A Clever Spell

Should members of the general public or customers come to your place of work or if you go to their workplace you might consider thinking about investing in risk insurance. This manner of insurance will often cover loads of circumstances, any awards & damages passed to a member of the general public for the reason that of injury or damage to the customer’s property caused through you yourself or your work.

There can be found many situations, omissions or warranties that might often be applied to small business public liability insurance policies. It is thus prominent that you yourself scan with your insurance advisor any that are applicable to your business public liability insurance policy.

A fine organization who focus in this is Insured Risks. The firm supply public liability insurance available at a decidedly reasonable cost. The insurance organisation will guarantee that you and your brand take out the appropriate insurance policy that is suitable for you and your work. Having insurance is not a legal requirement nonetheless it does however make outstanding business sense. Local authorities will often generally appreciate a minimum level of over £1 million public liability insurance for works to be undertaken at the customer’s premises and on the client’s behalf. For expert Public Liability Insurance advice go to Insured Risks.

Insured Risks insurance cover is available for more than 180 contracting trades & professional occupations. Business liability insurance cover is available on stagnations of £1m, £2m and for the majority of cases 5 million. The insurance firm is specially designed to cover individual tradesman, professionals and start-up businesses up to a total of 10 staff, with or without limited company status.

You can refinance your home equity loan for lower rates, just like with any other type of credit. Improving your credit and shopping for rates ensure that you will get the best financial deal. Researching lenders couldn’t be easier with rates and terms offered online for easy comparison.

1. You Can Improve Your Credit Score

Credit scores are fluid, changing every time you pay a bill or open an account. While huge credit score improvements take time, you can quickly polish your score with a few steps.

First, check your free annual credit report for any errors. Also, spread out any credit card debt amongst your accounts so no card is maxed. Paying off debts and closing unused credit accounts are also good steps.

Improving your credit will improve the rates you qualify for, along with other types of credit. However, even if you don’t dramatically perk up your credit score, you can still find great rates.

2. Lenders Charge Different Rates

Lenders charge different rates than what are being quoted in the news. Financial companies determine their rates based on market demands and competition. You can find these below average rates by shopping around.

Don’t just stick with the big named companies. Less known companies often offer better rates and terms in order to compete. Online access allows you to find these great deals. You may also find good rates through a broker site.

While a difference of less than a percent may seem trivial, it can save you hundreds over the course of your loan. Taking some time to research lenders is really an investment that pays real dividends.

3. You Can Request Free Quotes

Financing shopping couldn’t be easier or faster with the internet. Most lenders post their financing information online. You can also request a basic quote by providing some preliminary information.

By requesting quotes first, you can compare lenders without filling out a ton of paperwork or authorizing a credit check, which temporarily hurts your credit score.

While rates are easy numbers to look at, search for the APR, which includes both fees and rates. That way you can be sure you won’t get stung with large upfront costs.

To view our recommended companies for home equity loan lenders,
visit this page:
Recommended Equity Lenders.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan
Guide, an informational website about various types of loans.

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

The Creative Process

There is a wide spread belief that creativity cannot be a process. This is intertwined with the feeling that creativity occurs out of the blue, as does inspiration, and that creativity cannot be managed. Unfortunately this ignores the fact that many people in the creative industries are able to consistently come up with good ideas all the time.

The creative process includes:

a) Identifying the problem. Different people see different problems.

b) Intensely investigate. Use a variety of sources and a variety of novel and diverse sources.

c) Use varied idea elicitation techniques (lateral thinking, association, what-ifs, etc) to generate a large amount of ideas without evaluation. Evaluate later.

d) Seek stimuli. Intellectually cross pollinate. Widen your horizons. Build your tacit knowledge.

e) Constantly think about the problem. Triggers conscious and unconscious sources.

f) Engage in rest and unrelated activity. Triggers incubation and increases the chance of insight.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop MBA, is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/

Well, we’re all reeling from our utility bills. So, what can be
done to cut energy costs?

Obviously, the best way to cut your utility bill is to go with a
non-utility company source of energy. Solar power can be used to
warm your house, while geothermal can be used to cool and heat
the home. While these are great choices, there are a few simple
steps you can take to cut that monstrous utility bill.

Vent Covers - In most homes, there are rooms that rarely get
used. A very simple and very cheap way to cut your heating costs
is to isolate those rooms from the rest of your home. To do
this, you should close the vents in the room. The vents,
however, rarely close well. To make the strategy effective, you
should buy vent covers and place them over the vents. The covers
are a form of plastic and keep heat from coming out of the
vents. Next, close the door to the room in question and leave
it. By using this strategy, you can effectively make your home
smaller by excluding the square footage that has to be heated.
The smaller the area, the small the amount of money to heat the
home.

Windows - Windows are the single biggest energy wasters in your
home. Your windows must seal tightly. If they don’t, heat will
escape out of them causing your heater to fire up over and over.
If you make sure your window fit tightly into the frame when
closed, you can significant cut the utility bill. It sounds like
a small thing, but it really ads up.

Programmable Thermostat - Heating your home accounts for fifty
percent of your utility bill. While a warm home is necessary for
basic living in the winter, the home doesn’t need to be heated
all of the time. If there are periods during the day where
nobody is home because of work or school, a programmable
thermostat can be used to slash your heating costs. Simply
program the thermostat to turn off during the relevant time and
turn back on before anyone gets home. Cutting four to eight
hours off of your heating needs each day will add up quickly on
your utility bill.

If your utility bills are completely out of control, there is
something fundamentally wrong with your home. You need to go
ahead and get an Energy Audit. An auditor will come out and
inspect your home. They can then identify the problem, what
should be done and provide other tips to slash your bill.
Depending on how bad your situation is, an energy audit can cut
your utility bill by 50 percent or more.

Power costs are high and expected to continue to increase for
the foreseeable future. Take steps to cut your utility bill now
and you’ll reap the benefits for years.

Article marketing is simply the process of writing articles, publishing your articles on article directories and syndicating your articles.

To be successful in article marketing, you need to:

1. Write high quality and keyword optimized articles.

2. Submit a series of such articles to article directories on a regular basis.

An article that has good content and that contain the keywords that readers are searching for has many page views. Imagine if each article generates a page view of 500 readers, if you have ten of such articles, you will get 5000 page views. With article syndication, you get more back links for higher ranking on search engines and can also brand yourself as an expert in your area of online business.

But what constitute good content? Here are some useful tips:

1. Your content answers a need or solves a problem that your target readers have. Specifically, your article contains keywords that readers search for. For instance, if you are targeting readers with hair loss, then “hair loss” is a keyword phrase that you can use in your article. However, a better keyword phrase is likely “hair loss remedy” as your article content can be on remedy solutions for hair loss, thus addressing the needs of your reader.

2. Your article contains useful resources. Using the same example for hair loss, you can write about where your reader can find the remedy solutions.

3. Your content contains practical tips that your readers can easily apply. A step-by-step guide on preparing a remedy right out from one’s kitchen is interesting and unusual.

4. If you are writing a discussion topic, you present alternative views and a healthy discussion on each view.

5. Your content is personalized. You write from your own experiences.

6. You have an opinion on a discussion topic and your ideas are well supported. Support can be in the form of testimonials from experts or references to scientific and proven research. It is okay to write an article based on general information but winning content are those that have supporting reasons for your opinion.

7. Your article is up-to-date with the latest information on trends. No one likes to read outdated ideas. This is especially if you are writing on an area that is fast moving like IT or even fashion.

Evelyn Lim is a writer and an online business entrepreneur. She also owns and manages an article directory site, with more than 100 topic categories and a growing database of quality articles. Please visit www.ArticleMap.com to submit your articles.

Be prepared when you leave a message or speak to another over the telephone. Before making any call - even a personal one - know what the purpose of that phone call is. Most people do not appreciate rambling any more than they would if you were presenting to them as a member of an audience. I suggest jotting down the main points you want to cover, have any phone numbers and/or details handy, and have a pen and paper ready for taking notes.

If you are leaving a message on someone else’s recording device, be clear and succinct, say your name clearly along with slowly and clearly saying your phone number, a short reason you are calling, and then repeat your name and number. This may seem obvious, but you and I know the frustration of trying to decipher a mumbled message.

Politeness goes a long way when it comes to telephones. Personally, I hate being put “on hold” but realize that it will happen. If there is any way you can avoid putting others on hold, do it. If we are put on hold, we must just accept graciously with a, “no problem.”

I also feel that it is imperative to identify yourself, When we do reach a live person, I suggest always checking to make sure the time is opportune for them. It usually is if they answered, but they may say, “Yes, but I only have a few minutes before I need to leave for a meeting.” Be sure to honor this request, and if you have more to say than can be said in a few minutes, it is better to ask what would be a better time to call back and set a phone date on your calendar.

Even if someone extremely important walks in and tries to get your attention while you are on the phone, don’t let their rudeness affect your complete attention to the person with whom you are speaking. It is important for them to know that they are more important to you at the moment than anyone or anything else that is attempting to interrupt. While we are on the subject of politeness, let me follow with my reactions to cell phones.

Even though cell phones are the “rage” and may be necessary I implore you to consider others who are in your vicinity when you take and/or make a call. Not only have I heard unpleasant and loud personal calls during my fitness classes, in line at the grocery store and post office, at the next table in a restaurant, on public transportation and walking down the street, my enjoyment of a program or presentation also has been compromised by the ringing of and even answering of cell phones.

It has become so unusual to be greeted, when making a call, with a pleasant voice by someone who sounds delighted that you called and is there for you, that when this occurs I always compliment them on their voice and their civility. I am sure that you are one of those people too. And, if you haven’t been, I hope you’ll start right now.

Remember, anytime we surprise others by our special uniqueness and style by going beyond their expectations, we will seldom be forgotten. It is likely they will remember us for the next job they need done or will recommend us to others.

You need to go back to work and would like to bring on a combination of breast and bottle. But you have heard that this could lead to ‘nipple confusion’. Do you need a lactation consultant? Perhaps you need a primer on nipple confusion.

What is nipple confusion all about?

Babies who are fed both by the breast and the bottle can sometimes have problems in recognizing the difference between the two nipples.

Sucking milk from the breast is quite different from sucking from a bottle in terms of technique. Add to that the ease with which milk flows from a bottle and you get a puzzled baby.

To suck or not to suck, that is the question

Most babies get confused if they haven’t yet adapted to the breastfeeding technique. Yes, not all babies are born with an inbuilt manual on breastfeeding.

When you start feeding baby, brush your nipple against the corner of baby’s mouth several times. This stimulates baby’s rooting reflex and baby will turn towards nipple and start suckling.

It is very easy to give up in frustration and opt for the passive bottle-feeding method. But try to stick on and your efforts will be rewarded soon. Breastfeeding creates a bond between you and baby.

Signs your baby is confused

If your baby fusses and balks at the breast, refuses to latch on, and yet seems quite comfortable with the bottle, this could be a sign of nipple confusion. Some babies are so used to the breast that they reject the bottle. Sometimes you can’t decide which is worse.

Slow and steady…

To avoid nipple confusion, wait until the baby is becomes a breastfeeding pro and then introduce her to the bottle at least a fortnight in advance of your return to work. Starting too early could lead to nipple confusion while waiting too long to start could result in her rejecting the bottle.

While a baby needs to be hungry enough to want to suck at an artificial nipple, you need to see that she is not so hungry that she turns irritable and fussy.

Start with a little milk in the bottle and gradually increase the amount. Or try breast milk in the bottle.

Involving someone else

Another thing that could work is letting someone other than you do the bottle-feeding. Let someone else in the family try bottle feeding baby and cuddle him while he is being fed, so that the baby gets a sense of warmth and security. Dads can help too! This could be dad’s perfect opportunity to bond with baby.

Each baby is different in his or her own way; some may take to interchangeable feeding right from their birth, while others may drive you nuts trying to introduce the bottle. You really cannot predict which baby will have nipple confusion, but its best to wait until baby is at least 3 or 4 weeks old, before you feed him formula from a bottle.

* About the author *

This article has been provided by ParentingSurvivalGuide.com.

Please visit our web site at http://www.ParentingSurvivalGuide.com to discover more articles.

Copyright 2005 ParentingSurvivalGuide.com, all rights reserved.

This article may be freely republished for noncommercial use as long as the article, including the author information and this reprint policy statement, is republished in its entirety, unedited, and with all links working.

Most sales training programs that teach salespeople how to sell specific products or services do not mention business problems. This is an unfortunate oversight, as qualifying and quantifying business problems is the secret to closing more sales!

What is a Business Problem?

A business problem is any activity or outcome that negatively impacts a business. Examples of negative impacts include reductions in revenue, profits, customer satisfaction, employee productivity, job satisfaction, etc.

Here is an example of a business problem description:

“Many mission-critical software applications (e-business, manufacturing, point-of-sale, etc.) need to access relational databases in order to function. If a database has problems (goes down or suffers data loss or corruption), application downtime can cost companies tens of thousands of dollars per minute in lost sales, lost customers, and lost opportunities.”

In the above example, the business problem is a database that is not functioning properly.

What is the relationship between Business Problems and the Features and Benefits of a product or service?

Features are what actually solve business problems. Benefits are what customers enjoy when the business problem has been solved.

The only features prospects actually care about are the ones that will solve their own specific business problems. If we randomly spew long lists of features and benefits at prospects, in effect we are hoping they are already aware of their business problems, and they will somehow figure out which of our (product or service) features will solve their business problems. This is a very inefficient way to sell. Plus, we run the risk that our prospects will NOT figure out which features will solve their business problems. Or, they may become bored and “switch off” before we mention features that may actually be of interest to them!

If you are going to talk about features and benefits, discuss only those features that will solve your prospect’s specific business problems! Of course, you need to identify your prospect’s business problems if you want to have this kind of highly targeted discussion.

If your employer’s product or service training programs do not specifically address business problems, you will need to do some digging to uncover them. Ask the question, “What problems does this product or service solve?” Another way to ask this question is, “What would motivate a prospect to make the investment required to buy this product/service?” Then, once you have made a list of the most important business problems, ask, “What questions can I ask that will help me figure out whether a prospect has any of these business problems?”

When you become an expert in business problems and related qualifying questions, your education will not be complete. You also need to learn the questions you can ask to quantify the impact of each business problem.

What is a Quantified Impact?

Quantified impacts are dollar values or percentages with associated time frames that can be assigned to specific business problems. In the earlier business problem description, the quantified impact was “tens of thousands of dollars per minute”.

Quantified impacts are an invaluable aid to closing sales. How? If the quantified impact of a business problem exceeds the investment required to fix the problem, a buying decision is easy to justify. The larger the difference between the quantified impact and the required investment, the easier it becomes to close the sale. If the quantified impact is a multiple of the required investment (for example, a quantified impact of millions of dollars versus a required investment of thousands of dollars), the buying decision becomes “a no-brainer”.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order for a quantified impact to add value to the sales process, your prospect must be the source of the numbers. Why? In general, prospects don’t trust salespeople. Many have dealt with salespeople who were more interested in making sales than they were in providing value. Plus, prospects recognize that salespeople have a vested interest in creating a compelling business case that can be used to support a buying decision. This causes prospects to discount any quantified impact information that salespeople provide. However, if the prospect is the source of the quantified impact information, they perceive it as unquestioned truth. This makes learning how to ask quantifying questions a valuable skill indeed!

If you want to close more sales, invest some time and effort in identifying the business problems that can be solved by your products and services. If you become an expert in business problems and the questions you can ask to 1) determine whether a prospect has specific business problems, and 2) quantify the impact of those business problems, you will close more sales faster and with less effort.

Copyright 2005 — Alan Rigg

Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople Don’t Perform and What to Do About It. His company, 80/20 Sales Performance, helps business owners, executives, and managers DOUBLE sales by implementing The Right Formula for building top-performing sales teams. For more information and more FREE sales and sales management tips, visit http://www.8020salesperformance.com.

Do you find yourself in a hurry much of the time? When we are in a hurry, we tend to lose sight of the people and things around us. I had an experience when traveling through an airport in Atlanta, Georgia that reminded me of how easy it is to walk over someone rather than help them.

While riding up an escalator to get to the gate where my flight was scheduled to leave from, I noticed a lady well up in front of me. It was apparent, even from a distance, that she was very stressed. She had three small children with her. One of them was a baby she was carrying. She was struggling to keep the other two near her as they enjoyed the experience of being in an Airport and riding up an escalator. Did I mention she was also carrying multiple bags? She had two of three bags on the escalator step in front of her. I could see beads of sweat on her forehead as she tried to keep everything together.

What surprised me happened when they reached the top of the escalator. She made her best attempt at pushing the bags that were in front of her with her feet as fast as she could get them out of the way. At the same time, she was making sure that the two children she wasn’t holding got off the escalator without tripping or falling. Although watching her orchestrate her family’s movements was interesting, that was not the part that surprised me. What surprised me the most was all of the people that were behind her on the escalator who stepped over her children, bumped into her and her children, and gave nasty looks and comments as they walked past her family. No one at that moment appeared to have any compassion regarding her situation.

When I got to the top of the escalator myself, I asked if I could help carry anything to her gate. What I found out was that she didn’t know exactly which gate she needed to go to. She offered me a couple bags to carry and we walked to a customer service desk. We found out where she needed to go and once there she was able to sit down with her family. Her smile, thanks, and relaxed look on her face was more than worth the time I took out of my schedule. How much extra time did it take me? No more than five minutes! I am confident that many of those people that walked over her had more than five minutes they could have given. Many of them probably hurried to their gate at the airport and then sat there for twenty or thirty minutes before they even had to start boarding.

What would you have done in the same situation? Although I stopped and helped her in that particular situation, I’m sure I have walked by many others in similar situations. Why would we do this? Sometimes it’s because we think we’re in too much of a hurry to help. Sometimes we’re just not looking for opportunities where we can help others.

I have to challenge myself on a regular basis to look for opportunities every day to help others. I would challenge you to do the same. When you get up in the morning, think about a way you plan to help someone before the day ends. Also, remind yourself to look out for opportunities throughout the day and respond to them. There is someone that will be better off if you take the time to help him or her today.

To learn more ways to give to others, sign up for the free Everyday Giving ezine at http://www.everydaygiving.com/ezine.htm. Roger Carr is the founder of Everyday Giving. His life purpose is to help people help others.

Earrings - I think of them as the finishing touch to your look.
They complete your fashion statement. There are earrings for all
occasions - the board room, work, casual outings, your wedding,
a night on the town, or a day at the beach. They can bring out
your softer feminine side, the sexy goddess, or present simple
charm, sophistication and elegance From Elizabeth Taylor to Meg
Ryan to Dave Navarro to Usher - today earrings are a fashion
statement for both men and women. The first pair of earrings has
been dated back to 2500 BC. Only the wealth and those of royal
lines could afford expensive jewelry back then. There are all
types of earrings - chandelier earrings, dangle earrings, hoop
earrings, stud earrings, button earrings, and droplet earrings
to name just a few. Earrings come in all types of materials and
metals. Gold, silver, gemstones, plastics, bakelite, copper,
diamonds, paste, pearls, faux stones, or glass. The list goes on
and on. What ever your desires there is a pair of earrings out
there waiting for you. The oldest earrings ever unearthed by
archaeologists were discovered in Iraq in the royal graves and
date to about 2,500 BC. Back to 3000 BC there were two types of
earrings: the hoop, and the more elaborate pendant. From 1559
B.C. to 1085 B in Egypt earplugs became very fashionable. These
type of piercings and earrings are seen even on King
Tutankhamen. In the Dark Ages poverty prevailed and metal
jewelry sharply declined although designs were preserved for
later use. During the Roman Empire wealthy women used earrings
to show off their rich status. By the 2nd century AD gemstones
such as sapphires, emeralds, and aquamarines were used
regularly. During the Byzantine period which ran from330-1200 AD
earrings took a back burner to more elaborate body
ornamentation. In the Middle Ages earrings become almost
non-existent because of the elaborate hair styles, and
headdresses which were ever so popular. During the 16th century
in Italy high collars disappeared and hair was being worn up and
away from the face, so earrings began to make a comeback. In
other parts of the world such as England and France it would be
another 100 years or so before the high collars disappeared. As
time progressed the design of earrings became much more complex.
Around 1660 the girandole earring made its appearance remaining
very popular for the next couple of centuries. The girandole
earrings were extremely large and heavy because of the metal
content [gold or silver] and the amount of gems. Made of 3 pear
shaped drops on a hook. The weight was known to cause elongated
ear lobes. In the latter part of the 18th century the pendeloque
earrings became popular. They were longer than the girandole
earrings but much lighter. They were the balance for the high
hairdos and big wigs that were being worn. During the early
1800, jewelers began to mount gemstones, on an open back claw
setting. This allowed the light to pass through the gems
enhancing their color and brilliance. By the 1850s, earrings had
once again disappeared from the fashion scene. This was once
again a result of changing hairstyles. The new styles that
involved wearing the hair gathered in a knot at the back
resulted in the ears being totally hidden. As well bonnets had
arrived on the scene which also made wearing earrings rather
difficult. During the early 20th century screw backs were
invented which meant women no longer had to pierce their ears.
These became very popular. Some circles even began to believe
piercing ones ears was rather barbaric. After WWI shorter
hairdos became very popular. Earrings were perfect for filling
the space from short hair to shoulder and once again became a
popular fashion statement. During the 1920s art deco styles took
hold, recognized by their straight or angled designs. Very long
chandelier earrings were also quite popular during this time.
During the 1930s the clip on was invented. Because clip ons held
the earring more snuggly than screw backs they became the number
one choice for many years to come. Pierced ears faded into the
background. During the 1950s earrings were light and
aerodynamic. By the 1960s earrings had become fun and
innovative. Texture and color was very important. Prior to the
1960s earrings were dedicated to either evening wear or day wear
with the evening wear earrings being more elegant. During the
1960s this all changed when the distinction between what was
acceptable for evening or day faded away. By the 1970s we had
entered an “everything goes” style to earrings and pierced ears
had made a comeback. Women were buying earrings in large
quantities for every occasion. . Today it’s difficult to find
someone who doesn’t have pierced ears. Today men are as
interested in earrings as women. Men often prefer studs or small
hoops, they may wear one earring, two or more depending on the
individual’s tastes. Children now get their ears pierced often
at a very young age, even sometimes as babies. Women may have
anywhere from one set of holes to piercings right up the ear.
The fashion of earrings has come a long way over the years and
its here to stay! Whatever your style, there is certain to be a
pair of earrings out there for you. Be sure to make your fashion
statement!