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Plan Your Proposal And You Plan To Win

Proposal planning is essential to ensure that you have timae to develop, write and produce a well though-out solution to the client’s requirement. Everyone who has written proposals regularly has occasionally wished that they had planned better, started earlier and various occasions stayed late trying to deal with an unsatisfactory and unfinished proposal.

Think of proposals as small projects – develop a plan. Think about all the relevant issues you must cover - how to meet their problem? How you have done similar work in the past? Who will work on the project? Do you need subcontractors or partners to help deliver the project? Who will work on the proposal? How will you present yourself to the client in order to win?

Ensure you are prioritising bid opportunities and have your best people working on the most important opportunities for your organisation. Think carefully about which contract is more important. Is it the high value opportunity that will consume all your time and resources for the next several months? or is it the smaller project that allows you to maintain other client work at the same time? Whichever is the most important prioritise your bids and ensure that each one receives the attention it deserves.

As with any project, when writing proposals, set and keep deadlines and allocate resources to complete tasks. This is taken for granted when running a client project, but is sometimes ignored on internal “sales” projects. Proposal writers and sales teams need to manage and run their projects efficiently too in order for them to succeed…and remember one sure fire way to lose the contract is not submitting your proposal on time. Don’t jeopardise several weeks work by being 30 minutes late getting the document in.

Unless you are an individual contractor you should delegate proposal tasks to qualified team members. This will allow more time to be spent on each section and that each section of the proposal is written by the most appropriate member of your team. If you have expertise available, make sure that it is available to be used in your proposals. When delegating make sure everyone knows the deadlines and commits to them. Everyone needs to know this is an important project and you are the project manager.

Always plan time for production of the documents. Make sure that everything can be produced and checked in the final form prior to submission. The last thing you need is a well-written proposal coming across poorly because it was carelessly assembled at the last minute. Make sure the printer is working, that you have enough paper and that you have time to get it delivered. Book a courier in advance.

Having a set and well-defined process can easily streamline the time required between projects and will allow for highly organized proposals that always meet quality standards. Many people underestimate the value of proper proposal planning; make sure you are not one of them.

Within the Learn to Write Proposals Bid Management Toolkit you will find great tools to help you – the Bid Capture Plan helps you define your win strategies and themes, the Bid Development Plan helps you structure you documents and plan the development of each section as well as the whole document and the Proposal Tracker helps you keep on top of the production of multiple bids.

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Planet Antares Selection Tips For Choosing A Vending Machine Company

If you are planning to start your own Planet Antares vending business, a vending machine company will be needed to supply the vending machines for the same. Selecting the right kind of vending equipment for your vending business is important to begin in the ideal manner. You need a company that will offer vending machines at the right price.

Planet Antares Inc offers high quality vending machines as well as all vending information required to start your business on the right foot.

You will soon realize that the vending business is very different from any other business. You can do this from home and need to visit the vending route to service your vending machines on a regular basis. Usually, vending machine companies sell both new and used equipment to suit the requirements and budget of all sorts of vending operators. Planet Antares vending machines are created for all kinds of snacks and beverages.

A single individual can run a vending machine company from home or it may be a large enterprise with a staff prepared to take your order. Planet Antares Corporation is such a large company with experts who are ready to guide you from the very start of your business. All the information is easily accessible online. The company has a lot of experience and has countless satisfied vending operators who have set up well paying vending business.

In order to have long term relations, a vending machine company must treat you properly. It is imperative to do your homework and carry out thorough research about vending companies before making a commitment to purchase from them. After all, it will not be the sign of a good vending operator to switch vending machine companies’ right in the beginning of their operations.

Avoid vending machine companies that continuously put obstacle in your path to smooth operations. Such companies are perhaps taking you for a ride. It will be worthless to develop good relations with such companies.

Vending operators would want to set up a successful business and this will only happen when you start in the right way. Go for a reliable company like Planet Antares Inc to get best results.

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Planning An Event: If You Think You Can’t, You’re Right.

It was their company’s first ever breakfast seminar. Sally Thompson had never designed a seminar before. She knew the start time, the finish time and had a list of presentations that had to be made but could she make it fit?

Remember that, for maximum impact, each hour of an event should be divided equally into one third listening, one third discussing and one third doing. So, for every hour you really only need a script for twenty minutes and, if you are using a PowerPoint type presentation, a well-paced speaker will “talk to” one slide of the presentation every 3 minutes on average. You therefore need around 7 text slides each with no more than 7 bullet points to generate a one-hour chunk of the event.

This is obviously a rough guide but when you consider writing event material in this way, it can remove some of the fear factor. Most delegates will be satisfied with your normal product literature and a copy of the slides printed out as lecture notes with a space to add their own observations. If there is no-one in your organization with the time or the skill to write the presentation material you will find many creative writers who have presentation experience and who will be happy to script your presentation for a reasonable fee.

For workshops, you will need to design some activities to allow people to put the theories being taught into practice. This is most often a paperwork exercise that falls naturally from the subject matter; however, it is sometimes useful to ask people to participate in an abstract exercise that will generate emotion and stress. Their spontaneous language and behavior can then be observed to illustrate key points in subjects like, team-working, customer service, anger management, delegation and leadership. These abstract games tend to be large-scale puzzles and obstacle courses using fairly simple props that can be rented from corporate entertainment suppliers.

One such puzzle used to stimulate discussions about organization, motivation and teamwork is called Chinese Crackers after the parlor game on which it is based. A pile of 7 cushions (crackers) of different sizes, the smallest being about 50cm square and the largest being about 1.5m square, are piled up in one corner of the room. The “team” must rebuild the stack in another corner of the room; a third corner is used for temporary storage. It sounds straightforward but there are two firm “rules”:

* Only smaller cushions can be placed on top of larger cushions

* Only one cushion should be in transit at any one time

Sane people are very quickly turned into frenzied factotums forgetting everything they ever knew about planning, observation, review and positive thinking as they lose faith in their ability to pile cushions against the clock.

For anyone who has ever tried the parlor game, they will know that the answer is not complex but requires finding a pattern in which to move the cushions and then sticking to it.

Using this simple structure, Sally soon realized that she was in danger of trying to fit a quart into a pint pot. Her original plan of one breakfast seminar turned into a series of weekly breakfast workshops that gave delegates enough meat to chew on and discuss but left them hungry for more.

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Planning For A Commercial Development

A commercial development of any size is a serious undertaking. Get it right and you come away with a good profit and happy buyers or tenants. Get it wrong, and you could lose money and your reputation, making it difficult to obtain financing next time round.

The Project

A proper project plan should take you all the way through your development. By necessity, it needs to be comprehensive, but the detailed requirements of such a project often turn the project plan into a complex document that confuses everyone who reads it. Use the following steps to help keep everything organised:

Write a clear initial plan outlining each “chunk” of the project:

• Land purchase
• Use and design
• Planning requirements
• Initial building requirements
• Central building phase
• Fitting-out
• Marketing
• Sale or rental

Each of these areas should be further broken down so that you know exactly what has to be accomplished and in what order to make the project successful. It is a good idea to use the available expertise of your architect, designer, construction company and other advisers to ensure that everything is covered.

The Timetable

A project should always have an achievable timescale. Trying to accomplish a development too quickly could result in corners being cut and in a lower standard of build and finish. This in turn will have a negative effect on your ability to rent or sell the development on at completion. A realistic timescale is essential, and you should have an estimated time schedule against each of the items in your project plan so that you can see which items can be done simultaneously and which need to be done consecutively.

Keeping on track

A commercial development uses the talents and expertise of a large number of people and there will be an ongoing requirement to source and track contractors to make sure that everything runs smoothly. It is important that there is someone in charge of the project on a full-time basis to keep it on track. This allows contractors to have a single person to report to and shows everyone that the project is being effectively run.

Successful commercial projects are those that have been carefully planned, costed and scheduled before any work starts on the site. These projects are always fluid and you should be prepared for things to change along the way, but without a clear plan and a method of executing that plan, your commercial development could be at risk.

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Plastic Packaging: Thermoformed Plastic Trays and Plastic Pallets - 10 Money Saving Tips You Can Use Right Now!

Thermoformed Plastic Trays and Pallets - 10 Tips You Can Use Right Now To Reduce Your Cost

Heavy gauge thermoforming is as much a staple to the returnable plastic packaging industry as Chevy is to General Motors. It’s always been there, not known for its cutting edge design but more because it is solid, durable, and dependable. Thermoforming plastic trays and pallets can also be misunderstood. It remains one of the longest lasting and reasonably priced returnable packaging products available yet customers are reluctant to try it. Why?

Research has shown that many people assume plastic trays and pallets made via heavy gauge thermoforming have the same high priced tooling as injection molding. Further, many folks are convinced the tooling takes just as long to produce. This is not true. Returnable plastic trays and pallets come with a moderate tooling charge (usually less than $7500) and can be made in 4 weeks or less, depending on the design.

Here are 10 tips regarding thermoformed plastic trays and pallets your salesman would rather you not know about:

1. Provide the actual product you need packaged to your supplier. This allows the supplier to see, touch, and feel the product and design the plastic tray or plastic pallet accordingly. You’ll get a better initial design and a firmer price quote.

2. Assess if your actual product can be stacked upon and support weight. If this is possible, your returnable plastic trays will not need to be as deep which means a smaller plastic tray and a lower price per tray.

3. Design returnable plastic trays and plastic pallets that are stackable and nestable. This means that the plastic trays and plastic pallets can stack when fully loaded and nest inside each other when empty. Nested thermoformed plastic trays and plastic pallets take up less space and save on both storage and freight costs.

4. Consider having the thermoformed plastic trays marked with a stripe at least 1 inch wide and running either the entire length or width in a different color than the plastic trays. These stripes help your operators know when the plastic trays are loaded or empty, saving in labor costs and storage efficiency

5. Ask for concept sketches with overall dimensions of your plastic trays or plastic pallets before proceeding with a production order. This helps everyone remain clear on how the plastic trays or plastic pallets need to look and function.

6. Make a production tool for your thermoformed plastic trays instead of a wood prototype tool if possible. Prototype tooling is very rough and takes about 2 weeks to make. Production tooling can be modified and adjusted, within reason. This speeds up the overall design and production schedule and saves on the additional cost of a prototype tool which is worthless after it is used once

7. Evaluate different thicknesses of plastic once your production tooling is done. If a thermoformed plastic tray or plastic pallet could be made using thinner material this will save money. It is also possible a thicker material will perform better after thermoforming. You can see the difference and make an educated decision before running a large quantity.

8. Mark your thermoformed plastic trays or plastic pallets with an identification stamp or insert plate that has your company name, address, and any other important information such as Property of XYZ Corporation. This will help assure that the plastic trays or plastic pallets are returned to the correct address when empty.

9. Ask your supplier if they will purchase your thermoformed plastic trays or plastic pallets for recycling if and when they become obsolete. The price paid will be a scrap value but it is better than nothing.

10. Consider purchasing 10-25 extra plastic trays or pallets with your initial order for emergencies. Most companies misplace plastic trays and pallets and it is much more cost effective to run them in a larger quantity than having to pay for a special run later on.

Thermoformed Plastic Trays and Pallets Conclusion

If shipping parts to a dedicated customer or destination on a regular basis, consider thermoformed plastic trays and pallets as a packaging solution. While they aren’t indestructible, they can handle normal abuse and easily pay for themselves within 1 to 1 Ѕ years. As always, rely on your packaging professional for guidance and direction.

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Playing And Winning The Grant Game

Depending on what kind of business you’re planning to start, you might be able to get a home business grant. These grants are usually government-issued. They are, effectively, ‘free money’ – as long as you use the money for what you say you’re going to use it for, you don’t ever have to pay it back. Even if you don’t think you would qualify for anything, you might be able to modify your business plan subtly so that you do.

Why Would They Do That?

The money is designed to encourage specific kinds of businesses – it will always be given to you for a very specific purpose. Also, grants almost never cover the full amount of whatever it is you want to do, leaving you to make up the rest yourself. Note that not all grants come from the government — some are given out by charities trying to further a cause, or by local community organisations.

Areas commonly covered by grants include businesses that are exporting (every government wants exports to be more than imports), businesses that will provide training to their employees, businesses that are doing useful research and businesses that are providing services and jobs in places that are candidates for ‘regeneration’. You may also be able to find extra support for environmentally-friendly businesses, and if you’re a woman or a member of an ethnic minority then that could qualify you for a grant too.

Training Grants.

Grants for training are some of the best ones out there — if you’re planning to have any staff, you should really look into them. Basically, you get a grant towards the cost of sending some of your employees on a training course. This is good for you, as you can train your employees more cheaply, and they’ll do a better job afterwards. It’s good for them, as they learn new skills or improve the ones they have and improve their career prospects for the future. Finally, at least in theory, it’s good for the economy, as there will be a greater diversity of skills available in the job market.

Research Grants.

If your business is trying to solve a problem or develop an invention, you might be eligible for a research grant. This can be especially helpful for covering the costs of things like patent applications. Watch out, though — application for research grants is some of the fiercest out there.

Location, Location & Location.

Whatever kind of grant you’re going for, the biggest factor in whether you get it will probably be where you’re based. Grants tend to be locally-focused, and especially targeted in areas that are deemed to have a lacking economy. Since you’re a home business, you might even find it worth researching what is available in each area, and moving home strategically.

It’s Hard to Get a Grant.

Beware of anyone who makes grants look easy. There are all sorts of ‘grant agencies’ who want to take a fee, and ‘guarantee’ that they’ll get you a grant. They won’t – as with almost all things like this, never pay up front. However tempting their offer might seem, you should be applying for the grants yourself. This will generally involve submitting your business plan plus a letter of about 1,000 words saying why you should get the grant in question — you can’t really use the same letter for each grant. Pick what you apply for carefully, as it’s a waste of time to apply when you don’t meet the criteria properly.

If you want to make sure you’re applying correctly, the best thing to do is to phone up the organisation offering the grant — they’ll usually be eager to offer help and advice. Still, don’t be upset if you don’t get chosen, as it might just be that there were more qualifying candidates than there was money.

Other Benefits.

Any grant you get is likely to bring you to the attention of some kind of agency or organisation who want to help you in other ways too. They might help you get onto courses if you’re lacking any business skills, or even provide a mentor to guide you. You might think it all sounds a little silly, but believe me, when you run a home business you need all the help you can get.

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Tax Benefits of Incorporation

Is it less taxing to incorporate?

Some companies may seem to escape death, but they will ever be able to escape taxes. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some tax benefits out there, though, that only the corporations are getting. Companies are tempted to incorporate for a number of reasons, but more and more often, taxes are the main motivator. But why?

Well, it’s important to note right away that incorporation only means tax benefits for some companies. For others, taxes might actually become a bigger problem than they were before. However, potentially, you have a lot to gain – in what you won’t be paying in taxes to the government – by incorporating. There are a few basic tax benefits that corporations often rely upon.

The first one is tax deferral. All this means, really, is that a company can keep more of its earnings. How can this be? When a company becomes a corporation, it becomes a separate entity of its owner and thus adheres to different rules than it did before. Typically, an owner must pay taxes directly to the government on his or her net income. But if that same owner has a corporation on his or her hands, it’s an entirely new ballgame. The corporation has different tax rates than its owner! Depending on the state, a corporation will have to pay little to no income tax. You can expect that the income tax of a corporation will be significantly lower than a personal income tax.

This may all sound very quaint and appealing, but there’s more to the story. The grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side because of a nuisance called double taxation. Double taxation happens when both the shareholder and the corporation are taxed for various profits and gains. Especially when a corporation liquidates, this is a problem. (As new dividends make themselves known.) There are ways to resolve the double taxation dilemma, but it does take quite a bit of thought and planning.

Whether you’re running a company or a corporation, you must think about taxes in the long term. Don’t just plan for this year and next – think far into the future and foresee problems like double taxation. As you consider the tax benefits of incorporation, make sure to also consider the disadvantages and added complications. If you want to get the best bang for your buck when you incorporate, you must play an active role in the process of turning your company into a corporation. And that means you can’t take for granted the promise of tax benefits.

Also keep in mind that tax law is ever-changing and tax benefits that generations before you had may be nonexistent today, while new benefits may take their place. It’s advisable to keep up to date about what your state legislatures are coming up with from year to year. Because each company has its own personality and ambitions and of course net profits, some tax benefits may be more disposable than others. The only appeal of tax benefits is that a company retains more of its earnings, so if incorporation is costing you money in other areas, you will want to note this. It’s important to weigh all the costs and benefits against each other!

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Teaching you how to Get Paid

People have made as much as $7,000 per month get it all for FREE! And, not only get everything for FREE and get a paycheck for it.

Everybody would love to make lots of money quickly, working from home, and only doing a few hours of work per week. I’ve spent the past two years trying to find a great way of doing this. Only over the course of the past few months have I found any “get rich quick” programs worth buying. I’ve been trying to make money online for a long time. I had a few small websites, but they never made much more than a few hundred per month. It was easy money and didn’t require much work on my part, but I knew there were people out there doing better than I was and I knew I could do as well as them.

Now, I’ve seen a lot of “get rich quick” programs. Most of these people make claims about earning $2000/day with Google or something similarly insane. Almost all of these people are complete liars.

Even if they were making $2000/day with Google AdSense, it’d be because they had high- traffic websites with a lot of quality content. I’d know, because in one whole month, I never even made half of what they promised I’d make daily with their programs. Maybe you’ve already been scammed by one of these fraudsters. Anyway, I finally got sick of what was being offered.

I decided I’d look through the all of the “get rich quick” programs I could find and see if there were any that were actually legitimate. I found that there were owners selling their programs for well over $100, but the information in them could be found almost anywhere online for free. Additionally, they all contained out-of-date information, had no e-mail support, no money back guarantees, and broken links in the downloads section.

In conclusion, almost all of the programs I found were completely useless. The owners knew it, but they couldn’t care less about their customers since they didn’t offer refund policies! Amazingly, while looking through all of the programs, I actually did find a few legitimate programs. They were run by ordinary people like you and me, and they had found some great methods of making money from their home by doing very little work.
I spent some time working with those programs, and my income is now ten times what it used to be.

These programs provided a large amount of great information on how to make extra money on your computer doing very little work. Numerous customers had provided great feedback and reviews for their products. Many of them have started to make money just days after buying!
Their programs have excellent prices, and the authors have a group of paid staff who are dedicating to helping you or providing assistance if you need any.

I must say I was amazed! If you do decide to purchase any of the programs listed below, I recommend you join quickly. Most of the owners tell me they are getting an overwhelming number of sales and plan on raising prices in the near future, so order while prices are still low!
To Your Online Success!

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Tax: Are you paying it TWICE ??

Article dealing with people doing Online Business across international boundaries. This is specific to businesses from US to other countries. For businesses originating from other countries see International Tax Laws for that country.

This article would prove beneficial for people or websites based countries other than UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and doing businesses with websites or companies in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. This is specific to businesses from US to other countries. For businesses originating from other countries see International Tax Laws for that country.

For further and more accurate information always consult the site www.irs.gov

Whichever country you are coming from, the term business is always related to tax. It is your financial obligation that MUST be taken into account and paid.

Online Business is no different. The way online business differs form other businesses is that it is the easiest way to cross international borders and bring into effect the international tax laws.

You may receive the payments by Checks, Bank Transfers, PayPal or whatever. All the income must be estimated and tax should be calculated and paid. If you are unsure consult your Tax Agent. He would be able to guide you better.

Online business is mostly generated from UNITED STATES OF AMERICA as all the good sites that provide good returns are based in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. has opened its gates for people from all around the world (with exception of some countries) to conduct business from these online firms. According to the U.S. government’s rule all income or business generated from U.S. Businesses or income related to U.S. Businesses or Companies should pay tax in the US. The companies in the US are advised to hold tax from you or not to make nay

Does that mean you pay the Income Tax TWICE? Once to the US Government and once again when you do your local taxes. The answer in “NO”.

The good news is that US has got international rules for dealing with Tax issues arising in these sorts of situations. To get around it you need to fill in the APPLICABLE W-8 series of forms like W-8BEN, W-8ECI, W-8EXP, and W-8IMY and give it the company whom you are doing business.

A further note Google AdSense is a bit different. It takes care to see your country of origin and advises you accordingly. You DO need to pay tax in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. if you have people, services and equipment based in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Having only a hosting service is not considered as owing equipment in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

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Teach A Man To Fish…

This technique can help you succeed, and then you can use it to help your downline succeed. You know what? If they succeed then YOU succeed.

There’s an old saying which you may have heard. “Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man HOW to fish and he can feed himself for the rest of his life.”

My wife brought up a very good point today. I have written essays, articles, and poetry for years. I write what I enjoy writing and write about what I want to write about, and write it in my own unique and personal style.

Nothing wrong with that, but, when it comes to articles on business, marketing, internet businesses, etc., I have missed an entire audience. As my wife pointed out, I have always written at a certain level, and, at that level, I always assumed a certain knowledge or experience in the people I was writing for or to. I’m not talking about intelligence. I’m talking about knowledge and experience.

That’s how I have missed my audience! If you are already knowledgeable about internet marketing or network marketing, let’s say, you can read my article, agree with it, disagree with it, comment on it, and, maybe even get an insight or piece of information that you didn’t already know.

However, what about the person with NO experience or real knowledge of internet or network marketing? My entire article, my carefully contrived web of words and masterful turn of phrase, my recital of personal experiences is meaningless to this person! They have no clue, or only a vague conception, of what I am talking about.

Additionally, the experienced individual probably already has some sort of internet business with which they are involved. If they take anything away after reading my article, they are going to apply it to THEIR BUSINESS! I may get a thank-you. I may get an award, but, I DON’T GET THEIR BUSINESS because they already have one.

On the other hand, if my article is structured and designed to provide useful information to the individual who has not yet learned about how to market things on the internet, and if I include basic, yet helpful information to that individual, I now have a reader who not only wishes to read more of what I have written, but who will follow my guidance in the selection of an internet or network marketing business…probably in my downline.

Now, not only do I have a new recruit in my business, but this is someone who is motivated to follow my lead, willingly accepting the guidance and training I offer.

There are many principles which have been around a long time in the recruiting of new people into network marketing, but I’ll just mention three here.

First, you can get people’s attention and draw their interest to your business opportunity by offering something of value for free.

Second, you need to be able to train the new recruit.

Third, they are more likely to be successful if you can provide a system which can be duplicated, even by the inexperienced! Well, suppose you (or I) have written a series of interesting, informative and instructional articles aimed at inexperienced people and we give these articles to them for free. These articles form the basis of the training of these people, and, once they are part of our downline, we can continue their training through additional articles. We can also begin to provide them access to those tools or programs we have found to be of value in this second phase of their training. Finally, we can give them the packet of training materials that we have provided to them so that they can begin recruiting THEIR downlines by offering this material for free in order to draw attention to their business.

Sounds like we are on the verge of creating a “perpetual motion machine” of sorts. Wouldn’t that be great?

As Spock would say, “Fascinating.”

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Technology & Business Expansion: Matching Your Data Systems to the Business Growth Needs of Tomorrow

Software effectiveness evaluations should be performed the same way as evaluating old equipment in a factory. Nobody likes change, but not facing the fact that a company’s current software is outdated can result in substantial business disruptions and expenses down the road.

Fueling the high growth rate for Retailers, Manufacturers and Distributors is a flurry of mergers and acquisitions. In today’s world of mergers and acquisitions, and heavy usage of the Web, companies are facing a new reality. Software that meets the company’s needs now will not be effective after a new acquisition takes place, or if sales substantially increase as a result of using the Web.

While meeting with a prospective client — a CEO of a large cleaning supply company — about purchasing new software, he told me that he was planning to grow his business by end of the year from 300 million to 500 million dollars by acquiring competitors he was negotiating with. When I asked him how he planned to integrate his company’s software with the new companies he was planning to acquire, his response was: “You hit the nail on its head. The software we are using cannot support our future acquisition plans. We will have to let the companies we plan to acquire keep using their current software until we find software that can meet our new needs. Not having the right software will result in a substantial increase of our operating cost. The unfortunate part is that we did not have the foresight to think ahead of the fact that our current software would not be able to support our acquisition plans. Nobody expected that we would grow at this rate and now we have to pay the price.”

Here are 4 unforeseen business disruptions that are likely to happen when your business environment changes:

1. Quite often companies engaged in e-commerce, experience an unexpectedly high volume of sales’ transactions that the current software cannot handle efficiently, resulting in the need for additional labor and excessive operating costs.

2. Frequently, the current software cannot provide the desired analytical information needed, resulting in the downloading of large amounts of data to spread sheets and more complex data manipulation to get the needed reports.

3. When mergers and acquisitions take place, the number of users along with the transaction volume will substantially increase, resulting in the possibility that the current computer system will not be able to handle this sudden change.

4. The acquired company might not have the same business practices as the company doing the takeover, resulting in the possibility that the current software may not be able to handle the new business demands. This can result in multiple software platforms being used creating higher operating costs and additional complexities in the computer infrastructure.

When planning future expansion, steps should be taken to ensure smooth business growth.

Software effectiveness evaluations should be performed the same way as evaluating old equipment in a factory. When evaluating the current software functions, the focus should not be on how well the software meets the business needs today, but whether it can meet the business growth of tomorrow when the company moves to the “next level.” In today’s business reality, which is changing at lighting speed, lack of planning can be a very costly proposition.

Nobody likes change, but not facing the fact that a company’s current software is outdated can result in substantial business disruptions and expenses down the road. The question that should always be asked is: “if the business reality changes drastically resulting in an unexpectedly large amount of new users or volume of data transactions, could the current software be able handle it?”

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Teaching The Big Boys To Think Small

Last week I told you about a recent report from The Conference Board that has a lot of big company CEOs concerned about competition from smaller, more innovative and entrepreneurially-minded companies. To refresh your memory, The Conference Board’s CEO Challenge 2004 reported that 87% of the 540 global businesses surveyed cited innovation and enabling entrepreneurship as priorities for their companies, and 31% considered these issues of “greatest concern.”

These CEOs understand that their big company status no longer guarantees that they will win contracts and retain market share based solely on their size and track record. They understand that the greatest threat to their businesses is not coming from the boardrooms of their largest competitors, but from small companies born in garages, on kitchen tables, and in tiny, rented offices.

It’s a fact that smaller companies, by need and design, are more innovative, more flexible, more decisive, and faster to move than their larger brethren who are entrenched in operational processes and corporate procedures. Small companies are typically not led by career executives for whom every decision must be predicated by hours of meetings and mounds of documentation. Most small companies are led by their founders; men and women who were cut from an entrepreneurial cloth that has yet to fade. It is when a company grows to the point that the founder steps aside to make way for professional managers that the company loses its innovative nature and entrepreneurial flair.

The good news for large companies is that they have definite advantages over small companies, especially when it comes to resources and funding. Turning a Goliath into a raging horde of David’s is never easy, but it can be done if the company is willing to make changes to internal processes and attitudes, and commit the time, money, and personnel to make it happen.

Since size and number of years in business are no longer differentiators in the competitive marketplace what must large companies do to become more innovative and entrepreneurial? To begin they must do three things: shorten the process time, cut through the red tape, and promote innovative and entrepreneurial thinking from the top down. If the board, the CEO, executives, managers, supervisors, and employees are not dedicated 100% to making the changes necessary to transform the company, the effort will fail and the giant will lumber on.

Shorten The Process Time
At large companies everything is done by the book, i.e. by established processes and procedures. Very little gets done at large companies without what I call the “Multiples of M.” Multiple Meetings to discuss the issue; Multiple Memos to reiterate the issue; and Multiple Management approvals required to sign off on the issue. To become more innovative and entrepreneurial large companies must streamline the decision-making process down to a single set of M’s: Move on or Make it happen.

Cut Through The Red Tape
Here’s a true example from my corporate days that illustrates how procedures and red tape get in the way of efficient operations A fluorescent bulb in my office blew, which made the other bulb in the fixture flicker like a strobe light at a discotheque (causing flashbacks that we won’t discuss). I assumed getting a new bulb would be a simple matter of calling down to the facilities office and reporting the problem. My assumption was wrong. I was told that I would have to come to the facilities office, which was in another building 2 miles away, fill out a facilities request form, and take the form back to my immediate supervisor, who was required to stick his head in my office to confirm that the bulb was indeed out before signing the form. I assume this was to make sure that I was not trying to commandeer a fluorescent bulb under false pretenses.

Once my supervisor confirmed that I really did need a new bulb, he signed the form and I took it back to the facilities office, foolishly thinking that they would hand me a bulb that I could take back to my office. Oh no, that would have been too simple. I was told that once my form was approved by the facilities manager a maintenance worker would be dispatched to my office and would replace the bulb for me. Great, I said. When can I expect that to happen?

“I can have someone over there a week from Tuesday between noon and 5pm,” the man at the facilities desk replied. I suddenly felt like I was dealing with the cable company. How many big company employees does it take to change a light bulb? I lost count at four.

Encourage Innovation and Entrepreneurial Thinking
Next, you must create an environment in which innovation and entrepreneurial thinking are encouraged and rewarded. If your employees feel that their opinions, thoughts and ideas don’t matter, they will not submit them to you, but may take them elsewhere.

Again, based on my own experience, I can tell you that innovation, especially innovation that occurs below the management level, is often ignored, ridiculed, and in some cases, used as an excuse to give employees the boot. The perfect example of this was when I took an idea on how to improve an internal system to my manager and was told, “Knox, you think too much.” Now this was a new one on me. I had been accused of thinking too little and of not thinking at all, but never had I been accused of thinking too much. I do recall my dad telling me when I was young, “Son, if you had a brain you’d be dangerous.” I suppose my manager was simply trying to relay the same message. “Shut up and go to your room/cubicle like a good little boy/company drone before you get on my nerves and get spanked/fired.” Within a few months I decided to take my overactive brain and put it to work for myself. After 10 years of business success, I think I made the right decision.

To promote innovation and entrepreneurship big companies must encourage everyone to think like innovators and entrepreneurs. Make it a company policy that such thinking is required, expected and rewarded. Pose these questions: (1) How can we improve our current products and services; (2) What new uses can you think of for current products or services; (3) What new products and services can you think of that would be good additions to our current offerings or perhaps even launch a new line; (4) What new opportunities do you see in the market place that might be worth pursuing?

Get Outside Help
Most large companies find it difficult to develop and implement an innovation plan simply because they refuse to devote the time and resources to getting it done. And since most executives have never been entrepreneurs, they do not know how to encourage entrepreneurial thinking among their ranks. If your company needs help with innovation and entrepreneurship, bring in someone from the outside to direct and manage the effort for you.

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Technology Meets Art at Versa Products

Versa Products, Inc., the Los Angeles-based furniture manufacturer, recently announced additional upgrades available on its already popular Versa Art Table. Known industry-wide as an innovative leader in computer furniture, Versa sells products all over the world to clients that cover a multitude of industries from educational institutions like universities and secondary schools to office suites to military bases.

Although Versa’s most popular product is the classic Versatable, available in multiple sizes and colors, Versa’s line of art and drafting tables are getting recent attention. The blend of the traditional, tilting art desk and the modern computer desk appears to be just what the doctor, er, um, artist ordered. “With the art industry evolving to incorporate computers into the creation of art and design, how could we ignore that fact and still expect to make a table that clients need?” explains Christopher Stormer, COO at Versa. “You can make an art table that’s high quality, competitively priced, and looks great, but if it doesn’t serve every function the user needs, then it’s pretty much worthless. Designers, artists, students… they all use computers constantly and it makes no sense to have one desk for drawing and another one to support your computer.”

The beauty of Versa’s art table is that it’s completely customizable with the type of customizations one might actually want. Anyone can skip the retailer and order a desk online straight from Versa. Then, choose the accessories you want and forget the ones you don’t. Popular accessories include a height adjustable monitor platform that can be situated on either side of the table (perfect for right- or left-handers), wheel kits, printer platforms, and even CPU holders for those who use PCs.

This type of simple customization isn’t just confined to the art table and drafting desks Versa offers. Every product Versa manufactures is customizable including classroom tables for computer labs, executive desks, and medical and dental furniture. The customer also has a choice of color options and combinations with every product.

The art table offers 75 degrees of tilt adjustment with its easy, pop-pin adjustment system. The height also adjusts from 24 to 48 inches and the work surface comes in standard 48-inch by 30-inch dimensions. It comes with a full sized storage tray and in six different color combinations. Quantity discounts begin with only three like units, making it even more economical for schools, small businesses, and art departments who can’t qualify for quantity discounts the way big guys can.

In addition to the high-end products themselves, Versa is known for excellent customer service and its hassle-free lifetime warranty on all products it sells. Items ship for absolutely free anywhere in the contiguous United States regardless of whether the order is five hundred tables or one keyboard arm. Most items ship from the factor within one to two days as well.

If you’d like to know more about the products Versatables offers, including art tables, school desks, dorm room furniture, and space-savers, check out their website or call and request a catalog.

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Teeth Whitening for the Best Smile

Having a great white is now more possible than ever since the available treatments and the lower cost making UK consumers a very luck bunch!

One of the best treatment methods available to gain back that white perfect smile is teeth whitening. The basic methodology of teeth whitening is that it reverses the process of discoloration of teeth, bleaching them to reveal the white enamel again.

Everyone in the UK in 2008 is hoping there is not a repeat of the summer in 2007 and that we experience a positive summer which could see a boom in industries like teeth whitening, sunbeds, outdoor garden furniture etc.

When the sun is shining people feel good about themselves and this is why feel god industries like the teeth whitening industry will have a good summer as consumers are likely to spend money on themselves to make them feel and look great.

Historically the only viable option for whiting teeth involved the skills of a cosmetic dentist, was time consuming, uncomfortable and extremely costly.

Job interviews are good example of where first impressions count and having a great smile combined with other factors like grooming etc will only help get that job and help you earn a fortune. Money is not the only factor as having bright white teeth can only be good for your love life. As you get older the teeth loose their bright white look at as the enamel gets thinner.

Many people have gained stained teeth by the likes of coffee, tea, red wine, gravy, nicotine and gravy and over a period of time causes the enamel on the teeth tot stain and discolour. Teeth whitening essentially removes the stains by getting deep in to the enamel and by using the zoom teeth whitening or laser teeth whitening the stains can be removed in one hour.

A whiter smile can make a person more confident and outgoing in social situations. Unfortunately most of us don’t have the whitest smile that we could. Years of drinking dark colored beverages such as coffee, tea, soda, and red wine, smoking, and aging take their toll on the color of tooth enamel. The great news is that today anyone can have a dazzling white smile.

The first thing that you notice to a person when having a conversation is their teeth. Healthy bright white teeth always get special and extra attention.

Laser teeth whitening is also known as zoom whitening which is a commonly used name in the USA and even the Americans have developed Zoom 2 teeth whitening which is essentially the same but early adopters will want to try new names and ideas. The name aside laser teeth whitening is a huge growth industry and with added benefits like helping clients to quit smoking then no wonder customers are prepared to travel to get the treatment.

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POSTCARD PRINTING AND DESIGNS

To get your business noticed in a highly competitive market, you must make a bold business statement with postcard printing and designs. The most noticeable–and least likely to be tossed–postcards are those with full color and eye-catching designs. In creating your postcard, make sure the recipient can easily read your message without unnecessary clutter.

If you’re in the type of business where there are several similar businesses in your area, you must have an attention-getting advertising strategy. Getting–and staying–a step ahead of the competition can often make the difference in the survival of businesses of any size, particularly small businesses. If you have a home business, it’s very important that you advertise in a way that gets you in the minds of potential customers or clients.

Bold Postcard Printing and Designs

Postcard printing and designs can help you launch a major advertising campaign that can have a dramatic effect on your business. Let pictures speak and use bold letters in your design. Your prospective clients are more likely to remember a picture than a slogan, so take advantage of the high-end graphic designs that are available at most postcard printing companies.

The type of font plays an important role in getting your message across. Some fonts are flowing and easy to read, while others appear cluttered. Look at your postcard design at a comfortable distance and make sure it can be read easily. You want to remove any obstacle to catching the attention of your targeted audience.

Business postcard printing can help you create an effective marketing campaign to promote your business or services to the public. In fact, many companies routinely send out postcards as a way of promoting special events or discounts to potential customers. You must provide a postcard that gives the customer the feeling that your company is better than the competition, and offer an incentive to frequent your business.

Postcards can be especially effective when employed as appointment reminders. Physicians, dentists, legal services, salons, and others routinely take appointments far in advance. Since most people are rather busy, it’s easy to forget an appointment–and that can be costly for the provider. Sending a postcard reminder is an easy way to prevent missed dates, as well as a valuable investment.

Business Postcard Printing Tips for Success

Printing in vivid color gives postcards dynamic eye-catching appeal, making it hard to just toss them in the trash as unsolicited mail. Your message will be clearly defined on the postcard. Whether you’re reminding your clients or patients of upcoming appointments or events, or you’re reaching a new customer base, use tastefully designed business cards. You want your audience to see you as a high-quality business professional.

Even though it costs a little more for printing and postage, a larger size business postcard, such as 6 1/8 by 11 1/2 inches, will give room for a detailed message and dramatic graphics. Using color on one side and printing in black and white on the other will help in cost reduction to stay within a budget.

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How Digital Book Printing Works

Digital printing is fast gaining recognition by reputable and genuine publishers as a means of cutting costs.

Book printing has been an effective means of recording and conveying knowledge and information for ages. It has been also used for printing communications such as directory printing, annual report printing, training workbook printing, and brochures and so on. The front page or the book cover is perhaps the most important page in the entire book and the one that may cause someone to pick it up or pass it by. It can be printed in color ranging from one to four or full color.

The 21st century has brought a better means of book printing which is digital printing. Digital printing means Print on Demand; you print what you need when you need it. Print on demand reduces warehousing cost and the risk of obsolescence.

Digital printing is fast gaining recognition by reputable and genuine publishers as a means of cutting costs. As this printing technique becomes widely used, more and more companies are able to produce high quality color printing in a fraction of the time, at a fraction of the cost. Because of digital printing, companies and organizations can have their brochures printed in short runs or on demand to reduce cost and provide up-to-date information.

It is a fact for most business and individuals with printing needs that time, money and peace of mind are the most difficult to achieve in printing projects. That is why they always look for printers that can give them the service that they need. Because it is important for printed communications to be something special to get read, using digital printing can somehow provide you that special something that you need. Digital printing makes it possible to use four color process printing instead of one or two color printing.

In digital book printing it is common for publishers to handle the design and any necessary scanning themselves. Publishers are capable of putting the final document in the appropriate digital format. Digital printing companies are competitive in providing printing services because their technology allows them to automate otherwise labor-intensive, time-consuming process and avoid expenses involved with manipulation and physical storage.

These days, the best way to perhaps get a customer to want to buy your book or your products is to put the word digital in front of it. It seems that everything has gotten better and easier and faster because of digital technology. Perhaps this is why the new generation is called generation D – generation Digital.

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Expressing You! - Bringing your Presentation to Life

No matter who you are or what you do the ability to present yourself and your ideas powerfully is vital in today’s dynamic information age. Speaking well can influence other’s views, close a deal, motivate your team, enhance your business, and elevate your reputation. This article outlines 7 key action areas to guarantee you give your best presentation each and every time.

Whether you are an investor, entrepreneur, employee, self-employed or unemployed the ability to present yourself and your ideas powerfully has never been more important than in today’s dynamic information age. Speaking well can influence other’s views, close a deal, motivate your team, enhance your business, and elevate your reputation.

Many people get jitters speaking in public. Lilly Walters author of “Secrets of Successful Speakers” says 75% of stage fright can be reduced by rehearsal and preparation, 15% by deep breathing, and 10% by mental preparation. Thorough preparation alleviates anxiety and ultimately provides a consistent structure for achieving extraordinary results.

PREPARE

Create template presentations before you need them. If you use power point, keep text to a minimum with only one idea, no more than six lines per slide, large, readable, and consistent fonts. Most business people prefer little to no slide animation. Summarize often. Never read from your slides/flipcharts and always face your audience. Remember, you are the star not your visual aids.

Customize for your audience. Go to websites and printed materials to gather information like vision, mission and values first. Then interview relevant people to find out where the “pain” is in relation to your product, service, or topic. Ask questions like, what are the internal/external challenges/changes your organization is currently facing? What is the objective/purpose for the meeting? What result would you like to see achieved? Are there others presenting? If so, who are they and where are they on the schedule? How much time will I have? How much Q&A should be included in my total presentation time? Is there anything else you could add to help me do an even better job?

Get details like the date, directions to venue, meeting start/end times, presentation start/end times, dress code, attendees, VIP’s, agenda, equipment availability, etc. If you’re flying in, ask about the closest airport and number of miles/kilometers to venue, recommended transport from airport to meeting site or hotel and all contact phone numbers. If you are meeting overseas, inquire about business and cultural etiquette.

Organize memorable openings and closings by asking a question, mentioning something relevant in the news, using a quotation or audio/video clip. Most adults are visual so be creative. Weave humor throughout your talk. If you don’t consider yourself to be funny, use humorous photos, drawings, unusual clip art, quotes or media clips. Never tell a story or joke that would remotely offend anyone. Relate your closing to your opening coming full circle. Answer questions. End with a strong summary and a compelling call to action.

PRACTICE

When your content is ready, start practicing aloud. Pay special attention to or memorize your beginning, key points, and ending. If you need insurance, use note cards or visual cues. During this process, you will inevitably make revisions and improvements. After rehearsing aloud several times, record yourself on video. Time yourself. Watch your practice session and make adjustments until you are comfortable with your content and delivery.

PLAN

Plan what to wear in advance choosing clothes that make you look and feel great. Dress appropriately. To gain instant respect and boost your confidence, dress a bit better than your audience does.

Reconfirm date, time, venue, and agenda. If you are traveling for your meeting, pack early including a checklist for last minute items. Always have a multimedia CD backup, wireless remote and carry everything you will need for your presentation with you. To be safe, carry an extension cable, a power strip, adaptors, and backup batteries.

PROTECT

The day before and the day of an important presentation, avoid alcohol, smoke, caffeine, chocolate, and antihistamines because of their drying effects. If flying, recycled air in planes is dehydrating and speaking above engine noise can put a strain on your voice so talk as little as possible in-flight. A moist vocal tract will give you the best sound with the least amount of physical exertion. To stay hydrated, consume eight to ten glasses of water daily.

To prevent excess mucus, avoid dairy products and sugar. Grain alcohol, vodka, beer, and red wine can also increase mucus. If you cannot avoid alcohol, choose white wine before a presentation.

Sufficient sleep is absolutely essential to maximum performance.

PRIME

1. In the morning, do a good physical workout to give you energy and focus for the day.

2. Do some self-massage and vocal warm ups in the shower. Massage the base of your tongue, the temporomandibular joint (just by your ears between your cheeks and jaw) and neck and shoulders. Make funny faces to exercise facial muscles, do your favorite tongue twisters, and sing an uplifting song.

3. Before and during your presentation, drinks should be without carbonation and not too hot or too cold. Avoid combining protein and starch in the same meal and only eat fruit on an empty stomach.

4. Run through your presentation physically if you have the time.

5. Arrive early. Set up well in advance. Test and double-check all equipment.

6. Own the room imagining your energy fills the entire space extending to all walls and corners. State your intention aloud four times facing a different wall or direction each time. (i.e. “to win the business”)

7. Close your eyes. In your mind’s eye, imagine a person, place, or thing that you love. If you are religious or spiritual, you may want to connect with your higher power. Allow six or more deep breaths. Breathe in love on the inhale and on the exhale, let go of any tension, anxiety, or stress.

8. With your eyes still closed, mentally run through your presentation. Visualize success seeing your desired outcome.

9. Play a fast piece of music you love, dance, or walk briskly around the presentation room to pump yourself up and burn excess adrenaline. If it’s not possible for you to do this, run in place or jump up and down for 20-30 seconds somewhere private. If neither is possible, do simple isometric exercises, tensing and releasing muscles while sitting or standing.

10. Acknowledge yourself for the time and energy you have invested to do your best. Trust and BE yourself.

PRESENT
Start and stop on time. Address audience comfort before you begin. Be flexible and able to cut your presentation short, if necessary. Make direct eye contact and speak to your audience as if you were having a conversation with a friend. Move around and gesture freely. Smile, have fun, and be enthusiastic about what you are saying. Focus on delivering maximum value to your listeners. Now, it is all about them.

PLAYBACK
If you can, record all of your presentations on video for playback and feedback. A discreet alternative is a pocket-sized audio recorder. Recordings are especially useful for capturing questions, objections, comments, and action items. Always leave a handout, flyer, brochure, or business card making it easy for people to contact you.

The path to mastery is practice. Confucius said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Enjoy the journey.

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Editors Help Business People Do the ‘Write’ Thing

You’ve got spelling and grammar checkers on your laptop computer, so you’re all set to crank out the perfect sales letter while you’re on the road.

But Chandra Clarke and Terence Johnson of the online editing service Scribendi.com would urge you to not hit the “print” button just yet. Those spelling and grammar checkers can make mistakes, and even one typo could not only ruin the impact of your letter but reflect poorly on you and your company.

Written marketing materials are often the first impression prospective customers have of a company. And prospects can be very unforgiving of those little typos.

In the article “Ethos and Error: How Business People React to Errors,” University of South Alabama English professor Larry Beason found that mistakes in written materials create confusion regarding meaning and harm the image of the writer and the writer’s company. The typos often reflect on more than the writer’s communication skills, Beason said. The people he interviewed called sloppy writers “hasty,” “uninformed,” “careless” and “uncaring.”

“If you don’t care about your work,” wrote one of the respondents, “why should I care about you and your business?”

But carefully proofreading your work may not be enough - studies show that people often miss their own typos. According to the studies, you see what you expect to see in your own writing, rather than what’s actually there. Another person, or an editing service like Scribendi, can provide a fresh set of eyes.

Scribendi offers a variety of services, including proofreading, editing and translation. Clients upload their files to Scribendi’s Web site and download their documents after the editors are done correcting and polishing.

The editors come from a variety of backgrounds, so they’re familiar with their clients’ fields. In addition to correcting grammar, spelling, flow and consistency, they explain word usage issues and standard writing practices, so clients learn how to improve their own writing.

When it comes to making a great first impression, Clarke and Johnson believe no project is too small. The image you create with a short press release, they say, is as important as a deal-closing presentation.

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Effective Trademarks - How to Select a Good Name

Several key points to remember in selecting a trademark to avoid problems and to ensure you stand out from the crowd.

Your trademark is the most important asset your business will ever own. A good trademark will distinguish you from the competition and help you stand out in a crowd. A poor trademark will entangle you in legal disputes and blunt your marketing efforts. Selecting a good trademark is as simple as following the following guidelines.

1. Avoid Trademarks that cannot be Registered.

There is no point investing in a trademark that you can’t register. Registering the mark protects it from competitors, ensures your ownership rights in the mark and makes it easier to enforce your rights against copy cats. As you will read below, certain types of words are inherently poor choices for inclusion in a trademark because they cannot be registered.

2. Avoid Purely Descriptive Words.

Words which describe the nature or quality of the goods or services sold with the mark are not permitted to be registered. Hence, the mark “Cold Beer” for use with malt beverages cannot be registered because it describes the actual product being sold. If registered, it would prevent anyone from using the terms Cold and Beer to describe their malt beverage.

3. Avoid Surnames.

Surnames cannot be registered as trademarks. Hence the mark “Wilson Power Boats” is a poor choice for a trademark because the word Wilson is a surname (and the rest of the mark is descriptive).

4. Avoid Confusing Trademarks.

A trademark which is confusingly similar to a registered trademark cannot be registered. Hence, the mark “Sun-Screen” cannot be registered if the trademark “Sun Screen” has already been registered for a similar type of product. A search of the US Trademarks Database and/or the Canadian Trademarks Database is a good idea.

5. Avoid Generic Words in a Trademark.

The goal is to select a trademark which is as unique and distinctive as possible; therefore, avoid generic words. Examples of generic terms include “green, superior, Canadian, American, deluxe, gold, premium, economy,” and a plethora of others. These words are generic and if you incorporate them into your trademark, you ensure that you blend into the crowd, not stand out in front of it. Geographic words fall into this category.

6. Avoid TLA’s (Three Letter Acronyms) and Numbers.

IBM, ATT, and CNN are distinctive trademarks because their respective owners poured tens of millions of dollars into making the marks famous. Even a poor trademark can be made famous if you through enough money at it. But acronyms are intrinsically difficult to remember, while words, especially colorful words, are easily remembered. Hence “ELS Software Solutions” is not as memorable as “Volcanic Silicon.” Likewise, avoid using numbers in a trademark as they tend to be less memorable. Furthermore, there are a limited number of unused acronyms available, so there is an excellent chance that your TLA will be confused with someone else’s.

7. Do use invented words.

Invented words are words which do not exist in any language, apart from your trademark. Examples include Spandex, Exxon, Kodak, Viagra, and several other famous trademarks. Invented words are a good choice for use as trademarks because they are not descriptive and they tend to be quite distinctive. You can create an invented word by simply combining parts of other words. For example, Microsoft is a combination of “Micro computer” and “software.”

8. Try animal or plant names.

Animal and plant names tend to be quite memorable and, if used appropriately, can convey a good image while still being distinctive. Apple Computers is a good example, but other examples include Tiger Direct, Ford Mustang, and countless others.

Finally, make sure that the first word in your trademark is as distinctive as possible. It is often necessary to add descriptive words to the trademark in order to convey what is being sold or marketed in association with the mark. If generic words must be included then it is doubly important to ensure that the first word of the mark is as distinctive and unique as possible.

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Effective Web Page Design for E-Commerce

In focusing so much attention on marketing, many business owners neglect a fundamental aspect of successful e-commerce : web page design.

The widespread availability of high-speed Internet access has resulted in ever-greater numbers of consumers making online purchases. This means that business owners of all stripes - from individuals working from home to big box mass merchandisers - can reach more buyers and can generate exponentially greater revenue than ever before.

There are many theories about and tips for marketing and advertising your online store, and marketing and advertising is certainly a consideration. But in focusing so much attention on marketing, many business owners neglect a fundamental aspect of successful e-commerce: web page design.

If you don’t have a professional webpage design, it doesn’t matter how much traffic you generate to your site because those visitors won’t convert to customers. It’s crucial to have a website that is compelling and that makes visitors want to stay long enough to buy. Here, then, are six tips to help your web design transform visitors into customers:

1. Keep it Clean.

A professional web page designer will tell you that to keep your virtual storefront clean and free of clutter. It should be immediately clear to the visitor the types of items you sell without overwhelming them with dozens of hyperlinks, fonts, and flashing buttons and words. You can certainly incorporate a flash introduction in your web design, but if you do, give the visitor control. He or she should be able to bypass or pause the flash so that the annoyance factor is kept to a minimum.

2. Intuitive Navigation.

Your website designer should think like your customer and design a navigation system that easily takes your customer from your home page to the product or products of interest. The fewer number of clicks it takes to get from point A to point B, the more likely it is that your visitor will make a purchase.

3. Search Functionality.

Customers need to be able to find what they need quickly and easily. Allowing customers to search by keyword or product number is a great start. Going one step further and allowing “fuzzy” searches that will also return matches for common misspellings is even better.

4. Seamless Shopping Cart.

Many e-commerce sites lose customers at the critical juncture between selecting items and committing to buy them. An intuitive and easy-to-use shopping cart is essential to the online shopping experience. Again, your web page designer should think like your customer and utilize a shopping cart that makes checkout a breeze.

5. SSL Certificate.

If you’re an online merchant, there’s simply no getting around the need for an SSL certificate. With the problems associated with identity theft, your customers need to have confidence that your website is secure.

6. Leave it to the Professionals.

When it comes to web page design, don’t succumb to the temptation to do it yourself. Even if you have a web design program, you should hire a business web page designer to create your web site. Professionals have a variety of tools that will help your business succeed online, and will act as your partner in developing e-commerce solutions that will encourage visitors to stick around and purchase your products.

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E-Learning - Singing from the same Hymn Sheet

E-Learning - its not about technology, Its about communicating your ideas and procedures and getting it into the heads of the recipients, after all, it is they who will put it into action. Say it once, loud and clear and then let them test themselves on their understanding of your message.

E-learning gives you the opportunity to deliver and measure whether or not, you are achieving your goals. But the term E-learning has a certain internet geeky stigma attached to it. It sounds complicated and technical. But the truth of the matter is it’s neither. Take the E out of E-learning and everyone becomes more comfortable.

I was listening to an online SEO seminar the other day, during which, the host was explaining how if he had to tell one more newbie what page rank was he would consider putting a gun to his own head. Amusing as the remark was, you could easily identify with the frustration of him having to repeat the same old message. All educators and that includes business owners and managers have the same problem.

There are only so many things you have to do to acheive a succesful outcome in any business task. By documenting those tasks just once means that the procedure can be repeated to all members of staff over and over again. Ray Kroc took the procedures for the McDonald brothers restaurant and duplicated it globally so that every member of staff within the restaurant was aware of thier procedures and responsiblities no matter what their position or where they were in the world.

If Ray Kroc had access to the internet and E-learning when he was building the McDonalds empire he could have achieved his targets and educated the workforce more rapidly.

Now you may not have a global fast food restaraunt chain but the principles apply to all businesses. You may operate from a single unit or be geographically spread, either way its important for everyone concerned with the business to be fully aware of their duties and responsibilities and what the company is trying to achieve, It’s mission Statement.

The most efficient way to make that happen is to use an E-learning program. How many instances have there been in your business where things don’t go to plan because you assumed everybody knew what they were doing?

Singing from the same hymn sheet If only we could get everyone to sing from the same hymn sheet. A common cry across all organisations I have had the opportunity to work with over the years The following is a list of cries for help broken down into the problem (Pain) What needs to be done (vision) and how E-learning can help (the solution) Do any of these sound familiar?

The Pain: We provide professional advice to our clients - We don’t know if the advice given is consistent with updates in legislation. The Vision: I need to make sure our staff’s gives reliable information to our clients.

The Solution:
Using E-learning will test the knowledge of your staff on critical information updates

The Pain:

My only form of education is to hope they read the manuals. The Vision: If I had a system where I could offer different training courses and achievement levels and with a testing method I would know that they are comprehending what is required for their job.

The Solution:

E-learning will track each learner based on modules ;

• which module they are on
• Length of time per module
• Test score per module
• Number of retakes
• Benchmark your employees
• Measure your employees
• Improve your employees

The Pain:
My customers and site visitors keep asking the same questions The Vision: If I could set up an online training, testing and certifying system for customers thus helping them get the answers they need without the burden on our time The Solution: E-learning will benefit all companies wanting to educate customers it will also be seen an added value to the business relationship.

The one thing you need to know about E-learning is this - It’s not about technology. It’s about communicating your idea’s and procedures and getting it into the heads of the recipients, after all, it is they who will put it into action.

There are many ready made E-learning programs available, some better than others. The benefit of ready made E-learning solutions is that you can be educating your staff within weeks But if you must have a bespoke E-learning program made and you need it up and running soon then try and keep it away from your IT department. Leave the pyrotechnics for another day.

Use video and audio where you can - People using E-learning learn better using a combination of tools. There aren’t many people that can master something just by reading it.

Time Out You, as the business owner or manager will know what is it that you want to communicate to your staff. Of course solving all these problems does take time and you will need to take time out from all that selling to achieve your goals but remember with E-learning you should only have to do it once. Say it once, loud and clear and then test them on their understanding of your message.

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Electronic Medical Records Software - Knowing What to Ask

It is all about how you see things in the electronic medical records software business. Not all EMR software is created equal.

Finding professionalism and quality is an important choice that matters most to patients today when it comes to who they will choose to treat them. This also rings true to those giving the care when it comes to the office solutions they will choose for their medical billing software and electronic medical records software. Taking the confusion out of the electronic medicals records market is what many are looking for when choosing the best format to use.

With so many electronic medical records systems on the market, many find it a challenge to search through the features and functionality of each system to make sure that it fits the needs of their busy practice. Most find that the ease of navigation is a key feature to look for. Its important to us EMR software that makes multi-tasking a reality and gives the best opportunity to maximize the efficiency of your medical practice.

Within the market of electronic medical records software there are a variety of ways to view your model of operation. The design, which utilizes a “tab” concept for simplicity and ease of navigation through the EMR system seems to allow for multi-tasking like never before by being able to tab through each file or heading as one would look through a conventional file drawer. Within the arrangement of tabs, the user can easily find their display of multiple patients, encounter notes, workflow items, patient flow, messages, alerts and those things that are pertinent to each patient’s file.

Rather than being forced to change your work process, you decide how your workflow will be handled and in the order of it’s priority. Being productive is at the heart of an offices function and having the ability to decide how it is to be accomplished and the manner by which it is done is available in electronic medical records software.

It is also important to consider how your information will be viewed, after all, this is what drives those in the software industry to bring out new fresh ways to have a ‘my view’ look and feel.

The best way to find out if an electronic medical records software application is right for your practice is to contact a software company that will give you a free demo.

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Women Need to Know More About Treating Heart Disease

Although 73 percent of women know how to prevent heart disease, many are unaware of how to treat it once a diagnosis has been made.

In a survey of 1,979 women over age 35, only 55 percent said they understand how to treat heart disease. Respondents often incorrectly named prevention techniques such as exercise and healthy eating as treatment options, and less than 10 percent named actual treatments such as angioplasty and stent placement.

Hispanics and African-Americans, both considered high-risk groups for heart disease, were twice as likely as Caucasian women to say they did not know any treatments at all.

The survey was conducted by the “Healthy From the Heart” campaign sponsored by the National Women’s Health Resource Center and Cordis Corp. The campaign encourages women to learn about treatment options for coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease, so they can make better decisions if diagnosed.

“The good news is that women are aware that they are at risk for heart disease. The bad news is that they are overly confident in their ability to prevent it and treat it,” said Dr. Cindy Grines, an interventional cardiologist with William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oaks, Mich. “Women must realize that education is the key to conquering the threat of coronary artery disease. There are a variety of treatment options now available.”

The most common procedure for treating coronary artery disease is balloon angioplasty with a coronary stent. Angioplasty widens narrowed arteries by threading a balloon-tipped catheter through the arm or groin artery to the blocked artery in the heart. The balloon is inflated to compress the plaque against the artery walls, which in turn expands the blood vessel so blood can flow more easily.

Scientific advances have led to the development of the drug-eluting stent, a tiny mesh scaffold that props the artery open while releasing small amounts of a particular drug, such as sirolimus, inside the artery over a period of time. This helps keep plaque from reforming and helps prevent repeat blockage from occurring inside the blood vessel.

Coronary bypass surgery is another treatment option. While more invasive, it is a safe and effective treatment for patients who may not qualify for angioplasty and stent insertion.

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Help Prevent A Heart Attack: Get Moving!

Preventing a heart attack should be one of the things that concerns you most. After all, heart disease and heart attacks are some of the leading causes of death among people these days. And while it is obviously not possible to completely prevent having a heart attack, there are several important ways that you can help guard yourself against suffering a heart attack.

Tired of hearing advice about heart attack prevention? I guess people like me will continue to give advice about ways to prevent heart attacks until the numbers of people suffering the effects of heart attacks decreases significantly. If you have not taken seriously the warnings and advice you have heard, seen and read, then please read on to learn about simple ways of heart attack prevention for almost everyone.

Because the heart is a muscle it can be worked out and conditioned just like all of the other muscles in the body. Just like we can distinguish between people who are in good shape and people who are in poor shape, so we can distinguish between hearts that are in good shape or poor shape. One of the best ways to maintain the health of your heart and hence to prevent a heart attack is to get in shape. Exercise is so, so important in trying to prevent a heart attack from taking your life.

Taking the time for exercise and getting in shape should be high on your list of priorities. The three biggest excuses I hear from people about why they are not in better shape are that they are too tired, too busy, and that exercising costs too much money. When a possible heart attack is on the line, none of these three excuses seem valid enough to stop you from getting your body in good shape.

Being too tired to exercise is ironic in that exercise is one of the best ways to gain energy and to help people sleep well at night. Therefore, the best way to have the energy to exercise is simply to start exercising. Don’t immediately jump up from the couch and run a marathon, but look for small and quick ways to incorporate exercise into your day. Even a small amount of brisk walking will do wonders in helping you prevent a heart attack.

Making the claim that you do not have enough time in your day to exercise is simply a reflection of what you care most about. Look at your days and see what you are making time for. Eating out, sleeping in, watching television? If you desire to really get in shape and to help prevent a heart attack, then making fifteen or twenty minutes a day will become easy and very doable.

Getting in shape does not have to cost you a lot of money. In fact, almost everyone I know can get outside and go for a walk for free. No one says that preventing a heart attack requires you to have a membership at the most expensive and exclusive athletic club. Heart attack prevention can be as simple as throwing on a pair of old sneakers and getting out for a walk or a jog.

Your heart is worth it. Regardless of the sacrifices you have to make in order to get in shape, preventing a heart attack is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself and the ones you love.

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Heart Attacks, Silent And Deadly

Heart attacks can creep up on you when you least expect it.

Are you prepared?

Heart disease is one of the nation’s deadliest killers taking the lives of almost one million Americans each year. Each of us has a different susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. Your fitness level and what you eat plays a major role. Approximately 64 million Americans have cardiovascular disease, and here’s the shocker; as many as 40 percent of those who suffer a heart attack have no symptoms. A heart attack may occur due to heart disease but not always and although it is the leading cause of death it can be prevented. Women usually have fewer heart attacks than men but after menopause women catch up to men in the number of heart attacks experienced.

So, what are the factors that lead to heart disease?

The most commonly recognized risk factors are:

1. Stress
2. Smoking
3. High levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol)
4. Low levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)
5. High Blood-pressure.
6. Obesity
7. Diabetes
8. Destructive form of amino acid called homocysteine
9. Heredity

The heart is the most crucial organ to sustain life and to keep it ticking efficiently, our priority should be to prevent its deterioration. The simplest Mantra for prevention of heart disease is; eat well, exercise and adopt a healthy lifestyle. This has been said countless times before and the simple truth is that those who do follow through with the advice enjoy a much healthier and longer life.

NOTE: Always check with your physician first before changing or implementing any sort of a diet or exercise program especially if you’re taking prescription or over the counter medicines.

Some factors to consider when adopting a healthier lifestyle include but not limited to: (also check with your physician)

1. Cut down on dietary fat and cholesterol

2. Check your blood pressure regularly

3. Don’t smoke (fortunately there are a lot of resources available for those wanting to quit).

4. Learn to meditate, this will lessen stress.

5. Exercise - Being sedentary is one of the biggest risk factors for heart attacks.

6. Control your weight - If you’re obese

7. Control your diabetes

Symptoms of a heart attack

NOTE: These symptoms may or may not indicate a heart attack. In any case medical help should be sought immediately because some heart attacks are the ’silent type’.

The American Heart Association lists them as:

- Uncomfortable pressure, fullness or squeezing and excruciating pain in the chest.
- Pain spreading to shoulder, neck, and arms. Specifically left sided neck and arm pain.
- Light headedness, fainting.
- Shortness of breath with little exertion.
- Profuse sweating.

The first hour is very critical. So, don’t waste time thinking its gas or flatulence. Act immediately and call 911 don’t waste time calling your doctor, he’ll most likely ask you to call 911 anyway. Heart disease can be easily prevented it’s just a matter of implementing a healthier lifestyle.

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