Who will Perform your HR Software Implementation by Clay C. Scroggin

Who Will Perform Your HRIS Implementation is as Important as the Software You Select

Human Resource (HR) managers and staff go through a great amount of effort to find and select the Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) that will best meet their needs. The problem is that they rarely apply enough effort into choosing who will implement the software. In any profession there are those with experience and those without, and there are those who are good at their jobs and those who are not. Unless you ask the right questions and demand information up front, you have no idea if the person installing your HR product has ever done so before or is qualified to handle your organization's unique HR system requirements. It is extremely important that you put the same effort into picking who will handle the implementation that you applied to selecting your HRIS application.

Apply the following steps to make sure you receive the best HRIS implementation:

Find out exactly who will be doing the HR software install and what their background is.

How many installs have they done? I would not recommend using anyone who has not performed at least 10 installs of your chosen HRIS. Sure they may be certified on your HR system, but until they have performed a large number of installs they won't be able to handle all the pitfalls and issues that inevitably arise. It's also a good idea to ask for references about the individual who will be working on your HRIS project, just as you would ask for references about an HRIS software product before purchasing it.

Set expectations.

Now that you have verified that the implementation consultant and/or staff are qualified to handle the job, you need to make sure that both sides are in full agreement as to what is included in the scope of the project. Avoidable misunderstandings regarding expectations create cost overruns and can lead to poor implementations. Make sure everything is in writing, and when I say that everything should be in writing I specifically mean that you should be provided with a detailed list of project requirements and an estimated time of completion for each. Most companies will provide a low and high expected range ("two to three months", for example).

HRIS project cost versus hourly or daily.

Implementation projects are typically quoted either daily or by the project. Project costing has some advantages, because you know you most likely won't go over the quoted amount unless needs arise that are outside of the project's original scope. The disadvantage of project costing is that companies are going to charge you a higher rate since they have to quote the project on the high side. Daily or hourly quotes for consulting are fine, but make sure to get a detailed plan on the consulting time. In the past I have broken down hours according to each step in the implementation process: Half day for network installation, one day for code table setup, one day for benefits setup, etc.

Be prepared for your HRIS implementation!

In almost every case where a project I was on went over budget, the client was at the least partly to blame. I understand that that is a very strong statement and it was intended to be so. Before you begin the implementation, make sure all information and data the consulting staff will need is ready to go. There is nothing worse than a $150 an hour consultant doing nothing while waiting for data on benefits plans. This became such a problem at companies I worked for that we would not schedule an implementation until all needed data and information for the implementation was received. Also make sure that anyone the consultant or implementation team will work with is available during the process (IT staff especially - make sure they know when their services will be needed). If you have to close the department or limit the hours for accessing HR, do so. We sometimes did training on Saturdays to avoid interruptions; see if a similar arrangement is an option for your organization.

Stay on track.

As an HRIS system implementation is taking place the customers are learning more and more about the capabilities of their new HR software. Make sure you don't get off track with work that is outside the scope of the project. When I was working on a project and a client asked me about work outside of it, I would tell them that we needed to finish the core project first and then determine how much quoted time is left for other considerations. The most important thing is that you have the base system setup and your staff trained on the HR product; push off anything extra or "nice haves" until the basics are completed.

About the Author

Clay Scorggin has worked in the human resource software industry for 15 years. The newest venture is CompareHRIS.com. We offer a great tool to assist you with your HR software search and selection process, our HR Software Selector Tool is easy to use and free.

HR Software Employee Self Service by Clay C. Scroggin

Does Your Company Need a HRIS, HRMS or HR Software Employee Self-Service Application?

Many of the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) products on the market today offer Internet-based employee self-service options. But do you need one, and how can they be helpful?

Typical HRIS Employee Self-Service Features

Employee Self-Service (ESS) products have gained in popularity over the last several years. In a nutshell, these applications are Internet-based products that allow employees to view and/or edit information related to their HRIS employee file. Employees may be able to update their emergency contact information and personal contact information, or even change their address when necessary. A number of the self-service applications also include Benefits Open Enrollment. Employees often like this arrangement because they're in charge of their own data, and Human Resources (HR) professionals like it because it cuts down on their input workload.

Another, often unmentioned, benefit of ESS is manager self-service. In many of these systems, managers and supervisors are able to view data on both direct and indirect reports. So instead of having to contact HR they can simply look up the data they need about an employee online. The benefits of an ESS program can be tremendous - but not to every type of organization.

Industry

It stands to reason that white-collar organizations are going to have a higher percentage of employees with Internet access in their homes than blue-collar organizations do (though this is certainly not always the case). Before investing in an online HRIS employee self-service product it's a good idea to find out what percentage of your employees will be able to access the product from their homes. Even if the percentage is small that does not necessarily mean you should not invest in an ESS product; I have seen and helped a number of companies setup kiosks in break rooms or cafeterias where the employees can access the company ESS product. But the overall usefulness of such a system to your employees is definitely an important consideration.

How Technical Are Your Employees?

Once again, this is a call you need to make before investing in an ESS product. If most of your employees are not very technical they may be reluctant to use the product, or your HR staff might have to answer so many questions that the system doesn't end up actually saving time and effort.

Manager Self Service

Some of the HRIS companies we list on compareHRIS.com price the self-service products per user. So, regardless of the technical capabilities of the employees, it may be a good idea to put a product in place for supervisors, managers, and executive staff.

Security

The most common concern I see from HR professionals regarding ESS systems is a reluctance to have employees making changes to their data. There are system features that can help eliminate this concern. For example, you are usually able to select which fields they can view and which they cannot, and which fields they can edit and which they cannot. Obviously you would not Jane Doe changing her pay rate, but you may be okay with her changing her cell phone number. Some systems also include workflow features in which employee-made changes do not take effect in the HR product until a supervisor approves them. Another common worry is that an unscrupulous employee might make unnecessary changes to other employee's information. This is always a risk, so such concerns must be weighted against the other benefits that an ESS product offers.

Finally, even if your organization doesn't need an ESS application today, it very well might in the future. For that reason alone it may be a good idea to select an HRIS product with the capability.

About the Author

Clay Scorggin has worked in the human resource software industry for 15 years. The newest venture is CompareHRIS.com. We offer a great tool to assist you with your HR software search and selection process, our HR Software Selector Tool is easy to use and free.

HR Software Interfaces and Integration by Clay C. Scroggin

Expect to hear the terms interface and integration frequently during your search for a Human Resource Information System (HRIS) product. Both refer to the interaction of two systems, but there are differences and it's important that you understand them. An interface usually requires work on your part and data changes do not happen in real time. Integration, however, is automatic and requires no work on your end. Either provides the capability to eliminate time consuming, error-prone double entries, but because an integration generally means less work you should select systems that integrate whenever possible.

Human Resource Software Interfaces

Almost all business software applications on the market today should be able to create and accept some type of import or export file. This allows you to transfer data to and from numerous independent solutions.

Let's say, for example, your company uses one product for payroll and another for all other Human Resource (HR) functions. Obviously you would not want to enter changes to employee data separately into the two systems; it's a lot of extra work and literally doubles the chances of an error. An interface would provide the opportunity to take data from your Payroll product and download it to your HR system following each payroll run. Now here's the catch: A file must be created or run from the payroll product, then downloaded to the HR product either through a custom interface or some time of import utility. This might not take more than five minutes, but it's still an extra step you would have to apply to keep your HR system up to date. Another important issue here is that your HR data is only as current as your last download. So if you are not frequently interfacing the data, you might find that the data in your HR system is often out of date.

Interfaces require extra work and will not be real time, but they are an important means of tying two systems together, eliminating repetitive double entry, and reducing manual entry errors. You will be probably be working with interfaces far more often than true integrated software applications. While an interface may not be the perfect solution, it does sometimes offer the easiest method of eliminating time consuming double entry.

Human Resource Software Integration

Integration is always the best-case scenario, but it's rarely offered. An integrated system requires no work and changes happen in real time; the two systems share the same database, so you only have to add or update data once. If the two systems from our earlier example were integrated, a change made to payroll would show up automatically in your HR product (and vise versa). If you are going to want an integrated HRIS you will probably have to get all of your HR software products from the same company. Take a look at our products list, as we offer a number of systems that provide integrated HR and Payroll software solutions.

Stop Manually Entering the Same HR-Related Data in Various Systems

As I said before, almost any HR application on the market is going to allow you to import and export data. So the capability is probably already there for you to eliminate time consuming, error-prone double entries. Solving the problem is usually just a matter of effort, expense, and a little time.

Clay Scroggin has over fifteen years of industry experience, five working directly for Sage Abra Software and ten as a value added business partner for numerous HRIS software companies. During that fifteen years Clay has sold, implemented, and supported hundreds of HR Payroll, HRMS, and HRIS products.

About the Author

Clay Scorggin has worked in the human resource software industry for 15 years. The newest venture is CompareHRIS.com. We offer a great tool to assist you with your HR software search and selection process, our HRIS and HRMS Software Selector Tool is easy to use and free.

To make Money on Google AdSense using these Three Proven Strategies by JAIPREET SINGH

Google AdSense is a great program that Internet businesses can utilize to make money. If you want to earn a significant amount of money through Google AdSense then read on. You will learn three proven strategies that will optimize your Google AdSense earnings.

Following are three ways to make money using Google AdSense:

1. Add more messages in your email sequence that is driving customers to your website pages that have Google AdSense advertisements. Increasing the frequency of your email messages will provide more chances for Internet visitors to click on your Google AdSense advertisements.

2. Send out a mass email, solo broadcast. Send out an email to drive traffic to your website page that contains the Google AdSense advertisements. Increase the amount of subscribers you have on your list.

3. Increase the amount of money you earn from the advertisements. For example, certain keywords cost more money in Google Adwords. Therefore, you can write articles that contain these high value keywords. You will earn more money through Google AdSense with these higher quality keywords.

Another strategy you can use is to place the keywords in your Title tag. The first 250 words on your website is the second most important piece of information. Write a line then insert a double space. Place keywords in this space. Highlight the keywords so that it is white. This will cause the keywords to blend into the background. Do not use this for search engine marketing! It will hurt you in search engine optimization. It is only used to increase the price you earn from Google Advertisements. The Google spiders see these keywords. However, the human eye will not detect the keywords.

How do you find the high paying keywords? Use www.highpayingkeywords.com. This service provides you a quarterly listing of the high paying keywords. The service costs you money. However, it is a good investment because Google will not give information about the high paying keywords.

Tip: When you communicate with your list, you need to provide relevant content. Don't just send poor content as filler. Don't just send an article or email message to provide Google AdSense exposure. You need to provide content that is a benefit for your subscriber list.

How many emails should you send? You can send as many emails as you want. Sending out various emails is at your discretion. If you send out several emails per week it may annoy some of your subscribers. However, these subscribers can be deleted. You want to send out as many emails as you need because they are bound to bring in more orders for your product or service. Plus, it increases the amount of money you earn through Google AdSense if your subscribers click on the Google AdSense advertisements.

About the Author

For more free resource visit here www.guardadsense.com www.adsense.infozabout.com

How much input will be involved in setting up a new HRIS by Clay C. Scroggin

Have a Full Understanding of your HRIS Input Requirements Before You Purchase

A new Human Resource Information System (HRIS) can save you tremendous amounts of time and make you and your staff far more effective at your job, but it is important to understand work will be required to maintain the database and maximize results. I would estimate that at least 20% of companies purchasing HR software (including HR Payroll software, integrated HRIS products, and other Human Resource Management Software) stop using those products within six months because they are unable to keep up with the input required to maintain the data. So it is extremely important before you have your company make an investment into an HRIS system that you have a complete understanding of exactly how much input will be required from you and your staff. Follow these steps to minimize the amount of data you have to manually input into your human resources application.

HRIS Setup Input

Before selecting an HRIS system you need to have a complete understanding of what data will be imported into your system and where is that data coming from. You may have the data in Excel, a payroll system, or another HR product. Regardless how much data you have in another product, there will still be required input. Rarely will you have the capability of importing benefits data or history, so it’s important to understand that this data will have to be manually input the majority of the time. Any data that you can’t import, or that is not available in another system, will have to be manually input as well. I would recommend asking for an exact list of data fields that will be populated from other sources by the implementation team; make sure it is included in the contract and the scope of the engagement.

Use Human Resource Software Interfaces Wherever Possible

Interfaces allow for data to be transferred from one system to another, but they are not real time and require some type of action to transfer the data. The advantage of an interface is that it can save tremendous amounts of time associated with manual entry. That saved time can mean the difference between a helpful product that your employees use and one that they abandon because it’s too cumbersome. If you are using one system for HR and a different product for payroll, make sure you have an interface for transferring data included in the scope of the project. It’s important to note that while this step will reduce your input requirements and time investment, it won’t eliminate them; there are numerous fields in an HR product that your payroll system may not offer, and they will have to be manually updated. Also remember that historical and benefits data are rarely included in interfaces.

Maintaining the Database

To receive maximum benefits from your HR Payroll software, HRIS product, or other HRMS applications you should make sure that the data in that system is up to date and accurate. Interfaces and a good implementation can assist with this, but additional work is always required. For example, all of your code tables for job titles, department titles, and benefits codes will be created at setup, but there will eventually be additions and changes to this information. Whether you’re using an interface or an integrated system, input will be required from your end to maintain the database. Make sure you have a plan in place as to when data will be input and who will maintain it.

About the Author

Clay Scorggin has worked in the human resource software industry for 15 years. The newest venture is CompareHRIS.com. We offer a great tool to assist you with your HR software search and selection process, our HRIS and HRMS Software Selector Tool is easy to use and free.

Hosted HRIS Versus Purchased HRIS by Clay C. Scroggin

The products we list on compareHRIS.com offer ASP, purchase, or both pricing options. If you purchase your Human Resource Information System (HRIS) products you will maintain your data on your own servers. An ASP system allows the customer to maintain their information on the provider's server and access that data remotely.

Advantages of ASP HR Software Products:

Contingency Planning

I live in Tampa, Florida. In 2004 our state was hit by four hurricanes. I have had a number of customers ask about contingency plans in case of a storm. This is one of the advantages an ASP system can offer; the data is not on your server, so as long as you have Internet access your data will be available to you.

No IT Involvement

Other advantages are automatic updates and freed server space at your location. Your IT staff won't have to maintain or house the data with an ASP system. They won't have to install updates either, since the provider maintains all such details.

Lower Up-Front Costs

With ASP applications you will usually pay some type of minimal setup cost, but once the system is live you will pay a monthly amount per employee. Costs range from $2 to $5 per employee per month. So the up front costs is less but over time (usually a couple of years) you end up spending more for an ASP solution than if you'd purchased the product outright. With that in mind you need to weigh the importance of the other benefits.

Advantages of Purchasing Your HR Software Product

The disadvantage of ASP systems is that, over the long term, they can be expensive when compared to purchasing a system outright. If your company plans to use the HRIS solution you pick for at least five years, it will be far more cost-effective to actually purchase the application. And if your company is looking to lower the up front investment and pay over time, remember that most companies will offer a lease to own option on the software.

About the Author

Clay Scorggin has worked in the human resource software industry for 15 years. The newest venture is CompareHRIS.com. We offer a great tool to assist you with your HR software search and selection process, our HRIS and HRMS Software Selector Tool is easy to use and free.

Payroll HRIS Interfaces Defined by Clay C. Scroggin

During your search and evaluations of HRIS systems or HRMS software applications, you will hear a great deal about interfaces. The purpose of this article is to explain in detail how they are typically used. If you are looking at purchasing an HRIS system, HRMS system or HR software application and plan to tie it to an existing payroll application, this article will prove very helpful. The vast majority of HRIS systems and Payroll applications will offer some type of capability for transferring data from one system to another.

First, it’s important to point out the difference between integration and an interface. With an integrated system, you have two products sharing the same data or you have an automatic real time transfer and update of data from one system to another. With HR and Payroll software applications, this is rare unless you are working with the same company for both systems. If that’s not the case, then you are going to be dealing with interfaces.

With an interface you will have to either manually, or via an automated process, transfer data from either payroll to hr or vice versa. In many cases, this is a fairly manual process to setup but easy to maintain. If you want to transfer data from Payroll to HR, you will create a file from the payroll system and import this into the HR product using some type of software. The problems with this type of process are that if it’s not automated, you will have to frequently perform the transfer of data because, in this example, your data in HR is only as up to date as the last transfer of information from your payroll application. There is no reason to not accept using interfaces since it’s still the standard for getting two unique products to share data.

How a Payroll HRIS Interface works

If you are using a well known payroll product, such as ADP, almost all, if not all, HRIS systems will provide some type of interfacing capability between your HRIS system and your payroll product. If not, your HRIS system and payroll system will offer some type of import and export program.

System interfaces are also defined as data mapping. Once you determine which system will push the data, a report will be run from that system containing the data needed to import into your import application. Once the report is run, it is typically converted to either Excel or a text file for importing. Now you need to make sure both systems are speaking the same language. This is called data mapping. If in one system the field name for first name is “fnam”, and in the system you are mapping to the field name is “first name,” you simply direct the “fnam” data in product to populate the “first name” field. . The same process is repeated for each and every field contained in both systems. The good news is that after you set up the data mapping, you won’t have to repeat this process. The next time you need to transfer data, you will spend only a few minutes to do so.

The challenge with the setup occurs when the fields are in different formats or lengths. In these cases, the data can be brought into Excel and any needed modifications can be made there before importing the data. In some cases, the actual interface software will provide the ability to alter the information.

Populating your HRIS system database

Let’s say you have just purchased a new HRIS system. By some means or another you are going to want to easily pull as much information from other sources as possible into your new system. If you have another HR product, you may create a file from that system and transfer this data over to your new HRIS system. If you don’t, then most likely you will be pulling data from your payroll system to HR. It’s important to note that your payroll system will not contain all the information of your HRIS system. So there are only so many fields you will be able to update. Typically, this information is going to include demographic data and data related to pay that will be tracked in your HRIS system. I have seen what rarely transfers from one system to another are benefits data and history. Make sure to ask about the transfer of this data while you are reviewing systems.

Payroll to HRIS or HRIS to Payroll

Going forward, you will have to determine which direction you want to push data and in what system your core input for new hires, terminations, and employee changes will happen. Whichever direction you decide to go, payroll to HR or HR to payroll, it’s important to realize that whichever system is accepting the data will have the interface for that import of data. This is not always the case but in most circumstances it will be.

Remember the data in the system being updated is only as up to date as when the last interface data transfer was performed. This can create problems. Let’s say, for example, that you are pushing data from your payroll system to your HRIS product and the last time you performed an update was two weeks ago. If you run a termination or new hire log from your HRIS system, the data you are relying on is two weeks old. You may have to go through the process of updating your data before running the report. As you have seen, interfaces are not a perfect world but they are a necessity.

About the Author

Clay Scorggin has worked in the human resource software industry for 15 years. The newest venture is CompareHRIS.com. We offer a great tool to assist you with your HR software search and selection process, our HRIS and HRMS Software Selector Tool is easy to use and free.

Publicity Tips For Exposure, Blogging, Media Friendly Book, Media Bio, Talking Points by Annie Jennings

BE EVERYWHERE AT ALL TIMES. That's right, stay in front of your target marketing by appearing on local, regional and national TV shows, radio shows, appearing in newspapers and magazines as much as you can. Your client's love that they are working with a celebrity who's making it into the headlines!

ACHIEVE NATIONAL EXPERT STATUS: Lead your field to all new levels of success by creating powerful, new thought and strategy that moves your industry forward. Feel free to share your newest and cutting edge creations with your industry so everyone can perform better. Your clients will quickly identify you as an industry leader and naturally be drawn to you!

DON'T FORGET TO BLOG! Having a blog where you apply your knowledge to the issues important in your area of expertise helps you become a top notch expert. A blog format is conversational in nature and this is exactly the format that the media like - thoughtful, concise commentary presented in a conversational tone. If you are blogging on the top news stories and developments you will learn the skill set that you'll need to be successful on radio shows and on TV shows.

CREATE A MEDIA FRIENDLY BOOK: Be sure to include lots of topics that are timely and news worthy. It's a great idea to include talking points at the end of each chapter that summarize the essential elements presented in the chapter as this way, a producer or journalist can quickly capture a segment or story idea. You will want to think the publicity aspect of your book while you are writing your book so you can create a SEGMENT rich book (a book with a variety of segment ideas).

ANTICIPATE THE NEWS & CREATE TALKING POINTS FOR THESE TOPICS: Be aware of the breaking news and headline stories that fall into your area of expertise. Follow the articles written by your target journalists so you can anticipate the next step, logical development in the topic or story.

FOR EVERY MEDIA EVENT THERE IS AN EXPERT COMMENTARY: You should have opinions, commentary and reactions on events happening in your industry. As news develops in your area of expertise, you can personally call your target media or email your commentary so they see how you can contribute to the story.

CREATE A MEDIA PROFESSIONAL BIO: Create a well-developed bio for yourself that showcases your credentials, experience and education. Lead with top credentials, education, special areas of expertise and follow with accomplishments, awards or any other special positioning statements. Include impressive media your have secured to show that you are well-credentialed, experienced and media savvy as well.

CREATE A MEDIA TARGET LIST: Watch the target shows that you would like to be on, subscribe to target print media and visit target internet sites to familiarize yourself with their reporting style, experts they like to use for commentary and/or how they position the experts in the article. Be sure to pitch "next level" ideas at all times!

About the Author

Annie Jennings PR is a major provider of authors and experts to the media. Want to learn more about the world of publicity? Call to set up your personal appointment with Annie Jennings of the National PR Firm, Annie Jennings PR. Listen LIVE to Annie Jennings PR's teleseminars in MP3 format perfect for your iPod or listening on your computer at http://www.anniejenningspr.com/publicitypro.htm

Revel The Leader In You by Terri Meyer

Leadership is all the buzz these days in the business community. There are many thoughts on what makes a good leader and if you pick up a book or two, search the Internet, or watch videos and television you can learn all about the varying theories. Whether your business is insurance or fashion, investments or teaching, there is a high emphasis placed on the ability to "lead" others. With so much importance placed on leadership you might find yourself asking the question how?

You may be encouraged to know that leadership is a skill that can be developed. Significant amounts of money have been put into publishing books and creating seminars to teach others how to be effective leaders. It is a fallacy that people are born leaders. As is the case with any other ability it too can be taught, studied, learned and perfected. In spite of the onslaught of information available common themes exist as you will see reflected below.

Define and share the vision: People are motivated by ideas that capture their imagination. Help them see the purpose behind the vision and how it benefits them in the long-run.

Create a strategy, not a step-by-step plan: Be flexible. There is no step-by-step recipe to be followed and no end point that one arrives at. Leadership is a continually evolving process. As the process unfolds, adjustments will need to be made periodically. Keeping an open mind and a clear sense of direction will help you know when to make modifications and stay on track.

Communicate often and clearly: Be clear, be concise, be honest and be authentic. A leader must be able to communicate with various individuals on a wide array of issues. They must efficiently and effectively exchange information between two or more entities in a way that allows them to better understand each other so that they may individually and collectively make progress. Additionally they need to listen to the suggestions and feedback of those around them.

Be people-focused: As stated above, people are motivated by ideas that capture their imagination, not by fear or reward; at least not for very long. Extrinsic motivation is fleeting and high maintenance. The key is to tap into the individual. What brings that person alive? How can you align him or her with his or her talents, interests and other individuals who will be complementary? Foster an environment that strengthens the individual and you will benefit the whole. Demonstrate compassion and provide individualized consideration.

Lead by example: Our attitude, presence and behavior say more than our words ever will. Leaders are in highly visible positions and the type of example they set will affect how their team responds. A leader understands how their actions influence those who are watching. A leader who expects more from the team than himself or herself will ultimately lose the interest of those he's leading. Everything previously identified will only take a leader so far before followers stop following. In the eyes of the followers, a leader must earn his place and command their respect.

Be a life-long student: Learn from past bloopers and blunders. Leaders keep their minds open to the lessons that are presented and are not intimidated by mistakes. Do not label mistakes as failures. Appreciate the knowledge that comes with the mistake and put steps in place to continue moving forward. Leaders who maintain an attitude of the life-long student will create an environment that empowers others. This will also lead to an environment that encourages excellence rather than perfection.

Recognize the need for support: A leader must be able to remove their ego from the equation and acknowledge where their own weaknesses lay. In doing so, they will need to surround themselves with individuals who possess supporting strengths in order to offset their own limitations. This will provide more balance and stabilization to the process.

Have a thorough understanding of the complexity of the organization: Leaders must have the ability to assess and analyze the dynamics of the "playing field" so that critical thinking can be applied. This means knowing where to look for solutions when troubleshooting problems, understanding the political layout of the environment and having an appreciation for how the actions of one department affect another.

In summary, leadership is all about people. A leader exists to guide people through a process to achieve an end result. A collaborative relationship must exist between the leader and the follower. The leader must raise the awareness of the follower and inspire him or her to perform for the "good of the organization" while trusting in personal gain. A leader has truly been successful when both parties win.

About the Author

Terri Meyer's passion is in working with people to help them put harmony, vitality, passion and energy back into their life. As a life coach she helps people create a vision that utilizes their gifts and talents. Together they craft an action plan that moves those dreams into reality. To learn more about Life Coach Terri you may visit her website at www.yourinnerchampion.com.

Top Ten Ways to Improve Any Money Making Idea by Scott Phelps

I've been kicking around some radical ideas in my brain about how to make money. The way I have it figured you can use these ideas for virtually any wealth enhancing idea and they can be applied to virtually every circumstance.

Top ten ways to improve money making ideas.

1. If you're making a product make it better than it has to be. Quality means a lot in any economy, but always when money is tight and quality is needed.

2. If you provide a service provide better service than your customer has come to expect from other suppliers. This idea simply works because of its ability to shock and awe your customers. They may not know how to respond.

3. Always take the high road - there's less traffic. While others work at cutting corners you should go out of your way to make sure your customer is satisfied with what you were able to provide.

4. Make a promise - and keep it. Customers are used to broken promises make sure you defy their expectations. It will likely start a conversation (generally between your customers and people they know).

5. When customers talk - really listen. They are used to being blown off by almost everyone. Surprise them by effectively communicating with them in a way that shows you were listening and that you care.

6. Give customers something extra. Provide a thank you gift for your customer that shows you appreciate their business and welcome their return visit. This doesn't have to be expensive, but it should be something memorable and useful.

7. Respond to customer requests. If a customer comes up with a great idea give them credit for it and use the idea (with their permission). They never see that one coming.

8. Give your customer a better sales experience than they expect. If it is online make sure you provide ample content to help them learn how to use your product. If the sale is face to face provide brochures that can help them appreciate their purchase even more.

9. Never settle for a quick buck. Make sure you make a quality presentation and then trust your potential customer enough to make an informed decision regarding a purchase.

10. Develop your product or service in a way that will have customers talking about you in the future. Make your business an heirloom quality enterprise. Provide such profound quality and service that you will be remembered long after the sale.

The reason these ideas will work is that they are totally unexpected. Quality is something people think of in reference to a time before planned obsolescence. Each family has an heirloom from their past, but none expect that quality today. This is why making things better than they have to be can be is such a powerful component for success in the 21st century.

We exist in a throw away society, but you can abolish the notion that there is no such thing as good service or quality products in the modern age. You have ten ways to make it happen. Is it worth it to you?

About the Author

Learn to Make Money Online and Work From Home at MakeMoneyFacts.com. Build A Website in minutes at BuildAGreatSite.

Money Making Beyond the Ruts of Mundane by Scott Phelps

There's safety in the rut. Think about it, you're on a familiar path following a track that has a beginning point and an end point. Traveling back and forth on this rut each day provides a sense of safety if not adventure.

If you travel to various locations along the Oregon Trail you can still visibly see the wagon tracks carved in sandstone rock as one wagon train after the other followed a trail with a defined beginning (Missouri) and a defined end (Oregon).

There were those that got out of the rut and developed homesteads between those two locations and they experienced a powerful sense of adventure. It may have felt safer to keep rolling through the hills and sandstone in an effort to reach a defined point at the end of the rut, but for those that broke free they became the pioneers that settled the area between point "A" and point "B".

These brave men and women took risks and many found reward in establishing a new way of life on the western frontier.

Most money making ideas are an attempt to break free from the rut. The point "A" to point "B" experience many see is home to work and back again. These individuals don't see a personal satisfaction benefit to following the rut everyday, but they continue to do so for two primary reasons. The first has to do with guaranteed income and the other has to do with an inability to define what else could be done to take the place of the rut.

Moneymaking ideas are a primal call of the wild. They beckon the adventurous to get out of the easy chair and find the adventure of a lifetime. This trip has no clearly defined ruts and it can have a few problem spots along the way that you never see coming, but somehow the experience breathes new life into your passionate pursuit of living.

The search for moneymaking ideas is the essence of entrepreneurialism and it is in so many ways the closest thing to being a pioneer in the 21st century. There are new areas of interest that you can explore and new business opportunities that may be a good fit for the adventurer within.

Maybe you think this article has too many literary anaologies, but sometimes word pictures are one of the best ways to allow individuals to envision themselves taking what is often a highly emotional step forward into the unknown.

Imagine author Jack London writing his novel, "The Call of the Wild". He may have surprised himself with the adventure his words conjured up. This is the life story that you get to help write for yourself. You may not know what the next paragraph in your story will be like, but after several chapters of existing in the ruts it may be time for a plot twist. What's on the other side of that hill? What adventure exists beyond the proverbial river? Does your sense of adventure call to you to leave the rut behind?

A money making idea you develop yourself can help you move beyond the ruts of mundane.

About the Author

Learn to Make Money Online and Work From Home at MakeMoneyFacts.com. Build A Website in minutes at BuildAGreatSite.

Ultimate Sales Sucess Means Thinking by Adam Price

In every job, business or marketplace, sales success is the ultimate aim. Without sales, everything stops including your job or business, so you had better make sure you find out the secrets of the few great sales people out there and model yourself around them. These top sales performers know what "really" works as opposed to just teaching theory and never being in the trenches or have the sales battle scars from their mistakes in the past.

As they say to understand where others are, you need to walk a mile in their shoes, in my case I've walked 15 years in the shoes of salespeople. I've door knocked to sell everything from business printing, computer systems, network marketing and many many others. I've been an in store sales person for inbound leads, as well as doing showroom sales.

The one stigma that a lot of commission based sales roles involve is that of hungry salespeople who do "whatever they can" to get a sale. And while this may not be the case for the majority of sales staff these days, it used to be very common once upon a time. Ranging from little white lies right through to blatant mis-information being given by salespeople just to close a deal... Is your career or business really worth selling your soul for? I didn't think so, and I'm very glad most people feel that way also.

As a sales coach for salespeople, business owners and self-employed entrepreneurs in every conceivable industry I can tell you that there is an air of honesty wanting to come out, but because we "need sales" to stay in a job or in business we can sometimes take on the role of someone else when selling. This new demeanour that we have makes us feel very uncomfortable, but there isn't any other way... Is there?

I should have been given the crown for trying to workout ways to "come back" from sales rebuttals and knock backs, and yes I was a monster who chased prospects with cold calls, inbound leads and also those who come into my showroom and wouldn't buy "right away," by getting every bit of information and details I could get from running "Supposed" surveys which was really a front for finding details on them so I could sell to them later.

The one thing that was going on was, I was squashing any chance I had at ever having them be my client. I only had one agenda in mind, "my own," I didn't care whether they were in the position to buy or not because I was blinded by having to make my sales quota, does this sound familiar to you?

Over time I realized by the mistakes that I had made, and I went from being a pushy sales person who didn't make many sales, to a completely passive and nice sales person who made hardly any sales, and hence I was laid off from one of my sales jobs after 2 long years of just scraping in my sales budget goals.

I was centred enough in myself and the universe that this had happened for a reason, I just didn't know why at that point. Little did I know that after 2 weeks of taking a spell off, I walked into yet another sales rep job, but this time I come across a program that I never knew would change my life forever.

By luck I found a program that taught a whole new sales mindset online, one that myself and many others hadn't heard about. I had nothing to lose by purchasing the program and after purchasing the program here in Australia, I had a call to me personally from California to thank me 5 minutes after, I was really blown away.

What I learnt from my new found mentor and program and the new sales mindset, was nothing short of amazing, I was able to be myself, a nice, mild mannered person, yet at the same time be authentic in my sales approach and this "really built trust" in a genuine way, and people knew it.

Soon I was experiencing people calling me from months before when I'd called on them, they told me they remembered me that I'd called them before and I stood out in how I spoke to them about solving their problems and not just trying to solve mine as a salesman with a monthly quota to make.

About 2 years after using the program with amazing breakthroughs, I was fortunate enough to become a sales coach for that same program working alongside the founder in Sydney Australia.

My education that I recieved from those following 3 years of working with him, took me to depths of understanding sales that I never knew possible. I learnt about internet marketing strategies that are such top secret that people pay now pay tens of thousands of dollars a day to learn, it was indeed what I refer to as a "Multi Million Dollar" education and experience.

To this day I'm very good friends with the founder, visiting him on a regular basis, even though I'm not coaching for him as much any longer due to my own business commitments. But I can assure you, if you want sales success, take this one piece of advice from someone who's walked the walk as a sales person, talks the talk as a client of an exemplary program and a sales coach who's helped thousands of people ranging from one man, start up businesses, through to national sales managers for major retail chains in the US, UK and Australia.

Your sales success doesn't just lie in how to make cold calls and no program should just teach that, it should teach you the entire process of building trust and connecting with someone, through to having them decide to buy (so you don't have to close or push any more).

That's my formula for sales success and it can be yours too. I sincerely hope you have massive sales success in your career, and abundant happiness in your life and relationships.

About the Author

Adam Price is a professional online business networker, sales trainer and author around effective referral networking & internet marketing. Learn how tap into the powerful online world of networking by visiting: http://www.Law-Of-Attraction-And-Success.com/SalesSuccess.html

Is calling genealogy leads an effective way to build an mlm or direct sales business? by A M Wilson

Is calling genealogy leads an effective way to build an mlm or direct sales business? The simple answer to that question is yes it can be. Personally I don't like calling genealogy leads. Actually to be honest I hate it. I find it to be excruciatingly excruciating. Spending hours and hours calling dead numbers, wrong numbers, leaving voice mail messages, dealing with gate keepers, all of this in order to speak to the few people you can actually reach. Call me lazy but I don't want to spend my time that way. But if you are willing to do that and it works for you then more power to you, I admire you for that.

Another thing I don't like about cold calling genealogy leads is I think it puts you in the wrong posture. It puts you in a chasing after people mode. In this posture driven industry when you are chasing prospects I think it sends the wrong message to your prospects. It's human nature for people to run away when someone or something is chasing them.

I believe it is better to create a situation where people chase you instead. A situation where people will see you as the leader they are looking for before you ever speak to them. With the internet this is possible. You can let the internet do the work of sorting through prospects and by the time a prospect calls you they already know they want to join you. Here is a free video series that explains how you can do this. http://homecashprofits.com/magnetic.

Again I am not saying calling genealogy leads doesn't work I am just saying there are much easier and more time effective ways to build an mlm or direct sales business.

About the Author

A M Wilson has been a successful network and internet marketer for the past 10 years.

http://homecashprofits.com

Business Planning For Road Mapping to Success by Carole DeJarnatt

Is your business running according to your plan? What, no plan? Or perhaps you have a plan but haven't looked at it in a while. When is the last time you went on a road trip without a map? You need the same tool in your business.

A business plan, if used properly, can be one of the most effective tools that you will utilize in your business. It is the road map for your present and future business growth. Your business plan is your business road map. It helps you to remember why you started in business, your vision for the future of the company, and the steps you plan to initiate to reach the growth expectations.

How can a plan help? Here are five ways a business plan can benefit you:

1. It will help you to put in writing your objectives and determine how to implement them.

2. It is a tool to share with your employees, business ventures, accountant, and others, informing them of your mission, vision, and strategies.

3. To build upon your strengths in your business and to identify the weaknesses.

4. To determine your cash flow needs and projections for future growth.

5. To determine short term goals and long term goals. Short-term being immediate and long-term being 3, 5, or 10 years in the future.

Many people consider starting a business and jump in. No plan, just talk and a dream. After the launch of the business they get overwhelmed and cannot remember why they started a business or the original idea. Somewhere along the way they lost their vision.

When you have a plan in writing it helps to keep you focused, track progress, and modify when needed. The results of your business tracking will help you to be aware of what is working and when change is needed. You learn from your experiences and modify when sharp curves are in the distance.

"All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination." Earl Nightingale

If you have not initiated your plan, start by identifying what initial steps are needed to get through phase 1. Break down into pieces. When broken into pieces or segments, the task or goal at hand does not seem as overwhelming. Put your dreams, plans, and vision for your future on paper.

* Overall dream

* Steps needed to initiate phase one

* Phase two and more

* Anticipated outcome for the future.

Once written, re-evaluate it monthly. Modify when needed and keep it updated.

One of the biggest roadblocks to completing your plan is inaction. Most people tend to procrastinate when they believe the task at hand is unpleasant or overwhelming. You will find that it is less daunting than what you believe once you get started.

Stop procrastinating and start today. Your plan will be accomplished in a short time and will be available as a resource to keep you on track and give guidance. It is always better to know where you are headed then to wonder where you have been.

About the Author

Carole DeJarnatt is the owner and facilitator of Alliance Success Groups, a division of Alliance Advisors, Inc. She works with business leaders, managing directors, and entrepreneurs, who are committed to achieving success in reaching their goals and enhancing their future. Visit Alliance Advisors, Inc. to start mapping your success today!

Working at Home Online by Sterling Bryant

Working at Home Online has a lot of advantages. You can make a very

productive income from your home business, but in order to do so, you have to

choose the right Home Business that will work for you. The Business should be one that you truly believe in and one you have the

most knowledge of. There are a lot of businesses out there and choosing the

correct one can be difficult. Finding the right Home Based Business can be as easy as doing a search on the

search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. First decide on what your

business will be about and then find your special Niche area that you can

promote your business to. Once you have decided the direction you want to go,

start making your plans. Here is a great resource to help plan your business,

just visit http://www.businessplans.org/index.asp. Write your plan down for

your records so you will be able to keep on track. Sometimes when we do not

do this, we get off to a bumpy path that can get expensive fast. Once you have decided which business you are going to get involved in and

your business plan ready, you need to then find the product. There are a vast

number of Programs, Websites, MLM Sites, Networking Site and E-Commerce Sites

that can provide you with the information or the Products you need to exceed

in your business. I only suggest that you do your research on these and then

decide which is best suited for your needs, You should develop a business plan before you start your business. With a

good business plan, you are more than likely to succeed. Thank you for

reading this article, I would be very happy if it helped you in anyway.

http://Articleboardlive.com

About the Author

My name is Sterling Bryant and My business name is Sterling Center. We are located in Liberty,Texas and have been online for about 3 years.

Ecosov Cash Gifting- Business review by Froilan Ong

Ecosov has been operated in one form or another for over 8 years by a guy who calls himself "Q." There used to be three levels to join, but now there are only two: $6,600 & $18,500. It uses a 1UP style structure. His marketing style and approach is 'in your face,' blunt and to the point with no fluff. Some people consider him offensive, but it appeals to others. It seems there's no grey area, you either like his style or you don't. Members are given a system ID to advertise with on your ads that must be used by prospective members to join. If someone responds to an ad and doesn't know what the ID code is, they can't join. The Good: You can join, plug into some of Q's marketing and advertising co-ops, or use his pre-designed ads and postcards and do it yourself. All of your ads include your member ID and Q handles all the rest which includes handling any and all questions from your prospects, as well as setting up the tracking to ensure your cash is delivered to you via Fedex, UPS or DHL. The Bad: With the minimum participation amount being $6,600 to start (plus advertising expenses), Ecosov disqualifies the vast majority of people out there looking to get ahead from participating with this activity. Q isn't shy about this fact and is most likely intentionally keeping the entry level high to only attract those that are totally serious. The other thing I see as a major drawback to this program is the fact that your marketing and advertising CANNOT be tracked! In other words, you have no idea of determining where your referrals are coming from and which ads are pulling best for you. The reason why I did not join the program is that you must give away every 5th gift you receive to Q as a "Monitor Fee to corporate." At $6,600 - 18,500 a pop, you could end up giving away a fortune overtime. Plus, starting at $6000 seems a little too much especially if you don’t have the money. If you want to join an affordable cash gifting program, visits my website at http://cashincomeforlife.com

About the Author

Froilan Ong is an internet marketeer and an independent business owner. He was in sales & marketing for the past 18 years and also work as sales manager for one of the largest green tea manufacturer in the world. He now works at home and involved in several home based business.

Get Paid To (GPT) Programs: Are They A Scam by David Ruth

I first heard about the concept of getting paid to do something online a few years ago. But these programs were pretty straight forward in their "pitch" and it was obvious what they were. Most of them involved getting paid to surf the web based upon a certain number of exposure to advertising.

Lately I have been seeing a huge number of "GPT" advertisements on the search results. Hey I teach people how to integrate marketing strategies into their business, and I like to stay in tune with what's going on with on-line marketing so decided to take a look under the hood.

I was surprised to see how these "get paid to" programs have evolved over the years. Although I shouldn't have been surprised. Everyone is clambering for a piece of your time these days. The get paid to industry has really taken shape it seems, as businesses try to take advantage of the increased amount of time people are spending online.

The first question I had was, were the claims being made realistic? Can you expect to make money online, and how much? Is this good use of your time? That's a big one for me, because time is something you can never get back.

To answer those questions, lets take a look at the eight most common "get paid to" methods that are being used.

Taking Surveys - This one isn't surprising since public opinion on just about anything is valuable information for many companies. Companies want to know what we like and don't like. What products and services we use, consume and sell.

So in exchange for this valuable information, companies are willing to pay. Many of these companies are market research firms. They typically compensate you with cash, gift certificates or prizes. Often there will be some type of drawing for a big cash award or prize. These surveys pay anywhere from fifty cents to three dollars, for five to ten minutes of your time.

Reading Email - This one is interesting. Based on a profile that you fill out that may include demographic information, interests, hobbies etc., companies will email you advertisements. These ads come from companies targeting your demographic. Most will require you to click a link so they know you read the advertisement. You will get for every email that is sent to you, and many also pay with referrals also.

Playing Games - In the "get paid to" programs it's all about generating traffic. So, with the popularity of games it's no surprise that companies are willing to host sites dedicated to providing free games. And where there is an audience, there are companies interested in advertising. A portion of the advertising these companies generate is given back to the participants in the form of cash and prizes.

Work At Home - This one sounds good but be careful. Most of these work at home opportunities are MLM companies disguised as legitimate home businesses. If you are asked to fill out a "squeeze page" (profile page) with lots of pictures of big boats, sports cars and people playing on the beach, beware! You are better off doing your own research for a legitimate home business.

Surfing The Web - The concept is still the same here. Companies are looking for a captive audience. The dot com bust in 2000 killed most of these companies, and you won't find very many around though.

These companies usually require installing a tool bar to display the ads you are to view. You get paid a percentage of the advertising dollars collected, and have the option of referring others for a referral commission as well.

Searching The Web - This is a fairly new concept that is really interesting. This can a self -contained search engine that searches only for advertising content found within their pool. Or, your search results may come directly from a major search engine like Google.

Typically points are earned for every search, up to a maximum. Those points can either be redeemed for prizes from their catalogue or they will be entered into a pool for a prize drawing.

Visiting Websites - Companies wanting to drive more traffic to their site may hire a company to bring in new traffic. Once you join a get paid to visit company, you will have access to a list of links or banner ads by category.

When you visit those sites you get paid. Like most others programs, you can earn additional money for referrals. You will be paid either cash or point to redeem for prizes.

What's Your First Impression?

The first thing I thought was, it will be hard to make a living doing this. And you would be right. The reputable companies will tell you up front that you will not likely get rich doing get paid to programs.

It may be an opportunity to make a few extra bucks though. It shouldn't surprise anyone should it? It's not realistic to think you can make any real money getting paid to basically play on the computer.

Maybe get paid to programs will mature and be viable in the future, but right now I wouldn't count on it for anything other than mad money.

Honestly though, one thing that came to my mind was... how much time are people spending playing around with these programs. It's just not an effective way to spend your time trying to earn a living.

As an online marketing guide, I work with people every day who are looking for a legitimate opportunity to build a business on the Internet. I can't say that I have found any magic bullet. And there are no get rich quick programs out there, but it is definitely doable.

Because of high gas prices, just about everything has gone up in price. Thousands of people are looking for some other way to earn additional income or replace an income, and they don't know where to go or who to believe.

There is so much information on the Internet, and so many people making promises of instant riches that it's no wonder people don't know where to start. The principles that I teach are called Attraction Marketing. As you might guess, I teach people how to attract prospects to them rather than chase them down.

These techniques were originally developed for the network marketing industry, but what they work for anyone in any business regardless of the product or service they represent.

I encourage you to connect with me. Take a look at Attraction Marketing and find out what it can do for you!

About the Author

After struggling with the "old School" techniques trying to build a network marketing business, David discovered that the solution to his problems was in learning how to attract prospects to him rather than chase them. These techniques proved to be effective for any business, so David now spends his time coaching and mentoring others to learn how to use attraction marketing.

Are You a "Burned Out" Manager? by Pat Brill

Copyright (c) 2008 Pat Brill

Responsibility for both the department's deliverables and managing employees can be challenging for any manager. Since you need to guide your team's well-being, make sure you are taking care of yourself.

Managers don't always want to acknowledge their own burnout feelings, yet all employees, no matter what role they play in the company, are potential candidates for "burnout."

What is Burnout? Merriam-Webster definition: exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.

==>Symptoms of "Burnout"

--You've lost interest in your job

--Can't concentrate which means you are not producing

--Feel powerless to make any changes

--Feel anxious about coming to work

--Irritate with everyone around you - office and home

--Complaining a lot about your job

--Distance yourself from others

--Just don't care anymore

Note: By the way, your employees know when you are on the verge of burnout. They will react which will only add more challenges to your plate. So it's important to start addressing your discord around work.

If you are concerned that you may be burned out, take the time to question what is happening in your job. Here is my suggestion:

This is a perfect time to take a "sick day." Use this day to figure out just what is not working for you. Ask yourself where you are in the burned out scale: quietly harboring some issues or in full-blown "burnout" Where are you?

==>You basically enjoy your job:

--You need a vacation from thinking about work...schedule your vacation immediately

--You have some issues stressing you at work and you want to start resolving them.

--You still have energy to do your job, though you may have a lot of demands on you and need to take the time to prioritize them.

==>You hate your job:

--Then you need to write down everything that is not working for you at your job. Don't stop; just write whatever comes to your mind. For example, hate my boss when he/she does (fill in the blanks), not making enough money, too many employee issues, afraid I'm going to lose my job, hate my office, don't like the people I work with, hate the long hours, chronic downsizing. Write whatever comes to you mind...don't hesitate.

--Next to each issue, write the reason(s) why this is making you stressed and unhappy.

--Then put all your issues in the order of the most stressful (being #1).

--Then start to brainstorm how you can resolve them -- your top stressors.

--If you are in serious "burn out" mode, then doing the above exercise may be too much to do alone...find a coach to help you. Get the support that you need to handle your "burn out."

It's critical to your wellbeing and to your career to resolve burnout...no matter where you are in the "burnout" scale.

About the Author

Pat Brill is the author of the blog "Managing Employees" http://www.ManagingEmployees.net . You can reach her at pat@managingemployees.net.

How Your Competition Can Help Your Business by Melissa Mashtonio

Admit it, your business has competition. No matter how successful the business, there still remains other businesses in the same field trying to outdo one another, and your business is no exception. However, don't be discouraged by competition but instead look to it as an asset to your business. It may seem strange, but true that your competition can help your business grow.

Your competitors are your business, but only slightly different - this makes them perfect for experimentation. That doesn't mean go to your competition's company and start testing chemicals on them, but instead look to your competition to see how they rebound from bad breaks and what they do to find success. Using your competition in this way will allow you to take all the same chances they take but without any of the consequences (good or bad).

In order to learn from your competitors, you must start keeping tabs on what they are doing. This can be done by checking out their websites or looking in local papers. Also, search for press releases on your competition to see their different innovations and the reactions they received. It may be helpful to ask around in your community to see what people like and dislike about your competition. When the opportunity comes up, mingle with your competition at professional activities such as dinners and conferences. Finally, if any of your competitors (and let's face it, there is probably more than one) have a mailing list, sign up to get information about how they are targeting customers and what they see as their best assets.

Before you begin looking at your competitors, you should find out who they are. Simply look for the big players in your industry, even though who aren't in your area. If you own an internet search engine, Google and Yahoo are your competitors even if they seem to be out of your league. Keeping track of their progress will help you to realize what your business can do to grow.

When looking at competitors, try to find patterns in their business and see if these patterns work. If you cannot find a clear business pattern, perhaps the patter here is to change frequently (i.e. switch suppliers, use new marketing strategies, etc). See if this tactics works as well. Also, look at the way your competition organizes their business. Target specific departments and see if the structure being used works for your competition. Use the information you gain to tweak your own business to be more successful.

One of the most important parts of your competition to watch is advertising. Find out what demographics your competitors target and what methods they use to get across their message. See if they are successful in their attempts. Figure out their angle and use this to your advantage. If they are doing something that works, don't copy it exactly but use the essence of the idea to add to your own advertising.

Find out what it is that makes you different from your competition and vice versa. These differences are important whether your competition is more or less successful than you. By looking at these differences you can learn what not to do or what to do if your business is more or less successful than your competition. If there has been a recent change in your competition to cause them more or less success, look specifically at what caused the change and learn from their actions.

Make sure you watch your competition constantly. Assessing competitors should not be a monthly or yearly task but should be happening daily. You may want to even track the progress of your competition. This will help you to see when your competition took up or down turns and look closely at their causes.

Watching your competition will help you now and in the future. By watching competition you will know what chances to take and which to leave by noting what worked for them. Knowing this will save you losses in the future and keep you on your toes and one step ahead of your competition.

About the Author

Melissa Mashtonio writes for Manta.com, the go-to site for business research. The site (http://www.manta.com) offers free research on more than 45 million companies worldwide.

Best Home Based Business: Why Internet Attraction Marketing Is A Must Have? by David Ruth

Finding the best home-based business for you might seem like an impossible task. Especially with the seemingly endless maze of "opportunities" that are out there. It hard to know what works and what doesn't. Trying to determine the scams from the gems requires allot of time and effort.

Probably the hottest arena for new home-based businesses is the Internet. Even before gas prices went crazy, people were flocking to the Internet in record numbers. Some just want to supplement their income, while others want a completely new career.

Still, others are attracted to the flexibility that working at home can provide, while many others are looking to be able to spend more time with their children. Whatever the reasons, statistics show that huge numbers of people are looking to the Internet as a business solution.

What Attraction Marketing Can Do For You?

The Internet is a big place, so if you are considering any business regardless of what it is you have to have a marketing presence. Many people have the mistaken impression that all you need is a good product and a cool looking web site.

That couldn't be a farther from the truth. Think about this for a second. When a traditional "brick and mortar" business opens their doors, there is a lot of emphasis placed on marketing. At lease there better be if they are going to have a chance.

While location can play am important role in the traffic a business gets, you will likely still need to advertise. So you shell out the big buck for some targeted advertising to drive traffic to you.

What about the on-line business? We don't have a "location". Or do we? I'm sure you have probably heard about search engines. Maybe you have used Google or Yahoo and never really though about what they are.

These search engines are really the streets and boulevards of the Internet. In order to be seen on the Internet highways and byways, you need to be visible. And the way you do that is with marketing. And the best method is attraction marketing.

Attraction marketing, as the name implies attracts prospect to you instead if you chasing after them. That's a novel concept isn't it? Some time ago I came across attraction marketing and began implementing the training provided at The Renegade University.

If you are going to use attraction marketing I would recommend that you find a quality training program like the one at Renegade University. It is possible to teach yourself what you need too know, but knowing what I know now I wouldn't want to try and do it.

A good attraction marketing program will do several very important things for you. First, you will learn how to write quality content for the Internet that your target market is looking for. And this is key. You will also learn how to optimize that content for the search engines.

Remember, we are traveling the highways and byways of the Internet, and we need to be seen. I've got tot tell you, this is the absolute biggest mistake that people make when they start an on-line business. They believe that just having a website or blog will automatically mean people will find them. Don't believe it for a second.

Creating content that gets found by the search engines is an art and a science. If you don't learn it you won't have a chance. You just won't be able to compete with the millions of pages of content on the Internet without learning how to market.

A good attraction marketing system will teach you how to set yourself apart and build a huge following. All the while you strengthen your position as a leader. Someone people will seek out for guidance and help.

Your emphasis in this model is on being a solutions provider, not on pushing products right away. You offer help and assistance to others who want to build an on-line business but don't know what to do or who to believe.

A good system should also provide a way to generate immediate up-front profit to fuel your business. There are many ways to do this, including affiliate sales of products and services, and creating your own products.

Here Are 3 Tips That Will Help You Succeed With Attraction Marketing

First, you have to commit yourself to the process of learning attraction marketing. There is allot of information you need to get comfortable with, terms that you need to learn and skills to acquire. But is t very doable if you make the commitment to a quality training program.

Avoid programs and products that make "get rich quick" claims. If something sounds too good to be true you can bet that it is. There is no substitute for hard work. Also avoid the "automated" programs where all you have to do is sit on the beach and cash the checks.

There are some automated programs that do work, but you won't be building any type of long-term residual income. You will continue to have to feed the system. If I am going to put in the effort, it makes much more sense to me to build a lasting web presence that continues to grow with little effort on my part.

Be committed to the process. Take the attitude that you will be going back to school. There is a lot of information that you will need to absorb, but you can do it. And the great new is that you can move at your own pace so the only pressure will come form you.

Position Yourself For The Wave Of People Heading To The Internet

Over the next few years there will be countless millions of people looking for an opportunity to get out of the rat race and start their own business. By positioning yourself now for the future you can be one of the leaders, helping to guide these people through the rough waters.

I encourage you to find out more about attraction marketing by connecting with me.

About the Author

After struggling with the "old School" techniques trying to build a network marketing business, David discovered that the solution to his problems was in learning how to attract prospects to him. Theses techniques proved to be so powerful that David spends his time coaching and mentoring individuals and small business owners of all types, shwoing them how to integrate this model.

Book Restoration: Recovering From Water Damage by Ben Anton

Museums, libraries, and schools across the United States are continually researching new and effective ways to prevent water damage to ensure the longevity of rare and precious books and documents. Rare book rooms are commonplace in many major libraries and some museums and organizations are home to the most valuable, important pieces of literary history. Places like the American Bible Society’s Rare Book and the Rare Book & Special Collections division of the Library of Congress house some of the most highly-valued first-edition books from throughout American history. It is vital for future generations that these collections are protected against water or mold damage.

Just as these rare books are important to posterity, each homeowner also keeps items they consider precious for their future family members. Things like family photo albums, family bibles and other books and documents could fall prey to water or mold damage if not properly stored or cleaned. There are things to consider when assessing the ability to salvage water damaged books as well as various methods for doing so.

The Extent of Water Damage
Water or mold damage, unfortunately can strike even the most prepared institutions. Broken plumbing pipes, natural disasters or broken ventilation systems can all lead to damaged books. Museums, libraries and schools try to understand the different types of drying techniques and how they affect certain composite materials in order to best save water damaged books when these problems happen. Water absorption depends on the age, condition, and material of the paper that has been damaged. Books published before 1840 will generally absorb much more water than currently printed books, therefore running a much higher risk of experiencing swelling or mold damage. Leather bound books of the 15 through 17 centuries can usually be restored using extremely controlled procedures. However, modern books typically use badly processed leather which makes water damage restoration nearly impossible.

Professional recovery service providers are the best at determining the precise extent of water damage your books have sustained and what drying technique is most appropriate. You can reduce the risk of permanent damage to a book collection, however, by taking a few steps immediately after the damage has been found.

Humidity
Humidity is one of the main sources of book mold or water damage. It is important to keep your archives in a very cool, dry place to reduce the likelihood of mold outbreaks. If damage has already set in, open windows and doors and set up as many fans in the affected area as possible. This creates air flow in the area and reduces the amount of humidity. De-humidifiers are also a good option. Never open water-damaged books or separate individual sheets of paper as this may cause further damage that can be irreparable.

Consider Restoration Professionals
For most books, especially those of extreme importance, the salvaging and drying process should be done using a professional service. Book restoration specialists use technologies and drying techniques that are much more effective and far less damaging than basic do-it-yourself techniques. Two techniques are widely used and very effective. The desiccant air dry distribution systems lowers humidity in the drying area, allowing more of the water trapped in the book or document to evaporate. The vacuum-freeze drying system distribute pressure evenly around the drying book, reducing warp, maintaining the original look and feel of the books or documents, and ensuring that future damage does not set in.

Most attempts by individuals to dry damaged books themselves will result in warped or ruined products. By employing book restoration experts, books can be better handled and more closely be returned in nearly new conditions.

Water and mold damage can affect both prepared and unprepared institutions and home owners. Taking the time to understand how the damage has effected important materials, especially precious books, and incorporating the aid of professionals will ensure these items will be restored for future generations.

~Ben Anton, 2008

About the Author

Book Restoration Services: Contact the disaster recovery specialists at Rapid Refile to find out about their fire, smoke and water damage restoration services.

Hottest Cheap Small Business Franchises by Candice Clem

When it comes to starting a small business franchise, there is no shame in going with the cheaper choice. If you look closely, it’s not uncommon to find that a cheap small business has the exact same ingredient list as its more expensive counterpart. The key is finding the small business franchise that works best for you and when price is a deciding factor, a cheap small business franchise can help you accomplish your financial goals without breaking the bank. Look over the following cheap franchises and see if they don’t sound just as tantalizing as those other high priced business franchises.

1) Rocket Vending
Vending machines can be a very profitable business with very little money required up front. Some reports claim that vending machine distributors can make up to $70 per hour. All it takes to succeed on the franchisee’s part is the focus to keep buying, placing, and stocking candy machines; the candy-loving American public will gladly take care of the rest. For a meager $5000, it doesn’t seem like the payoff should be very high, but it doesn’t always take money to make money, sometimes it just takes candy.

2) VacuVent Air Duct Cleaning
If you want to talk about consistent business, this is the franchise to look at. Using a powerful negative air system, franchisees with this business skillfully remove dust, mold, pollen, bugs, animal dander, fungus, and whatever else may be lurking in residential and commercial ductwork. Between laws requiring clean ducts in commercial establishments and the increasing social awareness of allergens, everyone needs vent-cleaning services all the time, so the business is unending.

3) Creation Carpets and Flooring
The need for a storefront is what makes most retail franchises so expensive. When you take the storefront out of the equation, it doesn’t mean that the business is any less likely to succeed, and Creation Carpets is the proof positive of that. This home based business is exactly the same as any retail business with a storefront, except that instead of keeping inventory on hand, thus necessitating a store, the owner has a collection of carpet and floor samples for clients to browse through and order from at discount prices. They get the same quality service, but you have no overhead.

4) The Drug Test Consultant
For a lower initial investment than the average franchise, this business makes it possible for a person to help others by providing important drug tests that help businesses do background checks and drug screening and helps to keep addicts on the straight and narrow. It’s cheap to purchase, but franchisees will learn all they need to know to run this franchise, and people undoubtedly benefit from it.

5) PosiGrip
Similar to VacuVent, this franchise provides a service that keeps commercial establishments up to par on safety codes, but instead of cleaning ducts, this business coats floors in slip-proof chemical coatings to make sure people don’t fall and hurt themselves when surfaces are wet. Once again, the key to the low price tag is not that the business is inferior to more expensive ones, but rather, it’s cheaper because everything can be run from the back of a van, making overhead costs minuscule while business is very consistent.

6) Made in the Shade Blinds and More
Once again, this value business is so frugally priced because it is a retail business without the overhead of a storefront. Franchisees work at home, purchasing only those window products that their clients want, but still getting everything at high-volume warehouse prices from a central distributor. Applying that money-saving business plan to a market that brings in over $5 billion a year profits both the client and the franchisee.

The whole point of buying a franchise business is making money with which to sustain yourself. If you can do that successfully for under $20,000 at the outset, it seems foolish to get tens-of-thousands of dollars in debt to purchase a seemingly more impressive business that will just get you to the same end. Of course, the more expensive franchises can also be great investments, but they aren’t for everyone.

About the Author

Find other cheap small businesses at SmallBusinessSale.com

Definition of Customer Service by Derek Jones

It is hard to define customer service as there are many different definitions of the term. Working out which definition would suit your particular workplace can therefore be very difficult. The definition of customer service is often misinterpreted by some businesses and used poorly in the workplace because it has been inadequately defined.

In today's business environment it is not enough to believe customer service is 'just meeting the requirements of the customer'.

In determining the definition of customer service for the purposes of this article the following key qualities were considered:

Customer service is:

1. A positive, polite, caring and friendly attitude

2. The knowledge and ability to provide quality service by satisfying the customers needs

3. The process of delivering first rate benefits and treating customers fairly and professionally

4. Any communication that creates a good or bad impression

5. How a business looks after its customer's requirements through effective and efficient before and after sales service

Conclusions

By taking into account the above points it is clear that to define customer service the following basic elements would be necessary........Efficiently satisfying a customer's needs by providing and delivering professional, helpful, high quality service and assistance before, during and after the customer's requirements are met.

Many businesses do not consider a downturn in business until it is too late. In a competitive environment early plans need to be made so that the consumer is always considered first. This can be done through regular reviews of customer service systems and training programmes to look for ways existing processes can be improved. By understanding what customer service means and how it impacts on turnover and bottom-line, businesses will not only enhance their reputation for providing quality service but be in a position to improve stale and tired internal services that will lead to increased customer loyalty and over time profit margins.

About the Author

Derek has written a number of articles on customer service and has informative articles and resources at his site goodcustomerservice.org

Customer Service Techniques by Derek Jones

When dealing with any customer always remember the golden rule that it is a good opportunity for your company to make an impression by providing that person with a sense of personal satisfaction. My research has clearly shown that successful businesses and organisations make every effort to deliver what the customer wants by applying a number of key customer services techniques

The following are six significant techniques that will assist in making your customers feel important and attract them to want to deal with your business.

1. How to build rapport and trust Providing helpful advice and friendly service helps to build a rapport and trust. An excellent technique to use is to connect the customer in conversation by giving your name and asking theirs as this indicates you are interested in them and what they are looking for. Always be polite, ask appropriate questions and show interest in what is being said as this will help the customer to develop confidence in you.

2. How to communicate Most customers will know what they want although some may be unsure on where to look or find what they have come for. Your responsibility is to help by assisting them to get what they want. The best customer service technique most businesses follow is to ask relevant questions and importantly to listen as this will help you to assist the consumer. A happy customer will keep in mind the obliging service provided and will return and tell other people about your business.

3. How to help the confused consumer Sometimes it’s not humanly possible to provide what your customer wants. In such situations it is important to know everything there is to know about the products or services your business has to offer. A good customer service technique some businesses use is to look out for consumers wandering around looking lost and confused. By approaching and offering to help, the customer will be grateful and appreciative for the service and attention you have given.

4. How to provide exceptional customer service It is easy for successful businesses to become complacent and be lulled into a false sense of security when turnover figures are up. Being complacent can provide the competition with an opportunity to be more productive. To counter this a good effective customer service technique is to introduce staff training programmes so staff can be equipped to provide exceptional service through effective communication, client rapport, phone management and handling difficult customers. Investing in role playing type training programmes is one of the most successful methods businesses use to convey to staff what type of service to the consumer is expected and necessary if a business is to survive.

5. Thanking the customer Always ensure the customer is genuinely thanked before they leave. This simple gesture is important because most people generally like to be appreciated and know that you are grateful for their business. Also ask the customer if there is anything else you can do as this could result in repeat business.

6. Following up A very effective customer service technique used by businesses today is to offer generous warranties and discounts on goods and services to loyal consumers (some businesses provide loyalty cards that offer discounts). If a customer has a problem with a product always offer advice and try to fix it or provide a solution. Following up with after sales service through Email, phone or letter is another technique that helps to earn loyalty and adds a nice personal touch.

About the Author

Derek has written a number of article on customer service and has informative articles and resources at his site goodcustomerservice.org

Hottest Food Franchise Business Opportunities: Pizza by Candice Clem

Some estimates claim that Americans eat a whopping 100 acres of pizza a day. To give you an idea of what that means, imagine the entire landscape of Disneyland covered in tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. But it doesn’t stop at the fences, because Disneyland is only 85 acres; this pizza hangs over into the surrounding neighborhoods. That is how much pizza America eats every single day.

With so many people eating pizza, it’s no wonder so many people are trying to sell it. Drive down virtually any street, and you’re likely to run into a pizza restaurant before too long,. The fact is that pizza profits are huge, and anyone with the desire can easily get in on it, making their dough by tossing dough.

Of all the business opportunities available in this tasty industry, at least two are going to stand out to anyone who has ever turned on a TV; these are the dominant masters of the mass-pizza world. We all know them, and we’ve all had their product time and again and are quite aware that everyone else has too, giving them a heavy-duty staying power in the market. Who are these dough-tossing, sauce-spreading moguls? You know them by the names Pizza Hut and Domino's, and anyone with the financial backing and a desire to sell low-cost pizzas by the truckload can easily get into business with them, instantly profiting from their universal brand recognition and mass marketing capability. There isn’t a whole lot of wiggle room for franchisees to make up their own rules here, but that’s a small price to pay for the selling power that comes with joining one of the dominant forces in the pizza industry.

Not everyone is content to wear the same red uniform, cook the same discount pizza, and accept the same little coupons that half of the rest of the pizza market does. If all you want is to not be “the man” of the pizza world, there are a host of selections for you as well, and here are a few of them.

Not necessarily a far cry from Pizza Hut or Domino's but far enough apart that it still carries some intrigue and homestyle charm, Hungry Howie's Pizza is a rising star in the industry. Now with 575 locations in 24 states, they have proven in their 35 year run that they have the product quality to last and the business know-how to expand. The secret to their success is that they have uniquely flavored crusts (eight of them, in fact); not only do the toppings change, but so does the dough itself. Nearly every aspect of Hungry Howie's Pizza has been tested and perfected within its own walls, so you know that it works.

Some people are very particular about the style of pizza that they eat, and thus the kind that they make, and few styles are more distinct or popular than New York style pizza, which is what makes NYPD Pizza such a hit Although the name might imply that you’ll be getting a New York pizza served by a retired police officer, the idea behind NYPD Pizza is a bit different . They do use a police theme (you can open either a “metro unit” or a “precinct” depending on the needs of your area) but the name is primarily to denote that their pizza is 100% Brooklyn-style, regardless of where in the country a franchise pops up, and it is popping up everywhere.

Maybe you’re interested in a more novel idea for your own food franchise, like take-and-bake. This concept works exactly as it sounds: you buy it, take it home, and bake it yourself. Papa Murphy's Pizza is front-runner in the take and bake pizza industry and this non-traditional pizza concept makes smart business sense as well as tasty pizza. Because the pizzas aren’t cooked or served on-site, less labor and space are required, and purchase and upkeep costs are much lower than a traditional pizza place. To make matters better, customer loyalty is through the roof wherever a location pops up. Whether it’s the control over how long your pizza cooks or being able to eat hot pizza fresh out of the oven in the comfort of their own home, Papa Murphy's Pizza has developed a strong brand with more customer loyalty than just about any other pizza chain.

Finally, for the true connoisseur who is not content with an ordinary pizza, allow me to recommend two other companies that are making a splash in the industry. Pizza Fusion is a sprouting miracle of a restaurant that combines first-rate pizza-making with a healthy, environmentally friendly approach to the pizza industry. How does a pizza place go green? Simple, they follow all conceivable energy-saving guidelines, which both saves the planet and saves up to 30% on energy bills for the operation. Another unique pizza choice is zpizza, a franchise operation quickly scaling the ladder of success, opening franchises all over the nation, and abroad. What they really excel at is mixing non-standard flavors to concoct pizzas that wow the taste buds and continuously bring back customers who are looking for more than sausage and pepperoni. And yet, they don’t miss the basics either, as noted by the LA Times, announcing confidently that they have “the best crust on the planet.” Both of these businesses make for happy owners and happier customers.

When looking for a food business opportunity, one of the most important things to consider is whether or not the business and its product have a future. With pizza, there’s no doubt about the future. I don’t know anyone who expects to never eat pizza again, and it might serve you well to be the one selling it, because we’ve got quite a few more acres to go before we’re done.

About the Author

Find more pizza franchises at Franchise Gator