Actual for You - Business

Help! I'm From Another Planet and Have No Idea What Customer Service Is!
So, you are dropped from a spaceship, told to infiltrate and await a signal from the Home Planet. In order to live, you have to get a job. Your space boss tells you “Get a job in Customer Service.”You suddenly have to acclimate yourself to a new environment, find a job with no skills and blend in so you are not discovered.Sometimes in Customer Service we look around and see that person working next to us, don’t we? They have no clue as to what Customer Service is (or isn’t), poor or non-existent skill sets, they look strange and have difficulty communicating.Sound familiar? Maybe the guy or gal next to you is an

tuff to talk about? Don’t send an email. Rather than spreading out your requests over what could be a couple dozen emails, schedule a quick 10 minute meeting. Quickly review what needs to be covered, answer all questions at one time and move on.

Step Five: Put an FAQ page on your website
Do you find yourself getting the same questions from your customers over and over again? Try adding the answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) on your website. Or even be more proactive and send the FAQ to new clients when they buy your product or sign up for your service.

Step Six:

George Bush on Corporate CEO Pay
President Bush has done an excellent job in lowering taxes and strengthening the economy even after the Dot Com bubble burst he had to deal with and the 911 attacks which preceded to eliminate some 7 Trillion Dollars out of the US Stock Market, without any forewarning to investors, corporations or Mutual Fund holders. Recently, President Bush gave a quick speech and interview at the NY Stock Exchange on Corporate CEO pay stating that pay needs to be tied to performance.Obviously, for too long Corporate CEOs have raped companies, while not producing profits or growth. And yes and this speaks to the comments made by detractors a

I’ll tell you a little secret. Back in the mid 90’s I actually used to go for weeks at a time without checking my email. When I finally did, there would be a whopping 20 email messages. A little note from a pal. The occasional work related message. The joke of the day. 20 whole messages, in a week, can you believe it?

Now I get 20 messages in like 5 minutes. Do you ever miss the “good ole’ days” of email? When you could actually sit down, read and handle everything in a small amount of time? For many, what used to be a great convenience has become just another task to tackle.

No, you can’t give up email cold turkey. It’s here to stay. But it doesn’t have to be so hard or overwhelming. Here are 8 easy ways to cut down on the constant shuffle and overwhelming amount of email you handle every day. And I’m not just talking about spam filters.

Step One: Create an Email Process
Don’t get stuck in the email cycle where you end up reading the same email several times and still don’t act on it. Pick a specific time to check your mail. Maybe once or twice an hour. Read it once, complete what you need from it and then move on.

Step Two: Use Instant Messenger
Instant messenger is not just for kids chatting about the happenings of the 8th grade. Rather than shooting off an email and waiting for a response or having a conversation by sending emails back and forth, try using instant messenger. It’s great for quick check-ins and getting answers fast. Sign up for a free messenger service like MSN, give your contact info to those you communicate with on a regular basis (like your assistant) and talk in real time rather than filling up your in-box.

Step Three: Try a Wiki
No, this is not a Hawaiian tropical drink. Are you stuck in the trap where you are constantly getting the latest version of a contract or the latest redesign of a design? If you’re in a place where several people are sending different versions of documents back and forth, it might make sense for you to try a Wiki. A Wiki is a software program that allows users to create and update web pages easily and rapidly. This creates a central location where several people can log in, see and work on the same document. No more emails back and fourth. Inc. magazine recommends jotspot.com. See if it’s for you.

Step Four: Schedule a meeting
Got stuff to talk about? Don’t send an email. Rather than spreading out your requests over what could be a couple dozen emails, schedule a quick 10 minute meeting. Quickly review what needs to be covered, answer all questions at one time and move on.

Step Six:

Work From Home - Telecommute and Make Money
Telecommuting jobs are great opportunities to make money working from home. There are however, a great many scams that claim you will earn a lot of money in a very short period of time. Many of these so-called opportunities are designed to take your money, for which you will receive nothing or instructions as to how to place an add identical to the one you responded to and charge a fee to pass on the same instructions. The good news is that there are some very good telecommuting jobs available. You will need to research any work from home job offers you are considering very carefully to make sure the offer is legitimate and the co

Step Six:

Pink Flamingo Fundraiser for NonProfit Groups
A pink flamingo fundraiser is fun way to raise money for your favorite cause. It's an easy fundraiser for any size group to put together because it requires very little effort to keep it going.The basic fundraising idea involves deploying a flock of pink plastic flamingoes in someone's yard or outside a business entrance. A note is left explaining that the person or business has been selected by someone to be 'flocked' for a good cause. And, it then goes on to explain that they will have to pay $10 per flamingo to have them relocated.The fun part is that each flocking victim then gets to pick the next victim. The flocki

enger
Instant messenger is not just for kids chatting about the happenings of the 8th grade. Rather than shooting off an email and waiting for a response or having a conversation by sending emails back and forth, try using instant messenger. It’s great for quick check-ins and getting answers fast. Sign up for a free messenger service like MSN, give your contact info to those you communicate with on a regular basis (like your assistant) and talk in real time rather than filling up your in-box.

Step Six:

Can't Get Venture Capital Financing? Look at These Alternative Options
Many business owners try to finance their growing businesses by going to venture capital or angel funding groups. Although both financing options provide a great way to finance a business, they are usually hard to qualify for. And furthermore, they all require that you give up some business equity in exchange for funds. That, needless to say, can be a very steep price to pay.There are some business financing alternatives that can allow you to finance your business, almost as effectively, without having to give up any equity. As opposed to venture funding or angel funding, these options are easy to qualify for and do not requi

in the trap where you are constantly getting the latest version of a contract or the latest redesign of a design? If you’re in a place where several people are sending different versions of documents back and forth, it might make sense for you to try a Wiki. A Wiki is a software program that allows users to create and update web pages easily and rapidly. This creates a central location where several people can log in, see and work on the same document. No more emails back and fourth. Inc. magazine recommends jotspot.com. See if it’s for you.

Step Six:

So You Want To Get Promoted
If you want to move up the corporate ladder, it won't be easy. The competition is intense. Here are a few things you can do to make yourself more promotable, starting with taking stock of yourself.What are your strengths? You want to build on those, while you work to make your weaknesses irrelevant.What do you offer the company, your team, and your boss? This will probably grow out of your strengths, but asking the question this way helps you think about contribution. All things being equal, the folks who get promoted are the ones who contribute to the company's success.Here's an example. A young coaching c

Step Six: Remember the phone
Hey remember that old fangled invention called the telephone? Sometimes it seems easier to just shoot off an email, but the phone can dramatically cut down on the number of emails ending up in your inbox. For example, a client of mine recently told me she made a coffee date with a colleague. What could have been 3 minutes on the phone comparing schedules turned into 8 back and forth email's trying to pick the perfect date to talk over chai lattes. Don’t fill up your box if you don’t need to.

Step Seven: Automatically sort your email
Most email programs allow you to sort and highlight automatically. Learn to use features like Outlook rules so you can quickly identify those messages that are most important to you. For instance, I have a client who set up a rule that sends all website leads to a special folder. This doesn’t cut down on the number of emails coming in, but it sure makes it's a whole lot easier for his assistant (and NOT him) to process those leads.

Step Eight: Use multiple email addresses
Get lots of newsletters and announcements? Set up a special box just for those kinds of mailers so that you can read them when you want to. Again, doesn’t cut down on the number of email's coming through, but makes it easier for you to get to the items you want to see first.

Make email fun again. It doesn’t have to be so overwhelming.

© 2005 Beth Schneider. Want to reprint this article, feel free as long as you include the following: Beth Schneider, Chief Infopreneur of Process Prodigy, is a business process consultant who helps solo-entrepreneurs, small business owners and network marketers who want to systemize their business to increase profits, increase productivity and grow their business without having to give up the family oriented, flexible, balanced lifestyle they desire. Beth works one-on-one with her clients, offers home study courses, and teleclass boot camps. For more information visit http://www.processprodigy.com and sign up for your FR*EE 5- Step Process Starter Kit and FR*EE Process Tips.

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In July 2005, I wrote an E-Zine with the headline “High Definition – When?” At the time we saw little demand for HDCAM equipment aside from some clients in the U.S. Seven months later, the situation has changed dramatically. With this increase in demand, we recently hired Paul Wheeler BSC, a highly experienced film and digital cinematographer to do some workshops for us. While he was here, I interviewed him.

Here is your opportunity to show who is in control and who will always be in control. Doing a little detective work won't hurt your long term success with a celebrity endorser. Know your customer and know your celebrity endorser...it's your right and responsibility.

In a competitive world, career advancement can depend on career training and motivation. This articles considers why career training is necessary, and sources of career training.

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