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Service Franchises and Nationwide Credit Card Processing in the Field in Real Time; case study
Large service company franchise systems are a lot to manage. Luckily with many franchise owners they work much more efficient than straight managers because it is their money on the line and they know it. Franchise services companies which clean carpets, pave driveways, clean mini blinds, change oil in cars or even groom dogs need nationwide systems for customer credit card approvals, as well as gift cards and perhaps even loyalty credit cards too. With such system it is indeed important to have Universal Credit Card Approval. How so you ask?Well for instance what about a Nationwide franchise credit card processing software program? Your franchisees can log on (secured) and enter the customer’s credit card and charge it appropriately, via wireless device and it would go into the Intranet System and would be able to take the company credit loyalty cards too.Franchisees often have companies call them and tell them that they have software they can install on their computer to accept credit cards and have it processed immediately. And rather than allow all the franchisees with different systems, it is better to implement a nationwide system to leave you more options.It is best for nationwide or fast growing regional franchise companies to do this over their websites thru an intranet system? Many franchise service company franchisees have customers who allow their credit cards to be on file and charge them when service is rendered. This is much better for the franchisees than them having to wait 180 days to finally get a check in the mail.Franchisors who implement such a system can take their royalties out upfront as a percentage and allow their franchisees more immediate cash flow and thus more monies available for expansion of their franchises and thus further extension of brand name, so think on

ponsibilities increase, this has become a critical element in public sector leadership development programs.

Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

360-degree survey tools provide feedback enabling leaders to realize strengths and areas for development based on their own and other’s perceptions. Typically such feedback comes from the participant’s direct supervisor, direct reports, and peers. Today, such processes can easily be facilitated on-line and feedback reports are comprehensive and detailed. Numerous vendors can now customize survey tools to reflect your organization’s competency model (see Tip One above).

The feedback process, however, is only the start of the development process. It is recommended that the feedback be delivered in conjunction with opportunities for one-on-one coaching, as many participants find the feedback difficult to translate into everyday behaviors. A trained coach can assist the participant in making sense of the data. In addition, the participant should be expected to develop their own individual development plan that addresses competencies that are highlights in the feedback report. The individual development plan, once endorsed by the participant’s direct supervisor, should then become the blueprint for the participant’s leade

The Secrets To Successfully Starting Your Own Business
The Dream is, and always will be, to come up with an idea, start a business and become rich from your own efforts. Based upon this motivation, thousands of businesses fail each year, due primarily to not being familiar with the basics involved in running a business.This report will enlighten you, and give you a number of suggestions you can use to better guarantee your chances for success. This report is written with the warning that any and every business venture contains certain inherent risks, and any number of alternatives. We do not espouse that any one way is the right way or that our suggestions are the only way. On the contrary, we advise that before investing any money in a business venture you seek counselling and help from a qualified accountant and/or attorney.Just about the first thing you should consider before deciding to start or purchase a business is the legal form you’ll be operating under. There are basically four choices: sole proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, and/or corporation.Each has a number of advantages and disadvantages. We’ll try to enumerate some of them for you.As much as anything else, for many people, starting a business is a form of ego-gratification, and they form a corporation for some sort of prestige gain - just to say, “I own a corporation.” With just a little bit of observation, you’ll find that one of the major causes of business failures is due to the founder wasting start-up capital on frills, such as an impressive store-front office, expensive furnishings, and corporate legal costs. One of the basic traits you must develop if you’re going to be successful in business is a tight hold on your expenditures.In fact, a good rule of thumb is that any thing that does not make money for you or protects your investment should n

The most recent edition of Public Personnel Management, Winter 2004, focused solely on one of the hottest issues facing today’s public sector human resource professionals: workforce and succession planning. During the 2004 IPMA-HR International Training Conference, numerous sessions focused on the growing need to implement workforce and succession planning systems in order to address the mass exodus of workers that is anticipated in the next five to ten years. In both Public Personnel Management and at the conference, the issue of leadership development was cited as a primary tool for preparing the workforce for the future.

Numerous agencies are incorporating leadership development as an element of their workforce planning efforts. Notable leadership development programs that have been documented include those implemented in San Diego County, CA; Henrico County, VA; Hennepin County, MN; City of Las Vegas, NV; City of Phoenix, AZ; and City of San Jose, CA. In my observation, many of the best practice elements in public sector leadership development are consistent between agencies. The purpose of this article is to share ten practices that appear to be common threads among agencies that are developing leaders internally to fill anticipated vacancies in the future.

The following tips are provided as guidance to public sector organizations that may be interested in developing their own leadership development programs.

Tip One: Base the program on a competency model.

Before any training or development activities can take place, it is critical to identify the skills and competencies that will be developed as a result of the effort. As discussed in the Public Personnel Journal, Winter 2004, Henrico County developed 20 core leadership competencies including communication, critical thinking and decision making, organizational astuteness, and personal integrity. These competencies provided the framework for their development efforts. Other agencies, including the County of San Diego base their leadership academy on the same model as the multi-rater, 360-feedback tool that is used in the program.

Whether your organization has an established competency model that is used throughout your human resource programming or not, it is critical to spend some time defining the skills that leadership program participants are expected to develop. For example, the City of San Jose conducted a survey of top managers, followed by round-table discussions to determine the competencies to be developed in their leadership program called The Art and Practice of Leadership.

Tip Two: Allow participants to self-select.

Each agency must determine for itself the best method for selecting leadership development program participants. Factors including collective bargaining influences, time, and the intended target audience may impact the process you use to identify participants. Some organizations are targeting potential future executives only while others are offering leadership development opportunities organization-wide.

In my experience, the highest levels of success in terms of participant commitment result from a competitive process where interested participants apply to be involved. By self-selecting, rather than by being appointed, participants are more likely to clarify their purpose for wanting to take part in the program. When participants are mandated to attend a leadership development program, they are often reluctant to commit the time and energy into their development, and oftentimes, they do not fully understand why they are being asked to participate.

The selection process you choose will depend upon the target audience for the program (entire workforce vs. middle managers). You may choose to use a written application, manager nomination, personal interviews, assessment centers, or other means by which participants compete for entrance into the program. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that participants have a choice in whether or not they participate in your leadership development efforts.

Tip Three: Involve executives and elected officials in the development and implementation of the program.

It has been said in numerous articles about employee and leadership development that without the full support and involvement from the executive leadership team, the program will fail. Top management must be involved in the development of the curriculum, the selection of the attendees, and in the presentation of the program. Their support is critical for the success and long-term viability of any leadership development program.

Likewise, many agencies are finding that involvement by an elected official can also supplement the curriculum of a public sector leadership development program. For example, the City of Las Vegas invited a councilmember and the City of San Jose invited the Mayor to address their recent leadership academy programs. The official in each case addressed the class of leaders for up to one hour. They were asked to give their expectations for public sector leaders, and program participants were allowed to ask questions. The dialogue created in these forums allowed the organization’s future leaders to see the organization through the eyes of an elected official. A facilitated conversation that followed the presentation encouraged the participants to identify meaningful “take-aways” from the elected official’s comments. Because program participants have not likely interfaced extensively with an elected official, but will likely be expected to as their leadership responsibilities increase, this has become a critical element in public sector leadership development programs.

Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

I Want to Start A Truck Wash Business
For those people who have been in the trucking industry and know that truck washes make a lot of money and a lot of that money is made in cash, they may have considered starting a truck wash. Many truck drivers have thought to themselves while watching the truck wash clean their Rig that they are making the a lot of money.Also the trucker has also thought of all the hours they spend behind the wheel of the big rig and how little they really have to show for it. Many people want to start a truck wash but do not realize how difficult it is for how to go about it.The most important thing in the truck wash business is to be by a major interstate and it pays to be next to a truck stop. Putting up a large steel building is not so difficult and the equipment such as a pressure washer is not all that expensive. Even the reclaim pit or clarifier generally only cost about $30,000 and the reclaim the equipment another $30,000 on top of that.Putting a large concrete slab down to put the building on is not difficult. But when all is said and done if you want to start the truck wash business you need a good piece of property and then figure about $400,000 minimum to put up the building.If your quality is good and your prices are fair there will be trucks lined up at your truck wash during peak days and peak periods. The truck wash business is a good business provided there is not too much competition in the area and all the truckers know that you do a great job. Consider this in 2006.

heir own leadership development programs.

Tip One: Base the program on a competency model.

Tip Two: Allow participants to self-select.

Tip Three: Involve executives and elected officials in the development and implementation of the program.

Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

23 Secrets To Win More Tenders
When you think about it, sealing that deal is all about salesmanship using print. It is all about addressing the needs that your prospect wants to be fulfilled as well as proving you fulfill those needs in the most results-oriented ways. When preparing your tender document, these are 23 of the most important rules to follow.1. To find out their needs, always call them.When you phone your prospect, don’t just ask for a copy of the tender document or a list of specifications. You need to find out why they are calling for tenders, what is important to them and why they want to undertake the project. Have a conversation with them and get to know them a little better, to discover what they are all about.You would be surprised how much information you can find out — priceless information when going through the process of creating the tender.2. Follow the salesmanship formula that is already proven.Instead of just talking about being able to carry out the work, start by identifying their problem, or the core reason that they included that criterion. Then you can talk briefly about the downside of the problem. When you’ve done that, you can talk about the solution — how you’re really going to get their needs fulfilled.You need to include specifics about the mechanics behind the processes you use. Prove your claims by including case studies, results, guarantees and testimonials.3. Send them a pre-proposal letter.When you have made the initial telephone call finding out the facts, always send a quick note thanking them for their time. The letter should also say "thanks you for your information" and should include something that makes them feel good about what they want to have achieved. Finish off the letter by thanking them again and letting them know

bargaining influences, time, and the intended target audience may impact the process you use to identify participants. Some organizations are targeting potential future executives only while others are offering leadership development opportunities organization-wide.

Tip Three: Involve executives and elected officials in the development and implementation of the program.

Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

Curiosity and How It Effects Your Business Proposition
The first 15 seconds of your approach are the most important seconds of your entire sales presentation. You must instill curiosity in the mind of your prospect. It is a form of interest. As people, we are curious by nature. Curiosity wants to be informed. This state of mind is just where you want your prospect to be in at the beginning of your sales talk.The approach includes everything that takes place from the time the salesman meets the prospect until the salesman begins their first selling talk, or until the salesman enters the second phase of selling, which is interest.At this point the prospect has not been told much about your proposition. This is your chance to make them curious enough to want to know more.Curiosity can be aroused in a person in many ways.You walk into a department store to find people crowded around a table looking at something. Out of curiosity you go over to the table to see what they are looking at. It’s a new model of DVD player. If you’re interested in a new DVD player you will want to know all about how this one works. If it does everything you want in a DVD player this may stimulate the desire in you to want to own it, thereby, leading you to make the decision to take the necessary actions to buy it.Your potential customer is no different than you in this regard.Or you see someone looking down the street. Out of curiosity you began looking down the street too to see just what has captured their attention.A stranger comes up to you on a sidewalk. Two questions immediately come to mind. “Who is he?” “What does he want?”A salesman telephones the manager of a store and tells them they have a brand new product that is being introduced in the area. Of course the details are far too many to go over on the telephone, so the sales

has been said in numerous articles about employee and leadership development that without the full support and involvement from the executive leadership team, the program will fail. Top management must be involved in the development of the curriculum, the selection of the attendees, and in the presentation of the program. Their support is critical for the success and long-term viability of any leadership development program.

Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

Growing Our Own Entrepreneurs: A New Model for Black Entrepreneurship
Given the effect of business ownership on the Black community and the widening wealth gap between Black and White Americans, it’s time to invest in our future and prepare our youth for careers as entrepreneurs. This article discusses the need for and lessons learned from youth entrepreneurship education for Black youth.Middle and high school Black students, especially those who find themselves struggling academically, too often complain that school seems irrelevant to both their present and future lives. The lack of understanding these students have about the workings of the market—and their place in it—systematically denies them opportunities for pursuing their dreams. Consequently, without dreams to pursue, many Black youth have little reason to invest in education and their own development.Previous research has revealed that Black youth have the highest entrepreneurial expectations amongst Asian, Hispanic and White youth. However, research also shows that Black youth do not have access to enough entrepreneurial programs to convert their desire into achievement. Thus, there is need to create more entrepreneurial programs for Black youth with relevant vision, goals and objectives.A 1999 study by the Office of Advocacy in the U.S. Small Business Administration estimates that between 1987 and 1997, the number of minority-owned businesses more than doubled. The revenues and number of employees nearly quadrupled.Much of this growth, however, came from recently arrived Asian and Hispanic immigrants. Moreover, Asians produced more than half of the half billion dollars in revenue minority businesses generated in 1997.To help counter this trend, youth entrepreneurial programs have sprung up that train youth in Black communities. Here are some examples:* The National Foundation for Teachi

ponsibilities increase, this has become a critical element in public sector leadership development programs.

Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

Because the feedback process can be so powerful, it is recommended that any leadership development program begin with this element, as it will provide the direction that each participant will need as they pursue the program. With their feedback, the participant can customize their leadership development experiences to address the identified needs. Because of this flexibility, 360-feedback is a highly recommended and popular tool.

Tip Five: Implement action learning through project teams.

Another popular tool for enhancing the leadership skills within public organizations is the use of action learning. Action learning is a typical educational approach where participants learn by addressing issues that are unique to their own organization and/or community. The format involves a continuous process of learning and reflection, built around learning groups of colleagues, more often with the aim of getting work-related initiatives accomplished.

The City of San Jose is using action learning as part of their new leadership development effort. The program participants are divided into six, functionally-diverse teams. Each team is assigned one of the city’s corporate priorities which include:

• Performance-driven government
• Support for effective council policy-making
• Effective use of technology
• Customer service
• City as an employer of choice
• Neighborhood-focused service delivery

Teams are guided by team sponsors, who are all members of the City’s executive team. Over a period of six months each team is expected to identify a City issue or project that needs attention. The teams research the issue, benchmark approaches with other jurisdictions, propose solutions the City could consider, develop a formal written report, and make a formal presentation in the City Council chambers as part of their program conclusion. The City Manager and other top executives will receive their presentations and provide feedback to each team. Whenever possible, the team will be given the authority to implement or participate in the implementation of their recommendations which may have citywide or regional implications. As a result, the participants are able to practice their communication and team skills as part of the process, receive feedback on their report writing skills, and practice making presentations in a forum that is new to many of them. They also have the opportunity to showcase their skills related to issues that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to explore.

Tip Six: Use internal and external resources.

As mentioned in Tip Two above, it is important to make full use of your organization’s executive leadership team sessions that directly relate to the organization’s strategic plan, culture, and expectations. However, other concepts may be better presented by individuals outside of the organization, who provide an outside or neutral perspective. You may also find that your organization does not have the capacity or expertise to address all the competencies included in your model. A balance of internal and external presenters provides participants with the opportunity to compare and contrast the agency’s approach with practices and methods used outside of the organization.

Tip Seven: Maximize internal publicity.

In every case, leadership development program participants dedicate a great amount of time and energy to these kinds of programs. Not only is it a commitment of the participant’s time, it is a commitment of their manager and staff’s time that cover for the participant when they are attending program activities. You can communicate the goals and outcomes of the program and recognize the importance of the effort by using internal communicating tools like email, newsletters and Intranet postings. Everyone who is touched by the program should understand its importance to the organization’s goals.

Prior to the start of the program, formally introduce the participants to the organization and encourage each organizational member to support them. After the program, each graduate should be recognized using the same communication tools (email, newsletters, Intranet, etc.) and their managers and staffs should be thanked for supporting them. Internal publicity can help garner support and enthusiasm for the program and its goals.

Tip Eight: Continuously adjust.

The first version of any comprehensive program like this is rarely perfect. It is important to continually modify the program based on the feedback received not only from the participants, but from their managers as well. By continually improving the program, it will meet the needs of the organization, even as the organization changes. In every leadership development program I have developed and managed, the agenda and curriculum is modified during the program and after graduation to reflect the changing needs of the participants and the organization. It is critical to be flexible and to listen to the program participants and their managers in order to ensure the program continuously improves and maintains its credibility and relevance.

Tip Nine: Celebrate the achievement.

A learning opportunity such as a leadership academy or leadership development program requires a commitment of time and resources, not only on the part of the coordinators, but on the part of management and the participants. A graduation or other public celebration is critical to recognize the achievements of all the parties involved. The graduation does not need to be

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Mlm-ers who are working impossible mlm programs are like smokers, though they know the inherent danger in smoking, quitting is difficult. Like pools baiters they keep looking forward to the big money, while investing time and money all the time. Having said that, the success or otherwise of any MLM or Network Marketing program depends on those promoting it, and the amount of honest work and commitment put in by the multitude of down lines, honestly supported by their sponsors, to attain the promised success .

You want to be interviewed and need to know how to be newsworthy and how to hit the PR Jackpot. Here are some top tips from a PR expert on how to get noticed in the press.

Public speaking article on how to design PowerPoint slides that are powerful and persuasive. It's easier than you think! Even if you're presenting technical material. Discover the 3 rules for PowerPoint slides as well as the cardinal rule in public speaking.

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