I paid a bill using my banks online bill payment. I included in the memo portion of the check my name - reason for payment - account number. Bill needed to arrive 2/1/2011 - it did ... company cashed the check the same day and funds were transferred to the company on 2/1/2011. I verified online that my account had be debited for the check amount on time.
Received a late notice on 2/10/11 that my payment had not been received and that I would be charged a $50 late fee. That was interesting sense they had my money for 10 days.
Called the company on the morning of 2/11/2011 with the check number in hand to prove my case. They looked up my account and said - oh yes we received your payment on 2/1/2011. They added that because I sent via my bank's online bill payment we didnt receive the "payment coupon" , so it took nine days for your bill to clear in our system so it appeared late.
Excuse me? I had my name - reason for payment - account number in the memo section, I said. They said well without the "coupon" (which by the way is really a "statement" - imbeciles) we can't process your payment for several days. Uh couldnt the idiot that took nine days to figure out the lack of coupon issue see that my payment was credited on 2/1/2011?
So without a SPECIFIC PIECE OF PAPER this company can't credit a customers account despite the fact that the customer provided name - reason for payment - account number on the check. Info that is completely sufficient for other companies. But they were able to cash my check and credit my account but not that I paid it on time.
Does any of this makes sense to you folks?
If your business is this dependent on paper - update your processes immediately. Its wastes everyone's time.
FYI - no late fee for me.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Must be a member to become a member?
This borders on the absurd...
I am looking for professional organizations for the event industry to promote http://localeventplanner.com/
Meeting Planners International has links to membership but when you click JOIN it prompts for the username and password...
So you have to be a member to become a member?
http://www.mpiweb.org/Membership
This beyond ridiculous...I wonder what their membership numbers are like???
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Join our affiliate program
I am looking for professional organizations for the event industry to promote http://localeventplanner.com/
Meeting Planners International has links to membership but when you click JOIN it prompts for the username and password...
So you have to be a member to become a member?
http://www.mpiweb.org/Membership
This beyond ridiculous...I wonder what their membership numbers are like???
---------------------------------------------------
Join our affiliate program
Thursday, January 20, 2011
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Unprecedented: Third-Party Social Networks Take Lead in Consumer Advertising
Did you ever think the day would come that major consumer companies would promote a third party website in advertising over their own proprietary website? Well that time has come in a big way.
Macy's recent one day sale tv ad ended with the logo in the center and the logos for Facebook and Twitter underneath for two second before they transitioned to just the Macys website. There are several other consumer commercials that have opted to exclude the URL for their proprietary website in order to display their co-branded Facebook URL such as Facebook.com/companyname.
This is remarkable. The top social networking sites are so wildly popular that they have become MORE important than company specific websites. Companies have learned that they must be where the crowds are or else. There has never been a time in the history of consumer advertising in which a company would direct its customers to another company. The closest example in history would be ads that list stores in which the advertised product could be purchased.
The way in which businesses go to market has completely changed. What are you doing to assimilate?
Learn More:
The State and Future of Twitter 2010 - (FREE REPORT) Twitter has flourished into a living and breathing organism whose characteristics are dictated and personified through their Tweets and the Tweets of those they follow.
The (VERY) Unofficial Guide To Facebook Privacy -(FREE EBOOK) To fully understand the privacy of Facebook and how it's likely to evolve, you need to understand one thing...Facebook executives want everyone to be public.
Social Networking Spaces: From Facebook to Twitter and Everything In Between (Beginning)
Get Connected: The Social Networking Toolkit for Business
Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day
Macy's recent one day sale tv ad ended with the logo in the center and the logos for Facebook and Twitter underneath for two second before they transitioned to just the Macys website. There are several other consumer commercials that have opted to exclude the URL for their proprietary website in order to display their co-branded Facebook URL such as Facebook.com/companyname.
This is remarkable. The top social networking sites are so wildly popular that they have become MORE important than company specific websites. Companies have learned that they must be where the crowds are or else. There has never been a time in the history of consumer advertising in which a company would direct its customers to another company. The closest example in history would be ads that list stores in which the advertised product could be purchased.
The way in which businesses go to market has completely changed. What are you doing to assimilate?
Learn More:
The State and Future of Twitter 2010 - (FREE REPORT) Twitter has flourished into a living and breathing organism whose characteristics are dictated and personified through their Tweets and the Tweets of those they follow.
The (VERY) Unofficial Guide To Facebook Privacy -(FREE EBOOK) To fully understand the privacy of Facebook and how it's likely to evolve, you need to understand one thing...Facebook executives want everyone to be public.
Social Networking Spaces: From Facebook to Twitter and Everything In Between (Beginning)
Get Connected: The Social Networking Toolkit for Business
Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Top Way to Increase Customer Loyalty in a Down Economy
In hard times, people doing more for each other is human nature. We all know people who have been unemployed for a year more in our personal lives, but what about your customers? Has a customer been unable to pay your fee in recent months? If so, did you consider giving your service or product for free?
There is no marketing strategy
that exists today that will give you the same customer loyalty
as a simple act of kindness. Give a customer a freebie here or there and you have a loyal customer.
I recently learned that a good friend of mine who has been unemployed for 1.5 years and is very sick with no health insurance. He did not want to visit a doctor in fear of racking up yet another stack of bills he can't pay. He called his long time doctor and who asked him to come in for an office visit and that she was not worried about insurance but rather my friend's health.
My friend was examined by his doctor and was found to need a number of medications. The doctor gave him enough free samples for the prescribed dose and advised him to get the cheapest probiotic at the pharmacy. As the doctor was leaving the examination room, my friend asked how much the bill would be for the visit. Cringing for price, the doctor simply responded,"There is no charge for today. Feel better."
Doctor's can charge between $75 -$250 a visit. The word of mouth that will follow this doctor's act of kindness cannot be accurately quantified, but I believe it is worth years more of paid visits from my friend and anyone else he knows. He told me about his experience and many others. If the doctor excuses the office visit fee for 10 people per month .. it would cost $2500 based on the highest estimated office visit fee. That is not a lot of money to invest in your business without actually writing a check to someone else for your advertising. If you can simply giveaway your time or existing product to a needy patient, why not?
Excusing a small service fee or giving away product that can help your existing customers continue to do business with you will go further than any advertisement
you can write a check for.
Figure out how many freebies you can offer to struggling customers and let acts of kindness create a trail of loyalty and referrals that with give you a return on your investments way beyond the economic downturn.
There is no marketing strategy
that exists today that will give you the same customer loyalty as a simple act of kindness. Give a customer a freebie here or there and you have a loyal customer. I recently learned that a good friend of mine who has been unemployed for 1.5 years and is very sick with no health insurance. He did not want to visit a doctor in fear of racking up yet another stack of bills he can't pay. He called his long time doctor and who asked him to come in for an office visit and that she was not worried about insurance but rather my friend's health.
My friend was examined by his doctor and was found to need a number of medications. The doctor gave him enough free samples for the prescribed dose and advised him to get the cheapest probiotic at the pharmacy. As the doctor was leaving the examination room, my friend asked how much the bill would be for the visit. Cringing for price, the doctor simply responded,"There is no charge for today. Feel better."
Doctor's can charge between $75 -$250 a visit. The word of mouth that will follow this doctor's act of kindness cannot be accurately quantified, but I believe it is worth years more of paid visits from my friend and anyone else he knows. He told me about his experience and many others. If the doctor excuses the office visit fee for 10 people per month .. it would cost $2500 based on the highest estimated office visit fee. That is not a lot of money to invest in your business without actually writing a check to someone else for your advertising. If you can simply giveaway your time or existing product to a needy patient, why not?
Excusing a small service fee or giving away product that can help your existing customers continue to do business with you will go further than any advertisement
you can write a check for. Figure out how many freebies you can offer to struggling customers and let acts of kindness create a trail of loyalty and referrals that with give you a return on your investments way beyond the economic downturn.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Small Businesses: How to Make the Right Signage Choices
You may call your business "Joe Miller and Associates", but is that the right information for your building signage?
The answer is no.
If the name of your business doesn't say anything about what your business is, then chances are the average Joe (no pun intended) will have no idea if your business is a law firm, insurance company or travel agency. If you do not run a franchise with a recognizable name, consider ordering signage that is generic.
Three years ago, I would have said that branding is everything, but in a down economy your name is not much worth to you if no one is patronizing your business if they don't know what it is.
This advice is for business located in a strip mall, on busy highway or in professional building with other businesses. If you have a stand alone operation (you are the occupant of your office or store location) branding should be the highlight of your signage. But if you are running a restaurant in a strip mall with three or more stores your signage should be the type of food you serve.
Example: Mary Ann's Bistro is a nice name - but if someone driving by on a busy highway saw it they wouldn't know what type of food the restaurant served. But if the sign said "Mary Ann's Italian Bistro" or simply "Italian Restaurant" in bold letters people will know what they can get from the place immediately.
There is a really great camera store that I drive by every day on a very busy highway called "Right Photo." When I needed to buy my Canon PowerShot SX20IS
, which is an awesome camera by the way with HD video with zoom function, I bought it from there. I noticed recently they placed a large free standing sign on the lawn out front that now just simply says "Camera Store". The previous branded signage was on the top of the three story building that was hard to see driving directly in front of the store. This was very smart because the company name is not widely known but the simple lawn signage is eye level to most drivers. Remember it doesn't matter what your name is if you are not putting $$$ into making your branding known. Focus on getting customers in who have a need. I needed a camera - I could have bought it online but I wanted to go to a place with sales clerks with knowledge of the cameras.
If you own a non-franchise business signs like "PIZZA", "ITALIAN RESTAURANT", "TRAVEL AGENCY", "LOCKSMITH" can go a long way to drive new customers who don't care about your business name but only need the service you provide.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Small Business Owners: Don't Get Hosed By a Photographer
If you need to hire a professional photographer for an event, portraits or commerical photography you need to be clear about what you want back from the photographer
.
A client hired a photographer to take photos of her work. She pays the guy his day rate (full or half) to take photos. That fee structure is typical. The guy delivers all the photos website quality 72 dpi on a disk. I let the client know that she would need high resolution images if she wanted to do any printed material. She was unaware that her photos could only be used on a screen.
She put me on the phone today with the photographer and when I asked if he would deliver a disk with all the high resolution photos he explained that he provides a disk with all low resolution images for you to look at or use (again can only use the images for screen). He added that if my client would like high resolutions images she would select those photos and he will charge AN ADDITIONAL FEE.
OK she pays him his full rate - no matter what but his rate only includes low resolution images? Keep in mind at the time she engaged him several months ago - she had no website and had no plans for one. This is what I call getting seriously hosed because of misinformation.
The small business owner
client didn't understand what she was getting until I told her. I also let her know that Ihave hired many photographers and they have delivered dvds with all high resolution photos upon my request.
I understand that photographers have to get paid, but there is no way that it should be EXTRA to get a high resolution photo - #1 the photographer SHOOTS high resolution- PERIOD. You can not shoot low resolution and make it high resolution. The pixels are not there to work with - it cannot be done. He is not doing anything to the image to make it high resolution. He may adjust color etc - but he is not making magic. Retouching is almost always extra, but sometimes unnecessary.
I advised my client to kick the photographer to the curb - PRONTO.
Before you hire a photographer:
Check this Out:
The Art of Engagement: Bridging the Gap Between People and Possibilities - Free Book Summary
. A client hired a photographer to take photos of her work. She pays the guy his day rate (full or half) to take photos. That fee structure is typical. The guy delivers all the photos website quality 72 dpi on a disk. I let the client know that she would need high resolution images if she wanted to do any printed material. She was unaware that her photos could only be used on a screen.
She put me on the phone today with the photographer and when I asked if he would deliver a disk with all the high resolution photos he explained that he provides a disk with all low resolution images for you to look at or use (again can only use the images for screen). He added that if my client would like high resolutions images she would select those photos and he will charge AN ADDITIONAL FEE.
OK she pays him his full rate - no matter what but his rate only includes low resolution images? Keep in mind at the time she engaged him several months ago - she had no website and had no plans for one. This is what I call getting seriously hosed because of misinformation.
The small business owner
client didn't understand what she was getting until I told her. I also let her know that Ihave hired many photographers and they have delivered dvds with all high resolution photos upon my request. I understand that photographers have to get paid, but there is no way that it should be EXTRA to get a high resolution photo - #1 the photographer SHOOTS high resolution- PERIOD. You can not shoot low resolution and make it high resolution. The pixels are not there to work with - it cannot be done. He is not doing anything to the image to make it high resolution. He may adjust color etc - but he is not making magic. Retouching is almost always extra, but sometimes unnecessary.
I advised my client to kick the photographer to the curb - PRONTO.
Before you hire a photographer:
- Find out what you are paying for
- Clarify you want high resolution images (you can always make them low resolution for the web)
- Tell the photographer you would like a disk with all the high resolution images - no extra fee
- If you don't need retouching and are happy the photos as is ...don't pay for retouching. Minor color balance and contrast adjustments should not/not be extra - PERIOD
Check this Out:
The Art of Engagement: Bridging the Gap Between People and Possibilities - Free Book Summary
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Google Ups Search Ante with Instant
I have two words to describe Google Instant.
Holy Sh$T!
I started a search while signed into Google tonight and before I could type the THIRD LETTER in the search box results started showing below.
WHOA.... Then I saw a friendly note telling me not to be alarmed introducing Google Instant. As described by the geniuses themselves, Instant..." is a new search enhancement that shows results as you type. We are pushing the limits of our technology and infrastructure to help you get better search results, faster. Our key technical insight was that people type slowly, but read quickly, typically taking 300 milliseconds between keystrokes, but only 30 milliseconds (a tenth of the time!) to glance at another part of the page. This means that you can scan a results page while you type."
If you haven't paid attention to where your website appears in google search results - get off your duff now and figure it out. (Have you heard about the search engine ranking loophole?)
Instant will be a hit for fast search results. My prediction? Sponsored links may suffer - Instant says search results save 2-5 seconds - I believe this will work against sponsored links. I think peeps will spend less time on the search page because results will appear faster. There are MILLIONS of other websites that Google ads appear so they won't be heading to the poor house any time soon. But I do believe there will be less clicks on sponsored ad ON Google search pages.
Care about your search engine optimization today or die tomorrow - PERIOD.
Check this out for starters:
Website Traffic is the single commodity that no one seems to have enough of, yet also one of the most written about ebooks on the planet.
Here's the bottom line...
If you want whatever the latest greatest ebook is about getting traffic, just let me know and I can go find it for you and you can waste your money on it.... BUT...
If you want to skip all of the crap and simply go directly to the source and flood your site with as much traffic as you can stand, then simply read this click here.
Holy Sh$T!
I started a search while signed into Google tonight and before I could type the THIRD LETTER in the search box results started showing below.
WHOA.... Then I saw a friendly note telling me not to be alarmed introducing Google Instant. As described by the geniuses themselves, Instant..." is a new search enhancement that shows results as you type. We are pushing the limits of our technology and infrastructure to help you get better search results, faster. Our key technical insight was that people type slowly, but read quickly, typically taking 300 milliseconds between keystrokes, but only 30 milliseconds (a tenth of the time!) to glance at another part of the page. This means that you can scan a results page while you type."
If you haven't paid attention to where your website appears in google search results - get off your duff now and figure it out. (Have you heard about the search engine ranking loophole?)
Instant will be a hit for fast search results. My prediction? Sponsored links may suffer - Instant says search results save 2-5 seconds - I believe this will work against sponsored links. I think peeps will spend less time on the search page because results will appear faster. There are MILLIONS of other websites that Google ads appear so they won't be heading to the poor house any time soon. But I do believe there will be less clicks on sponsored ad ON Google search pages.
Care about your search engine optimization today or die tomorrow - PERIOD.
Check this out for starters:
Website Traffic is the single commodity that no one seems to have enough of, yet also one of the most written about ebooks on the planet.
Here's the bottom line...
If you want whatever the latest greatest ebook is about getting traffic, just let me know and I can go find it for you and you can waste your money on it.... BUT...
If you want to skip all of the crap and simply go directly to the source and flood your site with as much traffic as you can stand, then simply read this click here.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Website Advertising: Monetizing Your Website for Serious Returns
If you have a website or blog you should figure out a way to monetize it. I don't mean that you should start offering a product to sell but rather take advantage of really easy ways to do it.
Google adwords,Yahoo Search Marketing is a good place to start. Easy setup and its free to join. But if you want to go one step further with your advertising and actually provide relevant free content offers for white papers and ebooks I recommend signing up for RevResponse.
The beauty of RevResponse is that they pay you for giving away free content to your site audience. Howevrer, your audience has to qualify in order to receive the offers. This is why it’s important that you know your audience and promote magazines and downloads that are relevant to them. Run ads for compelling FREE business content to your audience. The RevResponse is very easy to use. You have access to an Ad Wizard tht allows you to create contextual, banner, and flash widget offers ready to cut and paste in to your websites.
The best part about RevResponse is that you can promote your own co-branded RevResponse FREE Business Content Resource Center. No other ad network allows you to make money from a complete inventory of advertiser's content. Take a look at this live example: http://pradviser-net.tradepub.com/
I also recommend the following products about making money online:
Google adwords,Yahoo Search Marketing is a good place to start. Easy setup and its free to join. But if you want to go one step further with your advertising and actually provide relevant free content offers for white papers and ebooks I recommend signing up for RevResponse.The beauty of RevResponse is that they pay you for giving away free content to your site audience. Howevrer, your audience has to qualify in order to receive the offers. This is why it’s important that you know your audience and promote magazines and downloads that are relevant to them. Run ads for compelling FREE business content to your audience. The RevResponse is very easy to use. You have access to an Ad Wizard tht allows you to create contextual, banner, and flash widget offers ready to cut and paste in to your websites.
The best part about RevResponse is that you can promote your own co-branded RevResponse FREE Business Content Resource Center. No other ad network allows you to make money from a complete inventory of advertiser's content. Take a look at this live example: http://pradviser-net.tradepub.com/
I also recommend the following products about making money online:
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Event Planners: Use a business directory to increase your business
If you own a business, you have to market it online to make sure that you reach out to existing as well as prospective customers to ensure access to information about your services. As a business owner in you can always use a business directory service to advertise your services
A professional business directory service can help to increase your visibility, without making you put in much effort on your part. The bestr business directory services will divert a lot of traffic to your website. It aims at making a lot of people visit your company's website, on a regular basis. They also offer content such as videos and articles which attract both prospective as well as regular consumers to your website, seeking your services.
In today's world, the internet has emerged as an important part of everybody's life, it is necessary for you as a business owner to have as much online presence as possible. Having a website, placing your banner ads and writing keyword articles alone can not do anything, unless you list your business with a quality business directory service.
If you want to maximize your chances to increase your business further, it is best for you to take advantage of every open marketing avenue. So, when you come across a good business directory for your industry, it is really important that you make the most of this opportunity.
A local event planner business directory service will ask you for your company's name and address along with a permanent telephone number. It will also offer you an option to list an 800 number; however it helps to have a permanent telephone number listed in a business directory. You will also be asked to provide a brief description about your services, which you offer along with your web address. Have a link to yoru website on a relevant directory for your industry could help your sarch engine listings.
In short, listing your business in a good local event planner business directory will definitely increase your business.
Recommended Reading:
How To Drive Traffic To Your Website With Facebook - Growing Your Online Business With Facebook, and Much More - The Facebook Experts Handbook
How to Increase Return Traffic to Your Website
Web Traffic Magnet: 55 Free Things You Can Do To Drive Traffic To Your Website (Volume 1)
A professional business directory service can help to increase your visibility, without making you put in much effort on your part. The bestr business directory services will divert a lot of traffic to your website. It aims at making a lot of people visit your company's website, on a regular basis. They also offer content such as videos and articles which attract both prospective as well as regular consumers to your website, seeking your services.
In today's world, the internet has emerged as an important part of everybody's life, it is necessary for you as a business owner to have as much online presence as possible. Having a website, placing your banner ads and writing keyword articles alone can not do anything, unless you list your business with a quality business directory service.
If you want to maximize your chances to increase your business further, it is best for you to take advantage of every open marketing avenue. So, when you come across a good business directory for your industry, it is really important that you make the most of this opportunity.
A local event planner business directory service will ask you for your company's name and address along with a permanent telephone number. It will also offer you an option to list an 800 number; however it helps to have a permanent telephone number listed in a business directory. You will also be asked to provide a brief description about your services, which you offer along with your web address. Have a link to yoru website on a relevant directory for your industry could help your sarch engine listings.
In short, listing your business in a good local event planner business directory will definitely increase your business.
Recommended Reading:
How To Drive Traffic To Your Website With Facebook - Growing Your Online Business With Facebook, and Much More - The Facebook Experts Handbook
How to Increase Return Traffic to Your Website
Web Traffic Magnet: 55 Free Things You Can Do To Drive Traffic To Your Website (Volume 1)
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