Casual Articles - Business

Post-Katrina Role Of Property Insurers Threaten Consumers Nationwide
“Prediction is very hard, especially when it’s about the future.” Yogi BerraGiven the focus on the recent one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by the media and government officials and its label as the most costly catastrophic disaster in United States history, there has been little focus on the nationwide impact the property and casualty insurance industry has started to impart on homeowners and businesses in a post-Katrina world.There has been serious discussion about reforming U.S. insurance laws in the U.S. Congress since 2004, before four hurricanes battered the Florida coast and well before the Katrina and Rita storms hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. However, the insurance industry since Katrina is now not only fighting hundreds of individual and class action lawsuits in Mississippi and Louisiana in the wind v. water debate, but also advocating change in the event of future catastrophic events.The McCarran-Ferguson Act, enacted in 1945, delegated sole enforcement of insurance regulations to the states, where it was believed better oversight would take place rather than federal government mechanisms. However, state regulators are not law enforcement agencies and do not have the benefit of the arm of the federal government in cases which are beyond their means. Now, many state insurance commissioners, members of the Congress as well as consumer advocacy agencies believe that the whittling away

this obviously builds your database which should be the MAIN REASON you are there.

8. Offer incentives if they sign up now with you or purchase today, a discount or throw in a gift certificate just for taking the time for a consultation (Ex: Give them $10 to Starbucks or something when they show up for the appointment?).

9. Make your booth interactive, think up some way for the attendees to “get involved” in your booth so they take the time to stop. I've seen real popcorn machines that give off a great smell, big spin wheels with corresponding prizes, puzzles to figure out right on the spot, questionnaire to fill out (bonus, it gets you more info too), video playing on a television, chair massage person giving free massages in your booth,

How to Start Meetings on Time
1) Make it part of the agenda.Put the arrival time on the agenda. For example, for a meeting scheduled to start at 9:00 AM, you could put "8:50 AM - - - Arrive at the Meeting" at the top of the agenda.An arrival time is useful because it allows everyone time to socialize, obtain coffee, or organize materials before the meeting. It also ensures everyone is present at the scheduled starting time.2) Offer a treat.Provide coffee, juice, or a vegetable platter before the meeting. This can be especially welcome for all-day meetings attended by people from other locations. It provides a time for socializing between visitors and it may also provide a meal for those who came from out of town.But here's the catch: offer the treat only during the arrival time. Then put it away once the meeting starts.And another point: serve snacks that make people more productive (such as fruit) instead of stuff that fills them up and deadens their brains (such as donuts).3) Set an example.Arrive at your meetings before they are scheduled to start. You can use the time to make sure that the room is set up properly. And you can greet the attendees as they arrive. This helps you appear in control of the meeting process from the beginning.And of course, arrive at everyone else's meetings on time.4) Make it easy.Schedule your meetings to begin at odd times, such as 9:10 AM.

Here are some simple tradeshow do's and don'ts that you may or may not know, but you might want to review them every time to decide to attend or become a vendor at one. I've compiled these from years of doing different tradeshows, biz expos, kid's expos, health fairs, community festivals and more while working at various jobs and with my own marketing business as well.

Learn how to work the room OR be the vendor everyone wants to stop at with my 23 tradeshow techniques!

Here are the 14 Things Every Vendor Should Know:

1. Bring your friendliest employees or friends to work the booth with you, at least one other person so you're not managing it by yourself. You want high-energy, happy people in your booth that know about your business but most of all ones that know how to talk to people.

2. Try not to stand or sit behind your booth, sometimes it's more appropriate to put your table behind you while you stand out in the aisle pulling people into your booth with a great “hook” or catch phrase. In fact you can put the chairs they give you away you shouldn't really ever sit down in your booth. Those who sit at their booth are not as inviting or seem less interested in getting people to stop.

3. Do not talk on your phone or to other workers in your booth; always have your attention focused on the attendees passing by. If you look busy, people won't stop.

4. Practice your hook, a quick attention getting phrase to get people interested and to stop. You might say something like “Want to know how to lose 10 pounds in 10 days?”, “Find out how to save $100 on your next _____”, “Having trouble figuring out how much to save for retirement?” or something like these.

5. Do not try to spend too much time trying to 'sell' anyone that day or you'll be spending WAY too much time with that one person. You'll want to meet and collect info on as many people as possible; you can always follow up with them later. Try to make a note or check mark those bus cards of those who might be hot prospects so you'll remember later. Having a booth at a tradeshow is like an instant database boosting venue; you want to be focused on getting the name, address, phone and emails of everyone you possibly can at all times.

6. Bring a clever giveaway of some type of promotion item, pens tend to be overused. Think of something people will not only keep or use but that will also have some type of correlation with your type of business. I've seen letter openers, flashlights, plastic water bottles, computer dusting brushes, mousepads, coffee cups, sticky notes and I use little books to put business cards in with my logo and website on it so they always have it on hand.

7. Hold a drawing for a free gift - not a discount off your services, but something anyone would want. Not everyone will want your services. Have a big bowl or basket for people to drop their cards into AND have a drawing slip in case they don't have cards and make sure to collect all info including email addresses - this obviously builds your database which should be the MAIN REASON you are there.

How Context Affects Value in Small Business Marketing
Here's another Marketing Comet principle: Value is always 100% subjective."But $1 is worth a $1, and some items are commodities with fixed values right?" Well, without going into economics the value of $1 changes (mostly based on perception). Even commodities have markets. A cup of coffee is worth absolutely nothing until somebody is willing to trade $3 for it.The following comes from Judgment in Managerial Decision Making by Max Bazerman: Read this scenario twice - first with the words parentheses and excluding words in brackets, and second with words in brackets and excluding the words in parentheses.You are lying on the beach on a hot day. All you have to drink is ice water. For the last hour you have been thinking about how much you would enjoy a nice cold bottle of your favorite beer. A companion gets up to go make a phone call and offers to bring back a beer from the only nearby place where beer is sold (a fancy resort hotel) [a small, rundown grocery store]. He says that the beer might be expensive and asks how much you are willing to pay for it. He says that he will buy the beer if it costs as much as or less than the price you state. But if it costs more than the price you state, he will not buy it. You trust your friend, and there is no possibility of bargaining with the (bartender) [store owner]. What price do you tell him?20 years ago, the median prices were $2.65 for a beer from

but most of all ones that know how to talk to people.

3. Do not talk on your phone or to other workers in your booth; always have your attention focused on the attendees passing by. If you look busy, people won't stop.

Is Your Brand In Trouble?
It’s no secret that American auto makers have been in trouble for years. Yet the recent news that Toyota sold more cars in the first quarter of 2007 appears to have been a surprise to General Motors.Here are 3 key reasons Detroit has suffered for so many years. Watch for these symptoms in your own company and take action to prevent spiraling downward.They refused to pay attention to external news We each work hard all day and the last thing we want to do is think deep thoughts at night, yet you ignore the news at your own peril. GM and the other American car manufacturers apparently didn’t learn their lesson in the 1970s and again were caught not paying attention to news reports. They ignored stories about the aging population and the continuing rise in healthcare costs. They ignored stories of trouble in the Middle East and how that would impact oil prices and consumer’s auto choices. They ignored stories that signaled a change in consumer behavior and a move toward environmentally friendlier products.Important research data that impacts your company and its offerings is all around you for free or very low cost. You can tune into it every day at 6pm or 11pm, or pick it up at the coffee shop for 50 cents.Refused to pay attention to the internal news In the Tony Award winning musical The Wiz, Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, sang a song with the line “Don’t nobody bring me no

ng like “Want to know how to lose 10 pounds in 10 days?”, “Find out how to save $100 on your next _____”, “Having trouble figuring out how much to save for retirement?” or something like these.

Don't Just Hire New Employees-Develop Them
Are you getting ready to add to your workforce? What steps have you taken to assure that these new hires will make a successful transition into your organization? New employees should be provided a fair opportunity to develop their skills and talents and remain on the payroll. Failure to do so could result in the loss of a potentially good employee, a waste of training dollars, or the threat of legal action from dismissals. Obviously, none of these are acceptable options for the progressive-minded company.Here are some steps managers can follow to provide new employees with strong opportunities to contribute and remain employed.Clearly identify on-the-job skills required. Too often, companies do not have a clear definition of what each job position requires. They may have general guidelines but no hard specifics. This fact makes hiring just the right person a more difficult task. Before you conduct the first interview, sit down and detail each segment of responsibility and the skills needed to carry out these activities. Once done, you can much more easily find the right person for the job.Training must address and build the proper skills. Few employees come to the job with all the skills needed to carry out their responsibilities. By testing prospective employees for skill levels before you hire them, you can structure training effectively. Employers have the responsibility to educate b

ver giveaway of some type of promotion item, pens tend to be overused. Think of something people will not only keep or use but that will also have some type of correlation with your type of business. I've seen letter openers, flashlights, plastic water bottles, computer dusting brushes, mousepads, coffee cups, sticky notes and I use little books to put business cards in with my logo and website on it so they always have it on hand.

Planning a Fishy Fund Raising Event
The ability to raise money through a fund raising event is one that is sought by millions of people each year. The most popular fundraisers are usually car washes, bake sales and other traditional fund raising events. There are some fund raisers that may seem a bit out there but may turn out to be one of the biggest money makers you have ever seen.Go Fishing For DollarsOne of the best fund raising events you could ever plan is a fishing event. Fishing is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The details for a fishing event are really very simple if done right.The first step in planning fishing fund raising event would be to contact local fishing clubs to see if they would be interested in promoting and helping out with your cause. Fishing clubs are always looking for ways to promote their clubs and your event may be the perfect answer.The next step in planning your fund raising event is to check with your local game and fish division to see what permits you might need to hold your event. There is usually a period of time you must allow before you are allowed to hold your event.Once you have your permits and you have rounded up some clubs or other people to help you are ready to get started with the event planning. You should decide on some nice prizes to give out for first through fifth place. You will also want to create some prizes for biggest fish and most fish. Then

this obviously builds your database which should be the MAIN REASON you are there.

10. Have a large (3'x8' average size for booths) full color banner for trade shows with your business name or logo, tagline or catchy phrase/headline on top, phone & website in big bold letters too. You want as much signage as will fit in or around your booth that people can spot across the room. Don't get fancy with lettering; remember the goal should be to get people to stop at your booth and for you to capture their info.

11. Make your booth stand out with balloons, music or larger signs if possible. Many tradeshows that are inside allow you to hang signs or such from the ceiling and often times you can get electrical to your booth so you can have fun, energetic music - everyone loves music. Just make sure the music isn't too loud so you can't hear people or they can't hear you when they stop by.

12. Bring goodies, candies or some kind of original food if possible, not just the normal Hershey's Kisses or hard candy; the more original you get with this, the more people want to find your booth (I've seen someone with a popcorn machine at their booth for example with cute red and white stripped popcorn bags). If you can get something with your logo on it or name too, that's a plus but it's not necessary unless it's your only giveaway because people will just eat the food/candy and throw away the wrapper. I used to give away individually wrapped fortune cookies and stuck a label with my info on the outside but you can get fortune cookies for example with your unique phrase, name, logo or even a discount offer on the inside fortune part!

13. Bring a small ice chest with bottled waters, sodas and quick, easy snacks in case you can't get a break, however step out and eat quickly and don't leave your food and drinks on your tables in plain sight. This is why you want at least one other person with you so you can break each other.

14. Don't let your leads get cold! Immediately contact leads and thank them for dropping by your booth. You'll want to set aside the whole next day after a good size show to do your follow up - enter names into a spreadsheet, mail merge them to labels if you want or handwrite them on a quick note with your business card in it or preprinted card or letter written specifically to them as a thank you for stopping by your booth, etc. You could also have preprinted follow up postcards ready to go. If your leads get cold, one of your competitors will beat you to them and if you don't do your follow up YOU'VE WASTED YOUR TIME AND YOUR MONEY at the show!

Here are the 9 Tips Tradeshow Attendees Should Follow:

1. Have a goal in mind - How many people you want to meet? How many cards you want to pass out or collect? Do you want to make at least 2 good contacts? Are you targeting the vendors or other attendees? Know who you're targeting so you don't go off track and you make the most of your time while you're there; some of these can take some time to get through and you want to be efficient.

2. First of

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Much has been written over the years about business. Much has also been written over the years about war. There are many parallels between the two. The more business people from the shipping dock to the executive suite view business as war, the more the spoils of war: success.

How to find and use the strongest search terms and keywords to have the best search engine ranking you possibly can!

When it comes to medical billing and NSF, field number 18 of the FA0 record is one that gets rejected more than any other. Keep reading to find out what the field is for and why all the problems.

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