For An Alternative Rush

If you’re a ’smart cookie’ you advertise, you market, you engage the services of professionals to assist in the sale of products and services… But who sells your business to prospective employees?

Now that’s a tough one! And it’s not something that too many people think about. Recruiting new employees in most industries is done on an ‘as needed’ basis and therein lies the problem - no future planning, and no ’selling’ consideration.

The opener to my column this month raises the point that you likely spend time and resources trying to capture new clients. You make sure that you can (to the best of your ability) service them in a way that corresponds to your sales promise.

— What do you ‘promise’ your future employees?

Your sales promise is one of the principle reasons why customers bring their business to you. And so long as your internal reality (the way you perform and deliver on that promise) matches your external reality (the way in which you are perceived) you can expect success.

But again, how do you market and sell to the second most important people in your company - your staff? And don’t think for a moment that once you’ve got them they’re going to simply stick around… Do your customers just stay?

You’ve got to resell and recommit them to you and your business. Just like customers who get up one day and leave, never to return, so do employees. They’re people just like you and I and things change. Life is constantly in flux and evolving and as a species we are adapting.

— Nothing happens until someone sells something…in this case it’s you!

Now without getting too ‘deep’, simply think of it this way, you sell to employees - they buy your money and sell you their time. Alternatively your Clients (or customers) buy your services (provided by your employees) and pay you money. Without a steady and constant stream of buying and selling transactions - you have no business!

Okay, so now that I’ve established that we need to sell ourselves (or at least our businesses) to prospective employees, so that we have a stream of available resources as we need them, the question becomes how?

Ironically, you can approach the process of selling your company as ‘the’ place to work in the same fashion that you advertise your business as ‘the’ place for customers to bring their vehicles: you simply advertise.

— But this time it’s different:

• The market is not the same because the people who will buy your ‘job offer’ are not the same as the people who would buy your vehicle repair services.
• The advertising mediums will likely overlap a little, but just like a certain bait only works for certain fish, this too will cause things to change. Serious enquirers will likely want quality information so expect to create brochures and other sales pieces tailored to their needs.
• And the message will most definitely be different. TIP - Position yourself a ‘leading local business’ that’s offering a ‘unique opportunity’ not a job.

— Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise!

As I suggested, serious enquirers will likely want more information. I’d recommend at least a good employment brochure - a standard tri-fold will suffice. You’ll need to talk about the opportunity, explain their benefits, your history and a host of other proven topics.

The content, design and structure of a typical employment brochure is beyond the scope of this article, however if you’d like a template and more information feel free to visit my website and drop me line (I’ve got one kicking around somewhere…)

Once you’ve created your employee brochure make sure it’s placed on your counter, make it available to potential candidates via email, direct mail and ‘take one’ displays.

Encourage your staff to suggest referrals. You can use display advertising but again, you’ll need to do things a little differently than perhaps your used to. Either way, there are plenty of good resources that can show you how to target market future employees.

In conclusion, don’t treat marketing to your employees as an after thought: your future depends on it. And remember, even once they’re on board, you’ve got to give them reasons to stay - and it will need to include more than just money based incentives.

Happy hunting!

Author: http://www.JamesBurchill.com - James is a freelance writer and consultant

Timing is everything - at least that’s what most folks would have us believe. But the reality of the situation is that it is often impossible to time financial moves to correspond with the financial markets.

With that said, it is important to look at refinancing as a tool to help you reach your financial goals. Consider your mortgage an investment vehicle, much like your 401K savings plan, college savings or other investment account that you have.

Consequently, it is more important to focus on when to refinance in order to meet specific financial goals, not just what the interest rates are at the time.

For instance, perhaps you are only a few years away from retiring but you’ve spotted your dream home in an area that you plan on moving to once you’re done punching the clock. If your home has appreciated significantly over the past few years, considering cashing out the equity in your home now to lock in today’s rates, and use the cash to purchase your new home. That way, when you sell your home here and finally do retire, you could payoff your mortgage entirely and have no payment!

You might have children heading off to college in the near future. Consider taking the equity from your home today to pay for college tomorrow. This will also give you a chance to write off the interest when Junior goes to Harvard, which is more than we can say for student loans.

Finally, many astute investors are purchasing investment properties since real estate has proven to be a wise investment over the years. Tap your existing home to make the down payment, thus assuring positive cash flow on the rental property at a lower interest rate than if your financing an investment property.

While there are countless other scenarios, the important part is to recognize that your mortgage is an integral part of your overall financial goals and should be treated as such. Similarly, your mortgage lender should act like a financial advisor in these situations and lead you in the right direction to ensure financial success. Not just today, but tomorrow too.

To view our list of recommended mortgage refinance companies online, visit this
page: Recommended
Mortgage Refinance Companies Online.

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

10 Steps To A Safe, Smooth Running PC By Michael A Silva

These ten steps will help you increase your computer’s security. From discovering viruses to learning how to avoid them, this article is a must read!

Windows password This is the easiest way to make sure you know who is using your pc. Choose a lengthy password that contains capital and lower case letters. Including a number or two will greatly increase your security. Having a Windows password means that the only people that can log onto a Windows session are people that you have granted access to.

Password manager You should never write your passwords down. Using the same password all the time will also make it very easy for hackers to reach your personal information. So if you can’t write it down and you’re not
supposed to use the same one - how are you supposed to keep track of all of your passwords? The easiest way to do this is to use a password manager. We prefer to use Roboform. Roboform is an easy to use password and profile manager that docks neatly into your Internet Explorer toolbar and keeps track of all of your passwords for you. Roboform also uses a master password system. You will have one password that accesses all of the passwords in the program. This way you can keep all of your information safe and secure. You can download Roboform for free by http://www.roboform.com.

Spyware Remover Next to spam, spyware is the internet’s biggest annoyance. By definition, spyware is “any software that covertly gathers user information through the user’s Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Once installed, the spyware
monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.” The amount of spyware that exists on your pc is dependent on the amount of internet surfing you do. A good rule of thumb here is to scan for spyware once per week or whenever poor system performance surfaces. If you don’t have a spyware scanner, we recommend http://www.webroot.com.

Antivirus This should go without saying, but if your computer is connected to the internet you need antivirus software. With weekly scans and program updates you should be protected from most threats. For added protection, we
recommend using more than one anvtivirus scanner.

Firewall A firewall will keep unwanted visitors out of your computer. You can obtain a firewall either by using software application like ZoneAlarm or Black Ice Defender, or by using a router with your internet connection. For more information on routers plese visit http://www.Linksys.com.

File sharing Basically, file sharing programs are the single biggest security risk you will come across. This is because the only facts you have about the files you are downloading are the file name and the file size. It is quite simple to change a filename to dupe someone into downloading a virus or other malware like keystroke recorders. Our advice - stay away from file sharing at all costs. If you need to use it, make sure you have updated antivirus software installed and running.

Research In a sentence - know what’s out there. http://www.Symantec.com has a section on their website that will serve you well. Knowing what types of viruses exist and how to avoid them will make you a much smarter internet user.

Email protection Most of the antivirus applications available offer email scanning. If yours does not, you will want to get one that does. Email scanning will make sure all of your incoming and outgoing emails are safe for both you and the recipient. Email viruses spread very quickly by using your address book to propagate. Never read email from people you don’t know and always make sure your email scanner is active.

Network security Another way that viruses spread is through computer networks. We have a few quick tips to keep your network safe. Always scan any files that come in from other computers. Even if it’s a file you have brought from home. Never allow a file to be placed on your network until it
has been scanned. The main server should be the only computer with file sharing enabled. By not allowing computer users to transmit files, you can quickly neutralize a threat.

Maintenance Performing weekly virus and spyware scans will go a long way to keeping your computer safe. Defragmenting weekly will also greatly improve performance. If you put in the effort, you will be rewarded with a safe and smooth running pc. Not to mention less headaches!

By following these ten guide lines, you will greatly improve the performance of your computer. You will also generate peace of mind as you gain a new sense of security.

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For more information on affordable hosting packages, website builder software, dedicated and shared server packages, website design and promotion services and specialized fund raising and campaign websites please visit us at http://www.ipowereurope.com

Michael Silva has been conducting business on the Internet for the past 9 years and has extensive knowledge in the areas of marketing, promotion, training and affiliate programs.

CEO Bonnie Copeland left the Baltimore schools on July 1, 2006. She had been with them for three years, which is a norm for an urban school superintendent. Her leaving, however, was not of her own choosing.

The Baltimore schools board felt she had a low-key management style and did was not a strong enough leader to make the changes needed to reform the Baltimore schools. Their reasoning appears to have been a bit flawed.

During her tenure with the Baltimore schools, Copeland managed a financial and management turnaround that was recognized by major rating agencies and school systems nationwide, and eliminated 1,100 positions even though her predecessor, Carmen Russo had left the school system in a mess. Test scores were on the rise, and she received high marks for her significant progress in the Baltimore schools from the GBC, a regional top business advocacy group. This came in 2003, after the group’s financial review of the Baltimore schools.

Copeland was not without her enemies, however. The Greater Baltimore Committee, entrenched in bureaucracy and complacency, was not a supporter of Copeland, and they still rule the Baltimore schools. Additionally, politicians, who wished to damage Mayor Martin O’Malley, saw the troubled Baltimore schools as the perfect instrument. A political battle between the mayor, Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan, and Governor Robert Ehrlick ensued, with Copeland unfairly caught in the middle.

The Baltimore schools board became involved with Copeland and her staff’s day-to-day operations, making her job impossible to execute. This type of interference will hinder the next CEO as well, unless the Baltimore schools board comes to its senses.

Copeland took over under terrible circumstances that would have crippled a lesser CEO, yet she did much to improve the Baltimore schools. She was the fifth CEO since 1997. The Baltimore schools track record with their CEOs is not a good one.

The community is frustrated over Copeland’s leaving. She did much to connect business people and companies with the Baltimore schools, and they fear these connections will be reversed. Parents are concerned for their children’s future educational prospects.

Loss of a serious reformer for the Baltimore schools makes it difficult for the community to be optimistic for the future. The middle schools and the special education program are still in trouble, too many children are dropping out or unprepared to enter the workplace or college, and progress is sure to slow down now that Copeland has left. It appears that reform will remain elusive until the board and opponents give a good CEO the opportunity to do his or her job.

This information on Baltimore schools is brought to you by www.schoolsk-12.com.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on Baltimore schools visit www.schoolsk-12.com/Maryland/Baltimore/index.html