Politics and government policy has never been subject matter that I like to immerse my free time learning about. Searching through Digg, I found an old article that stated that the United States government took out a debt consolidation loan to cover the national debt. What?!! First of all, who has 9.1 trillion to cover all the debts our country owes? This article was dated in 2002. Does that mean our nation is going to have to find another debt consolidation organization to cover all of these bail outs? I am just stunned. I have watched several friends and family receive a debt consolidation home loan. One family went to Disneyland with the extra money instead of having a lower monthly payment. My fear is that once the government feels the relief of the debt collections and such they will just start the entire process on accumulating more and more debt besides their one monthly payment. Some people do have self control and consolidating their credit card debt actually is a good idea and it does work out in the end, so I must have hope and faith that someone in the treasury department has the smarts to control spending, maybe.
Archive for July, 2009
Debt Consolidation - Even the Government does it!
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009Down Pours in Eastern Idaho make Cleaning and Restoration a Must
Monday, July 13th, 2009Idaho has not seen this much rain in one season in many, many years. June had three weeks strait of rain and the storms are raging into July. We have plenty of water for our reservoirs, but the rising water has been dangerous and a cause of two drowning in the last week. Flooding of homes basements has also been a problem. The hail from the last storm clogged homes downspouts overflowing the gutters, got into window wells and then into the foundations. Carpet cleaning companies have had an influx of business from various eastern Idaho cities, like Idaho Falls. Cleaning and restoration is a difficult job and if not done properly, the water can seep into the walls and be a breeding place for mold. Idaho Falls carpet cleaning companies were so busy last week that they actually had to turn customers away which is not ideal for the homeowner with the backed up sewage systems that poured into some basements. The last few months in Idaho have certainly been more like Washington as the rising water has wreaked havoc, but made our state unusually green.
Best Customer Service Strategies
Monday, July 13th, 2009Most professional sales people believe that they give outstanding customer service, but it’s always best to cover all your bases. The following are a few customer service strategies various sales persons have told me works for them:
- Genuinely know your client, be responsive and have a positive attitude.
- Follow through with your commitments and promises.
- Do the best to ensure your company is a solutions based business
- Give the customer more service or product than was expected.
- Be knowledgeable and continue your education that will profit the customer.
- Follow up again to be certain the solutions were pleasing to the customer.
- Most important- Treat people fairly and equitably every time.
Returning customers and referrals are very important to a business and customer service is plays a role in determining if they will come back If your business has inexperienced employees that do not meet the above guidelines, customer service training may be in order. A young business just starting out may not know all the aspects of running a successful business and that business management consulting can offer cost-effective solutions to benefit their company with higher efficiency and productivity. Enhanced communication, greater customer satisfaction, and opportunity for growth are the benefits of seeking experienced business management consultants.
3 Factors to Consider before Creating a Franchise
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Do you have a successful business that you wish to expand? Creating a franchise may be something you wish to research as it is a complicated process and there are three things you can consider before spending any money. First, you want to evaluate your business to see if it has a successful track record of growth and profitability. If you just started increasing your profit you should continue your focus on increasing your profit more and over a longer period. Does your business have something unique or that appeal to a lot to customers? Be certain that your consumer market is large enough for your business to at least grow on a regional or national scale. Last, and the most important factor for creating a franchise of your business is whether or not you can duplicate your success to others. Can you teach what made you successful? You will need to look at the intricacies of your business to make a proven system that you can teach and then commence with your startup franchise. If you are wondering how to create a successful business franchise do the research and ask yourself if that’s the way you wish to expand.
Family Reunions and Our Traditional Chocolate Fudge
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Summer time is family reunion time. Ours is next week and a lot of preparation has gone into it. We 31 cousins, our parents and our children are meeting for a four day gathering in Fish Lake, UT. Our campground has four cabins available, thank goodness and there are a total of 62 people coming so far. We have many activities planned from the usual swimming, hiking, fishing, horseshoes and card games to night games, craft making, golf, volley ball and a variety show. We also have a fish pond for the smaller kids and the legendary water fights. The meals have also been planned out for each family clan including a Hawaiian luau and of course the best part is the treats! We are really looking forward to the late night homemade root beer floats and chocolate fudge. This year we are in charge of making the fudge and I think we will cheat a little and buy a variety of gourmet chocolate fudge at our local town fudge shop. My favorite is the white chocolate cashew fudge and the Rocky Road chocolate fudge. Great food and fun have always been a part of our family reunions and we look forward to it every summertime.