Though it’s good to be the ultimate power, it can sometimes be devastating as well. Who can understand this statement better than a CEO of an organization?   While reading anarticleonForbes, ‘The Worst CEO Screw-ups Of 2012’, I got to know about some CEOs who have to lose their powers and influence for inefficient performance, continuous losses or for some decisions going wrong.   The list includes some reputed and renowned names including Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy; Brian Dunn, former CEO, Best Buy; Robert Diamond, CEO, Barclays; Stuart Gulliver, CEO, HSBC among others.   Though a CEO sits at the top in an organizational hierarchy and is the most powerful identity, he is lonely at the same time. He has a panel of experts and board members to seek advice and counseling but there are some situations when he would require the experience and expertise of someone of the same stature and role.   I am talking about CEO peer groups where CEOs can seek resolution to their problems and concerns from like-minded people. No doubt, a CEO association or CEO group is a great place to help CEOs deal with their woes but the purpose can be solved only if you knock at the right door. With so many CEO associations around, it gets very difficult to zero on the right one.   This article provides some suggestions on how you can choose a good CEO peer group.   Attract Varied Expertise   Look your CEO associations that offer a wide range of skills and expertise so that you can seek advice on different elements of business ranging from a how to build a start up to exit planning.   Stay Small   For a CEO group, the ideal size is 10-15 members. In a relatively larger group, it may have to wait for long to get heard or find a resolution to your query.   Secrets are meant to be kept   The clause of confidentiality is the most important factor to be considered before joining a CEO peer group. At times, you may have to disclose your secret strategies or plans to seek suggestions or feedback from the group. Therefore, make sure you join a reputed CEO group that strictly follows the oath of confidentiality.   Non-competitors should join   It is very important to ensure that your peers in the group are from non-competitor businesses so as to avoid any conflict of interests.   Good Facilitators   The effectiveness of aCEO associationis assessed by its facilitators. Know in advance the facilitators in your group and what expertise they possess.   Ideally a facilitator should be capable of making a conversation interesting, resolving conflicts, responding to queries and building a healthy atmosphere.   The Brain Trust is an Executive Peer Group constituted of up to 16 non-competing business owners/CEOs and top executives.   Brain TrustCEO Conferencesbenefit you through the combined experience of other business leaders from non-competitive domains and the expert facilitators.   ...read more

Why do employees leave? Answers are plenty but they do not provide complete solutions as different individuals have different needs and requirements. Some employees prefer to leave a job because they don’t like the work culture. Some may not be satisfied with the salary or appraisals. Some are not happy with their co-workers while some may have some other problems. Say for instance, you hire a new employee and his training period runs for six months. During these months, he simply adds to the cost-to-the-company as he is not fully involved in the production. If the same employee leaves after 2-3 months of being confirmed then this investment turns into a loss for the company as it fetches the company virtually no returns. Attrition to some extent is good for the organization as it helps you get rid of non-performing resources. However, it becomes a real problem when it goes beyond the desired limit or draws away your performing workers. In this blog, we will discuss the major reason of attrition – the lack of motivation – which in turn, results in employee dissatisfaction. Controlling attrition is not just about retaining employees. In fact, it is the act of retaining the resource you actually want to retain or in other words, identifying workers who are actual assets to the company! ‘How to motivate employees’ is an oft-repeated question. Is appraisal a foolproof method? But then, you can’t appraise every employee equally. Then how do you recognize the deserving person? According to an article by Josh Bersin, published inForbes, “tenure-based rewards systems have virtually no impact on organizational performance”. The article further states, “companies that scored in the top 20% for building a “recognition-rich culture” actually had 31% lower voluntary turnover rates (this is when good people leave on their own).” Make the appraisal system more flexible and broad Most companies recognize and reward their employees on the basis of productivity numbers, which however, should not be the only criteria for appraisal. You can satisfy and motivate some employees by evaluating and rewarding them under these criteria. But going simply by numbers and output to judge performance may make you ignore other deserving employees, who have say expertise in client handling or trouble-shooting during crisis, as such qualities are not exactly quantifiable. When such performances go unnoticed, it suppresses their skill and desire to work in the company. Recognize employees who are result-oriented as well as self-motivated and most importantly, well-behaved. You can reward an employee when he deals with customers efficiently at the time of a particular problem. This way, you can satisfy and motivate a broad set of employees who are specialized in one or other domain. ...read more

“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary.”                 ~ Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart   No matter how big or small your enterprise is, customer complaints are something you can’t avoid completely. From minor to the serious, these are pinpricks you must work towards reducing to the barest minimum. Recently, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., had to apologize for warranty issues in China. The apology came in response to the complaints of Chinese customers that U.S. customers receive full replacement for faulty phones while the Chinese customers only get their faulty sets repaired with replacement parts. According toApple Insider“Apple on Monday published an open letter from Chief Executive Tim Cook in which he formally apologized for what were described as "misunderstandings" over the company's warranty policies, and revealed new changes that aim to better serve iPhone customers.” Now check out the changes that Apple Inc. made to its existing polices to retain their customers in China. ·       Modified repair policies for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S ·       Published a "concise and clear" statement on its website pertaining to repair and warranty policies ·       Improved supervision and training of Apple Authorized Service providers ·       Now, there is a new feedback service to help customers conveniently contact the company regarding issues or complaints It gives a clear idea about how bad servicing or customers’ dissatisfaction can lead to dire consequences even for established and strong players like Apple. It is very important for a business to handle dissatisfied customers effectively.  Here are some vital tips to deal with customer complaints effectively: ·       Listen to the customer’s complaint carefully. Don't give lame excuses. It will only frustrate him more. ·       Enquire about the problem in a concerned and caring manner. Ask for more details. Don’t jump to conclusions. ·       Think from customer’s point of view. As a business owner, you should pacify your customer if you want to retain him. Make him feel that you are on his side and provide some instant solution. ·       Don’t hesitate to apologize. It could be anybody’s mistake but being the leader and face of the company, it’s your responsibility to apologize. You can take some lessons from Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook. It makes big impact when the apology comes from the top of the hierarchy. ·       Consider customer’s suggestion in providing an acceptable solution. Choose the idea that closely matches the one suggested by customer. It will calm down the customer and will send across a positive message to other customers. ·       The most important aspect of handling customer’s complaint is providing a prompt solution that is accepted to the customer. As in Apple’s case, company immediately rectified their repair policies defying which they may lose around 50% percent of their customers in China. For more insights into this area, you can join a CEO peer group or aCEO associationwhere you will get important guidance and advice regarding every aspect of the business ranging from starting a business, to dealing with issues of customer complaints and even exit planning. Remember, in business, making mistakes can be dangerous but when you do not rectify mistakes it can be fatal.     ...read more

Businesses now understand the importance of using Facebook and Twitter for marketing. However many small businesses have failed to tap the power and reach of Linkedin.com, the popular social networking site frequented by professionals, career aspirants, business owners, corporate leaders and self-employed people.   Linkedin can be a powerful tool for online marketing and business needs. Unlike Facebook, Linkedin is not merely a social networking site where you can post comments or pictures. Rather Linkedin is a huge network of influential people from around the world who are there to establish contacts with people relevant to their business.   Here is why you must utilize this powerful tool for your business:   Build contacts Linked-in lets you build a strong network of contacts. You don't need to know the individual in person to get in touch with him/her. Either you can send an introductory message or ask a mutual contact to introduce you to the concerned person. So this way, you can meet potential clients, business providers and experts in your business.   Increased visibility Having a profile on Linked-in increases your visibility and credibility. People are more likely to do business with you knowing that you have a good number of acquaintances on Linkedin which others also know and trust. Besides, Linkedin pages are also indexed by Google. So if your public profile on Linkedin has a high page-rank on Google, it works great for your business.   Get feedback Whether you want to know about the feedback of your latest product or service, you can post your business related questions on Linkedin. The Answers feature on Linkedin allows you to share ideas, post questions to your connections and give suggestions. In short, you get instant feedback.   Hire new people Linkedin is an effective platform for sourcing new talent. Whenever you require new people for your organization, you can easily search relevant profiles on Linkedin for recruiting people. This saves a lot of expenditure on discovering or searching for potential candidates.   Linkedin is one of the effective tools for marketing your business. As a CEO or a senior executive, you need to meet new people in business and learn from them. You can join acorporate executive coachingor executive business coachingsessions where you can meet experienced CEOs, presidents and senior executives and learn from their mistakes. You can share your fears without any hesitation as in an executive coaching as everything is confidential and get honest feedback.   ...read more

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Did you know press releases sent on weekends get more views than releases sent during the week? **If well optimized, press releases can be an effective addition to your inbound marketing efforts.** ...read more

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When you first launch a new business, you have to do a lot of research - reading books on business, seeking advice from counselors, investing a lot of your time and money. And now that your business is well established, you can expand your business further to reap higher profits.   But keep in mind that expanding business requires as much effort and research as starting a new business. So here are a few tips to help you expand a small or medium sized business:   Expanding business requires more staff. So make it a point to hire the most efficient employees who can take your company to new heights. Besides you can also recruit interns from college and universities who are dedicated and work for free just to gain experience. Hiring such interns will save you money and besides you may also come across really talented people who are willing to learn and can be an asset for your company in future.   The Internet has made it so much easier for small and medium sized companies to reach wider market. A well-designed website can help you showcase your products and services to your potential customers far and wide. Besides the usage of Internet helps you advertize about your business in a cheaper way. For instance, you can publish your press releases in free press releases distribution sites or start a Business Page in a major social networking site such as Facebook.   Another way to expand your business is by diversifying your products and services. For instance, if you manufacture hair oil, shampoos and other hair care products, you can start manufacturing other cosmetic products as well such as moisturizers, lotions and creams. The idea is to manufacture or sell complementary products or services that allow you to generate multiple streams of income from different sources and increase your profit margins.    Apart from all this, keep one extremely important point in mind. Don't spend all your savings and revenues in expanding the business. You never know how beneficial the expansion of the business would be, and spending all your resources on one thing can be a fatal mistake. Be cautious not to spread your resources too thin, and save a tidy amount as reserves.   Be wise and expand your business step by step. You can take advice from other CEOs and experts by joining CEO clubsorCEO associations. At CEO clubs in Atlantaor anywhere else, CEOs and executives from non-competing industries meet and here you can discuss your problems and share your ideas to expand your business without any hesitation. ...read more

We are the leading house painting and residential painting company in Woodstock Ga with over 50 years of experience. Rated as one of Woodstock's top Painting Contractors for years, we will provide the best interior and exterior painters for your home. Providing interior painting of living room, bathroom, kitchen, bedrooms as well as your homes exterior. House Painting Woodstock 1045 Tanglewood Trail Woodstock,GA,30188,USA Phone:770-609-4320 Contact Person: Miguel Castillo Contact Email: info@housepaintingwoodstock.com Website: http://www.housepaintingwoodstock.com ...read more

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1. The Rate.      Avoid blind rate quotes at all costs. In order to give a legitimate quote a service provider must understand your business and the types of transactions that you typically make. Quotes and cost structures should be customized based on your business.      If you are not currently processing you should meet with a merchant services consultant and discuss the following items. a.      What is the volume in dollars you TRULY expect to run monthly in credit card transactions. It is important that you give a realistic estimate on this number. b.     Size of your typical transaction in dollars. c.      Number of transactions per month you expect. d.     Will you be taking AMEX? e.      Will you be taking check/debit cards? f.      Will you be taking checks? If you are taking checks you should ask about any check services offered.  g.     Will you need a terminal or POS? If you need terminal there are plenty of free terminal placement plans out there. Don't fall for a low rate with a terminal lease plan.      Just answering the above items can help a provider zero in on a cost structure best suited for your company. Because you are just beginning to process you should request a review of your processing after 3 to 4 months. Your service consultant may be able to find areas in which you can save more per month.         If you are currently processing and are looking for a new provider you should find a company that offers free rate reviews and provides a detailed cost savings analysis. This is the only way they can provide an honest proposal. You should expect them to ask for recent statements.     2.  The Bottom Line (Effective Rate)          This is where the "hidden fees" will get you. I place the "" because hidden fees are more times than not, simply overlooked, misunderstood, or just not explained at all. Either way, these fees are typically very visible on the paperwork.        One of the most important things to understand is that the bottom line will not always be the same, even if you process the same amount two months in a row you may see a difference in the bottom line. Your service consultant can explain the differences you may see and may be able to provide ways in which you can have more control over your effective.     A good service provider should be able to give you an approximation on the monthly effective rate, but nothing more precise than that. If they quote you a rate that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.           3.  The Services          Don't look for only credit card processing. This may be enough in the beginning, but you may want other services in the long run. Make sure you understand all the services a company offers and how they work. Look for services such as:    *Gift&Loyalty Card Programs. These programs can help to increase your business by driving repeat business as well as drawing new business.    *Check services. Checks are one of the most common payment methods even today. Look for companies that offer services such as check guarantee and check     conversion. Converting a check to cash in your bank account nearly real time can help you feel much more secure about taking that check.    *Cash Advance Programs. Merchant cash advance is the preferred alternative to business loans and serves the needs of merchants in ways that traditional      business lenders, including banks, cannot. For example, you can use the cash any way you wish, which is often not the case with traditional business lenders. Also, merchant cash advance offers an exceptionally easy repayment method using your credit card processing.   4.  After the papers are signed.       This is where the wheels come off the bus for a lot of merchants. They sometimes find themselves having a lot of questions that they cannot get answers to.         *What do I do from here? This is a big one, especially if you are switching providers. You need to make sure that you are free and clear of your previous provider. Some service consultants will help you through this but it is ultimately your responsibility.     *Who do I contact with any questions regarding my service? Any reputable company will have a 24/7 customer support line. A good customer service rep will make themselves available to you in the event you cannot reach a satisfactory resolution through the normal means.     *Who do I contact if I have problems? Same as above. ...read more

In celebration of our 10 Year Anniversary and to ring in the New Year- we are giving away a FREE Business website! Yes, this is for real---> the requirements are;  Visit our website complete and submit our contact us form.that's it....Clickhere>>> If you have a side business or a major business and you need a website this is your answer! On Jan. 2, 2011 we will draw from the submissions and announce the winner on our Home page... *Winner will be contacted via phone- not need to be present! Wishing the community, neighbors and all our clients and freinds a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! CS911 Team - we are there for you! ...read more

It works everywhere CLEAR has 4G coverage, even in your car. 4.5 ounces of pure 4G speed, everywhere in CLEAR coverage. Connect up to 8 Wi-Fi devices or friends all at the same time. Whether you share with friends or keep it all for yourself, this compact, portable and battery-operated personal hotspot frees you from having to find a hotspot – it is the hotspot that goes where you go, anywhere in CLEAR Coverage. ...read more

http://VantageCard.com Merchant services solutions and advocacy http://Blog.VantageCard.com Payment industry news and viewpoint http://MerchantRates.com Merchant Interchange rate quote, guides&FAQs; http://VantageB2B.com Commercial card Level 3 and B2B payment best practices http://VantagePointsRewards.com Earn rewards when accepting card payments http://myRealRate.com Learn to calculate your real rate to accept card payments http://BankcardTerminals.com Payment technology recommendations http://Twitter.com/VantageCard Tweets on the payment industry, Interchange&technology ...read more

If you are currently processing there is a good chance you are paying too much.  You need to look at what your average monthly effective rate is.  Don't fall for an artificially low rate.  Any MLS that is not trying to hide fees will offer a free rate review/cost savings analysis and show specifically how they will decrease your cost to process.  ...read more