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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Construction Planning Costs Not Be Accessed

Construction planning costs not be accessed. Construction projects are great for business because they show signs of new opportunity and growth. Consequently, construction can also lead to delays, downtime and displacement. These things can be incredibly costly for business.

When construction planning begins there is typically a budget in place. From this budget companies can gauge the scope and size of the construction projects. What often gets left out of these calculations is downtime and displacement, which have the potential to sometimes outweigh the costs of the construction project.

 Most construction projects work by sending skilled workers to the job site where they work with a variety of materials that are also sent to the work site. Much of the construction and fabrication takes place on- site. There are limits to this style of construction, and depending on location there can be inclement weather delays. Furthermore, materials can be delayed which sets up a chain reaction of other delays down the line.
An alternative to traditional construction is modular construction. This style of construction consists of building all the major construction components off- site and then shipping them to the job site for assembly. Off- site assembly allows a team of skilled experts to focus on your project and yields a very high quality control rate. Best of all, because the construction takes place in an environmentally controlled facility, there are no weather delays during production. 

Since the majority of the building takes place off- site, on- site construction is considerably faster than traditional methods. Several studies have shown a 50% faster completion time over traditional construction. What this all translates to is cash savings through a minimized total displacement cost.
 
 The total displacement cost is the sum of all the areas that construction will potentially be affecting through downtime and disruption. Although each project may be a little different, companies can still put together a cost analysis based on several different factors. One of the key factors of this analysis is totaling displacement. Depending on where the construction will be happening and how long it will take can greatly affect how many of the staff will need to be moved and the creation of temporary workplaces.
The other factor to note is downtime of the facility. If construction is taking place in vital areas of production, the production may need to be halted or moved. Furthermore, having a large construction project take place in or near a heavily trafficked area can be a distraction to the workplace. These types of things diminish the output of the facility and increase the costs of the overall project. Stylish building construction.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Aquaponics Project sustainable Food Production System

Aquaponics or pisciponics, is a sustainable food production system that combines traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are broken down by nitrogen fixing bacteria, then filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals.

Clifford Chin has a small aquaponics project in Charlotte, NC. He says:
"It's like growing plants on steroids," said Chin. "The vegetables grow three to four times faster than what you put in the ground. You can actually eat here on Friday and come back on Monday and see the difference in size."

Environmentally the basic idea is to have a closed system in which the fish eat the plants. The wastes excreted by the fish are converted by microbes and bacteria into a nutrient that is consumed by the plants. The plants then are eaten by the fish. This is environmentally good and sustainable but has no advantage since neither the fish nor the plants could be eaten by humans to remain sustainable. The modified aquaponics model is to feed the fish with an external supply of food. The fish grow and at the same time excrete wastes that are converted to plant nutrients that grow the plants that are also eaten by humans. The advantage is that we get fish to eat and the nutrients from the fish waste efficiently grows plant food that we can eat. All of this without the use of chemical fertilizers.

There are several disadvantages to this model:

Sustainability of the system depends on the sustainability of the feed for the fish. Efficient fish growing requires specially formulated feed. The wastes produced by the fish in a closed aquaponic system go to the feeding of the plants in the system. The plants are to be eaten by humans not the fish.

It requires growing fish in a recirculating environment that is connected to the plant growing environment. This is not a simple or inexpensive process. If the climate is not suitable for the fish the process must be grown indoors and that requires energy to maintain the proper temperatures.

A proper balance must be maintained between the amount of fish in the system producing the wastes that provide the nutrients for the plants and the amount of plants needed in the system to maintain proper water quality. This balance is not always easy to determine.

Growing plants in liquid requires more labor than growing plants in the ground. The faster growth in a liquid environment, however, may partially offset the extra labor required.

A better model is to grow the fish in the most efficient manner possible. Efficient means growing the fish in an environment that assures the best feed conversion ratios possible, the lowest energy requirements and high survivability. The feed conversion ratio is the amount of feed required to produce a pound of fish. The growing environment must also allow for the capture and removal of the fish wastes from the water. A recirculating environment is the most efficient fish growing environment achieving very low feed conversion rations and low energy costs.

The manure from the fish can be captured and removed from the water in these systems. The manure is de-watered and dried to about 65% moisture. It is then combined with a carbon source, inoculants and a small amount of clay and decomposed in a controlled process into humus compost. The resulting humus compost is a complete organic fertilizer that can be stored and shipped anywhere for growing organic crops.

Humus compost is a more efficient form of compost. More organic matter is bound to the clay particles and will not be converted into carbon dioxide as is the case with regular compost. The organic matter in a recirculating aquaponic system will also decompose into carbon dioxide in a few months. Humus compost is a better form of the fish nutrients and it also makes a smaller carbon footprint since more carbon is sequestered in the soil when humus compost is used.

The consistency of the final fertilizer product is coloidal and putty-like. It is moist and will form a ball if compressed. It will readily mix in water and will form a uniform liquid with suspended particles. The liquid can be pumped through a hydroponic system or sprayed on crops or soil. The solid form can applied to the soil as well.

Since the fish production process has been separated from the plant growing process a complex balancing act is not needed. The amount of organic fertilizer needed in the form of the humus compost made from the decomposed fish manure can be determined for any quantity of plants for any location. The fertilizer can be delivered and applied.

This model is more sustainable, environmentally advantageous and healthier than growing chickens, beef or pork. The feed conversion ratio in a re-circulating environment is 1.6 or less. For chickens the ratio is 2 and for beef as high as 10.
There are also many health benefits from eating fish. Most fish feeds are grain based with fish meal or other fish related products added. Some of the organic fertilizer produced in the above described process could be used to grow the grain. The use of the organic fertilizer would further improve Aquaponics the sustainablilty of the system.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Advertising And Growing Business Branding

Today's India open market to whole world. India's economy has been growing remarkably since the early 1990's. With more than 1.2 billion people, India's population is diverse including different cultures, languages, traditions, habits, and social cultural behavior. A growing middle class with disposable income are generating very high demand. India's market has expanded exponentially with local produce competing against foreign brands. From a market that used to be monopolistic; the market in India has been transformed with a variety of choices such that companies have to consider the importance of branding.

Until recently, manufacturers in India related film stars and sport celebrities with advertising promotions; with the increase of competition from foreign brands, Indian manufacturers are beginning to understand the notion of brand promotion as a factor determining the loyalty that consumers acquires from the perception relayed through quality of product, motivation, and confidence by the manufacturer. More and more, businesses are becoming brand savvy. International brands have an impact on homegrown products in a manner that when exposed to competition, homegrown brands have tendency of being price sensitive and lose value. Indian manufacturers are using branding to fight back the competition.

The majority of international products that perform well in India's market are knowledge driven, hedonistic or luxury goods. Being a successful business in India means being able to understand the sociological, psychological, and historical context of the population which is the reason why many international goods still cannot penetrate the market. Successful businesses such as Jet airways, Titan, or Reliance have used brand equity to mark their presence instead of considering branding as a method of advertising.

 The cultural diversity in India and the vast population means that brand consulting implies being able to cater for the vast geographical differences both rural and urban. Value and price are the main factors driving consumer demand in rural areas while there is a higher tendency for prestige in urban areas. Nevertheless, there seems to be a gradual convergence of mental coherency between rural and urban areas. More people from rural area are having access to television and traveling to urban cities frequently. Consumers are increasingly becoming a lot more aware of quality and able to satisfy demand. International and local companies have no alternatives but to adapt branding according to the growing population expectation.
 
India's market is also becoming very influential globally. By 2020, the GDP of India will be expected to be over US$ 5 trillion and the economic one of the fastest growing in the world. India is infiltrating the worlds market mostly in IT and knowledge based industry. Indian products are also increasingly being exported global such that the need for increasing quality is evident by local companies to cater for the large global competition. Companies in India are therefore acquiring a better understanding of branding and responding to the changing consumer requirements by adopting brand equity which enables them to cater for the population both rural and urban as well as integrate gradually the international market. India is global big market.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

What's Benefits Of Payroll Software


A company has to make its staff content in order to remain effective, fruitful, and harmonious. But, when problems arise, the connection between the human resources and employer can rapidly break up. This is the why numerous companies outsource their payrolls to shun problems in giving salaries.

Your company can take advantage of such service providers. However, if you are busy in creating and marketing your products and other matters of your business, but, if you have hired a service, you don't have to be anxious about your payroll.

Nowadays, many organizations are outsourcing this task, so they can concentrate on other matters of their businesses. In this article, we will talk about some advantages of payroll outsourcing. Have a look:

Payroll Software:

To manage your payroll, you don't have to pay for costly software's. This will save your time and money in establishing and maintaining it. You can make your own software for your accounting procedures. You will be able to save your money on expensive updates of the software as the service will do it for you.

Save Your Time:

On every pay day, human resources spend nearly ten hours in doing this work. If you use services of any company, your employees can save their time, and use it in some other work of your company which is good for you.

Paper Check or Direct Deposit Options:

You have a choice to select between direct deposit and paper check to pay your staff. Whatever decision you make, legislative taxes and withholding's are handled by the firm you hire.

Tax Rules:

When you create it on your own, it might be annoying to use the changing tax set of laws. If you hire a service, they will adjust the tax rates. If they make any error, they will pay for it. You don't have to worry about it.

A Few Helpful Services:

You should not hire anyone, especially to do this task, when you have hired a service. The service will also deal with reassigning tasks, unemployment insurance, and layoffs. In this way you can focus on other things of your organization.

Self Submission of Payroll Statistics:

Often, such services depend on software's; human resources have to submit their working hours for verification. The staff will utilize an electronic card on the provider's website in order to record their working hours. When they do it, their manager check out their records, and approve the correct time card for payment. In case the manager is not available on their payday, the human resources will get the salary anyway. This is the biggest benefit of self submissions of payroll data by the staff.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Choosing The Right Financial Advisor

Choosing the right financial advisor is an important decision for your financial security. A good financial advisor will get to know you personally in order to help you formulate a financial plan that fits your lifestyle and future goals. Some financial advisors may specialize in areas that may not be relevant to you; so it is important to find someone who will take the time to get to know you and your financial goals. When choosing a financial planning professional, however, it is important to verify that he or she has plenty of experience and a history of satisfied clients.

Financial advisors work with clients to lay out a clear path for lasting financial health. Advisors are commonly used for retirement planning. Turmoil in the economy and the general decline in people's savings and retirement funds have made financial planning an important concern for many Americans. Financial planning professionals take the time to get to know your retirement plans and how to best prepare your finances to ensure you will be able maintain your desired standard of living before doling out financial advice. 

Financial advising will help you avoid having your money end up in high risk investments and funds that are not appropriate for you and your future. Professionals can also help those that might want to make higher risk investments that may produce bigger yields. Advisors are able to find insurance plans that are the best fit for you as well.

If you are interested in providing a stable financial future for your family after you are gone, advisors can help with estate planning such as trusts, wills, and other important financial tools. Helping family and future generations with education funds is another area where selecting the right financial advisor will pay off. Take some time to talk with a potential advisor prior to hire to make sure he or she can customize an appropriate estate plan with you. 

Are you concerned about how taxes will affect your current and future financial situation? The good news is that tax planning does not have to be stressful. Quality financial advising makes tax planning a central focus in any major decisions, ensuring there won't be any tax surprises down the road.

Financial advisors don't just make a plan and send you on your way-they are available to monitor your financial situation and offer advice when needed. You can rest easy knowing there is a watchful eye on the fruits of your labor. If you experience a change in your financial situation, your advisor will help make the appropriate adjustments to ensure continued financial security. You've worked hard for your money and deserve a stress-free and rewarding future-talk to a friendly financial pro today!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Honest, Fair and Successful Business


You are best business man. You want more money in the bank. You wish you had more clients. You wish you didn't have to work so hard to make money. You would love your business to be able to run without you. You feel like you are flying by the seat of your pants. You have been doing everything on your own and are scared to let go and give someone else some responsibility.

But deep down inside you really know you need to get some help. You can have all of this. Even if you don't know how. You can start from scratch. You just need to be aware of this thing called accountability. It's all about taking responsibility for your decisions and actions. I'm talking 100% personal responsibility to get the things you want in the paragraph above.

How can I deal with accountability to myself if I don't know how to get what I want?

People can teach you the how.

• Financial planners can make a financial plan for you.
• Attorneys can advise you on what type of business structure you should have.
• Accountants can tell you how to plan for paying taxes.
• Marketing pros can teach you how to market your business.

However, it's not their job to hold you accountable. In fact, accountability is no one Else's job but yours. It's your job. It's about self respect and taking a no excuses approach once people show you the how. It's about implementing. It's about having integrity with yourself. Walking the talk, right?

I want you to accept the consequences of your choices. I don't want you to be a victim (it's not the economy) about what isn't working in your business or with your money.

As a Certified Financial Planner professional, here is my list of 9 things you can do in your financial life. Remember - it's about accountability.

1. Creating an automatic savings plan.
2. Following through on a debt reduction plan
3. Raising prices
4. Blocking off a day to work on business rather than in business
5. Actually hiring people to help you and paying for advice
6. Doing an estate plan. Creating a living trust for your kids
7. Hiring employees and paying them
8. Reinvesting money back into your business
9. Setting aside the correct amount of money to pay taxes

Just remember that you are not perfect. I want you to raise your level of ambition. You can start from scratch, as long as there is accountability to yourself.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Fire Safety Risk Assessments


why are fire risk assessments are necessary evils in today's age. Nobody wants to do them, but they need to be done to keep with government regulations and to ensure the safety of employees, customers, and entire neighborhoods. Understanding what they are and who is responsible for them is one of the most important parts of being a business owner.

 Who is supposed to do the fire risk assessments?

Usually the owner, landlord, or head employer is the one responsible for this task. In some regions it may be someone else, so check your local guidelines. Whatever your role in the business, if you're the one in charge of the fire risk assessments, you are referred to as the "responsible person".

How often should they be done?

 The exact amount required differs between administrative areas. They can be required as little as every six months or as much as every five years and will certainly need reviewing if the business or premises change significantly within that time. During this time the responsible person may change so keep on top of whose responsibility it is if not your own.

Why should they be done?

As a task that is rarely fun and not a big money maker if there are more "important" things to do, it's important to realize just how necessary it is in the long run. Assessments are required for you, your business, and your entire neighborhood. Not only are you responsible for the health and safety of your employees and customers, but your neighborhood is counting on your safety as well. If your restaurant or shop goes up in smoke, it puts all of your neighbors in danger as well.

What happens if I don't do it?

If you do not do regular fire safety assessments, you may be fined or even imprisoned. Likewise, your local fire authorities will probably conduct regular inspections of their own, so you need to be on top of what's going on with your building.

How do I perform one?

First you must carefully inspect your premises and identify any potential fire hazards. Once they have been identified, consider how likely it is that ignition may occur and who may be in danger should that happen. The next step should be obvious: reduce the risk and / or the severity of potential harm. This may be as simple as moving flammable
objects away from sites of regular ignition (such as in a kitchen) or as complicated as remapping your entire premises. While you are doing this, make sure that there are proper escape routes in your place of business.Make sure your employees are aware of the escape routes and keep a map handy. As a final precaution, make sure all of your employees are trained in fire safety and what they should do in case of an emergency.

Anything else?

Always be vigilant about fire safety. Double check your smoke alarms and fire extinguishers to make sure they don't need to be replaced. Assess that the handicapped can get out in an emergency as easily as mobile people. Above all else, however, remember why you are doing this - not just because it's the law, but because you are the responsible person in the society.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Five Using Effective Tips Seo Practices

Increase the online visibility of your business and having difficulty marketing and ranking a website, you might want to look at the many great advantages that are available when able to rely on the services of the SEO agencies. A skilled team of SEO professionals is able to offer a range of services to help in the process of increasing a websites position in the search results. Here are some of important aspects for having a good SEO strategy in place:

Increased visibility - a quality aspect of a well implemented SEO campaign is that a website is soon able to increase its visibility in the search engine results. Whether you are looking to increase the rankings on a national or local scale, a quality marketing campaign is certain to help the company increase the ability to make contact with the target audience, and as a consequence should be able to increase the conversions for the services or products provided.
Long-term standings - if a marketing campaign is executed in the right way, there is a very high chance that the work put into ranking the website at the top of the search results is able to stand for the long run. By relying on the more credible SEO agency, there is a higher chance that the website is able to continue to delivery the targeted traffic on a daily basis, without needing to continue to spend on alternative promotional activities, like PPC.

Beating the competition - a quality aspect of relying on the SEO professionals is that there is a greater chance that you will be able to increase your search rankings and at the same time beat the local competition. Since most web users are likely to search the first one or two pages in the search listings, it really benefits if you are able to get your site listing at the top of the first page.

Higher earnings - once you are able to attract a higher volume of daily traffic to your website, you are certain to see a significant jump in conversions and sales.

Cost-effective marketing strategies - a further benefit of relying on SEO is that it is one of the more effective and affordable marketing techniques that can be used to help increase the online visibility of a website. A legitimate SEO company is able to offer a customized optimization package to make sure you only need to invest in the services that are required to achieve the desired rankings for the website.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Build a Positive Team Culture


If you're in business, this is important... no, wait, it's necessary if you plan to expand. Whether your business is brick & mortar, service related, online, etc., you need to build a Team Culture. There are whole teams dedicated to this in the corporate world, as they understand the importance of it.

Here are 5 things that are needed to build Team Culture:

1. A Vision - You'll see this in marketing materials, online, etc. Companies promote their vision so that people know what they are all about. Without a Vision, you will go nowhere. So, be sure that you clearly define this, as this is your Core Driver going forward.

2. A System - this can be very simple or very complicated, depending on your company and what you are trying to accomplish. Just be sure to have a daily action plan and tie it to the Vision. This will ensure that you are doing the right things to carry out the Vision.

3. Education - when you have a team, they want to feel like they are constantly learning something new. Why? Education = Knowledge = Power. Power to do more, to be more creative, more productive and more involved. This ultimately transfers into an engaged team that will work with you to help you better achieve your results.
 
4. Leadership - this should go without saying, but people need to be led. There are leaders and their are followers. You, as the business owner, need to be a Leader. The other members of your team will look to you for leadership. If you're good, a few leaders should emerge and be able to lead other divisions of your business as you continue to expand.

5. Live It - If you are promoting a work/life balance, then you should be doing it as well. If you promote the need for overtime, then you should be doing it as well. Again, your team will look to you and if you're doing the opposite of what you're promoting, they will not feel like they are part of the Vision.

Team Culture - Necessary For Your Business

After reviewing the information above, if you haven't already taken the steps, now is the time to start. Without a good Team Culture, you business will suffer. We all work very hard to make our business a success and this is just another piece of the puzzle to make sure have the right people working with us and that we're providing them with what they deserve.

Bonus Tip: Build Relationships - This can be with those in your team and with those you do business with. Again, the more people that are on the "same team", the more likely it is that your will build a Team Culture that you can be proud of!

My mission is to help empower others so that they may have the same fortune and success that I have in my life. I was once a man on the verge of death due to my alcohol addiction. However, I have been able to turn my life around and plan to help others do the same. I will not quit until I can see the results of my determination and the success of others. I chose my name to display as my future life. This is absolutely the case now, as my future (and now current) life are amazing. Don't let your future pass you by! To Your Success.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Personal and Business Credit Score

Your personal and business life, is a good credit score. In fact not only will a good credit score get you credit, but it will get you more credit at cheaper rates. And in reality by following a few simple rules, it is easy to get and maintain an exceptional credit rating. In fact it is not hard at all to go from 0 to 850 in less than 5 years.

Here are some of the basics that have work exceptionally well for me in several countries around the world.
Step 1: Get a credit card.

This is without a doubt one of the simplest ways of building a good credit history fast. Credit card agencies report regularly and so it will grow your credit history with haste. Of course the question is how to get a card if you do not have a history.

Most financial institutions would be willing to give you a credit card if you are willing to make a deposit for the value of your card limit, typical allowing them to hold that deposit in a savings account as surety. This way the bank has no risk, and you get your card.

And if you manage your card well, within about one and half to two years it would be possible for you to get unsecured credit.

Step 2: Pay your card in full

One of the most critical aspects of successful credit card management is that you do not use it as a loan. It should be a convenience card, and you should pay the full amount outstanding every month, and on time of course. So do not spend money on your card that you are not able to pay in full. The interest on outstanding amounts are astronomical and so avoiding unpaid debts on your credit cards are essential. The other benefit of paying your card in full is that your available credit to used credit ratios will look better, and this will improve your score even more.

Step 3: Get secured credit

If you do not own a home, perhaps it is time to consider buying one as soon as possible. This is a very cheap form of credit, and there are several options available that will allow you to minimize your monthly payment and still get the full benefit of positive reporting. Interest only type accounts, secured against your home, will make it possible for your to not only improve your available credit to usage ratio as well, but also reduce your payments monthly, making it easier for you to keep up. Remember though, paying on time is still essential.

Step 4: Manage your bill payments with diligence
 
Paying on time will prevent negative reporting, and so it is important for every commitment you make. Overdue accounts will get reported and cost you dearly on your score.

Step 5: Live within your means

Having a regular income will prove helpful for your relationship with your bank, and of course may impact on your credit score. What is more important though is that you live within your means. The banks and the credit agencies have several formulas and ways to calculate your financial position and so making sure that you can afford your commitments, before you make them, will show up somewhere. And if done properly.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Thinking Like a Businessman

You want to look important? Successful? Busy? Then you want to be like the businessmen you see all around you.

Introduction

Be it if you are in a big corporation, a small business firm or you are just starting out small on your own, there remains several basic rules in this game for you to come out on top of others. Below are some of the more crucial things a business must have to be successful.

1. Website

Most of the business firms today have at least one website. Some bigger corporations have like two or three. A website has already become a platform where you connect with new and on going customers.

New prospects interested in your products or services can learn more about your business 24/7. This allows them to get interested in your products or services at their own comfortable pace rather than just bombarding them with loads and loads of information the very first time you meet them.

Existing customers can also find out on any new products or services you might have. And the best part is, you do not even need to meet or call them up just to tell them that! Just send them an email, tweet or message and they will visit the website when they have the time.

Be sure to include information you feel your customers might be looking for on your website. (Of course, there are certain things you would not want to put on your website in case your competitors use them against you.)

2. Distinctive Features

Competition between companies usually result in reducing prices or giving away freebies in order to keep the customers of leaving. This kind of strategy or is merely short-term and is highly inefficient since it reduces profit.

A distinctive feature of your business is what sets you apart from other competitors. Having your own distinctive feature breaks you away from the trap of keep having to lower your selling price when faced with fierce competition. Because your prospect comes to you not because of the low price you give them but because of the way you run your business.

Your distinctive feature could be personally going down to meet your customer instead of just sending your technician on-site to help them solve the problem. This makes the customer think that they are as important as any of your other clients.

Another feature that could make you stand out from other companies is perhaps after-sales networking. You can call them 1 to 2 months later after you sell them the service or product and then ask for their feedback. You could also inform them of any new product launch or discounts your company might be having this month.

3. Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is vital for businesses since it is a way to keep old customers and attract new ones. Customer satisfaction is purely determined by the product or service provided, as well as the sales process.

Your customer must be able to feel that they have benefited from your service or product. No matter how good your product or service is, if your customers can't benefit from your service or product, they aren't actually your target customers. They must be able to feel the incentives through purchasing your products or through using your services.

The sales process is another crucial determinant for satisfying customers. Many sales person after they managing to "convince" their customer to buy or use their company's service or product, failed to service them after that. They feel that these customers are no longer worth their time since they already brought their company's products or services.
Also, customers prefer the sales process to be simple and easy. If the customer already knows have an idea what they want to purchase, do not complicate the process. Do not introduce to them other irrelevant products. Do not ask them what they are using the product or service for. Committing any of those things above is a great turn off for most customers as they already know what they want.

Conclusion

Here you have it. Three power tools successful business use to keep old customers and generate new ones. It might be difficult to attain them all at once so start one at a time. When you feel confident enough, move to the next one.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Marketing Your Business On The Internet

Marketing your business on the Internet you must learn to think in terms of connecting with people by building relationships! Yeah I know the Internet is a technically advanced environment however your success online requires you focus on those you promote to and not the latest and greatest software, scripts and/or codes! Remember you're a marketer and not a web designer so think like one and this starts with building trust and credibility with others! If people don't respect you for what you know or how you treat them, they'll pay little attention to what you offer, plain and simple!

Here are five rock solid and simple strategies you'll need to apply if you've got any notions of experiencing business success online!

Be Seen

Sharing links to your website or blog is a great way to increase your exposure! Using social media and submitting articles are both very effective strategies to accomplish this objective! There are many other ways you can use but the point here is without getting out in 'front' of people your success online will be limited!

Be Heard

Yes you've got a voice so use it at any of the many available social network sites found on the Internet! These sites present great opportunities for building relationships with those interested in what you offer! These communities allow for give and take with those you come in contact with so take advantage and keep it casual! Another great way to share your views or insights is by blogging! These platforms offer a very effective way for you to interact with customers or your target audience! Let your hair down, so to speak, and allow for your personality to shine through since this alone will help you stand out! One other very important point here is to ALWAYS be honest with others since deceit will only serve to undermine any efforts you may invest in building trust with them!

Be Helpful

Nowadays it is most effective to first get the attention of others by being helpful or supplying them with useful information! This in turn makes building trust with them all the more easier which tends to lower their resistance to your sales pitches thereby increasing your marketing effectiveness! Here too this is a process that takes time and a consistent effort on your part so don't expect overnight results!

Be Trusted

As mentioned above the more you display the willingness to help others without the expectation of compensation, the easier building trust with them becomes! The importance of developing a trusting relationship with people can not be over emphasized since without it you'll have little credibility and will simply be ignored! Another fact of life to recognize here is, unfortunately, people tend to remember bad experiences much more than good ones! To avoid negative labels simply avoid any actions that put your credibility at risk! If it's not true or you can't back up a promise than simply walk away since one 'white lie' can undermine your attempts at business success online!

Be Consistent

Whether reinforcing your brand or following up on promises or requests, you must consistently display a willingness to be helpful! Along those same lines, claims you make or actions you take must display a consistency with any actions or claims taken or made in the past! The slightest inconsistency will cause folks to doubt you thus rendering all your efforts at building relationships and trust useless! Whenever there is money involved, trust is a must or you can forget about making any sales whatsoever!
Marketing your business on the Internet requires a hell of a lot more than simply slapping up a website and calling it a day! You're promoting to people therefore you'll want to focus on building trust with them to simply get their attention! Building relationships is the first step and this is a process that will take time and plenty of patience! The key to your business success online will ultimately come from the patience and consistency you invest in connecting with others and not your superior technical skills, which really aren't required! In the end the five simple strategies discussed here today will be all you'll need, along with good product offers, to taste success online! Not get busy, make friends by applying simple people skills and the money will come!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Keep Personal Information Private

Most important thing identity theft is on the rise and costing Americans and the U.S. economy billions of dollars each year. In light of this, most states have enacted tough new laws aimed to punish those who steal another person's private information and use it to commit fraud. These laws are also designed to help prevent identity theft from occurring in the first place. They address the ways and means that private businesses and government agencies alike are supposed to dispose of a person's private information that they handle or come in contact with in the course of doing business.

The laws differ from state to state, but they are all written with the same goals in mind - to help prevent identity theft, to punish those who commit this crime and to give victims more options in fighting this scourge of the modern information age.

How to Prevent Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft

When you stop to think about the kind and amount of information citizens typically entrust to their government's care, it can be mind-numbing. Not only social security numbers, but medical information and history, income, immigration status, education and work records - a virtual gold mine of information for a hungry and crafty identity thief. Government agencies are tasked with the safe and proper destruction and disposal of this information or they face stiff penalties for failing to comply.
In this war against an increasingly aggressive band of identity thieves, the role of a professional document shredder cannot be stressed enough. These companies make it their business to know the existing, and oftentimes, stringent federal regulations covering the proper and safe destruction of documents containing personal information. They can thus assure compliance with the law.

Moreover, by employing the highest level of security when shredding personal consumer information, they assure the general public that the information they share with the government is secure and out of the reach of identity thieves. This level of confidence goes a long way in restoring a wary public trust in their government, whether on the local or federal level; it gives taxpayers a sense that their tax dollars are being spent wisely and that their government is looking out for their best interest.
Victims of identity theft can spend thousands of dollars and countless hours getting their lives and affairs back in order. Professional document shredders not only safeguard a consumer's personal information, but also save them time and money by preventing them from becoming victims in the first place.

Monday, June 17, 2013

First Three Steps Of The AIDA Selling Model


First three steps Of The AIDA model is a method of selling that is commonly used to sell low cost, unsophisticated products, or to sell to prospects who don't give you much time to pitch. AIDA is an acronym and stands for the following four steps in the model:

1. Attention
2. Interest
3. Desire
4. Action

The first step in the AIDA model is to grab the prospects attention. If you are involved in door-to-door selling, or if your new prospects will only give you a few minutes (sometimes less) of their time, you must be able to quickly grab their attention so that they will allow you to move on to the next step of the model.

Here's something to think about: it only takes a few seconds for passers-by to walk by a store window display, and if the display doesn't grab their attention in that short space of time, they will walk by and not look back. If, on the other hand, the window display grabs their attention, they will probably take the time to come in the store which will give you more time to discuss or demonstrate your product, which could lead to making a sale.

It is during the time that you have to grab the attention of the prospect that they will decide whether they will continue listening to you, or not give you any further time. These few minutes are crucial, and the way to implement it effectively is to use creativity. Think carefully and creatively of the first words that you utter to your prospect. You might ask a good question, or give some startling facts or figures that relate to the product or service that you sell. If you must rely on a window display to grab the attention of a prospect, be sure to use creativity in dressing the window. The key is to think creatively of how you can successfully grab the attention of your prospect!

Once you have grabbed the interest of the prospect you can move onto the second step of the AIDA model, and that is to keep their interest. Do this by finding out their needs. Ask questions and then take the time to listen and understand exactly what the prospect needs. The prospect wants to be listened to! As the salesperson, it is your responsibility to then meet the needs, which could mean adapting your product or service to satisfy those needs.

"D" is for "desire". This is the third step in the AIDA model. Grabbing the attention and arousing the interest of the prospect is not enough to make the sale. People might be interested in your product, but may not have a desire to act. The prospect must develop a desire for your product if they are to purchase it, and you must help them along. You can create a sense of desire for your product or service in a number of ways. Here are four of them:

- Focus on the benefits of the product that you are selling. Emphasize how the benefits will positively affect the prospect if they were to own it.

- Instill a sense of urgency for the product by perhaps emphasizing limited availability. A sense of urgency tends to create desire in the product.

- Give value to your product or service

- Emphasize the fact that others have bought the product and are happy with it. Use testimonials to support your claims.

Once you are convinced that the prospect has a desire for your product, confidently and quickly move onto the final fourth step of the AIDA model: Action.

After you have successfully taken the prospect through the first three steps of the AIDA selling model, they need to then be led to take action and purchase the product. There should be no fear or hesitation in asking for the sale. Even before the prospect has confirmed the purchase, ask confidently and expectantly: "How many shall I pack?", "Would you like the green one or the blue one?", "Will it be cash or credit?", "When would you like us to delivery it?" By asking these types of questions you are helping the prospect take the decision to buy the product. Experience suggests that most prospects appreciate these types of questions because they help them to take a decision; it gives them that little extra push that they seem to want!

The AIDA model is an easy and extremely effective selling model.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Center Telesales Coaching

Executive summary

Sales Managers use to drive up their team's performance but argues that each agent has their own preferred learning style and this should dictate the coaching mode used most often with that agent.

Plus some useful tips to perform coaching at your highest level.

Learning styles and coaching

We're all very familiar with Honey and Mumford's Learning Styles piece of work from the 1980's which describes the four varying styles of learning that we all have. My preferred style is a reflector since I like to look back on my learning events, take my time when learning, think things through, listen to others and I hate being dropped in at the deep end.

Others might prefer an activist style where being dropped in from a thousand feet would suit them, happy to learn from mistakes, can easily see what their mistakes have been and can figure out an alternative way in mini seconds. They just seem to want workshops to soar at a hundred miles per hour.

You might prefer a theorist style with a desire to look at all the detail and background to the training topic and to see where theories and models can benefit your learnings.

Or finally the pragmatist who, by now, has got bored with this piece because they don't see the benefits and how it can help them.

Have you ever used these learning styles to help you maximise your phone based sales coaching? You may not have thought about it but it makes perfect sense.

Most phone sales centres or call centres or Inside Sales Operations as our friends across the Pond call them, use a variety of coaching interventions. These are:

Live side by side coaching in the call centre
Recorded call coaching in privacy
1to1 coaching with metrics and KPIs
Group listening sessions followed by facilitated group discussion on best practice

If you have a choice which one you use with your phone salespeople, then choose the one that fits their learning style.

Side by side coaching
For activists - definitely go for live side by side coaching. Here's some tips to make this coaching better for them:

Decide on a theme to work on during the side by sides and listen out for this area during your bservations.
Ask your agent for their preferred theme to focus on
Focus mostly on feedback and keep it snappy, then ask them what they can do differently.
Use GROW but start on reality by giving them feedback on the reality that you just observed, then launch   straight into options, giving them a chance to comment.
Keep the feedback to around 2 minutes, then get on the next call.
The beauty of live side by side is that you get to see the actual challenges they're facing which are  non-skill  based, normally system or process, so empathise with them and take some action to improve these.

Recorded feedback sessions

For reflectors - give them more private recorded call coaching sessions. Here's some tips to help you here:

Give them slightly longer with the "how well did you do" question, look away a little more, give them space to think.
Let your agent choose the calls to listen to so long as you stipulate a good one and a not so good one.
Don't choose calls randomly; use intelligent Speech Analytics Software to choose keywords, phrases used, attitudes, sentiments and acoustics.
 
Allow your agent to gauge themselves against your best practice checklist, and then comment afterwards.
Use silence, non verbal nods and lots of matching body language to encourage the reflector to talk... and we do.
 
Once some actions start appearing, GROW them naturally and then wrap up with the WHY - where do   they need to be, how will I get there and how will you help me.

1 to1 performance coaching

Theorists might prefer the 1to1 coaching with metrics and KPIs to ponder over. Some tips here:

Let them have the metrics in advance.

With the exception reports focus equal time on the above average performance as opposed to the below average performance, this is a balanced performance review after all.

 Try and use a balanced scorecard approach to the metrics you measure. You could split these four ways:
        "How well is your agent serving the customer?" - Customer satisfaction
        "How well is your agent performing?" - Operational efficiency
        "How well is your agent supporting sales?" - Business value
        "How am I getting the best out of my agents?" - People management

Always have some coaching in the metrics meetings, these are not just assessment and feedback but a chance to spot trends and determine action plans.

Group call listening sessions

Pragmatists might prefer the group interaction commenting on played-back calls, especially if you have some top performers in the group and keep it punchy. Here's some ideas:
Choose calls carefully, some exemplars and not such good calls. Maybe choose a theme upfront.
Sell the WIIFMs to the agents before you start. (What in it for me's)
Keep the session to about 45 minutes.
Ask them to complete the best practice checklists.
Invite everyone for their opinions but keep this tight. Request one good point and one development area  and ban repeating what previous agents have said.
You don't need to chip in an opinion just for the sake of it; the art is to encourage the agents to comment 
on their own calls.
My final tip is to ask the agent as to the preferred coaching, what coaching would they want from you to 
support their growth and how should the coaching occur. 
They won't give you pragmatist, theorist, reflector - that's technical jargon for you and I - but they will give
you an impression to work on.

Now haven't we breathed a breath of fresh air into Peter and Alan's learning styles?

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Sales Manager And Sales Increase Techniques

Most sales managers and business owners tend to focus on improving the close ratios. While doing so is a legitimate tactic, improving the close ratio of a sales team can be challenging. On the other hand, increasing opportunities for the sales team is a fairly easy task.

If the close ratio of the sales team is 40% and the sales team generates 100 opportunities each week, then the result is 40 closes or sales. To improve the close ratio to 60% within the 100 opportunities each week is a challenge. On the other hand, if the number of weekly opportunities for the sales team is increased to 150, and the close ratio remains constant at 40%, then 60 sales are generated during the week.

In other words, the same result occurs for either choice, but increasing the opportunities is an easier path to take versus increasing the close ratio. The process identified and described in the following paragraphs is guaranteed to work because it is built on and around the simple objective to increase opportunities for sales personnel rather than to improve closing ratios.

An increase to sales is likely to be realized quickly once these few, simple additions and adjustments to the selling process are implemented. The additions and adjustments are elements of a process, not a procedure. Consequently, any of the elements identified may be addressed and implemented without having to wait for another element to complete.

Increase face time of outside sales team with present and potential customers. Think of your business as a professional football team. The sales personnel are the running backs. They carry the ball (products and services) to existing and potential customers. The more time the sales team is in front of a customer, the greater the likelihood that a sales event (touchdown) will occur.

Recently a business owner told me that his sales were dropping and he asked me what he could do to turn things around. He said that their company recently purchased a sales software program that worked well with his mail order division, so he employed the software in the territory sales division. The software program called for each sales rep to make fifty calls each day seeking an appointment before heading out to make calls. That's half a day's time! I simply told the business owner that his running backs were sitting on the bench the entire first half and not scoring touchdowns, so he should find others to make the phone calls so his sales team members could optimize their time in front of customers.

Establish a quota or increase the quota of telecommunication contacts with existing or potential customers required each day for the inside sales team. As stated previously, the objective of this process is to increase opportunities for the sales teams. If your business has an inside sales team, then establish a daily quota for outgoing calls to existing customers to sell products or to potential new customers to introduce your company and its products and services. If you already have daily quotas, then increase the number. It is amazing what the impact of just one or two additional calls each day will have on sales.
All sales personnel must develop and submit their sales contact plan each week. Every very good and great sales rep has a plan for the day, the week and the weeks that follow. Every very good and great sales rep shares that plan with the sales manager. Every very good and great sales rep knows the importance of providing this timely marketing information.

Most all other sales reps don't really have a plan for much beyond a day or two. You know, it's the where should I go and what should I do today approach. That type of planning is not beneficial to increasing sales. Some type of formal routine reporting and planning feedback must be installed to assure increased sales.

As a sales manager for many years, I used with great success a rolling four weeks calendar layout report sent to me each Friday afternoon without fail. Week one showed what companies and customer contacts the sales rep fulfilled during the week about to end. Week two showed where the sales rep planned to be and who the sales rep planned to meet with during the week starting on Monday. The week was planned in full with no blank days, question marks or any maybe.

Weeks three and four were tentative. Again no blank days were permitted, but since these two weeks were tentative plans, there could be some question marks and a maybe or two.

Besides the important marketing information these reports provided, the sales reps developed better time management skills. It also conditioned them to think and to plan ahead. Every sales manager will appreciate these habits as they are great contributors to closing sales.
Sales reps should act rather than react, as well as rely more on support team members than trying to do it all yourself. When asked, many, if not most, sales reps will declare that their first priority and responsibility is Customer Service. Their actions support the notion.

As we stated previously, the sales rep is the running back who carries the ball for the company. The largest part of the reason why the sales rep carries the ball is that the sales rep by definition is a closer. The sales rep's job is to score touchdowns, or in other words, to promote and to close sales of products and services to customers.

Customer Service is an important part of the sales satisfaction mix, but Customer Service is everyone's job in the company, not just the sales rep's job. Nonetheless, when a customer calls with a problem or a gripe, most sales reps will stop what they are doing and respond to the customer complaint - even if they are at the site of another customer! My view on that behavior has always been that there is nothing or no one more important for me than the customer I am with at the time.

Additionally some sales reps will go as far as to deliver customer orders instead of relying on traditional delivery methods. This is a really bad practice especially if the sales rep is not using a company-owned vehicle to deliver the products. There are simply too many potential injury and accident risks. Fortunately, many liability insurance carriers are strongly discouraging or excluding this practice from coverage.

If business owners and sales managers want to increase sales, then the closers must continue to do their closing duties and rely on support team members to handle delivers and to assist with solving customer problems.

Reduce "Windshield time". When I travelled with a sales rep, I made note of how much time we spent driving to one place from another. At the end of our time together, I would share the total with the sales rep. It was often a staggering number and certainly an eye-opener. Sometimes and depending often on the metropolitan area, a long travel time from one customer to another was just something that really couldn't be controlled very well. Often that was not the case, so I took the time to pass on to the sales rep the lesson I learned from my manager as a first time territory sales rep. The message or lesson is a very simple one: plan customer calls for each day to be as close together as possible. If the sales rep has an appointment with a customer in Middle town, then the sales rep should spend the remainder of his day in or near Middle town.

Seek and Find New Business opportunities. New Business is commonly defined as either adding a new product to an existing customer or adding a new customer. Sometimes reviving dormant sales of products to an existing customer can be classified as New Business as well.

This element may be the most challenging of the process. Sales reps tend to settle into a comfortable routine and to concentrate almost exclusively on serving the needs of present customers. Nonetheless, increasing the opportunities to close a sale cannot be limited to present customers.

Business owners and Sales Managers must not just encourage New Business sales, but demand it. Sales reps must document their contacts or meetings with potential new customers. A quota of contacting one or two potential new customers each week may be reasonable. It most certainly will be productive. In fact, the New Business opportunity source may have the greatest revenue potential of all the elements of the process. Including elements very important to increasing sales for your business.