Category → Business
Cheaper is Not Always Better
I work for a large insurance firm in the northwest, in an office with over 500 other employees. Management recently decided to replace our existing phone system as the old system was no longer meeting our needs. I and my co-workers were under the impression that they were going to update the system, as in “make an improvement”, and that we would have late model phones with technological advancements galore. Boy, were we in for a surprise.
One day a few weeks ago, we all came in to find new phones on our desks. These were not the state-of-the-art communication devices we had in mind. Instead of the sleek, sophisticated, caller IDing, multi-line handling, LCD displaying wonders of the modern age we all dreamed of, there was a simple phone with a keypad on the receiver…not unlike what you might have had at home 15 years ago. In addition to the new phone, there was a sheet which explained in graphically painful detail exactly which series of buttons one would have to push in order to make this thing function properly. We had to now enter a digit to put someone on hold, enter a three digit code to transfer someone (one digit, dial tone, two digits) and enter a ridiculously long series of numbers to access our voicemail.
Needless to say, we were in shock. I knew it wouldn’t take long before the roars of complaining would drown out the usual office din. Sure enough, by lunchtime our office manager came in to tell everyone that we were simply going to “try it out for a while” and that the company had saved thousands by choosing this option. I and the other employees were fairly certain that we had already lost thousands in reduced productivity that morning alone. Oh, well…it’s their company, we just bring in the money for them.
For the next few days, we tried to get used to saying “hold, please, while I transfer you”, removing the receiver from our faces and trying not to curse as we made a lame-duck attempt at pressing keys, listening and pressing more keys. It was a nightmare. We were getting pretty fed up with it, but just assumed that this was what we would have to deal with. Then, out of the blue, we came in one day to find real phones with real features at our desks. No more looking at the receiver while we frantically tried to key in numbers fast enough not to drop the call. No more ten digit voicemail “pins”. No more of having no idea who was calling or where the call came from. Ahhhh, relief at last.
Later the same day, we heard a rumor circulating around the office that the VP of operations had returned from a two week trip to New York. His words, upon seeing one of the phones management had originally purchased on his desk were, “get rid of them”. All it took were those four words from a higher-up to set things right. Unbelievable.
Ideas For Working At Home
The cost of living is increasing day by day almost all over the world. Hence, both parents ought to go for a job. However it becomes difficult to spend time with the children. Work at home helps those who want to stay at home to look after their children and also want to stabilize their financial position.
You can get some work at home ideas from your friends or neighbors who might work from home. Look through the classifieds in local newspaper for some home based job opportunities. There are lots of proven ideas available on the internet.
However before selecting any idea, ensure that it really suits you. This is because any idea that benefits your neighbor or friend may not be suited for you.
There are some books and ebooks available in online that provides some successful work at home job or business ideas. These ideas can help you in your cash raising projects. The ideas are given to each and every person to suit his or her age and interest. Some books even provide step by step instructions to get success in work at home business and job.
Some work at home ideas:
1. Most of the home based workers find their work by asking their friends, relatives or neighbors whether they know some local employers who are looking for home based employees. You can also approach local companies nearby your residence to find out whether they use home based workers.
2. While you searching a work at home job online, try to find out a suitable job in a firm nearer to you so that you can collect and deliver work easily and can sort out any problems.
3. You can also get recommendations from other work at home employees who have worked and get payment from the company.
4. Before accepting a job, take some effort to find out that the company is a reliable one. This helps you avoid wasting your time, and that you get paid.
If you are looking for home based business that suits you and your lifestyle, then you can use some of the following work at home business ideas:
If you are a competent writer, then you can earn a good income as a ghost writer. In fact ghost writers are in high demand from website owners. You can also write an ebook or an old fashioned paper book. You can get lot of ideas from the internet to sell your ebook.
Kids’ oriented businesses are on the raise. Arranging children’s parties, running a kids’ day care, etc.
There are thousands of work at home jobs. However before going with any idea, ensure that you have real passion for that. Only then can you successfully achieve your goals.
5 Steps To Maximum Productivity
Do you know that you get 80% of your results from just 20% of your time and effort and consequently 80% of your time is virtually wasted on non productive activities?. Once you realize this it is easy to take advantage and either reduce the hours you work or significantly improve your productivity.
The 80-20 rule was first discovered by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto a hundred years ago. Using this knowledge is incredibly powerful in combating the “not enough hours in the day” mentality of today’s society.
The 80-20 rule means that in any area of our lives, literally 80 percent of our fruits are derived from only 20 percent of doing “what matters”. In other words, there is only a very small portion of all that we do each day, regardless of the situation, that brings us the “higher return”.
How can you benefit from being aware of this principle? Implementing a strategy based on the 80-20 rule can result in greater wealth and greater leisure time? Just imagine how productive you will be if 80% of your time could be spent on productive activities. You have to realise that the things that matters most should never be at the mercy of activities that matter least.
Here are 5 Steps to maximumise your productivity:
1) Keep a work log for at least a week
Write down all of your activities and the time spent doing them. I appreciate this is time consuming initially but it is essential you get a true picture of your working week.
2) Analyse your activities
Separate your activities into high priority – those that produce a return or where only you have the skills to do the work – and low priority – activities others can do where the activity can be delegated to support staff. You will almost certainly find that you are spending most of your time on low-priority activities rather than activities directly providing a return. In almost all businesses these non productive activities tend to absorb time at a far greater rate than they should.
3) Delegate non productive activities
Once you can identify the low priority activities delegate as many as possible to support staff providing training where required. If necessary employ an additional member of staff to take responsibilities – the cost will be more than offset by your improved productivity. There may be a number of low priority activities you are tempted to keep. Unless it is absolutely unavoidable don’t be tempted and don’t get involved in non productive activities or your productivity will fall.
4) Calculate the time required for any remaining low priority activities
Once you have delegated all that you can, your next step is to calculate how much time you should be spending on the remaining low priority activities to make maximum use of your productive time. Do not work disproportionately hard at these low priority activities and set aside specific time each day or week to complete them.
5) Prioritise your remaining activities
Once you have cleared out the activities that do not bring you any return, it is time to turn your attention to the activities in your life that are bringing the most reward. Prioritise your activities and concentrate most of your time just on a few high-priority activities.
The objective throughout is to maximize your results from the areas of high return and to delegate those activities that have a low return. Having to spend a disproportionate amount of time on non productive activities is a major source of stress for many businessmen. Delegating these activities will therefore have the added benefit of reducing the stress you are under. It is all about doing less work for greater return.
For more success in life, whether that is more money, more time with your family or just making time for golf you should start implementing the 80-20 rule immediately. It will help your career as well as your personal life and, as a bonus, following the 80-20 rule day in and day out can make you very wealthy over the long term.
3 Easy Ways To Make More Money This Year
Successful business owners all have one thing in common, they are never satisfied with sales levels. Whether you are making $10,000 a year or $1 million a year, there is always a possibility for growth.
Growth only comes when you realize it can happen. You will not grow if you are content or can’t see the future possibilities for growth.
Here are three easy ways that you can transform your business from the level it is at, into a profit making machine.
1. Always track statistics
This may seem obvious, but most people never do it. You should always track and gather as much information as possible. Track walk in customers, track purchases, evaulate marketing, monitor amount of purchases, frequent vistiors, non-buying prospects, etc.
With this knowledge you will be more informed as to how you marketing dollars are doing and where you can increase production.
2. Find people you can trust
For my websites I have one person that writes nearly full time for me. I can send her topics for articles or websites, and she does the research and writes well thought out articles. I can pay her in advance and know that she is going to be there when I need writing at the last minute.
You definitely need people you can trust as well. These people may be your managers, family members, or just friends who can help in a pinch.
3. Develop your passion
Sometimes I need to take a drive through the country to remember why I love what I am doing. It is easy to get caught up in the fray of customer service and deadlines, but for me the most productive time is always when I am out of my business element. Use this time away to revive your passion.
Next time you are thinking that it is not possible for your business to make money, remember and put these 3 easy tips into practice!
Using a Teleconference to Connect Your Business
Business owners and other professionals are always looking for ways to bolster the interest in their business or organization. Even though there are an unlimited number of ways to get people involved with your business or organization, there is no better way to go about doing so than to host a teleconference for your members. There are actually a couple ways that you have to choose from, too, if you are going to hold a teleconference and we will detail them in this article here. But there are some real benefits to holding scheduled teleconferences to connect the individuals in your business together, and to get new people interested in joining you.
The first option that you have to conduct a teleconference meeting is the traditional style of the telephone. Many people refer to this type of meeting as a “conference call,” and this is the type of meeting where everyone dials a specific number and is required to enter a secret code just to enter the call.
These types of teleconference meetings are great for businesses and organizations that usually don’t have any new members joining that often. For example, stock holders of a corporation routinely listen in on telephone conference calls in order to find out about the losses and gains from the business as far as the stock market goes. Another great example of telephone conference calls include clubs that usually stick with the same members from conference call to conference call.
On the other hand, the technology of the conference call has changed dramatically in recent years and more businesses, corporations, and organizations are getting in on the action. This new technology includes the internet and teleconferences can be conducted anywhere where there is a computer and an internet connection. So how does it work to have a conference call for your business conducted online? In fact, holding a teleconference call completely online only takes a few matter of minutes in order to be set up and requires little to no maintenance throughout the time of the conference call. Members can enter and exit as they please; however, there is usually still the same beep as there would be in a normal telephone teleconference call.
Chances are that you or your business has routinely been using the phone teleconference way of meeting with your members. However, if you have not had a chance to try out the internet side of the teleconference meetings then this is a sure-fire way to see some of the changes and new technology of the teleconference world. For example, members have the option of actually speaking or typing in order to communicate. In addition, presentations are easily available for people to walk through as the host of the teleconference call will be easily able to flip through and present the information that they’ve gathered.
All in all, a teleconference is a smart way to conduct business and, as mentioned, the internet is literally changing the face of the teleconference meeting. As technology becomes even more greater individuals and businesses can be assured that all business meetings will eventually be conducted completely online!
What is a business analyst?
A business analyst is a person whose job is to analyze business needs and critical problems for the stakeholders and propose practical solutions. Many times this is done with a project proposal. The business analyst is to study the proposal, determining which would be the best course of action to reach the proposed solution. At times this can not be done.
The plan and solution may look good on paper. When it comes time to implement the program, people and teams can be divided. 50% of all project proposals fail due to a lack of communication. The business analyst must also be a good people person to make the teams work together for the betterment of the business.
The entire project is based on saving money. When a qualified business analyst can not perform his or her duties because of the lack of co-operation, the result is a waste of time and money. The project is doomed for failure. A business analyst must be able to use negotiation skills and motivational techniques for the entire project to succeed short term and long term.
A business analyst will listen. Instead of jumping ahead and looking at the goal, he or she will take the time to understand the needs of the company. Asking questions is a key element to success in the world of business analysis. If the business analyst fails to comprehend the true needs of a company, the project can be sidetracked with issues unrelated. Again, the result would be failure.
A certified business analyst has been trained to read and recognize omissions in the project proposal. He or she will understand the need for outsourcing certain tasks. Choosing to use in-house personnel or outside resources will be something the professional business analyst can determine by assessing the needs of the company. This may be where a lack of communication or even team failure comes into the equation. A good analyst will explain as the project progresses so each team knows what is happening.
The business analyst may be hired to complete a proposed project but he or she must pull the company together as a whole. A good analyst knows company failure can result because of division in the offices or departments. He or she will see to it the company as a whole can see the vision of the business. He or she will explain how each department is integrated with the other. The project proposal may include more than is listed. The proposal may take another route to get the job done. A business analyst familiar with the industry involved will be able to recognize the overlooked or not so obvious issues involved.
There are times when services from outside sources may be utilized by the business. The business analyst is trained to understand the importance or lack of need for these sources. He or she can determine the most cost effective way to use the sources. The business analyst may find directing the designated tasks to in-house departments more beneficial to the company. This is part of researching the project proposal. The business analyst is to determine the most cost effective way to reach the goal and still succeed with a bottom line net profit.
How to Avoid Scams
If you want to make money writing articles online, there is a good chance that you will turn to the internet in search of paying clients. Unfortunately, you are likely to come across a number of scams along the way. Writing articles for money is a great work-at-home opportunity, but, work-at-home opportunities are often common fronts for scammers. So, how can you avoid these scams? You may be surprised just how easy it is.
First, it is important to know what types of scams are out there. You may find what appears to be a great client who wants you to write 15 articles on fashion jewelry. However, after submitting your articles, your client is nowhere to be found. They took your articles without paying for them. For a writer who takes great pride in their work, this is one of the worst types of scams to fall victim to. There are also scams where companies, claiming to provide you with article writing jobs charge you a fee and then just take your money and run. Some scammers will also create fake article writing jobs in hopes of getting your personal information.
As for acquiring your personal information and using it illegally, a legitimate business owner may need your social security number, as they need to report this information on their taxes. Unfortunately, this is how many scammers get personal information out of hopeful writers. To prevent this from happening from you, know the difference between a well-established website and company versus someone who is only asking you to write four articles. Work with a new client a few times before providing them with any personal information. If you are paid and without problems, the individual or company in question really may need your personal information.
As for someone taking your articles and running, without paying you, there are a number of ways to avoid this scam. Be cautious of new clients. For projects that are large in size, request a small amount of the payment upfront or at the halfway point. If you aren’t paid, don’t write more articles. For smaller projects, where you may feel uncomfortable asking for payment upfront, use you best judgment. If your articles are not paid for, you retain the rights to them, meaning you can resell them.
As for “companies,” who request you pay a fee, you will also want to use your best judgment. There are legitimate companies online that will charge you $5 or $10 a month to participate in their article writing programs. A small fee doesn’t mean that the site is legitimate, but run away from fees that are high, like $20 or more. Also, never pay a company that claims you can make thousands of dollars a day. Article writing can be a well-paying gig, but since it is a legitimate job, so you should have reasonable expectations.
As previously stated, be sure to use your best judgment. Although some online scams can be easy to fall for, most are easy to spot and from a mile away. As long as you know that article writing scams do exist and what to look for, you can better protect yourself. By steering clear of the above mentioned scams, you can enjoy a long and profitable career as an article writer.
A Look into Boeing’s Corporate Sponsorship
Boeing is the leading aerospace company in the world, and by far the largest manufacturer of jetliners for commercial use, and also military aircrafts. They are the forefront runners in aerospace innovation and leadership, continuously creating new and more efficient products.
As it is a large corporation, Boeing gives out corporate sponsorships to those in need of support in funding. Organizations are welcomed by the company to give unsolicited sponsorship proposals since they seek to proactively create partnerships with strategic and appropriate partners.
Evaluation Process
Building long-term partnerships is the goal that Boeing aims to attain in sponsorship. They support a select number of events and activities which have similar interests and values. In order for this to possible, an evaluation process is conducted by Boeing to see whether an outside organization is an ideal sponsorship partner.
All sponsorship proposals given to Boeing go through the following processes:
• Unsolicited and solicited proposals are received by Boeing Corporate Communications.
• Boeing Corporate Communications then performs a preliminary overview that is based on their evaluation criteria.
• If the sponsorship proposal has potential, it is shared with a team of managers responsible for sponsorship program development projects.
• The sharing is evaluations of the sponsorship proposal – taking into account the proposal’s location, subject and scope – seeing if it fits with Boeing’s brand and strategy on sponsorship.
Evaluation Criteria
There are six general criteria developed by Boeing in evaluating sponsorship proposals. These measures ensure that the benefit garnered is for both parties – sponsor and sponsee.
Sponsorship proposals are subject to evaluation based on the following:
• The tangible benefits involved if a partnership is pursued.
• The longevity the proposal offers if a partnership between the organization and Boeing is established.
• The capability of the proposal to target necessary audiences and build the right kind of relationships.
• How Boeing will be exposed through such a sponsorship – will it be a positive venture, will it bring in more customers and good feedback, etc.
• What kind of additional resource is the proposal going to generate.
• Will a long term relationship prove to be sustainable and overall beneficial to both parties?
There are specific ineligible activities that Boeing has no interest of pursuit. Some of these activities are mentioned below:
• Little leagues and other local sports organizations
• Charities that hold fundraising events
• Individual or family sponsorship requests
• Daredevil stunts and sports
• Events that do not have any Boeing facility, product or technology
• Religious activities
• Sponsoring travel expenses
Current Sponsorships
There are currently a number of organizations that are sponsored by Boeing. These companies are also large business that have passed the evaluation process and fit the evaluation criteria that Boeing stands by,
Some of the current sponsorships include the following below:
• Chicago Bears – This team is contracted by Boeing under a five-year sponsorship agreement.
• Museum of Flight – This organization, relevant to the nature of Boeing, provides a detailed and extensive look into Boeing’s history and bright future.
• The John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts – The events held by this institution are sponsored by Boeing. These events are Kennedy Center’s Annual Gala Weekend in April, 2004 – 2008; and Kennedy Center’s Annual Honors Week in December, 2004 – 2008.
Investing in Stocks Direct From the Company
There are companies that allow an investor to purchase stocks directly from the company. This is perfectly okay according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. These are called Direct Stock Plans. It is called a DSPP. The company may require that you already have stocks through employment with the company. It is not required in all companies.
The Direct Stock Plan operates differently than buying stock through a broker. There is no commission charged for these stock plans, but there can be a small fee. The other difference is that the company buys and sells the stock at a given time. The investor cannot sell or trade stocks at will. The investor may turn the stocks over to a broker to sell, but the broker cannot charge a commission. You may be charged a fee by the company. It depends on your agreement.
If you have a favorite company, like the Walt Disney Company, Coca Cola or other brand names in the United State you may be able to implement a Direct Stock Plan to purchase stocks on a regular basis. You can review the list of stocks in your local library or check out the company you are interested in by accessing the company web site.
Another method of investing direct in a company is by way of the Direct Dividend Reinvestment Plan. It is commonly called a DRIP. The good aspect of this type of plan is that instead of receiving the dividends you agree to reinvest the dividends in more stock in the company. It is a regular Direct Stock Plan with a reinvestment agreement. You may do the same reinvestment plan with your other stocks and mutual funds even if you have a broker.
The advantage is that if the company allows a private investor to purchase stocks directly this would allow you to set up a pay check withdrawal each pay period for the purposes of the stock plan. There are various advisory services that can assist you in locating companies that offer these direct stock purchase plan. I would suggest that you find companies you are interested in a make an inquiry with investor relations.
The advantage to contacting the individual company yourself is that it allows you to use your preferences and then do a small amount of leg work. The company representative will give you the necessary forms and provide you with individual advice on how to set up pay roll deduction. In turn you can contact your banking institution, employer human resources or bill payer and set up the account.
It will astound you the number of very good companies that will allow you to buy stocks direct
by setting up a plan. The range of possibilities include, utility companies, fast food stocks, entertainment and retail stocks.
If you have a solid company that has shown solid performance this may be a good option for investing.
The only thing you have to lose is your time. The time it takes in gathering the information has a big payoff. It will save you commission fees and provide you with a long term relationship with your favorite company.
Article Marketing
Great new opportunity for website traffic increase.
If you are reading this article probably you already know about the web directories and their great importance in website promoting. Now, I was thinking to take a look together on the great new opportunity for traffic increase. The “articles directory” is a system related to “web directories”, also very easy to implement, but much, much powerful when it comes the part of promoting. Unlike the web directories where you add your website in the proper category and the post some information about it, in the article directory you have the opportunity to add an entire story about it.
So, what’s the trick??
There is no trick, is just a natural, clean and easy way to make your website visible on the internet and search engines. Think about the number of the tags and the rich content of this type of directory. There are thousands of tags and keywords in any category of interests. So, simple searches in a “search engine” will very probably return in the first results an “article directory” because of the rich content and the number of tags found here. So, the “article directory” will be preferred by the search engine robots and his rank will be higher than any other directory or simple website. If your website will be added here, be sure that his rank will rise a lot resulting in higher traffic …all because you are mentioned in a very important website. And this is ABSOLUTELY FREE. So, think again on this great opportunity to promote your website before spending a lot of money on banners or any other type of publicity.
