Hiring a Spy December 6, 2007
Posted by Christine in Business.add a comment
Thought spies were only present in top-secret government operations, action movies and books? Think again; they are everywhere. That new person at work, the dishevelled looking customer… they may all be spies hired to keep tabs on employee performance.
A mystery shopping company can provide these spies-for-hire at attractive rates. It may seem odd inviting a spy into your organization, but consider how much valuable information you could obtain. Especially if you are suspicious about a particular employee’s customer service skills in your absence, his or her conduct or whether the employee may be the cause of poor team dynamics. Finding out the source of your business-sores can save a lot of money in the long run and it is in fact not illegal.
It is right up there with keyboard logging and scanning emails for profanity or illegal web surfing on company computers. I too wish this was not necessary, but sometimes having the information up front means the situation can be corrected and nobody needs to suffer (i.e. be fired).
Decreasing the bottomline December 6, 2007
Posted by Christine in General Interest.add a comment
For small businesses purchasing necessary software applications can be a costly part of the operating budget. To some of my clients I recommend keeping an eye on Dealdotcom and especially GiveAwayofTheDay to find very cheap or free software respectively. Give away of the day has one software package per day offered completely and entirely free. These are licenced copies that are legally offered for free, for a very limited time (24 hours) or until a particular download quota is reached.
Today give away is giving away a software package called statplus, a statistical software package promised to be quite powerful. It is a package I can frankly use, so I will consider downloading it a bit later. The only problem is I will have to download it to my PC, because it is not compatible with my Mac.
I really need a Vacation December 3, 2007
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After the car accident I was in last week, and after hearing about my friend’s vacation yesterday, I really feel like I need one too.
In between Christmas shopping and working, I’ve been looking for interesting places to go. I love sun and beach as much as most people, but I generally prefer a more interesting vacation.
Martha’s Vineyard vacation rentals caught my eye as a result. Although other locations on “weneedavacation.com” are equally interesting. That’s what I like about these vacation rental places though, you find places you never thought existed!
The site also has a summer photo contest, great way of trying to win your next vacation.
Brought to you by Martha’s Vineyard vacation rentals
Giving it Away December 3, 2007
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I am not the first person to advocate the very popular marketing tactic known as “giving away free stuff”… and I’m sure I will not be the last.
Yesterday I was at a silent auction to which I had donated two products from a business I am involved in. The silent auction was visited mostly by people who have either influence, money, or both. Basically, a fantastic way of tapping into this potential market.
If you own a business, consider donating to high-profile silent auctions, but make sure your business cards or brochures are included. This way, even people who do not win your item in the auction have an opportunity to pick up a brochure, business card or flyer.
It’s cheap marketing! and it works!
Health Coverage December 3, 2007
Posted by Christine in writing.Tags: insurance
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Last week, on a regular day, like any other day.. I had the misfortune of being in a (minor) car accident. My back has been really sore as a result, and I have been prescribed physio and massage therapy. This brought me back to thinking about health and dental insurance. Being young and pretty healthy, I am most at risk of thinking I don’t need health insurance. As a freelancer, I am also most at risk of not having any coverage by default.
I have taken some precaution though, and I do have some extended coverage. However, a for a good friend of mine in Illinois dental insurance is not part of her coverage at all. Recently she slipped, fell, and broke a tooth. It cost her over $500 to get everything patched up. Money she cannot afford to spend on something unexpected. Her reason for not having insurance is not that she could not afford it, she was confused with the different options and prices. Now she is shopping around for reasonably priced insurance, because as a freelancer she too is not covered at all.
OK, my friends are tired of me… December 3, 2007
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Last night I had my best friend over. We try to get together frequently to chat and also work together, which frankly makes marking a pile of papers a whole lot more fun. Anyhow, we reached the topic of my book at some point when he saw the books I bought at a silent auction earlier yesterday as possible research material for my own book.
Eventually, and I am not sure anymore how it happened, my friend literally said:
“Just start writing, just start and stop making excuses.”
He said this, I believe, after I mentioned I was stuck somewhere mid-book because I am entirely unsure of what format to use, in which person to write and whether to keep it as a social commentary or heavily based on personal experience. I am leaning towards personal experience, although a more non-fictiony type of approach would be infinitely easier to write.
So, I really have to stop pondering, and just continue writing…
Catch some Art December 3, 2007
Posted by Christine in General Interest.Tags: art
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Christmas shopping has been a bit of a drag so far; I can’t seem to find something meaningful and reasonable for the most expensive people on my list. I am actually starting to consider buying them things like concert or museum tickets.
Art is also a great idea, but it has to fit in your budget. Park West Gallery has a great selection of art available. It’s the world’s largest art dealer, and I like that you can browse the site by artist name. So, if you have a known favorite, then it is easy to find that particular artist’s pieces. I spent a few hours just browsing different artists and different objects, and although in most cases it is out of my self-imposed budget this Christmas, the pieces are really wonderful.
Brought to you by Park West Gallery
Faulty CopyWriting December 3, 2007
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I went to do some Christmas shopping the other day, and although the person in question never reads my blog, I will not take the risk and divulge what I was purchasing. Suffice to say it was electronics, and the price was amazing for the specs being offered.
Unfortunately, when I took the item home and tested it (because I was skeptical it was as good as was written on the package), it turned out the specs were actually WRONG! What company in their right mind misrepresents their product so grossly? Imagine how disappointing it would have been if I would not have tested it and given as it? The quality was just completely unacceptable in this day and age, and frankly the price was far too high for the specs it turned out to have outside of the box.
I have a problem with misrepresentation, especially with products. The silly thing is, it may be a simple type-o on the product packaging, which would turn the 11 (amazing) into 1.1 (more like the real thing was).
Ever thought type-o’s are not a big deal? They can alienate customers and cause losses in sales…
