Archive for February, 2010

Motivating Employees Starts by Motivating yourself

Many managerial guru’s claim that one of the main ways of getting staff enthusiastic is to simply align the goals of the company with their goals. If you aren’t sure of what the employees goals are then sit down and discuss them, find out their personal goals and help them achieve it; offer them further training or give them further responsibility, try and understand why they aren’t motivated.

Communication is key and by keeping employees in the loop and making them feel part of the entire process you will notice a difference in their overall behaviour.

Part of communicating with employees is also to recognise the effort that they are making, if they are not making a good effort stay positive and highlight where they have been good, but also say to them that they have the ability to do more, encourage them to improve. Constructive criticism can sometimes be difficult for employees to swallow but offer them training or offer them some form of incentive to doing well. Sit with each employee on a regular basis and discuss short term individual aims.

Team building is a brilliant way to enthuse employees, workshop days or even the occasional night out will encourage employees to become friendly with one another and will allow you to break down the ‘boss’ barrier that many people feel inhibited by. Not only will team building be an excellent way for employees to relax but can be a useful tool in training and re-illustrating your company views to them.

As already illustrated communication is the key, speak to your employees, break down any barriers and try to understand their own personal aims. If you don’t understand who your employees are then you will never motivate nor relate to them.

Trailblazing Business Strategies thru Postcard Mailing

Postcard printing is not usually the major marketing strategy that most businesses use. Modern multi-media gadgets usually prevail over it.

The advent of all our modern multi-media gadgets and accessories, most firms opt for Internet, Radio and Television promotions as the media of choice over postcard mailing. This trend however is actually a good opportunity to invest in postcard printing.

With all this marketing going on in various electronic media, it can get to a point where there is too much saturation, numbing the minds of the market desensitizing them to electronic promotions. Postcard printing can be a fresh alternative to this, and you can do many trailblazing business strategies to gain an extra amount of market share through postcard mailing.

Product promotions

First, postcards can actually be re-tasked to promote your products. Much like a flier or brochure, you can add in a marketing design in the postcard cover for people to read. You can try putting a nice image of the product in the cover, plus some explanatory text about what the product is and how people will benefit from using it in their lives.

Of course, if you are promoting a location or event, then that pictures should be of that location or the things that would be happening in that event. Regardless, the postcard cover should suffice to present a small and simple promotional message about your products. When you send this message to precisely picked addresses, then you should have a good chance of advertising your products to potential customers easily.

Brand and company exposure

Also besides promoting specific products, your postcards can also be a public relations tool. You can use them to promote the image of the company and your brand so that they can familiarize themselves with the image or attitude that you want to adopt.

By mailing postcards to a wide variety of people, you can make people recognize the name of your company, your products and the lifestyle that it is supposed to promote. This should establish your reputation to the public ensuring their trust in you and your products. I hope that in time, this also translates into sales as well.

Consumer relationship building

Besides the firm itself though, you can also use your postcards to develop close personal relationships with your consumers. By adding a friendly message to your color postcards, plus by inviting them to write some feedbacks and opinions, you can eventually form a nice rapport with them to the point that they become loyal customers. Getting a nice consumer base in several locations is a good and very valuable thing since it gives you a constant source of revenue that can be useful when markets go volatile.

Proper promotional cash management

Of course, production wise, postcards are the cheap marketing alternative when compared to others out there. Color postcards can easily be printed even at home, and you do not really have to have formal training to achieve a professional looking finish. In addition, many cheap postcard printing services are out there that can be quite affordable and convenient for most people. Therefore, it is very economical and practical to use postcards for promotions, especially if the budget has little or no room for anything more.

Therefore, as you can see, postcards can perform many roles that can help businesses in their sales, public relations and even their budget spending. Indeed a color postcard is something that many firms should consider using in their promotions. The medium can perform many tasks and can be your key to success in promoting your business.

Katie Marcus writes about postcard mailing or postcard printing.

Restaurant Financing, Up to $750,000

For this update, restaurant financing can come in the form of financing/leasing and seeking working capital in the form of a cash merchant advance and/or merchant cash loan.
Todays financing market is very illiquid in offering restaurant businesses leasing/financing. Most lender portfolios are better off served in different industries from a risk/reward factor. However, there are niche lenders out there that will entertain restaurant financing but usually require the applicant to have at least a minimum of one to two years time in business. Most startups don’t have a chance unless their personal credit score are over 700 and are willing to pledge additional collateral to the deal with additional clear and free assets. The lenders that finance restaurants will properly offer up to $50,000 application only and over that amount full financial and tax disclosure would be required… Approved leases can run between 24-60 months with various buyout clauses…
The most unique part of this article is the merchant cash advance/loan programs. Most people aren’t even aware of these programs….
The initial question a lot of people are asking is what is a merchant cash advance? An established business in existence for one year or more with visa and mastercard sales can qualify for a loan or a merchant cash advance on their past activity up to $150,000 from a financial institution and $750,000 or more per location from a true merchant cash advance company. The monthly average of their visa and mastercard sales x 1.5 will be a qualifying amount that the lender will fund up to. Some cash merchant advance companies will fund up to $750,000 per location.
This is a great way for a business to obtain working capital. Most conventional lenders shy away from the restaurant industry These cash merchant advances/loans are great for businesses that have seasonal cash flow needs, that aren’t capitalized properly and need more time to achieve their sales base, have credit issues that can’t be overcome at the bank, businesses that need instant cash now, and obviously many other factors tailored to specific businesses.
These lenders aren’t FICO driven and are interested in your past Visa/ Mastercard Sales for the previous six months. Usually the company’s bank statements, the merchant processing statements and a signed application are required to commence the lending process. Once the lender has received these requirements, a decision can be made fairly quickly, usually within 24-48 hours. Beyond an acceptance, the money is usually funded within seven business days.
The next obvious question, is how does the customer repay back the loan or cash merchant advance? It is from the future card sales, a small portion is paid back each day to pay back the lender. This is important because there are no balloon payments or monthly payments to consider. The lender calculates a small repayment per day that can last up to one year.
Other programs that we have come across don’t use Visa/Mastercard as the total measuring stick for the qualified loan amount. They use the total annual gross sales and apply a percentage against it. The beauty of this program is also they don’t require you to change your processor. Minimum Credit scores start at 550 and this loan can be funded up to $500,000. Tax and Financial statement requirements are needed for funds requested over $125,000. This program also applies to restaurants so this can be real bonanza if you are having trouble raising capital at your local bank…
Finding available capital whether through leasing and working capital can be very difficult in todays times. The cash merchant advances/loans can offer the seasoned business an unique opportunity to acquire funds without all the red tape conventional banks require..
Happy hunting for your financing…..

Best Auto Finance Loans

When it comes to getting the best auto finance loans there are some things you need to keep in mind which will eventually help you. One thing is for certain and that is that there are plenty of vehicle loans out there that are not ideal deal for you. However, if you do not do the research then you will find it difficult to find the very Best Auto Finance for you. The following tips will however make it easy to find the very best car loan for your personal situation.

· Interest Rate

The first thing you need to compare is the interest rate on the loan to the rates on the other loans. You will find that there are many lenders out there offering competitive charges and then others who aren’t. If you do your research and just spend a little bit of time you will find borrowing with a very good interest amount. You will want to look at the top three or four plans and then compare them. Just because a lender lends an amount at a low charge it does not necessarily make it the ultimate plan for you. This is a very important aspect to consider, but it is just one piece of the puzzle.

· Down Payment

Another thing that will affect your credit is your down payment. Generally, the more you put down, the lower you will be charged. This is something to consider because while you may like the idea of not putting any money down you will actually spend more over time due to a higher charges. Try hard to have a down payment of at least a couple thousand dollars. This will lower your monthly payment and help you with the rate.
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· Credit Rating

Your financial rating will also play a role in the car borrowing you get. Individuals with high credit scores will qualify for lower rates than those with bad credit. Because of this those with great credit scores should do even more research to get the best possible rate because they are more likely to get 0% charge for a period of time or even a very low interest rate. Those with bad rating will need to search for a car plan offer they qualify for that does not have sky-high charge.

· Negotiate

The final tip is to negotiate the interest charge and terms to your best ability. Many lenders are interested in getting your business, especially if you have great rating. So, simply negotiate the terms that you are willing to accept for an auto loan. You may locate some lenders are unwilling to budge, while others will work with you. It is always worth a try!

These are just a few things you need to keep in mind when it comes to looking for Best Auto Finance loans. If you follow the suggestions here you will be able to get the desirable auto loan for your situation and even saves some money!

Motivating Sales Teams – Sound Science

Modern psychology attempts to explain human behavior and its underlying motivations. Understanding human behavior is critical in order to effectively control or influence human behavior in a desired manner. An advanced understanding of modern psychology can help individuals improve their personal lives, as well as advance their careers.

Maslow was in innovator in the field of psychology. He authored an important paper in 1943, developed after his extensive experience with others, to explain the motivation for human behavior based on the needs of people. Before this paper, only animals and pure theory had been the main sources of psychological doctrines.

He was also revolutionary by focusing on what constituted positive mental health, instead of what was abnormal or deviant, thereby making his theory more applicable and relevant to the general human population. This theory is why Maslow is now considered the father of humanistic psychology and also of modern management.

Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs defines human motivation to satisfy those needs in the form of a ladder or pyramid. His theory is that people must start at the bottom, can only advance after completing the current step, and must complete each step in order. He lists physiological needs as the first step to attain, followed by safety, social, esteem and finally self-actualization.

Maslow’s theory has a lot of relevance today for the business manager. People require the basic necessities of life such as food, water, shelter and sleep. Without it the motivational development stage is essentially frozen. The inherent need to survive will be the driving force to ensure these needs are met. So in applying Maslow’s theory, the business manger still needs to ensure that the sales force has the essential ingredients for success. This means providing lunch breaks, a safe working environment and of course sufficient compensation so that sales staff can obtain the necessities of life.

After fulfilling the basic physiological needs, the employees can think about their future security and safety. It is necessary for them to feel that their workplace is safe. Their maximum efficiency and effectiveness cannot be met when they experience fear of threat in their surroundings. Job security and physical threats can be overcome by employing security guards, responsive management people and cameras.

Next is the step of social needs. People want to fit in with other people. Participating in a team building event can help employees gain a sense of belonging to a group. Working in a nice environment with specific goals and rewards based on group accomplishments can go a long way to promoting this community spirit.

The fourth stage is esteem. Everyone wants to feel appreciated and valued. They want recognition from their employers and co-workers. Without recognition, morale decreases and so does performance. Most people are defined by their worth which is determined by the recognition they receive. To fulfill that basic need, recognition can be in the form of plaques, certificates or even winning prizes. They way the business manager chooses to recognize the employee is not as important as the recognition itself and the feeling of esteem that is given.

The last step of the hierarchy is self-actualization. This fifth step focuses on people’s desire to reach their full potential. Self-awareness allows them to think abstractly and focus on intangible goals, and to make long-term plans. These areas typically include career development, creative hobbies and other aspects of personal growth. Managers can support this need by assisting with continuing education, sponsoring memberships in professional organizations, and offering a career path that allows for career growth.