Optimizing Bpm And Six Sigma Or Bpi

Writen by Peter Peterka

Business Process Management argues that management by common sense cannot be exemplified as management at all!! Analysis and objective study tends to bring balance to this equation, as well as our business practice and endeavor.

Both BPM and Six Sigma deals with the dynamics of systematic, data-based experience and information, assisting us in our execution and operations, cutting costs and waste, growing our shareholder value and profits, methodically, strategically, coordinated, focused, with dedicated resources and combined effort. Experimentation and scientific study drives these philosophies into the core of our business world, practice and industries, to assist us in our local and global enterprise and pursuits.

Six Sigma is one such business management philosophy, methodology and hands-on practical approach for effecting change, delivering substantial and lasting results over time, leading to more efficiencies, reduced waste and cost. It draws on a proven set of tools and methods, problem-solving principles and tools, combining experience with fact-based analysis, leading to breakthrough performance.

On a macro and micro process-level, in a simultaneous, coordinated effort, we strive and work actively, in a planned and systematical, scientific way in an on-going pursuit to get better, increase and guarantee customer satisfaction, innovate and consistently deliver quality through lean and effective process – this is the noble pursuit of Six Sigma and BPM. It looks to change the status quo, with an eye on enterprise optimization, resource and business process management.

With Six Sigma business management strategy, principles and practice, even business process management, morphs into becoming about more than the mere processes themselves. It takes on a life of its own and in essence, represents business performance excellence management, that is on-going and never ends, it does not settle for less, compromise on quality, and does not merely want to get by and leave success/failure up to random chance per se, but takes an active role in effecting and executing it – and by doing so, excel (and continue to do so and even grow/expand), in the process!

Disciplined, analytical and focused on process and outcome customer voice, input, specifications, critical-to-quality factors and more are impetus, directives, guidelines, checkpoints, end-goals and the ultimate in pursuit is what is stands for and is all about!

Six Sigma as a philosophy purports a simple premise: DOING THE RIGHT, THING(S), RIGHT, THE FIRST TIME and consistently so, reducing uncertainties and variability, minimizing risk , while being focused on being a low-cost operator, reducing waste through prevention, not merely inspecting the way to quality – in essence 'fixing' the process(s), not just focusing on the outcome.

In that sense it does suggest a bit of the paradigm shift and counterintuitive requirements of these business management approaches, strategies and methodologies, that will take modern business into the next century, where it is all about not merely surviving, BUT thriving, building collaborative, mutually beneficial value-propositions, that represent a win-win for all parties and stakeholders.

Six Sigma then becomes the measurement and active management channel and utility of business and process risk. Setting stretch goals and benchmarks for excellence through a rigorous, disciplined hypothesis-driven problem solving that reminds somewhat of the scientific method, f act-based and data driven solutions to business and process issues, rather than relying, voting and operate based on guesstimates and opinions! As one Six Sigma guru put it: it is about measuring what we really do, not what we think we do, or think we should be doing. Six Sigma proposes diagnostics for design and improvement of new and existing processes, through the use of basic and advanced tools

Measurement is a fundamental value and belief of Six Sigma. This scientific pursuit and approach to business, is built on defining problems to solve and then solving them, teaching others and reaping the benefits, revisiting and keeping at it, for life! Some experts believe that it is the hardest step in any process and endeavor, to define something or what the problem seems to be, or process issues, in such as way that it can constructively be scientifically scrutinized and studied, (as expressed in metrics, data and statistics).

Bringing clarity and reference, evidence and reliability, facts and data, Six Sigma is both an overall approach to business process management as well as the tool and utility to execute it well. The relationship goes hand-in-glove!

A final word in closing: BPM and Six Sigma help us rise above mediocrity, as we are so often used to the way things are that, it rarely OR never even occurs to us, to think about them or to look for ways to change or improve them! Making the question 'how we get better' a new one entirely! This will require bold leadership and commitment from one and all.

Peter Peterka is President of Six Sigma us. For additional information on Six Sigma Green Belt or other Six Sigma Black Belt programs contact Peter Peterka.

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3 Fast And Easy Ways To Boost Online Profits Right Now

Writen by J Garces Jr

Sometimes in our haste to earn more money from whatever we're selling on the Internet, we forget to do some simple math. Though it is often true that the more you sell, the more you will make – it is not the only way to increase your "bottom line".

The following are 3 time-and-tested (and sometimes overlooked) ways to quickly and easily double and even triple your income online.

1) CUT your costs and expenses.
Seems obvious enough, but how many people actually are doing this? Heck, big corporations know this and do it regularly.

It's simple math. The less your costs, the more you get to keep. If you're pulling $50,000 a year from your online business and have expenses of 20%, then that's a total of $10,000. Your business actually only made $40,000. However, if you cut your expenses by half, down to 10%, then that's $5,000 more you get to put in your pockets! Your income just went from $40,000 to $45,000.

Here are some quick and practical ways to lower your Internet related costs and expenses.

a. If you have a web site, get cheaper web hosting. This may not make much of an impact if you only have one web site. However, if you run multiple sites, the costs can add up quickly. Cheaper hosting is money in your pocket.

b. If you do have a site, learn html and update it yourself. Are you still paying someone to do your site updates and maintenance? How much is it costing you? What could you do with the money you would save? Html is not hard to learn all. It's not a programming language. If your site requires complex programming, then, yes, pay for it. However, if it is just html, you can save a bundle just updating and maintaining it yourself. So, just go to a bookstore and pick up a copy of html 4 dummies. You won't regret it.

c. Consolidate your phone services (cell phone, house phone, ISP, cable) under one centralized plan. You may also want to consider using a telecom networking marketing company where you can use your own telecommunications services and actually get paid to do so. It can add up to some nice extra cash for using stuff you already use and normally wouldn't get paid for.

d. Pass up on buying the latest tech gadgets unless they are really critical to the success of your business. You may be hesitant to do this last one, but you can still make money online using a cheap, old computer in the same way you can with a brand new one. I know, because I've made over $100k in revenues with just one web site using the same dilapidated computer I bought back in the late 90s!

2) Get FREE Advertising
Though marketing costs can logically be coupled with business expenses, I place this in its own class, as you can't really put a price on the benefits you get from it.

Everyone in marketing should know that "word-of-mouth" is the most powerful form of advertising. Why? Because it's free! And since it costs you nothing, your business can only benefit from it. This, of course, is assuming that what's being advertised about your business is positive; not negative.

Ok, so how can you go about getting free advertising? Here are 3 ways I've done so with great success.

a. Provide great customer service. Does this seem surprising? One satisfied customer can go a long way in the form of free advertising. As many as 50% of the customers who visit and make a purchase on just one of my sites are referred by their friends. Why? Because I try to make it a point to keep my customers happy. Happy customers equal FREE advertising for my sites. Does this take time and effort? Yes… and it's well worth it.

Here's a quick tip: When someone makes a purchase from you, include in your 'thank you' page or their email receipt a note thanking them and asking them to tell their friends about you. I've found that this has worked better than those 'recommend-our-site' scripts.

b. Participate and post regularly on forums. When doing so, be sure to place your 'signature' at the bottom with each post. Your signature should have a link to your web site (if any). The link's anchor text should also be a keyword that is relevant to your site. I bet you knew this one!

c. Email your friends (no spamming!) the latest and most interesting news, jokes or events that you know they'd like. Encourage them to share it with their online friends. Include a link in the email to your web site in the signature section. The key is to send them something you know they are interested in. This works like a charm. As your email spreads virally in a spam-free way, people will see your link, click on it and visit your site.

The end result of applying these free advertising techniques will be dozens, hundreds, and maybe thousands of visitors to your site that you otherwise would not have had. I've given no mathematical figures here, because 'priceless' is the only word I can think of for free advertising.

3) BUY for LESS
This one's especially useful for those folks who buy wholesale and sell at retail, ebayers and anyone else who carries products.

Hey, you're in this to make the most money you can. That said, why not get your products for less and pocket the savings?

Ok, let's do some quick math…

If you're selling items that cost you $10 and you're selling them for $15 after markup, then that's a $5 profit for you. However, if you're able to get those same items for $7 and still sell them for $15, then that's an $8 profit for you instead! In other words, you just gave yourself a raise of 20%. That's like getting an extra $20 for every $100 in items you sell. And they're still the very same items. You just were able to purchase them for less!

Over time this can translate into thousands of extra dollars in your pocket: $100 will become $120; $1,000 will become $1,200; $10,000 will become $12,000 and so on.

Well, that's it. Those are 3 proven, quick and easy ways to get your profits soaring. There is nothing complex or ingenious about them. Put this practical knowledge to use right away and soon.you will be able to see AND count the extra dollars in your pocket. -- Copyright 2006.

J. Garces Jr. is an Internet entrepreneur and runs several successful online businesses. His sites include AsSeenOnTvMegamall.com, an As Seen On Tv products site, and ExpoBooths.com, where you can find information about the Real Estate Wealth Expo. (C) 2006. You may reprint this artice provided you include author's information and active links.

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Making Money Online

Writen by Edward Karniewicz

I recently began an exploration of the internet and was overwhelmed by the amount of information available on making money online. You could spend years searching for the right information. Much of the information was free, and a good majority of it was available for a price. What i found was the right information was priceless, but if you did not use the information it was worthless, and some free information was worth many times more than the price of information you could pay for.

So what does it take to start making money online? You need a simple plan of action and the willingness to just start and take baby steps in the direction of your goals. Just Do It! Then observe the effects and continue on with the next step or make corrections. I think it's possible to make money online and highly probable if you have the right tools and information and take the action necessary with a positive attitude towards success.

So where do you start? It begins with a willingness to take chances and venture into unknown territory, learning from everyone you can. A good beginning would be learning the basics about finding a product to sell and how to market a product online, building a website, and then going on from there. The best way is learning from a mentor who has already gone through all the steps necessary to be successful and knows all the pitfalls of running an online business. Plus as an added bonus they could answer any questions that you may have.

In conclusion, I only have this to say. Nothing gets started without taking action, so do something positive in your life today and at least search for some answers. You will never know what you can find unless you do.

I hope you found this information useful.

You can find more valuable information for free at http://www.internetprofitmentor.com.

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Tracking Fundraising Success

Writen by Cassie Kale

One of the most important tips for your fundraising events is to track and keep record of your fundraisers details. If this is your first fundraising event it will most likely be a trial and error process until you find out what works for you and your event. But if you have a fundraiser or two completed, below are some tips to help you track your success and use your completed fundraisers to help with your future fundraising events!

For your own records be sure to write down all the information pertaining to the fundraising event so you will have all the information at your disposal to compare and prepare for the next one. Also take notes and recognize your strengths and what can be improved upon for your next event. This information is very valuable to your future fundraisers.

Get the opinions of your sponsors, merchants, volunteers and supporters during and after your fundraising events. Take notes of the information they provide to you. Ask them what they thought of your event – what did they like and what did they think could be done better? Then brainstorm and figure out how you can fit all these new ideas and tips into your next fundraising event.

If you have a website for your business, post your fundraising details on the website! Allow companies and merchants to contact you at anytime, don't just wait until right before the event and start promoting it. Put up information about the successful fundraisers you have hosted in the past and that a new one is coming up! Create excitement; make them want to be a part of it.

Most importantly take the money raised and put it to good use!

Than take a few moments to write your sponsors and thank them for their contributions and tell them where the money was spent. It will go along way to use that personal touch with those involved and will also assure them that they will want to be involved in future fundraising events you and your company host.

Get all your fundraiser information, fundraising ideas and more! This season chocolate fundraisers are hot and an easy sell!

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Postal Savings Guide

Writen by DeAnna Spencer

Any legitimate article of commerce may be sold through the U.S. mails upon truthful and honest representation - and the Post Office welcomes every legal enterprise to the use of the mail.

The purpose of this report is to provide you with practical information on more economical and efficient handling of your mail. With postage costs at an all time high, I believe you will find these suggestions on how to get more for your postage dollar especially helpful. Today, it is more important than ever to establish good mailing practices, practices that will make a profitable difference in your postage handling, and speed up your mail.

A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF POSTAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS - By the very nature of the business, mail merchandising implies integrity. If a customer has to pay for something before having a chance to examine the article, his confidence is not to be abused. Selling by mail must be kept on a high plane if the dealer is to survive and prosper.

Lotteries, chain letters and schemes to injure or defraud are denied the mail privilege. Nonmailable materials also include items not regarded as conductive to the public welfare, such as pornography. Excluded, too are materials (as inflammable liquids and chemicals) which could damage the mails or cause injury to postal employees.

Every one who is using the mail to conduct business should become familiar with the postal requirements which apply to his particular enterprise. It is not, however, necessary or advisable for the beginner or small operator to attempt learning in detail all the ramifications of all the Postal Laws and Regulations. To the mail minded person, dealing with the post office is not anything new or strange. As a mail user in the past, whenever you came across something on which you desired information, you simply inquired at the post office. As a small mail order dealer you will be doing the same thing, and there will not be a great range of questions that will concern you. If you are in doubt about anything relating to your situation,, inquire as to how the matter should be handled. The Post Office will answer all your questions.

PENALTIES FOR USING THE MAILS TO DEFRAUD - A customer should make a formal complaint in the case of misrepresentations and p[possible fraud with the Office of the Regional Chief Postal Inspector. There are 5 regions. The local Post Office will advise what region is responsible got a given area of the country.

If complaints from different parties have been received, the postal, inspector can ascertain that the seller is at fault. However, the Post Office will give a mail order business the benefit of the doubt and the business is afforded the chance of settling complaints fairly with customers.

Where the intention is clearly to defraud, the case is followed through with a fraud order to be issued by the office of the Postmaster General. Letters are then returned to the senders, marked across the face of the envelope "Fraudulent".. It is not the intent of the Post Office, however, for its inspectors to act as censors on transactions or adjusters of arguments.

In flagrant cases of fraud, in addition to loss of mail use, a fine or imprisonment, or both, may be imposed. However, any honest individual who operates a mail-order enterprise as a business and not as racket need have no fear.

NEED FOR FAMILIARITY WITH CLASSES AND RATES OF MAIL - Since mailing costs are responsible for a major operating expense -- approximately one fourth of the total expenses of a small mail order business -- the mail-order business has to be able to figure how to get top efficiency for this major expense category.

A mail order business may, for example, save a great deal in the course of a year by knowing how pieces of sales literature can best be mailed and what the weight limitations are for specific postage charges. Among small dealers especially, there is much postage waste by failure to take into account minor details which in the aggregate run to respectable sums. Suppose, as an illustration, a booklet or catalog ready to mail just barely exceeds the limit for one rate and calls for more postage. A minor adjustment in the piece can decrease the postage significantly

Third-class mail, (also called bulk mail), may be used by anyone, but it is used most often by larger mailers. Basic requirement to mail by bulk mail are that the mailer obtains the proper permit, include the minimum number of pieces per mailing and sort all pieces by zip code. For the current bulk mail rate, ask the post office. The savings are substantial. The big disadvantage is the time it takes for delivery. This can vary greatly by region and time of the year. As a rule of thumb mail within a 500 mile range may take from 1 to 2 weeks, 500 to 1500 miles 10 to 20 days and over 1500 miles from 2-4 weeks. Your local Post Office will give you all necessary bulk mail information and the proper application. For more information about postage costs visit the United States Postal Service's website.

KEEP YOUR BUSINESS ABOVE REPROACH - Considering the number of people using the mail and the tremendous volume of business transacted by mail, the Post Office levies relatively few penalties. However, no business of any size can be carried on without some complaints. A policy of "Money Back Guarantee" or "Satisfaction Guaranteed" goes a long way in convincing the Post Office as well as your customers that you are a trustworthy business.

PACKAGING AND ADDRESSING PARCELS AND PACKAGES - Proper packaging and addressing of packages is the best way to prevent damage and loss. Use a container strong enough to protect contents during handling. Cushion the contents if necessary to make sure they do not move within the container and affix the address information securely. Plastic packaging tape is recommended for closing and reinforcing the flaps and seams. Avoid using wrapping paper. The use of string could cause damage in processing. The address must be typed or legibly written one side only.. Use an address that's designed for efficient post office handling including proper zip code information - with the recipients address more prominent than your own.

USE STANDARD SIZE ENVELOPES - Save time and money. For best results envelopes should be at least a few inches longer then the longest insert plus the combined total thickness of the inserts. When the inserts are thick and bulky, extra allowances should be made.

WATCH YOUR WEIGHT - A truly accurate mailing scale is a must for any mailer - large or small. Otherwise, you run the risk of underpayment of postage - and the irrirritation of mail being returned because of "postage Due". And of course, overpayment of postage can cost you a great deal of money over a period of time, so it is indeed important to have an accurate postage scale.

POSTAGE METER - If you send out much mail from your place of business, it might be practical to consider the convenience of metered mail. Some advantages are - Save trips to the post office. Eliminate the need for keeping loose stamps.. Stamp, seal and postmark quickly. Avoid loss of stamps. Print "meter ads" simultaneously with the meter stamps. Accurate postage affixing.

Postage meter equipment generally consists of tow parts, an office mailing machine and a detachable postage meter, the later licensed for use by the United States Postal Service. Since postage meters print U.S. postage and account for government revenue under official lock and seal, they cannot be sold outright, as are mailing machines, but are leased from an authorized manufacturer who is held responsible to the U.S. Postal Service for their proper operation and replacement when necessary.

KEEP YOUR MAILING LIST CURRENT - Only a "live" list can produce good results - and many nixies on a list can be very costly. So be sure to keep your list constantly up to date. One way to keep your list clean is to print. "Address Correction Requested" on outgoing envelopes. The Post Office notes the reason for non-delivery, or the new address if known. For current fees involing addrss correction visit the United States Postal Service's website.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE A POSTAL PROBLEM - When you have a problem with your mail service it is best to talk to one of the clerks at the Post Office. If necessary the clerk will refer you to someone else. It is best not to complain to management or file an official complaint at your own Post Office. Be nice with the clerks and try to get known them. They are important partners in your mail order business.

Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer

DeAnna Spencer is a virtual assistant that helps entrepreneurs run a successful business by providing affordable administrative help. She also publishes a blog for small business owners. Visit this small business resource today.

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Everything Old Is New Again

Writen by Barbara Hemphill

One of the best administrative professionals, and most productive people I know, is my mother. She is 78 years old and still works full-time as the personal assistant to the CEO of a bank! (I come from great genes – it makes me very optimistic about my long-term future!) One of her secrets to productivity is what is often called "a tickler file." Many people used to employ such a system, but like a lot of good things, people stopped using it, even though it was so simple. Basically the tickler file is a reminder system based on the days of the month, and months of the year, and simply consists of a set of file folders, "1-31" and "January – December".

Under the heading of "everything old is new again" – it is time to bring that old system back – only it's bigger and better than ever before. Now called "The GO System: Get Organized for Life", it is a new 2-hour seminar being offered by many of the PTACs (Productivity Trainer and Authorized Consultants) around the country – and let me tell you why I'm so excited about it!

Surveys show that people's stress levels are at an all-time high – and a major source of that stress is "information overload." In fact, we know that there are six major issues that cause people to be disorganized. If you're reading this newsletter, chances are you can relate!

Information comes to us in 5 ways:

1. Paper
2. Electronic
3. Voice mail
4. Verbal messages
5. Thoughts in your head

Think of a 5-lane highway. You are speeding down the highway and suddenly you see orange barrels, and you know you're in for trouble! That's exactly what happens when you sit down at your desk and are overwhelmed with where to begin. Do you start with the e-mail? Most people do, but should you? Or if you start with the verbal message you got on your way to the office, the highest priority could be in the "In Box" you haven't looked at in days – or it could be the idea you had in the shower that morning! How do you figure out what is most important – now?

There are only 5 possibilities of what to do with information:

1. Discard
2. Delegate
3. Do it now
4. File it for reference
5. File it for action

Let's look at each one:

Discard I've spent lots of time promoting the power of The Art of Wastebasketry®!" Don't overlook the productive power of asking "What's the worst possible thing that would happen if I didn't have this or didn't do this?"

Delegate One question you should ask yourself in this area: "If you are not delegating some of your work, why not?" The most productive people in the world are those who spend 80% of their time doing what ONLY they can do, and surrounding themselves with people whose talents are complimentary to theirs.

Do it now Here's a good question to ask about this one: "Is this the BEST use of my time right now?"

File for reference These are things you want or need to keep for future reference. Fortunately, you don't have any stress there, because with The Paper Tiger software you can find anything you file in 5 seconds or less!

File for follow-up These are things you want to or need to do. In the Paper Tiger software system, we call these "Action Files". In other words, the ball is in your court to take action. That's where the GO System comes in.

Let us go back to that 5-lane highway. When the 5 lanes begin to merge into one, you probably feel stress, but when you finally merge into that one lane, you are on your way to your destination with ease. That brings me to the missing piece in personal productivity – a system for merging those 5 lanes of information into one. In my book, Taming the Paper Tiger at Work (www.ProductiveEnvironment.com), I address how to manage paper, electronic documents, voice mail, and "to do" lists. These are great tips and now I am sharing information on how to take those principles a step further: to integrate them into one system, using an "old but new" tool: The Go System.

Here is the magic! Regardless of the form which the information takes – paper, electronic, voice mail, a verbal message, or an idea in your head – your reaction is "I have to DO this." If you are serious about increasing your productivity and prioritizing your work, the question you have to answer is "When?" As scary as it sometimes, you have to decide. (Remember, "Clutter is postponed decisions®") When you make that decision, you put the reminder to do it in your tickler system. NOW you have a tool that enables you to prioritize your work – and to measure whether the interruption of the moment is more important than what you said you were going to do today.

When people, especially highly organized administrative professionals, hear about this system, their first reaction is often fear. It's the same reaction people experience when they first encounter the Paper Tiger numerical filing system – that would never work for me – but I don't know anyone who goes back to the alphabetical system after giving The Paper Tiger a serious try!

Remember how I told you in the beginning of this newsletter that there are six major reasons that cause you to be disorganized? The GO System: Get Organized for Life seminar gives you tips on how to handle each issue. It is going to be offered in cities all over the country in the upcoming months – it's a perfect productivity partner to The Paper Tiger software! If you'd like to know if GO is coming to your city, send an e-mail to GOSystem@ProductiveEnvironment.com, and we will keep you informed of upcoming events!

© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

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Classified Ads Market How To Make Money In It

Writen by Vincenzo Bacarella

In this article a survey about one of the hottest market on Internet: online classified ads. With Google and Microsoft now offering free classifieds, Craigslist ( http://www.craigslist.org ) and its free classifieds growing into an international force, and EBay investing more than $1 billion in classified advertising sites worldwide, this market can be considered the new Eldorado.

Free online classified ads market starts in 1995 when Craig Newmark began sending friends in San Francisco e-mail messages with lists of local events. This became Craig's List, a massive not-for-profit community service which has expanded across the most important cities in the United States and many cities in other countries. The service gets 4 billion page views and 10 million unique visitors every month, with a staff of just 21. Annual revenue of Craigslist approached $10 million .

In Europe in 1999 Het Goed Beheer BV, a company that owns second-hand retail shops in The Netherlands, founded Marktplaats.nl ( http://www.marktplaats.nl ), a website where buyers and sellers can meet to trade a wide array of items, from clothing and collectibles to cars and household items. Today it is the most popular classifieds website in The Netherlands with more than one million listings at any given time. In 2003 they launched an international version of the service, Intoko.com, into Spain and Germany, shortly followed by Canada and Turkey.

In November 2004, eBay acquired Marktplaats.nl from HGB. Ebay paid €225 million for a company that was estimated at the time to be turning over €12 million – a multiple of 18.8 times turnover, against a norm for newspaper companies of around 3.2. It is clear that eBay is confident that the Marketplaats business model will work across the world, and that further expansion will justify their heavy investment. Marktplaats.nl was only an acquisition of Ebay in the classified ads space:

• on August 13 2004 eBay took a 25% stake in Craigslist;

• in February 2005 Ebay launched Kijiji (http://www.kijiji.com ), a Craigslist clone for posting local classified ads;

• in May 2005 eBay acquired Gumtree, a network of UK local city classifieds sites;

• on May 18 2005 eBay acquired the Spanish classifieds site Loquo;

• at the end of June 2005 eBay acquired the German language classifieds site Opus Forum;

In little market like Italy classified ads are hot too. Trader Classified Media, one of the largest classified advertising companies in the world, has recently finalised the acquisition of Annuncigratuiti.it (classified ads site with about 70,000 listings) for €1.4 million. Moreover, a Kijiji clone, Annunci.net ( http://www.annunci.net ) is starting its activities in Italy.

With this market it is clear that some advertising is moving from print to online, and it can only be assumed that this trend will continue relentlessly. Most of the classified market will shift to the Internet. The competition on the Internet is more intense, causing lower margins, with lower profitability of printed product.

What is the key factor in order to have success in this busy market? Innovation.

Mobile is set to revolutionise the media and communications in a way that nothing has done to date. Already more media consumers use mobile SMS texting services than do the Internet. Mobile offers a range of specific benefits in the classified arena. It allows advertisers to place and receive advertisements where and whenever they wish. Charging for the advertisement (or alert) can be integrated into the phone billing service, making payment a seamless aspect of the service; Moreover mobile phones can now carry advertisements with pictures. The next generation of phones will be able to carry video-clips or internal views of rooms in homes.

AdsML will be an international standards initiative to create the first truly global, comprehensive standard for end-to-end advertising workflows.

The initiative was set-up to provide participants in the advertising supply chain with a set of internationally adopted XML based specifications and business processes that will create value and reduce costs by providing standardized electronic processes for all sectors of the advertising industry. AdsML provides an XML framework for unifying and extending XML advertising standards. These are all factors that need to be facilitated by integrated technical solutions, which enhance the general listings and add to the value and usability of the site.

Vincenzo Bacarella is an Italian serial entrepreneur of the Web space. His new passions are the classified ads market and dating/social networks. He just launched two new ventures: Annunci.net ( http://www.annunci.net ) and Incontri.net ( http://www.incontri.net ).

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Eddie The Erroneous Emarketer

Writen by Jason OConnor

Poor Eddie the e-marketer has been plagued by errors in judgment all his life. From always picking the longest line at the toll booth to buying lots of dot com stocks right before the bubble burst, he constantly struggles with making the right choices. >From disagreeing that a car really needs oil changes every three thousand miles to insisting that the eight-track is going to make a comeback, Eddie bumbles through life perplexed. One area that particularly suffers is his e-marketing efforts.

You see, Eddie recently got himself a new website for his business. Unfortunately, he's been trying in vain to turn it into a vehicle for getting leads and making sales. He's confused. He's dazed. He thrashes about lost in a maze. Although he at least understands the importance of e-marketing for driving traffic to his site, he's like a hamster running on a wheel, wasting energy and getting nowhere. Let's take a look at a few of the more typical e-marketing errors Eddie regularly makes.

Treat the Web as a different medium

The other day his business partner, Betty, showed Eddie a recent half-page ad they ran in one of their industry's magazines. Eddie, excited at how pretty the pictures were, wanted it up on their website pronto. Did he alter it in any way before they posted it to the site? Did he add a specific call to action hyperlink in it? Did he optimize the large print graphics so they would download fast in people's browsers? Nope. He just took the ad, as is, and posted it. Eddie has never been able to grasp the idea that traditional marketing and e-marketing, while related, are not the same thing. What works in print doesn't always work online. Why? Different mediums require different approaches. Look for Eddie's static magazine ad in his first TV commercial, just the motionless ad on the screen for thirty seconds. Riveting.

The Web is interactive. Site visitors can click buttons, fill out forms, or post immediate comments in forums or blogs. When Eddie was having his site built, he really just wanted to have a way to talk about his business. He wanted to tell the world how great his company was and the exciting history of its formation. This is called brochure-ware. It's just taking a company brochure, posting it online and adding a few links. To say that Eddie is underutilizing the Web is like saying the ocean is mildly wet. The Web is extremely powerful and businesses have a choice of taking advantage of its power, or just scratching the surface with simple brochure-ware. It's similar to buying a tank, climbing in and lifting the hatch only to shoot spit balls at the enemy. If you have that kind of power, use it.

Ask your customers what they want

Since Eddie doesn't really grasp the interactive nature of the Web he guesses what his potential customers want and need. One day in a meeting Eddie was scratching his head, staring up at the ceiling and saying, 'Gee, if there was only a way to figure out what our customers want, a way we could get in their heads, and a way to reach enough of them to get a really clear picture, hmm . . . ?' Thankfully, a timid but sharp junior associate raised her hand and suggested that they just ask their customers their opinions and needs directly, and do it online where they could ask a whole bunch of them.

Eddie jumped at the idea. Finally he was going make the right choice, albeit aided by a junior associate, but the right e-marketing choice nonetheless. They created an html form with forty of the most important questions he could think of and posted a link on their homepage called 'Customer Survey'.

Offer incentives

Only three people ever filled the survey out, and that was it. Eddie was dumfounded. What went wrong? He was hoping for hundreds. The problem was that Web users are not patient and generally don't like to fill out forms, especially long ones. Even more importantly, they don't like to do something for nothing.

If you were jostling your way through a crowded store in a big rush and a bored teenage clerk asked you to fill out a survey of forty questions but wasn't offering anything in return, how likely would it be that you'd do it? A more effective approach for Eddie would have been to narrow down his list of questions to four instead of forty, and offer a coupon for 10% off any online purchase in return for filling it out. If you want to create leads using your website, offer something for free and require your visitors to give you a bit of information first. They'll be much more likely to respond if they get something they perceive as valuable in return. Give the people what they want, an incentive.

Regularly study your website statistics

Another area that Eddie seems to miss the e-marketing boat is in analysis. He doesn't have time for looking at all those pesky Web statistics. He can't be bothered with analyzing the number of visitors who come to his site, or how they got there, or where they go once they're there. He's rendered blind to his e-marketing campaigns' successes and failures. It's like always ignoring your checking account balance and then despairingly wondering where all your money went each week. What's worse, because he ignores the numbers, he has no useful information to help plan his next campaign. Numbers help in life.

A jumbo jet is off course 90% of time. It reaches its destination successfully by constantly checking the data on its exact position and continuously making the appropriate adjustments until it lands on target.

Likewise, an e-marketing objective can be best reached by analyzing the data and making the necessary modifications. For example, if your target is a thousand visitors a week, then look at your website statistics and learn where the majority of your visitors are coming from. Discover what type of site, link or search engine is doing a lot of the referring. Then adjust your time and budget accordingly.

It's been rumored around the office that Eddie sometimes locks himself in his office and counts his new website's hit counter, prancing around in jubilation each time the counter goes up by one. Yet he hates to hunker down and look at all the numbers, all the visitors, all the referrals, and then conduct a meaningful analysis to help understand the past and better plan for the future.

Since Eddie hates looking at his site statistics, he has no idea how well his last email marketing campaign went. He sent out five thousand emails to a rented list and then asked his sales people if they got any more phone calls that day. It'd be like a television network executive asking his employees if they happened to see their neighbors' TV sets on the night before to determine if the new show did well. Hey Eddie, I have an idea, check your Web stats for page views and you'll know exactly how successful your email was!

Poor Eddie the erroneous e-marketer, is he condemned to sub-par performances in life and business? If he tries to learn from his mistakes, if he starts to treat the Web differently than print or any other medium, he'll start to see results. If he uses more of the Web's power and potential, tapping into its interactivity and offering easy ways for his site visitors to communicate with him, and if he offers incentives to motivate his visitors to take action, then maybe, just maybe, he may not be doomed after all.

Unfortunately, after choosing the longest line at the toll booth again, his car's engine seized from idling and poor oil maintenance. So to pass the time waiting for the tow truck, he popped in an eight-track cassette, flipped open his cell phone and purchased some more Enron stocks.

About The Author Jason OConnor is President of Oak Web Works and runs http://www.getredsoxtickets.com - one of the cheapest places on the Net to get premium and sold out tickets to sporting events, concerts and shows. http://www.oakwebworks.com http://www.getredsoxtickets.com

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How To Become An Expert And Why

Writen by Donovan Baldwin

Do you remember the old ads, "When E. F. Hutton speaks..."?

Of course, the idea was that E. F. Hutton could offer expert advice on investing, and that it was good to listen to experts before making such an important financial decision such as investing your hard-earned money.

Most of us realize the value of listening to, or getting guidance from, an expert before we enter into important changes or projects.

In fact, a whole new breed of "experts" is emerging due in part to the internet and internet marketing programs. Just what are these people experts on, and how do YOU become an expert? Why would you even WANT to be an expert?

WHO ARE THESE EXPERTS?

They are people from every walk of life. They may be doctors and lawyers, housewives, internet marketers, shoe salesmen, Wal-Mart clerks, automobile service managers (met him last night), unemployed or retired. Male, female, young, old, college graduates and high school drop outs. Some are well known in their areas of expertise, and some have never been heard of by their peers. The next expert could be you!

WHAT ARE THEY EXPERTS ON?

Well, what do you need an expert on? Investments, child-rearing, self-defense, auto maintenance, cooking, network marketing, sales, running a home business...or even, how to become an expert? You name it, you can find an expert on it. Just this morning, I uncovered two experts on the uses of dryer lint.

WHO NEEDS THEIR EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE?

Just about everybody. Hey, I just looked for somebody who knew something about dryer lint! I was serious. I had a purpose for trying to find somebody that could tell me about it. That's what the internet is about...information. Everyday, around the entire planet, millions of people turn to the internet in hopes of finding information on just about every topic you can imagine...and some you can't!

WHY BECOME AN "EXPERT" ON SOMETHING?

If you have any interest in establishing an internet business or presence, one of the best ways is to be an expert in a field related to your business, project, or interest. People on the internet are seeking out experts daily, and once they find an expert they can trust, they come back to the same person for more information, and, maybe more importantly, they come to trust the opinions and guidance of the expert. If you sell pet products for example, becoming an expert on pet care could bring you into contact with many people who would be willing to buy your pet care products because they have come to trust your opinion and advice.

HOW DOES BEING AN EXPERT HELP ME FIND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS?

Actually, if you do it right, the potential customers will find you. A lot of the information seeking on the internet is done by means of search engines. If you have established yourself as an expert in a given field and search engines become aware of this, you, and your information, will be presented by them to the seekers of the information you hold.

BUT I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON ANYTHING!

You are probably wrong. You know something about something. Somewhere there is someone who wants to know what you know. That makes you an expert, at least to them. If what you know can be linked to what you want to offer to people as goods or services, that can lead them to accept your guidance in the purchase of those goods or services. There may be people who know a lot more about the subject than you do, but that just makes them "more expert" than you. It doesn't diminish the value of the advice or information you have to offer someone who knows less than you. I have even seen instances where someone who was a "real" expert on a subject acknowledged that they had not thought of an idea offered by a "not-so-expert" expert.

HOW DO I GET MY EXPERT KNOWLEDGE TO A SEARCH ENGINE?

One of the simplest ways is by writing small articles (600 to 1200 words) on the field you have knowledge in. The more articles the better, and, with time, you may find that even when topics and knowledge are limited, you can often approach the same idea or point from different angles. Once these articles are written, they can be submitted individually to sites such as EzineArticles.com where visitors can read them, follow links to your website, or copy the articles, with your links intact, into their web pages or ezines. The more this happens, the more links will show back to your web site, and the more people will become aware of your status as an "expert".

Another, similar technique is to use an article submission service, such as SubmitYourArticle.com, to have the articles you write submitted to several sites where they will be posted for real people to read and search engines to follow links to your site. SubmitYourArticle.com submits to EzineArticles.com, by the way.

Blogs are also a way to get your information out to the internet public, and you can establish a blog related to your area of interest or expertise at sites such as Blogger.com. You can always round out the content of your blog, or even a website devoted to your subject area, with relevant articles which you can find at places such as EzineArticles.com.

HOW CAN I GET PEOPLE TO BELIEVE I'M AN EXPERT IF I CAN'T WRITE VERY WELL?

That's not really as tough as it sounds. First, while a well-written, grammatically correct article is more attractive in many cases, many people seeking the knowledge you possess will overlook technical errors in the writing if the information is valid. If you really know and care about your subject, this will shine through. There are also several services online which will proofread and help write your articles for a small fee. There are even services which will write the articles for you.

I HAVE A SUBJECT THAT I HAVE SOME KNOWLEDGE ON AND WANT TO WRITE MY OWN ARTICLES, BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW "A LOT" ABOUT THE FIELD.

Not a problem. If you are starting with a subject you know something about, a quick search on the internet will provide additional facts and figures you need to round out your article. Following up in this way may also give you more ideas for future articles. Also, writing articles is the sort of thing that you get better at the more you do it. Remember, these articles will generally be very short and to the point and will only need to cover a small portion of your subject area, at least until you become more proficient at it. Another point is that although your main point is to attract human visitors, you are also trying to attract search engines, and the search engines will not be quite as picky about your writing skills. They will be more concerned with overall content and relevance.

OKAY, I'LL GET STARTED TODAY!

That's the spirit. Go get 'em, Tiger!

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service. He has worked as an accountant, purchasing agent, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, instructor and long-haul, over-the-road truck driver. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He has been an active internet marketer since 2000, and now makes his living online. To learn more about improving your marketing performance, please visit http://marketingsecrets.xtramoney4me.net. To read more articles by the author, please visit his blog at http://donovanbaldwin.blogspot.com/, or http://xtramoney4me.net/internet_marketing_links/articles/index.html.

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Doing Business On The Internet

Writen by Amin Sadak

Internet Business Opportunities

The Internet is definitely the place to look for business opportunities. It's positively bristling with web sites promising earnings of anything from £24,000 in 24 hours to $Millions within a year!

Leaving aside the scams and cons and the plain over-optimistic, there are many genuine Internet-based opportunities. No matter what the blurb may say, remember that all businesses require work, and keep in mind the saying: "If it looks too good to be true – it probably isn't!"

Most Internet businesses involve selling or, as the vendors put it – marketing - and there are dozens, if not hundreds, of marketers offering to show you how to sell just about anything on the Net. It's tempting to try to follow in their footsteps and sell material showing other people how to, er, sell the same method to other people. In fact, some of these sites actively encourage you to do so but this "Internet Marketing" business is one of the oldest on the Internet and it would be like setting up a corner shop next door to a supermarket.

Niche Marketing

What you must do – and this is one area where the marketers can't help you – is to find your own product area. It should be something that you're interested in, know something about or can learn about. Your own niche, in other words.

The benefit of this approach is that you're not competing with the big boys and you have a product that lots of people want but which isn't being supplied by anyone else. Of course, that's the good part – the hard part is actually coming up with a niche product in the first place.

When you do, you may have to create the product yourself and then promote your web site so people know you have a solution to their problem.

Most Internet opportunities involve selling "information" products which are simply e-books, usually in Adobe's Acrobat (PDF) format. These are ideal products because there are no manufacturing costs (other, perhaps, than some initial software for formatting and presentation purposes) so each copy you sell is virtually all profit, after your marketing costs, of course.

Bricks and mortar

An alternative to information products are real products, tangible items, and you use the Internet as a virtual shop front for your goods. Many people prefer to receive something tangible for their money so selling real goods in a virtual world can be reassuring to the customer.

However, you do need have real goods to sell – of course - somewhere to store them and you need to pop along to the post office to post them. And, again, you need to find a niche to make the most of this opportunity.

Many small shop owners first got involved with the Internet by providing a store front for their goods although few make the most of this. If you ever wanted to own a shop but balk at the cost of premises, staff, council tax and rates, then this could be the opportunity for you. However, you will have to promote the site very hard because it will be your only sales outlet.

Trading

Trading – in stocks and shares, for example is one of the growth industries only made possible by the Internet. It's as different from Internet marketing as chalk from cheese. You're not continuously trying to sell products promote your web site or find customers. In fact, you don't need any customers or products – virtual or otherwise.

Another benefit that appeals to many people is that your success it solely and totally dependent on yourself. You can put a sign on your desk that says "The buck stops here" and hopefully many will!

As with any endeavour, however, you need to educate yourself about the business. Not only do you need to know what to trade but also the methods used to decide which candidates offer good trading opportunities.

If you're not familiar with trading you may wonder if you can "lose your shirt", the farm, the family house in Switzerland… The answer is: no more easily than you can with any other business as long as you're sensible. This is why good education is essential.

Internet marketing has many upfront costs and if you discount the cost of marketing courses, you can get up and running for a few hundred Dollars, Pounds or Euros. There are few essential upfront costs with trading but you do need to put some money in your trading account before you can start.

How much do you need? This depends on what you want to trade. To trade currencies or foreign exchange – forex as its known – you can open an account with a few hundred dollars although you would be advised to budget $500-1000 as a minimum to begin.

However, unlike Internet marketing, many companies offer a free demo account where you can practice trading without risking any of your own money until you become familiar with the system.

Whatever Internet opportunity you decide to investigate, education is the most important thing. Far better spend a little on education now than fail later on because you don't know where to go or what to do. Read, learn, formulate a plan and follow the plan to success. To get started with trading and to learn how to trade currencies correctly from the very beginning, visit http://www.webkept.com. This is where you begin your journey!

Amin Sadak - Author of The Affluent Desktop Currency Trader

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Free Movie Clips

Writen by Ken Marlborough

Movie clips are vignettes that clue viewers in to the story, artistry, and action of a movie. They are enticements to attract the viewer to watch the entire feature film. Clips may show background scenes, set design, action cuts, director's introductions, technicians and actors discussing the movie, or they may be used to create hype about a new movie.

Movie clips are mostly free, financed by the studios that produce the movie. They appear at a carefully planned time in selected media building up hype reaching a peak around the movie's premier date. Advertising agencies or movie companies themselves design the movie clips, sorting out the best moments of a movie to woo the filmgoer to come to the theatre and spend his precious dollars to watch the film.

Movie clips centered on a particular theme are also common. This includes short movie clips, children's movie clips, Disney movie clips, and funny movie clips. Fans of certain actors also organize movie clips like James Bond movie clips and Mae West movie clips. Film based movie clips are free unlike some other clips.

Who can forget the clips from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho when he takes us on a trip around Norman Bates mansion and zeroes into the bathing scene of a screaming Janet Leigh? This clip sets the tone for the movie and made it the classic that it eventually became. Sometimes editors of movies may show scenes in clips that they may not show in the movie but include merely for curiosity value.

Free movie clips are available on television, theatres, and on the Internet. Very often, studios like to showcase their upcoming features by showing clips before or after a full-length movie playing in a theatre. Movie clips are also repeatedly shown on television with interviews of cast and directors. Fans can also download favorite clips free from the Internet.

Some of the Internet sites showcasing free movie clips include The Internet Movie Database, AltaVista Video Search, Turner Classic Movies, Hollywood.com, Singingfish, and Netbroadcaster.com.

Free Movies provides detailed information about free movies, free anime movies, free movie clips, and more. Free Movies is affiliated with Free Movie Downloads.

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Six Sigma Requires A Substantial Commitment From “informal” Leaders

Writen by Tony Jacowski

An awful lot has been said lately about Six Sigma and its abilities to bring out the full potential in any business or organization. However, the aspect – other than money – that most frequently causes a company to stop in its tracks when confronted with the option of taking on a Six Sigma strategy is the fact that it requires such a substantial leadership commitment.

This being said, leadership doesn't just mean the people at the top of the company hierarchy. Leadership commitment in this sense is required by all leaders in the business, whether they be presidents, CEO's, team leaders, or "informal" leaders.

In fact, it is these informal leaders who are being recognized as among the most highly influential in the success of Six Sigma implementation in a business. Such informal leaders are recognized as coming from three primary groups. These can be connectors, mavens, and salespeople.

• Connectors – these are individuals in a business who are able to naturally build rapport with other employees, customers, and clients. These are the first people that should be identified for implementing Six Sigma in a business. They are at the heart of influence in the organization, knowing everyone, often performing introductions, and frequently performing a great deal of networking and referrals.

• Mavens – these people are the individuals who are responsible for connecting employees with the technology utilized within the business. Since they are at the core of technology changes and introductions in the company, they are a natural part of the Six Sigma execution, it is vital to have them identified and prepared.

• Salespeople – these are the people who are in it for the cash. They work for the reward that they receive. They need to see Six Sigma as a path to personal gain. If this is done successfully, they will help to spread Six Sigma throughout the rest of the business.

Each of these types of informal leaders will play a vital and irreplaceable role in the "social structure" of the Six Sigma implementation process. They are the motivation, application, and practicality element that is so critical to the successful introduction and maintenance of Six Sigma. They are also the people who prevent alienation, confusion, and resistance to change in the processes of the business.

Keeping informal leaders out of the Six Sigma loop is a direct path to failure. They will resent being left out, and the most important procedural influences will be lacking.

Therefore, make sure that you have well trained – occasionally black-belt trained – Six Sigma informal leaders throughout your business to get the ball rolling, and to be certain that it is always headed in the right direction.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions – Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

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Free Barcodes

Writen by Richard Romando

The barcode, generally called the Universal Product Code, has been in use in America since the 1970s. There are several patterns of codes including dots, concentric circles, and hidden images. As barcodes are very useful in tracking inventory and identifying legitimate record labels, it has become a vital tool in all organizations and firms.

One can obtain barcodes free of cost. Many types of barcode fonts are available on the market, and many of these barcode fonts can be owned without paying a single penny. Free barcodes are a great relief for many small businesses unable to buy the costly barcodes.

Many companies are providing free barcode fonts through online services. One can easily download these fonts and use them conveniently. These free sample fonts are used to print letters, numbers, and some symbols. Graphics are also used for the creation of barcodes. Individuals and organizations with gross annual revenues of less than $500,000 can use the free barcode fonts. Many educational organizations such as schools and universities also use the free barcodes. But in the case of freeware, choice is limited. The common free barcode font available is the Code 39 TrueType format, which is also known as the 3 of 9. Some free barcodes, which come without the fonts, are graphic images. For these, there is no need for installation and configuration of plug-ins.

Many modern businesses offer barcode image generators as free software. Most of these user-friendly software packages help in creating barcode image files in a range of formats. There are many software packages that offer barcode generators. These barcode generators can be downloaded from the Internet as freeware. Some firms give options for online generation of barcodes.

Bar Codes provides detailed information on bar codes, bar code printers, bar code scanners, bar code labels and more. Bar Codes is affiliated with Bar Code Label Software.

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Tips And Guide To Writing A Proposal That Will Wow Your Client

Writen by Nicole Anderson

Does writing a proposal seem confusing? Not sure what format to use or what information to include? This is a simple guide to writing a great proposal that will increase your new business and sales.

The key to securing new business is in building a relationship with your prospective clients and showing them you can delivery exactly what they want. A well-constructed proposal can do this for you and can dramatically increase sales and business. Don't miss the sample proposal at the end!

FIRST STEPS

The first step of the process to securing new business is of course making the contact. Once you have the contact or you must build the business relationship. This can easily be done through a simple meeting, whether in person or on the phone, to figure out your clients needs and wants. The next key step to the processes of securing new business is to take the needs and wants of the client and detail out how your can deliver exactly what they are looking for and become there "GO TO" for the job!

A detailed proposal should be sent to the client within 24 business hours of the "needs and wants" conversation with your prospective client, if not sooner. If the project they are looking for is needed immediately the quicker your response time the better. This may mean they need the proposal within an hour or two. A quick response time to the client will do many things to increase the relationship and potential for securing business:

Quick Response Time in Delivering Proposal Will:

1. Show your interest in their company and doing business

2. Present your company as efficient and responsive, which is a key in business and shows you provide quality customer service

3. Place you in the forefront of the race for the new business, if the client is accepting multiple proposals

4. Deter the company from reaching out for other proposals and contacting your competitor

5. Begin the process of the business cycle and make it easy for the company to deliver a YES on contracting you for the project

DRAFTING THE PROPOSAL

This will be a guide for the format and content of drafting an excellent proposal. Your will need to modify the proposal for your client and business, of course.

A proposal should be specific to your client and there needs and wants. It should reflect your company's ability to delivery a superior product/service in a timely manner.

CONTENT

Introduction

The introduction should speak directly to your contact and refer to him/her by name to create a personal relationship with the proposal.

After your personal introduction, provide and introduction to your company. Include the following:

• What you do (describe your product(s) or service(s) including those the client may not be aware of so they understand the scope of your work)

• How long you have done this and/or who your other clients are (this will be a resume of sorts and show your stability, qualifications and track record for your work and references)

• List specific clients that you have worked for and providing similar work to. This may be company's in their same industry or companies that you have provided the same work to. (Listing these clients will further your qualifications to provide work for the new client)

The Work or The Product

The next section will describe the work or the product you will be delivering to the client.

The work or product should be described in great detail. The more details the better. If it is a step by step process explain the steps the will be done.

Sell your service/product here in this section.

Methodology

The "Methodology" is " particular procedure or set of procedures" or "the analysis of the principles or procedures of inquiry in a particular field". The common idea here is the collection, the comparative study, and the critique of the individual methods that are used in your field.

If applicable to your service or product, this section will be used to provide explanation of your methods and procedures of work. It will give the client insight into your reasoning and methods for execution of project.

Costs

Write out the bottom line. It will simply be "this work will be $____".

This section will be as detailed as needed for your service/product. If you are unsure of the scope of service or products desired by the client you may include options or separate out costs so the client may "pick and choose" what is needed and within budget.

Timeline

In delivering to a client it is essential to maintain professionalism. This of course includes, delivering what is promised. The client should be given a timeline or deadline for when the product or service will be delivered. DO NOT PROMISE WHAT YOU CANNOT DELIVER. It is better to overestimate the time you need to complete your work than underestimate and break your promise to a client.

If the timeline and deadline are dependent somewhat on the client detail out what the client must provide and when you will need it. Or you can make your timeline based on when they deliver what is needed. (See example below under "Timeline" in sample proposal.)

Closing

Include instructions on the next step:

How to getting started or move forward from here
How to accept this proposal
How to send payment
What is needed next?

In closing thank your client for the acceptance of the proposal and/or for their consideration.

Make sure to include your name, your title, your company's name, and contact information. The more contact information the better. Give them as many ways to contact you as possible and let them choose which is most convenient. It is a good idea to include success stories at the end of your proposal to further the trust in your company and superiority of your product/service.

Tips:

• Remember a proposal is a bonding agreement
• Write your proposal in a confident, up tone fashion
• Make sure it is detailed and contains only truth
• Do not promise what you cannot deliver
• Follow up on your proposal(s). Nothing beats live communication.
• If the client declines your services do not shy away from asking "why". It may give you valuable information for the future or an opportunity to re-negotiate the current proposal with the client.
• As a tip for your business, you can check www.cashunclaimed.com to see if you or your company are owed unclaimed money from the government. 8 out of 9 Americans are owed money. You can utilize this money in marketing efforts to secure new leads to send proposals too!

SAMPLE PROPOSAL:

May 27, 2006

Bob Smith, VP of Operations
Model Health Products
14500 Plaza Drive Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 91700

Dear Mr. Smith,

INTRODUCTION

Pursuant to our conversation and conversations with Model Health Products Associates, the following is a proposal for Top Quality Video to produce a promotional video for Model Health Products.

Before proceeding with the proposal, however, and while it would appear you are already familiar with our work, I will take the liberty of providing a brief introduction to Top Quaity Video.

Top Quaity Video was created to fulfill the myriad of production and film needs both corporate and commercial. We provide full-scale production needs including filming, casting, script writing, lighting, direction and editing.

Our products include music videos, short and full-length films, commercials, corporate videos, training videos, event videos and television programs.

Our clients include multi-million dollar enterprises such as Taco Bell and we have also produced work for countless other clients and businesses both large and small.

Specifically, with regard to your work and your product, we have conducted corporate and promotional videos for Dr. Richard Manger, who is in the health products field and we have created promotional videos for Susan Vummers Aerobic products and Chop Master 1000 as seen on the Home Shopping Channel.

I have also taken the liberty of placing some of the success stories from our website at the end of this proposal.

THE WORK

Top Quaity Video will film for 8 hours for Model Health Products at a agreed upon and scheduled date.

We will provide all equipment needed for filming the interviews of Model Health Products clients. This will include broadcast quality cameras for filming, tripod, lighting equipment (if required for shooting location), and audio equipment.

The footage captured from the interviews will be captured and burned onto DVD for Model Health Product's review.

After a review of the footage, yourself and any others involved in the decision making process will instruct on which footage or interviews, or portions thereof, to include in the final video.

This can be edited by Top Quality Video without your input, if preferred. We can offer 15 years experience to the project and edit per this knowledge and our discretion.

A promotional video will be edited and will include titling graphics, smooth transitions between sections, music, clear audio and filters to add increased visual quality.

METHODOLOGY of WORK

Top Quality Videos will submit the drafted script to Dr. Swelling and his associates for their review, critique and editing suggestions, if any.

This script will be written to enlighten the public about the details and benefits of Model Health Products skin creams and cleanses. The script will include testimonials from clients, details and opinions from medical professionals not associated with Model Health Products to show unbiased approval of products and will be hosted by a female host who has used the product and will act of the company's spokes person.

Our studies have shown a female between the ages of 30 and 35, who is between 5' 6" and 5' 8" and is a size 6 with light brown or darker blonde hair, is most trusted and garnishes more sales for health products. (Please note: This is fictional data made up for example in sample proposal only. This is not an actual statistic or study. I do not wish to cause confusion or a false statistic.)

Take Charge of Your Health will need to identify an esthetically pleasing location for shooting and ensure a quite atmosphere. This is necessary for both the visual of the film and the sound quality of the audio captured during filming.

Top Quality Video will hold casting interviews with potential hosts for the video. After selection of the host(s) we would like to suggest a read through with you and your associates at Model Health Products as well as the Top Quality Video's team in order to ensure the shoot derives the footage and content desired for the video.

We would like to suggest that questions be carefully drafted by Model Health Products for the doctors and clients to elicit the responses desired for the video. Also, an interviewer with in-depth knowledge of Model Health Products work and/or clients would be an asset to the quality of the content elicited from the clients during the interview.

The last recommendation is that specific clients be requested to participate in the interview process based on their level of enthusiasm, quality of success stories and statistics or details of information they have to share.

COSTS
Option #1 for Cost Section of Proposal: Broke out and detailed. Good if end product or service has some unknowns or they may be budgeting and take only certain items or services. It allows you to give them options.
Adverting, interviewing and casting, script drafting, equipment provision, 8 Hours filming, set up and tear down $1400.
Burning all client interviews and other raw footage to DVD for initial review will be $495.
We are not aware of the length you are looking for and amount of content desired for the final video. Here are the prices for a 15-minute and a 60-minute video. Please let us know which you would prefer to have.
A fully edited, ready for viewing 15-minute promotional video will be $750.
A fully edited, ready for viewing 60-minute promotional video will be $2595.

If needed or wanted we can provide a more detailed 60-minute video. Package for Extended Content Video, 60-minutes:
If needed or wanted we could add a second day of filming and film introductions of Model Health Products personnel, details of the Prescott program, "About Us" and any other come on dissemination techniques. This 60-minute video could also be broken up into chapters on a main menu screen for easy viewing options and efficient use. The total price on this video would be $6095 and would include 2 days of filming (day 1 - client success stories and day 2 - filming at Model Health Products), 2 days worth of footage burned to DVD for intial viewing, a fully edited 60 minute video with success stories, chapters and additional content on Model Health Products program and company.
Option #2 for Cost Section of Proposal: All in one price. Good if end product or service is simple and sold as total package.
Advertising, casting interviews, hiring and payroll for host(s), equipment and staff provisions including cameras, lighting equipment, camera operators, audio equipment, and direction, 8 Hours filming, set up and tear down, fully edited 20-minute promotional video with sound design, original score, titling, smooth transitions and 4 hours of re-editing, if needed, $6995.
This investment will pay off very handsomely by your company owning a top quality promotional and marketing video and materials that can be used for in office viewing, on TV, for a mail marketing DVD to potential customers, as an online clip, etc. The marketing uses for this video are endless and this one time video can produces years of sales and exponential growth in a short amount of time for Model Health Products.
Our fees are paid 50% to start and 50% upon delivery of the final report. Or if the full amount is paid to start, we provide a 5% discount.

TIMING.

Option #1 for Timing Section of Proposal: Broke out and detailed due to unknowns or circumstantial timing deadlines. This is ideal if the completion of your service or delivery of your product is dependent on the client meeting certain targets. The timing and completion is then factored based on them providing the necessary information or tools needed for you.
The timing on this particular project will vary depending on the following scheduling points:
1. A date and time will need to be scheduled for filming the client interviews and seminar.
2. The raw footage DVD's can be completed within 10 days of the initial filming.
3. The review the footage and editing decisions on content for the video will be needed.
4. Once those decisions have been made a meeting between the in charge for the project at Model Health Products via phone or in person would be necessary to communicate the desired content and style for the final video. These requests should also be written and provided to Top Quaity Video to ensure we duplicate your requests correctly.
5. The final video will be completed within 2 weeks of receipt of the instructions for the video. Option #2 for Timing Section of Proposal: Simple timeline and promise for completion. This is ideal if the delivery of the product/service is simple and is dependent solely on your company or with minimal requirements from the client.
We will conduct the research on your company and product, write the script, cast, film and deliver the final video with in 4-6 weeks from the date we receive payment. Mr. Smith, if you have any comments or questions, please give me a call or contact me via e-mail. If this proposal meets with you and your company's understanding and agreement, please so indicate by return e-mail and the appropriate invoice will be sent.

Thank you very much. We appreciate the opportunity.

Steve Tranger
VP of Operations
Top Quaity Video Inc.
1200 PCH Suite 200
Malibu, CA 91700
800-500-1111 Extension 115
323-555-1212 Mobile
888-952-0000 Fax
stevetranger@TQV.com
www.TQV.com

Success Stories from our clients:
30 Second Commercial
"The 30 second commerical spot that TQV made for us increased our sales by 40%. The commercial is flawless and communicates the quality of our company. Thank you TQV."

Best Regards,
Sam Adams, President
Best Products Around Inc.

Corporate Video
"You followed our requests to a "T" and delivered a video that we use multiple times daily. Our employees are interested in growing with our company and looking forward to management positions due to your video. I cannot tell you what it has meant to our company to have an inspired team of employees and the ability to promote from within."
Scott Sofa,
CEO
Johnson & Mohnson

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medical health hospital

Avoiding Seminar Dogs How To Pick The Right Session To Attend

Writen by JoAnn Hines

My email is overflowing with seminar information about programs at upcoming trade shows. I'm like every one else whose time is at a premium. How can I maximize my time when I am at the show? How can I stay informed with the latest innovations?

Almost every trade event now has a conference track that runs concurrently. These are usually well publicized in advance so have time to register and in most instances are able get a discount for early registration. In some cases the conference is in advance of the actual show so it doesn't detract from time in front of the exhibitors. In any case it's wise to plan your conference schedule as early as possible.

Look at your travel agenda and determine how much time you can set aside to attend a conference session/s. Review the program information. In most cases there will be a very diverse selection of offerings. Look to see who the session is targeting. If your title or job description is listed then it's a good bet this is something you should attend. Check out the speakers and their companies. Are these the people you want to meet? Can you benefit from their expertise? It's easy to check out your speakers by doing a GOOGLE search. Type in the presenters name in quotations and see what turns up.

Is the session presenting "fresh" material or trotting out some old "has been" that hasn't had a new thought in 20 years? Note: many of the conferences do not pay speakers; they hope that companies will provide speakers for free to promote their products and services. So it's important to determine whether this "content" is worthy of your time or is it just a company "advertorial." In my opinion, most of the time these sessions aren't worth investing your time. Watch out for "free" sessions too. Unless this is a "paid" expert hired to increase show attendance, it's usually not worth going.

Can you access the information or material in any other way? I know in my case when I speak its based on recent research which I turn into a report that can be purchased after the event. Many times you can find an article or report for purchase that covers the same subject also. Look for sessions with information that you can't get in any other way or ones that have a "stellar" selection of presenters. If you can't attend a particular session, find out if it will be repeated or how you can access the information after the event.

See how long the session will be and at what time of day. Can you combine a session with your lunch break? Breakfast sessions have now become very popular. Why not eat and learn at the same time? Is the information something that can benefit others in your organization? Get some brownie points by coming back with valuable insights.

If you have no reference point for any of the sessions, look to see who is a sponsor. Is it a company that has a good reputation or a trade organization that you respect? You can always call them and ask about the speakers or the event. You can even complain to them if the speaker is a "dog." So whatever seminar you decide to attend be sure and plan early and maximize your time at the event.

JoAnn Hines' specialty is PACKAGING PEOPLE. Whether you want to be paid more, you just lost your job, or you want to progress in the one you have, Ms. Hines advice and expertise can help you transform your personal brand. She can show you how to package yourself and make your brand a hot commodity. It's easy once you know the ropes and begin to utilize her insider's secrets. She shows you step by step how to increase your visibility, credibility and marketability with easy to use tutorials and templates. Other articles on similar topics are in the "Packaging Yourself Workbook." The "Packaging Yourself Workbook" is $29.95 plus shipping and handling. Place your order @ http://packaginguniversity.com/pkgustorefront.htm Topics include: How to prepare an Elevator Pitch, How to Make the Most of those First 30 Seconds, How to Speak your way to Fame and Fortune, How To Promote Yourself and Your Company, How to Become an Expert in Your Field. Order now @ http://packaginguniversity.com/pkgustorefront.htm or email me @pkgcoach@aol.com for more details.

medical health hospital

Virtual Office Setting Up Yours Part 2

Writen by Frank Owen

Secondary Supplies for Your Virtual Office

Aside from the basic supplies you'll need to make your virtual office work (like a computer and internet connection) there are some secondary supplies that will make life a lot easier. Consider any or all of the following supplies once your virtual business is up and running. Most will save you time and many headaches when conducting business over the Web.

Scanner – A scanner comes in handy for scanner documents or photos from one client to another.

Fax – Consider investing in a fax machine or better yet, try out an E-fax when operating from a virtual office.

CD and DVD Writer – A CD-RW allows you to back up files on a CD, and a DVD-RAM allows you to write large files to digital medium, including video. Both come in handy when working online.

Copier – You may need a copier if you plan to work with lots of documents. You might consider investing in a multi purpose device that includes a scanner, fax, and printer and copying capability. There are a wealth of choices you can buy inexpensively online that work quite efficiently.

Software – Depending on your business you'll need software to support your daily operations. Don't even consider starting a business without an email program, some form of word processing software (like MSWord) and virus protection software. Other software that may come in handy include Adobe Reader, Illustrator, Photoshop, PowerPoint and some form of spreadsheet software.

Article by Frank Owen, visit his web site on the virtual office for more information on virtual office management http://www.virtualofficetutor.com

medical health hospital

Learn The Language Of The World Wide Web

Writen by Sushanth Bastawade

If you are already on the web or thinking about it then you must know the terminology used on the web. Here is a Glossary of a few must know Web Terms.

Visitors:

The number of distinct people who visit your site.

Page Views:

The number of web pages that have been viewed by the visitors to your site. If a single page is viewed many times by a visitor, each view is treated as a new page view.

Hits:

When a visitor views a page that has 3 graphics or images on it, he / she will give you 4 hits. 1 for the HTML page and 3 for the graphics. As hits are meaningless, you must not express your site statistics in terms of Hit count.

Referrer URL:

It is the web site from which the visitor has arrived to your site. Assume that the xyzsite.com web site has a link to your site on all its pages. When a surfer clicks on your sites' link and arrives at your site, xyzsite.com becomes your Referrer URL. Thus a referrer url indicates the sites which are giving you traffic.

If surfers type the url of your site in their browsers to arrive at your site, it will be shown as a Direct Hit in the Referrer URL list.

Targeted Traffic:

It includes the surfers who visit your site because they want the product or service or information which is being offered by your site. Usually a Search Engine or Directory will produce Targeted Traffic to your site. Your aim should be to build Targeted Traffic to your site.

A link or banner without supporting content will produce untargeted traffic.

Page Creation Tools:

They let you work with a single HTML document at a time. Netscape Composer is a Page Creation Tool.

Site Creation Tools:

They let you work with several HTML documents at once. MS Front Page is a Site Creation Tool.

WYSIWYG HTML Editor:

This is short for " What You See Is What You Get ". It is pronounced as We-z-Wig. A WYSIWYG HTML Editor will create the HTML page for you. All tags are automatically inserted by the editor when you click buttons. You only need to type in the text of your document. A WYSIWYG Editor is very useful while working with tables as it displays the table structure i.e. rows and columns.

Netscape Composer ,which is part of the Netscape Communicator 4 & higher package, is a WYSIWYG HTML Editor.

HTML Validation:

It is a software program which you can install on your computer. It is used to determine if the HTML code in your web page has any errors on it. Validating your HTML code ensures that your web page will be displaced correctly by most browsers.

Direct Linking:

If your web host allows direct linking to servers then a file (.zip, .exe) from your web site can be downloaded from another web site by hyperlinking. However, most of the free web hosts like Tripod, Geocities, Angelfire etc. do not allow Direct Linking. Thus surfers will need to visit your web page to download any file.

Spider:

When you submit a web site to a Search Engine (SE), the SE will send out spiders (software program) to your site. These spiders will record information about your site and bring it back to the SE. The info brought by the spiders is added to the database of the SE. This process is known as indexing. After your site has been indexed it will be ranked and listed by the SE, so that the site shows up in the search results.

Yahoo doesn't use spiders. All info is added manually to the Yahoo database. Thus Yahoo is a directory and not a Search Engine.

Autoresponder:

It is a software that sends an automated reply or replies to emails sent to it. The reply or replies are pre written and saved on the web server by the web site owner. As the replies are automated, it saves time & effort for the web site owner. Autoresponders can be used for sending product details to customers, to handle subscription requests or to send follow up messages to prospective customers.

About The Author The author is the web master for the http://NewsForUse.FreeHosting.net/ web site. He uses his spare time to collect and compile articles of VALUE on various topics.

medical health hospital

Machinery Loss Of Profit Policy Can Help Business Concerns

Writen by Vishnu Ramdeo

A close up view of: -

Machinery loss of profit

Despite all the precautions taken by managers, companies may suddenly find itself in a situation that threaten its survival, e.g. as a result of natural disasters, accidents, fire, industrial espionage, sabotage, damage to their reputation, or the failure of a supplier, the power supply or a telecommunications network.

It is well accepted fact that risks can never be entirely eliminated. However, while corporate managements cannot guarantee that losses will be precluded, they are at least expected to deal with loss events and the attendant aftermath in a satisfactory manner.

In addition to the traditional tasks of risk management – identifying, analyzing, reducing and transferring risks companies are thus increasingly being expected to prepare systematically to deal with loss events. A step for this purpose is machinery loss of profit.

Introduction

Under both machinery and fire insurance, indemnity is provided, in respect of damaged or destroyed machinery, solely for the material loss sustained by the insured. These types of insurance do thus not protect the insured against all the losses which arise in connection with a fire or the breakdown of machinery, since in most cases a material loss also causes an interruption or interference of the insured's business operations. The result is a financial loss in the form of lost profit and unearned standing charges. In many cases the loss sustained as a result of an interruption or interference of business operations by far exceeds the mere material loss. An awareness of the need for insurance protection against the financial consequences of material damage arose at the beginning of this century, and the result was the introduction of the two variants, loss of profits following fire insurance and loss of profits following machinery breakdown insurance – also called machinery loss of profits (MLOP) insurance. As the size of modern production facilities increases, MLOP insurance is becoming more and more important. The individual production stages in modern processes are often accomplished by just one machine, the failure of which leads to substantial interruption losses.

Machinery loss of profit policy is just a replica of fire loss of profit policy. Like fire loss of profit is require standard fire policy same with MLOP. It requires machinery break down policy or boiler and pressure plant policy or eclectic equipment policy. In US it is known as Business interruption insurance. Sometimes it is also called as business income coverage or loss of profit insurance, is typically a rider or endorsement added to a business's property/casualty policy. As such, what's covered under the main property/casualty policy will determine what is and is not covered for business interruption. For example, P/C policies typically cover fire, but not floods or earthquakes, so if an earthquake damages the business, your business interruption coverage won't kick in unless insured have obtained additional coverage for earthquakes.

Need for MLOP

Business expert Ms.Meenakshi Gupta said this policy is must for every business organization as the market competitions is so tight that one minor loss can ruin the whole business.

The incident of machinery breaks down not only cause loss of property to industry but result in stoppage of work, resulting in loss of production and loss of fixed charges which ultimately results in loss of profit. To cover loss of profit because of machinery breaks down it requires a specific policy given with machinery break down policy or boiler and pressure plant policy or eclectic equipment policy.

The basic features of MLOP insurance will be dealt with.

1 Subject matter insured

MLOP insurance provides cover for the actual loss of profits sustained as a result of a business interruption caused by material damage indemnifiable under machinery insurance. MLOP insurance provides indemnity also in cases where the material loss amount falls below the deductible to be borne by the insured under the machinery cover. Basically speaking, a loss due to an interruption or interference of business operations is made up of the following factors:

1. The reduction in operating profit, i.e. the profit from selling the goods produced and traded by the insured and from rendering services.

2. The standing charges, i.e. the costs incurred entirely or in part if operations are interrupted or impaired. These comprise wages and salaries, including social security contributions if they continue to become due during the interruption; interest, economic depreciations, basic rates for third-party energy, expenses for the current upkeep of buildings and machines, rent, taxes and other non-specified working expenses, expenses for the preservation of vested rights, insurance premiums and other business expenses, e.g. guaranteed commissions.

3. Not included in standing charges, however, are turnover taxes and expenses for raw or auxiliary materials, fuels and goods purchased unless they serve to continue operations; excise taxes, freight charges, specified license and inventor's fees and similar expenses. Loss minimization costs are also covered if they lower the insurer's obligation to indemnify. These include expenses that avoid, minimize or terminate an interruption loss soon after the occurrence of material damage.

Loss minimization is of great importance in MLOP insurance. The following are examples.

1. Purchase/sale of semi-finished goods

2. Provisional repairs

3. Early overhauls

4. Purchase of non-identical (but compatible) machinery

5. Express, airfreight

6. Overtime work, additional shifts, work on Sundays

7. To accelerate repairs on undamaged machines to reduce the interruption loss

8. Rent of machinery (e.g. transformers, boilers, compressors)

9. Shifting of operations to alternative plants

10. Making up for the production loss after reopening

Coverage

Machinery loss of profit policy gives cover against consequential losses following loss or damage to the property insured under machinery breakdown and/or boiler and pressure plant insurance. This policy covers actual financial losses suffered by the insured due to business interruption arising from:

a) Reduction in turnover and

b) Increase in cost of working

The standard policy thus insures the loss of gross profits in the business because of accident to the machinery, boiler and pressure plant, electric equipment covered under respective policy.

What Can Be Insured?

Continuing Overhead Expenses: - which have to be met out of reduced earnings such as rent, taxes, interest on debentures, mortgages and loans. Increase in Cost of Working: - necessarily incurred to overcome or to minimize the effects of damage upon the business such as renting of temporary premises, hiring of machinery or extra labour costs.

Loss of Profit: - which would be earned by industry if there was no damage to machinery.

Wages: - of employees not gainfully employed during the interruption period and payments to employees whose services are no longer required.

Indemnity Period

In contrast to a material loss, the loss of profits following a business interruption depends on the time factor involved. In other words, the longer the period for which operation is interrupted or impaired, the greater the loss of profits. For this reason it is essential to set a certain limit for the period during which the insurer is obliged to provide indemnity for an interruption loss. This is done by the insured specifying an indemnity period limit which represents the maximum time for which an insurer is liable for loss of profits. The period of indemnity begins on the date on which material damage could first be said to have occurred, as judged according to the recognized principles of engineering, at the latest, however, on the date when the loss of profits commenced. Generally the indemnity period limit is three, six, nine or twelve months. The basic rule is that the indemnity period limit should relate to the amount of time required for removing the interruption loss, i.e. for repairing the machinery damaged or for the delivery of new machinery in cases of a total loss, assembly and trial run. Higher premiums are, of course, charged for long indemnity period limits.

In other words the indemnity period commences with the date of damage and lasts till such a time as the business is restored to its pre damaged level or the period stipulated policy which ever comes first. The policy insures earnings of the business lost during the indemnity period. But in any case indemnity period will not exceed 12 months.

Graph showing relation of indemnity period with damage

Sum Insured

Sum insured is net profit plus standing charges. For calculating profit past years data are taken. It is difficult to calculate gross profit for future so it is allowed to increase gross profit by 50%.

Refund of premium is allowed if estimated figure is more then the actual figure but subject to that refund does not exceed 50% of premium collected.

Premium

Premium rates depend on the critical nature of the machinery covered by the breakdown or explosion policies; their relative importance and contribution to final output; the repairs, maintenance and stand by facilities available and the indemnity period opted.

Exclusions

1. Loss or damage to machinery or other items which are not listed in the list of machinery insured even if the consequence of material damage to an item indicated in the list of machinery insured is involved

2. Any restriction on reconstruction or operation imposed by any public authority

3. Shortage, destruction, deterioration and spoilage of or damage to raw materials, semi-finished or finished products or catalyst or operating media even if the consequence of material damage to an item indicated in the list of machinery insured is involved

4. Alterations improvements or overhauls being made while repairs or replacements of damaged or destroyed property are being carried out

5. Extension of repair period beyond 4 weeks on account of

a. Inability to carry or delays in carrying out repairs

b. Prohibition to operate the machinery due to import and/or export customs & other restrictions or by statutory regulations

c. Inability to secure or delays in securing replacement parts, machines or technical services

d. Transport of parts to and from the insured premises

6. Willful acts or Gross Negligence on the part of Insured &/or his employees

7. War or warlike operations, Civil Commotion, Strike & Locked-out workers

8. Nuclear reaction, nuclear radiation or radioactive contamination

9. Loss or damage caused by any faults or defects existing at the time of commencement of this insurance within the knowledge of the insured or his responsible representatives whether such faults or defects were known to Company or not

Time exclusion

Explosive factory, petrochemical, power plant and fertilizers 14 days exclusion where as in other industry it is 7 days.

Underwriting consideration

- Risk inspection report.

- Description of plant

- Date of make

- Work performed

- Alternative means of working

- Repair time

- Spare parts held

- Unattended plant

- Percentage of daily loss. Incase production is halted.

- Any alternative means of working available.

- Stand by machine.

- Breakdown experience.

The possibilities of loss minimization

The results of MLOP insurance depend to a great extent on the loss minimization measures taken. It is therefore quite obvious that this topic deserves special attention. Such measures for loss minimization are, for example, the hiring of substitute motors, generators, transformers, boilers, small turbines, etc. or the speeding up of repair work by carrying out complex welding operations even on high-alloy materials or using metalock and other special repair methods on the damaged components.

Terms used in policy:

The following terms used in this policy will be defined as follows:

a. Gross Profit is defined as the sum produced by adding to the Net Profit the amount of all insured fixed charges. If there is no Net Profit the amount of all insured fixed charges less that proportion of any loss from business operations as the amount of the insured fixed charges bears to all fixed charges.

b. Net Profit is defined as the net operating profit exclusive of all:

1) Capital receipts and accruals; and

2) Outlay properly chargeable to capital;

Resulting from the business of the Insured at the described location after due provision has been made for all fixed charges and any other expenses, including depreciation, but before deduction of any taxes on Profits.

c. Insured Fixed Charges are defined as all fixed charges unless specifically excluded in the declarations.

d. Sales are defined as the money paid or payable to the Insured for:

1) Goods sold and delivered; and

2) Services rendered;

e. Rate of Gross Profit is defined as the rate of Gross Profit earned on the sales during the twelve (12) full calendar months immediately before the date of physical loss or damage to the insured property.

f. Standard Sales are defined as the sales during that period in the twelve (12) months immediately before the date of the loss or damage to the insured property which corresponds with the period of indemnity.

Marketing aspect for betterment of MLOP policy in India

Capered to other products of engineering insurance, MLOP is very less in number. This product requires proper advertisement and making the small business owner aware of this policy. This policy is more suitable for small industrial sector of India which facing many difficulties. Agents are required to train about coverage and usages of policy, so that they will be in position to explain other. Special advertisement campaign is required.

Vishnu Ramdeo MBA (Insurance) National Law University Jodhpur. India

mr.Vishnu Ramdeo has done his garduation in B.com honours in accounting and finance. He has done his MBA in Insurance from National Law University, Jodhpur India. his intreset areas are insurance, taxation,investment,equity research and law.

medical health hospital

The Dance Of Success Top 7 Principles Learned About Passion Propulsion Amp Performance In Business

Writen by Denise Corcoran

Jerry Rice, former NFL receiver with the most touchdowns, said it was the hardest thing he has ever done. What is it? Competing on TV's show "Dancing with the Stars" last year. "I worked more on dancing than when I played football."

Dancing – one of my greatest life passions – has also been my greatest teacher. I have learned more about life and success from dancing, than any book, seminar or even business mentor. When I step out on a dance floor, my whole world changes. I transcend my everyday world of busy activities, demands and challenges to a place of timelessness … that defies words. It touches every fiber of my being.

This "wise teacher" has taught me how to:

• Achieve my goals and visions more effortless.
• Fill my days with a deeper sense of passion and joy.
• Increase my productivity and focus dramatically.
• Develop synergistic relationships resulting in more powerful win/win outcomes.
• Live what I call an "inspired life."

Regardless whether you are a dancer or not, you too can experience the same powerful shifts. Below are 7 critical principles that can teach you how to transform your business journey and destination …beyond what you thought possible.

PRINCIPLE 1: MAGIC happens in the experience, not the outcome.

Last week, I went to a seminar by Robert Dilts, top NLP (NeuroLinguistic Programming) trainer, called "Demystifying the Wealth Factor." Using the NLP tool of modeling with hundreds of entrepreneurs, he identified the top 7 critical factors of business success.

Passion was one of those factors. Although passion being a critical success factor is not new, what was new was Dilt's view on passion. He said "true passion happens when the destination and the journey become one and the same."

A big "AHA"! I now had words to describe my own experience with dancing. Being goal-oriented by nature, dancing has taught me to suspend my need to be at a specific place at a specific time. To experience the magic of dancing, you cannot be anywhere other than where you are at in the moment.

Dancing teaches me to stay focused on the experience of the moment. That each moment is a destination in itself. That only in the moment can passion and magic happen. What's your experience of the moment … right now … in your business?

PRINCIPLE 2: Ensure that you have the right structure. It allows maximum movement and helps you achieve goals easier and faster.

From day 1, a dancer learns the importance of the right frame, whether as a leader or follower. You will often hear a dance instructor say in class "No noodle arms or hand squeezing."

For a leader to lead and a follower to follow, there must be enough (not too little or too much) tension in the arms. Too little tension, and the leader must effort for the follower to do her steps. Too much tension constricts movement, can injure the body and make the dance anything but an enjoyable experience.

The same is true in business. Too little structure and you have to work harder to achieve your goal. Too much structure constrains the ability of an individual or organization from moving with ease, speed and momentum. Make sure you have the right amount of structure. To what extent do you have "noodle arms or squeezing" in your business?

PRINCIPLE 3: True mastery happens when you shift your focus from "doing" to "becoming." Only then can you experience optimal performance.

One of my favorite classic books is George Leonard's "Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment". George Leonard was a master black belt martial arts instructor who applied the principles of aikido to leadership and success in business.

As a runner, he used the example in his book that true mastery comes when you transcend from "doing" the run," to "becoming the run." Great musicians and artists know this state. I have experienced this state in dancing. When you move from "doing" to "becoming," you experience an amazing sense of effortlessness and "flow," as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described in his classic book, "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience."

In the business world, there is a big difference between "doing the right thing" and "becoming the right person." Great achievers know that when you focus on "becoming" more, you will do more. On what side of the equation is you focus on?

PRINCIPLE 4: Timing and rhythm are everything in business. Know when to move quickly; know when to slow down and pause.

Every dance has a certain rhythm, utilizing a combination of quick and slow (or hold) movements. Eg., in salsa, for every 3 quick steps, you pause on the fourth. For a dance to be graceful, fluid and dynamic, mastering its varying tempo is essential.

In business, timing and rhythm are equally important. The most successful businesses know that there is a time to grow and seize opportunities quickly. There is also a time to pause, regroup and put the necessary resources in place to go to the next level. Do you honor your own business rhythm? Do you know when to move quickly and when to pause? How can pausing help you to get to your goal faster?

PRINCIPLE 5: Developing powerful business (or personal) partnerships requires sensory acuity. Pay attention to the unspoken communications.

One of the most critical skills in partner dancing is developing sensory acuity. Both the leader and the follower must learn to communicate and "listen" to each other, without words.

A follower must "listen" to a leader's cues -- communicated from his frame to her frame -- for next steps. The leader uses this skill to discern whether his partner "heard" his dance cues correctly and, if necessary, to adjust his lead accordingly.

Powerful "partnerships" are at the heart of every business. Whether between a boss and employee, between a company and their customers, or amongst peers, such partnerships listening to the unspoken communications.

Only 7% of our communications comes from words; 60-70% through physiology. Pay attention to a person's physiology – such as their gestures, posture, etc. What are these unspoken "signals" telling you? How can mastering this skill improve your bottomline?

PRINCIPLE 6: Great leaders lead from behind. They know how to put the spotlight on others and help them succeed.

In dancing, the leader's role is to lead the steps, bring out the best in the follower and let their partner shine. The follower's "job" is to implement the dance choreography … ie., its vision and essence.

So it is with business. Your business success is directly proportional to your ability to lead from behind, bring out the best in others and help them succeed. Such is the paradox of great leadership.

To what extent do you bring out the best in others and help them succeed? How can leading from behind make your "job" easier and produce better business outcomes?

PRINCIPLE 7: The greatest dance of all is the dance with uncertainty. To succeed in today's times, you must learn to let go of control, be "light on your feet" and ready to respond in a moment's time.

The greatest gift that dancing has taught me is the ability to live in the moment, let go of the need to control/anticipate the dance steps and to trust myself and my inner guidance. Every follower must learn to live with 100% uncertainty and be ready for any step – even those never learned – that the leader chooses in the moment.

The 21st century is one of rapid change and unpredictability. Social upheaval, technological breakthroughs, environmental catastrophes, etc. can instantly change the course of a business. To survive and thrive, you must learn to dance with uncertainty, Every change presents threats and opportunities. Your ability to flow with, not against, the tide of change will determine your ultimate outcome.

How comfortable are you with uncertainty? How does your management style prevent you from responding to change? Do you move with or against the tide?

As Jerry Rice learned that being great in dancing is not different from that in football, so too have I learned the same holds between dancing and business. As diverse as these disciplines seem on the surface, they intersect at the core elements driving every great success story. Timing, intuition, passion, creative expression, spontaneity and rhythm are just a few of the commonalities. The "Dance of Success" is not about winning the medal. It is the path to mastery itself that catapults us beyond the edge of who we are and what we are capable of. I hope you enjoy the dance ☺).

Denise Corcoran - CEO, The Empowered Business (tm) - assists CEOs, executives and business owners in taking a quantum leap from the ordinary to extraordinary … from unrealized dreams to mastering their destiny … from slow growth to exponential results. A business & leadership coach, strategic consultant and Master NLP Practioner, Denise's unique "inside out" approach provides deep transformation and lasting change in you, your organization and your results. Her latest e-book: "The Mindset of Greatness: 21 Principles to Becoming an Unstoppable Woman ... Oprah Winfrey Style!" http://www.EmpoweredBusiness.com Subscribe to her monthly ezine - The Empowered Business (tm) - and learn the legendary secrets of top business achievers. http://www.empoweredbusiness.com/Newsletter_signup.html

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Boosting Productivity 10 Ways To Eliminate Obstacles To Success

Writen by Adele Sommers

Can you recall ever working in a situation that you'd describe today as the "job from hell"? If so, even if you knew how to do the job well, you'd probably say that you lacked the essentials for getting your work done.

Many people suffer silently while they're really missing the authority, training, tools, job support, guidance, resources, information, or incentives to be effective. On top of these problems, people may encounter other road blocks to getting things done. Their hurdles might include tangled communications, non-supportive managers, a lack of cooperation, unavailable colleagues, and cumbersome procedures.

When people experience these situations, they're struggling with what I refer to as "burning hassles." Companies that tackle burning hassles head-on can systematically remove these frustrating, mind-numbing barriers to success. This article explains 10 ways to bulldoze obstacles so that you, too, can get rid of them. The benefits will include a visible increase in both personal and organizational performance.

What's Wrong with a Few Obstacles?

Companies that follow what I call a "tough love policy" perpetually expect personnel to find a way to work around nearly every problem they encounter. It's the model in which people are expected to do what they're supposed to do while maintaining a stiff upper lip. Can't the folks who complain about hassles or information holes just "get over it" and be glad they even have a job or contract?

The problem is, people spend endless hours of precious time fighting battles they may not win. Even if people know their jobs inside out, they're usually no match for the boulders that block their every move. And all the while, morale, productivity, and potential profits are simply disappearing down the drain.

10 Keys to Conquering Obstacles to Success

If people have skill deficiencies -- a true lack of job knowledge -- or not enough job practice, you would remedy those through training and/or more repetition on the job. But if people already know how to do their jobs and are facing hurdles, you can start removing these frustrating hassles by being alert for the opportunities below. (You can even adapt this list into a checklist or survey to poll your staff.)

1. Troubleshoot any clogged communications that delay or distort important broadcasts. These could be dragging down both productivity and morale.

2. Identify missing information, such as incomplete, outdated, or inaccurate procedures, standards, schedules, facts, or data needed to do a job. Supply the information as soon as possible, and be sure to maintain it regularly.

3. Be alert for poor cooperation from managers, peers, or suppliers. And by all means, don't "shoot the messenger" when people report these problems!

4. Check for any absent or inadequate tools, equipment, space, lighting, or supplies. These conditions can seriously reduce the ability to do one's job.

5. Uncover overly complex procedures that can be simplified, automated, or even eliminated. The simpler you can make your processes, the better!

6. Correct any work environments or conditions that are problematic or unsafe. Do everything possible to avoid accidents and liability concerns.

7. Recognize where task support ought to be coming from supervision, job aids, quick reference guides, or online assistance. If it's missing, supply it!

8. Look for and reduce extreme work pressure due to unattainable deadlines or workloads. People can't sustain their productivity under these conditions.

9. Be sure people have regular, complete feedback on performance quality, including timely access to data about customer desires and concerns.

10. Sort out any conflicting priorities or directions from authority figures. When people work on multiple projects, this type of confusion is common.

And Here's a Bonus Tip:

It's important to clear up situations in which someone has the responsibility to do a job but lacks the authority to act. Until that's resolved, work is an uphill battle!

In conclusion, are you unsure of where to begin identifying your burning hassles? Try asking your staff or colleagues what's impeding their work. Remember to use these ground rules: No blaming or accusing! Everyone should feel free to speak up without being criticized, and everyone can help brainstorm the solutions.

Copyright 2005 Adele Sommers

Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is the creator of the award-winning "Straight Talk on Boosting Business Performance" success program. To learn more about her tools and resources and sign up for other free tips like these, visit her site at http://LearnShareProsper.com .

medical health hospital

How To Choose A Comfortable Office Chair For Your Desk

Writen by Gregg Hall

If you don't spend your days sitting at a desk then you really will not understand the importance of an office chair that is really comfortable. For those of us that live in front of our computers for more than forty hours every week we really understand how uncomfortable life can become when you do not have some good cushioning under our butt while we work.

We used to think of executive office chairs as only being for top level managers that made tons of money every minute of the day. But not anymore. Today even people working from home offices want to have top quality chairs for their office.

Most office chairs are made of leather because of its pliability and its ability to adjust to different temperatures. A leather chair will slowly warm up the longer you sit in it, making the chair more and more comfortable as time goes by. Another major component to executive office chairs is the wood that is used to create the base for the chair.

A good office chair will be designed to offer the best possible feel during the long duration that it is being used. Most chairs will have numerous adjustments that can change the angle and height of the chair so it can be adjusted to fit any person that sits in it.

A major down side to these office chairs is their cost. A really nice executive office chair can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on what materials it is made of. Real leather chairs are going to naturally cost more than chairs that are made from plastic. Other contributing factors to a chairs price include: the number of adjustment attachments that are included, how many wheels or legs are on the chair, and the material that is used to make the chair.

No matter what type of office chair you are considering getting, make sure you fully understand all the pluses and minuses that are associated with the chair you want. Some chairs may not seem to have any downsides, but then you get them home and realize that the chair is not nearly the chair you thought it was.

Take your time and do a little research before you just go out and buy a chair. Time spend researching the chair will likely transfer into money saved on your executive chair purchase. The Internet is a great place to look for solutions to your research dilemma, through the Internet you can find out the basic information you need to know in order to make the best possible decision for your office.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as a office gifts at www.expresscorporategifts.com

medical health hospital

Continuous Improvement Pdca The Check Phase

Writen by Andrew Gowans

Let's start with our reminder of... "What is an improvement cycle?"

Make Continuous Improvement One Of Your Goals - As Soon As You Possibly Can (ID: 74077)

What Is An Improvement Cycle?

"Everything we do is a process, every process has a customer"

The Improvement Cycle is a highly disciplined and rigorous approach to problem solving using the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) methodology developed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

The Improvement Cycle consists of seven steps, 3 in the Plan phase, 1 in the Do phase, 1 in the Check phase, and 2 in the Act phase.

The PDCA cycle needs to be used in a continuous manner, select your theme or project, assess the current situation, plan and implement your solutions, check the effects of your changes, standardise on your new improved process, and plan for future improvements – the cycle continues.

---SIDEBAR---

Although a certain amount of value and benefit may be derived from implementing part of the PDCA improvement process, a far greater benefit will be achieved by sticking to the process and following all 4 phases as best you can. this is especially important when involving internal and/or external team members.

Apart from getting the chance to read the main article (ID: 74077), I hope you have also read and understood the importance of the PLAN and DO phases

"Continuous Improvement - PDCA - The PLAN Phase (ID: 76694)"
"Continuous Improvement - PDCA - The DO Phase (ID: 78506)"

- If you missed them, please take the time to read them first, then come back.

---END SIDEBAR---

We have a PLAN and trust it

we implement the plan (DO)

we CHECK whether its working or not

if not, we fix it (ACT)

if it's working, we standardise on improvement (ACT)

Are you ready to check your results?

What is it that makes PDCA get its results?

For me the answer to that is twofold...

As a problem solving/decision making process it is as powerful helping individuals, groups or whole organizations minimize the risk in starting a new project or opportunity as it is in identifying root cause problems and facilitating the means by which we can fix them.

Secondly, where progress meetings or even plans themselves come to a standstill because of supposition, conjecture and even emotion (not to be confused with passion which is a totally different animal altogether), PDCA gives us the focus and the discipline through the CHECKING phase to analyse the data and base future decisions and actions based on that data.

Ask yourself, will I know, for definite, what the root cause of my success or lack of success actually is?

If You (and your team) developed the plan of action, if you implemented that plan, if you gathered data over the agreed period of time against each of the measures that were set, then you are now ready to check what has happened and why it has happened.

After an agreed amount of time, check the data you have been gathering, what results did you achieve, are you getting the desired results?

N.B. Always check like with like, comparing your original data with new data gathered after you implemented the changes.

STEP 5 Study Your Results

Monitor progress as defined in your plan

- Are you following your plan? If not, why not?
- Are you gathering data against your performance measures?
- Are results being communicated effectively?
- Is each change being documented?
- Do you know exactly why you're getting what you're getting?

Gather and analyze more data if necessary

What are your measures telling you?

Are you on track or not? Would you know?

Are you getting the results you wanted?

NOTE: Depending on the number of changes made and the number of countermeasures implemented, your results may well be mixed. Some successful, some not.

This is the basis of CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. Because the PDCA model is being followed we have a number of choices we can make now. For example...

If results are positive, if the problem or issue has been fixed, or the project/opportunity has been successful – go forward to
Phase 4, Step 6 - ACT

Please Note... Steps 6 and 7 of the Fourth Phase of PDCA, the ACT phase, will follow shortly in the next article.

If results are not as you expected, depending on what your data analysis and comparisons are telling you, you may need to return to
Phase 2, Step 4 - DO. "Continuous Improvement - PDCA - The DO Phase (ID: 78506)"

However, if your analysis reveals a serious shortfall in results, you may need to return to
Phase 1, Step 2 - PLAN. "Continuous Improvement - PDCA - The PLAN Phase (ID: 76694)"

TRUST THE DATA

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for."

Sir John Lubbock

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Providing a focused problem solving approach through our personal and business coaching (especially to small businesses). This approach is linked to providing work at home businesses, affiliates and online businesses with PROFITABLE INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS. Our primary theme and overriding goal is to provide you with the right choices that fit your needs, solve your problems. Our website 'http://www.youraffiliatecoach.com' is content rich with useful information, articles and resources. More importantly there are free to subscribe opportunities to help you by answering questions, offering guidance and our newsletter 'The Webcoach News'. Why not check them all out?

medical health hospital

How The Use Of Steel Containers Is Impacting On The Freight Shipping Industry

Writen by Steven Hoy

The use of steel containers by the freight shipping industry is having a significant affect on transportation costs and practices.

Steel containers are fast becoming the preferred option for shipments of cargo around the world. As they can be stacked easily they have helped to reduce freight shipping costs. Furthermore the products that they contain are more secure because they are sealed prior to being shipped and are only opened once they have arrived at their destination.

These containers are being used to ship a variety of different goods across the globe. From food products to personal care items and machinery, the freight shipping industry is increasingly using steel containers to transport freight.

The ability to move large volumes of freight easily and cheaply is vitally important for countries like South Africa that are experiencing huge growth in freight traffic. Indeed, in the case of South Africa, traffic has exceeded the 20 year growth forecasts 14 years early!

The use of steel containers by freight shippers grew by a staggering 54% in South Africa between 1998 and 2005. It is estimated that the use of steel containers for freight shipping will continue to increase by around 15% each year between 2010 and 2015 in South Africa.

The reliance on steel containers by other freight shipping nations is also set to increase. Analysts predict that the global use of steel containers will increase by 6% year on year between 2015 and 2015.

The reason for the heavy reliance on steel containers for freight transport seems to be attributable to a number of factors. For instance the use of steel containers makes the shipment of products cheaper and easier. Whilst the emergence of the European Union as an important trading block has accelerated international trade.

The use of containers has been critical to the growth of global trade and the freight shipping industry. It is likely to continue to be important for many more years to come.

GBS Freight is a UK freight shipping company

Reducing The Risk Of Failure In Crm Implementations

Writen by Mary Akpala

There are many software applications available for managing customer interactions, or customer relationship management (CRM). It is a mistake to assume that once you've seen one, you've seen them all, because they are not all the same.

One of the easiest ways a prospective client can reduce the risk of failure in CRM implementations is to fully engage and co-operate during the discovery phase.

Some prospects are reluctant to provide information about their businesses and keep insisting "I know what I want". Unless a person has actually implemented CRM applications before, knowing what you want and knowing how to implement it in your CRM application are two different things.

It is wise to engage in the discovery process, so that the person providing your CRM solution can recommend the best business application that suits your business. During the discovery process, issues that may affect your CRM implementation will be looked at, and training needs of the business end-users will also be discovered and planned. In addition, the consultant implementing your CRM software will understand what your business needs and can then implement your CRM system to meet your business requirements.

A CRM consultant has a deep understanding on what is available, how they work separately and together, and the differences between different CRM software. Having the preliminary work done properly will save the client a lot of time, ensure they get the product that fits their business, and save them money that would have been lost through a failed implementation. It is worth remembering that rescuing a failed implementation is a costly and time-consuming process. Better to get it right, from the very beginning.

Mary Akpala, CRM Consultant and Trainer I enable small businesses and mediuim-sized businesses to create value for their customers through the use of Customert Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), ECommerce and Employee Productivity. I support businesses and organisations by providing business training, consultancy, NetSuite implementations, end-user training and end-user support. To find out more about how NetSuite products can help your business, please visit www.alphacrm.com or call me on 020 8361 7300 for more information.

Mergers And Acquisitions

Writen by Marcus Peterson

Mergers and acquisitions in the business world are often in the news. For every successful case that is reported, there are several failed moves that may never come to light because of the secrecy that usually shrouds the negotiations.

Mergers are slightly different from acquisitions. In the former, stockholders of the two companies come together and share interest in the new enlarged entity. Based on the valuation of the companies concerned, the shareholding pattern may change. An example: Company A, which is stronger, and Company B, which is not doing well, merge. The shareholders of B may be given one share in A for every 2 shares they hold in B. If it were to be an acquisition, A would purchase the controlling or substantial portion of B's stock, and take over that company.

Motives behind mergers and acquisitions could be different in each case. Sometimes it may be to save taxes. Continuing with the earlier mentioned example, the accumulated losses of B could be set off against the profits of A, resulting in substantial tax savings.

There could be other reasons for a merger or acquisition, like expanding the market base or complementing the existing activities.

Plans and negotiations for mergers and acquisitions are normally kept secret until the deal is almost through. Usually the professional groups involved in the process are investment bankers, consultants and lawyers specializing in the field. Often, the services of another type of specialists known as 'interim managers' may be utilized also, to smooth out the transition pangs.

All mergers and acquisitions are supposed to be done for the benefit of the stockholders of both companies. In reality this may not be always true. Those who have stocks should carefully study proposals for mergers and acquisitions before consenting to the move.

Mergers And Acquisitions provides detailed information on Mergers And Acquisitions, Corporate Merger Acquisitions, Merger And Acquisition Strategies, Merger And Acquisition Companies and more. Mergers And Acquisitions is affiliated with Selling A Small Business.

Online Audio Book Rental Services Who Needs It Anyway

Writen by Paton Jackson

Online audio book rental services are not an insignificant temporary episode as many used to think. Online audio book rental services are becoming a widespread phenomenon – more and more people get to know the numerous benefits of using online audio book rentals. So what exactly are these online audio book rental services and will you get benefit from them?. Read on and find out the answers for your questions.

Online audio book rental services are libraries of audio books, meaning services which give you the possibility to borrow an audio book for a limited period and then replace it with a new audio book. There are online audio book rental services which supply downloadable audio books, audio book cd rentals, books on tapes rental or all of them. You can download the audio book or get the new audio book to your mail box and sending back the old rental audio book.

We strongly advise you to consider using one of the online audio book rental services if you answer yes to at least one of the following questions:

1. Are you a "book warm" buying and reading a lot of books and paying a lot of money for it? Online audio book rental services are the cheapest way to get new books.

2. Do you have no time to read? Online audio book rental services optimize your efficiency and time management by enabling you to listen to audio books in wasted hours like driving through the heavy traffic, exercising in the gym etc. Listen to the latest professional journals; listen to the latest Harry Potter audio book etc.

3. Are you looking for educational activities for your children? Online audio book rental services enable you to teach your children foreign languages or to let them listen to audio books that they are not capable of reading yet and they more than all. Audio books keep your children quite and pleased.

4. Do you know elderly persons who would like to read but are physically disables (have eye problems or blindness)? Online audio book rental services are the perfect solution for this population as well. Renting an audio book is so easy and cheap they would love it.

I am sure you are convinced by now. Try it. There are some online audio book rental services that give you a free trial. It could also be a nice present to any of your family members or friends.

911 Corp. has executed an independent research to find the best place to get audio books from. Find out the clear results and all about audio books only on the Online audio book rental services and more.

The Good The Bad And The Ugly Of Ebusiness

Writen by Deanna Mascle

While many people are already experiencing the joy and tribulation involved in running their own internet business, many others are considering going into business on the internet.

If you are considering starting your own internet business then you need to consider the good, the bad, and the ugly truths of ebusiness.

What is good about internet business? Probably the single greatest benefit of ebusiness can be summed up in one word -- opportunity. There are numerous opportunities to start a business, buy a business,and grow a business on the internet. There are also many opportunities to learn everything you need about doing business on the internet from blogs and newsletters, articles, ebooks, and forums.

What is bad about internet business? The prevailing myth that you can get rich quick on the internet. Yes, there are many people making millions off their internet businesses and some people even manage those staggering sales numbers they use for their sales pitch. But the real, cold, hard truth is that it takes time to learn how to do business on the internet and it takes time to be a success on the internet. Once you have done your groundwork then you may well also achieve those amazing financial results, but many people give up long before and miss out on their opportunities.

What is ugly about internet business? The simple fact that scams abound. So many people buy into the myth of the internet get-rich-quick-scheme they are willing to put down hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to buy into the dream. Many of the people touting these "successful" programs are not actually rich or successful themselves. In fact, their only income is generated by scamming newcomers.

So how do you embrace the good, avoid the bad, and ignore the ugly?

First you must explore your opportunities. Remember that the internet really is the information superhighway. Study and learn and question -- and continue to do all three even after you have started your own business and even after you have made your first million.

Second remind yourself, daily if necessary, that no one gets rich quick on the internet but that millions are there for the making if you only put in your time and learn. Doing business on the internet is much like the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race every time.

Third do not sign up for any scheme, program, or partnership that involves sharing your credit card information until you have thoroughly studied the situation from all angles. There are reputable and worthy opportunities that might involve a fee, but if they are worthwhile and reputable then they will not expire in 24 hours, there will ample freely available material to study, and you will see evidence of the program's success.

Don't let all that is ugly and bad overshadow the true good that can be accomplished on the internet. You can start your own business, you can make it successful, and you can make it lucrative -- and it doesn't need to cost you anything but time and ingenuity. That is what is truly amazing about doing business on the internet.

Deanna Mascle shares her internet business experience in her blogs How To Start A Business and Answers About Ecommerce.

10 Steps To Building Online Integrity

Writen by D. Denay Davis

What is your website saying about your online integrity? Perhaps a definition of online integrity would help in understanding what it is and why website owners should possess it. True online integrity comprises the personal and professional inner sense of your online existence deriving from honesty, consistency and uprightness of character.

Doing business on the Internet whether you are an ecommerce site or a lead generation site obligates you to a few basic responsibilities.

- Being an honest business owner

- Providing useful, reputable products and services

- Caring about the needs of your target market

- Possessing a desire to correct your errors and mishaps

- Acknowledging that the customer is not always right

- Building a sound customer base

- Being willing to walk away from customers who do not have your best interest at hand

The Internet can be a dangerous place to do business. It can also be a total windfall of opportunity; it all depends on which side of the business wall you work. Building trust with online customers is becoming more and more difficult because of bad apples determined to rip off online consumers.

Many sites will display association links and links promoting the security measures taken to keep your online sales experience safe and out of the hands of hackers.

If customers are to feel comfortable working with any online company there are 10 rules they should follow and website owners should be aware of these rules:

1. Contact the company before doing business with them.

2. Email or call and ask questions about specific products or services, don't assume anything.

3. Ask about pricing. Most websites rarely put cost for services on their site.

4. Report questionable business practices to the Better Business Bureau.

5. Don't assume that because a company has the Better Business Bureau logo that they are members.

6. Reputable companies should supply online receipts and faxed receipts.

7. All websites should have privacy policies if they are gathering your information. Read it.

8. Avoid websites that offer no contact information other than a contact form. Look for telephone numbers.

9. Follow up with a customer in a timely manner e.g. 3-5 business days.

10. Share these ten rules with your customers so they know you have their best interest at hand.

It takes time to build trust with customers, and it matters not whether you have an online business or a brick and mortar. Maintaining integrity in your business practice is probably the single most important thing you can do for your customer. Everyone benefits from "good business."

Website Usability Analyst and Lead Writer - Detra D. Davis The Site Therapist http://www.thesitetherapist.com Detra Davis is a Website Usability Analyst and Lead Writer for The Site Therapist and strongly believes in helping clients succeed and prosper by addressing website usability concerns; a graduate of the University of Maryland, and a United States Navy Veteran, Davis insist "writing is my passion. The goal of The Site Therapist is to help ecommerce and lead generation site owners create functional and prosperous websites. The writing staff of The Site Therapist also specializes in writing articles, manual article directory submissions and ghost blog writing services.

Pos Systems

Writen by Steve Valentino

Point of sale (POS) systems have become part and parcel of every business venture: restaurants, retail outlets, supermarkets, bars, online shopping, mobile payments, or even touch-screen information systems. Businesses still using manual cash registers and account books will be far behind in the race for profits. Electronic management of inventory and sales has become essential for survival in the modern computerized world. Budgets and profits have to be recorded error free and be easily accessible for proper business planning. Getting a POS system is indeed the need of the hour.

POS systems basically cater to the retail and hospitality sector with hardware and software cut to their specific needs. Systems for the retail industry will speed up cash transactions and standardize inventory and pricing, but the hospitality software and restaurant POS have a completely different set of needs. For example, handheld systems and touch-screen ordering can take a food order directly to the kitchen via computer, thus reducing the error management and saving time. And a supermarket will have all products carefully bar-coded and linked to customer accounts, taxes and discounts.

Since the needs of each of these vendors are so varied and so unique, software for each is also different. Hence, vendors first set up minimum required hardware like cash drawers and automated bill printers. This is supported by software that acts as the interface between the physical devices and the computer operating systems. Once the basic POS system is installed, vendors move on to more advanced systems that are cut to the specific needs of their particular fields of operation.

Hardware and software for POS systems are standardized under OPOS and JavaPOS that set device standards for integrating hardware into Windows and Java respectively. This standardization takes care of the different, but unique needs of each POS user without compromising on device standards. UnifiedPOS develops system-independent device interfaces that are then mapped into Windows and Java.

POS provides detailed information on POS, POS Software, POS Systems, Restaurant POS and more. POS is affiliated with Metal Store Fixtures.

Take Advantage Of Cheap Web Hosting Without Sacrificing Quality Service

Writen by Chris Robertson

You've probably read the ads promising very cheap web hosting. They promise web page hosting at dirt cheap prices, but are you really getting a bargain at these low hosting prices? Let's find out. Here are some great tips on finding low cost web hosting without sacrificing quality service.

Avoid the Freebies

Websites that offer free web site hosting usually aren't really free when you consider the benefits you must give up. Most free web site hosting offers give you free space on another company's website, but you are not getting actual domain hosting. You're getting one or a few of your web pages displayed on someone else's domain. Therefore, you can never fully promote your website or help it to reach its full potential. If the company is shut down tomorrow, your site will shut down as well.

Another disadvantage of free web page hosting is you will probably have advertisements on your web pages. At the very least, you'll have an ad for the company that is providing the hosting space. This can cause your visitors to click out of your website before buying your products.

Even some cheap web hosting services offer similar services as the free hosts. The only difference is they charge you for poor hosting service!

Compare Virtual Host Packages

When shopping for cheap web hosting, be sure to compare web site hosting packages - not only prices. Some key features to look for are the amount of web space you're getting for the money. You might not need much web hosting space at the start, but as you expand, the website will grow much larger. So, you'll most likely have to purchase more web hosting space if you don't purchase enough at the start. In comparing low cost web hosting packages, you might be surprised at the differences in amount of web space you get when paying only a dollar or two more.

Other things to look for when comparing cheap web hosting packages include customer and technical support availability, multiple email accounts and auto responders, detailed control panel such as cPanel or a similar program, password protected directories, etc. If you need special web design integration with PHP, MySQL and databases, be sure the virtual host offers these features. Also, if you plan to resell hosting to your customers, be sure the virtual host offers reseller hosting as well.

Decide on Web Design First

Before choosing a cheap web hosting package, decide on how you will design your website. What programming language will you use in your web design? Will you need to integrate a shopping cart and/or customer database? How will you handle your customer emails? All these questions should be considered before choosing a cheap web hosting package.

Take some time to find the web site hosting service that will meet your needs, both today and in the future. Keep in mind that you will probably use your web host's services for many years to come. Taking time now to find the best possible cheap web hosting with all the features you need will save you from many headaches in the future.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Cheap Web Hosting Tips or Majon's Internet directory.