Casual Articles - Business

Get More Business by Staying Visible
Here’s the scenario: You’ve been working with a client for a while and you’d like to increase the business you’re getting from them. You know there may be other opportunities to work with the company but you’re not sure how and when to ask. There are simple steps you can take to ensure bringing in new business from your current clients. Here are 5 easy ways to grow business from an existing client.Ask for a meeting. After a project has completed, ask to meet with the client to discuss the results of the project and to discuss some new ideas. If you’ve done good work for a client, the level of trust and quality of the relationship has increased because the client believes in you. You have proven yourself to the client, so they will be happy to meet with you.Ask for feedback. Find out if the client is satisfied with the most recent project’s delivery and ask if there are any suggestions for improvement. Then ask what the company’s future needs are. If the client tells you there are no opportunities at this time, ask when it would be good to follow up. Before you leave the meeting, confirm the agreed-upon time you will be in touch. Staying in touch with the prospect keeps the door open for future business.Ask for referral business. After the client has expressed satisfaction with your service, a

rketing. The more targeted a program the better the chance of success.

Given the importance of repeat purchases, and the role that loyalty programs can play in driving those sales, it is important to gather information on your existing customers. Some businesses routinely gather this information (e.g. auto mechanics, plumbers, and appliance repair people require a completed work-order for every customer). For other types of businesses, a little more creativity may be required (e.g. the “club card” that Safeway offers, or a weekly lunch

Direct Response Marketing
The effectiveness and reach of traditional media has devolved: With the growing number of magazines and television stations in the UK, it is hard to find a medium that can support an effective national broadcast campaign. Target audiences are scattered across a plethora of magazines and stations and buying enough advertising space for effective reach has gotten out of hand.Then there is the option to buy highly targeted mailing lists and send your direct mail to your future prospects. And that would work a charm if it wasn’t that a dozen other marketing professionals a day are sending their marketing materials to the same prospect. Remember your mailbox when you left for work this morning? How many leaflets were shouting for your attention? And what did you do? Opened all these mailers, studied the message, took the time to respond to their call of action, missed the bus, got fired? No, you threw them straight in the bin.It is miraculous so many of us are still using these outdated marketing methods.So how has the direct response market evolved to cope with the clutter? There was need for a change, and a clever little company in the UK started brainstorming about how to create a direct response vehicle that could achieve stand out for the brands they represented. The answer was Employee Benefit Plans
A well-thought-out benefits package understands an employee's needs and also keeps in mind the employer's objectives. In prevailing market conditions, a competitive benefits package can serve as a nice recruitment tool and also act as an effective tool for employee retention.Basic benefit plans for employees include healthcare, retirement, holiday pay and paid vacation time. There are in-depth plans that cover things like flexible spending and day care.Many employers are now offering “cafeteria plans” in which employees can choose from a menu and level of benefits. In most cases, these plans are funded by both the employees and the employers, and benefit both of them.Healthcare insurance covers reimbursement for a number of things: medical fees, eye examinations, dental work, prescription drugs, hospital services, surgery, false teeth, x-rays, weight loss programs, and so on. Such a package follows either of these two plans, a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) or a Medical Reimbursement Plan (MRP). In HRAs, account balances can be rolled over from year to year if the employer agrees to do so, thus helping employees to better manage their own healthcare. Although equally flexible, MRPs are different from HRAs because they allow employers to reimburse cost from a specific time period, whereas HRAs roll over and provide benefits after an emplo

arketing campaign. Two common goals for small businesses are to either (a) convince existing customers to buy more (loyalty programs), or (b) convince new customers to purchase for the first time (sales prospecting).

Loyalty Programs:

The value to your business of any particular customer is known as Lifetime Customer Value – this represents the sum of all purchases that customer will make from your business over the lifetime of the customer. It almost always easier to convince an existing customer to buy more of your products or services, assuming satisfied customers, then to sell to new customers. In fact, repeat sales are essential ingredient for realizing lifetime customer value (LCV).

Loyalty programs seek to maximize LCV by building an ongoing rapport with existing customers. Imagine the local realtor who sends a monthly newsletter, the neighborhood garage that sends out a note when it’s time for a regularly scheduled oil change, or a local retailer who sends out invitations several times a year for private sales events for “preferred” customers only. These are all examples of loyalty programs.

To do a successful program of this nature it is essential to know who your customers are. Most businesses keep a list of current customers – this is called a house list. The most basic list will include a name and contact information (e.g. address, phone number, email address, etc.). However, the more detailed information that is available the more useful the list will be. For example, it is simple to see how purchase history, income level, gender, and personal data can all lead to more targeted marketing. The more targeted a program the better the chance of success.

Two Lean Tools You Can Use to Improve Processes at Your Site
In quality improvement engineering there are many tools. I would like to illustrate a few and show how they can apply to healthcare. I will be using tools taken from Lean Manufacturing, an approach used at Toyota Motor Company for many years now. These tools are easily adaptable with a bit of imagination to healthcare. I am not proposing that all healthcare should blindly adopt Lean as the new “flavor of the month,” but if some of the tools fit your site well, then use them. From my experience, the best progress in quality at a site is in the identification and use of quality improvement tools that can be mastered by the employees of the site. There is no use in being a Jack-of-all-trades and master of none.Two tools that seem to go hand in hand are 5S and Point of Use Storage. 5S is sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. In the most recent issue of Quality Progress (American Society of Quality’s magazine) these tools were applied to storage areas. A storage area should only contain items that are useful to tasks that are performed nearby. For instance in an examination room there should be a good assortment of bandages, but it probably doesn’t make sense to store printer ink in the exam room. This is an example of point of use storage. Further, any storage area no matter the size should be well ordered. You don’t want to have too ma

rvices, assuming satisfied customers, then to sell to new customers. In fact, repeat sales are essential ingredient for realizing lifetime customer value (LCV).

Warehouse Management Guide
Warehouse management is the art of movement and storage of materials throughout the warehouse. Warehouse management monitors the progress of products through the warehouse. It involves the physical warehouse infrastructure, tracking systems, and communication between product stations. Warehouse management deals with receipt, storage and movement of goods usually finished goods and includes functions like warehouse master record, item/ warehouse cross-reference lists and such things as on hand, allocated, transfers in process, transfer in process, transfer lead time, safety stock, fields for accumulating statistics by location.A warehouse manager needs to perform several crucial functions such as overseeing and recording deliveries and pickups, loading and unloading materials and supplies, maintaining inventory records and tracking system, determining appropriate places for storage, rotating stock as needed and adjusting inventory levels to reflect receipts and disbursements. An individual handling the warehouse management needs to have knowledge about inventory control and warehousing systems, loading and unloading procedures, risky and materials storage and mathematical knowledge.A warehouse management system is a critical component of an effective overall supply chain management systems solution. Warehouse management system began as a system to contr

are all examples of loyalty programs.

Tips for Creating a Fund Raising Foundation
Many companies that are looking to create financial stability find that they can create a fundraising foundation to help further their cause. There are several things to consider when putting together a foundation. This article will look at some of the key components to consider before you start.Train the Fund Raising Foundation Board to Function EfficientlyThe first thing you must consider when forming a fundraising foundation is the training involved within your board. Each person will have a specific responsibility, but even more important is their understating of the process. You may even consider hiring a fundraising company to help you get started in this area. If the company knows your specific needs they can assist you in weeding through all the details to get your board educated correctly.Time to Organize Your Fund Raising Foundation CommitteesOnce you have your board members comfortable with the process and proceedings that will follow. You need to get your fund raising foundation committees in order. It is best to have a theme or mission statement that all committee members will follow and adhere to.Recruit and Train Your Fund Raising Foundation StaffThis is where most fundraising foundation plans fall apart. You cannot simply pull people into your idea and turn them loose. The biggest mistake most companies m

rketing. The more targeted a program the better the chance of success.

When building this type of list be sure that it is “opt-in”. This means to tell your customers that you will be sending them information periodically and get their permission. Most customers will give you permission willingly if they know you will periodically send them offers or information that are valuable to them (e.g. coupons, special offers, the weekly menu, etc.).

No matter what type of business you are in, building an accurate and detailed house list is essential for maximizing lifetime customer value. As we will see, it is also an important first step in driving new sales.

Sales Prospecting:

Even with the most loyal customers there is a natural attrition among existing customers. In fact, this attrition may not be the fault of your product or service – customers move, customers die, lifestyles change, and so do personal preferences. The bottom line is that sales’ prospecting is an essential part of maintaining business growth.

One of the most effective tools available for sales prospecting is direct mail. According to the Direct Marketing Association, on average, direct mail returns ten dollars for every dollar invested. However, as noted earlier, the most pivotal element to direct marketing success is having the right list. What does it look like? Where does it come from? Where do you start?

If you are prospecting for new customers you will probably not have their names. But, names of qualified prospects are available through list brokers – or directly from Zairmail. However, to buy mailing lists it is essential to know what your best prospective customers look like. That’s where your house list comes in handy. Scanning through your house list you can identify the traits that are common among your best customers. For example, you may find that your best customers live within five miles of your business and have incomes less than $50,000. This demographic information will help you purchase a list of customers that will buy.

There are two main types of lists that can be purchased: compiled lists and response

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Laser pointers are useful when used at a business meeting to point out areas of interest on a chart or graph, and very amusing when the kitty chases them around the floor. But, innocuous as they seem, even the weakest of laser pointers can do damage if the eye is exposed to them directly for a length of time.

The biggest disconnect employers are now facing is how unprepared this new generation is for the working world (unless you are a technology business) and how little companies are budgeting for employee development. Simply, the older generation is expecting the new hires to work hard at self development to get up to speed of making a difference in the workplace and the younger generation is looking for the employer to prepare them for the work they want accomplished in the same way schools prepared them to graduate: Exciting and entertaining delivery of information directly related to what will get them to the next grade (or promotion.)

This article explains how to write a good sales letter by describing 4 key areas. These are known as the AIDA principles.

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