Using technology to win clients

Technology influences lives to an unimaginable extent. We use technology to carry out our daily tasks, from the simplest to the most complex. Businesses too rely heavily on technological advancements that enable them to function in a cost effective yet optimized manner. Whether it is the computers present on each and every desk on the premises or the applications that run the businesses, technology has become an integral part of any and every business. Technology is also an effective marketing medium as it allows you to reach a massive number of people without costing a bomb! Here are a few tips on how you can utilize technology to win clients:

1. The advent of websites has drastically reduced marketing through distribution of company brochures and pamphlets. No, when a person wants to know anything about a company and its products, they visit their website! So make your website as appealing and comprehensive as possible. Try to convert visits into sales by allowing clients to place orders online.

2. Talk to your clients. Newsletters are a great way to keep your clients updated on what is going on in the organization without them having to make the effort of visiting your site.

3. Grab the attention of new clients by creating company blogs that have high quality and informative content that people interested in your sector would love to read. This is a great way to show your level of expertise.

4. Provide clients with multiple avenues of getting in touch with you. In addition to your company’s phone number and address, give email IDs and a ‘Request Information’ form on your website.

5. Make sure you are prompt in your responses, whether it is to emails, comments on your blogs or information requested through your website.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , ,

5 Ways to Avoid Giving the Bank Unnecessary Money

Cutting unnecessary expenses is a must for all households, especially in today’s tricky economy. This makes it possible for them to pay their bills and save for the future without giving up the things that they love most. In many cases, though, people lose money every day by paying unnecessary bank fees. These five ways to avoid giving the bank unnecessary cash will help you take better control of your finances. After all, every dollar counts.

Use Your Bank’s ATM

If you commonly rely on ATM withdrawals for cash, then you should focus on using the ATMs owned by your bank. Using another bank’s ATM often means paying heavy service fees. Some banks even charge as much as five dollars for a withdrawal. In addition to the service fee, your bank might charge you another fee for using someone else’s ATM. It can become expensive very quickly. Avoid losing money unnecessarily by using your own bank’s ATM instead of those owned by other institutions.

Maintain a Minimum Balance

Many banks give their clients free checking and savings accounts as long as they maintain a minimum balance. Dip below that balance, however, and you might have to pay a fee. Keep a close eye on your accounts to ensure that you always meet the minimum balance. That way you can make sure that you avoid the fees and that you have plenty of money in your account.

Don’t Overdraw From Your Accounts

Overdraft fees can cost a lot of money. The worst part is that these fees hit you when they hurt the most: when you don’t have enough money to pay them. This can lead to a cycle of mounting bank fees every month as you struggle to regain control of your finances. Monitoring your accounts will help you avoid overdraft fees. Even if you have to move money from your savings account to cover expenses, it’s better than paying hefty overdraft fees to the bank.

Use a Prepaid Card Instead of Credit

Prepaid cards can help you budget your money without using credit cards. If you use an option such as the REACH card, then you can avoid interest rates, overdraft fees, and late payment penalties. Unlike credit cards, you don’t accumulate debt with prepaid cards. Since you can only use the money that you put on the card, it is a great way to curb your spending.

Ask Your Bank to Remove Fees

Even if you pay close attention to your bank accounts and spending habits, it is possible that the occasional mistake will cause you to slip below your minimum balance or incur an ATM fee. If this happens, then explain the situation to your bank’s manager and ask to have the fee waived. As long as you have been a good customer, the bank might remove the fee to keep your business. Remember, you only have so much bargaining power in this situation. Don’t think that your bank will remove fees for you every month.

Can you think of other ways to keep money in your account rather than giving it to the bank?

Filed Under: Finance, Spending Tagged With: , ,

Families can help mom in business

Running a self owned business can be a very challenging task, especially for mothers. Owners of small businesses have to invest a lot of time and effort into their work. Mothers already have a ton of things vying for their attention. Taking care of the household, chores, kids and, of course, the husband, all require moms to dedicate their time to them. They are barely left with time for themselves! Yet, many women are successful wives, mothers and business owners too and the cooperation they get from their family plays a major role in their success. Here are some ideas on how you can get your family to help you out in your business:

1. Develop a daily and weekly schedule, clearly marking both your husband’s and your home, kids and work related tasks. It will make coordination and planning much easier and will avoid unnecessary inconveniences.

2. Your husband is your partner, for better or for worse, at home or at work! So don’t hesitate to ask him to share household responsibilities. You could ask him to perform simple household chores or handle the kids for an hour to free up your time.

3. Manage your weekends well. Dedicate time to your family and take up some fun activities. You will have a more balanced life, your family won’t feel left out and you won’t have to go on a guilt trip!

4. Take your kids into confidence and get them to give you some space during for an hour when they are home. Use this time for work. Then you can spend time with your kids and get back to work once they go to bed.

5. Get your kids to help you do simple work like filing, copying etc. It will reduce your effort and make them feel important too!

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , ,

Get Set for Disaster Recovery

Modern day businesses need to be fully functional 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, in order to be fully profitable. However, every organization is a potential target of disaster. Disasters can be caused by natural calamities, virtual threats, human error or even sabotage. While most corporate giants have robust disaster recovery plans and infrastructure in place, it is smaller businesses (SMEs, SMBs, self owned businesses) that are most vulnerable to major loss caused by disaster as they generally can’t afford tailor made disaster recovery solutions. If they are not prepared for contingencies arising from disaster, they may lose precious data, productivity and monetary loss. Here are a few steps you can follow to reduce your business’ vulnerability to disaster risks:

1. Form a team from existing employees who have some experience or knowledge of disaster recovery and develop a plan that is feasible and can prevent the maximum amount of loss.

2. Once your DR plan has been developed, make sure that everyone in the organization is aware of it and can follow it through when the time comes.

3. Insurance can be a life saver post disaster so make sure your business is adequately insured. Cover maximum ground including equipment, premises, furniture, inventory and even loss of productivity!

4. Create a contact list containing phone numbers of all employees as well as people they have nominated as emergency contacts. Assign disaster time communication responsibility to at least three key employees in each department so that sending out warning and updates can be easier.

5. Most of an organizations data is stored electronically today. One of the most effective method of reducing data loss due to disaster is taking regular back ups of all electronic files.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , ,

How to make small businesses effective

The modern day markets are a very competitive place even for corporate giants so things can get tougher for owners of small businesses. There are hundreds of thousands of people in every country who start their own businesses yet very few of them actually succeed in turning them into successful ventures. Most die out in the initial set up phase while others often fail to maintain a healthy growth that is required to keep a business running profitably. While running an self owned small business can be a very challenging tasks, here is a look at some things you can do in order to give your business a better chance at success:

1. People generally have an idea that they want to convert into a business. However, you should be clear about what you want your business to be and the viability of changing your idea into a reality. Clearly write down what your idea is and define what your business goals and aims are going to be. It will help a lot in focusing your efforts.

2. It is vital for small business owners to be passionate about their business line. If you start a business half heartedly, there all chances that it will fail to see the light of day. Being charged up about our business helps you cope with all the challenges you will face when trying to achieve success.

3. Conduct a complete and thorough research of the market sector your will be entering. This will include your competitors, their products and strategies, promotions, marketing, customer service, quality and anything else that will differentiate you and them. Knowing where you are headed will help you plan your steps better.

4. Be ready to commit yourself fully to your business. It will take a lot of time, effort, hard work, stress and discipline if you are going to make your business a success.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , ,

Men, Women Differ on Financial Concern, But Not Much

The Wealth Management Unit of PNC Financial Services Group conducted a survey that found men and women differ some on the way they view the impact of the recession on their finances. They didn’t mention how many people were surveyed, and that could have a great deal to do with how to view the results. However, here are the figures they provided.
  • 42% of women and 37% of men say they are using a lot more caution when planning financial affairs.
  • 57% of men and 45% of women said there were no changes for them financially.
  • As far as the degree of financial distress felt by each, women prevailed with 71% and men 61%.
  • Worry about inflation has 53% of women and 51% of men.
  • Worry about money to support their life as they live it has 41% of women and 41% of men.
  • Not being able to continue lifestyle in retirement concerns 35% of women and 36% of men.
  • Declining real estate values bother 49% of women and 52% of men.
Financial agreement should be a priority between couples, and decisions shared make for less stress. Spouses must agree on financial savings and spending because it can be a rude awakening if they don’t agree and then cross financial paths. Open communication is the answer.
The survey also tracked other findings:
  • 72% of women and 34% of men say they share money responsibility equally.
  • 63% of men and 20% of women say they are solely responsible for household finances.
  • 36% of women and 63% of men expressed satisfaction from wealth accrual.
  • 69% of mothers and 61% of fathers agree the recession will change the way finances are taken care of in their children’s lives.
  • In Florida just over 50% of parents have talked with their children about money.
  • 69% of mothers and 69% of fathers think their kids lives will be much harder financially.
Filed Under: Economic Development, Finance Tagged With: , , , ,

Who is Ashley Madison and How Can She Make $60 Million?

Ashley Lane (Madison Rayne) on TNA iMPACT!

Image via Wikipedia

Sex is big, it’s permeated nearly every market and it makes billions for people who deal in it all over the world. Customers are people from all walks of life, even the married ones. In fact, dealing in sex with married people is expected to rake in $60 million this year, and $20 million in the green. And that’s just the figures from one single company, there are many many companies.
AshleyMadison.com is a website where married people have affairs and the secret’s security lies in that they both can get caught. It’s easy to imagine a woman named Ashley that was severely jilted by her man, and maybe started this website out of revenge. However, that’s not even close.
Ashley Madison is actually a smart, brave man who deals with conflict all the time. His name is Noel Biderman and his motto is, “Monogamy, in my opinion, is a failed experiment.” Biderman is CEO of Avid Life Media, a parent company to Ashley Madison.
Then Who is Ashley Madison?

When asked how he came up with the name Ashley Madison, he said that he looked up the two most popular baby girl names for that year, hence Ashley and Madison. Biderman says defending his site is something he does on a daily basis. Ashley Madison’s commercial was not shown during the Superbowl, as he’d previously arranged.
It’s not uncommon to find him arguing in one way or another in defense of his sites. There are 107 people working for him, manning and operating all six Avid Life Media websites, so it’s a bustling, noisy place and not someone’s home where they run the business.
Biderman does nothing wrong, he just provides the venue for people who want to do something wrong. It’s legal and he doesn’t participate (as far as anyone knows), and did I say he’s expecting to bring in $60 mil?
Filed Under: Business, Recession Tagged With: , , , ,

Bahrain is Where the Money Is; Big Thanks to NAC

The National Action Charter (NAC) has kicked off the Bahrain economy in a big way. Their gross domestic product was $8.6 billion in 2000 and it’s jumped way up to $29.8 billion last year, according to Dr. Yousef Mashal, chairman of Bahrain Export Development Society. Net growth has risen in the last decade to 6.3%, compared to 4% the year before, but it was predicted to be as high as 7.5%, but the world economy slowed it down.
Also a result of actions taken by the NAC, industrial production had risen from 3.4% in 2000 to 6.9% in 2010. All of this is a good sign that Bahrain’s economy is gaining in strength every day.
Bahrain’s exports went from $3.3 billion in 2000 to $15.5 billion last year, and imports have just as impressive a story. Imports went from $3.5 billion in 2000 to $14.25 billion last year. This country is not having any problems in the financial area.
Bahrain: A Growing, Thriving Business Hub

Dr. Mashal said because of the NAC and the reforms Bahrain is once again looking good to the business world. In 2000 their imports were more than their exports, but as time went on they grew and now they have a trade surplus. Bahrain has grown to the 75th place country in the world of trade. The NAC turned it into a country with a sturdy financial environment
Dr. Mashal adds that Bahrain now has a more liberal economy. He claims it’s value-oriented, the people have 100% ownership in businesses and real estate, it’s competitive and has an easily convertible currency. Bahrain is now the most reputable business hub in the Gulf. He also claims that his country has the most mature administrative infrastructure, which added to the peace of mind and security business people can find there.
Investors can see that Bahrain is a transparent country that’s growing into one that has economic growth potential. He continues that investors can see a country that has a courageous and determined leader who is forward-thinking and has a vision for the next generations.
Filed Under: Business, Economic Development Tagged With: , , , , ,

Making Money From Foreclosure Properties

When the housing bubble burst, a lot of people lost their homes to foreclosures. Although this is a sad situation for families that lost their homes, foreclosures represent an opportunity for investors who want to make money from rental properties.

Buying Foreclosures

When banks foreclose on a home, they often want to get rid of the property quickly. They do this by lowering the price significantly to attract more buyers. When you find a foreclosure property located in a good neighborhood, you know that you have found a cash cow for your rental portfolio. Low interest rates on housing loans will help you save even more money. You can purchase these properties at unheard of prices and start making money from them immediately.

Renting Foreclosures for Profit

Since you purchase foreclosure properties at low prices and receive low-interest rates to pay for them, it is easy for you to charge a fair rent that will allow you to profit considerably. Some property owners find that they can make two to three times what their monthly mortgage payments are. Your profits can even increase if the neighborhood becomes more desirable to buyers. As prices in the neighborhood start to rise, you can charge higher rent to make more money from your property.

Managing Rental Properties

Many people find that they can manage one or two rental properties at most. The more properties you have, the more work you have to do. Instead of giving up all of your free time, you can hire a property management firm that takes care of rental payments, building maintenance and other concerns. Riverside property management firms often charge reasonable prices for their services. Since you already make large profits on your investment, you can easily afford to hire Riverside property management companies to help you take care of the property.

Many people find that investing in foreclosures as rental properties helps them save money for retirement or earn additional income.

Filed Under: Business, Finance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Canadian Spies Scolded for Using Logo on Accessories

Sometimes we work in places where we have to look professional, and certain things are okay in some environments but not in others. The best thing to do is to always be modest in dress; don’t be too revealing, and don’t be too trendy. We never know when it’ll come to the boss’s attention, so being safe is better than being sorry.
Some businesses require that their employees keep the location secret, and they make them sign statements where they swear not to divulge the goings on there. A business like that would do well to seem invisible, like spies. But not like Canadian spies – their government had to make an announcement that all Canadian spies should stop wearing clothing and accessories that have the CSIS logo or name on it.
New Memo: Canadian Spies Have to be More Discreet

No more hats, purses, key chains or other items with the crest logo and CSIS on them. These types of items aren’t sold in stores around town, they’re only sold at a small, secret gift shop in the basement of the CSIS building. Nobody is supposed to know about it, but it’s there.
The Canadian Press revealed that it had gotten a copy of the document via access to information regulation, and it warned all spies to be more discreet. They acknowledged that most civilians don’t recognize their logo, but given the Internet and increasing media attention, the spies are apt to be recognized.
That secret gift shop puts out a secure online catalogue of their goods that’s only available to the spies’ mailing lists. But, now that the press has gotten ahold of the document, it’s even published pictures of the items the memo talks about. Anyone who wasn’t aware of them or their logo is fully aware of them now!
Rumor has it we’ll be seeing them show up on eBay soon.
Filed Under: Business, Finance Tagged With: , , ,
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