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Are Corporate Awards and Corporate Gifts Beneficial for your Business?

2007-11-22T23:05:00.007-08:00

With the increased challenges that all companies are faced with, many corporations have implemented various initiatives to continue to grow corporate earnings and shareholder value, some have discovered the strategic value of corporate awards and corporate gifts.
From the boardroom to the frontlines to the client across the country, corporate awards and gifts offer many benefits to enhance performance. Not only are you showing your appreciation to the employee or customer, you setting a standard of thanks for the hard work and dedication.

Corporate Awards Benefits: A company’s success depends on its employees and their abilities. With the incentive of a corporate award or corporate gift you attract and retain current employees to pursue for more in the workplace. Corporate awards are great for:

• Direction
• Talent Retention
• Sales Goals
• Public Relations
• A Direct affect on the company’s bottom line.

Things to Consider when giving a Corporate Award: How many times do you give the award? Most companies have an annual corporate dinner or function where the years corporate awards are given out. This would be the best time to show your appreciation.
What type of recognition do you want the award to represent? You definitely want to make this award stand out and make it represent the kind of hard work that was accomplished. What kind of statement do you want to the corporate award to make? You want it to make it so that everyone else will strive for that award next year. A statement shows gratitude but also envy.

From the small business to the major corporation, corporate awards will have an increased performance level. No company should underestimate the power of corporate awards. Your business will gain a critical view of your operations and challenge to improve the business and company as a whole.

Benefits of Corporate Gifts: As major holidays are approaching, many companies will be thinking about giving your customers (and possibly employees) corporate gifts. Sending corporate gifts does not always have to be thought about during the holidays. Many other occasions such as referrals, completion of a project, customer’s birthday or even a business anniversary can be acceptable times to send a gift. When sending the gift, make sure that you add a personal touch, as this can go a long way. Include a hand-written note, or wrap the gift yourself. You can even present the gift in person to give it that extra touch. There are not a lot of do’s or don’t when sending a corporate gift but the key is to make sure that the added touch is there to show the person that you are grateful for what has been accomplished.

Companies should not underestimate the power of business awards and gifts. Not only do corporate awards show true appreciation, it makes other employees strive to become a standout in their field. Sending corporate gifts also reassures your thanks to the employee or client that you appreciate the hard work and dedication that it takes to run the business. These kind gestures will not only build your relationships but it will help you build the company by utilizing its maximum potential.

About the author:
Brock Boser writes about corporate awards & corporate gifts. See http://www.crystaloccasion.comfor more information.

Enjoy The Benefits Of A Credit Merchant Account

2007-11-22T23:05:00.006-08:00

A credit merchant account can make your business more productive than ever. That’s because a merchant account will let you start accepting credit card payments from customers in any part of the world at any time of the day or night. Could business possibly be better than that when conducted in any other way? That is why you need to know more about potential benefits of a merchant account.

Your credit merchant account will let you grow your business in ways you may not have imagined. For example, in addition to taking credit card payments on location at your store, you can take a wireless credit card processor with you to customers’ residences or places of business and accept payment on the spot. This makes it easier for the customer to pay the charges and not give another thought to the transaction. You, on the other hand, likewise benefit when the bill is paid promptly without the hassle of waiting for payments that may never arrive. You can hire few billing clerks and accounts receivable employees when you accept credit transactions that are processed instantly.

Another way that a credit merchant account can serve your business is when you implement a phone order and payment system. A digital program will let customers call a toll-free number, listen to messages about products and services or select other options, such as “payment” or “catalog request,” and then finish up by processing a credit card for any purchases made during the phone call. You don’t even have to hire someone to answer the phone; the entire process can be automated, although you may want to have a customer service rep available at certain hours of the day if needed.

The credit merchant account benefit that is creating quite a buzz in the business world is the Internet credit card processing option. More companies are putting up a Website in cyberspace to get their names out there and to attract a larger, more global client base. You can enjoy these benefits, too, when you get approved for a credit merchant account and hire a Web designer to create an artistic or thoughtful Website that represents your business to customers around the world. Registering with search engines will bring thousands of visitors to your site by accident, but they may decide to remain when they find exciting features on your home page, such as a survey, a helpful hint, or links to product lists and descriptions. They can shop in any time zone or region in any continent from a computer with Internet access. Think of the possibilities for building a super-size client base!

Give some thought to applying for a merchant credit account from a trusted lender or underwriter. This special account will confer professional merchant status and allow you to collect credit payments in a timely manner instead of working through a time-consuming billing process that may render less fruitful results. Shop soon to compare prices and terms for your credit merchant account.

About the author:
Shane Penrod is the founder of http://www.Merchant-Account-Quotes.comSpecializing in allowing merchants the ability to shop and compare multiple quotes from national merchant account providers. For free quotes on merchant account rates and fees, please go to http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com

How To Avoid Being A Victim Of Ebay Buyer’s Fraud

2007-11-22T23:05:00.005-08:00

From everything you’ve heard about the risk of fraud on eBay, you might think it’s only buyers getting scammed – but you couldn’t be more wrong. Here are a few common scams that sellers fall for every day.

The Rubber Cheque.

This one obviously isn’t limited to eBay – it’s been going on for years in all kinds of business. It works like this: a buyer sends you a cheque that they don’t have the funds to cover and you pay it in your bank. You then send the goods right away, only to find out a few days later that the cheque bounced.

The solution to this is simple: don’t send anything to a buyer until their payment has cleared, no matter how quickly they might say they need it. Advise them to pay electronically if they don’t want to wait so long for their items. Then again, if your items are quite small, you could just take the loss from an occasional bounced cheque. Think of it as a small price to pay for faster and better customer service.

‘I Never Bought Anything!’

This is one of the riskiest scams to fall victim to. In this case, the credit card’s real owner still has control over it – no-one has stolen their details. They have realised, however, that they can phone up the bank who issued their card to say that it’s being used fraudulently and they never bought any such thing, and the bank will often reverse the transaction without even investigating. The only way to beat this scam is to make all your sales through eBay, as they keep a record of transactions.

The Unconfirmed Address.

It is quite easy to steal PayPal accounts from inexperienced users: all you need, after all, is their email address and password. PayPal tries to protect against credit cards registered on stolen accounts being used to buy things by listing a ‘confirmed address’ for each buyer – an address that matches what is registered with their credit card issuer.

What many scammers will do is ask you to ship to a different address – unless you’re very sure of them, this is a bad idea, as they could be trying to commit credit card fraud. Be especially suspicious of anyone who wants to pay a higher price and get overnight shipping, especially if not even to the same country as the confirmed address. The fraudster is trying to make sure the item reaches them before they are discovered.

It’s up to you to take responsibility for fraud on PayPal, as eBay’s favourite way to refund fraudulent payments to their rightful owner is to just reverse it from you! This is considered an occupational risk of PayPal usage, and sellers who get burned severely sometimes go as far as moving to a rival electronic payment service. See http://www.nopaypal.com for more.

In the next email, we’ll take a closer look at PayPal, and ask: should it be the only kind of payment you accept?

About the author:
Kirsten Hawkins is an Ebay and internet auction enthusiast from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.auctionseller411.com/for more great tips on how to make the most from Ebay and other online auctions.

High Volume Merchant Accounts

2007-11-22T23:05:00.004-08:00

As your business continues to grow and customers buy more goods and services, you may want to consider joining those who are applying for high volume merchant accounts. When you are approved for a high volume account, you can get good prices on mid- and non-qualified sales, along with debit processing, monthly statement fees, and additional expenses. The greater your volume of business, the better deals you may be eligible for when working with financial institutions or companies who can provide this valuable service.

The way it works is that you apply for a merchant account at a bank that offers great pricing and low-cost fees. These can be packaged in a variety of ways. For example, you may want to pay a few cents for each transaction, but if you experience high-volume sales, this could become a costly option. The other route to go is to pay a low monthly overall percentage, often between 1% and 2%, for the entire sales volume you experience via your credit card and debit-processing program. High volume merchant accounts can save you money over time because you will be able to pay smaller fees for each transaction or get a better rate for the amount of profit that you bring in.

If you currently have a sizable volume of sales and perhaps expect to do more in the near future, keep in mind that high volume merchant accounts have helped others in your position. Your customers will appreciate the ease of using up-to-the-minute technology for processing their orders with your company. And your employees likewise will be happy to turn their attention to other tasks within the organization. Your company may even see profit increases within the first few months as the word spreads about your merchant account status and credit card processing capabilities.

You can apply for high volume merchant accounts through your local bank or a preferred financial institution that can process Visa and MasterCard credit accounts. Your application should demonstrate that your company is not involved in illegal or shady dealings that the underwriters are unlikely to approve, including gambling, pornography, pharmaceutical offerings, and telemarketing. Then you will want to be able to show that your company is fiscally solvent and maintains a solid credit history. You might include documentation to support the notion that your company will be able to pay merchant account fees in a timely manner.

In upgrading your business to accommodate e-commerce solutions like credit card processors through a merchant account, be sure to calculate in advance the type of fees or expenses that will be affiliated with this move. You don’t want to start something you can’t finish, so project related expenditures for the coming year to see how they fit with your company budget. If it appears a credit card processor or wireless unit will tax your operating budget, you may be able to take out a low-interest loan to fund the initial start-up expenses. Discuss this option and any other questions you might have with the bank representative who manages applications for high volume merchant accounts.

About the author:
Shane Penrod is the founder of Merchant-Acount-Quotes.com Specializing in allowing merchants the ability to shop and compare multiple quotes from national merchant account providers. For free quotes on merchant account rates and fees, please go to http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com

Don't Get Hacked - Best Practices For Protecting Your Business

2007-11-22T23:05:00.003-08:00

You've seen it in the news - 40 million credit cards exposed!

With all the news about web sites being hacked and cyber
thieves stealing credit card numbers and other personal data,
it's no wonder that some shoppers are still hesitant to provide
payment information online. You don't have to be.

Is it enough that users trust you?

Common marketing wisdom shows that one of the most valuable
assets any Internet Marketer has is trust. People go to extreme
measures to build this trust - online pictures, testimonials,
audio - some even go as far as to open storefronts to give
people that "good feeling".

But all of this may simply not be enough.

A recent Harris Interactive survey found that 75 percent of
consumers polled worry that companies will share personal data
with other corporations without permissions, while 70 percent
doubt the security of online transactions and 69 percent fear
that hackers will steal their personal data submitted online.

You see, just because a user trusts you, doesn't necessarily
mean that the customer trusts your website or
your payment processor.

Once you've established rapport with your customer base,
the next step is to build trust in your website.

Whether you collect credit card information yourself, or have
a third party processor handle your transactions for you,
it's crucial that people understand that you are serious
about protecting their privacy and information.

Here's a few things you can do to help out.

*) Install a Secure Server Certificate on your server to close
that "lock" on people's browsers. Even if you don't collect
credit card information, people feel better about having
the information they send to you be secure. Also, consider
using a "top tier" Certificate provider, such as Verisign.
While other providers may have nearly equally secure solutions,
the reason you are buying the certificate is to instill trust
in your customers, which other providers do not necessarily
have in abundance.

*) Have a clear, clean privacy policy statement in addition
to the "legalese" required by the FTC. If you don't
sell addresses, tell people so.

*) Secure your server. I know that this seems obvious, but most
people pay no attention to their webserver or the software
they are running. Knowing what software you have running,
and keeping up-to-date on patches will help significantly.

*) Install an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) I estimate 73%
or more of all websites have no intrusion detection system
in place. What this means is that not only can most websites
be hacked easily, it is very likely that the website owner
has no clue if that they have been compromised.

*) Turn off unneeded services and ports, and uninstall
unused software. The premise here is that the less "stuff"
on your machine, the less chance for exploit. For example,
MySQL listens on the Internet for messages form other servers,
yet most small websites access the database system only from
the machine it is running on. It is very simple to make
MySQL "invisible" to the Internet - making it much more
secure if you don't need to access it from other systems.
There are many, many more simple techniques like this you can
apply to your server to keep hackers out.

In summary, consumers are quickly becoming Internet savvy
and they take their privacy seriously. There is nothing,
and I mean nothing, that can hurt your credibility more
than your customers and potential customers getting SPAM
to email addresses that they provided only to you - in
the best case, they will think that you sold their address.
Responding that no, you didn't sell their address, but someone
hacked your server and stole ALL their personal information
won't make them feel a whole lot better about doing business
with you in the future.

For more information, visit http://www.DontGetHacked.info

About the author:
The new website,
http://www.DontGetHacked.info

clearly explains the threat that Internet Marketers face today, and shows you exactly what you can do to protect yourself from the threats.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Giving Feedback

2007-11-22T23:05:00.001-08:00

Being able to give effective feedback is not just a good skill to possess in business, it is a great life skill to have. Because when you are masterful at giving feedback, not only can you help your employees to sustain continuously improving performance, you can also improve the performance of the baseball team you coach, the cleaning lady at home, or the performance of your own children on completing their chores. Any person’s performance in any activity can be positively impacted by effective feedback. Isn’t that a powerful skill to have? Wouldn’t you want to be a master at giving really useful and impactful feedback?

The good news is that it is not difficult to be good at giving feedback. It does take some effort and practice. But it is definitely a skill that can be learned. So, to get you started, here are the Do’s and Don’ts of giving feedback.

Let’s start with the Do’s:

Be Timely: in order for feedback to be effective, you need to act quickly. If months have gone by before you bring up an incident, the person receiving the feedback will interpret your delay to imply that it couldn’t have been that important, and the effect of the feedback is greatly diminished.

Be Specific: talk about your feedback in very direct and specific terms (“I noticed there were several calculation errors in last month’s report”). If you are vague (“your work is unacceptable”), how can you get the message across? Focus on the action and the results. Be very factual in your discussion.

Be Open and Offer Suggestions: if the objective of your feedback discussion is to produce an improvement of performance, then come equipped with suggestions (again be specific) on what the person can do to affect that change. Be open to their perspective and be willing to discuss how they see that situation. Enroll them in coming up with a solution that they can buy into. If you don’t get buy-in, change will not happen.

Create the right environment: feedback is best done in person, and in a private setting. In a business setting, arrange a time and place for your discussion. Don’t just catch people on the fly and throw a few comments their way as they are heading down the hallway and expect your comments to have any impact.

Check for understanding and buy-in: if the feedback discussion is about a performance issue, make sure you check-in on how your comments have landed with the person. Establish some sort of accountability to verify their buy-in. For example, if you have an employee who constantly misses deadlines. During the discussion, ask for a commitment that he will meet all deadlines for the next quarter. Make sure that the commitment is specific, and not something vague like: “I’ll do a better job of meeting deadlines next quarter.”

And now for the Don’ts:

Don’t Make it personal: there is a difference between giving feedback and criticizing. Do not make it personal. Don’t interpret actions (showing up late) and pass judgment on the person (he is slacker and isn’t truly dedicated to this job). Criticism destroys relationships. If your employee feels like he is being attacked, he is not going to be very open to hear what you have to say, he will immediately become defensive, and your job becomes much harder. Focus the discussion on the action, not the person. Make your employee feel that he is being supported, even if his performance is not up to standard.

Don’t Only give feedback when there’s a problem: if you’re their leader, people need to know where they stand with you. If you have a great employee who always exceeds your expectations, take the time to give him just as much feedback as your biggest challenge. As a matter of fact, make it a point to give more positive feedback comments than “constructive” ones with every person. You’ll be amazed at how much more motivated your employees will become with consistent positive reinforcement.

Don’t Address multiple issues in one discussion: your employee will go into overload and you will lose the impact of the discussion. If there are multiple issues, have different discussions and just concentrate on addressing them one at a time.

So there you have it, a short list of Do’s and Don’ts you can apply to whatever feedback you need to give. Remember, most people, even your rebellious teenager, want to do a good job and to please. They do need some clues as to how they are doing and what they need to change. So master the art of feedback and you can really help each other.

About the author:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Leadership Coach Inez Ng works with professionals and entrepreneurs to produce positive results quickly. While focusing on specific areas, her coaching positively impacts all areas of her clients’ lives. Learn more about coaching with Inez at http://www.RealizationsUnltd.com Needhelp managing your avalanche of emails? Check out http://www.easyemailstrategies.com