Xoonco » Business

Gain a Business Edge with Merchant Accounts

Brian — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:00:00 +0000

It is difficult to make a new business successful in today’s market, just as it has been in the past. And while everyone has the hope and intention of making their small business successful, the truth remains that the majority of those that open are no longer in business five years later. This information is not intended to frighten or deter entrepreneurs from following their dreams, instead it was mentioned to remind potential business owners of the importance of having an edge over their competitors. Interestingly, this can happen in a lot of unexpected ways, even your business bank account choice can to some extent create an edge over your competitor .

While many people are occupied with their product or service needs as well as lease information and venue status, and of course these are all valid concerns, it is common to overlook the variety of options and features that are associated with certain business accounts. A merchant account , specifically, is designed to enable a business to accept as payment options Visa, MasterCard and other credit cards as well as debit transactions. This ability alone can put a dynamic edge over competitors who don’t offer the same convenience. And choosing the right business account for your company as well as patron services is a frequently overlooked aspect of business developments.

Gain a Business Edge with Merchant Accounts is a post from: Xoonco

IO Degrees at Work

Brian — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:00:00 +0000

As more companies recognize the value of their employees, they are investing in managers and human resources experts who understand organizational behavior and psychology. Professionals with degrees or certifications in industrial and organizational psychology (IO psychology) are uniquely qualified to help companies capitalize on the human capital they have and attract new and better employees in the future.

People aren’t commodities and some corporations have been treating them as such for far too long. By employing IO professionals, companies are affirming their commitment to understanding human behavior and doing what they can to improve the workplace. IO provides insight into how the relationships between employees and managers as well as how individuals function in teams. It addresses topics of leadership, ethics, conflict resolution, diversity, motivation, and decision making. It is especially useful in helping organizations plan for and handle major changes that would otherwise be disruptive to workers.

Individuals interested in pursuing this line of study can find both short-term industrial organizational psychology program s that provide certification as well as full degree programs that delve further into the subject. It is possible to find masters programs online that will offer the flexibility that working professionals need as they further their education and prepare for career advancement or shifts.

IO Degrees at Work is a post from: Xoonco

Taking Your Business to the Cloud

Brian — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:10:00 +0000

The next evolution for many businesses is converting from in house servers, software, and processes to cloud services. Many companies already incorporate aspects of the cloud into their business — some don’t even realize they are doing it. If your company is considering moving to the cloud, there are a few things to take into consideration.

There are immense benefits to utilizing cloud collaboration both within a company and between a company and its clients and vendors. The ability to host programs, documents, and data on so-called virtual servers, makes them available to anyone, anywhere, anytime — well, anyone with the proper access and passwords and a working internet connection.

When considering how to take advantage of these and other benefits of cloud computing, you need to look seriously at how your company communicates internally and with outside contacts. What email, conferencing, and collaboration software and infrastructure is needed? Then look at data and storage needs, including whether there is sensitive client data that needs to extra protection. Look at the types of software employees use daily and how much printing and paper storage is required. Many companies find that once they do this analysis they don’t just want to move major functions to the cloud, they decide to take their entire company virtual — with employees working from home offices and everything being hosted on cloud servers.

Taking Your Business to the Cloud is a post from: Xoonco

Remote Site Testing Has Significant Advantages

Brian — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:10:00 +0000

Many larger companies will conduct extensive market research before designing a website or making major changes to an existing site. Once the new site is ready to be deployed, they will then employ a usability testing company to make sure that the site will provide the desired user experience. Most of these larger companies will benefit from remote testing rather than hallway tests or other lab testing.

Remote usability testing depends on the testing company having the technology to deploy surveys and instructions to test subjects anywhere in the world and measure their responses during the testing process. Also known as asynchronous usability testing, remote tests record things like eye tracking, time taken to complete different steps, and the actual clicks made on a page or site.

All this information could be collected in a laboratory, but by using remote testing, companies can sample a much larger audience. That larger sample is the key to the advantages of remote Site Testing . With large enough numbers, companies can get results targeted not only by age, gender and other demographics, but also by geography and even look at results based on user attitude and behavior traits. These are things that are difficult to get good sample of when a test is only a dozen or less users. Additionally, by testing users on their home, school, and work computers, companies get usability data for a variety of software and hardware configurations as well as different sources of connection, such as DSL versus cable versus cellular wifi.

Remote Site Testing Has Significant Advantages is a post from: Xoonco

Message Flags for Everything

Brian — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:10:00 +0000

One often overlooked advertising tool is the flag. Most businesses thing of ads as something that goes into media or on a sign, but a few industries have recognized the usefulness and effectiveness of message flags and other businesses could learn from their ingenuity.

In the digital age it is incredibly easy to create custom flags for anything. Most people think of this in terms of sticking a logo on a flag or creating a flag for a sporting or charity event. However, the savvy business person knows that flags can serve many purposes in a business. The most obvious is the organizational flag, which does usually involve a logo. These come in handy at trade events and conventions where a business can call attention to their presence through a logo. These flags can also be used as advertising at things like sporting events.

Another use for flags is to define areas. Car dealers are masters of this with different flags designating different parts of their lots to “Trucks” or “SUVs.” A related use is to use flags as announcements. They can be customized with messages like “Sale” or “Bargain Bin” or even tied to a specific occurrence such as “Labor Day Sell-out.” Again, auto dealers are great examples of using these types of messages.

There is a slight difference between a flag and a banner . Banners can be longer or taller while flags usually keep to either a rectangular or triangular shape. Flags can be displayed either on a flag pole or post or hung from a wall, awning or other surface. Banners usually display much longer and complex messages, while flags have a centralized image or message.

Message Flags for Everything is a post from: Xoonco

Suspicious of Door to Door Salesmen?

Brian — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 00:10:00 +0000

Many people had the experience of an unknown person at the door. You peer through the peephole or window and see someone who seems threatening and you try to get rid of them as quickly as possible — and without making yourself vulnerable, just in case. It’s easy to make jokes about the Grim Reaper rejected at the door , but some people are just as afraid of door-to-door salesmen as they are of death.

Maybe they’ve experienced one too many hard sells, whether at their doorstep, on a used car lot, or even from their friendly neighbor who got just a little too eager when throwing one of those home selling parties. Or maybe they are just the type of person who is such a soft touch they truly are vulnerable to any salesman that comes their way.

Just remember when you peak out the window the salesman you’re so afraid of may be a simple college student participating in the Southwestern Company summer program or someone collecting money for a legitimate charity. It’s wise to be cautious, but don’t let fear rule your reactions whenever the doorbell rings.

Suspicious of Door to Door Salesmen? is a post from: Xoonco

Careers in Golf

Outdoor Banner Advertisements Create Street Traffic Attention

Brian — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:10:00 +0000

When you are running a business that has a lot of street traffic one of your top priorities is to attract passerby’s into your store or restaurant. One of the ways to do this is to have someone standing outside greeting people as they pass by. This, however, is an expensive option and some people are annoyed by the uninvited solicitation. However, small cafes, stores, coffee shops and restaurants can all benefit from attractive advertisement banners that are on the sidewalk or hanging in front of the establishment.

If you have a sign or poster and want to display it out on the street there are quality outdoor banner stands to keep it secure and hold it in place. This is one of the most highly recommended and successful ways of getting street traffic attention, and when they are displayed right they can also draw the attention of motorists who are driving by. With the amount of competition that exists for all businesses it is necessary to access any edge or advantage that you can in gaining the attention and interest of potential customers. Of course your actual service or product will be the deciding factor in retaining interest and building a repeat clientele, but you have to attract them to your business in order to create an ongoing relationship.

Outdoor Banner Advertisements Create Street Traffic Attention is a post from: Xoonco

Skills for Successful Communication

Brian — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:10:00 +0000

Everyone could use some training in communications. It doesn’t matter if you are in management or sales you will always need to be able to communicate to those around you. If you have been to various sales training or management training seminars and have not yet learned these principals, really learned them, you have wasted your money. This is not because those courses are no good, in fact they probably assume you already know these things. If you take the time to learn these concepts then you will go far. What comes after that is what you can learn from those courses.

Establish a Reason
Each time you take time out to communicate with someone , whether it is a meeting or if you are problem shooting, establish what it is that you would like to talk about, what you plan on saying and what you are hoping to get from it.

Make it Relevant
People don’t pay attention to things that are not obviously relevant to them. When talking about something make sure that you put it in terms of how it is relevant to the other person. If you make it a prepackaged story that includes them in it this will be easier.

Use Various Methods
This is something you especially need to do when you are talking to a large group. People understand things in different ways. Don’t be afraid to say the same thing several times while you are talking in different ways to make sure that everyone can understand. Use diagrams and activities to help people internalize what you are saying. Pass out a leaflet so that it is in writing. This will appeal to several different ways on understanding a topic.

Repeat after people
When someone tells you something, repeat what they said so that it shows that you are understanding. Not word for word, but put what they said into your own words. Use the phrase “What I’m hearing you say is…Is that right?” This will show them that not only can you talk but you are also listening to them.

Skills for Successful Communication is a post from: Xoonco

Backwards in Wichita, Kansas

Brian — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:39:57 +0000

What can I say about Wichita, Kansas? It feels like I’ve stepped back in High School, even the radio station that plays classic rock for the 50′s and 60′s have local commercials selling used cars and carpet. Wichita, kind of struck me as somewhat charming, but at the same time made me realize just how far I’ve come in the past 15 years.

I’m here on business, so I don’t have much time to really scope out the city like I want to, but at least Kansas hotels have at least come into the 21st century. The one I’m staying at has all the modern conveniences, which I thought it just might not have, been that Wichita is stuck in the mid 90′s. I’m meeting with a very good client of ours at supposedly a great restaurant for dinner and to seal a deal. I found the restaurant online at a site that listed the top 10 restaurants. Number one is Chelsea’s Bar and Grill, it’s a steakhouse offering premier cuts of beef, fresh seafood, wood-roasted chicken and there will be live jazz music. Now, that seems so much better than listening to country music, which seems to be prevalent here.

But, I did have a little time before I met my client tonight, so I checked out the Wichita Art Museum. The first thing I saw when I drove there was this large sculpture of a person with one arm holding a sickle. Later, I found out that the sculpture was a large female and that there’s a dismembered male figure on the ground next to her clutching a hammer. Apparently, one figure is a bank robber and the other a banker. The piece was done in the 50′s by a member of a group of artists interested in raising social awareness and social justice. As I entered, I looked up a saw this enormous arch over the entry that was filled with hundreds of pieces of blown glass art. If I wanted to, I could walk out on that arch, shoeless, and take a closer look at the blown glass pieces.

I only spent about an hour at the museum before heading back to my hotel to get ready for tonight’s dinner, but, I must admit, the Wichita Museum was quite impressive for a backwards city.

Backwards in Wichita, Kansas is a post from: Xoonco

Museums to Visit in Lisbon Portugal

Customer Service at a Basketball Game

Brian — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:30:48 +0000

While many sports fans are not thinking of the customer service they will receive once they get to the game, it is certainly plays a role in their overall experience while they are there. An eager fan who is handing over their ticket for the basketball game game will definitely notice if their is an unexpected hold up in the line due to inattentive staff, or a venue that is entirely understaffed for the event. This is only the beginning of why sporting events can serve to demonstrate the value of customer service in all fields, and the various aspects of it that often go unnoticed by the consumer.

Steven Barbarich is one of the ethical and committed businesspeople in today’s market that understands that some of the most successful attention given to customer service is intended to remain unnoticed by the consumer. These early examples of service at a basketball game or other sporting event continue through the initial stages of the experience and include purchases at souvenir shops and concession stands. This is actually more important than what a lot of people who are randomly surveyed will realize, and in the increasingly competitive world market these details and an overall perspective on costumer satisfaction are becoming even more important. This is when the efforts that will go unnoticed by most consumers become some of the most important aspects of the service they receive. This always enters into the area of service, sales or event planning.

Interestingly, at sporting event such as basketball, the players themselves have the obligation of providing the one service that fans will be most passionate about, winning the game and making great plays. With this in mind, the establishment needs to be aware that only one team will win, and some of the fans are going to be disappointed with the end result. This means that the other aspects of the experience, the aspects that the venue or sponsor does have control over, take on even greater importance.

Customer Service at a Basketball Game is a post from: Xoonco