You don’t have to be running your own business for very long to find out that customers are different when it comes to what they expect out of a cleaning service. There are those customers who want the best, no matter what the cost. On the other end of the spectrum are price conscious customers who are more concerned with how their cleaning expenses fit into their overall budget than anything else. Marketing to these two distinctly different groups can indeed be a challenge.

What are the differences between the “budget conscious” and the “quality minded” customers? There are always individuals who will make their final decision based on price. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that these are not good customers for your cleaning business. With the budget minded there are special issues to consider:

1. For the budget minded, regular carpet maintenance will not be high on their list of priorities.

2. They will probably only become concerned about the “soiled” look of their carpet and ask for cleaning before a special event or occasion.

3. When they finally decide the carpets need cleaning, they will want the “biggest bang for the buck”.

4. The budget minded are also not likely to ask for special services, such as carpet spotting, floor stripping and waxing, and window washing.

5. Overall, these customers are willing to have fewer cleaning services provided and deal with some inconvenience in exchange for a lower price.

Quality minded customers have a different view because they value high standards, professionalism and great service.

1. The quality minded customer believes in the value of building maintenance and the results that are achieved with a contractor who provides quality service.

2. They are willing to pay to avoid inconvenience. 3. Poor service is a big irritation to the quality minded customer.

4. They will want carpets cleaned on a regular schedule and not allowed to become so soiled that they are an embarrassment to employees, customers and visitors.

Marketing to these two distinct groups means tailoring your materials to match what they are looking for in a cleaning service. The budget minded customer has let things go for so long that they will be in a rush to find someone to do the job. They may not take time to get referrals and will search traditional advertising sources such as phone books, newspaper ads, and direct marketing materials. In addition, they are always looking for specials or discounts.

The budget minded customer’s first question is likely to be “How much do you charge?” As they tend to wait until the situation is critical, they may also be looking for fast service. Penny-pinching customers are also likely to ask for outrageous guarantees and try to get you to lower your price. The “budget conscious” are also more likely to complain about the smallest details even though they want everything done quickly and cheaply.

Quality customers will be using a professional cleaning service regularly. If they become unhappy with their current cleaning service they will ask for referrals from friends and colleagues. They are not motivated by specials or discounts. If your cleaning company does not offer the specific services they are looking for, they may quickly remove your cleaning service from consideration.

Customers who are looking for quality will want a company that has a high degree of professionalism and takes pride in its work. They don’t want any surprises when it comes to getting their building cleaned. This customer is looking for an expert and is relying on your judgment, knowledge and skills to handle their cleaning needs. They trust that you are recommending and providing what they need and not promoting services that are not needed. The quality minded customer wants a long-term relationship and wants to avoid going through that long search process of finding a cleaner that suits their needs.

It often takes a referral from a happy customer to get you in the door of someone looking for quality. When you do “get in the door” make sure that you have quality printed marketing materials. Know your business and be proud to “toot” your own horn.

As you are marketing your cleaning business keep in mind these two distinct customer types. Remember, the budget conscious customer is looking for specials and package deals. Effective marketing tools for “economy” customers will involve using direct mail, newspaper ads and door hangers. The customer who is seeking quality will most likely ignore these marketing strategies and be searching for a reliable and knowledgeable cleaner that has a solid reputation in the community. Remembering that there are two types of clients can help you market your cleaning business more effectively.

Promoting a band is very difficult. Apart from the quality of composed songs and music, the view of the listeners affects a lot. If the listeners do not like the bands performance, then it is impossible to succeed. Iphone has introduced a great application in the hand sets- Riff Raters. In this iphone app people can record their composed music and share it with thousands of other users. Amateur guitar often record their guitar riffs and share them with other iphone users. If the guitar riffs are fine enough, then it gets high rank in the list. High ranked top guitar riffs or songs are liked by almost all people, the band also gets well known with this.

This iphone app is very effective. People can check whether their music is liked by others. If they succeed in this music iphone app world, then they get the confidence of performing on stage. Many people have succeeded using this method. People can check their talent easily by using this app. Composing cool guitar riffs is the result of hard practice and imagination. Without hard practice it is impossible to win the heart of the audience. And if people by any chance dislike a band or singer, then it is hard as well as impossible to proceed further. All these things are related and technology is the thing that links instruments, musicians and the audience.

Cool guitar riffs are always melodious and good to hear, no matter how distorted the music is. Great guitarists have emerged so far, the riffs played by them are still liked by people. Many young people of today have mastered the art of playing guitar and some of them have gained enormous fame. Mastering the art of playing guitar is not easy as it looks while the guitarists play, it is tough and people have to practice extremely hard to learn it.

If you are eager to start your own band with other members, then before going for a stage show suddenly, practice hard and test your band’s talent using the music iphone app. It will surely help you, as it did to other successful musicians.

]]> http://www.moreaf.com/?feed=rss2&p=1954 http://www.moreaf.com/?p=1953 http://www.moreaf.com/?p=1953#comments Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:48:00 +0000 admin http://www.moreaf.com/?p=1953 Labor is likely to get its way on a Senate investigation into the roles Malcolm Turnbull and his upper house lieutenant Eric Abetz played in the OzCar affair.

But in doing so the government may have to concede to an investigation of one of its own ministers as well.

The government is keen to maintain the political heat on the opposition leader after it was revealed last week that Godwin Grech - the Treasury official at the centre of the OzCar affair - had discussions with Mr Turnbull and Senator Abetz before evidence was presented to a Senate inquiry.

Mr Grech, who headed up the $2 billion taxpayer-funded scheme aimed at assisting cash-strapped car dealers to secure showroom finance, admitted he fabricated an email purporting to link Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to the affair.

Both Mr Turnbull and Senator Abetz admitted they discussed what questions would be put to Mr Grech at a Senate inquiry hearing in June, and what answers the public servant would provide.

The government intends referring the issue to the Senate’s privileges committee for investigation.

A similar move by Labor failed in June when it was voted down by the coalition and Family First senator Steve Fielding.

This time around, Senator Fielding is prepared to back the government but only if it refers a 2008 incident involving Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to the privileges committee as well.

Senator Conroy was caught by a television film crew emailing to a Labor colleague suggested questions of Treasury head Ken Henry during a Senate committee hearing.

Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce said a “proper-based” inquiry was worth coalition support because it was essential that public confidence in the Senate process be maintained.

“But it is very rich for the Labor party to say they’re above this because they’re on film … bodging the system up,” he said, referring to the Senator Conroy incident.

George Brandis, the Liberal senator who will chair any inquiry, said there would be opposition support for a reference to the privileges committee provided it wasn’t “a political witch hunt”.

Senator Brandis described as “commonplace” the practice of senators discussing with witnesses their evidence prior to hearings.

“And (Mr Grech) very plainly didn’t say that he was under any pressure to change his evidence,” he told Sky News.

He accused the government of trying to score political points by repeatedly bringing up the issue.

“I think the public are bored of this issue.”

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong refused to say whether there was any anxiety within the government about an investigation that would need to hear evidence from Mr Grech, who has been under psychiatric care in a Canberra hospital.

Mr Grech, in evidence to an auditor-general’s investigation of the OzCar scheme, suggested he was pressured by a Treasury official to give false evidence to the Senate inquiry.

“Look, I’m not going to get into sort of ‘what might happen if’, there is an issue,” Senator Wong told ABC Television.

Patio, walkway and driveway designs should be attractive and appealing to the eyes. If you have a large place to construct a patio, it can be used to arrange parties, cocktails and enjoy barbequing with your friends and family. The size of the patio also determines the ideas for a patio. After all one has to make it a perfect place for spending quality time.

A patio can become a part of your house or an extension to it. Thus if planned well a patio design can increase the value of your house and make it a place where your friends will love to flock and spend good time. There are number of patio furniture available in the market that can add to the luxury of spending time in your house. Using umbrella can be a good idea for the patios as it can serve as cover to the patio.

A flower bed, fountain or a statue can best serve as a focal point for a patio. Proper lightening should be used to make a patio live and beautiful during the night. The lighting chosen should blend in well with the patio design. Provide subtle lighting that highlights the features of the patio design and makes the patio look more beautiful. Proper lightening adds beauty to your patio and makes the area safe for walking.

In short, patio designs should be chosen according to the size, shape, theme, exact location, and material of the patio. A great patio design can drastically change the way your home looks.

To be cool you have to be part of the crowd, following blindly the one’s who tell you that you are cool. This fits squarely into the liberal frame of mind. Don’t ask what we are about; just know that you need us. A recent fad in this country is what I like to call “Power by Committee”. It is a way in which liberals who were not trusted enough to be elected, are now trying to grab power by forming committees for everything from monitoring hospitals to telling you how you can donate your money to a candidate of your choice. The come on is always the same. Find an issue in which you can exploit the poor and uneducated. Use race to split people into groups and let them feel victimized by the situation. There is only one problem with this plan voters don’t usually buy it. Thank goodness for that, if not we may have to have committees to oversee the committees and waste even more tax dollars.

Speaking of waste that brings me to my next point. To be cool you have to offer something. In liberals case it is welfare and lots of it. The welfare decline of the Clinton years led to the Disability Social Security boom of the Clinton years. Many people got off welfare just in time to get their disability checks. They simply switched entitlements. Here is an entitlement I’ll bet you never hear anything about on the evening news. It is a backdoor entitlement called Head of Household and Earned Income Credit. Of course you know these terms from our tax code. It is a way in which people who make a small income are rewarded with a large tax return. I have never had a problem with low-income workers getting a full refund if their income falls below a certain mark. With that being said it makes no sense to give a person that paid in $1500.00 in taxes a $6000.00 check.

It’s cool to be the “man”. Unfortunately for people like John Kerry and several of his other cronies, the electorate doesn’t want them to be the man. At the risk of offending some of my fellow Republicans, I would throw John McCain into that category also. Every Senator and Representative is now demanding that the President do what he or she wants. The last time I checked the President was elected to make decisions that affect things like the war in Iraq and the economy. I don’t recall when the minority party of the Congress and its leaders were granted that right. Liberals are having a hard time not being the “man”.

So what is cool about being a conservative? How about pride in the fact that you have worked and gained things by honest means and not government handouts. Could be that you feel a great deal of gratitude to the ladies and gentlemen who pay the price of our freedom every time they put on their uniform. I think that it is cool that we don’t have to fool people into joining us in our ideas. We are what we are and we know what we are, no flip-flopping here. Possibly the coolest thing about being a conservative is that it isn’t cool, we face opposition 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Yet we stay focused on the things that make us true conservatives and not the politics that preoccupy our liberal antagonists.

© copyright 2005 glwhite op/eds

Gavin White’s Op/Ed pieces have appeared in several newspapers and on numerous websites. He has a background in Political Science and has worked on both local and national political campaigns. Mr. White’s hobbies include writing and the outdoors.

]]> http://www.moreaf.com/?feed=rss2&p=1951 http://www.moreaf.com/?p=1950 http://www.moreaf.com/?p=1950#comments Sat, 04 Sep 2010 03:16:00 +0000 admin http://www.moreaf.com/?p=1950 A divorce takes its toll on the best of us and no matter how amicable the separation and how bad the marriage had been it is in a way shutting the door on a way of life you’d got used to. A way of life that you had imagined was going to last a life time and to suddenly have to start over again can be daunting plus a divorce usually leaves you low on self esteem which makes you even more unsure how to move ahead.

Different people deal with post divorce stress in different ways but the common aspect is that there is divorce stress to deal with. While it definitely isn’t an easy situation to cope with there isn’t a dearth of choices and ways to help get over a divorce. One shouldn’t expect it to be an overnight recovery but one can choose light hearted ways to deal with post divorce stress.

Rediscovering Oneself
Most people in a marriage have got so used to being part of a couple and making combined choices that they have forgotten the individual they used to be. Oftentimes, the running a home, children and career hasn’t allowed them the time to look after themselves. Suddenly they find themselves divorced and in charge of a person a person they no longer recognise.

A lot of newly single people begin with trying to find their old selves both physically and spiritually. In fact a lot of people post divorces begin to look like a million dollars. Hitting the gym and visiting spas is a way they find to feel confident again.

Looking good didn’t hurt anybody and post divorce some people concentrate on getting their appearance back to how they were before marriage and in some cases even better. Looking like a million dollars also seems like a vindication of sorts if an ex-spouse has been unfaithful. A toned body, a great hair cut, relaxing massages and a brand new wardrobe slowly helps them get their confidence back and able to deal with the larger picture and eventually moving on.

Living in the Moment
A lot of newly single people post divorce don’t want to dwell on the past and worry too much about the future and they prefer to go away on holiday and a change of scenery is their way of dealing with stress. Being in a new environment that doesn’t have memories attached and visiting new places and being amongst people who have no pre conceived notions of them can be therapy in itself.

A holiday helps a person to get a better perspective of things and to put the pieces back together. To be in a beautiful place and not have to explain the divorce to anybody but just being is a great stress buster. While a holiday may not deal with all post divorce problems, it is a great way to begin the healing process and honestly after the ordeal one goes through one deserves a break!

Friends, Nightlife and a Goodtime
Our friends usually come through for us when we have gone through a trying time. Post divorce it feels good to be amidst people who care and help us regain our confidence. Sometimes marriage doesn’t allow us the time to hang out with friends and a lot of people deal with post divorce stress by making up for lost time and throwing themselves in a social whirlwind.

Partying and having a good time friends may seem escapist to some but it is far better than sitting alone and moping about a situation is over and done with. Being in an atmosphere that is cheerful and happy can help us feel like there is a life after divorce after all.

Being social gives some people a boost in morale and they feel less alienated as sometimes a divorce can make one feel alone and lost.

Counselling As Stress Buster
There are so many mixed emotions and feeling that people are left with post divorce and sometimes to be able to discuss this with an unbiased outsider is greatly relieving. Counselling offers people a chance to get a hold of things, put things in perspective, face fears and finally move on.

The bottom line is that a divorce is not the end of the world. It is merely an end to a bad situation and life offers us second chances to move on. While it is not a painless situation, it is definitely not the worst thing that can happen to a person.

]]> http://www.moreaf.com/?feed=rss2&p=1950 http://www.moreaf.com/?p=1949 http://www.moreaf.com/?p=1949#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:51:04 +0000 admin http://www.moreaf.com/?p=1949 November 6, 2009

Hamilton College will screen Peter Watkins’ 1987 docudrama The Journey on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. in the Kirner-Johnson Auditorium. The film about the possible consequences of nuclear war includes scenes filmed in Utica. Following the screening, there will be a discussion with some of those who made major contributions to the Mohawk Valley sequences of the film, including pollster John Zogby; Robert Baber, dean of Pratt Art School at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute; and Rick Werner, the John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy at Hamilton. The event, part of Hamilton’s F.I.L.M. series, is free and open to the public.

The Journey is a powerful docudrama that examines the possible consequences of nuclear war as it might affect distinct communities. From 1984 to 1987, the project was filmed around the globe in different cities; Utica was one of them. Watkins alternated his narrative between intimate kitchen-table gatherings (at the home of Bill and Louise Hendricks, an African American family in Cornhill) and large-scale dramatizations of neighborhood evacuations. The Journey was funded in part by the Canadian government and highlighted at the Berlin Film Festival in 1987.

Director Peter Watkins is considered one of the pioneers of docudrama and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (as well as the 1967 Best Documentary Feature award in Great Britain) for his 1965 film The War Game. Some of his other films include Privilege (1967), Gladiators (1969), and Punishment Park (1971).

Charlie Bell, former CEO of McDonald’s who stepped down from the position in November due to colorectal cancer, died at the age of 44.

Bell had been battling the disease for the past 8 months. He was given the diagnosis just weeks after he was named CEO of McDonald’s.

Bell was in his hometown Sydney, Australia, when he passed away.

Charlie was determined not to let his illness stop him doing what he loved most - working for McDonald’s,” said McDonald’s Australia chief executive Guy Russo in a statement.

“As we mourn his passing, I ask you to keep Charlie’s family in your hearts and prayers,” said McDonald’s chief executive Jim Skinner.

According to a Herald Sun article,

“He underwent surgery and chemotherapy, delegating authority to other senior executives before relinquishing the post in November to undergo intensive treatment.

Mr Bell, who was McDonald’s first non-American CEO, took up the position after his predecessor, Jim Cantalupo, died of a heart attack after little more than a year in the post.”

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Your source for investigative ebusiness reporting and breaking news.

From the second week of the year to early March, the Dow Jones industrial average lost more than a quarter of its value, plunging from just above 9,000 to below 6,550. Retirement accounts were suddenly worth half what they were in 2007.

Then came a rally that left investors' heads spinning. Over just 13 trading days, the Dow soared 21 percent, bouncing back almost to 8,000.

When the dust settled, the stock market was left with its sixth straight quarter of declines, the first time that's happened since 1969 and 1970. For the Dow, it was the worst start to the year since 1939.

So what now? The answer could be found in a mixture of economic reports that will help Wall Street determine whether there really is hope that the recession, among the longest since the Great Depression, is turning around ?or at least stabilizing.

Manufacturing reports coming this week will give investors clues about whether business is picking up, and the March employment report will shed light on whether the job market pain is still getting worse.

“There was no light at the end of the tunnel in January and February. Now there's some,” said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at Johnson Illington Advisors in Albany, N.Y. “It's very, very faint.”

On Tuesday, the Dow finished at 7,608.92, a gain of more than 1 percent for the day, still looking a lot better than the lows of early March. Just a day earlier, the market showed its fragility: The Dow plunged 254 points after President Barack Obama rejected the restructuring plans of General Motors and Chrysler.

The companies that did best in the March rally showed traders were betting that a stabilizing economy would mean higher demand for natural resources and electronics. Stock in Alcoa, which makes aluminum, rallied 40.6 percent off its lows.

Cisco Systems, which makes computer networking gear, had a 23 percent bounce. And demand for technology stocks made the Nasdaq index the standout among major market averages. It fell only 3 percent for the quarter.

Bank and automotive stocks were among the hardest hit during the quarter. Citigroup actually fell below $1 a share and finished Tuesday at a still paltry $2.53. GM, once a titan of American industry, now trades below $2.

In a fractious quarter for the stock market, each month was remarkable. The Dow had its worst January ever and worst February since the Depression, then, in March, turned in its best month in six years.

At the end of last year, some were wondering if the worst of the plunge might be over. The Dow had staged a 16 percent rally in November and December. But it turned out investors still had a list of worries longer than a roll of ticker tape.

Banks were still struggling with bad debt, people were losing their jobs by the hundreds of thousands and whole neighborhoods were succumbing to home foreclosures. Wall Street had few details on how the government planned to rescue the banks.

The slide was so relentless that if your 401(k) account was worth $100,000 at the peak of the market in 2007, you would have had about $43,000 in early March, not counting dividends and additional contributions.

Then, on March 10, came a turnaround. The chief of Citigroup said the bank was profitable in January and February. Other banks followed. Home sales and other economic reports came in surprisingly upbeat.

“It's very possible that the lows we put in in March were the lows that hold for the rest of our lives,” said Jerry Jordan, portfolio manager at the Jordan Opportunity Fund in Boston.

Of course, the day-to-day swings on Wall Street can still be wrenching, as they have been since the financial meltdown of last September. Just last week the Dow soared almost 500 points in a day. And it fell more than 400 over Friday and Monday.

“I'm kind of skeptical about market fluctuations. I'm not making any new investments for a while,” said Howard Green, a retiree in New York.

The market is still being driven by institutional investors such as mutual funds and hedge funds. Small investors are more wary. Even with the gains in March, investors have pulled more than $30 billion out of U.S. stock funds this year, according to TrimTabs Investment Research.

Analysts do see signs the market is in a healthier frame of mind. What's known as Wall Street's fear gauge, the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, stands at 44. It trades around 30 in less turbulent times but was above 80 in November.

The stock market tends to trade on investors' expectations for how business will look six months to a year down the line. So the outlooks that companies issue with their earnings reports in April will be critical to whether Wall Street goes bull or bear.

Quincy Krosby, chief investment strategist at The Hartford, expects that, at best, the market will hold its gains but not push much higher as investors examine the coming quarterly reports from companies. “Going sideways,” she said, “would be a victory.” - AP

Downloading media has become a major issue all over the Internet regarding property and intellectual rights. So many of the so called free websites where people can download Heroes episodes without paying a single cent have been closed down since. for more detials:-www.secure-member-area.com.Obviously, it will cost something to be able to download the shows.

To download Heroes episodes through any paid membership site, you need to first install their software on your computer. In this case, launch the program and wait until it is connected to the server. If you do not have the client software yet, you may download it for free through their websites after paying a nominal fee to join them.

These are the general steps for most client software. First click on the Search button found in the left task panel. Under the Select Search Type, click on the Video button. Then type the episode name or Heroes itself in the search box. To narrow your search, you need to type the Episode Title. Click Search or press Enter key.

Wait until the results are complete. Once the results are in, select which among all of them you need to download.

Pay attention to the number sign. This indicates how many users all over the world have the same file. This means it will be faster to download the file if there are more users who have it. Also pay attention to the file size, as your computer may not be able to accommodate it.for visit detials:-www.starting-membership-site.com.Also, a smaller file size just might mean that the file is a virus. Also check the speed and bitrate of every file type, so you can be sure if it is compatible with your Internet connection.

Lastly, once the file you want has been highlighted, click the Download button at the bottom. This is the one that has a green arrow pointing down. Wait until the file transfer is 100% complete. Then start watching the Heroes episodes you have downloaded.

Did you spend much? No. Little do people know that they can download shows really affordably. People are often fooled into paying high rates just to download Heroes episodes.