Casual Articles - Business

Changing Your Outlook
“One day a very wealthy father took his son on a trip to the country for the sole purpose of showing his son how it was to be poor. They spent a few days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. Upon return from their trip, the father asked his son how he liked the trip.“It was great, Dad,” the son replied. “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Oh, yeah,” said the son. “So what did you learn from the trip?” continued the father.The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to leave on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.” The boy’s father was speechless. Then the son added this last remark; “It showed me how poor we are.” - Unknown source.This story illustrates that the way we look at the world impacts how we react and interact with it. This is theme has been popping up a lot in coaching sessions this week. When that happens, I see it as a sign that many others

ou should advertise time-sensitive discounts (i.e. $50 off a deep cleaning until the end of next month.)

MindMap Seminars and Visual Presentations Discovered
How can one promote Mind Mapping to Grade School and High School students to help them in critical thinking skills? Well, you might say why not use Power Point Presentations, videos and overhead slides.Hmm? Okay well, I totally agree with the Power Point Slides for presentation and have a similar online website "Flash Presentation" too. And here is an idea, which came from Mark Provo, Prep School Mathematics Teacher in a research paper he presented to the Online Think Tank a few years ago.First you show Circle of the old way of learning. Here is information; The circle has a brain in it, then the categorizing and then the output into memory. Next reduce this slowly into a dot and say "The New Paradigm in Thinking" and then take the dot, which is the end of a dowel and rotate it into a line.Then rotate that line into a circle. Then rotate that into a sphere, which is your decision matrix wheel (Mind Map) and then as it spins, start putting up your criteria in 3D. Well that is the "Flash Presentation" I envisioned when I saw a MindMap Diagram from the Human Knowledge Mind Map. I spun it in my mind.http://www3.sympatico.ca/cypher2/WebMindMapBook.pdfI have been getting ideas all day about making a "Triangle Model" or a "Diamond Model" and a "Snake Model" as well. But the abstract model I li

Although challenging, it is possible to start a cleaning business within two weeks. If you have customers already waiting for your services you can start cleaning in a few days, then word of mouth and a direct mail campaign will increase your customer base. Keep in mind that obtaining new customers for a cleaning business can be time consuming and costly. In addition, your costs will rise considerably if you purchase liability and worker’s compensation insurance. If your goal is to earn a substantial living solely from your house cleaning business, then you must reinvest earnings into the business in order to increase customers and income. Growing your cleaning business into a professional operation that can compete with cleaning franchises is possible!

How to start a cleaning business with minimal investment and maximum return.

The article "Are You Ready” at MaidDocs.com tells you what to expect during your first year of running your own cleaning business. After reading the article if you are certain that you still want to start your own house cleaning business, then visit all of the websites listed at the end of this article to learn about government regulations, taxes and licensing, and professional cleaning business forms. You will also find information about how to establish ownership of your cleaning business (corporation, LLC, or sole proprietor.)

Decide on the fee you will charge for your cleaning services. Research the local market to determine what your competitors charge. You must remain within the local standards, and you can undercut your competition slightly; however, if you charge significantly less than the competition you may end up with low profits and a heavy workload -- defeating your business goals. Keep your prices within local standards so that as you add employees you will not need to raise prices and thereby lose customers. If you want to offer significantly lower cleaning fees than your competitors you should advertise time-sensitive discounts (i.e. $50 off a deep cleaning until the end of next month.)

The Sizzle of a Sales Letter
In 2006 the US Post Office will deliver 212 billion pieces of mail to over 144 million homes, businesses and Post Office boxes. The question is, how much of that mail hit its target? How much of that mail was opened by your customers?Salespeople often overlook the advantages of using business letters for sales growth. The facts suggest that fewer salespeople are using the business letter to develop relationships. Mailing and postcards are very popular but these are not as effective as a true business letter. This is a missed opportunity; we can capture more business when we send a traditional business letter.The Old Fashioned Business Letter Businesses are looking for ways to improve their marketing objectives and this requires a more personalized targeted approach. The old fashioned business letter cuts through the clutter of other mailings. If you want to be read, use a personalized business letter approach. You can automate this process with your business printer that makes your business mailings appear personal and you will increase the letters effectiveness.There are a few things that make business letters stand out from a stack of mail. When you make your letter bumpy, it will often get to the top of the mail and create a curiosity factor to your advantage. I have used rubber bands, cotton balls and other squishy things to make my mail bumpy from the inside

ubstantial living solely from your house cleaning business, then you must reinvest earnings into the business in order to increase customers and income. Growing your cleaning business into a professional operation that can compete with cleaning franchises is possible!

How to start a cleaning business with minimal investment and maximum return.

Behavioral Interview Questions You Can Use Monday Morning
If past behavior is the best way to determine future behavior then behavioral interviewing is a requirement for anyone serious about hiring top talent. This skill isn’t something that should be taken lightly, but everyone’s got to start somewhere. Keep in mind that you’re looking for specific examples rather than vague descriptions. A good communicator can dance around the question and sound very convincing if you don’t insist that they give specifics. Here are a few questions that I have found to predict the future behavior of some of the most critical personality traits.Leadership AbilityThese abilities will be important for any position that involves persuasion or managing a team. Here are a few questions to determine the strength of a candidate.Tell me about a time when you lead a discussion, task force, or committee meeting. What was the situation and how did you orchestrate it?Tell me about a time when your co-workers looked to you for guidance on an important project or task. What was the situation and how did you handle it?Verbal SkillsAny employee that requires a high degree of human interaction will benefit from strong verbal skills. Here are a couple of questions to determine the strength of a candidate in this area.Tell me about a time when you had to explain a challenging concept or idea to a co-worker. How

fter reading the article if you are certain that you still want to start your own house cleaning business, then visit all of the websites listed at the end of this article to learn about government regulations, taxes and licensing, and professional cleaning business forms. You will also find information about how to establish ownership of your cleaning business (corporation, LLC, or sole proprietor.)

Presentation Skills - The First to Know
To fully understand the rules that govern just how much information you can include in your presentation slides, you need to appreciate a fundamental of human nature – namely, that we have an innate desire to be The First to Know.Unfortunately, most of the presentation visuals that we see are designed with the mistaken belief that audiences will actually wait for the presenter to walk them through them. Wrong.When the technology of communications was slower, we took a more historical approach to news - news was about what happened. We were accustomed to waiting for the news, and news had a time: Did you see the morning paper? Did you hear the evening news?But with electronic advancements, we came to think of news more in terms of what is happening at the moment. Film brought us motion, but video feeds brought us there. Screens eclipsed paper as the preferred venue for getting the latest. Newspapers folded, first afternoon editions and then even icons of Americana - think Herald Tribune. Instead of being the first source of news in the world, to survive newspapers became more feature oriented – providing value only for less perishable and less immediate content.Cable News Network took a huge gamble that people all over the world would watch news twenty-four hours a day - news on the people’s timetable, not the providers. News on demand. Fulfillment for those with th

to determine what your competitors charge. You must remain within the local standards, and you can undercut your competition slightly; however, if you charge significantly less than the competition you may end up with low profits and a heavy workload -- defeating your business goals. Keep your prices within local standards so that as you add employees you will not need to raise prices and thereby lose customers. If you want to offer significantly lower cleaning fees than your competitors you should advertise time-sensitive discounts (i.e. $50 off a deep cleaning until the end of next month.)

Agenda-ize to Make Your Meetings More Productive
Every business that I have ever seen has meetings of some kind. Some are productive but the vast majority of meetings start late, rehash some old stuff, and end even later, rarely producing much in the way of progress. It seems that many meetings happen by inertia, existing because they always have existed and will always exist no matter if they produce anything of value. This is expensive in terms of wasted time and talent. If your business is in this endless loop of non-productive meetings I have one word to help you produce more from future meetings – “Agenda.”An agenda lists the order of the meeting and should be posted to all participants before the meeting. Begin the agenda by stating the purpose of the meeting, the anticipated outcome(s), and the time the meeting will end. When everyone meets to work on the stated issue(s), they will know why they are there, what is to be accomplished, and the time limitations that will be imposed. The agenda creates a businesslike atmosphere instead of a social reason for being together. If all that is in place, amazing and efficient progress can occur.The responsibility for productive meetings falls squarely on the shoulders of the meeting leader. Don’t go in to a meeting without that agenda then be prepared, have tools at hand, a method of moving the agenda forward and wear the hats of quarterback, coach and cheerleader to get things d

ou should advertise time-sensitive discounts (i.e. $50 off a deep cleaning until the end of next month.)

The name and logo for your cleaning business require thought. Your cleaning service business should have a polished and professional image to compete in the marketplace. A professionally designed logo will help to brand your company in the public's mind. Your logo will be printed on business cards, marketing pieces, letterhead, car signs, etc., so carefully consider the image you want to present, and then choose a name and artwork which will best reflect that image. Be certain that the business name you’ve chosen is not already in use. At LogoYes.com you can create a logo online for only $99.

Before you start your own cleaning business be prepared with customized, professionally written cleaning business forms and letters. You should have: a sales script memorized to perfection whether you do in-home estimates or estimates by phone; cleaning fee estimate calculator; fee estimate letters; follow-up letters for quotes not booked; new customer letters stating hourly fees for cleaning services and payment policies; a customer database and accounting system set up and ready to accept information; customer information sheets listing vital details for account; cleaning service checklist form to leave with customers at every service; customer survey forms for every new customer to complete and return; and complaint response letters and forms ready for mailing just in case a customer is dissatisfied.

To obtain your first customers you can advertise under "services" in the classified section of your local newspapers. Keep it short and ad your logo if you can afford to. Your ad might read “Quality housecleaning with integrity. Call ###-#### for a free estimate.” $25 - $100 should cover running your ad for 2 weeks depending upon your location and size of the ad.

It is of utmost importance that you have a voice-mail system with a professional message which reflects your business image. Also, your phone system should capture incoming numbers as callers may not leave a message, or may forget to leave their phone number. Be certain to return calls within 2 to 3 business hours. Because most people have sufficient home or mobile phone systems the cost of this will not be included in our general start-up estimate.

Marketing pieces may be hand delivered or mailed. Your choices are door hangers, brochures or postcards. We prefer

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So you’ve invented the next big thing (or at least something that may solve a problem for a select group of people)? Now what?

Public relations is not easy for certain types of businesses, especially if they are on the taboo list of the general public. Let's take a look at a case study. Gentlemen's clubs or strip clubs are pretty much on the taboo list for most of the American public. Of course the young men who go to such places do not think they are so bad and actually enjoy themselves quite a lot.

It's always about selling more cars and making more gross, isn't it? Fix the problem the first time.

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