If you are on a limited comping budget, there are ways you can save some money as you go.
• Comp with a friend and alternate buying qualifier products. You could make an agreement to halve the expense of supermarket and store competitions by alternating who buys the product. This means you buy the necessary item for one competition and enter. Your friend does the same for the next competition. You then split the winnings 50/50. Do not be tempted to buy one product and both use the one receipt to get two entries. This is cheating and you may get caught. Cheating goes against the spirit of comping.
• Shop around for mobile phone and landline phone plans for cheap rates, although premium calls and SMS are rarely, if ever, included in the plans. You can also bundle your landline, mobile phone and pay TV with one provider to receive a discount.
• Ask family or friends to give you their magazines once they've read them so you can use the entry forms. Subscriptions are a good idea because many magazines offer freebies or entry into exclusive competitions when you subscribe.
• Only purchase qualifiers from the supermarket if you regularly purchase that product in your weekly shopping anyway. For some items, you may choose to change brands for the period of the promotion in order to collect entries.
• Buy your stationery, such as envelopes, from bargain shops.
• Ask a relative who has pay TV to tell you about any competitions they see advertised. As mentioned earlier, you can enter many of these via the channel's website so there's no need to subscribe to pay TV.
• Read free suburban newspapers, which often have competitions you can enter.
• Consider opening a comping bank account. Deposit money you win or make from the sale of prizes. Redraw what you need for comping, keeping your family budget and comping separate.
Getting organised
In order to comp effectively, you must be organised. If you can't remember what needs doing you will miss entry deadlines and starting dates, or miss out on hearing about new competitions altogether.
Your workspace
The best place to set up is near your computer. Make sure you have easy access to the storage and stationery you need.
Storing coupons and receipts
Barcodes, receipts and entry forms need to be stored in an orderly, logical system. Pending entries also need to be sorted into order by closing date and stored within easy reach. So if you have found a competition in a magazine that you would like to enter but can't do it on the spot, you need somewhere to put the entry form where you won't miss the closing date deadline. An accordion file is good for this purpose; you can easily see what work needs to be done and make sure your entry is posted on time.
Before you throw out magazines from which you have cut out entry forms, read through the terms and conditions of each competition. Some magazines require you to retain the whole magazine as proof of purchase if you win, which should stop you from ripping out coupons while waiting at the doctor or dentist. If you need to keep the whole magazine to claim your prize, you need to store it in an easily retrievable way.
To try to stop people cheating by entering competitions when they have not purchased the magazine or qualifier, promoters may now ask you to provide proof of purchase to claim your prize. You will be asked to fax or mail your receipt, cover of the relevant magazine issue or even the whole magazine to them. Sometimes you will also be required to provide a photocopy of your driver's licence. This is why it's important to read the terms and conditions and store your receipts or magazines appropriately.
Your computer
It's helpful to create a document or folder within your word processor dedicated to comping. This is to keep all your WOL entries for potential re-use in another competition. It will also help you identify patterns of judges' preferences.
An Excel spreadsheet is useful for recording your wins and monthly/yearly totals. This could also be done using a table within your word processor or an exercise book. You may also consider creating a database to record competitions you enter so you can track what you are doing. However, this is unnecessary if the online group you have joined already provides one.
Zip-lock bags, expandable files, document folders etc.
When you go to the supermarket, take a spare entry form besides the ones you plan to use. Place the spare form inside your storage option, along with your proof of purchase, barcode and whatever else the terms and conditions say you will need to claim your prize. Note the following on the bag or folder:
• name of the competition
• closing date
• draw date
• date results will be published
• second-chance draw date (if relevant).
Having a system for storing your receipts and barcodes is one of the most important things in comping. Compers sometimes go into a full blown panic because they have won a major prize and the promoter has asked them for proof of purchase and they can't find it.
Organising your time
If you are home during the day and want to comp as a full-time job, the best way to create a routine is to divide your day into segments then allocate activities on that basis. So you might do something like this:
Monday morning buy weekly magazines and complete all entries, do daily online competitions, do weekly online competitions
Monday afternoon complete all online competitions for the coming week
Tuesday morning look for entry forms from various stores and mail your entries for the week, do daily online competitions
Tuesday afternoon write competition shopping list
Wednesday morning shop for competition qualifiers, stationery and stamps, do daily online competitions
Wednesday afternoon complete all entries for store competitions
Thursday morning enter all SMS competitions for the week, do daily online competitions
Thursday afternoon enter all telephone competitions for the week
Friday morning do monthly magazine competitions, daily online competitions
Friday afternoon complete entries for any outstanding competitions
Even though this already looks like a lot of work, some people also spend evenings writing WOL entries and completing puzzles, so the day extends further. If you are not in a club you will need to allocate a segment in your timetable to looking for next week's web competitions. You may also like to do your comping in the middle of the night because entering at odd hours can pay off.
Remember that even though it's a lot of work, it's not necessarily drudgery because comping is fun. If you are someone who loves puzzles, you would be hard-pressed to find another job that would allocate you a whole morning or afternoon to do it. If you introduce a friend to comping, you can share some of these activities, such as qualifier shopping, to make things a lot more social and fun.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from How to Win Competitions by Sherry Sjolander. Copyright © 2008 Sherry Sjolander. Excerpted by permission of Allen & Unwin.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Glossary,Introduction,
1 Getting started,
2 Understanding terms and conditions,
3 'Words or less' competitions,
4 Store and supermarket competitions,
5 Internet competitions,
6 Magazine competitions,
7 Kids can comp too,
8 How you know you've won,
9 Cheating,
10 Competitions with a catch,
11 Comping forums,
12 Secret diary of a comper,
Epilogue,
Appendix A: Magazines with regular competitions,
Appendix B: Sample terms and conditions,
References,
Acknowledgments,