Grime Wave?
Posted on March 12th, 2012
Tide has been on store shelves for 60 years, and is one of the most popular laundry detergents on the market.
Now people are out to steal it.
The orange bottle is becoming liquid gold to criminals. One suspect in a Maryland supermarket theft recently loaded his cart with 15 to 20 bottles of Tide and took off out of the store to an awaiting get away car. 40 minutes later his accomplice is seen on security tape selling the load to a nail salon.
Why Tide? It’s popular and can be pricey, and it’s not just soap they’re stealing.
In California, grocery chains like Ralphs are aware of organized retail crime.
“These thieves target many different products like Tide, Red Bull, or shampoo,” said Kendra M. Doyel with Ralphs Grocery Company. “We continue to take measures to fight these crimes so we have the products our customers need in stock.”
With this rising crime wave, even national retailers like CVS are considering special security measures to keep Tide tied down. Read full article…
Selling Skills
Posted on March 11th, 2012
Selling is not a favourite task for many entrepreneurs and small business owners. We picture sales people as greedy, unethical, unscrupulous individuals who are determined to close a sale at any cost. Yet we cannot survive without generating sales so selling skills are a critical competency we need to acquire.
Selling is an honourable profession and everyone who operates a business should learn some fundamentals. From my perspective as a small business owner, sales trainer and consumer, the most important selling skill to learn is how to effectively qualify your prospect.
The most common mistake sales people make is to immediately launch into a product presentation or pitch when they first meet their prospect. They extol the virtues of what they sell and tell the prospective buyer how good, fast, reliable, inexpensive or easy to use their product is.
Tags: Selling, Selling Skills
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How to Run a QR Code Campaign
Posted on March 9th, 2012
That was the question that we pondered as we worked on a pilot program with Braden Buehler of Narrative Design for The Rogers Collection, a Maine-based importer of luxury foods. They wanted to promote Pio Tosinis prosciutto in an engaging fashion, and build their email list at the same time.
There are already plenty of fine food importers experimenting with QR codes on product packaging and in catalogs. At Rogers, they decided to engage their customers while they stood at the deli counter, eyeing the prosciutto.
Pio Tosini Prosciutto de Parma is a premium purchase for any shopper, and with good reason. Their melt-in-your-mouth ham has been hand-selected, deboned, trimmed and cured over 500 days in salt and Mediterranean sea breezes by the Pio Tosini family exactly the same way for over a century.
You can taste the difference immediately.
J.T. and Dale talk jobs: Leave Thought(ful) Police out of this chat
Posted on March 8th, 2012
Dear J.T. & Dale: Last week I had a job interview with a growing company of about 100 employees. I arrived for the interview 15 minutes early. While waiting, I spoke with the receptionist. During our discussion, the receptionist asked me if I am married and have children, and also where I live within the vicinity. I answered her questions but thought it was rather awkward, and possibly illegal, for her to be asking them of a job applicant. Should I make their HR generalist aware of what happened? – Paul
J.T.: Given that the receptionist was neither the one interviewing you nor part of the hiring decision, it’s likely that she was just making small talk – receptionists usually excel at that, right?
DALE: Yes, and to me it’s a good sign that the company cares enough about visitors to have an actual receptionist, and that she isn’t so stilted and paranoid that she avoids discussing anything personal.
Tags: Dale, Jt Dale
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Professional and Affordable Business Email
Posted on March 4th, 2012
Maintaining a company server for your business can be a very expensive process.
Any problems that develop with a server are only likely to get even worse as it gets older. Many businesses feel the need to have their own dedicated server to handle email or to store and share files.
What many business owners fail to realise is that web-based software can now fill the requirements of most organisations and businesses without the need to even have a physical server in-house.
Free webmail is very useful for individuals, but not really ideal for professional business usage. Free providers often insert advertisements or other messages into your email messages to cover their costs. You also wont be able to send email from the domain name of your website.
2012 Buyout Guide
Posted on March 3rd, 2012
Agency Description Timelines
Air Force The Air Force announced a second round of buyout and early retirement offers for civilian employees on Jan. 3. The first round, in September 2011, included buyout authority for up to 6,005 civilian employees. The Air Force says this is all part of its attempt to maintain civilian funding at fiscal 2010 levels. The application deadline ended on Feb. 3. Employees must separate by April 30.
Agriculture The Agriculture Department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service wants to trim its ranks by 300 employees by end of the year. But the agency’s total headcount will drop only by about 150. NRCS plans to offer 900 employees the chance to take buyouts or early retirements, and the agency will accept about 300 of them. Buyouts offered this spring with employees separating in the fourth quarter.
Tags: Buyout, Buyout Guide
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HMRC extends campaign against tax avoidance to the motor trade
Posted on February 28th, 2012
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is extending its campaign against tax avoidance and will begin targeting the motor trade, clothing retailers and market stallholders.
The department is hoping to collect around £50 million in unpaid tax by aiming towards specific groups, with new targets joining recent investigations into scrap metal firms and restaurants.
Speaking about the plans, the exchequer secretary to the Treasury David Gauke said: “It is completely unacceptable, at a time when we are trying to bring down the deficit that, while most hard-working people pay the right tax, there are others who try to get out of contributing their fair share.”
Furthermore, chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander this morning (February 23rd) said that HMRC will be targeting landlords avoiding income tax on their properties in Scotland.
“This is not fair on honest businesses and HMRC will come down hard on those who have chosen to break the rules,” he explained.
“If you deliberately seek to evade tax, HMRC can and will track you down and you’ll face not only a heavy fine, but possibly a criminal prosecution as well.”
The department is planning 12 taskforces in 2011-12 – with 13 criminal investigations underway – and will include more in 2012-13.
Tags: Motor Trade, Tax Avoidance, Trade
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