In all business establishments, the customer is always at the center. Profits would be lost if your business did not have a loyal customer base. Knowing this, you have a clear incentive to make your customers feel valued. Giving them a plastic loyalty card is an effective way to express how much you value them. Such a card can offer them more value for their money, by letting them avail of free items, bonuses, and discounts. This plastic card needs to be designed well before distribution, however. Those cards will become good marketing tools, and must showcase the image of your company.

For employees whose job dictates that they regularly create new documents, having access to an intuitive and easy to use version control system is a major advantage. Early in my career I distinctly remember the struggles I experienced creating specification documents, training guides, and other business related documentation. Authoring the content was challenging enough, but the issues were compounded by the processes associated with saving revisions, routing the documents for approvals, and distributing the final version to the intended recipients. Go to Document Management for more information.

Version control is defined by Wikipedia as "the management of multiple revisions of the same unit of information." While that definition is accurate, I think my brother put it best when he said "version control is akin to having unlimited edit-undo."

When creating documents using a version control system, the author has the capability of recording snapshots of their document at any point in the document life cycle. This permits the author to lock in a version of the document for historical purposes that can be referenced later in the development cycle.

Having access to snapshots of the document is especially helpful when the author needs to rewrite or remove a section of a document. Prior to working with a document management system, I am embarrassed to admit to the number of times I removed entire sections of a document without saving off a version of the file. Deleting sections from a document inevitably leads to rework and it did for me countless times.

The symptoms of a business needing a version control system are easy to recognize. The primary symptom is when users have file names saved with special extensions detailing the file version's "something" (date, editor's initials, or internal revision number). Experienced document authors compensate for not having a document management system by developing their own naming conventions for each document revision. As a result, their 'My Documents' folder is littered with countless revisions of documents using specialized file naming conventions such as filename - date - revision.ext.

Modifying file names can partially address the individual author's version control needs, but invariably leads to wide-scale confusion across an organization. The confusion is exacerbated when versions of files are emailed to others in the organization responsible for editing and/or approving the documents. Often the email recipients save a local copy of the file using yet another naming standard before performing their edits. When the files are returned, the original author now has a trail of dissimilar named files that require manual consolidation and cannot be easily audited.

In engineering and software departments, version control systems have been commonly used for decades. One Tree Software, in the early 1990s, developed the most prolific version control system for application engineers called 'SourceSafe' for Windows. One Tree Software was subsequently purchased by Microsoft and the SourceSafe application became integrated as part of Microsoft Visual Studio (Microsoft's software development application suite) since 1995. Visual SourceSafe (VSS) became a widely adopted tool for managing versions of source code files, but never gained popularity with users outside of the engineering and software development teams. Refer to Document Management for more information.

The document management industry recognized the benefits that engineers were experiencing with version control and sought to bring equivalent functionality to the rest of the business community. Before that vision would be realized, a new breed of intuitive, integrated document management system needed to be developed that supported how document creators produced content.

Business users required the essential version control features that engineers had come to expect such as saving revisions of documents, notes for detailing specific versions of the file, and the capability to promote historical versions of a file. However unlike the engineers, the business users also demanded advanced document management functionality including integration into Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat applications, electronic workflow for routing documents, electronic review and approval, digital signatures, document retention schedules, and profiling with metadata indexing.

Today business users have the opportunity to deploy a document management system that provides their users with robust version control functionality. Document creators from diverse industries gain notable efficiencies by utilizing a version control system for maintaining revisions of their documents.

The benefits they realize include having access to all historical data associated with the document being generated, a complete document log detailing who and when a document was accessed, and the assurance that all of the versions of the document are stacked in the document's version history and not concealed through varied naming standards.

Can your organization afford not to provide your document authors with the tools they need to efficiently and confidently create the documents that drive your organization? Visit Document manager for further information.

1. Raising Awareness - Although it is not as spectacular nor has as far a reach as traditional advertising methods, catalogues are a excellent way of letting the public know that your product exists.

2. Low Risk – You have very little to lose from being in a catalogue and many firms do not even make a charge to list your products.

3. Less Packaging – There is no need to have flashy expensive packaging to compete on supermarket shelves. Simple plastic bags and plain boxes are more than sufficient.

4. Credibility – If your product appears in a catalogue alongside other successful products it raises credibility. continued catalogue sales can also open doors to being featured on television home shopping channels.

5. Manageable Growth – A catalogue will only take a small quantity of your product to begin with and will order increasingly larger amounts once it has been shown to retail.

6. Product Line Not Required – You are not at a disadvantage for only having one product to provide, whereas large stores prefer to stock a line of products from the same company.

7. Easier to Compete – The catalogue market is a level playing field where both small start ups and large corporations can retail their products.

8. Market Testing – You can experiment with placing your product in niche catalogues in order to fine tune your marketing iniative ie Photo ID Cards should be placed in a stationary marketing niche.

9. National Exposure – You are not limited by geographical barriers and your product could potentially be viewed by millions.

10. Lucrative Returns – The catalogue market is still extremely successful and if your product is a success you could create a lot of revenue for your start-up. Use this money to expand your business and to eventually get your product sold commercially in shops and superstores.

If you are unsure whether your product is appropriate for marketing on a mailing list, here are some informative criteria to check:

1. Easy to Understand – The value of purchasing your goods is immediately clear

2. Unique – It is unlike anything else available on the market

3. New – It has just recently been released and needs exposure

4. Problem Solving – It has a new solution to an existing everyday problem

5. Simplistic – It only has one purpose and solves the problem efficiently an ideal example of this would be Photo ID Cards

6. Aesthetically Pleasing – It is pleasant to look at and will display well in a catalogue

7. Durable – It will not become easily damaged during shipping

8. Year-round Appeal – It is not just a seasonal product with limited appeal

9. Safe – There is no foreseeable danger to the public

10. Wide Appeal - There is a large target market for the product

11. Quickly Manufactured- There is no lengthy production process involved

12. Affordable – under £100 products sell better in catalogues

13. Mailing – modest sized products are easiest to ship in bulk

14. Patented - You will need to have some sort of copyright to protect your idea.

Need marketing help? Think about increasing workplace productivity? Allen Pratt will help.

In today's economic times, there is a lot of uncertainty. The ordinary person doesn't seem to know what is happening or how long their current situation is going to last. The other side of this coin, though, is the retail industry. The retail industry has been hurt by the current economic state, and consumer's reaction to it, as well. Some retail is faring better than others, but no one can argue that operating a retail small business, such as a main street hardware store or shoe store, is more difficult than ever.

Most consumers are scaling back these days. With job security a very real problem and low consumer confidence, many people are learning to do without. In a shoe store, this means a decrease in sales because consumers aren't spending as much money on extra Merrell shoes. When people cut out the thoughtless spending for items such as new Merrell sandals for a special occasion or even just getting new shoes for the fun of it, then retail profits can drop considerably.

In addition to spending cutbacks, consumers are also looking for ways to spend smarter. Thrift shops are becoming increasingly popular because of the value and price. Shoe stores suffer from this trend because of their incapacity to compete with the enormously low prices of second hand shoes. The bright side of this dynamic is that while trying to spend conservatively, most consumers will "splurge" some and buy things new that are of better quality and that will last. This, coupled with the increased competition during the past decade from internet-based retailers, has forced the closure of countless small businesses across the country.

When a retail store like a shoe store is affected by consumers cutting back or shopping somewhere else, they are forced to make changes they don't want to make. Remember that we are talking about retail small business, where the owner has built their business on their own. When they lose part of their income due to economic fall-outs, they may have to let some of their workers go. This can be difficult because generally the owners work directly with the employees. If the business has expanded to several places, then they may have to shut down a store. Either way, they are losing skilled workers and friends and in turn, inadvertently adding to the fear consumers have over job stability. Unfortunately this is a viscious cycle that most retail small businesses find themselves in today.

By giving a plastic loyalty card to their best customers, UK business owners can increase both sales and customer allegiance. Inside this item, we will give you some pluses linked with the use of a customer loyalty program in nearly all types of industry.

Plastic Loyalty Card : Have An Effortless Way Method of Knowing Your Premier Buyers

By the strength of a magnetic stripe or an fixed-in microprocessor chip on plastic loyalty cards, owners have the unique opportunity to realize just what their buyers are purchasing. Here are a number of individual ways that sellers might make use of as they utilize customer loyalty cards to increase traffic and trade.

Plastic Loyalty Card UK : Consider a Points Program for Your Loyal Customers

A well-known fidelity incentive is the points system. In this scenario, customers earn points on current purchases that can be applied toward future purchases. To illustrate, a supermarket chain should permit buyers to save points annually.’then when the holidays are here, patrons can purchase their turkey or ham at a major discount. One more good method for implementing a points system is to get it to increase sales through this sluggish times. For example, the same grocery chain might offer customers double points during the naturally slow sales period that follows a holiday. Another popular option to offer to loyal customers is the opportunity to redeem their points for a plastic gift card that they can give to a friend or relative.

Plastic Card UK : Alternative Means Of Putting a Loyalty Card to Use

An additional method of employing a customer loyalty card program efficiently is to gather data on consumers’ buying record and actions. If a merchant has data about when customers shop, what they buy and how much they typically spend, he can tailor his loyalty program to identify and reward those customers who spend the most time and money in his establishment. Loyalty card programs are great ways to stimulate sales by offering bonus points when customers’ purchases exceed a certain amount. Finally, a business can single out customers who hold loyalty cards for “members only” sales and promotions. For instance, animal store which gives a complimentary container of pet food to purchasers who have bought a specific amount of containers before.

Having a small amount of resourceful ideas and skill, UK company proprietors who implement a plastic loyalty card program to award their premier patrons should anticipate enjoying the pleasures of higher sales and benevolence.

Spring Cleanup
Spring cleanup can either be very profitable - especially when first starting a landscape business, early in the spring when it's most needed, or a lot of gruelling, break-even work we tolerate so that we can get to our mowing and other work. This article should give you a start toward making it the former instead of the latter.

Equipment Choices:
Use a handheld and backpack blower for detail work with vac equipped riding mower (Z) for big areas equipped with a thatcher on front. DO NOT attempt spring cleanups without this attachment. It does quick work of getting up old winter debris and "waking" the lawn up. If the leaves are deep and plentiful, we go over the lawn without the thatcher engaged once, then put the thatcher down and go over again, then once more with it up to get the little stuff.

Hand held blowers
A must have. Get a name brand like Echo or Shindaiwa. You’ll use this during cleanups for hard to reach places as well as small driveways when mowing.

Backpack blowers
Don’t even bother opening a lawn care business without one of these! This was the SECOND single best time saver I ever bought. (the first being the z vacuum) – you MUST get the biggest CFM and wind power here. Do NOT try to save money on “mid level” blowers. Get an Echo 755 or comparable from Shindaiwa or Stihl. You will be able to get pine needles and maple “helicopters” right out of long grass and move HUGE pile of leaves effortlessly. 90% as powerful as a big 8-11 HP walk behind blower.

Vacuum systems
There are two ways you can go cleanup wise. Backpack blowers for detail work with vac equipped riding mower for big areas OR backpack and walk behind blowers coupled with a truck mounted vacuum. The latter will mean your riders will last a bit longer because you’re not punishing them BUT the former, we find, is usually quicker and less susceptible to wind. You’re pretty much out of commission using option 2 on a windy day, and we have at least one out of 3 windy days in the fall here. Also, with option one, you suck up leaves as you go vs. moving tons of leaves to wherever the closest location you can park your “sucker truck” is. In general, option one is more efficient. If you have enough clients to use BOTH, then do so, because option two is VERY useful and efficient in many cases and you can also make extra cash “loaning out” your sucker truck to other contractors or even offering curbside leaf removal to the neighborhood. In our experience, however, we find that the debris is light enough in the spring to use ONLY zero turn vacuums. Truck mounted vacs are more appropriate for fall cleanup, when leaves and debris are plentiful.

Strategy
Work "with" the wind as much as possible. Get the drives and walks clean as part of your detail work. At the end you can touch them up, but if you wait till the end you'll create another mess to vacuum up. Get leaves off shrubs too. If you can, power blow areas into the woods if allowed. Our spring cleanup prices are priced at $80 per man per hour and we average 7-10 times the mowing price. Here's our system in a nutshell. If you purchased my whole program, you’ll find an excel spreadsheet that will give you a ball park price to charge for a fall cleanup based on the mowing price and some other data.

Park and unload - one man uses z, one back pack blower although if you see that detail work is very high (lots of gutters, sticks, paper, lots of beds with piles of leaves, etc.) then you can BOTH do detail work for a few minutes THEN separate.
Z starts quickly vacuuming up deeper leaves while man with back pack blower gets leaves out of beds, walks, drives and rain gutters.
(Z operator may take time to pickup sticks and larger debris if detail work is high)
Z starts going over general lawn much the same way you'd mow, with thatcher down
BP edges of lawn, backtrack and get leaves out of areas that Z has "back blown"
Z puts thatcher up and does quick "cleanup"
Cleanup any sand in driveway and mouth of driveway. Optional, cleanup and remove all sand from curb on property for extra touch. If you think city will take care of it that week, leave it; if not, get it now because it creates a great impression.
Touch up drives, street and walks and go to the next job

ABOUT AUTHOR
Ken LaVoie has 20 years of lawn and landscape experience. He attended both the University of Maine as well as Rhode Island College and resides in Winslow, Maine where he is a freelance writer as well as owner of both LaVoie’s Landscape Mgmt. Inc. and Central Maine Web. Please see starting a lawn care business and www.CentralMaineWeb.com for more information.

P.S. Save your business assets - invest part of the money into junk silver coins and save it from paper money inflation.