UseCenter

The environment in which a person works can reveal a lot about both their personality and the people around them. Here we take a brief look at several office environments and the differences between them and the people that work there. Heavily cubicle-based offices are our first port of call. Generally one tends to think of the office that relies on cubicles to segregate its employees as an anti-social environment. However, this is not necessarily the case, as the need to socialize after prolonged periods of cubicle seclusion may become more prevalent in one than it otherwise might. Also, if you feel the need to work solidly and without distraction, then your own cubicle my just provide such a retreat. The serviced office environment can also provide many of the qualities as previously mentioned, as you have the social area which might be something like a canteen or gym if you’re lucky, and when the need for work arises, you can always retreat to the safety of your own office within the complex. A network of communication lines direct from your own office can also provide you with both social and labor-orientated stimuli. In this era of modern technology, it’s also possible to have what’s called a “virtual office” and/or even work from home. The term usually refers to the communication network of phones, fax and email, etc, that’s commonplace in most modern offices; but it can also refer to meetings and other office goings-on that can take place over these networks. For example, a conference call, be it via standard telephone or a video conference, allows multiple people to interface with each other over large distances as if they were in the same room together.

I hear it often, “advertising in the Yellow Pages directory doesn’t work!” I smile knowingly and wait for a pause in the conversation, and this is what I say in response to their claims…

“It’s not the medium – it’s the message…and it’s probable the market too!” Blank stares often accompany that opening statement. But they do work – and they work well… IF you know how to use them.

Think of This…

The Yellow Pages (YP) reaches approx 80% of North American adults in the average month, 60% in the average week, and 15% daily. And nearly 90% of these references result in contact with a purchase or an intent to purchase.

The YP is a reference medium – people are looking for ’something’, usually a solution to an immediate problem. And one out of every two people looking in the YP directory have no provider in mind and are silently begging for a solution to their problem.

Ok, here’s a quick summary – just in case you missed all that. The YP reaches almost everyone eventually, those who are actively looking in the YP directory have a problem and need a solution. And those looking likely have no supplier in mind…
Is it just me or doesn’t this sound like a gold mine waiting to be tapped? Given these useful tidbits, doesn’t it make sense to figure out how to make your adverts more effective?

First of All…

Don’t listen to the space sales rep – yup, I know. You’re thinking these guys know their stuff. Well they sure how to sell space, but designing a profitable advert? Uh, no. In fact their design teams (did I mention they offer their services for FREE as part of the ad space you buy?) generally create adverts that look like everyone else’s. Remember, you get what you pay for.

And you wonder why your previous attempts failed…

Here’s The Secret…

If I told you how to place a winning advert in the YP every time, would you want to know? Of course you would. Here’s the secret: simply design an assortment of YP ads and run them in your local weekly newspaper. Track the results and see which one works best – that’s the one you use in the upcoming YP directory. Easy when you know how.

What Format to Use?

Here’s another misconception. You don’t actually have to have colour, you don’t actually have to buy a full page and you certainly don’t have to apply the ‘rules’ that the YP rep might recommend. You do have to be the right size, the right colour and in the right place – it’s not simply a case of bigger, brighter, and more.

This might help you. Imagine the YP reader for a moment and you’ll start to see what your advert should be like. Your potential customer is out there somewhere closely scanning the pages looking for a solution to their problem. What would you want to know if you were in their shoes?

You’d Want Information!

Absolutely, you’d want to know about how they’re the right choice for you and that they understand your problem and that they can assure you of the service you require and oh look… there’s a website with more information or a toll free recorded message with more information, or a free report with more information…

Are you seeing a pattern yet?

The last thing a reader cares about at this point is YOU. They’re only interested in themselves. They have a problem and they want it gone. Make it easy for them to see why you’re the best choice and you’ll have them beating a steady path to your door.

Always Use A Headline…

Remember, the browser is looking for a solution so have a headline at the top of your advert that addressees their main concern. Here’s a suggestion for a headline that will catch the eye of a YP seeker – “7 Ways To Choose The Right Repair Shop” or “5 Questions You Must Ask When Picking The Perfect Mechanic” Isn’t that what they’re trying to do? Won’t your headline stop them dead in their tracks – of course it will.

In closing, there’s a lot more to YP advertising than I can cover in a page, and display advertising (of which YP is one part) is a fascinating subject all on it’s own.

AUTHOR BIO: James Burchill is a freelance marketing consultant and publisher. James helps people ‘Sell more stuff, and make more money!’ He also publishes informational and Internet products and his main website is http://www.JamesBurchill.com James’ newest product shares his insights into the exciting world of freelancing on Elance at http://www.ElanceExposed.com

When you think of your favorite hairstyle, does a certain celebrity come to mind? If you said “yes”, you’re one of millions of women and even men that find celebrity hair-styles the way to go. After all, they are the trendsetters. So, what’s their tips and secrets or is their locks just airbrushed perfect in those magazines? After much research, we’ve narrowed the list to 10 of the best tips and secrets available, both from celebrities and their stylists:

Celebrity hair styles Tip #1- For that over the top curl look, use a curling iron on parts of the hair and a waving iron on other parts. For the best straight look simply use a flattening iron, but apply a conditioning mist to the dry hair prior to using any heat; this eliminates frizz and static.

Celebrity hair styles Tip #2- To create highlights for curly hair; try putting in the color vertically; this helps define the curls. For straighter hair, paint the highlights on in a starburst fashion, across the entire surface of the hair. Keep highlights within two shades of your natural color.

Celebrity hair styles Tip #3- Use products specifically made for color treated hair when you have any type of highlights, lowlights or coloring on your hair. Always use a leave-in conditioner in the hair and use those that contain sunscreen.

Celebrity hair styles Tip #4- For frizz free curls and to combat those split ends, try sleeping on a satin pillow.

Celebrity hair styles Tip #5- If you suffer from dandruff, try using two ground-up aspirins in your shampoo once every week. Most dandruff shampoos can strip away color from color-treated hair; this great tip doesn’t do that at all.

Celebrity hair styles Tip #6- Avoid brushing your hair, instead use a wide-tooth-comb or your fingers.

Celebrity hair styles Tip #7- Use one tablespoon of baking soda mixed with two tablespoons of shampoo to clarify your hair; but only once a week. Otherwise, you may strip the hair completely of natural oils.

Celebrity hair styles Tip #8- Avoid blow dryers if possible, towel dry your hair until all the moisture is out. Then allow it to air dry the rest of the way.

Celebrity hair styles Tip #9- Apply a leave-in conditioner prior to going to sleep; then wash out in the morning.

Celebrity hair styles Tip #10- After washing, apply conditioner, then rinse well with warm water; then apply a cold water rinse from roots to ends. This will add shine to your hair.

J. Williams writes a free hairstyles tips and tricks newsletter. Sign up today!

Now that Bahadur Sherchan has successfully scaled the tallest mountain in the world, he is once again ready to focus on his family. With the Chinese preparing for the impending summer Olympic Games, Andrew Brash noted that the government’s actions hardly reflected the Olympic spirit. Hall was frostbitten and severely disoriented due to altitude sickness. Min Bahadur Sherchan returned a hero to Calgarians. They basically coerced the Nepali government to not allow any climbers past camp two on the Nepali side. Min Bahadur Sherchan returned this week from Nepal after successfully climbing to the summit of Chomolungma or Mount Everest. As he planned for the climb, Sherchan told reporters he wanted to inspire fellow senior citizens. He also said many Nepalese have established records on Chomolungma, so it was only fitting that the record for the oldest climber to reach the summit should also belong to a Nepali. More than 3026 people have climbed to the summit since it was first conquered in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary, who died in January, and Nepal’s Tenzing Norgay.

“The Chinese weren’t allowing anybody on the Mount Everest. They ended up commandeering it for themselves, even though Mt Everest is shared by two countries. The 75-year-old man from Nepal is now the oldest person to have reached the top of Everest. This year climber Anthony Loeff is reporting the scales for Mount Everest after he reached the summit of earlier this season.

“Mt Everest this year became a political pawn,” he said with some frustration.

Nevertheless, the decision to actualize a long-time personal goal left Bahadur Sherchan with some internal uncertainties, he cited the political actions of China and Nepal as providing the greatest adversity he faced on his journey. Further, he was all too aware of the potential dangers Chomolungma could bring. Certain parts of the climb are more dangerous than others and it is important for climbers to remain focused Andrew Brash last attempt resulted in the rescue of Lincoln Hall, an Australian climber who was left by his team in the “death zone.”

They flexed their muscles this year all the in name of the Olympic spirit, but it was hardly spirited at all.”

Nepalese climber, 77, oldest person to conquer the summit of Chomolungma or Mount Everest His first found him within 162 metres of the peak when his team stopped to help a fellow mountaineer who was left for dead. One year later, Bahadur Sherchan, a University of Calgary alumni, returned to Everest to finish what he had started.

Bahadur Sherchan and four climbing guides reached the 29,035-foot (8,850-meters) summit of the world’s highest mountain early Sunday, said Ramesh Chretri, an official with Nepal’s ministry of tourism.

The Chinese were flying their airplanes over the Mount Everest and had Chinese officials in Kathmandu. Sherchan just 21 days away from his 77th birthday beat the age record set last year by 71-year-old Japanese teacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa.

Do you want any of the following?

 Get the best in payroll processing for less.
 Deflect unwanted and unwarranted government interference.
 Protection from check fraud artists who could/would raid your bank account.
 Take advantage of Tax Credits that you may not even know exist.
 Upgrade privacy for you and your employees.
 Take a vacation
 Call on payroll tax experts at no charge.
 Save time.
 Save money.

A payroll-outsource company is constantly upgrading and improving their ability to provide the best service for you. They upgrade their software and systems on a regular basis. They of course have to keep up with the changes in the law of all 15,000 plus payroll-taxing entities as they happen. A payroll outsourcing company must be able to print out any updated form as needed or they will have to do it by hand. This is a chore they do not want to undertake with many clients to complete them for.

Occasionally everyone misses a deposit or filing deadline, forgets a form or otherwise makes a mistake that results in a penalty that YOU have to spend a great deal of time resolving and usually end up paying the penalty anyway. Outsource payroll companies greatly minimize the chance that your company will pay any penalties or interest due to missed deposits, late filings, bad calculations or other clerical and computational errors of your payroll taxes. If a payroll outsourcing company makes a mistake, THEY are responsible for the research and costs. They have much more practice in doing this kind of work and make very few mistakes; otherwise, they do not last very long in the business. A good outsource payroll company should deposit your payroll taxes and file all your payroll tax reports – on time, every time. After all, they are not processing taxes for just one company; they are filing for hundreds of companies.

When you use a payroll company to process your payroll, you reduce the number of checks that you write substantially. This not only lowers your accounting costs by reducing the size and complexity of your bank reconciliation; it can also reduce your banking fees. It reduces the checks that can fall in to the hands of check fraud specialists. Check fraud is the largest dollar value crime in the country year after year. The Nilson Report indicates that check fraud exceeds $20 billion dollars a year and the American Bankers Association recently stated that check fraud losses are growing by 25% per year. Payroll processing companies hire specialists to consult about reducing fraud. A good outsourcing company should be able to discuss numerous devices that they use to protect themselves and their clients from fraud.

Tax credits for your employees: The Federal government and many states have set up a large variety of tax credits depending on the employees you hire. This can range from a few hundred to over $8,000.00 per employee. In the convenience store industry the average nationwide is that 20% of employees qualify for one or more of these credits when hired. These are normally direct credits, not deductions, against your federal or state tax payments. If you are not taking advantage of this you should be. A competent payroll outsource company should be able to set you up in a few days and get you started in receiving these tax benefits. In the tax credit industry you should only pay on success. If you do not accrue credits you should not have to pay. Normally you only pay a portion of the credits you earn, making this a no-lose proposition as long as you have a profitable business in which to use the credits.

By outsourcing your payroll with a paperless payroll system you increase your privacy immensely. The only information available is password protected in your computer. If you need to print anything, you print only what you need and destroy it when you are done. No reams of paper, stacks of books, and files for unwelcome eyes to pry through. No huge stack of files to maintain for the government if they decided they want to look at the last four, five or whatever years of payroll.

Technology is now making payroll easier to enter. In the last few years Internet interfaces have been perfected. These let you enter and review your payroll from any Internet connect computer around the world. It is now possible to review, tweak and submit your payroll from the beach in Hawaii or anywhere else! Timekeeping technology is in the same overhaul. Many companies collect time only through electronic means now. This can mean a seamless movement of pay information from the store to the employee bank account without a piece of paper being generated.

A truly professional payroll outsource provider will have CPAs on staff that you can consult with. When you have a complex or unique question about payroll you don’t want a clerk you want a professional. When the IRS sends a notice you don’t want to be told by your payroll provider to talk to your CPA, if he were up to date on payroll, he would be doing it. A CPA at a payroll company deals with the tax aspects of payroll on a daily basis. He should be able to address your concerns and questions and help keep you out of trouble with the IRS.

There are many other issues that can affect your decision to outsource payroll that can be discussed with a payroll provider. Ask about Direct Deposit, Stored Value Debit Pay cards for the unbanked, custom reporting for management purposes, HR compliance issues, pay as you go workers compensation, delivery cost savings, reducing unemployment taxation, child support garnishments, cafeteria plans under Section 125, 401(k)’s and more. All the options above add up to substantial saving of your time as a business manager and will save the business a lot of money as well.

Charles J. Read, CPA has been in the payroll, accounting and tax business for 30 years, the last fifteen in private practice. Mr. Read is the author of “How to Start a New Business.”

To find professional payroll service at a budget price go to www.PayrollonaBudget.com a paperless payroll company.

For a full service payroll bureau with CPA’s on staff visit www.CustomPayroll.com .

See an excerpt of Mr. Read’s interviews from William Shatners “Heartbeat of America” television show on the web sites linked above.