Posted on August 8, 2011
The word "chauffeur" derives from the French term for "stoker" because early cars were steam-powered and required the driver to stoke the engine.
Whilst today the word when used literally describes anyone who drives for a living, it is most commonly understood to refer to the driver of a prestige or luxury vehicle, whether it be a horse-drawn carriage, a sedan, a motor coach or a limousine.
If the term inspires a variety of images that is totally apposite as there is a surprising range of occasions and situations in which one might desire the services of a chauffeur, and an almost equally surprising selection of vehicles that are designed specifically for the purpose.
Perhaps the most traditional of such occasions for most people would be a wedding. It is commonplace even outside of the ranks of the well heeled to arrange wedding car hire that includes a complete chauffeur service, be it a stately old Bentley or Rolls or a gleaming silver Mercedes.
A fairly recent development in the world of executive car hire has been the use of the American-style stretched - and in some cases very stretched - limousine. Amazingly these can carry up to 22 passengers. Increasingly they are being used for one-off celebrations and treats, and a ride in such a vehicle for your child and his or her friends can be every last bit as thrilling as a trip to a theme park, especially when combined with a trip to the theatre or the cinema. Read more...
Posted on August 1, 2011
Unfortunately, no one can wave a magic wand and make your business successful this year. You have to take positive steps to do that for yourself. It takes work to get the ball rolling, but the effort is well worth it for the rewards that are possible for you in the coming year.
Here are five steps you should take to in order to make this your best year ever financially and in terms of your sense of accomplishment:
1. Resolve to have a winning mind-set. You can learn all the techniques and go through all the right motions, but unless you believe you can be a success, you won't be. You must set challenging, but realistic goals and work every day consistently to meet them. Taking action to meet your goals is one of the most positive things you can do to prove your winning mind-set. Believe in yourself and that winning attitude will convince others to believe in you as well.
2. Resolve to delegate or eliminate tasks that do not directly contribute to your business' bottom line. You do not need to check email more than once or twice a day. You should handle correspondence only once. You do not need to be constantly interrupted by the phone or text messages. Hire a VA or a phone messaging service to screen calls for you. The tasks you do on a daily basis should be the things you are best at and enjoy most, provided they add to your income or the long-term strategies that will move your business forward. As the CEO of your company you are the visionary and the planner. You must take a major role in marketing your company by networking with potential clients and joint venture partners. Some of the detail work of marketing, such as sending out direct mail campaigns and following up with initial buyer and seller contacts, can easily be delegated to a well trained VA or a marketing service. Read more...
Posted on July 15, 2011
Creativity is what will propel your business from merely being average to being superb. Few businesses succeed by just being "me toos."
Instead, creativity in your marketing, your product and a number of other things all add up to giving you a powerful edge in business.
Creativity In Your Marketing
Creativity in marketing comes in many levels. At the top level, it comes in the form of deciding how your company is branded.
How do you want your company represented in your user's minds? How can you really create that impression in the long run?
At the next level, it comes in the form of deciding where to advertise. Should you use PPC, SEO, newspaper ads or radio ads? Should you do something completely different and off the wall, like standing in a shopping mall parking lot handing out free samples?
One more level down, you have creativity in the actual advertisement. What kind of clever ways can you come up with to catch attention? How can you convince someone of the virtues of your product in the split second of attention that you'll have in an ad?
As you can tell, creativity comes into play in just about every level in marketing.
Marketers who just follow the traditional path can success; but marketers who understand the fundamental principles while playing outside the box will see exponentially better results. Read more...