How to conference call

How To Conference Call

Conference calling is one of the best business solutions to conduct a meeting over the telephone, in which more than three persons can participate to share some points. Or in other words, it is a means of communicating with more than one person simultaneously, without actually being physically present at a designated place. Conference calling offers mainly three modes for communication, i.e., audio, video, and web based conference calls. It is obvious that these conference calls eliminate a major cost for the companies, and therefore, are very much advantageous for the organizations. Some of the advantages offered by these conference calls are:

Cost Effective Process: Though the fee for availing the service varies with service providers, yet conference call is a much economical option to conduct a virtual meeting and to convey the message to the people concerned. Because in conducting a meeting with the conventional processes, a lot of travel expenses and hotel accommodation expenses are involved; whereas in case of conference calling, nothing of that sort is required.

Time saving process: It is as easy as thinking of talking to some persons and you can make a conference call immediately. Usually it is very good option for conferences that are called on very short notices. It also does not involve any loss of work and the message can be conveyed at a faster pace.

Helps in relation building: It is sometimes difficult for a business to conduct meetings for every segment of employees at regular intervals, which may lead to some misconceptions among employees and they may feel neglected. However, conference calling can eliminate such situations and helps in building good employer-employee relationship.

Simple and easily accessible: The service provider links the persons to be involved in a conference call and the persons do not need to have any special equipment for the same, as it simply linked with the ordinary phone or mobile phone. The person conducting a conference call is facilitated with a speaker, so that all persons involved must be heard at that point. The other persons can talk with the main conductor from their places.

Facilitate Data transfer: Audio conference calling is limited only to transfer instructions or views verbally; but via video conferencing, it is possible to transfer presentations or data to all the persons. With this service there will be no mistakes in sending and receiving instructions, as if there is any, one can clear it immediately and correct it.

Distance is not a problem: With the help of conference calling, the limitations of distance can be eliminated, as it can be used for talking to persons anywhere around the globe. That is why it is most commonly used by small as well as big business houses for communication purposes.

From the above advantages that conference calling provide, we can easily gauge the importance that they hold for any business model and organization setup—they are indispensable!

How to set up a virtual office and its advantages

How To Set Up A Virtual Office And Its Advantages

One of the quickest alternatives for small businesses is to rent virtual offices. Having a virtual lease gives a lot of advantages and has been proven to be useful to small companies which do not have enough money or capital to invest on their own new buildings or afford any construction or renovation. It is obvious that by using this service, the owner is able to save his money on rental. An individual can too appear to be a professional without having to invest a lot of money compared to the conventional work space. The concept of virtual offices definitely brings a lot of benefits to us. An individual is now able to move into a suite especially for him or her in an executive building without actually moving there. This concept is able to project your professionalism to your potential clients or customers. Besides that, the monthly fees for this rented space is lesser compared to the actual rental of an office. Furthermore, with this rented virtual set up, you are able to enjoy facilities such as a meeting space for conferences. You can have your phone calls to be answered professionally as well as a proper street or building address. Therefore, you are able to enjoy:

• A proper business address

• Systematic management system

• Business telephone number and its offered professional services

To set up virtual offices, you will need to make sure that every member of your small business has their own personal computer with internet ready to be used. Bear in mind that the computers must be able to support or compatible with the software needed for your business. Hire an accountant as well as an administrative assistant, which is also called virtual assistant. This virtual assistance is specialized in performing administrative duties virtually. Remember to have all your paperwork filled out properly to avoid any problems.

Just like marketing a garage sale

Just Like Marketing a Garage Sale

Anyone who’s started his or her own business (be it brick and mortar, online, even something as simple as garage sales on the weekend) will tell you that the most important aspect to keep your business going (and so you make profits) is marketing.

Starting out with something as simple as a garage sale, think about what types of marketing there are. Most often you’ll find sharpie-scribbled cardboard signs stapled to telephone poles with a big arrow pointing in the direction of your «business». Now, you might laugh and say that isn’t marketing, but in reality that’s fundamentally all there is to marketing. You have a product or service and you want people to know about it. Simple as that.

Continuing with the garage sale analogy, there are plenty of other ways you can market yourself. I’m sure you’ll tell your neighbors and friends. And maybe you’ll even post an ad in the PennySaver or on Craigslist. These are all forms of direct marketing.

Possibly the biggest factor to a garage sales success is its location. If you live in an apartment, you’re obviously very limited to how successful you can become. In an apartment complex there just isn’t very much room to display your goods. You can put up signs, tell your family and post bulletins, but they probably won’t do very much good if people can’t get to your business. Now, what if you lived on the corner house next to a main road? Granted, people don’t usually move their homes to have a garage sale (it’s usually the other way around), but this is another example of marketing; and it’s very direct.

Okay, so how else can you market and advertise your sale? Is there anything else you can do? Yep. There are still plenty of other things you can do. Your garage sale is going to top all others.

How about expansion? Talk to your neighbors and plan a group garage sale. Get your whole street involved and you’ll have turned your garage sale into an antique mall. Want to expand even more? Maybe you could start a website. Take pictures of everything and let people shop online and you can ship them their orders.

Now that you’re starting to get big, it’s time to get some press coverage. Call up your local newspaper and let them know what you’re doing on your street. That’s a free ad in the paper which means more customers and more profits.

By now you’ll have run out of things to sell, so it’s time to bring in a wholesaler. Look for companies that sell faux antiques and order in bulk. Give each house on your street its own product line. Build signs, decorate your lawn, put up twinkle lights and you’ll be a phenomenon.

Next up, hire a camera crew and record your own TV commercial. Play it locally first and then move it to cable stations. By now, you’ll have competitors. Other streets will want a piece of the pie. And now you’re back to square one. That’s what marketing is all about. Time to start something new!

How to handle poor performance — what if it doesn’t work out

How to Handle Poor Performance — What If It Doesn’t Work Out

What do you do after you have coached and counseled an employee and they still do not meet performance expectations or correct the behavioral issue(s)? It can be a challenge to decide if an employee is going to succeed in their role.

You can’t change a person’s effort or behavior…only they can. What you can do is give them: Clear performance expectations, effective training and provide them with a respectful work environment.

FORMAL DISCIPLE PROCESS

Some companies have a formal discipline process….verbal notice and then written notice indicating to the employee the seriousness of the problem. Both types of notices are documented and included in an employee’s file. During this process, an employee realizes that their job is in jeopardy and they need to make the necessary changes.

SUGGESTION

If termination is the recommendation, ask yourself…Are you asking for the same performance from all of your employees? OR do just not like this person? If your evaluation is based on personality, be careful because in the U.S. the employee can potentially have a legal case against you and the company. Keep your evaluations around performance that you have monitored and you will satisfy legal requirements.

MANAGER’S EFFORTS

Most managers give the employee several chances to solve the performance or behavior issue(s). If it is a performance issue, it may take a bit more time to solve the issue if they need to increase their knowledge. Behavioral issues should be resolved by the employee quickly….for example, lateness, sloppiness or negativity.

A manager faces several issues with a low performing employee. Besides not meeting the expectations of their role, the individual also affects the rest of the team. How are the other team members reacting to the individual’s low performance or behavior issue? Usually the team members are aware of the performance issues, though they may still react if you terminate the employee.

==>Here are some concerns managers express when termination is considered:

**You have given a lot of your energy to the employee’s success and believe if you just find the right motivator, the employee’s performance will meet standards.

**You have no time to find a new person. The cost of recruiting and training a new person is high. Heavy demand to meet business deliverables and you can’t avoid being short a person.

**How will the rest of the team react to the termination? If the individual has contacts with vendors or other external relationships, how will they react to the change?

DECISIONS

You can’t fix every employee issue. What you are required to do is managed the situation effectively to minimize the impact on the employee, the rest of the team and the business.

If the employee is not able to meet their job responsibilities, and you have coached and counseled them, the most respectful action is to move them out of that role. If you can find another role that suits their talents, then offer them the opportunity. If not, then you will need to address the issue and terminate the employee.

NEXT STEPS

Find out what your company’s policy is regarding terminating an employee. Small companies may not have a Human Resources Department, though they usually have legal counsel that can guide them. Though most U.S. states have «at will» employment laws, you are not an expert on employment law, so pass your documentation on for review and support with your decision.

==>Termination

Always refer to your company’s policies and procedures before terminating an employee. Here are some guidelines to help you through this process:

**Create the final termination document, setting forth the reason(s) why employment is being terminated.

**Review the employee’s file, records of prior counseling, verbal, and/or written warnings, and any other pertinent documentation with Human Resources/Legal.

**Decide when and where to hold the termination meeting. Select a private location, away from view by other employees. The best time for the meeting is at the end of the day to minimize interaction with coworkers both before and after. The middle of the week is preferable to a Friday, as the employee can immediately start their job search.

**Anticipate and be prepared for the employee’s reaction to the termination — are there security issues?

**Notify the appropriate department to secure the computer and telephone systems, security badges, passwords, keycards, and other company property.

**Make sure you have an Exit document in place so that you can forward to the appropriate people in your company.

**Plan for the employee to get personal items from the work area.

**Create a list of all people who will be affected by this termination and decide where the work is to go after the person leaves.

**Plan the message for notifying clients and employees who work with the impacted employee. This should be coordinated with Human Resources and/or legal counsel. It’s important that the message also is respectful to the departing employee.

CONDUCTING THE TERMINATION

**Arrange for a representative from Human Resources to be present. If you don’t have a HR department, make sure another manager or supervisor is present. Never do a termination alone.

**Stay focused on communicating the facts of the decision — do not let the discussion become personal. Focus on the issue and not on the person.

**Be ready for the employee’s reaction and let them share their reactions. Have a time limit in your mind, so you can help the employee move forward. Otherwise, they may try to talk you out of your decision.

**In some companies, the manager gives the notice and the reasons behind the decision. Then HR takes over and helps transition the employee out of the company.

**Do not allow for negotiation; emphasize that the decision has been made and it is final.

FINAL THOUGHTS

**Advise co-workers that the employee no longer works with the company. This should be coordinated with Human Resources and/or legal counsel.

**Advise supervisors and co-workers what the «company statement» will be for clients or others calling for the employee. (Usually inquiries go to Human Resources or one specific individual in your organization that knows how to respond to outside questions.) Even if the employee resigns, it’s important to construct a «company statement.»

**Communicate to all parties affected by this termination and let them know how the work will be completed going forward.

**Document the termination meeting and place all documentation in the employee’s file.

It’s difficult to terminate a member of the team, though it is your responsibility to handle the situation. Just remember to treat the individual with respect throughout the process.

How helpful are the directories in finding a product

How Helpful are the Directories in Finding a Product?

If you are too tired of looking out for products at different places, you can find them online. There are directories of various kinds. Just like you have yellow pages to find contact numbers and address of registered telephone users, various business and services offline, there are online tools too.

These online tools such as a directory serve as a platform for both a manufacturer as well as a consumer. One can sell his products and services and the other can buy them. It offers enough scope to compare products and prices. In addition to this a consumer can view the products before he places an order. He can buy them over the internet through the use of a credit card and this would be shipped to you home.

Finding a product is no more an up hill struggle. Just a quick search over this internet tool will bring you a sea of products and their prices. Suppliers and retailers also advertise their items in the same platform. Craftsmen and artisan from the small scale and cottage industries find a venue to display their piece of art through the suppliers. A retailer should be a keen observer. He should also be a good researcher in finding out which are the top selling items and services that people scour for. A wholesaler is saved from the trouble of distributing their wholesale products to the public. You can find a trusted supplier who will give you the services that you need. Find relevant suppliers’ listings, manufacturers listings and make your purchase based on the quotes you get. You can find any product online right from Filters, Strainers & Related Products, Hand Tools, Abrasives & Abrasive Products, Cutting, Shearing & Slitting Machinery, clothing, skin related products, food products…Adhesives & Coatings such as Coating Machinery, Adhesives, Coating Services, to Plastics & Rubber etc. In addition to this, if you subscribe for newsletters, you will get to know if there are any new products or offer on display.

Soon after you search for a product they match you with qualified vendor. You can request for competitive quotes from vendors and suppliers and then you can make your informed choice based on these valuable information! There are millions of wholesalers and retailers across the globe, and they all compete with each other. Hence they usually lower their prices, give out freebies and do other promotions so that they can call the attention of the users just like you. Identify any bonuses and good deals when you register with directories.