© 2003 Vishal P. Rao

As a business owner, you already know how important it is for your customers to feel safe about doing business with you. After all, if a customer even suspects he may not receive everything he was promised, then chances are he’s taking his business elsewhere. So to prevent that you offer guarantees, secure payment methods, prompt customer service, and more. You do whatever it takes to show each customer that you are sincere and trustworthy.

But what steps do you take to protect yourself and your livelihood?

Too many business owners spend all their time worrying about their customers’ security without thinking of their own, even though small companies must often deal with customer fraud, non-paying clients, and more.

Just as you’ve taken steps to ensure that your customers are satisfied with their buying experience, so should you feel comfortable and secure by taking a few precautions of your own.

1. Get Everything in Writing

Written contracts are not just for helping customers understand what they can expect to receive for their money, they are about laying down the ground rules for your business relationship. When these guidelines are in writing, nothing is left up for a debate or becomes a misunderstanding.

Both parties can be assured that their interests are being protected and both should have a clear understanding of their rights and responsibilities in the event that something goes awry.

A good example would be if you sold a toy which a parent returned six months later because it was broken. Without a contract in writing specifying the time limits and conditions of your return policy, you might end up with an ongoing battle wit the customer which could result in lost business and even lawsuits.

Written contracts also don’t need to be crafted by lawyers. You can write everything out yourself in ordinary, easy to understand language. When you and the customer sign it, it becomes a legal and binding agreement. It’s really that simple.

2. Don’t Be Naive

So many people in business get burned by their customers simply because they are too trusting. For example, some of you may have shipped products before the customers’ payments cleared. Or you may have completed agreed upon work without asking for a deposit. Both are risky propositions as many new entrepreneurs discover the hard way, especially if they do business online.

You can protect yourself by always asking for a partial payment in advance and by always waiting until a customer’s payment has cleared before you ship their products. Another method of protecting yourself and your customer is by using a service such as Paypal.com to handle your transactions. The service protects you from non-paying customers and offers your customers protection for lost, damaged, or unshipped products.

3. Know Your Local Laws

One of the best ways to protect yourself is by becoming informed. When you know your legal rights, you’ll have a better understanding of how to effectively deal with troublesome customers.

For example, some states don’t allow you to limit a customer’s right to return a product beyond a certain time limit, so you may not legally be able to enforce a guarantee of only one week. On the other hand, if you know your rights, then you’ll also understand what steps to take in case legal action on your part is necessary.

For instance, you may want to send a certified letter demanding payment before you file a lawsuit. Additionally, if you appear knowledgeable about your rights, many customers might think twice before failing to pay or committing fraud.

The bottom line is that you deserve to be protected just as much as your customers. A few advance precautions now can ensure that you’ll have a long and satisfying business relationship with your customers.

Start With Limits

If you want to achieve something, start with parameters that set the scope and size of your plan. For example, if you chose five key goals of your organisation for the next year, you could break each goal into no more than five strategies you need to implement to achieve the five goals. Your plan would therefore be limited to five goals and 25 strategies. One of the reasons planning fails is that everything becomes a goal and there are dozens of supporting strategies. Nobody gets around to implementing any of the strategies.

Choose Spectacular Goals

By this I mean don’t write about your core functions because you are already doing those. Plan ways in which you can increase or improve the core functions. If yours is a service focused organisation providing welfare, for example, why would you need
a goal that said, “Provide a timely service to clients?” Isn’t that what you do now? If your service isn’t timely, find out why and focus on the reasons.

Each year you should choose areas of your business that need improvement or perhaps, new areas that will arise. Focus on those so that you see incremental improvements. When you have improved something one year, move on to something else next
year.

In the example above, think about how you could provide a more timely service to your customers. It might be a computer system problem. Say for example you can’t provide a timely service because your computer system can’t process the work fast enough. Your new goal could be: “Upgrade the computer system to speed up delivery of client payments” That’s better than a nebulous statement about providing a timely service.

Use Concise Action Language

Goals and their strategies need to be achievable and measurable. That means that the language you choose needs to reflect that. When you write your plan, keep that in mind. If you owned an aircondtioning company in a regional city of 500,000 people and set yourself a goal of being “The best airconditioning company” in big city, you’d have to ask how you will achieve that and measure it. There would be numerous competitors … how would you know when you were better than them? And what does being better mean? Rather, choose something more concrete.

Focus on how much business or refrigeration units you are selling, or the number of customer complants or the amount of
rework you have to do and you will be on a winner.

Make the Planning Document an Appendix

Plans are usually laid out with a goal written across the top of a page, then tables with headings such as: Strategies (What
we have to do to achieve this goal), How We Will Do It (How we will implement the strategies), When We Will Do It, and Who is
Responsible.

If you need to include additional information about the organisation, the planning process or something else, make the actual plan an Appendix. That way, the plan can be used, changed and monitored without worrying about all the material. Each year
you can update your plan and, if necessary, the preripheral information can stay as is.

Finally, Use the Plan

How many times have you spent two or three days at a planning meeting only to find that when you have produced your plan, it
goes to the Head Office and that’s the last you see or hear of it until the next planning cycle?

If you write a plan, make it a good one and make it central to what you are doing in your firm. Make people responsible for
achieving specific outcomes and include this responsibility in their performance agreement or contract. Make it a topic on
your monthly management meetings and monitor progress. At the end of the planning cycle, highlight how well the firm has
achieved its objectives and plan for the next period.

Planning is an essential management tool which, if used intelligently, can make a difference to the bottom line of most
firms.

Copyright 2006 Robin Henry | First published May 2006

Robin Henry is an educator, human resources specialist and Internet entrepreneur. He helps home-based businesses and individuals improve performance by applying smart technology and processes and developing personally. He runs his business Desert Wave Enterprises from his home base at Alice Springs in Central Australia, although at present he is on temporary assignment in the United Arab Emirates.

Are you ready to build your opt in email list quickly?

Matt Bacak, ThePowerful Promoter’s techniques will help reveal
new paths to have subscribers come to you. The Powerful Promoter,
Internet marketing guru, shares his secrets for creating an explosion
of opt-in email subscribers.

Have you ever wondered why the big name gurus have tons
of raging fans and big opt in email lists?

They have a special website that squeezes the name and email
address out of people and builds their list of hot, rabid subscribers…

While the average person on the Internet believes this myth:
You can only have one website.

Not true! Matt Bacak wants to break this myth. He says, “If you want to
volcanically erupt your subscribers then you *must* have another site
called a ‘Power Squeeze’ site.”

(The only purpose of a Power Squeeze site is for people to give you
their name, email address and anything else that you want them to
provide, but that’s it.)

Here is an example of Matt’s Power Squeeze site: http://www.unlimited-leads.com

Bacak says, “Keep your original site, but make another one with the
sole purpose of having searchers sign up for your newsletter, ezine or
e course.

Then use the same strategies to get people to this Power Squeeze site
that you are using to market your original site.”

Here is an example of Matt’s original site: http://www.powerfulpromoter.com

If you don’t know how to do that, there are many other Internet marketing
Gurus that might help you. Matt Bacak, The Powerful Promoter, has certainly
helped numerous clients targeted opt in email direct marketing systems
- That is his specialty.

Matt Bacak, was Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz radio show host and became a
“#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short hours.

“The Powerful Promoter” is not only a sought-after internet marketer but also
has marketed for some of the world’s top experts whose reputations
would shrivel
if their followers ever found out someone else coached them on their online
marketing strategies.

Matt Bacak, The Powerful Promoter and Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz
radio show host, became a “#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short
hours. He has helped number clients target his specialty, opt-in
email direct marketing systems. The Powerful Promoter is not only a
sought-after internet marketer but has also marketed for some of the
world’s top experts whose reputations would shrivel if their followers
ever found out someone else coached them on their online marketing
strategies. For more information, visit Bacak’s site at
http://www.powerfulpromoter.com

Generic Drugs

Generic Online Pharmacies started making a big impact on the net since the mid to late 90’s. This has allowed the prescription drug buyer to save hundreds with the click of a mouse. Generics really slash the prices on prescription drugs and medications because they do not carry brand names but they are essentially the same drug.As the cost of prescription drugs and medications continue to soar, more and more Americans are choosing Generic Pharmacies to maintain their quality of life. Buying prescription drugs and medications through Generic Pharmacies is a true alternative to paying the high medication prices that a bricks and mortar pharmacy would charge.

What are Generic Drugs?

A generic pharmaceutical drug is identical to a brand name drug in safety, strength and quality. Even though generics are identical to brand name drugs, they are typically sold at substantial discounts from the branded price.Typically savings of atleast 50 to 70 per cent can be saved for the average consumer It has been estimated that generic drugs save consumers an estimated $8 to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies. Even more when hospitals use generics.

Are Generic Drugs Safe

One of the most common concerns about purchasing Generic Drugs from online pharmacies is the safety of the drugs, and the safety of the patients ordering them.In most cases, generic drugs are considered safe due to the testing process used by the Food and Drug Administration and must meet or exceed all strict quality control standards, in compliance with WHO international guidelines.

If brand-name drugs and generic drugs have the same active ingredients, why do they look different?

Trademark laws do not allow a generic drug to look like the brand-name drug. However, a generic drug must duplicate the active ingredient. Colors, flavors, and certain other inactive ingredients may be different.

Does every brand-name drug have a generic counterpart?

No. Brand-name drugs are generally given patent protection for 20 years from the date of submission of the patent.

Are generic drugs as strong as brand-name drugs?

Yes. FDA requires generic drugs to have the same quality as brand-name drugs.

Do generic drugs take longer to work in the body?

No. Generic drugs are basically the same in quality, strength, purity as brand-name drugs.

More and more people each day are taking advantage of the savings that Generic Pharmacies offer. Purchasing your prescription drugs and medications from Generic Pharmacies or internet pharmacies has never been easier.

Submitted by Mr Andy Casasanta. Author of this article and the creator of a tremendous health and pharmacy website. In this site you will find up to 40 health articles, a 7000 reciprocal link exchange page, and Generic medications. Savings of up to 80% on all popular drugs. Viagra, Lipitor, meridia, and hundreds more all for pennies on the dollar. Please visit http://www.medheadquarters.net

See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower. Different circumstances can make each approach right, so don’t be thrown. And of course, each loan and each borrower are different. But others will claim low rates to bring in customers or tell you that the rates 4 percent offered by competitors will change.

Different lenders charge different fees. Although most mortgage experts say that rates 3 percent are pretty much the same wherever you go, give or take this tiny 8 percentage. Start with credibility. It’s not easy to know if the prices quoted by lenders are reliable. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is evidence of a debt of 10 percent. Many of these fees are fixed but some can be negotiated.

So how do you find a lender or broker you can trust’ A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan for 6 percent. Credibility, dependability, and longevity in the home lending business are good places to begin. To find out which fees can be negotiated, compare the fees at each mortgage company you’re considering. Both banks and brokers have their strengths and weaknesses. Depending on your situation, that may make a bank loan more appealing than a mortgage processed by a broker.

Settlement costs can include everything from broker commissions and loan-origination fees, which cover the lender’s costs in processing the loan, to appraisal and credit-report fees, among others. In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans 9 percent secured on real estate rather than other property and in some cases only land may be mortgaged. It is a transfer of an interest in land, from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner of the real estate when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.

Some will quote you precise, competitive rates 8 percent. Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately. See which lenders are charging fees 10 percent and for how much.

The Dutch translation says: Woon je in Veldhoven of Waddinxveen en heeft u BKR notering’ Lenen met en BKR codering is nog nooit zo eenvoudig geweest. Haal snel een andere caravan met geld lenen zonder bkr toetsing, 392966 euro is geen probleem om te financieren. Van Maastricht tot Hilvarenbeek, geld lenen met en BKR codering is hier geen enkel probleem.

Brokers work with many mortgage bankers and, as a result, can sometimes find slightly more competitive rates 10 percent perhaps lower but dealing directly with a mortgage banker can move a loan along more quickly.

I remember an era where gaming laptops were a special breed. Though they did not shift a big amount they still produced the most in contrast to other styles of notebook computer. The cost was just too big to justify purchasing these kinds of laptop for potential buyers. I think they were not the most functional however I still believe they were the best laptops. I think they would provide us with a taste of what’s to come but nobody would actually buy laptops for gaming back then. As the giant computer manufacturers spot the potential revenues in gaming laptops, the industry is transforming.

Bringing their well known names into the market would possibly afford them to charge even more. As the markup on mid range laptops have become so tiny, making specialized gaming notebooks is one plan to render a larger gross margin. With their deep marketing resources I am sure they can persuade anyone to buy laptops like these. I wonder whether this would be the downfall of smaller retailers? With the money at their disposal they could simply get rid of smaller competition. Established companies can utilise their brand names to effortlessly win people over.

To my astonishment the branded gaming laptops are as good if not better than the best laptops available. This should give a bit of hope to the smaller competitors. The configurability service is a big benefit to the customer. These specific buyers are generally extremely acquainted with the technology and are able to compare each of the components by themselves. If you are the notebook for gaming then certainly the performance is the first consideration. This is all excellent from the purchasers position. Newer technology will be increasingly purchasable in the future for many purchasers because it will act to drive prices down further. I think even industry experts would have a difficult time seeing where the market is headed. Prices will most likely stay relatively high because there are constantly new laptops being introduced. Multinational brands have associated themselves with the gaming laptops division and only time will tell what awaits.

Check out http://www.rizeon.com/gaming_laptops/page.php because they are providing a couple of pretty high performance laptops for the money.

There are presently un-precedented number of debt management companies competing with one another to provide free debt advice. Almost all organisations genuinely provide free no obligation debt information. However whether or not these businesses are providing the best overall value with reference to their service and the advice they provide?

Getting citezens advice which is honest can be stressful. In spite of this it is always worth shopping around where financial advice is concerned. Customers would be silly to simply go with the first debt advice agency they find.

Debt counselling organisations are overseen by the government to try and make sure they are correctly trained and conform with requirements for client non disclosure agreements. The weaknesses with this is that it is not feasible to monitor or understand when offering cost free debt advice. After all, how can an agent ascertain if debt counselling was given with the best interests of the consumer at heart, or if the kind of recommendations made were was driven by the advisers profit margins?

The truth is most clients do not fully appreciate all the products with reference to financial products and debt management generally. If customers did understand then they wouldn’t need the assistance of debt advice agencies.

The reality is companies offering debt management are trying to make profit, this could result in ethical issues between the person seeking advice and the debt company. This is achieved through by referring customers on to alternative businesses or instead by charging arrangements costs from companies to whom monies are owed. Therefore it is not easy to find out how thoroughly such businesses are really helping their clients. The biggest worry is that these debt counselling businesses will be inclined to make decisions influenced by their own profits instead of providing the best solution for the customer.

If you’re under the burden of debt all is not lost. With some debt counseling you’ll find light at the end of the tunnel.

The Internet is a great place to do some research about debt counseling and how such services can benefit you.

As a consumer who is struggling with debt it’s important that you educate yourself about debt counseling before you seek out the assistance of a particular service or company.

Understanding how debt counseling works is in your best interest as it gives you information about which type of questions you’ll want answers to before committing to counseling and/or a debt management program.

Debt counseling services were initially created by credit card companies in an effort to get a portion of the money owed to them back before their client declared bankruptcy and they were left without a dime.

Following are some questions you may wish to ask before getting involved with such a service:

What is the cost?

Will the service be notifying credit agencies re: your enrolment with them?

What kinds of programs do they offer?

Are there any particular benefits to using their service over another?

Do they have a professional affiliation?

If a debt counseling service claims to offer quick solutions or says they will ‘fix’ your credit report be wary. It will take time for your debt to be retired. Counseling is not an overnight solution.

Most services will help you with many different kinds of unsecured debt from credit cards and personal loans to medical and utility bills.

Whether you’ve been working away at your debt or have ceased payment altogether debt counseling can help. Most counseling programs are designed for people who have fallen behind in payment or have had to stop payments due to illness, job loss, or for whatever reason that has forced non-payment.

Many people wonder if they can still use their credit cards if they’re seeking debt counseling. It all depends on the situation. However, if a card is being consolidated the account would have to be closed in order for creditor negotiation to happen.

Most debt counseling services work with Visa, MasterCard and American Express as well as many smaller creditors in an effort to assist you in regaining your financial freedom.

Some debt counseling companies go above and beyond from a service standpoint and not only help people get out of their current debt situation but try to help them and their financial future by sending out a newsletter and offering workshops and seminars.

Doing your homework before signing up with a debt counseling service helps to ensure that the company you select to help you get out of debt and/or manage you credit will be right for you.

Sherrie Le Masurier is a freelance writer who believes in being a wise consumer and living within her means. Her blog http://www.doityourselfdebtreduction.blogspot.com features information on how to get out of debt, debt reduction strategies, credit card debt reduction, debt consolidation, debt management tips and general debt reduction help.

This article is a crash course in how to decorate a christmas tree. Your first step is to choose either a natural or artificial tree. Keep in mind that a natural evergreen tree only comes in one color – green. Artificial trees however are now sold in practically every color of the rainbow. Just remember, whatever color you choose will become your canvas for adding more color in the form of garlands, tinsel and decorations.

Your second step is deciding which color schemes go best with what color of tree. Green Christmas trees, both natural and artificial, look best with primary colors such as green, blue and red. White christmas trees look best with a red theme, pink theme, a gold theme or a silver theme or any combination of the above. Blue Christmas trees look best with gold or silver decorations. Red Christmas trees look great with green or pink decorations.

The third step in this course about how to decorate a christmas tree is about lighting. If you are going to buy a natural tree you will need to buy a strand of bulbs or diodes. Traditional strands of christmas bulbs come in a variety of decorative shapes and sizes including the vintage egg shape, tiny twinkling lights and rope lights. However if you buy an artificial tree you may be able to get one that is prelit. The prettiest prelit christmas trees boast fiber optic needles that give the tree a glow of its own. Especially gorgeous are the white christmas trees that boast fiber optics at their tips. These trees remind many people of angel feathers.

The fourth step is investigating the types of decorations that are available to you. The most basic is the garland. A garland is simply any kind of strand of objects that can be used to circle the tree. You can make a garland yourself out of cooked popcorn, holly berries or candy. You can also use a long length of ribbon and attach bows to it. Of course there are all types of garlands available commercially on the market. Most popular are the garlands made of furry bunches of white or gold tinsel. Red and green tinsel garlands can look especially nice on white christmas trees.

If you are traditionally minded you might want to consider decorating your tree with glass christmas balls. These are either hand blown or created in a factory. Many of them are painted and decorated with glitter. You can buy these as globes, flutes, tubes and also in the shape of musical instruments, angels and other Christmas themes. However if you have small children, you might want to opt for the plastic versions of these decorative balls as they don’t shatter if they fall off the tree.

An important tip to remember when decorating trees with glass balls is to place the larger ornaments at the bottom of the tree and the smaller ones at the top. This helps keep the total effect of the tree in a pleasing proportion to the decorations.

Of course, christmas decorations don’t have to be expensive. You can make your own out of paper that is cut into the shape of snowflakes and other xmas themes. Candies (especially the candy cane), apples, oranges and cookies (especially gingerbread cookies) can also be used as xmas decorations. Red christmas trees look especially good decorated with white shortbread cookies decorated with glitter. White christmas trees look great decorated with home made presents made from tiny boxes wrapped in shiny foil.

Another decoration to consider is tinsel. Strands of tinsel can be hung from the branches to simulate icicles. One tip when hanging tinsel is to hang it in clumps from the edges of the branches. Hanging single or just a couple of strands all over the tree makes it look messy.

The fifth step when it comes to decorating a christmas tree is to choose some kind of tree topper. Commercially you can buy tree-toppers in just about every Christmas motif imaginable including angels, snowmen, teddy bears and of course, the Christmas star. You can buy christmas tree toppers that glow with fiber optic diodes that twirl, play tinkly music and blink on and off. However it is not hard to make your own christmas tree topper. Perhaps the simplest version is a cardboard star that is wrapped in tin foil. Sometimes the home made decorations and tree toppers have more sentimental value than the store bought ones.

The sixth step in this crash course on how to decorate a christmas tree is to make sure you disguise the base of the tree with some kind of Christmas tree skirt. This is simply a mat that is draped around the base and on the floor. It can be made out of shiny or velvet fabric or you can buy commercially made ones that feature xmas motifs in stores and online. Some tree skirts can be quite ornate, decorated with sequins and embroidery. However their original function was to catch the candle drippings from candles on the tree and catch any dropping needles from natural christmas trees.

Another interesting addition, especially if you are a Christian is to place a small nativity scene beneath the Christmas tree on the mat. You can buy Christmas nativity scenes made of wood, metal or plastic. Also popular is a toy train set that runs in a circle around the Christmas tree.

A seventh and final consideration when it comes to how to decorate your christmas tree is a practice called flocking. Flocking is fluffy white stuff, kind of like silly string that is sprayed all over the tree to simulate snow. This gives just about any tree a real 50’s or country style feel and it is very unique to tree decorating traditions in the United States and Canada. However it is not recommended for artificial white christmas trees as the effect would be a little bit of overkill.

For more information on Christmas trees, visit www.o-christmas-tree.com – a year-round resource for all your christmas tree and decoration needs.