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After 128 years of business, a household word, Montgomery Wards, Inc., closed their doors forever and filed bankruptcy.

With 258 stores and 28,000 employees in 30 states, Wards fell victim to competition from service-driven retailers like Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Circuit City. Wards claimed a “poor retail environment” for the failure. Interestingly, Wal-Mart and Home Depot didn’t shut down. (Editorial sarcasm).

Wards is a perfect example of a company that thought it was in the retail business and missed the fact they’re in the service business.

Perhaps they rested on their laurels. After all, 128 years in business is rather noteworthy in today’s ever evolving economy. And clearly, size nor name recognition saved this organization from distinction.

The 28,000 employees will soon be looking for work. Why? Because the organization missed the mark. They remained retailers when the competition had evolved to a more personal, service oriented approach. And I’m willing to bet that most of the employees are “stunned,” “surprised,” “confused”. They thought the old way of doing business was just “fine”.

Perhaps this can be a wake up call for every business. What exactly does your business do? The quick answer is generally, “we make, manufacture, service the best darn ‘Gismos’ in the universe”.

The focus is on the “stuff”. The focus needs to be on the outcome.

Sure you might “make, manufacture, service the best darn Gismos in the universe” but if the end result isn’t happy, satisfied customers who enthusiastically spend more of their money with you while telling friends, family and associates, you’re destined for short term success, at best.

Remember, Wards was in the “retail business”. Now their inventory is being liquidated at 40% to 50% savings.

A further wake up call might be on the horizon. If the U.S. economy moves toward a slow down, customers are going to be harder to find and still harder to keep. Following years of rapid growth, stunning sales with record profits, most organizations have felt little need to focus on customer retention, customer satisfaction, keeping customers, customer loyalty, customer service, customers for life or any of the current “service” mantras.

In fact, talk to just about any executive and they’ll tell you their organization is “committed” to customer loyalty. Give them a few more minutes and they’re likely to brag about the level of service their organization is currently providing. And just look at the numbers-they must be doing something right.

But just wait. The companies that spent the time to build and grow a powerful workforce with a focus on excellence and service will be light years ahead of the game as competition increases.

In other words – “Good times can camouflage poor performance”.

So what’s this mean to you and me?

First, FOCUS, Re-Focus and continue to RE-Focus. What is your company in business to do? What role does your department play in the process? How can each player move performance to the next level? Keep answering and re-answering these core questions.

Second, EVALUATE, Re-Evaluate and continue to RE-Evaluate. Take a hard look at the service offered by your company, your department, your team from the customers’ eyes. Be on the lookout for opportunities to take performance to the next level.

Evaluate opportunities to enhance performance internally with your important Trapeze Buddies – the people you count on most often to complete a task, function or provide you with information so you can get your job done.

And never assume that “no news is good news”. Your customers are talking – it just might not be to you.

Third, INNOVATE, Re-Innovate and continue RE-Innovating. Buggy whips sold well in their day but if you’re in the buggy whip business today, you’re short on customers.

Innovation is essential for continued, long-term growth. Look for innovation opportunities in the following areas: 1. Enhancing your core product or service; 2. Saving customers time or money; 3. Reducing customer’s headaches and hassles; 4. Helping your customers gain a competitive advantage.

The rules of the game keep changing but one universal truth is this: the job of every business is to attract and keep satisfied customers. Period.

2005 © Mark Rosenberger All rights reserved.

Mark Rosenberger, CSP helps companies transform employee performance, productivity and sanity. He is a sought after speaker, performance strategist and author of six books. Do you count on certain people to make your life work? Discover how to be caught more and dropped less, plus achieve more than you ever thought possible – download the FREE Trapeze Buddy e-book at http://www.NoSplatZone.com

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What is Pay Per Click advertising? Well, this is something that many regular web users don’t know about. Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising enables you to list your site at the top of the search engine listings, according to your desired keywords and by paying a fee only when a web surfer clicks on your link. You don’t pay to be listed, only for click throughs.

Your website is indexed according to the selected keywords that refer to your product or service. There is typically a bidding process(something like eBay) that allows you to place a “click” value on your listing per keyword. So, in short, the higher you bid on a keyword, the higher in the ranks your site will be listed. Folks, honestly this is THE fastest way to get listed at the top.

Signing up for a PPC site is a super way to get targeted traffic directed to your site. Plus, it is easy to budget. If you only want to spend a hundred dollars on PPC advertising, then so be it. Most PPC engines keep track of your spending to make things more manageable.

There are a few things that you want to look for in a PPC engine…one thing in particular is how well the search engine works AS a search engine. Some of the PPC engines produce substandard search results and provide horrible usability. This can easily detract from your potential customers. I have provided a review of ONLY the PPC engines that I have personally used. One thing to take note: If a PPC engine looks cheesy and unprofessional, it is probably NOT WORTH spending money on. Stick to the big guys…stick to at least the ones I have reviewed.

I’ve personally only worked with what I consider the three main Pay-Per-Click search engine listings: Google Adwords, Overture, FindWhat. I’ve spent my fare share with each of them.

You may publish this article freely while you do not change it’s content and the resource box. ————————————————–

Tony Rocks is a full-service web development company that can tackle any project. From Enterprise-level applications to data integrity and storage and marketing solutions, Tony Rocks simply Rocks!

http://www.tonyrocks.com

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Is there anything more powerful than a referral from a friend? Money can’t buy the credibility that a friend, or even an acquaintance, commands. The recommendation above was actually emailed from a happy Sport Clips customer to his friend along with a coupon for $3 off. This is just one of many referrals sent by the customers of Joan & Chuck Matheny.

The Matheny’s own two Sport Clips franchises. Sport Clips features an atmosphere where men and boys feel comfortable getting their hair cut. Every chair has a television tuned to a sporting event, there is a sports theme throughout, and their premier service is the MVP. The MVP includes a shampoo, a neck massage, and a hot towel–dude you gotta try it!

In September 2005, Chuck was looking for a way to communicate with his customers without having to buy expensive ads. He also wanted to improve 1st Time customer retention. He decided to give PromoterZ a try in one of his locations to see if it would help. He’s been so pleased with the results, his second store is now using the system as well. You can read the details of the Matheny’s experience here.

I’m obviously biased, I think PromoterZ is a simple and inexpensive way to generate referrals and I hope every business owner signs up. Having said that, it is certainly not the only way to encourage your customers to tell their friends about your business. Mity Lite, maker of world famous lightweight and durable folding tables, credits 40% of their sales to the fact that their sales reps always, always ask “Who else do you know that would appreciate the quality of our products?”

Another company that attributes a large portion of their sales to referrals is Bike Friday. Here is a description of their referral program from CMO (http://www.cmomagazine.com/read/100105/power_one.html):
The company also uses a referral awards program. Customers receive a set of 12 prepaid postage cards with their name and that of the Bike Friday expert who sold them their bike. Whenever a customer meets someone whose interest is piqued by his bike, he’ll fill out a card and drop it in the mail. Bike Friday then mails information to the contact. It also captures this interaction in its database so that riders who make a referral receive a bonus if their prospect purchases a bike. Customers can choose either a $50 check or $75 credit toward future products. Day accumulated enough referral credits to purchase a $2,000 bike last year.

The referral program has helped the company acquire more than a third of its 10,000 customers; it also helps drive sales. Over the last three and a half years, the program has generated $1.3 million in sales. In 2004, 29 percent of its sales came from referrals.

Customer referrals work and as the advertising chaos continues to increase, they will become more and more powerful. If you are not already doing it, spend some time thinking about how you can make it easier for your customers to tell their friends about your business. It will be worth the effort.

Dave Free is president of Zeryn, makers of PromoterZ(tm) promoterz.com. PromoterZ helps small businesses grow through referrals and customer feedback. Take a remarkably brief PromoterZ survey and receive a $5 discount on PromoterZ for life.

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There are moments in a parent’s or grandparent’s life, when they receive validation for the way they are living, or, have lived, that life. These moments are usually quiet ones, with no fanfare celebrating the occasion. Yet, the importance of these moments has no equal. To those of us who have given of our time, our love, our care, ourselves, they are of far greater private, personal significance, than can be stated.

A few years ago, I found myself in a personally trying situation. It was during this period that I was paid what I feel will be the finest compliment I shall ever receive. It concerned my conduct during this time. My eldest daughter remarked that she believed me to be the most honorable person she would ever know. For me, as a parent, it was a defining moment.

I was blessed with another such moment recently, courtesy of my eldest grandson. Although he’s a teenager now, we maintain the close relationship begun in his early years. We enjoy conversing. No subject is taboo, and he feels free to discuss whatever is of interest to him, or of concern. On this particular occasion, he was endeavoring to put into words, his feelings concerning something that was of great importance to him. By his demeanor, his urgency of voice, I realized this was something with which he had been struggling.

He began by seeking my opinion. What did I think of people who were always changing? Well, I remarked, in life, it’s good to remain flexible. Narrow-minded thinking limits a person’s potential. He shook his head. No, he wasn’t talking about that. He said he realized a person must have an open mind. He was speaking of how people live their lives. I listened to him, as he continued endeavoring to impart his meaning to me. Suddenly the meaning dawned on me. I asked if he were talking about personal honor. Was he referring to the personal rules of conduct we adopt for ourselves, the morals we choose? Yes, he replied, that was it exactly! Why, he wanted to know, did people sometimes abandon these? Wasn’t that like not being true to yourself? Didn’t they feel bad about themselves? Wasn’t that like letting your self down?

I looked at this young man, this human being for whom I feel so much love, and chose my next words with great care. Yes, son, I said to him, it’s letting your self down. Choosing actions that go against your personal code of honor diminishes you, as a human being. Even during the most trying times in life, especially during those times, remaining true to your self is of utmost importance. Even when certain actions are perfectly acceptable to others, or when they seem to be the easier choices, or when said actions may in some way benefit you in the short term. In the end, if they go against your core beliefs, you will carry the ill consequences with you, for the rest of your life.

He listened intently to my words. I could see him weighing them, mulling over the concept. He then nodded, and replied that yes, he understood. He went on to say that there were things he felt he would not, could not do, and stay true to himself. He stated what I had told him was like when a person does something wrong, and even if no one else ever knows, the person who does the act carries the guilt of it. He remarked that he hoped he would be strong enough, in life, to never let him self down. I replied that I had great faith in the fact that he would indeed, have enough strength. He smiled, and said, I love you Grams. In a voice touched with deep pride, and sincere affection, I replied that I was rather fond of him, too.

There are moments, in the lives of parents and grandparents…

Jeannine Schenewerk is a freelance writer residing in Atlanta, Georgia. She maintains an informative, upbeat site for mature women at: http://www.intouchwithjeannine.com

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Once you’ve decided that you can afford to start investing, tucking away your hard earned money to hopefully grow in size, you’ll need to ask yourself three questions first.

Investing is an activity that can be done for the short or long term and has variable amounts of risk associated to it. You need to understand what those risks are and decide how you yourself feel about them. this in turn will help guide you to the type of investing you should be doing – not necessarily the type you WANT to be doing. (After all, Gordon Gecko was just a fictional character – wasn’t he?)

So question 1 – How long do you want to invest this money for?

Now I know that seems a simple enough question – but the answer is important because it determines the level of return you can expect on your investment, as well as partly determining the amount of risk you can take. Don’t forget one of the golden rules of investing! You see it quoted on all the adverts but it is important – The Value of your investment can go DOWN as well as up.

If you are deciding to invest for a long period of time with money that you can afford to put away and leave – then the stock market is ideal. Although it has highs and lows – the same as any other business – it tends to even itself out over a sustained period of time and generate a healthy profit to boot.

But if you are only able to invest for, say 3 or 5 years and you put your money into the stock market – what happens if the market dives just before you planned to sell your shares and take the money? Markets DO go down and it is much more common for you to have that happen to you just at the wrong moment. After 20, 25 or 30 years it isn’t normally such an issue as your holdings have grown over a long period of time. But in a short period of investing, it’s unlikely you’ll have much of a profit to play with.

If you’re able to invest long term – go stock market way. If it’s short, consider money market accounts or even bonds – the most secure but not normally as profitable.

Which leads us perfectly into

Question 2 – How much do you want to make?

A simple reckoner for this question is think of it as a percentage. “If I invest $10,000 for 10 years, I want to see a return of 15%!” Now that’s $1,500, giving you a total sum of $11,500. Not a huge earth shaker – but the amount you want to gain, the percentage of return you expect is directly proportional to the amount of ‘risk’ you need to take. (Note I put risk in ‘ ‘ marks then? No investment is ever 100%, cast iron safe!! Oh, did I mention that already? Sorry!)

We all dream of being the one to buy a penny stock and find that within a year it’s become the next Microsoft or Google! But it rarely happens. Yes, I know it can happen – but rarely. Look, if you’re going to invest your very hard earned money, make sure you have your ordinary glasses on when looking to the future – not the rose tinted ones, okay?

If you aren’t happy to play a risk – go Bonds or money market accounts.

If you can afford to ‘gamble’ a little bit then the stock market can work for you.

Once again, almost spookily, that leads us to the next question which is

Question 3 – How high a risk will you consider acceptable?

Now you aren’t expected to be Gordon, sneering at the loss of a paltry $30 Million for the week when you have just gained $60 million. But nor should you be checking your investments, your share values every single day and panicking, questioning your own decisions every single day either.

Think of investing as a long distance journey and it’s returns being the final destination. At what point on the road are you starting the trip from? Are you close t the start, i.e. fairly young, no real commitments or obligations? Then you can afford to gamble more, much more than someone who is approaching retirement age and counting on their investments and profit to secure their years when not earning a regular income.

So what if you’re joining the trip right at the middle you say? Easy – do what I did, split your total sum available for investing roughly down the middle and invest half in low risk, low return areas and half in higher risk, higher potential return areas.

I’m still smiling anyway.

Important note:- Investing your money is a serious business as your future happiness could well depend on it. Although the information contained here is good (naturally) it is not nor should be considered professional advice. In other words if you sell your house and stick all your money into high risk funds and loose the lot, don’t come blaming me, okay? Instead, seek the advice of professional, trade approved advisors who will be able to show and guide you more than one or two articles on the internet can!

Duncan Roberts is not quite stinking rich yet – but he’s slowly getting very comfortable. If you’d like to read more of his investing advice and ramblings, check out his site at
Investing Advice

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A remote controlled car consists of a remote control and the model vehicle. By turning or pushing the controls up or down and left or right, the operator has all the resources to make it go in several directions.

There are a lot of different types of replicas presently up for grabs in the department outlets.. The simple replica models can only simply move a short distance. Enthusiasts that hunger to witness the 100% genuine deal would be advised to obtain the radio control car that needs to be custom-made and adapted.

Remote controlled toys are categorised either as electric operated or nitro motorised. The positive characteristic about toys that have an electric motor is that the battery component is rechargeable. Whereas, models that use fuel require to be topped-up & oiled after a certain period of time, which is very comparable to regular vehicles. Let Toy-Shopper.co.uk help you find great prices on star wars projectors and make this summer the best one yet.

These model cars are regularly used by kids and adults of various ages. A number of outlets have radio controlled vehicles comparable to those seen in American NASCAR racing in addition to monster trucks that are regularly seen in the destruction derby. This just shows that people can take pleasure in radio controlled cars both on and off the road.

Do these outstanding tools entail a great deal of maintenance? Yes they do. The owner should ought to analyse the battery, the shock absorbers and the tires regularly. This will guarantee that the remote control vehicle is capable to maintain it is speed and efficiency each instance it is taken to the race circuit.

The hobbyist must be aware that not all of the cars parts can be restored. This is down to toy companies designing their toys to work only up until the machinery merely stop working. Shoppers that want to enjoy the remote control vehicle will somehow have to exchange the parts, though this can now and then be hard to locate.

Radio operated toys don’t simply relate to motor vehicles. There are also numerous planes, ships and helicopters to purchase in the toy department

Both parents & kids alike who are inquisitive & have never done this before most likely should stick to the entry level model(s) then just upgrade at some point in the future if the child is in fact serious with it and wishes to contribute in official model racing competitions regularly.

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Today, distances have reduced manifold and the world has shrunken more and faster than ever before. Everything is just a few calls or clicks away and the era of telecommunications has set in. More than fast and efficient means of communication, people need cheap and affordable means for the same. Here comes in the role of internet conference call. Major companies like Yahoo and MSN offer internet conferencing free of cost. So it basically means you can exchange audio and video with just about anyone, living anywhere, at any time absolutely free of cost. Now, that is something truly impressive, isn’t it?

Be it for professional purposes or personal reasons, everybody needs to communicate and that too on a daily basis. Giants like Microsoft probably end up making hundreds of thousands or even millions of calls each day! They can’t be expecting to pay several dollars for each communication that they do, lest their economy should suffer. Thus, internet conference call makes their job cheap and quick and saving them a great deal of bank balance. Surely, it is a boon for such giants and even other not so grand companies. Internet conferencing is slowly gathering popularity among all sections of the population, rich or poor, young or old, just about anybody!

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Although many will suggest that you can trade with the minimum margin requirement we do not necessarily recommend it.

Let’s say that you are about to start trading an S&P 500 futures daytrading system. Let’s say that the exchange minimum margin requirement is $25,000 and the system drawdown is $25,000.

Let us further assume that you want to get started using the absolute minimum account size. Since we are talking about a daytrading system, many of you may be able to trade for half of the required margin or $12,500.

The lure of starting with the smallest amount of capital possible is obvious. We feel that we are getting more bang for our buck. If the system makes $100,000 profit by the end of the year we feel great because we made 800% on our initial investment of $12,500.

If we initially funded our account with $50,000 we would have made 200% on our initial investment of $50,000. Although we made the same amount of net profit we may feel better about using the smaller amount because the return on investment is greater.

In reality trading these two examples can look quite a bit different. If we fund an account with $12,500 and immediately go into a $10,000 drawdown we will not be able to trade the system any more until sufficient funds are added.

In many cases funds are not added and the trader is left with a loss in his account and the words in his mouth, “This system doesn’t work”. If we initially fund our account with, say, $50,000 we can withstand a $10,000 or even a $25,000 drawdown and still have sufficient funds in the account to trade another day.

Properly funding an account is similar to using stops. We use stops because we do not know if our next trade will be a winner or loser. We properly fund an account because we don’t know if a trading system will enter a drawdown period 2 days, 2 months, or 2 years from now. In both cases it makes sense to control our risk.

In some respects a trading system is similar to an automobile. It needs sufficient fuel in order to continue to move forward. If you knew exactly how much gas you needed to put in your car to make a typical 200 mile highway trip would you put only that much in? What happens to you if there is 10 miles of backed-up construction traffic and you find yourself inching along and burning more fuel than expected?

Properly funding your account puts you on the road to successful trading.

Good Trading and Good Life,

Tony Spann
SP Strategies

Tony Spann is a systems researcher, developer, and consultant to traders, investors, and institutions worldwide. His company, SP Strategies specializes in trading systems that help traders replace fear, greed, and losses with confidence, discipline, and profitability.==> www.spstrategies.com
© SP Strategies- All Rights reserved

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Win big at all the top bonus codes for club world casino here.

The stress involved in going to a real life gaming establishment can be sufficient reason to drop the idea if it can be avoided. All those traffic jams, the stress, and tasks at hand simply aren’t worth the nuisance for the mere prospect of trying your hand at real life gaming establishment, on the other hand, should you happen to be the type of person who craves betting then choosing gaming houses thru the Internet would be the answer for you. It isn’t required to abandon your desk for online video poker and related games simply because everything can be done from home if you possess a pc plus, obviously, an internet connection. In spite of this, do bear in mind that there’s a few pointers that you must first be informed about about online video poker and related games, all the more if you’re still a rookie. So, placate that eagerness to ingest what follows here. Here’s a short sketch which clarifies how to decide on a reputable online video poker and related games webpage.

The topmost thing that a streetwise Internet punter like you would check is an online video poker and related games Web site of the category that is prepared to guarantee high winning odds. Be sure that the online video poker and related games Web site is monitored by a reputable accounting company so as to audit the specific casino games pay-outs routinely. This can be quite productive to make sure the jack you are willing to stake as a part of your imminent amusement will actually justify it. Read on a number of further words of wisdom about trying to determine your virtual video poker Web site.

Another substantial piece of advice is obviously to test the odds for starters in negligible amounts rather than risk way too much off the cuff. Check first the functionality of the virtual video poker operation prior to chancing some severe adversity- all the more in terms of money… Our last most essential information about online casino gambling. It is bound to be never to neglect that online betting should be about fun and amusement and not about making money. Betting in online casinos isn’t a regular employment, but a hobby that ought to help you feel lighthearted and your entire life enjoyable. After observing these guidelines, you are free to go ahead submit to the beguilement of virtual video poker!

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Budgets. Who really likes them? If you’re on vacation, shouldn’t you splurge? Spend all your money? Get the best of everything? Well, of course, you’d like that, but prudence dictates otherwise. That is, unless of course your funds are unlimited, then you have no problem, whatsoever.

But for the rest of us, budgets are a fact of life. But does having a budget mean that you should suppress all your desire for luxury because your dollars can only afford so much? The answer is no. Of course not. You’re on vacation! You deserve a little pampering. And that’s where all inclusive beach resort vacations come in.

All inclusive beach resort vacations can really help vacationers get the most out of their travel dollars. Today there are over 400 hotels in the Caribbean and Mexico alone that offer all inclusive beach resort vacation packages for tourists on a budget. Lots of people consider it a wise choice.

However, all inclusive beach resort vacations aren’t as easy as they may seem. Even its name is already a mouthful. You’ll want to consider carefully before choosing an all inclusive beach resort vacation.

All inclusive beach resort vacations vary. Some hotels offer packages that are designed for couples only. Some offer singles, some for gays, and some for families. There are also those that offer adults only or adult oriented all inclusive beach resort vacations.

All inclusive beach resort vacations also vary in terms of services they include. Some include airfare and hotel. Others include airfare, hotel, transfers, and some meals. Still, others include all meals and activities, but not airfare. Purchasing airfare as part of the all inclusive beach resort vacation package can be a better deal than doing so separately, unless you are using frequent flier miles.

If you want to find the best deal, then it is important that you first find out what you want or need. Once you realize the requirements you want for a great vacation, then sort through the all inclusive beach resort vacation deals you find using the internet or through a travel agent or agency. Many all inclusive beach resort vacations have, as part of their program, child-care facilities that cater to children.

Perhaps that greatest advantage you can get from all inclusive beach resort vacations is that you pay only one price. Knowing this, you go on your vacation secure in the knowledge that there won’t be any nasty surprises waiting for you when you arrive at your destination. Your budget remains untouched and your vacation, worry-free.

Discover all you need to know about all inclusive beach vacations before you go – http://www.all-inclusive-resorts-today.info

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