Take The Time To Find The Right Credit Counselling Agency

By Mr Bolden

Imagine over the years your debts have somehow piled up to an unmanageable level. And now amongst unpaid bills and dealing with angry creditors, you feel the only solution for you is to get some help to clean up the mess. That is all well and good, but where exactly do you go to find this help?

Now imagine this: tired of the growing debts and with no way out you decide to consult a 'professional'. You go to a credit counsellor and let that person try to help you out of your debts only to find that they have put you in more trouble than you already were in when you started.

Needless to say, over the years because of changes in lifestyles and spending habits, many individuals have found themselves in a situation where they are too deep in debt. Unfortunately, at the same time there has also been an increase in the number of abusive practitioners who pose as credit counsellors only to make the situation much worse than it was in the beginning.

The traditional credit counselling agencies were small and local services whose main function was to lend a hand to consumers with guidance and education about budgeting and how to manage their debts. Each case is studied individually and depending on the individual consumer's situation they will be directed towards debt management, or at the worst case, filing for bankruptcy.

However, there has been a shift in the nature of these small agencies. For a start, a lot of them are not small anymore. Nor are they local. The trend in credit counselling agencies finds organizations that operate at a national level and adopt aggressive marketing strategies to break through to the public. It is not unusual to see these credit counselling agencies selling their pitch by advertising through television, magazines, radio and the internet.

When going to a credit counselling agency keep in mind that most genuine agencies of this kind offer their services at a minimal fee. This fee that is charges is usually just enough to cover their expenses, thus they make the grade at a 'non profit' business. It might only be natural for consumers to drop their guards when they are met with the word 'non-profit'. But one has to be aware of the fact that not all these organization have your best interest in mind.

Experts suggest that people who are looking for assistance from credit counsellors should be cautious with the choices they make. It is important to understand the fee structure and look into the structure more deeply if they operate on the basis of percentages and commissions.

You should understand points such as who pays the commissions, you or the credit card company. Also be sure to check out if the agency gets a kickback from the credit card company from the outstanding amount when it repaid, since that is something that is likely to have an effect on the way the agency works with you. - 15246

About the Author:

Mr Bolden specializes in helping internet marketers have the right mentoring to be successful on the internet. See what is giving Mr Bolden an abundance of success on the internet each day.

Monster Customer Service Blunders and How to Avoid Them

By Paul Levesque

Despite all the rumbling and grumbling about poor customer service, there are always a handful of renegade businesses that somehow find ways to keep their workers fired up and their customers delighted and coming back for more. In these rarified places, highly motivated employees pursue customer delight with a passion; they ignite a flashpoint of contagious enthusiasm that spreads throughout the organization like wildfire.

How do they do it? They conscientiously avoid what I call the Top 5 Monster Customer Service Blunders":

Monster Blunder #1: Trying to solve the problem with superficial employee training. Workers call it smile training programs intended to convince staff to look and sound more cheerful, while giving them no particular reason to feel any more cheerful. When you boil it down, this kind of training does nothing more than itemize the specific service behaviors workers are expected to exhibit. It then becomes managements job to somehow enforce these designated behaviors into the daily operation of the business. If this approach has any effect at all, it typically creates conduct that strikes customers as mechanical and insincere. Worse, it often intensifies worker resentment and cynicism.

Instead of attempting to dictate what workers should be doing to delight customers, the better approach is to give workers opportunities to generate their own ideas for delivering a better customer experience. Managements role then becomes helping employees implement these ideas, allowing workers to enjoy the motivational boost they derive from positive feedback from delighted customers. This level of employee ownership and involvement is a key cultural characteristic of virtually all flashpoint businesses.

TO AVOID THE BLUNDER: Train managers and supervisors, not just employees, to facilitate interactive brainstorming sessions in which employees come up with their own strategies for improving the customer experience.

Monster Blunder #2: Blaming poor service on employee cynicism. When business leaders complain to me about the cynicism of their workers, I'm always inclined to ask them if they believe these workers were already cynical before their first day on the job. If so, the organizations hiring practices are clearly not working very well. If not, then the cynicism may be a direct product of something in the organizational culture.

Employee cynicism is the direct product of an organizations visible preoccupation with self-interest above all else a purely internal focus. The focus in flashpoint businesses is directed outward, toward the interests of customers and the community at large. This fundamental difference in cultural focus makes all the difference in the world.

TO AVOID THE BLUNDER: Instead of trying to fix the employees, set out to fix the culture by removing operational obstacles to customer delight. Invite workers to participate in identifying and removing cultural roadblocks to further enhance their sense of involvement and ownership.

Monster Blunder #3: Using negative customer feedback as the primary basis for action. Businesses often implement elaborate customer surveys and other feedback mechanisms but then use them primarily to highlight customer problems and complaints. Employees come to dread these measurement and data-gathering initiatives, since the emphasis is always on the negative, on finding out whos to blame for anything and everything that went wrong.

Flashpoint businesses, too, rely on a variety of customer feedback tools but for an entirely different purpose. Here its positive feedback that becomes the primary basis for action. Feedback is used to uncover and highlight everything thats going right. Managers actively seek out hero stories examples of employees going the extra mile to deliver delight. Positive feedback is the catalyst for ongoing recognition and celebration. In this kind of culture, theres always some new reason for cheering and hoopla. Its why employees in flashpoint businesses find it easy to see themselves as winners on a winning team.

TO AVOID THE BLUNDER: Start using your own customer feedback data to uncover and celebrate examples of service excellence.

Monster Blunder #4: Reserving top recognition for heroic recoveries. Does this scenario sound familiar? A customers order gets fouled up, and a dedicated employee catches the problem and goes to heroic lengths to correct the situation or make up for it in some way. The appreciative customer advises management of this employees heroic initiative and management in turn gives the employee special recognition for his or her efforts. You may be wondering, Wheres the blunder in this?

Its a monster blunder when these kinds of recoveries are the primary if not the only sources of employee recognition. If foul-ups represent workers only chance to feel appreciated on the job, then in effect such foul-ups become almost precious to the workers. If, later, management announces that steps are being taken to correct these foul-ups for good, its news that may not win much support from employees. It can feel like this kind of corrective action will rob them of their only chance to shine.

Flashpoint businesses celebrate heroic recoveries, of course but they hand out the splashiest recognition to employees who delighted customers where no foul-ups were involved. This makes it easier to motivate workers to strive for the elimination of operational problems.

TO AVOID THE BLUNDER: Reserve your most extravagant recognition for service champions who deliver delight in routine transactions that have no element of heroic recovery associated with them.

Monster Blunder #5: Competing on price. This is one of the most commonplace (and costliest) mistakes in business. When it comes to purchasing decisions, price becomes the ultimate deciding factor only in cases where everything else is equal which is almost never. Theres usually at least one little something that gives one business an edge over another one. The real competitive advantage belongs to the business with the highest perception of value, not the one with the lowest price. The overall sense of value is based on the total customer experience, which takes into account less tangible factors, such as helpfulness, friendliness and the personal touch. These values often allow businesses to retain their competitive edge despite slightly higher prices.

TO AVOID THE BLUNDER: Institute a formal process by which employees can continuously come up with new ways to expand customers perception of value.

Concluding Thoughts: The kind of customer-focused cultures we find in flashpoint businesses obviously don't happen by accident. These organizations create, implement and refine a process for producing delighted customers. A good place to begin is to stop the top five customer service blunder monsters from rearing their ugly heads in your organization. - 15246

About the Author:

Management Training Centre provides professional development, sales training, leadership and executive training and career training programs for HR professionals, supervisors and employers.

Six Sigma Is Only Effective With the Black Belt Mobilizing Others

By Craig Calvin

The effectiveness of improvement project is dependent upon the effective leadership of the project managers, who will most likely be the Black Belts. This is because Black Belts are not just technically sound with good knowledge of Six Sigma tools and techniques, but they are also good at mobilizing the teams towards achievement of the expected improvements. Black Belts have to be active in mobilizing the team and stakeholders as well. But before being able to do that, they have to mobilize themselves.

All Black Belts are not naturally good at mobilizing teams and stakeholders. But, their skill can be developed, and this process starts with self mobilization. By seeing into their team members heads, they can relate to their points of view, and get a better understanding. Once they can mobilize themselves, they can then learn to mobilize others.

By getting into the groove of the team members, a first step is to ask the question on everyone's minds- "What is in this for me?" To gain everyone's participation, retaliate with the question to them- "What do you expect?" The Black Belt can then plan his meeting accordingly.

Stakeholders are also in need of mobilization, as they will be affected by changes as well. The stakeholders are comprised of higher up management, peers and clients. It is imperative to relay project status to them. Keeping them up to date will assist you in getting them to accept projects.

If the Black Belts can mobilize themselves, then they will be successful at mobilizing other involved. Keeping up with reviews and analysis by the members will make sure that all parties involved are in unison with the success of the project at hand. - 15246

About the Author:

To learn more about six sigma training visit sixsigmaonline.org. Earning your six sigma yellow belt will greatly improve your business skills.

Avoiding Mistakes in Permanent Recruitment:The Right Tools

By Amy Nutt

Making permanent recruiting agency decisions is one of the most important things a manager does. Unfortunately, mistakes are common. Every manager has stories of new hires that turned out to be completely incompetent. But it's not just these extreme cases we should be concerned about. Every time a company hires a mediocre employee instead of a strong one they are compromising the future of the company. An investment in more reliable permanent recruitment processes can pay off faster - and for longer - than many other investments. A great marketing campaign adds value this year; a great marketing hire can add value for a decade.

Why Companies Make Hiring Mistakes

One of the most common reasons companies make mistakes in permanent recruitment is because they tend to rush a rather ineffective process. When an important position is vacant managers may insist that HR "get me a body" rather than initiating a process that will get them a top performing superstar.

It's understandable that managers are in a rush. They have targets to reach and spending quality time on recruitment in an already busy day is difficult. Managers just want to have the position filled and get back to normal. But no one who really understands the cost of a poor hire will want to make compromises in quality. A star programmer is not just a little better than a mediocre one; they write code many times faster. A star sales representative doesn't just deliver slightly better sales than a mediocre one; they win the best accounts from the toughest competitors. Furthermore, the costs of turnovers are typically estimated at six to 12 months of annual salary for professional jobs - so a hiring mistake really hits the bottom line.

Permanent recruitment is made even more difficult by the presence of what we call "counterfeit candidates." This refers to people who are very good at interviewing but not so hot at working. There are now websites that coach candidates on hiring processes so counterfeit candidates know the questions you are likely to ask and the answers you want to hear. Well rehearsed applicants know how to sell themselves in the interview - and can fool managers into making the wrong choice.

What managers need are recruiting tools that can help predict a candidate's performance when actually on the job.

Predicting Performance

The best way to predict performance is to look at behaviours, not just qualifications. Managers often ask for candidates with very specific qualifications; for example, an MBA and five years' finance experience in the retail industry. While it's true that a certain baseline of technical skills is a requirement, the difference between superstars and average performers, between great fits and poor fits, is driven by behavior.

Many people are familiar with behavioral interviews and these remain a key tool for predicting performance. However, fewer people are aware of the power of testing for successful permanent recruitment.

The solution Drake uses, both internally and with its clients, is called P3. This psychometric instrument looks at the five primary behavioral drivers: Dominance, Extroversion, Patience, Conformity and Conscientiousness. These well established psychological traits are stable, measurable and predictive.

Behavioral testing can provide information on a candidate's relative strengths, personality, motivation, likely team-role behavior--and many other characteristics--more rapidly and reliably than extensive interviewing.

Implementation

Drake doesn't recommend using the P3 test in a generic way. The first thing to do is to look at existing high performers and use Drake's P3 to build an ideal role profile. The ideal role profile captures the behavioral traits and personality for a person to thrive in the job and fit in that particular organization. The P3 is then used to judge applicants against that ideal profile and identify the most promising candidates.

When it comes to permanent recruitment no one tool - even a powerful one like the P3 - is sufficient. Many sources of information including behavioural testing, interviewing, CVs and reference checking should be used. It's looking at a potential employee from many angles that distinguish truly high performers from counterfeit candidates.

The payoff of better permanent recruitment processes shows up in terms of lower turnover and higher performance. An Hr Consulting, or the in-house finance department, can help HR departments estimate the return on investment of new recruitment methods based on the number of hires, the type of jobs and an assessment of effectiveness of the current process. A simple back-of-the-envelope calculation is often enough to demonstrate that the payoff is substantial.

The P3 solution is a particularly good investment for mid-sized firms because it adds reliability while being easy to implement and deliver, taking pressure off the HR department and saving time for busy managers.

Effective permanent recruitment methods exist; it's just a matter of putting them to work. - 15246

About the Author:

Canadian Temp agency provides professional hr consulting and recruiting services to assist organizations with their efforts to improve performance, productivity, and profitability.

Promote your Home Business Websites with the Unique Wizard System

By Article Marketing Blog

Welcome to my Promote your Home Business Websites with the Unique Wizard System Blog. I have knocked myself out in the past writing many articles after articles and spending a considerable amount of money to get my articles about my Home Business Websites on the web. One thing for sure, I needed more traffic. Traffic that finds eager customers, sends them straight to my site, and explodes my Home Business Websites revenue almost overnight. Click Here to visit the Unique Article Wizard Website.

Just recently I discovered the Unique Wizard. It is a optional way to sell your product, promote affiliate programs, or display Adsense or other advertising that you may have. You won't believe how easy it is to get your Home Business Websites to the first page on Google. It works for any type of online website business.

All you have to do is write an article about the benefits of your Home Business Websites, submit it and repeat. How difficult is that? Also, I might mention that there are links, correctly formatted links, that point back to your website. Hundreds of links! Hundreds of links become thousands and tens of thousands over time. Will the search engines love you? You bet!

If this is going to be a long term marketing campaign, you need an inexpensive service to promote your Home Business Websites online. I have found it with Unique Article Wizard. Can you tell me any better strategy that can produce these kind of results?

Do you want your Home Business Websites article on as many sites as you can. Unique Article Wizard currently submits to more than 3,000 directories, blogs and websites, with many more being added all the time.

Discover the secret source of targeted web traffic that will drive them straight to your healthy chocolate website. Your profits could multiply almost overnight. Watch your business traffic explode!

I love Unique Article Wizard and the results I get promoting many my sites. The Unique Article Wizard also has a very generous affilliate program so you can earn more revenue in addition to promoting your websites. Don't you want the same results? How would you like to rocket your business to the stars? I am glad I did and I know you will too. Click Here to get the Wizard. - 15246

About the Author:

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Before You Start Blogging Read This

By Marenda

There are any number of reasons why someone might choose to start a blog. These reasons range from promoting a cause, providing information to the public, bringing in revenue and of course, simply as a form of self expression. However, no matter why you decide to start a blog, there is one thing which remains constant; you are going to have to spend a little time learning about blogging before you get started. Doing this will make sure that your blog has a better chance of success and keep you from making some of the common mistakes made by novice bloggers.

Research Successful Blogs

One of the best things you can do to make sure you are prepared as you begin your career as a blogger is to look at successful blogs and learn about how they do things. Read other blogs and take notes; there are elements which have led to their success which may prove instructive in building your own blog.

What you should be looking for when reading other blogs are the qualities which make them stand out from the crowd; these are the kinds of things which can help your blog achieve success. By taking a page from the playbook of a successful blog, you will be giving your own blog an advantage.

Get Some Blogging Strategies

The Blog Learning Center is one of the best places to begin your research into how to build a popular blog. Here you can begin learning about blogging for free - there is information presented about basics like setting up your blog, generating traffic and how to craft the kind of content which will bring readers back for more.

Publicize Your Blog

All new bloggers need to understand how important it is to promote their blog; you should use any tools at your disposal to increase the popularity of your blog. Getting traffic to your blog is vital to its success, unless yours is solely meant as a online diary for yourself or family and friends. Any other type of blog lives and dies on traffic. - 15246

About the Author:

Find out how to create a popular Blog. Get the secrets of top blogger and author of Living Life Abundantly.

Hold a Q&A Seminar for Your Customers

By Theo McLanahan

Question and answer seminars for your customers can help you accomplish many things. Some examples are: you can create buzz about your website, increase your mailing list size, launch a new service or product, or even increase your profits.

A q&a seminar can certainly help you increase your mailing list. Put up a notice on your website that you are holding the seminar, and feel free to include the day and time, but don't publicly announce how they access it. Instead, have them fill out a form tied to your autoresponder. Once they fill out the form, your autoresponder can send them an email with the teleconference or web conference room information.

If you are preparing for a product launch, having a question and answer seminar can work similarly to holding a press conference. It gives you the opportunity to explain the benefits and features of your product, and create publicity, and hopefully to increase your sales. The more information you can get out about the new product, and the more likely they are to want it and buy it.

Holding a q&a seminar also adds a personal touch and helps you communicate and interact with your customers. You could opt to have a special session for past customers only. This is also a great way to get feedback on how to improve your current product as well as add new products.

As you hold these seminars you can record them and sell them at a later date. You could bundle them together into one package or offer them individually as bonuses to your other products.

You may also wish to open up a seminar to others as a way for them to advertise. Other businesses with similar, complimentary businesses may be very willing to pay a fee for the opportunity to speak to your audience. For an effective question and answer session, make sure it doesn't come across as a sales pitch. Presenters should be giving helpful information to the listeners, as well as find good ways to promote their own products or services.

You have several options on how to hold your q&a seminar. You can reserve a teleconference line, and there are many companies who will allow you to use one for free. Alternatively, for a small fee, you could reserve a web conference room. This would allow you to show pictures, graphs, and PowerPoint presentations to your audience. You can also choose to broadcast over both a conference room and a teleconference line at the same time.

Once you have your time, date, and method of delivery set, it is time to promote. If you already have a mailing list, make sure to let them know about your event. As noted above, you could display some teaser information on your website, as well as any email or forum signature lines you may have. If you have an affiliate team, get them in on the promotion, too. If you don't have any affiliates, ask your online friends to help you spread the word. You may want to consider paying for some advertising, as well.

The more you hold q&a sessions, the more comfortable you will become with the planning and promotion process. Remember, these are fun ways to promote your business and connect with your customers, so take some time to enjoy the process. - 15246

About the Author:

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Job Satistaction Survey among Employees

By Caesarea Howard

A survey looking at what workers really want has been conducted in July and August 2008 by Yougov on behalf of the TUC.

The survey found that around three quarters of people are satisfied with their jobs.

The most satisfied group in the workforce was unsurprisingly those earning the highest wages. 84% of those earning over 60,000 said they were satisfied; at the other end of the spectrum, only 49% of those earning below 15,000 said they were satisfied.

People working in sales and customer services were least happy, only 62% said they were satisfied.

Only 46% of employees felt the employer deserved their loyalty. Many employers will find this worrying! Most employers would be concerned to learn that an employee did not feel their employer deserved their loyalty. Small business owners can breathe a little easier because the statistics show that only 17% of those employed by small businesses felt their employer didn't deserve loyalty. Of those working for larger organisations 31% felt their loyalty was not deserved.

These statistics confound some of the myths around small businesses. They show that small business owners care, they know their employees are their greatest asset, they tend to look after them and listen to their needs.

Workers in small businesses have the highest job satisfaction. 21% strongly agreed with the suggestion they were satisfied with their present job. In larger organisations this rate varied between 14% and 19%.

In small companies, 28% strongly agreed that they were devoted to their employer, compare to just 15& to 18% in larger firms.

What people are searching for in a job? - Fair pay - Working with great colleagues, team members, managers, boss - Learning new skills

The areas people felt that reality was different to what they were seeking in a job were: - Promotion opportunities - Fair wages - Learning new skills

Consequently, employer should look into these criteria to improve their employees' job satisfaction. - 15246

About the Author:

This article has been published by Caesarea Howard, who works for Davies McLennon Chartered Accountants. If you are looking for a Stockport Accountant or Manchester Accountant, visit Davies McLennon website to find out more info.

Enjoy the Benefits of Solar Panels

By Mark Smith

Are you searching for an economical way to energize your home or business with power? You can enjoy using having the energy when you need it, even if the traditional means of power goes off. You can even help create a better world by using solar panels as they are very economically and environmentally user friendly. Using solar panels will also reduce the amount due on your monthly power bill and they make great backup sources when you need them, whether or not the power company line is working. Solar panels are fairly easy to install and can be used in conjunction with other economic energy solutions such as wind or water power as they do compliment each other very well. However, there are a few things you should know about solar panels before you begin.

You might like trying your hand at making your own solar panel, which can make a really interesting home or school science projects when you make these with your children. You can make just one solar panel to see how they work or you may want to make a lot more and install them on your roof or on poles to create the energy you require. On the other hand, you can always purchase solar power kits now; there are various types from which to choose. These various kits will include all you need for solar panels such as wires, mounts, inverters and either photovoltaic or thin film panels. You might like to install them yourself and save money or you might want to hire a professional contractor to install them for you. Having a professional install them for you offers the advantage of other benefits such as solar power user incentives and an assortment of rebates.

Your solar panel incorporates the use of Photovoltaic cells. These cells will generate the power by transforming natural sunlight into energy which is then stored. You can use this energy later when you need it. When you make your own solar panels, you will also have to have an inverter when making residential treatment, especially made for converting the DC energy current that solar panels generate into, 110 AC energy for your normal everyday use.

There are also thin film solar panels which are much more lightweight than regular solar panels. Using this type of solar panel eliminates the need for rack mounting. They are generally quick and easy to install as they are applied to the roof panel. It normally takes about ten minutes to install your thin film solar panels.

Basic Supplies for making your own solar panels include:

- 1 Sheet Copper Flashing - A pair of Shears to cut your Copper Flashing - 1 Wide Mouth Jar or 1 Clear Plastic Bottle - An Electric Drill with a Brush or Sandpaper Attachment - A 110 AC power Inverter - 1 Micro-ammeter - Some Tap Water - Some Table Salt - 2 Alligator Clips

Having solar panels installed on the roof of you home or business are worthwhile additions to your structure, whether you choose to make them yourself or buy one of the various kits. You really should consider using solar panels to help lower you energy bill, whether you choose to use a photovoltaic or thin film solar panel. - 15246

About the Author:

Get the information of How to Make solar panels, Low cost solar panels, Solar Panels, solar panels efficiency etc.

Batman has always been a classic subject of Halloween excitement, but in light of this year's blockbuster performance directed by Christopher Nolan, the Batman costume is destined to be one of the top choices this Halloween.

By Michelle Walker

Unless you have had your head under a rock for the past few months, you know that The Dark Knight's Joker has taken the film-making industry by storm, and has thrust Batman into the spotlight once again as America's favorite superhero. In light of these developments, it is no wonder every little boy and even a number of little girls will want the new Batman costume this Halloween.

The reason Batman is enjoying the spotlight is due to Christopher Nolan's recent masterpiece blockbuster, ""The Dark Knight"". The Dark Knight pit Batman against his most formidable opponent onscreen yet, the Joker. Although Batman is the main focus here, the Joker played by Heath Ledger in this year's summer blockbuster deserves his due.

The Joker was finally portrayed as the awesome, dark, cunning criminal of old. Heath Ledger played a Joker forgotten since his comic book days. That is an insidious, chaotic yet calculating psychopath who is one of Batman's most famous and notoriously formidable enemies.

For those of you unfamiliar with Batman's origins, and the Joker's long developing grudge against him, Batman has been a DC Comics character since the late 1930's. Ever since seeing his parents murdered as a young boy, he has been devoted to fighting crime in Gotham City, a dark rendition of what New York could look like if it was ever to fall to a significant criminal element.

Batman, unlike most superheroes does not rely on super powers to fight the bad guys. All Batman needs are his wits, and almost perfectly conditioned and disciplined body. These, paired with his detective skills and unsurpassed technology that his vast fortune allow him to afford, make him the most significant crime fighter the comic book world has ever seen.

The Batman franchise has scarcely enjoyed as much positive press since Batman's comic book birth in the late thirties. Although Batman has commanded a significant amount of pop culture review and attention over his decades of existence, this summer marked a milestone in the life of Batman.

It is no wonder the Batman costume may be the best selling costume this Halloween. Although the Joker played a significant role in Batman's fame this summer, all the children and parents who want their kids to be superheroes as opposed to super villains are guaranteed to choose a Batman Halloween costume this year.

But, no matter which one you or your child choose, superhero or super villain, you'll need to do it quickly if you don't want to miss out. The Batman costume and the Joker costume are both selling fast.

To learn more and to find the best selection and lowest prices on Batman Halloween costumes check out http://www.squidoo.com/Batman-Costume-2. - 15246

About the Author:

You owe it to yourself to visit Batman Costume

christmas costumes

By Mason Morales

Will my order make it for Halloween?
We experience a high volume of orders during October for the Halloween season, and work at a 2-6 day processing speed plus delivery time from our warehouse.Unfortunately we do not allow pick-ups from our warehouse or our head office; all orders are sent out from our NC or CA warehouse by a traceable method. For this reason viewing products is also unavailable. We do offer a money back guarantee on most items. If you are not satisfied with your purchase you may return it.

If I'm shipping outside the US will there be any other tax or duty fees?
International buyers outside the US are fully responsible for paying all customs duties and/or taxes which may be assessed as a result of this transaction for your country.

Why is there a package and handling fee?
an online retailer we know the cost of hiring staff to package and handle your order for shipping. This fee is added to your order to cover those costs. Unlike other online companies who charge upwards of a $10 handling fee, ours is modest in comparison, visible in your cart before you checkout with your payment information.We do ship our products anywhere in the world. All shipments outside the continental US are sent USPS Global Express Mail (EMS). This is the most reliable service with tracking and we do not offer any other service when shipping outside the US.

Why doesn't my tracking number not work on the UPS website?
We add tracking numbers even over the weekend to orders, although there is no pickup for these packages until the following Monday. The tracking you received likely was added over this time period and will become active on the following Monday or Tuesday. If your tracking is still not active send us an email bout the order. For tracking packages outside the US you will need to send us a request for the USPS tracking.We accept VISA, Mastercard through our Moneris payment gateway and PayPal payments. With Paypal you may also pay with AMEX, Discover and direct debits from your bank account with their Echeck feature.We do ship our products anywhere in the world.

What if I want to make a change or cancel after I've placed my order?
Once orders are placed they can not be canceled or altered if they have been sent to our shipping dept. There is a small window of time that allows for alterations. Call our customer service for these requests.

Do you ship to Canada or other countries?
We do ship our products anywhere in the world. All shipments outside the continental US are sent USPS Global Express Mail (EMS). This is the most reliable service with tracking and we do not offer any other service when shipping outside the US. The shipping fee is based on weight automatically calculated through our shopping cart. We can not offer rush services outside the US due to border/customs delay. Shipments outside the US usually take 7-14 business days for delivery.It is possible there are restrictions on your card for making online transactions or there are no funds available to make the purchase. Please check with your issuing bank for further details. Note: We do not accept American Express, Diners, or JC credit cards, only credit cards with the Visa or Mastercard symbol and 16 digits. If you wish to speak to one of our billing customer service representative please call 1.800. - 15246

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For more insider tips and information be sure and check out

Skills you Need to Rehab a Home

By Erin Cureton

Drywall/ Plaster Repair In Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, where I do most of my rehabilitation work, cracks and holes in the plaster are common. You will experience similar issues in Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh or any other industrial city throughout the east or Midwest. Holes in plaster are often the result of water infiltration, the result of vandalism, but could be the sign of more serious foundation issues. Once the root cause is fixed, patch the area with inch drywall. Secure the drywall to the hole with at least 2 drywall screws. Insert your rotozip near the edge of your hole and cut the drywall by pressing the rotozip blade against the remaining plaster. Once your piece is cut, secure it with multiple drywall screws, mud the gaps, tape, re-mud then sand to a smooth finish.

Basic Water Pipe Repair Many of the foreclosed homes that I encounter have sat over the winter and the cold weather has burst water pipes in the basement and walls. Usually the hardest part of the repair is finding all the leaks. You do this by turning on the water, listening for falling water, then visually inspecting where the water is coming from. Once you find the leak, cut out the old section of pipe and cut a section of new pipe to replace it. Rough up the end of the old and new sections of pipe with your sandpaper. Apply flux to each section of pipe and to a coupler that will be used to join the pieces. Put the new section in place. Heat the coupler with your butane torch and apply solder around the edges of the coupler. The flux will melt creating a vacuum inside the coupler and drawing the solder inside. Once it is sealed all the way around, allow the solder to dry and move on to the next leak. If you are worried about using a butane torch on this project, ask your hardware professional about Shark-Bite fixtures.

Drain Repair Drains work by using the force of gravity to expel wastewater down and out of the house. Improperly working drains can be the result of improper pitch in the drain line or a clog. Clogged drains are a very common problem. When a working drain gets clogged, Draino or a quick snake will often do the trick. If that doesn't work, unscrew the drainpipe and inspected for clogs. If a clog is found in there, simply remove the clog, replace the drain and test the drain. In a vacant house, a clog can become impenetrable. If you encounter such a clog, you need to cut it out and replace that section of drain. Using a saw or grinder cut out the clogged section of pipe. Once the clog is cut out, cut a similar length of PVC pipe to replace it. Either connect the new pipe to the old with PVC connectors or with a fernco connector. If you use the PVC connectors make sure that you clean the old pipe thoroughly and apply PVC cement to ensure a proper seal.

Replacing Light Fixtures Remove the old fixture by unscrewing the wire nuts or by cutting the wires. Strip off a section of the wire casing and attach you new fixture with wire nuts. Be sure to tape off any exposed wire with electrical tape. Since each fixture will come with its own set of instructions, be sure to read those instructions thoroughly to insure proper installation. Electricity can cause severe injury if you do not follow instruction implicitly. You should always use an amplitude meter to insure that power is off to the fixture to avoid electrocution.

Window Installation Carefully remove the old window, making sure not to damage the wood frame. Once the window is removed place wood shims on the sill and level the shims. Once the shims are level secure them in place with screws (drilling pilot holes will keep the shims from splitting). Put the new window in place. At the sash, place more wood shims between the wood frame and the window to fill that gap, and then secure the shims in place by screwing through the window frame and into the wood frame. Repeat this step about six inches from the top and six inches from the bottom of the sides. Once the sides are secure, make sure you can easily open and close the window. Fill the gaps around the window with expanding foam insulation.

Refinishing Wood Floors First remove the old carpet. Then remove all of the tack strips, staples, nails and quarter round molding. Once the floor is clean, run your drum sander with the grain of the wood. It is very important that you keep the drum sander moving at all times though. If you leave it sit it will quickly eat into the floor, leaving the finished floor wavy looking. Start with 36-grit sandpaper, then 80-grit, and then 100-grit. Once the main body of the floor is sanded, do the edges with an edge sander using the same grits of sandpaper that you used on the main floor. When all the sanding is complete, sweep the floor, and then vacuum the floor. Apply your choice of stain or apply polyurethane directly to the wood. Finish with 2-3 coats of polyurethane. Replace the trim molding along the floor.

Laying Tile The key to a good tile project is a good foundation. Whether you are tiling a wall or floor, the foundation must be plumb or level and the surface must be flat. Once the old covering has been removed lay a product like Hardi-Backer, an extremely durable cement-based product. Begin tile installation by troweling on a thin application of mastic over a three to four foot area. Set the tile in place and push gently to secure the position. Place a spacer next to the tile and position the next piece. Continue in this fashion until the tiles are all in place. Allow the mastic to dry for 24-hours before grouting. If you are laying a natural stone tile (travertine, slate, marble) be sure to seal the tile prior to grouting. If you don't, the tile will appear hazy. Remove all tile spacers. Mix a grout color of your choice, push the grout between the tiles with a rubber float and clean up all excess grout.

Texturing a Ceiling To get a perfectly textured ceiling, dip a paint roller with a long (4 foot) handle into a bucket of top-coating mud. Roll the mud onto the ceiling. Push your texturing brush into the mud and pull back quickly to create a random dimple pattern all across your ceiling. After it dries finish by painting with a white ceiling paint or a color to complement your walls.

Painting a Room Two tools that will make painting a room faster, easier and produce a better result are an orbital sander and a power sprayer. Use the orbital sander to smooth out any surface imperfections. Once the walls are smooth, start spraying. First, spray the walls, and ceilings with a coat of latex based primer. Next spray your ceiling with a white ceiling paint. Then spray your walls with a flat paint. Flat paint is the best choice for hiding small imperfection in your walls surface. Be sure to follow the sprayer with a roller to produce the best results. For a great finished look, be sure to apply a fresh coat of white semi-gloss paint to all trim.

Landscaping The exterior is the first impression people will get of your house. Take time to remove all the overgrown 1950's era plants and replace them with smaller more modern looking plants. After removing the old shrubs, cultivate the bed and mix in organic materials like manure, compost or peat moss. Arrange your new plants on top of the beds. Once you are happy with the arrangement, remove any burlap or plastic and plant them. Be sure not to bury the root balls of shrubs. You want to plant the shrub with just a little of the ball showing above the ground surface. Follow spacing instruction on the containers so that your new landscape doesn't look like overgrown in two years. After planting the large landscape in this fashion, take time to plant flowers around your new plants and enjoy your new look. - 15246

About the Author:

Erin Cureton is the managing partner of Cureton Property Alliance. His linked in page is Erin Cureton. Erin Cureton has written articles for Foreclosure How To Buy. Erins search engine optimization is net advertising group

Cost Efficient Ways to Get Started, Build a List and Relationships

By Stu McLaren

Whenever you are starting a business, generating revenue is always in the back of your mind. Often times I get asked, if you don't have a large amount of money to draw from in the beginning to start your business, what are some cost efficient ways to get started?

Everyone's situation is different, so there is no easy answer or clear cut method. In this article I will give you insights and ideas as I built my business when I was deep in student debt.

I just graduated university and marketing products was something that I did not have any experience with. I did not have any money and I did not have any contact so what that presented is a humongous opportunity to be extremely creative and that is what you really have to start tapping into because I do not know about you, but I am most creative when I am most desperate and that is a good thing.

Finding creative ways to get people's attention is something you have to do when you are just getting started. You also have to find creative ways to build relationships. Creating products and ways to market those products are also other avenues in which you will have to be creative.

This is really a great opportunity for you to build momentum from your creativity and use it in an effective way. You should really think about what is important to you at this time. Is generating revenue important? Building a list? Creating products?

Focus on what is important at this particular point in your career. Maximize that area by utilizing your creativity. Of course revenue was important to me when I was first starting, but not the most important as building a long term profitable business.

To be able to secure a profitable business long term I had to made the sacrifice of early profits. Instead I gave away what I did have, time and exchanged it for products, services, JV opportunities, all kinds of things.

Time is what I did have, so I used that to its full potential. I volunteered at numerous events, I did marketing for people, I wrote for people. Anything I could do to help build relationships with key people I did.

When first starting out, you will have to work a little harder and may have to be more creative then others to achieve what you want. What you have to do first though, is to figured out exactly what you want.

The problem for many is they don't do this, then they end up going in circles. When you are starting out I really want to encourage you to really think about what you are looking to do. Do you want to generate revenue? If yest, find creative methods to generate revenue in a short period of time.

If you are not so much concerned about generating revenue immediately but you are more interested in developing relationships for long-term profitability, then you want to focus on creative ways to connect with people, to build those relationships and to get to know others.

It all comes down to figuring out what you should be focusing on right now. Building your list, may be your priority. If so, set your attention on that and find creative ways to build your list.

So number one, get very clear on what it is that you are looking for and then number two, I want to encourage you to just tap in to your creativity because not having money available, in my opinion, is not an excuse that you can let yourself get away with.? It is just a matter of using some creativity to get what it is that you want and there is always some type of a solution. It is just a matter of being able to find it. - 15246

About the Author:

Get your FREE report on how to make money with list building ideas. At last, real no-hype facts on list building... explained in simple layman's terms by one of the world's top email marketing gurus! Visit: http://www.basiclistbuilding.com

Free Gas Promotion -Oil Companies Giveaway $150 in Free Gas!

By Jim Rogers

Have you heard about the Loyalty program offered by the Oil Companies? It is a great opportunity for consumers to receive free gas so you should know all the inside secrets about it.

The loyalty program is simple. Visit one Oil Brand month after month and spend at least $100 in fuel (not too hard these days) and they will send you a $25 Gas Card in the mail each month. There are no obligations with these gas cards except you have to use them at the Oil Brand stations.

A $150 Gas Giveaway is over $600 in revenue for the oil brand (6 months of $100 a month). The Oil Company also understands when you revisit the store to spend the $25 gas card you will spend above the $25 on additional items.

The marketing company who sends out the $25 Gas Cards each month understand the consumer is waiting on the envelope so it will have 100% open rate. By selling advertisements to be included in that envelope the expense of the mailings and gas cards is eliminated and actually turned into a profit.

There maybe a variety of offers in the envelope and you are under no obligation to do anything with those offers to receive the $25 gas card. However, let's say one of those offers was for a credit card. Did you know Credit Card companies pay up to $200 for each approved credit card application? If only 50 people out of 1000 apply for a credit card and are approved the marketing company just received another $10000 in revenue.

At first glance it might seem like the loyalty program is a loser for the Oil Companies but I think you can see why it makes financial sense for each company involved. This program is growing in popularity everyday because of the simplicity and ease of use for the consumer.

More and more businesses are starting to giveaway the gas certificates as an incentive to get consumers to visit their store, purchase a product or signup on their website. This is a WIN/WIN/WIN for the business, Oil Company and consumer. - 15246

About the Author:

Jim Rogers - To learn more about the program visit Free Gas Promotion. This loyalty program is a great opportunity for businesses to giveaway free gas.

Why You Should Switch Your Merchant Account Today

By Brian Armstrong

Business owners often overlook their merchant accounts because it only represents a small part of their overall financial picture. The reality is that merchants are overpaying and often don't do anything about it because they believe it's too much of a hassle to switch. Merchants that process transactions on a regular basis can save a significant amount of money by switching and it is significantly less work that most merchants might think.

The discount rate is the rate that banks charge each other to process transactions and is used to manage the risk associated with transactions as well. There are three different discount rates, there's the qualified discount rate, the mid-qualified discount rate and the non-qualified rates. These rates vary depending on the type of credit card and some other components of the transaction.

There are per transaction fees for every merchant account. Sometimes this fee is not charged if the merchant has history and does a flat rate on just the discount rate. But even if the fee doesn't show up on the statement, the merchant account provider and the bank still have this fee. They simply make it up in the discount rates. Flat rate pricing has one advantage and that is simply for accounting. It may be easier to know that every transaction is subject to a flat rate, either a flat per transaction or a flat percentage or discount rate.

For merchants processing smaller ticket items, such as fast food restaurants or convenience stores, the per transaction fee usually represents a larger percentage of the overall transaction and can significantly increase the overall percentage you're paying for accepting credit cards.

If you process large transactions, the discount rate will affect your fees much more than your per transaction fee. For those processing retail transactions where the card is physically present at the time of the transaction, an important note to remember is that if you process Visa and MasterCard check cards, they should process at a lower rate than your "regular" credit cards. This is where most of the savings occur for the majority of business owners that choose to switch their merchant account.

If you are ready to switch merchant accounts, you should start by looking at one of your statements and calculating your effective rate. If you'd rather not have to learn anything about rates and fees and simply want to get someone else to do this for you, find a competent merchant services professional who will evaluate your current rates and provide you some data on what it would cost to switch and estimate your savings. Finding someone you trust is critical as merchant services professionals don't always have the best reputation for integrity thanks to some in our industry that use deceptive practices and are dishonest.

Some small business owners are hesitant to switch to a new account simply because they have an early termination fee hanging over their head from their current processor. You can look for merchant service providers that can help you by offering a reimbursement or voucher that will pay you back for any termination fee that you incur.

Getting new equipment can also be a benefit of switching your merchant account. Competition for new merchant accounts is fierce so some of the incentives that processing companies are offering include new equipment. So, if your equipment is older or if you just want new equipment, make sure to ask about that and make that a part of your switching strategy. - 15246

About the Author:

If you're serious about saving hundreds if not thousands a year in processing fees, you need to contact Brian through his website MerchantHotline.com. He's an expert at credit card merchant accounts and has been assisting business owners with their merchant accounts since 2001.

Six Sigma Data Collection Requires Asking the Correct Questions

By Craig Calvin

The Six Sigma level is that of achievement of zero defects. The DMAIC methodology is popularly used by many organizations to bring about such changes effectively. In the Measure phase of Six Sigma, the relevant data regarding the product is collected. Depending upon this data, further analysis and improvements are made.

Collecting the Right Data- In the Measure phase, by asking questions to the customers, internal as well as external, the data is collected. This is where it becomes imperative that the right questions are asked by the Six Sigma team to understand the related matters correctly. Only when the question has been asked in the right manner will you get the right answer, which can then be used to bring about improvements in the organization.

The following are some tips for achieving the right data in the Six Sigma projects: 1. The number one thing to be sure of is that the people involved in the collection of data realize the importance of its accuracy and how it will be used. This will ensure there are no misunderstandings. 2. Consider using a third party to collect the data, which can eliminate any kind of bias. 3. Make sure to consider outside factors, such as location, shifts, machinery.

Having to repeat the data collection process because of an error is not a desirable action. Workers might not be able to spend more time on this process. It is crucial to ask a good question that is simple enough for them to understand and reply to. When using formats, such as questionnaires, it is ideal to design it in columns instead of rows, mimicking a spreadsheet. This enables comprehension.

A more cut and dry questionnaire is ideal. This will eliminate any misunderstandings, which will also eradicate any potential wrong answers because of unsurity. Running a trial run of the data collection would be a good idea, and would give you a chance to pick out potential questions that could create wrong answers.

In addition, if there is anything that stands out as potentially requiring additional attention, you can identify these problems before delivering results to a client. These tips are best kept in mind if you are concerned with ensuring optimal results. - 15246

About the Author:

Six Sigma certification can prove to be very beneficial in raising the efficiency of your organization. To find out more information on how you can become certified in Six Sigma yellow belt check out sixsigmaonline.org right away.

Office Chairs: Casters Galore

By Fabian Toulouse

You might want to sit for this. The evolution of the office chair, from its bare, four-legs-and-a-back origins, had its origins in the rise of the Second Industrial Revolution. The incorporation of steam-driven machines prompted business owners to consider a phrase that has become ubiquitous to our modern ears: productivity. As the objective of business is the generation of capital, and the generation of said capital is dependent upon labor, the question was "How best can we drain the last drops of toil from our employees?" The answer: build a better chair. The logic centered on the notion that employees who sat at their stations longer, could be more productive, therefore earning the company more capital.

Their next study involved trying to figure out how they could keep them in their seats by making them a little more bearable on the bottom. Sitting in these chairs for hours could take it's toll and the productivity would begin to suffer. As the chair began to improve, the shape began to be more in tune with the human body. These improvements were realized in the 1970's when ergonomics were first brought into the picture. The chairs of today are a result of the early attempts to keep the office workers in their chairs so there would be no decline in the work they performed.

The impact of ergonomics throughout the last century, culminating in the body-friendly designs of the mid to late 1970s, has produced a modern office chair that is phenomenally adjustable. Most modern office chairs can be adjusted to fit any employee, ensuring hours and hours of blissful productivity. Unfortunately, these accommodations have not done away with work and repetition-related strains to the shoulders, neck, back, and wrists. Ergonomic specialists recommend standing and stretching once every half hour.

The popular perception of business owners drooling over the possibility of keeping employees planted in their chairs for ten hours day may well be an exaggeration rooted in a kind of class-ism. Nevertheless, the modern office chair has come a long way in the last 150 years and not for magnanimous reasons. The office chair has evolved into a kind of status symbol. The most plush chairs are reserved for those who have more at stake. The owners, managers, and vice-presidents must buttress their great responsibilities with a leather-covered cushion for their posteriors.

It seems to stand to reason that those who must spend the most time in the office should enjoy the best chairs. The emphasis is on working as there are many people who could spend hours a day in these chairs. The only question is are they really as busy as they look. Working 8 and 10 hours a day from these chairs whether it is answering phones, data processing, bookkeeping or whatever job they perform, the comfort level of these workers should be taken into consideration first. The best office chairs should go to those who need them the most. - 15246

About the Author:

If you are interested in purchasing comfortable office chairs, be sure you buy from a reputable vendor of office chairs.

Embroidered Polos: Branding Your Customer Two Levels Deep

By Epolos Articles

The buying public is accustomed to associating a company with a brand or logo. Embroidered Polos can help current and prospective customers to make this association. In this way, you help your customers remember you twice.

How Corporate Apparel Creates a Cohesive Bond with Customers

Company Name: Usually, the first association a customer makes with a company is via its name and/or the name of the company representative they interact with. This is the foundational building block that can lead to a life-long association.

In the beginning stages, the corporate apparel of many companies may not even have a logo; just the company name and the name of the customer service representative. And this is fine. But, when companies expand, one of the first things they should do is create a company logo. In fact, this is a hallmark of large companies.

Brand Association: A company truly knows that it has moved beyond a mom and pop shop when its corporate shirts, for example, are embroidered polos with the company logo. What's the significance of a logo? A logo represents many things on many levels to a company - its product, its target market, its values, etc. This is why many companies spend thousands getting it designed and thousands more protecting it via copyright.

This logo will be emblazoned on corporate apparel in the form of custom company shirts, embroidered polos and company clothing in general. Corporate apparel stretches beyond clothing to water bottles, pens, mouse pads, etc.

When a company can look up and see its employees wearing its corporate apparel emblazoned with its newly created Embroidered Polos, it can feel that it has indeed arrived. - 15246

About the Author:

Epolos offers a full range of corporate apparel and company clothing. If you are looking for an embroidered logo for your company clothing to enhance your company identity and corporate brand, then look no further than Epolos.com. Check out this month's special.

Got Claim Scrubbers?

By Carl Mays II

A well designed medical billing process does not allow errors to propagate. This design tenant results in less effort required to collect payments and payments arriving much faster. One of the most important manifestations of this concept is insuring that claims are clean before they are submitted to payers.

Implementing a process that submits clean claims can lead to days in AR of less than 45.

The leading medical billing services utilize scrubbers that ensure your claims are clean before they are submitted to payers. These scrubs accelerate the speed of collections by avoiding denials and delays. They also increase collections by minimizing the volume of "re-work" and allowing billing staff to focus their efforts on pursuing true collections improvement opportunities and not simply resubmitting claims that should have been paid the first time. As a result of these scrubbers, over 90% of claims submitted are paid upon first submission. These "scrubbers" include:

- Basic mechanical scrubber. This scrubber assures that all claim fields have been properly filled with formatted data (social security number with 9 digits, date of birth etc), the NPI is in a proper field, there is a referring physician if needed, etc.

- Core coding scrubber that compares the claim's coding to local Medicare and Correct Coding Initiative rules. Such a scrubber should not only identify negative issues (e.g., a diagnosis/procedure mismatch) but also improvement opportunities (e.g., this procedure is typically performed in conjunction with a second, billable procedure, that is missing from this claim).

The scrubbers outlined above are a basic service that any medical billing company should offer. Medical billing companies should also be able to utilize medical billing specific know-how and business intelligence created over time through work with many clients across specialties and geographies to create their own proprietary set of claim scrubbing rules. This third type of scrubber is a:

- Knowledge Management Scrubbers that allow the medical billing operation to continually reevaluate the adjudication rules of each payer and update the rules accordingly. The proper implementation of the scrubber requires a clear feedback loop from the follow-up department to the scrubber so that the lessons learned from denied claims can be quickly incorporated in to the scrubber. Any top notch medical billing service utilizes a scrubber like this.

Utilizing all of the scrubbers outlined in this article will dramatically lower days in AR and allow the billing staff to properly purse any issues that remain. In today's medical billing environment, use of these scrubbers is truly mandatory.

Copyright 2008 Carl Mays II - 15246

About the Author:

Carl Mays II, CEO of ClaimCare Medical Billing Services, has spent over 14 years improving the operations of his clients. To read more about selecting Healthcare Billing Services subscribe to Carl's blog

5 Simple Steps to Effective Time Management

By Sharmen Lane

Have you ever thought about how people are created equal? Did you know that there is one way and one way only that we are all exactly the same? That way is time. It doesn't matter how much money you have, or what school you went to, or where you were raised you only get 24 hours in a day. That's 86,400 seconds in each 24 hour period.

To be most efficient and effective with your time and get the most out of your 24 hours is to follow these 5 simple steps. 1. Write- Everything you need or want to get done in a day, write it down. You don't have to overcomplicate this one. Just get a simple legal pad of paper and write Things To Do Monday at the top. Then start your list.

I do things to the ridiculous. 1. Wake up at 6am. 2. Go to gym by 6:30. 3. Email Mike regarding marketing. 4 Call Mary about business cards. 5. Pick up dry cleaning. 6. Drop off bracelet at jeweler. 7. Buy stampsetc. If you simply write down what needs to be done you will free up your mind and instantly be more focused and get more done.

2. Eliminate distractions- Distractions or interruptions are the primary cause for people to not be efficient and get what needs to be done, done. Here you have two options. Option A- remove the distractor. If it's the phone, turn it off. If it's email, don't even log into your account until your project is complete. If it's television, don't turn it on. Option B. Remove yourself from the distractor. If you work in an office where others are constantly being a distraction or interruptive, then you need to not be in that environment. If possible work from home to complete a project. Go to an available conference room or empty office and close the door. If you are in a cubicle put up a sign that reads, Do NOT Disturb or Quiet time from 9-noon, no interruptions please.

3. Stay in the moment- Many times people do not use the present moment effectively because they are projecting in the future or dwelling on the past. The future is not here yet, so it is most efficient and effective to get the most you can out of this moment, right now. By writing a things to do list you will be eliminating, or a least reducing stress and random thoughts. You will be more organized, together and know what you need to do and when you need to do it by. If you are dwelling on the past, with all do respect you need to get over it and move on. Here's the thing, no matter how much you ponder and percolate on something that has already happened , it isn't going to change what happened. It is what it is. Think about where you are now and what you can do in this present moment to make the best of any situation.

4. Set an alarm- If you need to get something done in a specific amount of time or if you need to dedicate minutes, hours, etc to a project to complete it by the deadline, set an alarm. Use one on your computer, watch, cell phone, egg timer, or an actually alarm clock. Until that alarm sounds, you stay focused and only work on that one project. Allotting a specific amount of time will enable you to concentrate on just the matter at hand without concerning yourself with the clock or other things around you.

5. Have a reward- Nothing is better than having a little incentive when you are learning a new habit. The next time you are struggling with managing your time, give your self a reward. Say when I have my entire things to do list complete every day for one week, I will give myself blank, as a treat. Now you have a reason to stay focused, avoid distractions and get what needs done, done.

Those are the five basic steps for Time Management. What are you waiting for??? Get to writing your things to do list today!

Through keynote speeches, workshops, training, seminars and self-help products, motivational business speaker and self help guru Sharmen Lane has trained, managed, and coached thousands of individuals and corporations on what it takes to get what they want for their business and personal lives. To learn more, visit www.sharspeaks.com. - 15246

About the Author:

Sharmen Lane is an Author, speaker, radio host, and life coach. She has trained, managed, and coached thousands of individuals on what it takes to get what they want. She currently has several seminars, The 7 Secrets to Success, Success Made simple (easy as ABC), the 3 C's To Success, to name a few. Visit

Using Keywords to Jumpstart Your Pay Per Click Advertising

By Brian Basch

A good list of keywords is vital for a successful pay per click campaign. You should be diligent in your research and attempt to find the best keywords. Try to compile a substantial list and leave no stone unturned to be successful.

Not sure how to do this? Suppose your basic keyword was "loan." Many people search for this word every day. However, lots of sites also use this word, making it difficult to rank well for it. The answer is to broaden your keyword scope.

Imagine all the ways that your base keyword can be used. There are several interpretations that a searcher might be looking for when they type in loans. Think of all the different ways searchers may interpret your keyword. Examples are; "getting loan" "house loan," "bad credit loan" etc.

Of course, these keywords are still only a little different from the keyword you started with. You can expand a lot further while sticking to the basic concept. There are lots of different types of loans out there - mortgages, car loans, home equity loans and more. Mix those in with your first list and discover all the different options for keyword groups that spring from a single simple keyword.

An ad campaign can also be compiled from just lenders names. Then expand your concept by adding .com, .net or a country extension, if you are trying to target a country. Despite the fact that there are no domains for these key phrases you will be surprised to know that searchers do type in search words like this. These searchers will notice your ad and even take action by clicking through.

It's best to avoid general keywords, since there's so much competition for them. Instead, take it a little further, and expand on terms that are related to your general word. Rephrase various terms, too. "Bad credit loan" can easily be rephrased as "loan bad credit" to reach a different set of searchers.

Ask yourself what the person you want to have run across your ad will be searching for, and use that to choose your keywords and word groups. Remember that you don't have to stick to a logical order - people type search phrases in unusual ways.

Begin with serial numbers, plurals, misspelled words, product and domain names. Also do not put spaces between words, as this is a popular typo error with searches.

Use company names and domain names, as well as variations on them. Think about using superlatives like "best" or "cheapest", and remember that there may be spelling variations in different countries.

You should also use keywords from your web logs. These are good as the stats will show which keywords visitors are using to find your site.

A good keyword list is the foundation for a successful pay per click campaign. To ensure your success, explore all your options before you decide on the words you're going to target. - 15246

About the Author:

If you are thinking about enlisting a ppc management firm, don't choose until you consider ProPayPerClickManagement.com. Founded by Brian Basch, they are a reputable adwords management company with the skills and expertise to help grow your business. Go there now and request your free ppc analysis.

What Is Article Marketing.-Some Answers

By Rob Metras

People wonder what is article marketing. People use the internet for various purposes like looking up some information, booking travel or hotel accommodation, planning a holiday, playing games, doing some work etc. People read various articles regarding a variety of subjects but the term article marketing is new to most of them.

Article marketing is a method of promoting businesses on the internet. In article marketing, articles are posted on syndication websites. Others can then republish that article on websites or blogs that they control, bringing the article to a wider audience. Often, syndication websites allow the original writer to post his or her article for free.

When people choose to republish a syndicated article, they often must agree to certain conditions. Usually, they agree to give credit to the original author of the article and to keep all links in the article intact. This will enable the writer's reputation to grow as his or her articles are spread across the Internet.

If you want to write an article for syndication, an important early step is deciding on the keyword for the article. Keywords affect the article's popularity. You do not want to choose a keyword that is so obscure that it will rarely be a search topic, but you also don't want to choose a word so common that your article is one of a large number that appear when searching. Choosing the appropriate keyword may require a great deal of thought.

Once an article is written, the author posts it to an article directory website. These are usually free to the author; there are ads placed on every article page that allow the site owner to earn income without charging the authors, encouraging more authors to post. The more articles that are posted to the directory, the more popular the site will become on search engines. Therefore, this system benefits both the director owner and the article author.

There are article directory marketing blogs which help the article writers as well as directory owners. They provide valuable tips and assistance to authors on what to write, how to write etc and guide them. There are internet marketing articles on the net and writers can seek assistance from them for writing tips.

Authors are sometimes given control over the advertising space on their article's pages. They can then choose which ads to run on the page, or even choose not to display any ads. They earn money from the ads on their pages, which encourages them to leave the ads on their pages.

Authors and writers need to understand that articles which are short and in the range of 400-600 words get more traffic and are favored by people. People do not have time to go through in depth articles which are lengthy and time consuming. People generally want short articles which give them the basic information about a given subject. Therefore articles should be written keeping this in mind. - 15246

About the Author:

I would like to know what questions you have about article marketing. I invite you to visit Articles Get Results.com. Let me know and I will email you a link for your free audio presentation on Article Marketing Secrets which you can listen to at your leisure.

Work At Home Will It Be Right For You?

By Graham Williams

When most individuals decide to work at home, they have visions of how simple and convenient it is going to be, rolling out of bed and rolling up to the computer in your home clothes, or being able to work and still never missing any of their popular soap operas and talk shows during the day. Unfortunately, there is a lot more to contend with after making the decision to work at home than no more suits and no more commuting.

To be successful working at home, you will require a great deal of personal motivation and self-discipline. After all, there is no train you are going to miss and no boss you can upset by turning up late for work because you have overslept. Alternatively, you have to be your own boss and supervise your own work schedule. This often can prove to be tricky to a lot of individuals, particularly if they are used to been motivated by the strict agenda imposed by their office environment.

Then again, for many people who do not necessarily function at their best during normal working hours and who prefer a alternative option, working at home can be a blessing in disguise, because it lets them work at times when it is convenient for them. In most cases, this will make them far more productive. Having a flexible working schedule is the main advantage of having a home business, but it can also lead to failure if not managed properly.

If you are thinking about starting to work at home, the advisable thing to do is to set yourself some ground rules and make sure you stay to them always. You want to plan your workdays in advance, set a time for when you will start work, have your luncheon and when you will quit for the day, just as you would in normal office job.

If you work at home, your agenda does not have to be the identical as it would at the office, but it requires to exist in order for you to be productive. Set yourself a specified work area where you will work at home and try to keep it as separate from your non-work life as you can.

One thing many individuals who do work at home learn very quickly is that you do not always appreciate being at home as much when you are not working if you are also at home when you are working. - 15246

About the Author:

This article was written by Graham Williams, an up and coming authority on Working At Home. Did you find these tips on Work At Home Online Jobs useful? You can find out a lot more Free information about Working At Home or Starting A Home business by going to Virtual Earner.

Public Records Access in the United States

By Joseph Ryan

In the United States, public records constitute a huge reservoir of free information, but one that has seemed quite remote and hard to access for most people in the past. Why? -- because these billions of records used to be available only at county courthouses and state and federal agencies. That is, in the past, you had to physically hoof it over to your local courthouse and search in person for the records you needed, whether they were real estate records, litigation records, corporate records, or whatever. What a headache.

The WWW has changed all that. Now you can sit at your home or office computer and obtain access to public records stored anywhere - at just about any courthouse or agency -- in the country. Now, I am not maintaining that all public records are presently available online. But a great many are, and those that aren't can often be accessed with a phone call to the Recorder's Office or County Clerk.

However before you get too excited first take a look at the specific types of information we're talking about.

Below are listed some of the sorts of government records you have a right to view free of charge:

At the State level...

Federal Tax Liens
Criminal Records
Corporation Records
Incarceration Records
Fictitious or Assumed Names
Limited Liability Company Records
Limited Partnership Records
State Tax Liens
Trademark, Trade Name
Uniform Commercial Code Filings
Workers' Compensation Records
Vessel Records
Sales Tax Registrations
Vehicle & Ownership Records
Death Records
Sexual Offender Records
Marriage Records
Divorce Records
State Investigated Accident Reports
Birth Records
Driver Records
Some Types of Occupational Licenses

Public Records at the County Level...

Tax Liens (also available at State level)
Uniform Commercial Code records (also available at State level)
Real Estate and Tax Assessor records
County Court Records (both civil and criminal)
Voter Registrations (accessibility varies)
Vital Records (also available at State level)

At the Federal Level...

EDGAR Corporate Filings
Federal Court Records
Bankruptcy Records
Military Records

Plus a vast amount of demographic/economic/regulatory data available through Federal agency websites

These lists are not exhaustive but merely hint at the quantity and types of information you can access for free online. So why would you want to? A few good reasons come to mind, such as: research pertaining to investments; trademarks/patents research; background checks on potential business associates; real estate investment due diligence; determining a boyfriend's or girlfriend's true marital status; people searching; determining a potential partner's financial viability; determining whether a professional person's license is in good standing; finding out if a supplier has been sued; and many more.

Public Records Basics

It's important to understand there's a difference between public records and publicly-available information. The term "public records" pertains mainly to records maintained by government agencies that are freely available to the public, like real estate records and bankruptcy records. On the other hand your phone book contains "publicly-available" information. Generally, this is information people have chosen to allow to be publicly-accessed, even though they don't have to. If you want your address and phone number to remain private, you can refuse to let it be published in a phone book. But with public record info, you really don't have a choice - the government makes it public, period.

Similarly, notice that some information is always private, like medical records and credit information. You can't go onto a government website and find out if somebody has certain medical or psychiatric problems, and you can't get a copy of their credit report without their written consent. To do so violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which Uncle Sam, by the way, takes very seriously. Even if you find an online information broker who promises to provide you with somebody's private information, you're wise to pass. Remember how much trouble Patricia Dunn, the chairperson of Hewlett-Packard, got herself into a few years ago by hiring a hotshot private eye to look into boardroom leaks, which involved investigating the personal lives of HP's board members? You don't need that kind of trouble.

So it's very important to understand the difference between public and private information, and there's also one other point to be aware of: jurisdictions (counties and states) are not uniform in their regulations regarding access to records. For example, in some states you can access people's driving records with relative ease (Colorado); in others you can't (California). Some states regard criminal records as public (Texas); others don't (Massachusetts). You have to adhere to the regulations of the jurisdiction where you're accessing the records.

Public Records Access

As indicated, many jurisdictions have not yet computerized their public records - particularly the smaller rural counties. So you can't access their records online but you can at least get their phone numbers online and give them a call. Oftentimes county clerks will run searches for you while you wait on the phone. One good source of county courthouse phone numbers is backgroundcheckgateway.com/statelist. Of course you can probably just put the county's name into Google and get the phone number, too.

Incidentally, there may be a small search fee, and/or a small copying fee, but these will be modest - public record information is free unless you hire a professional document retriever to visit the agency or courthouse to access it for you. If you want to look into this possibility, visit brbpub.com.

Following are thumbnail instructions for accessing public records by broad categories:

Business Records

Business records are largely concentrated in the Secretary of State's office. For example you might need to know if a given company is incorporated or the date of incorporation, or who the officers and directors are. Or you might need information on a limited liability company, a partnership, or a trade name, or on sales tax registrations.

For SEC & other financial data, and for information pertaining to bankruptcies or patents and copyrights, you need to search at the federal level.

For information pertaining to mortgages, UCC's, tax liens, and real estate, you need to focus on the county or local (city) level - most often, the county level.

Accessing Court Records

Criminal records access presents a real challenge in the United States (though it's easier here than almost anywhere else in the world.)

On the one hand, governments want to give you criminal record information so you can avoid hiring or doing business with criminals; on the other hand, they don't want to give you criminal record information because then you won't hire or do business with ex-convicts, who then will be motivated to commit more crimes in order to survive.

So it seems they compromise by making the information hard to get (or more likely, bureaucracy dictates that the process can not be streamlined and made reasonably efficient). So we find there is no single nationwide repository of criminal records in the U.S. except the FBI's National Crime Information Center, which is available only to police organizations. Criminal record information is maintained on a strictly piecemeal, jurisdictional basis. Thus if your subject resides in Colorado, you can run a statewide criminal records search there, and he/she may come up clean - but in fact be a convicted felon in Indiana. Unless you also check Indiana, you'll never know this.

As a result, I believe this is a type of public records searching which is best left to the pros. You can't realistically check every state. And for that matter, most states won't give you the information anyway, so you'll have to check at the county level. For criminal records searching I recommend you hire an information professional specializing in this kind of search, such as Intelius or US Search.com.

What about civil litigation? This can get complicated, because cases can fall under county, state, or federal law. And of course municipalities also have courts.

If you're looking for federal cases - most of which are tried in U.S. District Courts - start with the U.S. Party/Case Index. This is a nationwide index for U.S. District, bankruptcy and appellate courts. If, using this index, you determine your subject is involved in federal litigation, you may be able to access docket information online using PACER (provided the litigation is current or recent). Older case documents are maintained by the various Federal courts or transferred to the Federal Records Center.

At the state level, online searching is largely limited to the courts' docket sheets (case histories). Today, many state courts provide Internet access to their dockets. For detailed information on state-by-state availability, visit brbpub.com or see Public Records Online, published by Facts on Demand Press.

Accessing Marriage/Divorce Records:

Our company, Washington Research Associates, Inc., has developed a free ebook which lists virtually every online source for researching someone's marital status. You can download it at http://marriagedivorcerecords.com.

Recording Office Record Access

Your county (or city) recording office has amazingly complete information on just about every piece of real estate in the county - sale prices, mortgages, liens, property descriptions, improvements, etc - and this is all public info. Recording office data is now widely available on the Internet. A good source is netronline.com. Incidentally, for all the latest news about your county or any county of interest, try visiting naco.org.

How to Locate U.S. Government Portals

Washington Research Associates has also put together an extensive list of the best governmental portals for accessing public records and other types of publicly-available information. Oftentimes, the fastest, easiest way to search the Internet is to find a website portal which deals with your specific topic of interest. Our guide to website portals can be accessed at: http://websearchguides.com/directories.htm - 15246

About the Author:

Joseph Ryan is Director of Washington Research Associates, Inc., Washington DC. The firm's website, Web Search Guides provides helpful 10-minute tutorials on topics of current interest, such as home refinancing, asset-searching, people searching, student financing, and many others.