I never imagined we’d see the day where the most powerful chiropractic marketing was entirely free, but that’s exactly what we’re experiencing today. Over the past couple of years, Web 2.0 and social media sites have completely revolutionized the way we market online. Chiropractic practices once had to spend unbelievable amounts of money to advertise on TV, radio, in newspapers, and at community events. Today, you can get an account on sites like YouTube, MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook, and get tremendous exposure without paying a dime. On these social sharing sites, people will be drawn to your useful information and your personal profile. Soon, you’ll see tons of new patients walking through your doors monthly.

For the past three years I have used social media websites to get an incredible amount of new patients through the door and make multiple forms of other income, and my ability to help others do the same has skyrocketed. I thought I once knew what it meant to brand yourself, but I can safely say that those old notions have been thrown on their head thanks to the virtual community and Web 2.0. The old way of filling my community’s mailboxes with pamphlets and advertisements and going to my local chamber of commerce meeting is really a thing of the past! And thank goodness, because it didn’t do a whole lot of good in the old days either!

Through social media platforms like MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook, I can connect with hundreds, even thousands of people every day and have much more of an impact. It simply comes down to leverage and time multiplication. I can leverage and multiply my time very effectively and consistently put my message in front of hundreds of thousands of people in the community.

It’s truly amazing when you take account of the numbers on my MySpace page. I have a whopping 6,400 friends, 3,000 of which live in my local community and are interested in my services. When I post my videos and bulletins, all these people receive them at the click of a button. There’s no wasting paper or hours of labor, it’s that simple! Viral marketing is the very best of free chiropractic marketing, and it’s available to everyone.

If you’re still spending a ridiculous amount of money on advertisements, postcards, yellow page ads, newspaper drops, and so much more, then you’re on the fast track to financial ruin. Chiropractors can’t afford to waste their money during these difficult financial times. You need to be making more money, and spending less in the process. Over 90% of chiropractors are sinking under the weight of the same marketing strategies that don’t work. You don’t have to drown with the rest of them!

When you have the courage and know-how to use cutting-edge marketing techniques that truly get the job done, then you put yourself and your practice in the position to soar to new heights. These innovative practices involve Web 2.0 and social media marketing. You can watch your practice reach new levels practically overnight, and create multiple forms of streaming income from other sources while you’re at it. When a marketing rep tries to tell you that they know it all, but don’t use these innovative techniques online, then the fact of the matter is that they know nothing. Don’t trust them and their old ways.

When you create a YouTube account today, you’ll begin to see the power that I’m speaking of. Visit the 3rd most popular website online and go to the “sign in” link to get started. You’ll immediately sense that you’re on to something big, and you won’t spend a dime getting your account up and running.

Right after you’ve filled out the necessary information, you can start to look at other videos and comment on them. This way you can get a sense of what’s out there. Choose a list of favorites when you see something that strikes you. The sheer volume of footage will amaze you, and you start to understand the potential and power of Web 2.0.

Many people who are considering implementing Six Sigma in their companies are curious as to how it has been used in larger corporations. One example of Six Sigma training success is General Electric, which went from a wasteful, bureaucratic conglomerate to a lean, streamlined business through the Six Sigma training process. For GE, Six Sigma certification has made the difference between success and failure.

GE was the average American company, run by a bureaucratic board and line of corporate management. This was their downfall, and they needed a major change to keep them from becoming a company defined by waste and greed. The first thing they did was Six Sigma training. Corporate levels went through the black belt certification while the lower levels went through Six Sigma training. Once that was done, they went on to apply the six Sigma principles to the business.

Processes were evaluated until they could be reduced to quantifiable steps. This left no room for waste. Executive level workers learned to ask for input from employees in all levels. Lines of communication became more open, which left room for better efficiency, customer service and boosted morale and productivity. This is what has made GE different in their field.

The process through which Six Sigma delivers such excellent results is quite simple. The employees who have passed the Six Sigma black belt training now identify the aspects that are Critical to Quality (CTQ’s). Identifying defects, and measuring the process capabilities is then performed.

After the data is gathered, Six Sigma then teaches people to identify variation- which is the time when a process doesn’t deliver what was desired of it. Then a process is redesigned and controlled to prevent variation. This is what Six Sigma is all about.

If higher efficiency and better customer service sounds good to you, then Six Sigma can be the single most important thing to help change your company. You might just found you cannot afford not to use Six Sigma.

Countless people make money with gifting. Cash gifting has been applied from time immemorial to generate wealth. The magnetic cash gifting system is practically on of the quickest way of achieving good cash flow and financial success. It offers an opportunity to everyone who can use a computer the opportunity to make millions in real time. It further has several advantages in its course of training.

In the past, several cash gifting systems have been applied by people in different parts of the world to make wealth. These systems have worked well, but like with many other man-made systems, need constant reviewing and upgrading. The magnetic cash gifting was introduced after thorough research and testing taking into account the weaknesses of other cash gifting systems, and its application has seen prayer answered.

Training on magnetic cash gifting systems takes a very short time and it is very convenient in that you can choose your training hours and thanks a lot to the internet service. One of the most important principles of these magnetic cash gifting system is that it is based on universal laws which are real, sure and practical and one example of the laws is that you give cheerfully and expect to receive back in full or more sometimes.

Training on how to make money using these gifting programs is convenient, simple, and fun. Also, the training is offered by experienced people who are the living testimonies of the benefits they got from the programs. For one to register into these systems one is only required to be able to read, how to count and how to access the internet. No academic qualifications are required for these gifting programs.

Currently, close to forty thousand people in over nine countries have undergone training on magnetic cash gifting. This is enough testimony to the fact that training is simple and takes modest time. A member is given all the tools required for cash harvesting from the first day of training and is capable of making as much as 3,500 US dollars on the first practical trial of the system’s capabilities.

This training is mainly carried out through step by step video lessons which could be viewed directly online or downloaded and viewed using other means. Instructional materials are also provided that give hands on experience on successful marketing techniques and strategies. Also, direct support of team members during training is guaranteed, coupled with countless other benefits. This also goes with constant follow-ups to ensure that the learner’s technical needs are adequately met.

Magnetic cash gifting is based on trial and error and they are so to ensure that the trainees are well prepared to make money without any hassles and stress and the training is done using a plain and understandable language that requires less explanation since it is easy to grasp the concepts.

Magnetic cash system has proved to be very effective, efficient, convenient and simple in application and training since its application results is successful and one is guaranteed to achieve their ambition of financial freedom.

If you are a services provider and work through a staffing company, you are leaving money on the table that you could be putting in your pocket instead. This happens because people are not able to find clients to call on. This is not a phenomenon simply for one type of business people. Most people do not know who to call on. This article will explain why telephone selling skills are important and how this can help you in finding clients.

When you are thinking about your telephone selling skills, it is critical that you know who you want to call on. This can take many different forms. You can decide to purchase lists from companies focused upon your particular industry if you wanted to. You could focus on meeting new people through networking or on the telephone. To better understand this at first, take a quick step back to think about your prospects with whom you will talk with on the phone. What is the best time to get them on the phone and how do you make sure that they are interested in what you have to say? Your prospects are people and are interested in many of the same things that you are interested in. Once you have an idea of who your specific client is, see if you can continue to break this down even further.

Breaking down your client can start with this simple step. Describe who your specific target client is. This may seem easy but many business owners would not be able to tell you who their specific target is. Without having a specific target, you can not use your telephone selling skills on them as effectively as when understanding a group inside and out. You will say different things to different groups of people and find that you are not having very good results. If you can figure out your specific clients, you can work on delving more deeply into the client. This would include what the needs and challenges your targeted clients face. This will make you educated on the market and how what you bring to the table is relevant to the client.

You have identified your client and understand the needs and problems he or she has but now you have to find them. This can be as simple as going to conferences about the industry or calling on industry directory lists. You want to find a way to meet people and build lists of interested clients. This will allow you to put your telephone selling skills to work. This can be further broken down if you need business or personal clients. You could look in phone directories or clubs depending upon personal or business.

Talking on the phone to prospects is so important. Business is built upon communication and how are you better able to communicate in a fast and efficient way than over the telephone? If you do not take the time to develop good telephone selling skills, you are turning a great deal of money away from the table that could be yours. Selling over the phone simply comes down to speaking directly to your clients and providing solutions to what they need. This is so important.

The landscape of the modern workplace continues to change. While the last century saw the rise of large employers, the 21st century is a time of diversification, marked by the growth of small and home-based businesses.

Why do people decide to work at home? Some budding entrepreneurs take setbacks such as layoffs or medical problems as opportunities to be independent and start their own businesses. A management consultant decides to open his own office after an illness in order to set his own schedule and reduce stress. A retired government worker doesn’t make enough money from her retirement, but doesn’t want a full-time job.

Some of the risks involved in running a home-based business are the same as for starting any business: no fringe benefits, no job security, start up costs, initial lack of steady income, and lots of long hours and hard work. Add to these the loss of home space, isolation, likelihood of interruptions, and the need for tremendous self-discipline and you’ve got the disadvantages of starting a home-based business.

No matter why they start a home-based business, these entrepreneurs face some unique work situations. On the negative side, a home-based business takes up space in the home, which could cause family conflicts. There are no fringe benefits — no sick time, vacation time, health benefits and no one to cover for you. There are startup costs and no financial stability at first. Working at home takes great personal discipline to keep to the task and not get distracted. And there’s no one to share the risks.

On the other hand, when you work at home you can set your own hours and integrate your work life with your family life. You are your own boss, set your own rules. You make the decisions and you keep the money you make. No commuting costs, no business lunches, no business wardrobe, no endless meetings.

Get a copy of the company’s fully audited financial statement. What are the startup and maintenance costs? What responsibilities will you and the seller have to each other after you’ve invested? Compare the financials with other business opportunities and don’t fall for pressure: today’s offer will still be there tomorrow.

There are plenty of options for buying into a business. The internet is full of such opportunities. There is online business that offers free startup courses to interested people. Many of the internet businesses are perfectly legitimate, but some of them are scams. It’s important to be able to tell the good ones from the bad. Ask about their earnings claims. Get names of people who have already bought into the business and ask them for their experience with the company. Have their earnings matched or exceeded the stated earnings claims? Check with government regulations and consumer and business organizations to see if there are any black marks against this company.

When you’re flying solo don’t hesitate to get help from business people who have other skills you need to succeed, like lawyers, accountants, and marketing experts. Whether you buy into an established business opportunity or develop your own concept, remember that the secret to building a successful home-based business is to center it on your own skills.

Organisations urged to look out for five potentially “toxic” personality types

Serious personality clashes in the workplace is costing organisations millions of pounds in lost productivity, low morale and poor staff retention, Talent Q has claimed. The people assessment company has coined the term “dysfunctional office syndrome” to describe situations where a blend of corrosive personalities is derailing a company’s chances of success. Occupational psychologist Richard MacKinnon says up to a fraction of the organisations he has worked with have shown signs of the syndrome.

But he adds that many other companies now take active steps to prevent their business from being affected. “Every organisation knows that finding the right balance of skills and experience is key to success,” he says. “But it’s every bit as important that you get the right mix of personality types too.”

“The best managers do this instinctively, by asking themselves whether a candidate ‘will fit in’ to the organisation. But for high level appointments, or where a team has a particular strategic importance, more companies are now using psychological profiling to add scientific rigour. “The impact of dysfunctional office syndrome cannot be underestimated. You can find a candidate with the best CV in the world, but if he or she has a personality like David Brent, then your business will suffer badly in the long run. Having a strong assessment process can prevent disaster.”

According to Talent Q, there are five potentially ‘toxic’ personality types that organisations should be particularly wary of, as they can have a particularly harmful effect on the work environment if not managed appropriately.

1. The “Woody Allen” or paranoid personality.

Constantly feeling “they’re all out to get me”, this employee will exhibit distrust and suspicion in the workplace. They can be very argumentative and quick to blame their colleagues for errors. Their dislike for ambiguity can lead to them taking a simplistic ‘black and white’ approach to decision-making, while also relying on broad stereotypes to categorise colleagues.

These behaviours can obviously have an impact on team cohesion and workplace cooperation.

2. The “Rebel without a Cause” or anti-social personality.

This employee will be identifiable by their complete and utter disregard for other people. Colleagues will regard them as thoughtless, callous, cocky and often bullying and aggressive. They believe that rules don’t apply to them, and frequently break laws and societal norms through their impulsive behaviour. This lack of planning and consideration for the consequences of their behaviour makes them appear reckless and volatile. They will shrug off personal responsibility both at work and in their private life.

As a result, their career progression usually suffers, along with personal finances and relationships. They will usually come to your attention through your organisation’s disciplinary channels.

3. The “Drama Queen” or histrionic personality.

This type is characterised by their high emotionality and desire to be the centre of attention at all times. They will exaggerate and elaborate stories in order to appear special. Nothing is ever straightforward with them. When in conversation, they will have very strong opinions on a range of subjects, but with little evidence to back up their claims.

Their physical appearance is very important to them and they will frequently use this to gain colleagues’ attention – often through inappropriate workplace dress.

Colleagues will view them as theatrical and emotional and soon tire of their stories and exaggerations. It can then be difficult to get anyone to work with them and their need for attention will not allow them to be productive working is isolation.

4. The Perfectionist or Obsessive-Compulsive Personality

This employee is characterised by their emphasis on careful planning and order. Indeed, they may draw up incredibly detailed plans, meticulous in every aspect -except the plan is never implemented and the work never gets done.

The obsessive employee is all about orderliness and perfectionism and this can often be at the expense of efficiency. They don’t know the meaning of “good enough” and constantly strive for perfection at work. This can lead to conflict with colleagues – they believe there is only one way to do anything, and it is their way. They tend to be unwilling to delegate as they don’t have faith in the abilities of others. They will therefore reject offers of assistance, missing deadlines in the process.

Their focus on the minutiae of tasks and uncooperative nature make them a frustrating colleague to deal with and one who finds it difficult to conceive that there might just be a simpler, more efficient way to work.

5. “The Hermit” or avoidant personality

You might never have met this employee, though they’ve worked for you for some time. They are socially inhibited and are viewed by others as shy and quiet. Organisationally, they prefer activities where they can work alone and avoid meeting new people. Group events fill them with fear. They can have low self-esteem and avoid new responsibilities and offers of promotion, just to avoid making mistakes. They can be extremely risk-averse and will provide you with multiple reasons why a new activity or change to working practices is inherently bad and sure to fail. They are also prone to seeing criticism where there is none and so need to be handled carefully and sensitively. Their ability to work well alone is tempered by their innate dislike of change.

“20-somethings” also show higher ethical standards, greater accuracy and better social awareness than older generations, but also poorer leadership, negotiation and planning skills. Baby Boomers found to be more adaptable and open to radical ideas, but less charismatic, less ambitious and less socially adept than younger generations.

A new large scale personality study of different generations by people assessment firm Talent Q challenges the stereotype of ’surly and aggressive youth’, but suggests the caricature of ‘grumpy old men’ – like One Foot in the Grave’s Victor Meldrew – may not be entirely unfounded.

By comparing data on nearly 4,000 people across three different generations, it found that those in their early 20s – the so-called “Generation Y” – have higher ethical standards, show greater attention to detail and are more socially adept than older generations.
Surprisingly they were also found to be less adaptable to variety and change, less likely to be good decision-makers, and less able to cope with a fast pace of work.

Generation Ys were also generally less organised, less keen on planning their workload and less efficient than other generations.

“The days where a person has a job for life are long gone, so it’s perverse that the ‘Generation Y’ psyche appears to show less adaptability, efficiency and dynamism than older generations,” said Roger Holdsworth, Talent Q’s managing director.

“The 20-somethings we studied were also less resilient, less confident at negotiation and decision-making, less influential in a leadership capacity and less able or willing to follow the rules – all of which is concerning for the future.

“But there were positives too. In stark contrast to popular perceptions of surly, selfish and aggressive youth, the younger generation tends to have a stronger ethical code, is more socially aware and more in tune with other’s behaviour than their elders.”

The research also explodes the stereotypes that older generations are conservative and “set in their ways”. Instead, it found the Baby Boomer generation were the most likely to adopt new techniques and most likely to favour radical ideas.

However, the same generation were also found to be less charismatic, less ambitious and less likely to fit in with different types of people. Perhaps because of growing up in the 1960s, radicalism still shapes the Baby Boomer psyche. They remain more adaptable to change than younger people – very much confounding the view that ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But Baby Boomers also, perhaps understandably, show signs of easing down as they approach retirement, showing less ambition and competitiveness than other generations.

The research also suggests the stereotype of grumpy old men – and women – has a grain of truth to it. Our studies found that the Baby Boomers were generally less socially adept and comfortable with different people than younger generations. In other words, the “Victor Meldrew” caricature actually appears closer to the mark than we might think.

Methodology:
The findings were based on a comparative study of 3,982 people, consisting of 869 “Baby Boomers” (with an average age of 50), 2,135 “Generation Xs” (average age of 35) and 978 “Generation Ys” (average age of 22). They each completed TalentQ’s Dimension profile over the past three years, and were compared against a whole series of personality characteristics.

The small claims court cannot collect your money for you, but the clerk or small claims adviser can tell you about some ways to do this yourself. Some just hire a debt collection agency.

For example, you may be able to have the defendant’s wages “garnished.” Meaning the person’s employer voluntarily gives you part of the defendant’s wages each pay day until the debt is paid. To collect your money this way, you must find out where the person works-, be sure to get the name of the company and its full address, including the county. Then, ask the small claims court clerk for a Writ of Execution and fill it out. When the court issues this writ, the sheriff or marshal will deliver it to the debtor’s employer.

If you know where the defendant banks, the small claims clerk can issue a Writ of Execution that the sheriff or marshal takes to the bank. You need to know the name of the bank, the full branch address and the county. The bank will pay you what is owed, if there is enough money in the account.

A Writ of Execution also can be used to “attach” or take certain kinds of personal property, such as stocks, bonds and the contents of a safe deposit box. After this property is collected, it can be sold in order to pay the money that you are owed.

Not all personal property can be taken. The defendant can file a Claim of Exemption to protect the ” necessities of life,” possibly including a house, heirlooms, clothes and some wages.

The cost of a Writ of Execution – as well as the amount that the sheriff or marshal charges to deliver the writ – can be added to the amount that the defendant owes you. You also are entitled to interest during the time it takes to collect.

If you do not have the information you need to collect your money, you can make the defendant come to court and answer your questions about wages, the employer’s location, bank account, personal property and real estate. Contact the small claims adviser for information about how to schedule this hearing.

Remember: The judgment is good for 10 years, and you can renew it if you still have not collected the amount you are owed. But, in many cases, the longer you wait, the harder it is to collect the money.

Bad employee appraisals cost UK economy over 2 billion

Research from Talent Q, a people assessment company that helps employers recruit and manage talent, has shown that many managers are merely ‘going through the motions’ when it comes to appraisals. Out of a total UK workforce of 29.36 million, only 58 per cent of these receive a formal appraisal, of which many are conducted badly and fail to achieve their objective of reviewing performance.

As a result, employees’ productivity and the customer service they deliver is impacted noticeably. Talent Q’s research found that good appraisals, followed by effective development planning, were related to 2.7 per cent higher levels of productivity and an 11 per cent increase in quality of service. However, where appraisals are conducted poorly, unsurprisingly these benefits are not achieved. Given the number of bad appraisals, this represents a potential loss to the UK economy of 2.29 billion.

In organisations that take the management of their people, appraisals will often have been well thought out and structured by the human resources department. However, appraisals are still implemented poorly for many reasons, including:

* Managers viewing appraisal as a ‘chore’ rather than a useful activity to manage the performance of their people
* Due to a lack of commitment to the process, managers do not implement appraisal thoroughly across all of their people
* The objectives of the appraisal not clear or appropriate, either for the company or the employee
* Managers not preparing in advance or allowing time for the employee to prepare
* Appraisal discussions are one-sided, with the employee unable to contribute their point of view
* Managers fudging results either to make themselves look good to their own senior managers, or to ‘be kind’ to the employee

Alan Bourne, director of Talent Q, said: “There’s often a huge sigh when appraisal time comes, however it is actually a well-proven management tool which research has consistently identified as a key part of an effective HR system. Many organisations use appraisals badly and our research indicates that those that do so are wasting time rather than achieving the intended benefits.

Appraisal systems are often well-designed by the HR function but fall down when handed over to be implemented by managers who have not been engaged and don’t buy in to the process. A bad appraisal does nothing for morale or productivity, and works against the goals of the organisation.

Clearly HR professionals need to work more closely with their operational colleagues to ensure well meaning policies actually get implemented effectively in practice. The simple message to managers is that if you don’t know how to appraise effectively, consider the business benefits of doing so and get appropriate training. Doing it badly is a waste of your time and counter-productive within your team.

Poor recruitment practice severely damages productivity

Research from Talent Q, a people assessment company that helps employers recruit and manage talent, has found that many companies are routinely making poor decisions when hiring employees. The result is a fall off in productivity equivalent to 2,400 a year for every worker who is placed into a role without being assessed effectively – adding up to a huge 5 billion bill for the UK economy as a whole.

Drawing on official survey data, Talent Q has discovered that 44 per cent of employees were not selected using personality assessment and 24 per cent were not selected using aptitude tests. These findings were processed through a universally-accepted model that illustrates the cast iron effectiveness of assessment, based on 25 years of academic research across thousands of organisations. When the results were combined with Office for National Statistics salary data, the true extent of the issue for employers became clear.

Steve O’Dell, chief executive of Talent Q, said:”Organisations are often employing people based on little more than gut feel, even though it’s by far the worst recruitment technique.All the studies show that if employees use assessment to check whether someone has the right aptitude and personality traits, they get far better people and much better productivity.

“In the UK, our productivity per hour worked lags around 20 per cent behind the USA and Germany.If organisations made the right hires it would be a significant way of helping ensure the country doesn’t fall behind its global competitors”

The cost of doing it wrong is shocking. With 5 billion you could:

* Pay the wages of Chelsea’s John Terry for the next 740 years
* Build 15 replicas of the Burj al Arab, the world’s only 7 star hotel
* Or buy a 28,000-strong fleet of the 205mph Ferrari 599.

The bottom-line implications for managers are significant.For an organisation employing 2,500 employees, the lost productivity through poor quality of hires could be as much as 5.9 million per annum.

Steve O’Dell added: “While many managers in human resources are rightly focused on value for money and reducing costs, this can result in a loss of focus around the quality of hires.With a range of innovative psychometric assessments now on the market at competitive rates, failing to assess candidates robustly clearly represents a false economy.