Casual Articles - Business

What Do You Need to Know About Nursing Profession
Nurses perhaps the best friend of a patient. Though they get paid for their job, yet the care and concern they exhibit for the patient is unparalleled and remarkable. The nursing territory generally belongs to females. But even men like women can take up this profession after adequate training. However, since past few years a decline is seen in the number of people taking up nursing as a career. There can be many reasons behind it. So, the primary task of this article will be to enumerate these various causes along with the consequences of shrinking number of registered nurses day by day.Exploring the different causes:Less number of schools can be a foremost factor. There are not many schools that run programs to make future nurses.Adding to the plight is the fact that the schools that exist are in an awful condition. There is not just lack of funds, laboratories and clinical equipments here but the faculty too is not enough and well qualified. These issues preclude many people from entering into this profession. While those who enter the program confront problems at all stages and at times end up giving it up or leaving it in the middle.The age factor is another drawback. The average age for the registered nurses is significantly high. So, the moment these registered nurses retire, there occurs an acute shortage of new ones.No appropriate measures are taken to train new nurses. Even the hospitals that take up this task are reluctant to spend good amount on training nurses. The medical and other facilities are very poor. This entails reluctance on the part of individuals to seek employment as a nurse.Novel and advanced courses- many new and advanced courses like MBA, Mass Communication and so forth are picking pace these days. They are usually equipped with best facilities and funds and are seen fetching rich jobs. So more guys and gals are willing to make a wealthy career via such courses.The restricted scope for growth, relatively low salary structure and tremendous workload are also the debarring features. The job of a nurse is deemed to be quite a stressful job nowadays, that requires prolonged working even at odd hours.The Outcomes:A surge in demographic levels has resulted in more number of big and small diseases and so large number of patients. But the shortage of nurses adversely affects p

siness approach that brings cultural change will generate resistance.

Breaking down your CRM project into bite-size pieces with small pilot projects and simple, measurable and realistic milestones will often keep the feeling of success surrounding your project going and draw-in all the necessary departments. Small focused groups allow you the flexibility to make on-the-fly adjustments without increasing the political noise level.

More Is More

When it comes to data, always get more than you need and peel it back. It’s easier to reduce the amount of data you need than to attempt to create new.

Thorough analysis of the data you’ve collected is necessary to insure that what you’ve collected is truly mission critical.

Grab Your Sox and Drop Your…

Understand the rules around Sorbanes-Oxley. If you have more than a few employees then yes, you’ll need to setup a project leader or team to insure that your system is “SOX Compliant” and leave it at that. There are a number of great resources to assist you in understanding the legislation on the internet…go look ‘em up on Google.

Solution Providers: Marry in Haste, Repent at Leisure

For any organization CRM is a large investment so choose your “partners” with the same care you’d choose your spouse.

Considering that the divorce rate is at 50% it's obvious that people often make expensive mistakes when choosing a partner. In this case, the wrong partner could cost you your business. Before you impulsively join in a “strategic partnership” with a solution provider you may first want to ask them a few key questions:

The Company
* How long has the supplier been established?
* Who are their partners?
* Who are their suppliers (Office equipment, software, development etc.)
* What are their Mission, Vision and Core Values? Look at those statements carefully. Often those are not ideals that have been achieved but where they want to go.

The Product
* Be sure to understand the licensing, purchase and on-going development costs. Seems obvious but it’s worth saying. What are the specific costs associated with the product; i.e. a one-off purchase price, an annual renewable license, a charge per user etc?

Drive Before You Buy
*Does the supplier offer any form of evaluation software so that you can try before you buy?
*Do they have an analysis or assessment process prior to installation?
*Will they do a pilot implementation for a specific area?

Specifications
*Is the system scalable to grow with my business?
*Is the system written in open-source code? Is the code written to industry standards? Is there a developer community?
*What operating systems does it support?
*What are the bandwidth requirements?
*What are the client-side requirements? Hardware? Software?
*Are there special service packs, patches or other OS or applications updates that need to be installed prior to implementation?
*Ask for a security statement. What security risks or potential risks are associated with this product?
Support
*Will they assign an implementation project manager (NOT a sales rep) to co-lead the implementation?
*How much is charged for technical support? Is it on a per call basis? Monthly? Is it 24/7 coverage?
*Does the supplier provide consultancy and, if so, at what rates?
*Can the su

Career Path Decided at the Pump?
As gas prices continue to skyrocket, more and more people are beginning to look at their work at home options. Many people who have never considered the non-traditional workplace are taking it more seriously.Work at home used to be one of those phrases that often met with that look. You know, that disapproving look that your mother gave you when you said you wanted to take a break from school to “find yourself” or that the dent was in the car before you took it. Most people envisioned a career from home to be sitting on your couch stuffing envelopes or being on the phone all day selling magazine subscriptions. People did not consider at home jobs as “real jobs.”Those traditional work at home jobs still exist, but the range of other options is literally endless. The explosion of the internet, that seems to be continuing without end in sight, makes working from a home office a viable option in almost any field.You can find thousands of virtual assistants, internet marketers, customer service agents, insurance salespeople, and freelancers in almost any field joining the work at home force everyday. A lot of these people started working at home to be able to spend more time with their families. Maybe they simply wanted to start their own business, and financially, a home office was the only way feasible. Working at home has also become a way for people who are unable to work in a traditional setting due to disabilities to take back control of their lives.These days, the cost of driving to and from work everyday is forcing people to take a look at ways to cut costs. The price of gas does not seem to be going down anytime soon. It might sound like a minimal impact on your finances at first. However, so many people live in suburbs or bedroom communities and have such a long commute that their salaries are simply being eaten up at the gas pump.These people are the ones who are becoming more open to the option of telecommuting or working at home. More businesses are also paying attention. There are many companies that are offering full time telecommuting or some combination of on-site and off-site options to employees.So, if you’re feeling like you’ve been punched in the stomach every morning at the gas station register filling up to go in to work, start exploring your options. There might just be more alternatives than you th

Customer Relationship Management has been a holy grail for Big Business for the past ten years. So what about Small to Mid-sized Business (SMB) applications? If you talk to CRM software vendors they will claim that CRM systems help SMBs become more efficient, drive more sales (your ROI) and increase the accuracy of your forecast.

A few consultants have an alternative view: they see CRM as a process rather than a software product. A CRM process allows you to effectively manage your customer interactions (get to know your customers). This way you actually get to use the nice shiny tools that the CRM software vendors offer.

While I tend to agree with the latter, my experience with databases is as my algebra teacher used to say: GIGO! (Garbage-In Garbage-Out).

Regardless of which view you take, you’re going to need to do a lot of research and soul-searching within your organization in order to get the most from your CRM. Here is what you need to think about to get started:

What is Customer Relationship Management?

Well...the answer depends not only on who you talk to, but also on who you are.

If you are a sales rep, CRM simply means effectively using Outlook or Act or some other contact manager to track potential customers as they move through your sales cycle.

If you're a business owner or CEO then it means tracking all of your customer's information as they touch your organization at key points. This is how you know when they'll need to buy your widget or have their new wiget serviced or whether they'll want to know about an upgrade to a particular line of widgets.

As the owner, CRM means you will be able to provide your employees with access to customer information at all levels of your organization from a centrally managed location. This improves service and aids in customer retention.

The big idea here is to keep vital knowledge about your customers within your organization, even if your employees change.

Is CRM Right for You?

It depends on who you are, and how you apply it.

If you're a Big Company CEO then you've probably already sunk millions into a strategic alliance (bought their product) with Oracle or SAP. Then you paid their developers millions more to automate your broken business processes. This generates tons of overtime hours from overworked employees as they fix customer issues "in the back office". Fortunately, your stock went up anyway because you talked big to Wall Street analysts about your million dollar magic database system which makes your organization appear more efficient. Operational inefficiencies are quietly choking this organization, but your golden parachute will probably open out as soon as the fan begins to blow your way.

HOWEVER, in all likelihood if you are reading this you're probably not a Big Company CEO. Perhaps instead you run a mid-sized private company with multiple regional locations. In this case you may have several different systems that require your employees to spend their time faxing documents back and forth between departments. Despite this your customers are pretty happy because they get to speak with Sally (their favorite customer service rep) everyday and the product gets out the door.

OR you’re a small business owner that knows almost all of his customers by name because you’ve managed to enter MOST of them into your Outlook address folder. SOMEDAY you’ll be able to find the rest of those business cards from last year’s convention. Anyway, you’ve managed hire a few key employees that remember the rest of your customer’s names, what they’ve ordered and when they’ll need to re-order new stock. Because of this you can usually come close to a forecast of next month’s sales.

Now for the nitty gritty:

So, what can CRM do for a Small to Mid-sized Business?

Properly applied, CRM can:

* Make every customer count - The cost associated with finding a customer means that you need to make every customer count. While it’s important to secure new business, it’s your repeat business that means long term success. * Help you know your customers - When you're a small business knowing your customer means knowing what they need now and what they may need 30/60/90 days from now. This knowledge is often the key to survival. * Generate cross-selling (making suggestions) of product enhancements or alternatives. * Target marketing communications to your customer’s specific needs. * Increase customer retention and repeat business. Repeat business from existing customers means reduction in overall cost of sales.

Okay. So you’ve decided that you’re sold on CRM and you want to buy a system to bring in those customers, get inside their heads and bring ‘em back for more. Now you’re going to need to know your CRM options in terms of software systems.

Pros and Cons of ASP vs. Boxed Software:

There are two models for CRM. Application Service Provider model and software based. There are a number of advantages to both the ASP and software models.

Application Service Providers ASPs offer web-based CRM services. The ASP model is a decent option if you want to implement a solution quickly and your organization lacks the in-house talent or resources to customize an existing application or build from the ground. ASPs are good bet if you’re an internet based business or small business that needs a fast and low-cost start-up solution.

Pros * No software updates to manage or install * No servers to support or purchase * No back-ups of critical customer information required * Generally low start up cost (hardware, software and training included)

Cons * ASP's can go out of business, taking critical customer information with them * High-speed internet connection required * Internet connection outage means critical customer information is not available

Boxed or Off-the-shelf software Several software manufacturers produce CRM solutions that work with existing packages (Lotus, Outlook). Often these companies offer stripped down or basic versions of their packages targeted to small businesses. This can be low-cost solution if you’ve already invested in standard Microsoft business applications and can deal with most of the standard modules they offer. If you’re flexible and willing trade some functionality for convenience and price then boxed software may work for you.

Pros * Application is theoretically available on a 24/7 basis * No high-speed internet connection required * Business critical information is securely stored on company servers and back-ups are easily accessible * Business is not immediately interrupted due to a change in the developers business situation

Cons * Generally high-start-up costs (server hardware, software and training) * On-going support required: Back-ups, updates and service packs etc. * Data can often be stored in a proprietary format that will require conversion in to new format

Other CRM Solutions: Custom Development If you’ve the budget, time and patience then a gaggle of consultants, CRM solution providers and software engineers will beat down your doors to develop a custom CRM system that works flawlessly with your existing systems. I’d recommend this option only if you’re spending other people’s money, get a big bonus and then are able to leave the company before it falls apart. If you do select this path, carefully work through your specifications with your “partners” and good luck! Managed Solutions ASPs offer to create a customized brand-version web of their web CRM applications. These are usually on a dedicated server and often sell for a flat development fee PLUS lots of other customized options. It can be solid choice if you’ve got the budget and are willing to be flexible with some of the functionality.

Who Are The Players?

Unfortunately, in the CRM market the question is more like who isn't a player. Using the broadest terms you can call a Rolodex a CRM system. The important thing is to define CRM for your organization.

Regardless, here’s a quick list:

Product Name: Sage CRM Solutions Software: Sage SolutionsFeatures: Customer Care, Marketing Automation, Microsoft Outlook Integration, Offline Synchronization, Sales Automation, Wireless PDA Access, Customer Care, Marketing Automation, Microsoft Outlook Integration, Offline Synchronization, Sales Automation, Why On-Demand CRM Microsoft Windows, Microsoft SQL; Oracle DBMS'.

Product Name: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Company: Microsoft Price: $5,000 to $50,000 Features: Sales, Customer Service, CRM Mobile, Marketing, Suns Legacy Partners, Hutchinson and Bloodgood, Kindermusik International Microsoft Windows;Microsoft SQL. ASP/Web interface environment; Microsoft .NET Framework

Product Name: SAP Business One CRM Company: SAP America, Inc. Price: $11,250+ Features: Sales Opportunity Management, Business Partner Management, Service Management built-in reporting, internal workflow and alerts, highly customizable, embedded CRM.

Product Name: Oncontact V Company: Oncontact Software Price: $1,000-$1,500/user Features: CRM Account Management, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Toolkits Microsoft C#;Microsoft .NET platform.

Product Name: Entellium CRM Company: Entellium Price: $50 per user / month

eSalesForce, eCustomerCenter, eMobile, My*Entellium ASP

Product: Neocase Company: Neocase Software, Inc. Price: <$1,000 per seat w/server; <$100 a month on demand Features: Parent/Child Cases, Contract and Service Level Agreement Management, Self-Service Solution, Customizable Partner Portal, Searchable Knowledge Management Tool, Dashboards and Reports

Product Name: Parature Company: Parature Inc. Features: eActivity, eAsset, eChat, eContact, eDownload, eForum, eKnowledge, ePortal, eProduct, eReport, eSurvey, eTicket Web-based Product: Pivotal CRM Company: Pivotal Corporation Features: Pivotal Sales Suite, Pivotal Marketing Suite, Pivotal Service Suite, Pivotal Partner Management Suite, Pivotal Analytics, Pivotal Technology, Pivotal Mobile CRM, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Home Building and Real Estate, Healthcare Payers, Medical Device Manufacturing ASP;MS-SQL

Product: NetSuite CRM+ Company: NetSuite Inc. Price: CRM Software From $129/user/month Features: Real-time Dashboards, Business Intelligence, Sales Force Automation, SFA: Order Management, SFA: Upsell/Cross-Sell, SFA: Incentive Management, Customer Support & Service, Partner Relationship Management, Marketing Automation, Productivity tools, Document Management & Publishing NetSuite CRM+ is a web-based CRM solution.

Product: Maximizer Enterprise CRM Company: Maximizer Software Inc. Price: $499/user + Features: Sales Force Automation, Outlook integration, Wireless CRM, Web-Based CRM, Marketing Automation, Customer Service and Support Management, Customization, Business Intelligence, Workflow Automation, Accounting Link, Partner Relationship Management, StemCell Technologies, Inc., W&O Supply, Inc., Microsoft Windows, SQL, .NET, Outlook, Office, IIS

Product: ADAPTcrm Company: ADAPT Software Applications, Inc. Price: $1,000 to $1,500 per seat Features: Campaign Management, Accounting Integration, Sales Management, Service Ticket Management MS SQL 2000

Product: OfficePax Company: eTouchware, Inc. Price: $179.00 per seat Features: Group Calendar, Email, Invoicing, Time Management, Project Management, Group Contact Management, File Sharing MS Access; MS SQL

Product: e-Synergy Company: Exact Software North America Price: $5,000 + Features: Web Shop, Event Manager, Sarbanes-Oxley, Software Development Kit (SDK), Customer Relationship Management, HR Management, Document / Knowledge Management One-X; MS-SQL

Why can't we be friends?

Fast forward 2 years later. Your CIO has quit, the budget has been cut and your CRM implementers are sending flaming emails to each other about whose fault it is that billing’s screwed up. It’s possible that your CRM project has turned into a stanza from the Mariners Tale (origin of the term "albatross around my neck") for a few key reasons:

*Lack of commitment. In order for most organizations to become “customer-focused” upper management must lead the cultural change. This requires first admitting you have problem, followed by a genuine attempt to view your operations from the customer’s perspective. Without this painful process your CRM will help your organization screw up more efficiently. This means losing customer relationships and revenue.

*Lack of communication can prevent buy-in. In order to make CRM work, all the relevant people in your business must know what information you need and how to use it.

*Lack of leadership could cause problems for any CRM implementation plan. Unless your management (you) is willing to lead by example and push for a customer focus on every project, CRM will not help you. If a proposed plan isn't right for your customers, don't do it. Send your teams back to the drawing board to come up with a solution that will work.

Eating the Elephant: Small Bites, Chew Slowly

Some organizations try to install every single module at once in order to get it over with quickly. This can be a sign of lack of commitment with in your company.

Look hard at those that are pushing for an “aggressive implementation” timeline because most likely they’re working an agenda…the failure of the implementation. Take a deep breath and remember that any business approach that brings cultural change will generate resistance.

More Is More

When it comes to data, always get more than you need and peel it back. It’s easier to reduce the amount of data you need than to attempt to create new.

Thorough analysis of the data you’ve collected is necessary to insure that what you’ve collected is truly mission critical.

Grab Your Sox and Drop Your…

Solution Providers: Marry in Haste, Repent at Leisure

For any organization CRM is a large investment so choose your “partners” with the same care you’d choose your spouse.

TV Commercials
Television is one of the biggest inventions of the 20th century, and it revolutionized our lives. TV waves reach the living rooms of people all across the world. Almost all organizations find television the best medium for marketing or launching their products. People directly relate to the programs or commercials and can be influenced by them.Television commercials have opened the gates of effective advertisement. The growing popularity of television has proved to be a boon to different types of enterprises, be it commercial, informative, or entertainment. There are many programs on television like the news, comedy shows, documentaries and soap operas that are viewed by millions of people. Commercials are placed in a short time frame within these programs, exposing products to the maximum amount of viewers. Companies pay a significant amount to get their advertisements aired. The higher the ratings of the program, the more expensive the ads are – because they reach more people when they air on higher-rated shows, thus, are more effective ads.The commercials aired today are different from the ones aired 50 years ago. The kind of products advertised, their content, and form have undergone many changes. Innovations in technology have made way for more effective forms of advertising. Companies are sensitive to the ever-changing needs and habits of the public and keep this aspect in mind while designing commercials for adults, children and the youth.Most TV commercials today are produced by advertising agencies. A vast majority of commercials consist of brief advertising spots, ranging in length from a few seconds to several minutes. Commercials of this sort have been used to sell literally every product imaginable over the years, from household products to goods and services, to political campaigns. Television commercials are said to have a tremendous impact on the viewing public. Even a candidate seeking election uses TV commercials in order to wage a successful election campaign.

SOMEDAY you’ll be able to find the rest of those business cards from last year’s convention. Anyway, you’ve managed hire a few key employees that remember the rest of your customer’s names, what they’ve ordered and when they’ll need to re-order new stock. Because of this you can usually come close to a forecast of next month’s sales.

Now for the nitty gritty:

So, what can CRM do for a Small to Mid-sized Business?

Properly applied, CRM can:

Pros and Cons of ASP vs. Boxed Software:

There are two models for CRM. Application Service Provider model and software based. There are a number of advantages to both the ASP and software models.

Who Are The Players?

Regardless, here’s a quick list:

Product Name: Oncontact V Company: Oncontact Software Price: $1,000-$1,500/user Features: CRM Account Management, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Toolkits Microsoft C#;Microsoft .NET platform.

Product Name: Entellium CRM Company: Entellium Price: $50 per user / month

eSalesForce, eCustomerCenter, eMobile, My*Entellium ASP

Why can't we be friends?

*Lack of communication can prevent buy-in. In order to make CRM work, all the relevant people in your business must know what information you need and how to use it.

Eating the Elephant: Small Bites, Chew Slowly

Some organizations try to install every single module at once in order to get it over with quickly. This can be a sign of lack of commitment with in your company.

More Is More

When it comes to data, always get more than you need and peel it back. It’s easier to reduce the amount of data you need than to attempt to create new.

Thorough analysis of the data you’ve collected is necessary to insure that what you’ve collected is truly mission critical.

Grab Your Sox and Drop Your…

Solution Providers: Marry in Haste, Repent at Leisure

For any organization CRM is a large investment so choose your “partners” with the same care you’d choose your spouse.

Eliminate Painful Meetings
I remember being interviewed by a writer for an article about effective meetings that was to appear in a national magazine. The writer began the interview by saying, “I don’t want any of the old standard tips; I want new tips.”I replied, “Well, people wouldn’t need new tips if they used the old tips.” This isn’t what the writer wanted to hear, nor is this what many of us want to hear, but this is the truth. If we used what we already know, we could avoid a lot of problems -- including unproductive meetings.Have you ever sat through a meeting only to realize that the real issues were being discussed outside the meeting? Have you ever attended a meeting and asked yourself what the point was?Many organizations experience what I like to call the “soap opera effect” -- you go to one meeting, then miss a few meetings, and then when you go to the next meeting, it is as if you never missed any meetings at all! Just like the afternoon soaps, you only have to check in once in a while to get caught up.If everyone was more upfront and honest, meetings could be a wonderful vehicle to accomplish our objectives and goals. It’s staggering to think of the time, productivity, and money lost due to unproductive meetings. It doesn’t have to be that way.Here are twelve simple, honest tips for running results-producing meetings in a fraction of the time your unproductive meetings take. If these tips seem like common sense, then ask yourself if people are actually using them. The more tips you use, the more effective your meetings will be.1. Only include the people who need to attend.If you are worried about insulting someone who is not included, ask them if they really want to be included. Most likely, people will be thankful that they don’t have to attend another meeting and can get the information they need through other means, such as the meeting minutes.2. Make sure attendees understand the benefit of attending.If you are having problems with attendance at meetings, it is usually a sign that people do not see the benefit of being there, but they may not be upfront about this. Instead they may say, “I got caught up with things,” or “I was too busy.” Of course, if they received a million dollars for attending, they would have found a way. It is often a question of motivation. Here are four questions to

ack-ups, updates and service packs etc. * Data can often be stored in a proprietary format that will require conversion in to new format

Who Are The Players?

Regardless, here’s a quick list:

Product Name: Oncontact V Company: Oncontact Software Price: $1,000-$1,500/user Features: CRM Account Management, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Toolkits Microsoft C#;Microsoft .NET platform.

Product Name: Entellium CRM Company: Entellium Price: $50 per user / month

eSalesForce, eCustomerCenter, eMobile, My*Entellium ASP

Why can't we be friends?

*Lack of communication can prevent buy-in. In order to make CRM work, all the relevant people in your business must know what information you need and how to use it.

Eating the Elephant: Small Bites, Chew Slowly

Some organizations try to install every single module at once in order to get it over with quickly. This can be a sign of lack of commitment with in your company.

More Is More

When it comes to data, always get more than you need and peel it back. It’s easier to reduce the amount of data you need than to attempt to create new.

Thorough analysis of the data you’ve collected is necessary to insure that what you’ve collected is truly mission critical.

Grab Your Sox and Drop Your…

Solution Providers: Marry in Haste, Repent at Leisure

For any organization CRM is a large investment so choose your “partners” with the same care you’d choose your spouse.

The Art Business: A Great Opportunity
Searching for a legitimate business opportunity takes time and research. There is no business opportunity that you should ever get into that makes unrealistic demands. If there is a sense of urgency, a one time only offer that ends tomorrow, or an extremely reduced price offer, you should know that there is something wrong. There are other things to look for as well.Illegitimate business opportunities try to pressure searching entrepreneurs into making decisions at the spur of the moment. Once they have you on the phone or you visit their website, they won’t let you leave until you make a decision. Everyone in business has a sense of urgency. We all want to get deals on the table and stir up that emotion to seal the deal. But, when a company won’t let you research the business opportunity and put the appropriate time into looking at it, that’s a sure sign you should pass on it.If it’s a one time only offer, you should pass on it too. Legitimate business opportunities will always be there. That sense of urgency once again should be a sure sign to you that someone is nervous about letting you walk away before making a decision. If they won’t allow you to look at the opportunity to see it for what it is, then there is nothing for you to see. That means there is no opportunity.Extremely reduced price offers are also like neon signs that you should pass on the opportunity. When someone is puffing up the value of the business while offering you such a low price that something seems wrong, it normally is. It’s ok to get a reduced price. That just makes good business sometimes. But when something is worth $5,000 and you get an offer of $197, there’s something wrong.Legitimate business opportunities aren’t hard to find really. They are right in front of you most of the time. You just have to open your eyes and be ready when it comes. Rivky’s Art Workshops are legitimate business opportunities that provide you with so much more than a business to run. And you don’t have to be an artist to run an art workshop.If you have business sense, you can partner with an artist in your area and really build a great workshop center together. You’ll even learn art in the process. While most people are bogged down with business details, you’ll be smiling with brush in hand and some paint on your face while everyone is enjoying your art workshop. Plu

Healthcare Payers, Medical Device Manufacturing ASP;MS-SQL

Why can't we be friends?

*Lack of communication can prevent buy-in. In order to make CRM work, all the relevant people in your business must know what information you need and how to use it.

Eating the Elephant: Small Bites, Chew Slowly

Some organizations try to install every single module at once in order to get it over with quickly. This can be a sign of lack of commitment with in your company.

More Is More

When it comes to data, always get more than you need and peel it back. It’s easier to reduce the amount of data you need than to attempt to create new.

Thorough analysis of the data you’ve collected is necessary to insure that what you’ve collected is truly mission critical.

Grab Your Sox and Drop Your…

Solution Providers: Marry in Haste, Repent at Leisure

For any organization CRM is a large investment so choose your “partners” with the same care you’d choose your spouse.

Crab Fishing in Alaska – Fishing for Riches
No it isn’t Bill Gates. It isn’t the diamond merchants of South Africa or the oil barons of Saudi Arabia either. The world’s highest paid job is crab fishing in Alaska. The frigid waters off the Alaskan shoreline house a veritable fishing goldmine and crab fishing in Alaska has been aptly dubbed the last great gold rushes on earth.Crab fishing is the most significant of the Alaskan commercial shellfish industries. The waters of Alaska, notably the Bering Sea, Bristol Bay, Dutch Harbor and the Kodiak and Aleutian Islands are home to rich bounties of crabs: tanner, Dungeness and the famed Alaskan King crab.The different varieties of the Alaskan crabs possess immense commercial value and the Alaskan King crab in particular is a prized dish in the culinary world, valued as highly as caviar or vintage French wine. US and Japanese restaurants are the primary importers of Alaskan King crab in the world.An idea of the valuation of crab fishing in Alaska can be garnered from the fact that a seasoned fisherman can hope to rope in US$50000 worth of catch in an eight-week period.The commercial crab fishing industry in Alaska had its beginning way back in 1950. The returns were promising from the very start and the region quickly attracted hundreds of US fishing boats. The 1980s were the heydays of crab fishing in Alaska. During this period of king crab boom, the fishing boat captains regularly earned US$150000 in a season and the crab fishing boats boasted of saunas, music systems and microwaves.But by 1983, the Alaskan King crab industry crashed for no apparent reason. The worst slump in fishing history, it forced fishermen to look into alternative fishing sources. Thus Alaskan commercial fishing branched out either to salmon and halibut or bairdi and opilio, two types of tanner crabs.Since then the Alaskan crab fishing trade has looked up a little with the year 2001 bringing in 23.2-million pounds of fishing stock worth US$36-million. But crab fishing in Alaska still continues to command the highest pay packet in the world.But this is only the rosy side to the job. Crab fishing in Alaska is one of the most perilous of all jobs in the world. To fish for crabs in the glacial waters of the Arctic Ocean in sub-zero temperatures, with pounding waves thrashing on the deck and tossing the fishing boat treacherously and icy wind

siness approach that brings cultural change will generate resistance.

More Is More

When it comes to data, always get more than you need and peel it back. It’s easier to reduce the amount of data you need than to attempt to create new.

Thorough analysis of the data you’ve collected is necessary to insure that what you’ve collected is truly mission critical.

Grab Your Sox and Drop Your…

Solution Providers: Marry in Haste, Repent at Leisure

For any organization CRM is a large investment so choose your “partners” with the same care you’d choose your spouse.

The Final Analysis

OKAY. What have we learned so far?

*CRM has broad applications, benefits and drawbacks. There’s no easy CRM push-button solution.
*CRM is a process that requires cultural change aided through the use of technology tools.
*CRM software will not instill customer centered focus within your organization.
*Customer centric behavior is driven by leadership example, communication and ultimately organizational buy-in.
*Beware the need for speed! Implement your system using small achievable milestones to build on success and use that success to draw in participation from other departments
*Choose your supplier carefully and ask LOTS of questions.
*Get more data!
*Good Luck…you’ll need it.

=========================================================================================================================== Jason Baselice, Managing Associate for *net.marketing associates (www.netmarketingassociates.com). You can contact Jason at: j@netmarketingassociates.com

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Having a good contract may be your only defense against a dishonest client, but only if you're willing to use it. Here's a classic and true example of that principle in action.

Background checks can be used for a variety of purposes and are a good way to have confidence that someone with whom you are involved personally or professionally is disclosing all necessary information.

Most companies will face major changes in their organization. To help the transformation process go more smoothly have your leaders engage in change management training. Read on for more.

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