01.19.05

Is It Still Possible To Make Money On The Internet?

Posted in Business at 12:00 am by admin

Is It Still Possible To Make Money On The Internet?
By Larry Lim

Many people are saying that the internet is dead. So is there
still money to be made on the Internet?

The answer is a definite YES.

Research shows, time and again, that consumers want to spend
more online, and that the internet is fast becoming an integral
part of their lifestyle and it’ll continue to be so. Internet
consumers are cautious and they want sites that are credible and worth shopping before they part with their money.

The traditional brick-and-mortar rules of business still apply
to internet business. It’s prudent to remember that the internet is not your business goal; it’s a medium in helping you achieve your business goals.

Adhere to my following Rules and you’ll be on your way to
building a viable, sustainable and successful internet business.

1. Develop a viable business plan

The biggest reason why so many dotcoms failed is an inadequate
business plan of how and when they will achieve profitability.
To have a successful and sustainable internet business,
developing a viable business plan from the outset is crucial.

Your plan must have a clear and sincere vision that has meaning
to you and your business. Your main focus should be to ‘plan to
profit within a set period of time’ and this would require you to allow time for thoughtful researching, planning, execution and testing. You’ll need to test out your business model first and ensure that it’s viable and sustainable.

Don’t make the same mistakes that many dotcoms made - trying to
build a global brand before their business model even worked as
it’ll lead you into receivership faster.

Regardless of how fanciful and good your website is, if your aim is not to make profit, you’ll go out of business.

2. Model someone successful

It’s always wise to learn from the mistakes of other people
rather than to learn from your own mistakes as this can sometimes be very costly and painful.

Track and learn from benchmarked success stories, be they your
competitors or otherwise. Why would you want to spend time
re-inventing the wheel when you can learn from those who have
already been there and done it successfully. Learn how they
design their website, create products, write salescopy, their
sales process, etc.

3. Focus on a niche market

Don’t be everything to everybody by trying to dominate a huge
and general market because you just simply can’t do it
effectively.

Focus your internet business on a targetable portion of the
market or a narrowly defined group of potential customers.
Address the need for a product or service that’s not being
addressed by mainstream providers. The advantage of this is that it’s less competitive in such a market as large businesses won’t want to be in it.

For this to be effective, the market niche that you’re targeting must be fast moving, its customers accessible and there mustn’t already be a dominant player in that particular market niche.

The key here is to find a niche market, assess the needs of the
market and then offer them your products and/or services that
meet their needs.

4. Differentiate your business

To capture a larger market share and be viable, sustainable and
profitable, you need to differentiate or distinguish your
business from your competitors; make your business special in
the eyes of your customers and/or prospects.

You can do this by creating what’s called a Unique Selling
Propostion or USP and then effectively convey that USP to your
target market via your marketing efforts and business performance.

This’s particularly crucial if you’re operating in a highly
competitive market.

A USP is the one thing or idea that sets your business favourably apart from your competitors. Think about these questions: “What’s the one thing that makes your business unique and distinct? Why should people buy from you and not from your competitors? Do you promise great value, benefit or service?”

Your USP is the focal point around which the success and
profitability of your business is built and so you must be able
to state it and fulfill it honourably and effectively.

5. Spent your funds wisely

Costs is one of the major determinant of your internet business’s survivability. You’ll need to carefully track and control your costs from the outset and make sure you can start to show a profit soon, as unmindful spending with no thought given to incoming resources will bleed you to death.

Credible websites not only require money to set up but also to
maintain; advertisement costs money. Driving traffic to your
website where you lose money on sales made is suicidal. Do your
sums; consistently refer back to your vision to ascertain whether an expense is warranted or meaningful.

6. Superior customer service

In addition to a viable business plan, a superior customer
service will be key to your success.

Superior customer service must be a high priority in your action plan. Build a trusting and long lasting relationship with your customers and prospects, send your staff for customer service training, fulfill your orders promptly, and constantly remind yourself the reason of your very existence.

This is crucial as it costs five times more to win a new customer than it costs to keep an existing customer. Moreover, a dissatisfied customer will tell, on average, five or six people about your bad service. The point I’m driving at here is that looking after your customers saves money and boosts profits.

Learn and apply what I teach you, do it right, and you’ll rise
above your competition and blow them out of the water in no time.

About the Author

Larry Lim is a practising marketing strategist and tactician who dishes out highly effective marketing strategies and tactics that will enable you to successfully start and grow your business on the Internet.

His Internet Marketing Strategy website is jam-packed with internet marketing secrets and softwares that will skyrocket your sales, and shoot your profits through the roof.

To read more of Larry Lim’s articles, visit http://www.articlesphere.com

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Customer Lifetime Value - The Key To Maximizing Your Profits!

Posted in Marketing at 12:00 am by admin

Customer Lifetime Value - The Key To Maximizing Your Profits!
By Larry Lim

The greatest asset to your business is your Customer,
specifically, your Customer Lifetime Value.

In my many years in Sales and Marketing, I’ve met many CEOs and
business owners who don’t have much clue as to what Customer
Lifetime Value is, much less its importance and the impact it
has on their bottomline. To most of them, what matters most is
to increase revenue by continuously acquiring new one-shot
customers.

This is one of the fatal mistakes that many business owners make;
it’s a sad scenario, but it’s also the reality. Let me tell you
something: it’ll cost you 5 times more to attract a new customer
than it is to bring one of your past customers back to you.

I don’t know you personally, but if you’re a smart business owner,
you’ll understand that every cent you invest in advertising is
going towards acquiring new customers. You’ll also realise that
once you’ve acquired the customers, you just can’t afford to let
them go.

So what’s Customer Lifetime Value?

Customer Lifetime Value is defined as the total value, in
monetary terms, of your average customers spanning the entire
period that these customers are likely to do business with you.
It’s the potential contribution of your customers to your
business over a period of time.

Here’s how to calculate your Customer Lifetime Value:

1). Let’s say you’ve 2,000 steady customers and these customers
remain with you for an average of two years; for the past two
years, your net profit was $700,000.

The Customer Lifetime Value can be calculated as:
$700,000/2,000 = $350.

What this means is that over an average customer lifespan of
two years, each new customer you could acquire and keep is worth
$350 to you in profits.

2). If you do not have the actual figures, you’ll have to
estimate. As the Customer Lifetime Value will have a significant
impact on your bottomline, my advice is that you be prudent and
conservative in your estimation.

Why is it so important to you and your business?

Lifetime Customer Value is important to you and your business
for the following reasons:

1). Knowing the Lifetime Value of your customers is crucial to
you and your business as it serves as a benchmark without which
you’ll be groping in the dark.

When you know the Lifetime Value of your customers, you can
determine how much time, effort and money you can afford to
invest to acquire that customer in the first instance.

In other words, you can invest more today to reap a much larger
profits later down the road as long as your cashflow is healthy
and can support it.

Every marketing campaign that you undertake costs you money as
well as reaping you benefits such as increased sales, enhanced
corporate image, etc. But how can you be sure that the benefits
would outweigh the costs or investments? This is where knowing
the Customer Lifetime Value is so powerful - it helps you to
determine this even before you launch your marketing campaign.

2). When you realize that customers are actually an ongoing
stream of revenue as opposed to a one-shot sale, you can re-focus
your marketing efforts.

Instead of contantly struggling to acquire more and more new
customers, you can now begin to focus on keeping your existing
customers longer and selling to them repeatedly, in other words,
repeat sales.

You may spend more like making stronger and more attractive
offers than your competition in acquiring new customers now who
will be your money spinners tomorrow.

This makes sense because you now know that on average you’ll more
than make it back over the years that the customers are with you
and therefore you could afford to break even or even lose money
now in acquiring the new customers.

Start shifting your focus to Customer Lifetime Value and maximise your profits today!

Start to have a proper understanding of Customer Lifetime Value
because it’s key to the success of your business. It’ll allow
you to acquire more customers than your competition through
better and more attractive offers; it’ll dramatically increase
your bottomline through more repeat sales and shoot your profits through the roof.

About the Author

Check out his Internet Marketing Strategy website that is jam-packed with internet marketing secrets and softwares that will skyrocket your sales, and shoot your profits through the roof.

IPA-IBA focuses on small and medium sized private companies in North America. Our complete profile reads a full-service business development group and general management consultancy aimed at aiding smaller entrepreneurs to make it big in life. We, International Profit Associates, over the years, have helped more than 170,000 small and medium sized businesses to create and maintain positive cash flow, accelerate growth, and control costs thereby letting young entrepreneurs to realize their dreams which they saw when they started out. With over 1,800 full-time employees on rolls, IPA IBA is one of the fastest growing integrated business analysis firms in the US.

To read more of Larry Lim’s articles, visit http://www.articlesphere.com

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12.07.04

Top 10 Business Email Etiquette Basics

Posted in Business at 12:00 am by admin

Top 10 Business Email Etiquette Basics
By Judith Kallos

When it comes to your business email communications, you need to make an impression that can lend to the determination that you are a credible professional enterprise and someone that will be easy and a pleasure to do business with. Your first impression made is invaluable to building trust and confidence.

For your consideration below are the Top 10 Business Email Etiquette issues that need to be addressed with every commercial email sent. These are the issues business owners and their employees minimally need to be aware of in their day-to-day online communications so their business can thrive.

SUBJECT: Field: The SUBJECT: field is the window into your email and can many times determine even if your email will be opened. If this is your first contact with a customer based on their request through your site or otherwise, be sure to have a short SUBJECT: that indicates clearly what the topic of the email is. Never be misleading in this regard! Typos, all caps or all small case can lend to the impression you may be spammer.
Level of Formality: Never assume a position of informality in your business email. Only time and relationship building efforts can guide when you can informalize your business relationships and therefore your email tone. In some cases that time may never arise. Do not assume that email is impersonal or informal when it comes to your business communications. It is very personal - a window into the type of person you are and how you run your business. Remember, people do business with people not companies. One should communicate as if your email is on your company letterhead at all times. This is your business’s image you are branding!
Addressing: How do you address your new contacts? I would suggest initially that you assume the highest level of courtesy: Hello, Mr. Anderson, Dear Ms. Jones, Dr. Osborne, etc. Until your new contact states, “call me Andy” or “you can call me Diane”. Keep it formal until it is clear the relationship dictates otherwise. You will also be able pick up clues by how your contacts approach you and their tone. Most business people do not mind being called by their first name, however, in a global economy that can be perceived as taking premature liberties in the relationship if used too soon.
TO:, From:, BCc, Cc fields can make or break you:..In the TO: field make sure you have your contact’s name formally typed. John B. Doe - not john b doe or JOHN B DOE.
..In the FROM: field make sure your have your full name formally typed. Example: Jane A. Jones. Not: jane a jones or JANE A JONES. The later two give the perception of lack of education or limited experience with technology. Always use your full name. By only including your first name or email address you are giving the perception you may have something to hide or do not know the basics of configuring your email program.

..BCc: use this field when emailing a group of contacts who do not personally know each other. By listing an arms length list of email addresses in the Cc or TO fields of contacts who do not know each other or who have never met is conducive to publishing their email address to strangers. No matter how great the list of people may be to you, never make this decision for others! This is a privacy issue! With those you are forging partnerships with, visibly listing their email address in with a group of strangers will make one wonder what other privacy issues you may not respect or understand. Not good.

..Cc: Use this field when there are a handful of associates involved in a discussion that requires all be on the same page. These business people know each other or have been introduced and have no problem having their email address exposed to the parties involved. If you are not sure if a business associate would mind their address being made public, ask!
Formatting: Refrain from using it in your business communications. Unless you would type something in bold crimson letters on business letterhead, don’t do it when emailing for commercial gain. With all the spam filtering going on today; the more formatting or embedded images that higher the chance that your email could be blocked as spammy. Even something as simple as using a different font makes your email’s display contingent upon the recipient having that specific font on their system or it defaults to their designated default font. Keep in mind the recipient may not have their email program configured in such a way as to display your formatting the way it appears on your system - if at all.
Attachments: How do you think your relationship with a potential new customer is enhanced when you send them that 10M Power Point presentation they didn’t request and you fill up their inbox causing subsequent business correspondence to bounce as undeliverable? Nope. And, if they do not have Power Point they couldn’t open the file anyway! Never assume your potential customers have the software you do to open any file you may arbitrarily send.
If you need to send a file over 500,000 in size, business courtesy dictates you ask the recipient first if it is O.K. to send a large file. Next, confirm they have the same software and version you do and what is the best time of day to sent it to them to ensure they are available to download the large file and keep their email flowing. Never send large attachments without warning, on weekends or after business hours when the recipient may not be there to clear out their inbox and keep their email flowing.
Using Previous Email for New Correspondence: If you want to give the perception of lazy, find a previous email from the party you want to communicate with, hit reply and start typing about something completely irrelevant to the old email’s subject. Always start a new email and add your contacts to your address book so you can add them to a new email with one click.
Down Edit Your Replies: Do not just hit reply and start typing. Editing is a skill those you communicate with will appreciate as it lends to reflecting a respect for their time and clarity in your communications. Removing parts of the previous email that no longer apply to your response including email headers and signature files removes the clutter. In addition, by making the effort to reply point by point keeps the conversation on track with fewer misunderstandings.
Common Courtesy: Hello, Hi, Good Day, Thank You, Sincerely, Best Regards. All those intros and sign offs that are a staple of professional business communications should also be used in your business email communications. Always have a salutation and sign off with every email. Here again - think business letterhead.
Signature files: Keep your signature files to no more than 5-6 lines or you may be viewed as a bit egocentric. Limit your signature to your Web site link, company name, and slogan/offer or phone number. Include a link to your site where the recipient can get all your contact information from A-Z - that is what your site is for. Do not forget to include the “http://” when including your Web site address within emails and your signature file to ensure the URL is recognized as a clickable URL regardless of the user’s software or platform.

There you have it! The above Top 10 items will certainly allow your business communications to rise above the majority who do not take the time to understand and master these issues. When forging new business relationships and solidifying established partnerships, the level of professionalism and courtesy you relay in your business email communications will always gain clients over the competition that may be anemic, uninformed or just plain lazy in this area.

When it comes to business, regardless of mode of communication used, professionalism and courtesy never go out of style!

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08.05.04

Using Film Speed Effectively

Posted in Photography at 12:00 am by admin

Using Film Speed Effectively
By Kelly Paal

So you have this great new camera. Now you�re standing in front of a display of more film that you�ve ever seen. All you want to do is take some great family photos but you don�t know where to start. Here�s short guide to help you get started.

Film speed is a number that represents the film�s sensitively to light. The higher the number the more sensitive to light, in that the less light is needed to take a well exposed photo. The number is also an indicator of the detail you will receive from the negative. The higher the number the more likely that you�ll see a graininess to the print when enlarged. Film speed goes from 25 to 1600 speed film.

25 to 200 Best for still life and portrait work, in studio conditions where the lighting is controlled. This is not the film for family shots indoors even with a camera mounted flash. You�d really need a complete lighting set up to use this film effectively. 200 speed film is very good for outdoor sunny conditions when you�re trying to get a shot of a beautiful landscape. It offers excellent detail and color saturation.

400 Considered the all purpose film. Most films touted as all subject or general purpose are really 400 speed film. When in doubt use 400 speed film. Though you may still be using your camera mounted flash in room lighting conditions. Also good for outdoor conditions, will give you some flexibility in darker conditions and where you are trying to capture a moving subject.

800 to 1200 Made for capturing fast moving subjects in all types of lighting situations. People running, playing ball, etc. This is the film you want if you want to freeze frame the action of a baseball game. This film speed can be used for capturing fast moving wildlife, like birds, but you will see less detail if you enlarge above a 16 by 20 size.

1600 This film is for super high speed shots. Unless you shooting a car or boat race you probably won�t need this film. Don�t use this for nature and landscape images the lack of detail will be obvious in enlargements.

Most of the time you�ll only need a 400 speed film for basic snapshots. But it doesn�t hurt to use the other speeds for special occasions, you�ll notice a difference.

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal
Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

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How To Choose Diamond Stud Earrings

Posted in Business at 12:00 am by admin

How To Choose Diamond Stud Earrings
By Lauren Stomel

Diamond beauty versus cost: What is the best combination?
Better quality diamonds are more brilliant and beautiful, but they command higher prices as well. This article explains how to find the best value in diamond stud earrings: the brightest diamond for the lowest cost.

For those who can afford it, we recommend an excellent cut diamond of G-H color and “eye-clean” clarity. This is a moderately priced diamond, but earrings of this quality will produce the same dazzling shower of light as those costing thousands of dollars more.

There are three simple reasons: first, it is the excellent cut that breathes life and sparkle into a diamond. Second, most experts agree that a G-H color appears colorless when mounted, so spending more for D-E-F color diamonds isn’t necessary. Third,a diamond of SI2 clarity is “eye-clean”, meaning it has no flaws visible to the naked eye, but costs a lot less than the higher clarity grades.

Excellent bargains with only a slight compromise in beauty can be found in the I1 Clarity range as well, as long as the cut is good and the color is in the G-H range.

For those who are on a budget, don’t feel embarrassed to buy diamonds of a lower quality. All diamond earrings sparkle when they are worn on a woman’s ear, and let’s face it: for the same price, many women would rather wear 1 carat studs of a lower quality than 1/2 carat studs of a higher quality.

Fast Fact: there are many good websites to purchase diamond stud earrings. Our top recommendation, however goes to a specialty site www.diamondstudsonly.com. They sell the same color, clarity and cut grades for about 25% less than the typical “sale” price in a retail jewelry store (and other internet stores), and they back it up with a price comparison tool that allows you to view prices for earrings of the same quality on many other major internet jewelry sites. You will also have the security of their free insurance against loss of any kind for a full year.

Choosing the right Color:
The finest diamonds are colorless, rare and expensive. On the GIA grading scale, D-F are considered colorless, G-I near colorless and any grade J or below shows an increasingly yellowish tinge. Beyond the preference for a whiter stone, however, the color of a diamond does not affect its brightness or sparkle.

Fast Fact: Most experts agree that, when mounted, diamonds in the “G-H” range appear colorless, and represent a much better value than “D-F” stones which command significantly higher prices.

Choosing the right Clarity:
Diamonds with fewer flaws (inclusions) are rare and therefore more highly prized. In many cases, these flaws don’t detract from the beauty of the diamond because they are invisible to the naked eye.

Fast Fact: Any grade “SI2″ or above has inclusions that are “eye clean”, not visible to the naked eye. An “I1″ grade can be an excellent value, particularly if the inclusion is on the outer edge. “I2″ grades can still exhibit a fair degree of fire and light. “I3″ grade diamonds are noticeably more opaque or dark to the naked eye.

Choosing the right Cut:<
More than any other attribute, it is the Cut that makes a diamond brilliant and beautiful. A diamond that is well cut reflects light internally and displays a dazzling shower of light back through the top of the stone.

Fast Fact: When viewing a diamond, look directly into the center: if there are dark facets in the center or a dark ring around the center, or if the diamond appears opaque, it is probably due to poor cut.

Brilliance, Dispersion and Scintillation:
The secret of a diamond that is properly cut is that it returns a measurably greater amount of light, which is displayed as brilliance, dispersion and scintillation. This is the true measure of a diamond’s beauty.

Brilliance: The total amount of white light, both external and internal, returned from the diamond to the eye of the observer.
Dispersion: Flashes of color, or fire, particularly when viewing a diamond in strong, direct light.

Scintillation: Reflections and flashes of white light from the diamond’s surface as the diamond, observer or light source moves.

Click here to view photos along with the above presentation

Submitted by: Lauren Stomel

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You Have to Spend Money to Earn Money

Posted in Business at 12:00 am by admin

You Have to Spend Money to Earn Money
By Byron Wong

It surprises me that many people fail to grasp this concept as they first set out to start their own businesses. Thanks to the power of the Internet, anyone who has a computer and an Internet connection can now START their own online businesses with little investment. However, generally speaking, it is a given that you have to invest money into your business to if you seriously want it to grow.

Affiliate marketing is a great way for ordinary people to start making money on the Internet. After finding an affiliate program that offers products you are interested in promoting, you can start an online business with just a website. So your total investment up to this point may simply be registering for a domain name and paying for a web hosting account.

But then what? You have to start marketing the products and getting people to your website! A lot of people are turned off when they discover that this is a demanding process that requires a substantial amount of hard work, time, AND money!

Let me give you a specific example. As all experienced Internet marketers know, “the money is in the list.” Simply put, you want to build a mailing list of people who may be interested in what you have to offer.

One of the most effective ways to grow your mailing list is to use a pay-per-lead service where you PAY a company to bring targeted subscribers to you. The company will run an advertising campaign for you and deliver motivated, opt-in subscribers to your list. The cost can vary greatly depending on the information you require. The e-mail lead packages I have been using recently range from $.10 to $.35 per lead.

The best lead provider I have used is TrafficOasis. It provides targeted leads that are fresh, NON-SHARED, responsive, and affordable. If you who like to know more, check out its website: http://www.trafficoasis.com/index.php?118787

Other areas where you MAY want to invest money in include: logo design, web design, web promotion, and useful tools such as a graphics editor and a powerful autoresponder. However, there are plenty of free resources on the Internet and I encourage you to seek them out.

The saying, “You have to spend money to earn money,” generally holds true for ANY business! An Internet-based business is no exception,whether your are promoting your own products or someone else’s.

It is also important that you re-invest a portion of your profits into your business! That way, not only will your business continue to grow, but its GROWTH RATE will also increase! This in turn brings in MORE profits, which allows you to invest MORE into your business… Do you see a pattern!?

The key is to invest money into your business wisely while staying within your budget. If you believe in your business, you are bound to be successful!

To Your Success!
Byron Wong

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Shopping For An Engraved Gift

Posted in Gifts at 12:00 am by admin

Shopping For An Engraved Gift
By Bill Shayler

The Articles of Engraving - Information for the engraving consumer
Copyright (C) Shayler Engraving 2004 All Rights Reserved

Purchasing engraving or an engraved gift can be a daunting task. An inexperienced buyer is presented with more questions than
answers. An unprepared consumer may be forced to make hurried decisions they later regret. A little preparation is definately in order.

..(1) Have you selected your engraver?

You may find a store where you can purchase an item that also has limited engraving capabilities. This type of store usually relies on pre-programmed systems to perform their engraving rather than skill or expertise. This is a good option if the results meets your expectations.

A more common scenario is to purchase your item at one store and then look for someone to engrave it.

Unless you are knowledgeable on the subject, it is a good idea to select an engraver before you purchase your item. The engraver can advise you before you purchase as to what to look for and whether or not they would be willing to do the job. They may be able to refer you to a reputable dealer that you can trust, or talk to the dealer you are considering to ensure that the resulting product is as you expect it to be.

Many engravers and jewelers will not engrave articles they do not sell. There are valid reasons for this:

…a. First and foremost, they may not be able to replace the item if the customer is not satisfied or something goes wrong.

…b. The engraver may not have the necessary tooling to perform the task requested.

…c. The engraver may lack the confidence or expertise in the particular area of engraving required. There are many forms of engraving. Most engravers do not specialize in all areas. You may need to be referred to another engraver better equipped to perform the task.

..(2) Is the item worth engraving?

Professional engraving is expensive. It takes many years experience to develop the skill and to collect the tooling necessary to do the work. It is not unusual for the cost of the engraving to exceed the cost of the item by many times. Only the consumer can decide if the finished article will be worth it to them or not.

..(3) Is The Item Engraveable?

Items that lack certain qualities can be ruined by attempts to engrave them. Many items today are not solid metal but are cast in an inexpensive alloy and plated finish. In most cases quality plating can survive some engraving processes but more often than not the plating will peal or allow corrosion under the engraving causing severe problems down the road.

It can be difficult even for an experienced engraver to detect the quality of an item before the cutting begins. An item made of a poor metal alloy covered with a gold plating will look and feel real nice but when the engraving starts the plating separates from the base metal and the item is ruined.

Quality may be reflected in the cost of the item. If you are considering engraving an inexpensive item you will probably not be satisfied with the results. Do not be fooled because the item is expensive. Many marginal quality items have been sold to unsuspecting customers at to high a price.

Purchase your item from a reputable dealer who will guarantee your purchase is engraveable. One that will refund your money as well as your engraving costs if a quality problem occurs.

..(4) Can your item hold all you want to engrave on it?

Be realistic. The more engraving you put on a small area the harder it is going to be to read. We have equipment in our studio that has the ability to engrave letters so small they look like dots. This is interesting but what is the value? Engraving usually involves a sentiment the purchaser would like to be readable. Try to keep the message as short as possible. Font choice will play an important part as well.

..(5) Have an idea what you want to say…

It is not fair to expect the engraver to create your message. Most are more than happy to help you craft your words to fit the item but the you must have a good idea of what you want to say.

Have your ideas written down. You will be making many choices during your conversation with the engraver concerning fonts, layout or design, you do not want to forget what you want to engrave or be incorrect in your information.

With a little preparation, the purchase of engraving can be a very enjoyable and satisfying experience.

Bill Shayler is a professional engraver as well as the
owner of Shayler Engraving and shayler-engraving.com,
a company specializing in the art of engraving.
For more information,
please visit: http://www.shayler-engraving.com/

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What to Ask Before You Hire Security Services for Your Business

Posted in Security at 12:00 am by admin

What to Ask Before You Hire Security Services for Your Business
By Gary L. Cunningham

The main reason is to stop any potential lawsuits from happening! But do you know how many individuals I have talked to about this very thing? Many! Do you know what the majority have told me? They have locks and cameras, so they don�t need anymore security than that!

This is a mess waiting to happen, the reason is as follows. This attitude is the reason things happen in business establishments that prompt major lawsuits from those that get hurt in some way while on the premises or by someone on the premises.

The reasons are as follows:

Hiring/Retention Negligence
Security Negligence
Premises Liability
Fail to Protect
Fail to Provide Security

This starts off with the very first thing you do in business, hire employees without doing background checks on them! One of the fastest ways to get sued today in business is to not check the backgrounds of employees and they turn out to be criminals! Not only can this mean they are stealing from your business, but they can also be stealing information from your clients. They may even be waiting to attack one of your clients; this is where you become liable!

Here is a list of the most viable security measures that you need to look at for your business:

Hiring & Termination Security Issues
Perimeter Security Issues
Theft/Fraud Issues
Information Theft Issues
Money Handling Issues
Access & Egress security Measures

You need to start looking at your security measures for your business now and adapt them where it is necessary to help stop any potential lawsuits from befalling you. Therefore, you have to take the list above and go through each topic to see if it actually impacts you. Then you have an idea of what to change and it should also help you as to how you should change it for the better.

If you do not feel like you can do this by yourself, then you need to hire a competent security consultant to do an assessment of your security measures. This will give you the insight needed to make decisions that will affect your business and the security measures you need to keep that business safe.

Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print, free of charge, as long as you include my full signature file for Ezine�s. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to secuone@aol.com Thank you.

Gary Cunningham is a Certified Protection Officer with over 30 years experience in High Risk Security, Law Enforcement Special Operations, Specialized Training and Military Special Operations. For more information on his services to business owners, check out www.cmbizinfo.com or e-mail him at secuone@aol.com!

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Why Hire a Security Consultant

Posted in Security at 12:00 am by admin

Why Hire a Security Consultant
By Gary L. Cunningham

I have often been asked, �Why should I hire a security consultant to tell me what security measures my business needs?� I guess the biggest reason is if you know little to nothing about security, then you need to hire someone that does know the ins and outs to get the most benefit!

There is a lot more than just looking at your doors, windows and locks or alarm systems to figuring out what security measures are need to protect your entire business. The main goal is to look at all your liabilities on security issues and reduce or eliminate them. This saves you time and money in the long run and keeps you out of a possible court situation in the future.

To this end, you need to do a physical site security survey. This will identify the most pressing of your security issues that can get you in trouble. By looking at the entire company, those issues can be identified, measures to protect you implemented and your liabilities reduced!

There are measures that only need to have policies and procedures changed or implemented that will reduce your liabilities. There are other measures that you will need to put in place to protect your hiring process that can save you from a lawsuit. Then there may be other measures that contain a security presence on site or after hours that will protect you.

The thing with competent security consultants is, they know what to look for when identifying security issues and they know how to deal with them with cost effective reductions/eliminations. They know what does and does not work for a variety of business types and your particular area of location.

Security measures do not mean that it has to be a major expense outlay every time. But, it can come to a major expense if you do not have the proper security measures and wind up in a court situation being sued for that reason. You may have insurance to cover it and they may not cover you if found negligent.

Then there is the bad publicity, the court time, the lawyers fees and on and on. You can see it can be very traumatic for a business owner! Especially if you lose the case and very expensive too!

So it makes sense to use a security consultant to get the best benefits you can, think of the expense as an investment for the future. It will keep you out of court, it could save you on your insurance, it will keep you out of the bad publicity limelight and it will give you piece of mind.

It is better to be prepared and not need it than to not be prepared and need it. This is true for any type of business! Stop looking at security as just an expense and look at it for what it is, an investment to protect your future!

Consultants can help you with the following issues:

� Negligent Hiring/Retention
� Premises Liability
� Negligent Security
� Hiring Contract Security Services
� Physical Site Security Surveys
� Business Espionage
� Fraud and Internal Thefts
� Disaster recovery
� Risk Analysis

There are many ways a consultant can protect your business. You are looking at reducing your liabilities and protecting your self, employees, assets and the facility you have. After all you have worked for a while to get where you are, would it not be silly to lose it all because you thought it was an unnecessary expense?

Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print, free
of charge, as long as you include my full signature file
for Ezine�s. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to secuone@aol.com Thank you.

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The Secret Language of Money

Posted in Presentation at 12:00 am by admin

The Secret Language of Money
By David Krueger MD

At a number of business seminars and presentations, I passed out an index card and asked each person in the audience to write anonymously a single answer to each of three questions. The three questions are:

1. To me money means _________.

2. My current annual income is _______________.

3. In order to insure happiness and contentment financially, with no more money problems and worries, my annual income would need to be __________.

The answers to these three simple questions reveal how much more we attribute to money than it being a medium of exchange. Money has a range of emotional meanings hitchhiking on it: love, security, control, power, worth, freedom, success, status.

In over 90% of the hundreds of people I have polled, their annual income would need to be roughly double its current amount for them to feel happy, content, without money problems and worries. This is as true as for someone who makes $50,000 a year, and believes it would take roughly $100,000 a year in order to be financially content as it is for someone who makes $500,000 and believes that it would take roughly a million a year. And, in discussions after this brief poll, those who actually experienced their income doubling also doubled their �happy and content� amount: for someone who had made $50,000 and believed that it would take around $100,000 to be happy, when they had achieved $100,000 annually, they then thought it would take about twice that amount to be content and worry-free about money.

Money was always intended to be a symbol, so it is a ready stand-in as a screen onto which we project personal meanings of what we idealize, want, yet fear we don�t have enough of, don�t deserve, or can never have. Particular emotions, such as fear and greed, may predominate in the money arena. Strategies and game plans may be abandoned at times of excess stimulation � when things are going particularly bad or especially good � and bad investment decisions prevail.

Money�s symbolism is uniquely subjective, though society adds metaphors of its own. Some of the meanings are outside the realm of logic, reason, and intellect. The issue of money may quickly spark ambition, insecurity, envy, fear, jealousy, complication, guilt, or any number of emotional reactions. If someone is competitive, insecure, or prone to fantasize and worry, money is always a reliable and tangible focus, a yardstick of many measures.

Many emotional and relationship issues can manifest vividly in the financial arena, focusing on money as the answer, the problem, or both. Money may be the common language of success phobia, impulsivity, and even fear of autonomy, such as creating financial crises from which to be rescued. Money symptoms include compulsions such as gambling, shopping, hoarding. Money may become the currency of addictions such as work, financial risk-taking, money acquisition, or impulsive spending.
While we often make decisions on an emotional basis, the particular meanings and significance of money has a built-in readiness to be an emotional trip wire for meanings and decisions that are repetitive and limiting.

The more money represents unfulfilled needs or wants, the more promise it holds of happiness. The perpetual hope that more money will provide happiness sharply focuses what �enough� is. Someone who assumes that more money would bring more security or freedom may find that more money paradoxically brings a lessened sense of security and freedom. Or, if we could have just the right amount of money, then we could do exactly what we really want to do and have what we want. The �right amount� may be a specific figure, but if it is a floating figure defined by �more� it is perpetually elusive. But this illusion may not have to be confronted as long as the amount extends beyond the realized, and about double is a safe lead.

Understanding and changing money problems and patterns requires understanding your money story as part of a life story that you are creating each day. The beginning of evaluation of that story is to recognize that you are the author of that story. Whatever you think, feel, and do are active creations for ownership moment by moment.

Being loyal to a game plan and reaching a goal assumes having a game plan and attainable goals. First, construct a map to figure out where you are and where you want to go. Without a map, there cannot be a plan to get there; without knowing where you want to go, any map will do. Next, figure out how to get there. Primary problems with those who do not succeed include not knowing where they are, where they are going, not having a plan to get there, or getting distracted from their plan to get there. Having a map (attainable goals and measurable results) allows you to filter noise, to discern the route to where you want to go, and to recognize what is tangential or a detour in getting there.

Your life is the manifestation of your beliefs. Changing your mind changes your brain and life, as beliefs, goals, and visions drive action. Your experiences are always consistent with your assumptions: enhance the ones that work, and change the ones that don�t work.

David Krueger, M.D. is an Executive Strategist/ Professional Coach He is the author of 14 books including EMOTIONAL BUSINESS. The Meanings and Mastery of Work, Money and Success.
dkrueger@mentorpath.com
http://www.MentorPath.com

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