Is Samsung Thinking About Purchasing MeeGo?

You are in a Smartphone News Post

Maybe the greatest casualty of Nokia's decision to go full-blown Windows Phone with its future smartphones is the MeeGo operating system. Symbian still has a few good years left, but MeeGo never really got the chance it needed. The Nokia N9 could have been a great launching point to bring the platform into the public eye, but Nokia's announcement that the N9 will not only be its first real MeeGo release, but also its last, paints a bleak picture for the system's future. Could it have one, though, in the hands of another company?

Recent rumors have argued that Intel, the other half of the MeeGo partnership, would also be dropping support for the platform. In the face of this total abandonment, a new report suggests that Samsung may be the player to step in and pick up the MeeGo reigns.

This report cites "tech industry sources" as the basis for these rumors. Samsung might be interested in such a venture due to its recent Android-related patent troubles, or it might be thinking of bringing in a new codebase to either replace or integrate with Bada.

So far, we're not aware of the company's response to this report, but even if accurate, it likely wouldn't have anything to say until the deal was done.

Source: Mobiledia
Via: CNET

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What People Don't Know About Service Dogs or Service Animals

Basically, a service dog or animal is the same as an assistance dog that undergoes a lot of training to assist people suffering from disabilities - mental and physical. They can also be a best friend for people with severe depression. Service dogs can be specifically trained by service dog organization to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. However, the owner can also train the animal. Some dogs are donated from different breeders and some are abandoned dogs donated from local shelters. However, not all dogs can be a service dogs. Things like temperament, the ability to learn complex tasks, etc. Come into play within the dogs training. But any breed or mixture of breeds of dog might produce a representative capable of service work. In short, depending on breeds, your dog can have all of the qualities in terms of health, temperament, trainability and physical ability. These characteristics can lead them to be more than just your pet but a service dog/pet instead.

So, what's to expect after your dog has been certified? Honestly, for most, owners expect service dogs to be treated as animal on shift or working animal in public. Why? Simply because every owner's safety purely depends on dogs ability to handle distractions. During the training, your dog is prepared to avoid distraction as much as they can especially when wearing their gear and at the same time they are trained to be relax and friendly when the gear is removed. An owner's permission is a must before other people interacts with the dog while in public places.

What you might not know is that you can actually train your own service dogs. Nowadays, more people are choosing to train their own dog because there are times that training programs just aren't able to train the dog to the owner's individual needs. However, not all countries allow that type of training. Luckily, this is permitted to some countries including US but there are certain criteria to be considered. Trainers have to have skills which allows them to understand that their experience in training advanced service dogs are different from training the average dog simple obedience skills. Owners may need to hire a professional trainer or organization that is willing to train owner's dog. Owner-trainers usually start training their dog when they are still a puppy until they reach the right age to be evaluated. The only downfall is that some find it difficult to deal with emotional conflict in rare cases when a dog failed the evaluations and decide whether to re-home the dog and start again or to just keep it as a pet.

On the other hand, professionally trained puppies were raised accordingly via very careful research and also had to undergo a regime that has a lot of strict guidelines and mostly given a success rate of 85 % and above after evaluation which is way higher than owner-trained puppies/dogs. Why is that so? This is because program trainers are expert in manipulating the genetics or say early stimulation of puppies until the event that they become service dogs.

If you are planning to get a service dog, you don't have to worry about bringing them to where you are. In fact, as soon as your dog got registered, they are allowed to go anywhere you go. You can feel free to bring them to any restaurants, buses, schools, ride taxis, take airplanes, stores, movie theatres, sporting events, watch concerts with you, visit doctor's offices, and any other public place. Legally speaking, it is a requirement of federal and state laws to always have your dog with you. What makes it more exciting is that they do not have to wear any identifying gear, no need to wear their vest as well. So everything could actually be owner's discretion. The truth is that a lot of service dog owners choose to dress their dogs in vest and identifying apparels to avoid questions and confrontations in public. So by doing so, it makes their life easier and at the same time it helps keep the dogs away from distractions as much as possible. If you bring your dog elsewhere, keep in mind that it is illegal to ask for specific identification from service dogs partners. If somebody did, tell them it is not allowed by law. You can bring ID cards with you, but take note that it should be done voluntarily, again, this is NOT required and should never be expected.

So far, the most popular assistance animals are dogs. This is because dogs are man's best friend - wonderful pet, provides companionship, and protects their owner. Dogs are sociable by nature and as a matter of fact, they work closely with people such as law enforcement, search and rescue and even farming. These characteristics made it possible for dogs to be service animals.

What if you don't have a dog? In some cases, other animals can be trained to perform task to help disabled individuals to live independent life. The truth is that any trainable animal could be your service animal. The most common of course are dogs, cats, primates and birds but in reality any animal that is capable for training to perform the tasks required to benefit a qualified disabled owner/individual could be considered to be a service animal. So that means you can also have others like capuchin monkeys, which can be trained to do other task like operating knobs and switches, grasping fallen items and turn pages of your books. You can also consider training miniature horses, it's proven that after serious trainings, they can actually guide the blind; they can pull wheelchairs and even assist individuals with Parkinson's disease. As a matter of fact even before the evolution of service dogs, animal interactions already plays a big role in helping human with health issues. One example is horseback riding which is actually mentioned throughout history as cure for some sickness including gout, neurological disorders and depression. Up until now, animals still assist us in terms of physical and mental illness and still assist people with disabilities. Any species or breed of service animal may used by a disabled handler.

Keep in mind that service animals are classified based on task they can do but have you ever wonder about the difference between service animal, dog guide and therapy animal, companion/emotional support animals and pets? This question oftentimes brings confusions to people who need help.

To make it all clear, the term Service Animal is the federal legal term for animals that are individually trained to do task for individual with disability. It may not always be a dog, does not always wear equipments identifying them as service animals, is not a pet, is protected by law, guide the blind, alert people who are deaf, carry or pick up items, close and open doors, assist disabled who have limited use of arms and legs, pull wheelchairs, assist individual with seizures and assist people who have problems in balancing.

A guide dog / animal is trained to provide guidance for sight impaired individual. Guide dogs had their trainings from certified licensed school for guide dogs. The most important thing is that guide dogs are protected under state and federal law.

Some people referred to their animals as therapy animal however it is not legally defined under federal law. Most therapy animals can be seen in nursing homes, orphanages, hospitals, etc. while others reside in doctor/dentist offices, rehabilitations establishments, and even in private homes of people or individual that benefits a lot for keeping animals because of the therapeutic companionship it has to offer. For some states, it is defined as personal pet for therapist, physicians so in short, a therapy animal is not a service animal. The hint is that when an animal is trained to provide continuous assistance (help, aid, support) to a qualified disabled individual because of his / her disability, then that means that the animal is considered as service animal rather than a therapy animal.

In rare cases, people term their animals as companion or emotional support animals. It's often given the role of specifically assisting people with either emotional or mental disabilities and need constant companionship because they are unable to function independently. This type of animals are almost same as pets because it's not legally defined but accepted as another form of pet and protected under Fair Housing Act.

The most common confusion is how the pet is different from any other service animals. The answer is just simple. A pet is not a service animal because it's not trained to provide specific service or task to person with disability and it's not protected under laws that give equal access to disable individuals.

With all the types of service animals, people sometimes failed to identify if an animal is service animal or not. To tell you honestly, it's easier to tell which is not. How? You can tell by looking. It's important that you don't make the person with disability feel uncomfortable when you ask. However, if you are still confused if the animal meets the criteria to be called as service animal, you can ask question in a discreet way. You can ask if animal is required due to disability or maybe ask for task and services the animal was trained for. Remember that it's a big NO to ask the person about their disability. Never ever ask a guest for proof. In short, you cannot discriminate people with service animals because of their disability. You should not ask people with disabilities and their service animals to stay away or required to sit in certain locations, but instead, the individual with the animal may choose freely to sit in a location where the animal will be less distracted. Besides, with all the proper trainings given to both the owner and the animal, you may expect the service animal to behave the right way and be under control of their owner.

If you don't have disability, it's recommended for you to learn how to act the right way in cases that you see service animals in public. Keep in mind that you should never distract the dog on shift by calling, clapping, and even by offering food. You should never attempt to touch the service dog. You can speak to the dog owner but not to the service dog. Since we're avoiding distractions here, you should not get offended if your request to pet the assistance dog is not granted. You need to understand that if the owner lets the dog to greet you, you are distracting the dog's ability to stay alert on their owners. Don't be rude by telling the person that dogs are not allowed but instead ask if the dog is assistant dog. If the answer is yes, then stop questioning. If the person doesn't look disabled, never assume that the dog is not a service dog. Remember, it's wiser to observe first. If the dog pays too much attention and conduct close interaction to owner, chances are you are looking to a service dog.

On the other hand, if you are a service dog owner, you still need to pay attention on your dog's behavior and standards in public. People without disability will expect appropriate behavior from your dog. When going out, make sure your service animal is clean and doesn't have bad odor and most importantly, the service dog should not defecate or urinate in inappropriate places. Registered service animals should never make unsolicited contact with members of the general public and the animal's conduct should not disrupt the normal businesses no matter what. As an owner, it's a must for you to have the animal trained not to show aggression towards other people and animals at all. Service dog should obey all the commands of their owner. It is always important to have the animal work quietly and calmly as possible especially when wearing gears, and as a service animal, they are specifically trained to work out in public. Lastly, assistant animals should stay at least within 24 inches of its owner unless required to work in a greater distance. People with allergies are not protected under the law unless the allergy is really disabling. The person with a disability who is using a service animal is protected. One good place on the internet to get a proper registration for the dog and or animal is at http://www.registeredservicedogs.com.

by Jasmin Espinoza

Registered Service Dogs / Staff

Jasmin Espinoza is a stay home mom who works homebased. She was born in the Philippines Nov 3, 1984. She took Bachelor Of Science in Information Technology back in college and works for several IT companies. Her last employment was with IBM Business Services. As a single mom, she decided to work homebased and at the same time working as administrative staff at Registered Service Dogs online at http://www.registeredservicedogs.com. She's been in Business Process Outsourcing industry for 6 years now.

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What's the Customer Service Buzz About Your Business?

If you're a regular reader of my column you know that my number one pet peeve is bad customer service. Nothing chaps my backside more than paying hard-earned money for a product or service only to have the provider of said product or service become apathetic, obnoxious or just downright rude after the transactional smoke has cleared.

The bottomline, my entrepreneurial friend, is this: it doesn't matter if your product is fast food, slow food, retail goods, computers, lawn mowers, books, real estate or automobiles, if a customer is willing to pay you good money in exchange for your product or service that customers deserves to be treated with gratitude and respect, before and after the sale. Period. I'm constantly amazed at how many business owners and the frontline employees who represent them seem to forget this simple fact.

It's like the old saying about getting a little respect in the morning. If you court me before the sale, you'd better respect me afterward. Just because you have my money in your pocket and I have your product in my hand, that does not mean that my needs have been fully satisfied or that my expectations have ceased to exist. To the contrary, our relationship is just getting started. It's up to you how well we will get along and how long our relationship will last.

Here's the point: customer service should not stop after the sale. In fact, customer support AFTER the sale can have greater impact on the success of your business than customer support before the sale.

Nothing generates negative buzz about a business like bad customer service, and nothing will drive nails in a business' coffin faster. News of bad customer service travels like lightning and spreads like wildfire. Think back to the last time you were on the receiving end of bad customer service. I'd be willing to bet that you immediately went out into the world and told everyone you met about the experience. You probably also warned them to "never do business with those &^%$ or you'll get treated the same!"

As a business person, it should be your mission to make every customer a repeat customer, and one of the best ways to do that is by delivering superior customer service every time that customer comes through your door. Superior customer service leads to increased customer satisfaction, which leads to repeat business, which leads to customer loyalty. It is also much cheaper to keep a customer than to obtain a new one.

The fast food industry is especially prone to customer service problems. This is due in large part to the fact that every transaction is a face-to-face sale and the average fast food worker is a disgruntled teenager who would rather be lying on a bed of nails than standing behind a fast food counter schlepping fries.

However, that doesn't always have to be the case. This is not meant as an ad for Chic Filet or as a slam at Taco Bell, but the difference in customer service between these two fast food titans is astounding.

I used to frequent both establishments (fast food is my crack), so this is the voice of experience speaking. Behind the counter at the local Chic Filet are young people who seem genuinely happy to be of service. They are clean cut and polite. They don't wear their baseball caps sideways or have anything visibly pierced. They look me in the eye, they smile like there is no place on earth they would rather be, and they ask for my order in clear, concise English. They thank me profusely and invite me to come again. Excellent customer service after the sale.

Inversely, a recent trip to a local Taco Bell almost ended on an episode of Cops because the young lady behind the counter grew angry when I politely pointed out that my nachos were stale and asked for a fresh bag (pet peeve #132: stale nachos). Miss Mary Sunshine snatched the offending nachos from my hand and slam dunked them in a trash can, then tossed a replacement bag (which were also stale) on the counter in front of me. She then gave me a look that clearly said that if I had any further complaints she'd be happy to escort me outside to discuss them in detail. I like nachos, but not so much that I would risk getting my behind kicked by a disgruntled teenage girl wearing a sideways Taco Bell cap. Not-so-excellent customer service after the sale.

Now, which restaurant do you think I will go to the next time I feel the need to feed my fast food monkey? And which restaurant do you think I enthusiastically recommend to my friends? The one that understands the importance of good customer service before and after the sale, of course.

The worst customer service experience I've ever had involved the purchase of a vehicle at a local used car lot. I purchased the used Ford Expedition on a Friday evening and when problems arose with the vehicle over the weekend, I went back to the dealership on Monday morning to speak with the sales manager. To say the least, the sales manager (who acted like my best friend on Friday) was not thrilled to see me on Monday. To make a very long story short, when I pointed out that he wasn't being very helpful after the sale he came around the desk yelling at the top of his lungs and waving his hands in my face. By the time the receptionist managed to calm him down, the sales manager had gone so far as to call me "a retarded idiot" (which may be considered redundant) and had instructed me to do something with the vehicle that I believe is anatomically impossible. It was an Expedition, I'm a little guy. Use your imagination.

Though the dealership owner later apologized and offered to take care of any problem I had, the damage to his business had already been done. The bad buzz machine started the second I left his lot.

Do you think I told everyone I met about my experience with that dealership? You bet your stale nachos I did. Do you think I will ever buy another car from that dealership? Not on your life. Do you think anyone I've told about the experience will buy a car from that dealership? Probably not. Do you think the owner and sales manager learned anything from the experience? We can only hope.

In the end, what is the value of great customer service before and after the sale?

Priceless, my friend.

Simply priceless.

Now, can somebody please get me some fresh nachos...

Tim Knox, Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, Radio Host Founder, The Insiders Club, Giving You The Power To Start Your Business Today www.theinsidersclub.com Bestselling Author of: "Everything I Know About Business I Learned From My Mama" www.timknox.com

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Learn About the US Call Center Answering Service

Is your business concentrated within the United States? If so, then you have reasons to be happy. Why? There are several answering services on offer in the United States. Apart from the multi-national companies offering answering service to the business clients, there are some home-based businesses which employ people to offer such services.

The multi-national call center companies employs more than thousands of the customer care receptionists, representatives based worldwide. A quick search online will help you to reveal those service providers who have been in services for several years, long before the actual start of the e-mail or other similar technology.

More about answering service in the United States

Some of the major and the high-end answering service solution in the United States provide a range of quality services. Receiving and sending telephone messages and calls happen to be a major service of the outbound and inbound call centers operating in the current market.

Businesses related with information technology happen to walk through numerous problems. Customer support services as offered by a call center include a lot more variety. These include answering and resolving the customer queries and even working on them through advanced techniques.

The US answering service also covers market research and intelligence for the convenience of the customers. Whatever may be the needs of the businesses, offering market research and intelligence brings about a lot of features that ensure higher customer satisfaction.

The web reception services also happen to be one of the relatively new offering and are offered by very few companies. The website reception service features include a list of the web chat services, where a live customer service agent will communicate with the prospective clients via the online chat.

In the United States, there are few companies that offer a virtual PBX system. This is an advanced system that adds to the levels of professionalism to the home-based businesses. In addition to the home-based businesses, the single person business functions also find it convenient to use the new PBX system.

Answering services as offered in the firms based in the United States also include sending email and fax services. In the current business scene, email and chat support has developed to be a key tool to ensure continuous communication with the prospective customers.

Specialized and effective team of answering service professionals serves different industries. Some of these industries include utility sector, medical, funeral homes and more. A lot of transcription services covering business, legal and medical sectors are essentially covered by the US answering service provider.

Most of the businesses that require 24 hour continuous customer service as well as the capability to catch up with the customer calls when the company needs stand vital in every respect. It is through the inbound call center answering service that the companies can actually get hold of the customers and solve their queries. It's the 24-hour service that offers the service providers the ability to catch hold of the callers when the company phone lines may be found to be busy. Additionally, skilled answering service offers the feeling that the service provider cares about the services offered and provide a free access, creating the win-win situation all the way.

To know more about BPO services and call center services you can log on to our website where you will get a wide array of necessary information on business process outsourcing and call centre services.

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Mortgage Servicing Companies - The Truth About the Infamous "Mortgage Servicers"

To determine how mortgage servicing companies work it'd first be best to be familiar with how mortgage servicing actually works.

Mortgage servicing is basically the word used for a corporation (sometimes the financial institution but this is certainly rare) that services your mortgage - This job involves maintenance of accurate balances and records, collecting payments from the borrower and sometimes even paying taxes and insurance.

Mortgage servicing companies also go after borrowers who default on their mortgage and seek to repossess their home.

It's quite safe to assume that many borrowers are extremely disappointed when using the service component of their loan - Actually, recent research shows that as much as 90% of individuals are unhappy with their mortgage servicing company! An immense number.

Exactly why Do Mortgage Servicing Companies Perform so Poorly?

Good customer support is expected to be a given in this day and age - this obviously aids in repeat business but oddly, this incentive for service companies isn't there.

The reason behind this would be that the mortgage servicing companies in many cases are in the shadows and the borrower doesn't know who's servicing their loan! They solely know who their lender or broker is. So even when they get a bad service, they will often leave but what is to say that their following mortgage is not going to have a poor performing service company behind it?

You see, the thing is that even the lenders don't really care about the servicing aspect of the house loan. They've closed the deal and therefore they've got a buyer therefore it is unimportant for them to worry too much about servicing.

It's no impact on the servicers finances whether they provide you a good service or a bad service this is why quality is indeed low and why the figure of unhappy mortgage borrowers is really high in relation to the servicing of their house loan!

Wait, it gets worse...As the borrower, you can not do away with your servicing company. The service provider is set by your loan company. The only way to be rid of poor mortgage servicing companies is to refinance with another loan company.

However, you only have a chance of 10% of discovering a service that you're happy with so you should consider whether or not this is even worth the risk and hassle if this is the only reason you're disappointed about your mortgage!

In the meantime, all that the customer really can do is hope and pray that these mortgage servicing companies will pull their finger out to provide a good service, as their name suggests, "service". On this planet where money talks, though, should we really putting all of our eggs in such a very fragile basket?

I'd suggest, more realistically, learning to cope with their misgivings until someone does the correct thing and sorts these servicing companies out from top to bottom.

Need help with any aspect of your mortgage for free TODAY?

Al Kopping is the owner of JumboWholesaleMortgage.com - Your one stop, free resource for getting the best advice, deals and tips on your mortgage!

Visit Jumbo Wholesale Mortgage NOW - We'd love to have you and in the process, help you with your mortgage queries.

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Useful Information About Health Care Services

Florida has variety of health care services around the state covering all the cities and towns round the clock. These services are providing a complete range of facilities covering all the aspects and needs. All services providers are monitored and controlled by the law enforcing authorities to ensure the quality of services provided to the clients.

These kind of services can be divided into two main groups:


Health Care Equipment and Services
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology and Related Life Sciences
The agencies operating in Florida are also offering following different range of services in order to provide health care to their clients:

Hospitals/Clinics, Treatment and Management of Illness, Medicine/Pharmaceuticals, Clinical Laboratories, Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Medical Insurances, Housekeeping, Laundry/Linen, Food, Nurse Practitioner Services, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Assisted Care Services, Birth Center Services, Child Health Care, Chiropractic Services, Community Behavioral Health Services, Clinical Services, Dental Services, Medical Equipments Supplies, Early Intervention Services, Family Planning, Dialysis Center Services, Hearing Services, Home Health Services, Medical Foster Care Services, Optometrist Services, Podiatry Services, School Based Services, Mental Health Services, Therapy Services and etc. And all the clients can get a huge benefit from these kind of beneficial urgent medical care services.

Other Facts:

Following are some estimated figures regarding Medical and Non-Medical agencies operating in Florida and other facts regarding services facilitating in Florida;


20+ cities having 40+ Non-Medical (Private Pay) Agencies
60+ cities having 1100+ Medical (Medicare/Medicaid) Agencies
300+ Hospitals operating in Florida
Around 60,000 physicians are working in the industry
Around one million people are employed on health services and social services jobs.

Instant Medical Care is one of the good providers which are providing health care services to people in distress.

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Managed Services - What's All the Buzz About?

It seems like the new buzz word, that all of us in the IT industry have been hearing about for the last couple of years, is Managed Services. And doesn't it also seem like the definition of Managed Services continues to change depending upon whom you ask? In fact, this term is so new that you'll have a hard time finding a definition for it in the dictionary. Now clear your mind for a moment, discard any existing preconceptions, and for the remainder of this discussion I'll use the following definition when referring to Managed Services deliverables: Any defined set of proactive services that are delivered and prepaid for on a recurring basis.

Let's digest this definition for a moment. The word "any" is a powerful one and it means that when defining Managed Services deliverables as "any defined set of proactive services," the deliverables are not limited to just network monitoring or IT services. Hardware vendors, co-location facilities and service providers can all use this term to describe their product and services offerings.

Now let's look at the remaining elements of the definition: "remotely delivered," "prepaid for," and especially "recurring basis." By understanding these concepts, and as an SMB service provider, you can begin to appreciate how they can help you increase utilization of your technicians and engineers, and your revenue opportunities.

Managed Services Provider Benefits

The benefits of offering Managed Services are many. First, as you deliver more services through remote means, the less you'll need to schedule onsite visits, and the more you'll be able to increase the utilization of your workforce and your earning potential. As you add new clients and transition existing clients to this annuity-based service model each month, you'll be able to avoid the dreaded "feast or famine" cycles, and instead recognize significant revenue growth.

Sounds good so far, right? Let me take it a step further. Now that you are delivering services through remote means, eliminating much of the travel time required for onsite support, and not trading time for money, you can do much more with less. Think about it-travel is the biggest utilization killer. In your local market, technicians can lose up to an hour each way when traveling to provide onsite support. Add to that the reality that once a technician is onsite, he or she can typically focus on resolving issues for only that one particular client.

Using this same example, the technician has already lost a couple of hours to travel, now add the actual time spent onsite-and that's after addressing only a single client's issues. Let's also throw in a lunch hour for our technician, since he or she hasn't had one yet. By the time the technician returns to the office, he or she could potentially be gone for six hours (or more)--yikes! Plus, if you're like most IT business owners, you're paying for the gasoline--and we all know that's not getting any cheaper.

Now, let me take the same example and view it through our Managed Services model. Instead of jumping in a car to drive to the site, the technician uses an application to gain access to the client's network server or end-user desktop remotely and then initiates a maintenance or troubleshooting session. Let's say it's a basic cleanup and optimization issue. Because there is generally not a lot that can be done while antivirus scans are being run, or drives are being defragmented, the technician now has an opportunity to address more than just this single issue for this particular client.

In other words, you can address multiple issues for different clients while engaged in concurrent remote sessions. Guess what that does for your utilization? That's right; you can achieve utilization increases that are simply unattainable through onsite support. Now let's be clear-not all issues can and will be resolved remotely. But let's just say that approximately 80%, or more, of your clients' issues can be. In short, you could net significant cost savings to your bottom line.

Hold on-I'm not done exploring many of the other benefits of remote support, though you may already be way ahead of me. As we discovered above, you can now support many clients with the same amount of (or even less) staff. And just imagine the time you'll save by not hiring, training, or managing excess staff, which can mean more dollars added to your bottom line. Further, through the implementation of a documented help desk SLA and escalation procedure (one that is consistently delivered by all technicians) you can establish standards to help reduce some clients' propensity to request a specific technician to support them, which in turn can prevent a billing bottleneck that can occur once your clients grow accustomed to using the next available technician rather than their favorite technician.

Another point to consider when weighing the benefits of converting to a Managed Services model, is how you can avoid haggling over invoices with clients. How much time do you spend each month going over line items on invoices with your clients? And how many times do you negotiate down to keep them happy? In the new model, all of your flat-fee invoices will go out in advance, and your clients will know what to expect each and every month-thereby eliminate invoice haggling.

Let me also discuss for a moment the change in perception your Managed Services clients can experience as a direct result of receiving proactive support. Your clients will now more likely begin viewing the Managed Services provider as much more than a "break-fix," reactive "computer guy," and they will see him more like a truly proactive advisor. And once you quiet down your clients' networks, you will then have the opportunity-nay, the responsibility-to deliver solutions to them. You may also find that when you implement a proactive Managed Services model, the value of your services increases and you become a trusted advisor to your clients, making it easier to sell your solutions.

As a result of prepaid, long-term annuity-based Managed Services agreements, you can logically expect the value of your organization to increase. This is based directly upon the value and term of each of your company's individual Managed Services agreements. In my company, we write three-year Managed Services agreements, which automatically renew (some of our partners write even longer terms into their agreements--five years and beyond!). This has helped my company significantly increase its value, especially when compared with previous month-to-month block-time/break-fix contracts.

To summarize, a Managed Services agreement offers the following service provider benefits:

An annuity-based revenue model Predictable, long-term revenue growth Can eliminate feast-or-famine revenue cycles Billing independent of any specific technician Can stop trading time for money Can do more with less by providing proactive services by remote means Reduce travel and other associated expenses Eliminate invoice haggling Sell solutions more easily Increase your company's valuation

Managed Services Client Benefits

This all makes perfect sense to the Managed Services provider, but what benefits can your clients expect from this proactive model? Let's start with increased operational efficiency. A well maintained, proactively-serviced network and its devices will always run better than the alternatives. With proactive network monitoring, patch management, and device optimization being performed on a regular basis, your clients will notice a tremendous difference and reap the benefits of time spent preventing fires rather than fighting them.

Your Managed Services clients will also be able to control and reduce their overall operating costs with the flat-fee billing model. For your enterprise clients, cost-effective access to enterprise-level support now becomes a reality, as Tier 3 issues can be escalated to existing staff or to vendors that can help resolve even the most complex issues. In my company, this type of support is covered under all of our Managed Services agreements.

In addition, because you also manage all your clients' infrastructure vendor relationships, your clients can now focus on running their businesses, not their vendors. And as a result of our "always-eyes-on" style of monitoring networks 24 hours per day, clients can experience an additional level of comfort and security.

To summarize, a Managed Services agreement offers the following client benefits:

Increased operational efficiency Reduced operating costs Cost-effective access to enterprise-level support Minimum downtime Allows the focus to be on running their business, and not their vendors Piece of mind from knowing that their environment is monitored 24/7/365

Incidentally, these are key areas to always highlight during sales presentations with prospective clients. As I've attempted to illustrate above, transitioning to a Managed IT Services delivery model offers tremendous benefits to both the SMB IT service provider and their clients. And that is what all of the buzz is about!

Erick Simpson
Vice President, MSP University
MSP University helps MSPs succeed...period.
Join MSP University FREE for all things Managed Services
www.mspu.us

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Is VoIP in Your Future? About Residential Internet Phone Service

Are you using VoIP yet? If not, statistics indicate you'll be replacing your traditional land line phone service with internet phone service within the next year or so. Chances are you've heard about VoIP, but you may know of it as "digital phone service". This is the marketing term cable television provider's use when advertising their version of internet phone service.

The terms VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), internet phone service, broadband phone service and digital phone service are used interchangeably, and all refer to the technology used to make telephone calls over the internet. VoIP started becoming popular as a money-saving replacement for "land line" phone service a couple of years ago, and now it is quickly becoming the residential phone service of choice.

According to the Telecommunications Industry News, the number of VoIP users in the United States doubled from 1.5 to nearly 3 million between 2004 and 2005. Voip Monitor estimated there were approximately 6 million users in September 2006, and projects there will be 24 million users by the end of 2008. Internet phone service is here to stay, and it's only a matter of time before you consider switching to VoIP.

Why are so many millions of people disconnecting their regular "telephone-line" based phone service in favor of VoIP? To save money!

Regular phone service relies on millions of miles of telephone cable, millions of switches and millions of technicians and support personnel to maintain the telephone in your home. This costs a tremendous amount of money, and the costs are passed on to us consumers in our phone bills. Most people pay $40 a month or more for the privilege of having a dial tone. When you add long distance charges to that, it's not uncommon to see $100+ phone bills every month.

Internet phone service relies on a broadband internet connection to route calls over the World Wide Web, to anywhere in the world. VoIP providers only have to maintain a room full of servers and switches, internet connectivity and a staff of technicians in order to provide consumers with high quality internet phone service.

Although prices differ among VoIP service providers, you can expect to pay $20 - $40 a month for internet phone service, and this usually includes unlimited local and long distance calls! Most VoIP providers also throw in tons of free phone features too - like caller ID, call waiting, voicemail and call forwarding - just to name a few. If you really want to save a lot of money on phone service, consider using a VoIP provider that offers an unlimited annual plan. These plans usually run $199 a year (paid upfront). Voip.com and Sunrocket are two good companies that offer an annual option.

If you make international calls, VoIP service will save you a ton of money vs. traditional phone service. International long distance rates are usually only pennies per minute with VoIP, depending on where you call. If you make frequent international calls, consider subscribing with a VoIP company that offers an international calling plan. Sunrocket, Packet8 and Vonage are three good providers that offer an international option.

The only requirement you'll need to meet in order to use residential VoIP service is a broadband internet connection.

Most people already have broadband internet access (over 60% of Americans), so this makes switching to VoIP a really easy process. After choosing a VoIP provider that offers the calling plan that is right for you, sign up for service on their website. In many cases, you can keep your existing phone number. The provider will send you a small device known as a Voip adapter (also known as an ATA). When you receive it, installation is a simple matter of connecting a few cables and dialing a special number to activate service. No tools or technical skills are required in order to install internet phone service, and you can use your existing telephone.

If you don't have broadband internet service yet, you'll need to get this before you can use VoIP. My recommendation is to use cable internet service. Although this may cost you around $20 a month more than your current dial-up service, you will more than make up the difference once you subscribe to VoIP service and disconnect your land line phone. An added benefit is that you will be able to surf the web at high-speed while talking on the phone at the same time!

Most people who switch to internet phone service save around $500 a year on their phone bill. VoIP looks and feels just like regular "land line" service. The only thing different that you'll notice is extra money in your pocket!

See my website for more information on internet phone service, including reviews of the best VoIP providers [http://www.long-distance-savings.com]. For the latest information on VoIP providers and current promotions, visit my blog Internet Phone Service - The Future is Here!

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Amazon getting serious about competing with Netflix

Updated. Amazon is ramping up the content available to users of its annual Amazon Prime subscription service in an effort to compete with similar services from and Hulu. It has also just acquired connected device app maker PushButton, which could help it to expand the number of devices on which viewers can access its Prime Instant Movies service.

As part of its content acquisition initiative, Amazon announced last week that it added 2,000 new videos from CBS . The company followed that up Thursday with an additional 1,000 videos from NBC Universal . Those deals will greatly enhance its video library by boosting the amount of content available through its subscription streaming video service by 50 percent, from about 6,000 titles to 9,000 in just the past week.

The NBC Universal deal, like the CBS one that came before it, mostly focuses on long-tail content, including older movies. Films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Gosford Park and Elizabeth will now be available for Amazon Prime customers. And continuing the company’s focus on kids’ content like Sesame Street, the company has also added movies like Babe and Jetsons: The Movie.

In addition, Amazon has also bought PushButton, a firm that specializes in building connected TV apps. PushButton built apps for European-based streaming player LoveFilm, which Amazon acquired earlier this year. Those apps were used by LoveFilm to reach consumers on the Sony PlayStation 3, Sony Bravia TVs and Samsung Smart TVs. Amazon Prime Instant Videos has a somewhat limited reach in the connected TV space now — at least, is available on more than 300 connected devices, compared to the 250-plus devices that Netflix is available on and the 300-plus that Vudu claims to work on. But with PushButton, it could quickly change that to become even more competitive in the connected device market.

With an expanded content library and a key asset acquired to help it play in the consumer electronics market, we could see Amazon become much more aggressive in its pursuit of Netflix. And it couldn’t have come at a better time: With Netflix customer approval at what seems like an all-time low, Amazon Prime could have a real opportunity to win over some of its customers with a slightly cheaper annual subscription that also includes free shipping.

Update: Amazon Prime Instant Videos is on more connected devices than we thought. Amazon claims availability on 300 connected TVs and other devices.

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Netflix: Price change not about killing DVDs

With a recent change to its pricing plans that separated streaming and DVD-by-mail subscriptions, there’s been a lot of speculation that Netflix was seeking to kill the DVD-by-mail offering. But on the company’s second quarter earnings call, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that the decision was made in an effort to prolong a side of the business that wasn’t getting enough attention.

Hastings said today that he thinks the DVD-by-mail offering will be able to last a long time, by generating satisfaction for a number of users that aren’t as interested in its streaming service. The CEO gave the example of rural customers who don’t have the available bandwidth to take advantage of its streaming service, but were paying $2 more to get DVDs. By separating that plan out, the company will be able to target existing customers that fit that type of demographic.

“What we wanted to do is make clear that DVD has a longer and bigger life than some people think,” Hastings said.

The stated goal is to shrink the DVD business slowly as opposed to shrinking it rapidly — which is what would have happened if the company continued to spend most of its cash and resources on growing its streaming business. By breaking the DVD operations into a separate business unit, Netflix will be able to separate out profits and losses of the distinct businesses and invest in each appropriately.

By doing so, the company will also have a dedicated team that is focused on DVDs and improving the customer experience of DVD users. Of late, much of its investment has been focused on streaming, leaving heavy DVD users out in the cold. Take, for instance, a recent redesign that was built around making it faster and easier to stream movies through the service. With resources dedicated solely to DVD, Hastings said that the company is working on a number of initiatives it plans to launch in the fourth quarter aimed at improving the DVD service.

Furthermore, the company will get back to marketing DVDs, which have largely taken a backseat to its streaming offering. Over the past several years, Netflix has focused on courting new users with the promise of its $7.99 streaming-only plan, a strategy was largely working. In recent quarters, Netflix has aggressively grown its customer base, with about 75 percent of new subscribers in the second quarter signing up for the streaming-only plan. But interest in its DVD plans has largely gone stagnant as a result.

Most saw the price change as a way for Netflix to force subscribers to choose one plan or the other — with the expectation that most would pick streaming over DVD — but the company appears bullish on the DVD business remaining viable, at least for some time. At the end of the third quarter, Netflix expects to have 25 million subscribers in the U.S., with 15 million remaining DVD-by-mail customers. While DVD shipments have most likely peaked, Netflix still expects 60 percent of its customers to pay at least $7.99 for DVD rentals by the end of this quarter.

Hastings once said that he saw Netflix as a streaming company that also happened to offer DVDs by mail. If we take him at his word today, the move to separate DVDs from streaming is a bit of a change in strategy for the company. As opposed to having its operating margins squeezed as a $2 add-on to the streaming offering, breaking out DVDs will effectively enable the company to maximize its investment in a business that already has a large user base and a bit of legacy infrastructure built out to support it.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Scott Feldstein

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Ten Things to Think About Before You Start a New Business

The tux fits perfectly. The boutonniere is jauntily pinned to your lapel. All of your friends and family are patiently watching and waiting for you... and then you see her, waiting at the other end of the aisle - it's your new business.

Much like expectations of wedded bliss upon getting married, high hopes and expectations abound when you are starting a business. But, like so many others in life, starting your very own business is a lifelong commitment. Before making the plunge, here are 10 questions to consider:

1. Is it a viable business? This is the big one... that's why I put it first. So many people rush into a business just because it sounds like a good idea or it's something they really want to do. The question to ask yourself is "Do I really want to risk hundreds of thousands of dollars on a hunch or a feeling?" The answer will come from your due diligence.

• The idea

First, is it a workable business? For example, you can't mine for diamonds on Pluto. No one even knows if there are diamonds there, and unless you have a spaceship handy, you can't get there. Similarly, you can't grow oranges in Alaska. As much as you may want to, they just won't grow there. Go to Florida or California instead.

Your business has to be based in reality. It has to be doable, and it has to have a large enough market willing to pay the price for your product or service.

• The market

For example, take a store filled with fancy dog collars. Yes, dogs wear collars. But will you really find 10,000 people a year willing to spend $100 for a bling-ed out dog collar in a town of 1,000 people? Doesn't sound like a good bet to me!

As I stated above, you need a target market that is large enough to sustain you-plus the ability to convert enough of that market into customers on a continual basis.

• Profit Potential

OK, so if the idea is workable and there's a market, that's great. Next you have to see if it will be profitable. It's not enough to open the doors. The only thing that's going to keep those doors open is customers-lots of them.

This is going to require a little more work to figure out. You need to estimate as accurately as possible every single expense involved in this business-from the rent to the inventory to the marketing to the payroll, even the licensing fees.

Usually, you'll have start-up and operating costs. As in, it takes $1.5 million to open the doors of a typical McDonald's. What it takes to run it every month-that's additional. And so you'll have to make enough money every month to not only cover those monthly expenses but also to recoup your investment plus turn a profit. It can be a tall order! So that leads me to the other side of the equation-projected sales or revenue (the money you will be bringing in). Since there are so many hands in your pocket as a business owner (the employees, the taxman, the utility companies, your inventory suppliers... you name it), you get to keep only a fraction of every dollar you make. That's why it's critical to find out what that profit margin will be. Thirty percent? Twenty percent? Ten? The answer is: It depends on the business.

Let's take a look at the latest information available as of this writing. Of course, it only includes publicly traded companies, as private companies tend to keep their information, well, private!

First, if you take the information all together, the median profit margin across all industries in the United States is currently about 4.6%. The average is a little lower, at 4.4%. That's right, less than 5 %! Meaning that the average business makes about 4 cents profit out of every dollar in sales. That's not so great, is it? You'd have to do a huge volume of sales-or have an extremely high-priced product (4% of $1 million isn't too bad) to get by on that profit margin.

Now, obviously, some businesses are more profitable than others. Near the top of the list are Internet Information Providers with an average profit margin of 22.7%. Hmmm... very interesting! Could it be because of the low overhead required for that sort of business? Most likely-with lower expenses, you get to keep more of the money that you make.

How about your McDonalds? While I'm not sure what your individual store would do, overall the restaurant category had a 9.1% average profit margin. It beat the 4.4% average profit margin!

This-and any other general information you may find-can give you a rough idea of your profit margin.

But it's no guarantee.

I should know. I had a home-improvement store (I call it a hardware store, but whatever). According to the latest numbers, the average home-improvement store has about a 4% profit margin. Well, I didn't. In fact, in my last full year (2009), I lost $100K... which put my profit margin in negative territory. Because of where my store was located and what was going on in my area's economy, I lost money in a big way. I was not alone. Other industries that are in negative territory right now include music and video stores, residential construction, radio broadcasting, surety and title insurance, recreational goods, and resorts and casinos. And that's just the short list!

• Do Your Due Diligence

So as you can see, there is A LOT that goes into determining whether your business will be viable or not! But it's important to take the time to find out nonetheless. And better now than later when you're struggling to pay the bills. When you've spend your life savings. When you're in debt up to your eyeballs!

Obviously if the business is already running, this whole process is much easier. Still, don't make assumptions based on what you see and hear. Do your due diligence on any business you are interested in buying. That basically means that you need to find out everything about it:

A complete financial picture-You need to know about everything. Gross sales, expenses, profit margin history... going as far back as you can get. Don't take someone's word for it. Get the tax returns and actual financial records of the business (this will also ensure that they've been honest with the government-you don't want to get sacked with a huge, delinquent-tax bill). This also includes any debts the business owes, the insurance they carry, the licenses they must hold, etc.

Legal Matters-Is the business involved in any lawsuits? Has it received any "cease and desist" letters? Does it have a checkered past? Check it out yourself.

Labor Issues-You need full disclosure on the employees' salaries, benefits, contracts (even verbal promises made), history, etc.

Property-Do they own the property or rent? How long is the lease for? This expense can mean the difference between profitability and poverty, so make sure you can afford it. Beware of a lease that may be expiring soon. You'll need to negotiate a reasonable new contract in writing so that you don't get whacked with an increase that you cannot afford.

You just can't be too thorough when you're determining a business's viability. So take your time and get it right. Remember, don't wait until you are up and running to find out what is wrong. It's better to walk away than to make a mistake that has lifelong ramifications. Don't rush it!

2. Is it recession proof?

You may be thinking that there is no such thing as a recession-proof business. I suppose if the world economy were to permanently collapse and there were no recourse, it would be true. But somehow, somewhere across the globe I think we'd find a way to get through it.

The point is that there are some businesses that are more recession proof than others. It's really a continuum. One extreme would be a business that is highly susceptible to economic conditions, for example, construction. It seems that one of the first things people do is stop unnecessary projects. The other extreme would be food... as in a grocery store or a restaurant. People have to eat. And the way our society is right now, most people can't grow or catch or raise enough to feed themselves. Therefore, they have to buy their food.

So where would your business fall on that continuum?

One note here: Just because the business you are considering is not completely recession proof doesn't mean that you have to toss out the idea. You just need to be aware of that vulnerability. And when the good times come, stash away a hearty reserve so that you can make it through the bad times.

3. What about the competition?

How competitive is the marketplace you are going into? Once again, there's a continuum between a completely open market (you'll be the only one) to overcrowded (it's difficult for the consumer to even be aware of, much less distinguish between, all the companies out there).

Obviously, with a completely open market, you will have a larger share of customers. You will have to work hard, however, to get the word out about what you do. It may take some time and marketing dollars to gain traction in the marketplace. Once you do though, it can be a quick rise to success! With a crowded marketplace, you'll need to do a careful analysis of the competition. See who is doing well and who is flailing. Then you'll need to try to find out why. And you'll need to look for a way to compete-can you do it better/faster/cheaper?

Or maybe you can find a new use for an old product and tap into an entirely new market. Either way, being able to state your competitive advantage is key to your ultimate success.

4. What about the target market?

Who are your most likely customers? Find out who they are, what they think, and what they like. Solicit their opinions on your business idea. You can use a focus group or simply run it by people you know (or people they know) who fit the demographic bill.

It's essential to get a read on whether the target market will actually like and buy your products and services. Don't skip this step... it's important!

5. Will technology make this obsolete in 10 years?

Here you need to employ foresight.

Imagine being the long-time owner of a camera and film-developing establishment. People have digital cameras now, which they can pick up at WalMart for under $80. Then they transfer their photos directly to their computers and print them out on their own printers. The quality? It can be amazing! This is how a store that was profitable for decades can seemingly suddenly become obsolete in a matter of a few years (sometimes less). Travel agents are another example. Customers cut them out of the loop when they went online to book directly. It's a dying industry now.

And that's not all. Thanks to NetFlix and video on demand, video rental stores are biting the dust. Newspapers, yellow pages... they are in the painful throes of death, too. They just can't compete with the Internet. Even the post office is feeling the pain with online bill paying!

Whatever business you ultimately choose, make sure it's of enduring interest to your target market-and that, as far as you can see, it will stay relevant no matter what technological advances come our way in the next 10 years.

The next 5 questions to ask before you start a business zero in on you. A business can be viable and recession proof. It can be the only one in the marketplace or have an unbelievable competitive advantage. It can have a large target market that loves its products and is willing to pay the price for them, and it can be immune to technological advances.

But all of that means nothing unless you are ready, willing, and able to do what it takes to make that business successful, unless you have the right mindset and support.

So take a few moments to ask yourself the next 5 questions to see whether you and this business are meant to be... or if you should keep looking for the right one.

6. Can you see yourself doing it for the next 20 years? You need to love what you are doing every day. You will work harder owning your own business than you ever would working for someone else. Being passionate about your business will help carry you through the tough times.

7. What kind of commitment will it take to make the business successful?

There are 2 types of commitment: time and financial.

How many hours and days of the week will this new business require of you? 40? 50? 80? 100? Are you willing to give it that?

Also consider the location. If it's a retail business, you'll need to be away from your family or significant other for those hours and days of the week. Think about the impact it will have on your personal life. You need to be willing to make the sacrifice if you have any hope of having your business succeed.

Financially, can you start this business without taking a loan? I had a mortgage on my hardware business. It was almost as much as my rent, and it handicapped me to a great degree. With my new Internet business, on the other hand, I was able to cover the start-up costs in cash. Without that debt hanging over my head, profitability was a lot easier to achieve!

Even when you form a corporation that is separate from your personal finances, you still feel the burden of any business loans taken out in the name of that corporation. It hangs over your business like a dark cloud. It's always best to limit debt in order to maximize profit. Consider also the operational expenses-what it takes to keep it running.

This leads me to the next question!

8. Can you survive for a year or more with no income?

When you tally up the numbers for start-up and ongoing expenses for one year, do you have enough to cover it? Many times, it takes at least a year to get the business chugging along to the point where a profit is made.

Do you have enough to live on for that first year while you are getting your business started? You'll have enough pressures with running the business; you certainly don't need personal financial issues adding to them. Having a financial cushion gives you peace of mind and increases your chance of success.

9. What's your Plan B?

OK, so let's say that it's year 2, and the business is not turning a profit. You need to access your Plan B... and maybe Plans C and D. You need alternate sources of financing in place and-hate to say it-an exit strategy as well.

An exit strategy that doesn't depend on someone else rescuing you by buying the business, either. We can't control that. But know what you will do if the worst happens.

It's better to think through this BEFORE you start the business. First, it'll give you that peace of mind that no matter what happens, you know what to do. That you have resources-that you have a plan.

Trust me, lack of planning for "the bad times" has sunk more businesses than anyone would ever want to count. You can't overdo planning!

10. Is my spouse/significant other on board?

And finally, if you are in a committed long-term relationship, it's not just you getting into this business.

I know what you might be saying: "But it's just my name on the business. It's just my finances on the line." No, it's not!

Your spouse or significant other has to ride in the same train with you. I'm sure your income contributes to the household in some way-well there you go. No matter how you slice it, you are tied together financially.

And remember that time commitment we talked about? That affects your loved ones, too... a lot. It may be fine with you that you are spending 11 out of 12 hours a day away, but it may not be fine with the other person! You need to figure this out in advance, or you may find yourself in a situation where your business is going great-the profits are rolling in-but your spouse is resentful, growing distant, and your primary relationship is in danger. I don't know about you, but to me that's too high a price to pay for success.

Congratulations! Believe it or not, some people never analyze the business they want to start or buy this deeply. Just by walking yourself through these 10 questions, you are much more prepared to take on a business. It's one of the most challenging things you'll ever do in life but also one of the most rewarding. Here's to being in charge of your own destiny!

By Michael A. Woolf

Author of Small Town Meets Big World How a Former Retailer Transformed His Business-and His Life-with an Internet Business... and How You Can, Too

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CVS Wants to Show It Cares About Coupons

The CVS drug store chain is undertaking a humorous effort to encourage customers who are members of its loyalty program to redeem the rebate coupons they receive.

A digital campaign encourages holders of the CVS ExtraCare card to redeem their ExtraBucks rebate coupons on the bottom of cash register receipts.

The digital campaign is aimed at discouraging “money trashers” among the more than 67 million shoppers who carry the CVS ExtraCare loyalty program card.

The trashing part refers to the fact that the coupons for what CVS calls its ExtraBucks rewards are printed out at the bottom of cash register receipts. Only about 49 percent of the ExtraBucks coupons, which are distributed quarterly, are ever redeemed, according to CVS data.

That means lots of money goes unclaimed because shoppers with ExtraCare cards receive 2 percent back on future CVS purchases for most of the merchandise they buy. Exceptions include alcohol, lottery tickets and prescriptions.

(Full disclosure: this reporter is a card-carrying member of the ExtraCare program. His most recent ExtraBucks rebate totaled $2.50 and was promptly redeemed.)

The campaign includes entreaties like “Don’t be an ExtraBucks Money Trasher,” “Don’t let your ExtraBucks rewards go to waste” and this declaration: “Don’t be a Money Trasher. Millions throw away their ExtraBucks rewards. It’s time to stop.”

The fight against “money trashing” brings to mind a long-ago campaign from General Electric to encourage consumers to buy more of its light bulbs.

The G.E. campaign urged, “Don’t be a bulb snatcher” — that is, someone who replaces a bulb that burns out with a working one from another lamp or light fixture. The better course, according to G.E., was to always have plenty of packages of light bulbs on hand for such situations.

The CVS campaign includes content on its Web site, cvs.com, and five video clips and other material on its Facebook fan page, facebook.com/CVS.

In one video, an ExtraBucks coupon that a woman tosses away as she leaves a CVS store follows her in a “Jaws”-meets-Alfred-Hitchcock kind of thriller. In another video, not redeeming ExtraBucks coupons is likened to money-wasting mistakes like leaving lights on or water running.

“It’s very easy to save money through our ExtraCare program,” Melissa Studzinski, vice president for customer relationship management at CVS, said by e-mail.

“There are tens of millions of shoppers that realize this and take advantage,” she said, “yet there are still millions of customers who don’t.”

“We wanted to do something fun and irreverent to help draw attention to the savings that people are ‘trashing’ and drive more customers to redeem their rewards,” she added.

The campaign is being introduced in July because that is one of the quarterly periods the ExtraBucks coupons are printed on receipts. Another reason for the timing is that CVS is also redesigning the ExtraBucks coupons to use larger print and, the chain hopes, a more eye-catching design.

Early results are encouraging, Ms. Studzinski said, with an increase of 5 percent in the number of ExtraCare cardholders who are redeeming their rewards.

The campaign is a collaborative effort among the CVS employees who oversee ExtraCare and agencies that include Bravo, iCrossing, Matter Communications and Poptent.

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Thinking About Buying a Business? 7 Tips to Consider

As more people join the ranks of the unemployed, the desire to own a business that they have more control over becomes very appealing.

The hunt for a business can be daunting and, to assist you, I have compiled these tips.

Tip One:

It may seem an odd tip, but really is an important one. Make sure you are ready to purchase a business. But you say; "Why would I be looking for a business, if I'm not prepared to buy?"

Yes does seem a no brainer. But from my experience, working with hundreds of buyers, some are really ready to buy and others appear to enjoy the process.

Realize that there is no "perfect" business. When you find one that meets most of your standards, make an offer. Be sure to include in the offer to purchase contract that you are granted a due diligence period to examine the books and records of the business. And if the business is not generating the revenue that you were told, you have the right to back out of the contract and your deposit money is returned.

Tip two:

Do some research on the type of business you would enjoy running. When you acquire a business, you are purchasing a job. So it is important to find out what is involved in running a business in that industry. Restaurants, bars and convenience stores involve long hours. Will the business require special skills or licenses that you have to qualify for, or a waiting period to take the test for that license?

Are you willing to invest the time and money to make the business successful? I once sold a business where part of the owner's job was to market. The business contacts were made visiting existing and acquiring new clients on weekends. The new owner purchased the business and became upset that the clients were not calling him. When asked if he was marketing to the clients, he stated that he wasn't going to work on weekends.

Tip Three:

Get as much information on the business up front. Request copies of at least three years tax returns and current profit and loss statements and, if you are not comfortable reviewing them, have your CPA look them over. If you don't have CPA, now is the time to hire one. You will need an accountant or CPA for the new business.

Tip Four:

Ask for an equipment list from the Seller. If you are purchasing the property, ask for a site plan and see if the owner has a recent appraisal of the real estate. If the business is leasing the property, ask for a copy of the lease. Check the terms as to what is covered, the length of the lease. Does it contain options to renew? You don't want to be forced to relocate the business in the near future because the lease expires. And find out what is prohibited by the landlord. You may think that a large new sign is what the business needs, but the landlord does not want it on the property.

Tip Five:

Check the local ordinances as what activities the business can and cannot engage in. Perhaps you want to buy a restaurant and what to add live music at night. The local laws may contain a noise ordinance that would prohibit having a band.

Tip Six:

Where do you find businesses for sale? You could check the newspaper classifieds, though the businesses for sale column is thinner than it used to be just five years ago, there are still businesses listed there.

Now businesses for sale tend to be listed on the internet, with websites like BizBuySell.com, BusinessNation.com, BusinessesforSale.com, Acquisitions-Unlimited.com and BusinessForSaleFlorida.biz.

Network with people who own businesses in the industry which you are considering. Getting to know other business owners is good idea. They will be a source of information.

Tip Seven:

Your best resource is a professional business broker. In many states a real estate license is required to sell businesses, but a business broker is trained to sell businesses, not homes. Many professional business brokers belong to trade associations, like the International Business Brokers Association and Business Brokers of Florida. These associations provide training in the field of business brokerage and mergers and acquisitions.

Business brokers are in contact with business owners and, because of this, know when the owner is considering selling his business, but does not want to advertise it on the open market.

When working with a broker, he or she will attempt to pre-qualify a buyer by asking a series of questions. These questions will include what kind of business are you looking for and, what type of business would you be interested in operating. Another question is how much money does the business need to generate after expenses (also known as cash flow to owner) for you to live comfortably. This leads to the broker's the next question.

"How much money would you like to invest in a business?" This is a polite way of asking; "How much money do you have?" The wrong answer is; "As much as it takes." Or; "It depends on the business." Unless you are Warren Buffet, it doesn't depend on the business. If you as rich as Warren Buffet or Bill Gates tell the broker up front, if not state that monetary limit.

The broker will be spending time searching for a business in your chosen industry, within your price range, and with the desired cash flow, but can only efficiently help you if he knows your down payment comfort level.

Brokers prepare business profiles on the businesses that they have listed and, theses profiles include the information listed in tips three, four and five. So you don't have to search for this information. Let me say, however, that there are cash businesses.

Business brokers have contacts that make the acquisition process smoother than attempting the process solo. These contacts include attorneys that specialize in business closings. Since these attorneys are involved in closings on a daily basis, they have the forms prepared and the staff can quickly prepare the necessary documents. This results in the procedure being done correctly and often with a cost savings.

Business brokers have contacts in the lending industry. I don't know how many times I have heard a buyer saying; "I'm going to get a loan to purchase the business." It is very rare that a conventional bank will loan money to purchase a business. And I have heard of only one that loaned on a distribution company. The Small Business Administration (SBA) guarantees loans and some businesses qualify. There are SBA mortgage brokers and the business broker works with these contacts to secure you a loan, if the business qualifies.

Business brokers have the necessary forms to prepare an Asset Purchase Agreement. These forms are created from experience and, oftentimes standardized by the associations to which the broker belongs. The Asset Purchase Agreement is the most important and it incorporates the due diligence issues and other contingencies that protect the buyer.

Owning your business allows you to gain more control of your destiny. Small businesses employ the vast majority of Americans, even more than the large corporations. A business becomes like a child that you grow. I wish you luck in finding that business that may not be perfect now, but through your ingenuity, hard work and brilliant ideas you can create the perfect business.

Gregory Colvin is an author and editor of BusinessForSaleInFlorida http://businessforsaleflorida.biz. He has over 10 years in the business brokerage field and is located in Tampa Florida. Visit BusinessForSaleInFlorida for a free copy of Dr. Bart Basi's Special Report "The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act and The Tax Laws Hidden Therein" Dr.Bart Basi holds an MBA in Accounting and Finance and a PhD in Economics.

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Thinking About Buying an Established Business? - Where Can You Go to Buy a Business?

Buying a business can be a little overwhelming. There are many places which list businesses for sale. The most obvious places to start are of course is locally, in Newspapers and trade magazines; talk to business brokers, and ask your accountant or business adviser if they know of any potential businesses on the market.

Also, research 'businesses for sale' using your web access. It is a good idea to list your requirements online and receive instant notification when something suitable comes on to the market.

If you are already in business and are looking at strategic acquisitions, you may find word of mouth a useful method - through customers, competitors and suppliers. Naturally this depends on the relationship you have with them.

Every once in a while you may come across a business you would just love to own that is not for sale and wonder how to approach the business owner.This type of sale happens more often than you would expect, but it must be done in the correct manner to ensure you buy at the right price.

1. Buying a Business - What type of business can you see yourself owning and working in?

If you are not sure and have not had a great amount of exposure to small business your first step is to find out more on the life of a small business owner, have a chat with some business owners and find out how their first few months were when they were new to the business. How has buying a business changed their lives and what advice could they provide. Was their motivation to work in the business or run it at arms length?

Straight talk - unless you are looking at buying the business do not ever ask them personal questions such as how much the business turns over or anything regarding their financials as that is like someone asking you how much you get paid. Do not be hesitant to approach a business owner; you will be surprised just how much assistance business owners are willing to give you if you are genuine and transparent about it. It is a good idea to be prepared and have a couple of questions ready ahead of time, by being tactful and considerate you will get some great insights on operating a business from successful business owners!

2. Buying a Business - Are you a first time business buyer?

It is very normal for first time business buyers to start feeling overwhelmed and a little hesitant about buying a business, if this is the case you might be more comfortable taking a look at a franchise. Many first time business buyers feel that buying a franchise reduces the risk and provides them with additional and ongoing support from the franchisor.

3. Buying a Business - Discover hundreds of different types of businesses for sale

Business buying and selling websites are popping up all over the place which is great for you. There are many sites to look at, here is a few tips to help you research: - Use a search engine like Google and make sure you are 'Googling' in the Google site associated with the country you are looking to buy a business. e.g. http://www.google.com.au (Australia). This will show your local country pages first, making it easier to get to where you want fast.

- If you do not know what type of business you would like to buy, simply search for businesses for sale in the geographical area of choice.

- If you have a clear idea on the type of business you would like to buy then simply type the exact business for sale and geographical area.

- Make sure you do not miss the Businesses for Sale By Owner sites - Google shows a healthy list of them, our research indicates that over 30% of the businesses offered for sale are for sale by the owner (you may see the abbreviation FSBO or DIY ) so Google the abbreviation. Many smart business owners are now acquiring all the skills and information they need to successfully sell their own business without a business broker. This could be a huge benefit to you as the business buyer.

Buying a business successfully is really quite simple when you have all the information and a helping hand to guide you through the process without making avoidable mistakes. It is important to ensure you have as much information as possible because, in most cases, the business broker is working for the seller/owner. You can be one step ahead at all time armed with all the information and a business valuation tool will put you in the very best possible buying position for a win/win outcome.

For more information regarding Buying a Small Business, a recommended resource for expert, user-friendly, step by step Business Buying Information and Small Business Valuation Software Tool, go to http://www.bizbuykits.com

Signup for a free 'Insiders Tips for Buying a Business' when you visit the BizBuy Kit for business buyers. The Bizbuy kit is low cost and covers a myriad of tips, techniques and strategies - a vital resource. Plus, there is a comprehensive Small Business Valuation Software Tool enabling the buyer to expertly appraise a business multiple times.

The authors of the popular eBooks 'How To Buy A Business' and 'How to Sell Your Own Business' are experts in their fields of Business Buying, Selling and Business Valuation. With decades of experience buying and selling businesses of all sizes, they have seen many mistakes made by both buyers and owners. They have combined all their years of knowledge to deliver a low cost alternative for DIY buyers and sellers, stepping through the process thoroughly in order to avoid common mistakes and significant expense.

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Twitter is all about real-time commerce, says CEO Dick Costolo

Twitter wants to be “the world in your pocket,” according to CEO Dick Costolo — but more than anything, it wants to be the engine of mobile and real-time commerce in your pocket, judging by his comments at the Fortune BrainstormTech conference in Colorado on Tuesday. In addition to downplaying the departure of the company’s two co-founders Ev Williams and Biz Stone, and complaining about the “distraction” that private trading of its shares causes, Twitter’s chief executive said the company sees a future in “removing friction” from e-commerce and allowing companies to target their users directly in real time, something he said “has never existed before.”

In his talk with Fortune writer Adam Lashinsky (video embedded below), Costolo noted that while Twitter took three years to get to one billion tweets, it now sees that many messages posted to the network every five days. He also said that there are more than 200 million registered users of the service (defining “active users” is difficult, if not impossible, he argued) and that third-party analytics show that the Twitter.com website gets more than 400 million unique visitors a month. Costolo added that Twitter is seeing 40-percent growth every quarter in terms of mobile users.

While many media outlets have focused on the recent departures of co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone, the Twitter CEO said that the company has been busy building up its senior management team, and that working alongside co-founder Jack Dorsey (who is also CEO of mobile-payment company Square) has been good because he “speaks with the fluency of the inventor of the product.” He said that the private trading of Twitter shares, which has valued the company at close to $7 billion, is a distraction in part because “I worry about people who might be buying through those markets [and] who’s going to get in trouble at the end of the day if it doesn’t work out.”

But Costolo also spent much of his time talking about where Twitter sees future revenue and profit opportunities — in addition to the ongoing rollout of advertising through “promoted tweets” and “promoted trends,” as well as a forthcoming self-serve ad product (how users respond to these efforts remains to be seen). The Twitter CEO said that the company sees a number of opportunities when it comes to enabling — and taking a share of the revenue from — direct e-commerce with users via the service, because “we already see a tremendous amount of commerce taking place on the platform.”

As an example, Costolo talked about how Google tweeted a promotion code that people could use for tickets to its recent IO conference, and about 100 tickets sold in a little over 10 minutes. “That’s $55,000 with one tweet in 13 minutes,” said the Twitter CEO. In another example, the San Diego Chargers tweeted about tickets that were left for a game, and in a little over half an hour they were gone. The upshot of all of that, he said, is that “there’s a commerce opportunity there for us to take advantage of if we want.” Although he didn’t give any specifics, the Twitter CEO said that the company is asking “how can we remove friction from [that] process?”

And what about Google+? Costolo said that while he believes Google “will leverage their tremendous reach to pull people into this experience,” he isn’t focused on competing with the service, but instead sees Twitter as “offering simplicity in a world of complexity.” The Twitter CEO also confirmed that the company will likely raise money soon to provide funds that it can put into building up its infrastructure (there have been rumors that it is raising a new round of venture financing that will value the company at $8 billion) but he wouldn’t say whether it will be a public offering or a private financing.

Can Twitter manage to make the transformation from being a real-time information network to being a platform for real-time commerce? Costolo seems to be betting the company’s future — and his own — that it can.

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