Jun 03
Touring on road bicycles has become more and more popular. When I was young, I first recall seeing men on touring bicycles climbing the highways through the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I was intrigued watching these riders climbing the long inclines without letting up. Loving the outdoors and especially the mountains, I knew this [...] [...more]
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Touring on road bicycles has become more and more popular. When I was young, I first recall seeing men on touring bicycles climbing the highways through the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I was intrigued watching these riders climbing the long inclines without letting up. Loving the outdoors and especially the mountains, I knew this was the only way to really enjoy the magnificent views. It was then that I realized the type of bicycle they were riding was much different then the cruiser style bike I grew up with~owned.
A few months ago I met a man in his late 50’s who lived in the north east. Each summer he would fly with his touring bicycle to Washington state. Then he’d spend a month riding across the country coming home. Needless to say, his bicycle was outfitted with loads of specialized touring bags and accessories. As the sport’s popularity has risen, so has the demand for road bicycles. In the past, the only place to locate a~shop for a tour bicycle was at an expensive specialized bike shop which would usually be limited to one brand of bike. Usually these local shops are quite expensive. Lets face it, the price of many serious tour bicycles simply put them out of reach for younger people just entering the sport.
I recall traveling over 100 miles to find the specific Schwinn touring bicycle I was searching for. Fortunately today, that is not the case. You can find all the biggest names in road bicycles on the internet. The additional benefit is many can be found at affordable prices also. The interest in bicycle touring has also given rise to the availability of specialized bicycle parts, accessories and bicycle clothing. You would be hard pressed to find touring bags and equipment at your local discount store. But this is not the case online.
The first upgrade that long distance touring requires is a way to carry your personal gear, clothing and camping equipment on long trips. The popularity of touring has provided riders a huge variety of upgrade bicycle parts and accessories. It is quite easy to find replacement or upgrade bicycle parts and bicycling apparel for your long trips. Serious bikers can easily upgrade just about their entire bicycle by traveling no further then their PC.
Jun 03
The question of where to buy Parvaid seems like it should be simple enough - just go to the local store and pick up a bottle.
Sorry, that’s just too easy; it is a little more involved than that.
Parvaid is an herbal product that is both synthetic and chemical-free. It is both effective and safe. Lamentably, [...] [...more]
Posted: under Uncategorized.
The question of where to buy Parvaid seems like it should be simple enough - just go to the local store and pick up a bottle.
Sorry, that’s just too easy; it is a little more involved than that.
Parvaid is an herbal product that is both synthetic and chemical-free. It is both effective and safe. Lamentably, it is not a chemical-based drug, which means that most vets who are trained in Western Medicine totally dismiss organic products as just some alternative solution that cannot possibly work as it is not approved by the FDA.
Herbal products classed as botanicals or food supplements, which is true of Parvaid and its related products, do not need to be evaluated by the FDA and therefore do not have to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
A wall of resistance seems to go up as soon as you mention non-traditional or non-mainstream products. Most vets appear to know practically nothing of organic treatments, and on many occasions they will be quite dismissive of any product that hasn’t come from a drug manufacturer as they get many financial incentives for promoting the big pharmaceutical companies’ drug; the small, independent herbalist, on the other hand, can’t come close to matching the payoff levels that a company the size of Pfizer, for example, can dangle in front of a struggling vet.
So, trying to get inexpensive herbal products into established distribution chains is not easy. The financial rewards are simply not there, there will be much less residual income, which is because herbal products usually provide long-term relief vs. drugs that cause an array of side-effects that in turn mean you need still further drugs to counter-act the side-effects, and all this ever does is to put a sticking plaster on the problems, to the point where you might have to take pills and such indefinitely - which brings in a steady flow of cash each month.
Given a choice between getting paid once or getting paid over and over, which do you think the big drug companies will select?
Unfortunately, there used to be a proud tradition in this country of using natural products to solve all kinds of ailments, but a couple of hundred years ago, drugs began to appear, large marketing campaigns were launched proclaiming how wonderful drugs are and that they are the only route to good health, and so the propaganda machine went on full force.
Companies in the organic marketplace have never been able to compete with the pharmaceutical fat cats, with their deep pockets, and for the most part, still can’t. If you play ads hundreds of times a day that fill people with hype, work on their emotions, and basically wear them down, they will think there are no other viable solutions and therefore the drugs must be the answer.
Most people grow up with the “pop a couple of pills and all will be right” mentality. But nowadays bugs (i.e. parasites, viruses, germs, bacteria) are getting stronger and stronger and immune to conventional treatments. You may find it easier to get your hands on chemical-based products but you probably won’t get the type of relief that you need.
Products such as Parvaid work with the body, and not against, it, to help it heal from within. It would be nice to be able to go to your local market and find these organic type products, but as there are no big companies willing to promote these “non-standard” treatments, you will not readily find these sorts of products in supermarkets, or even in the larger pet stores such as Pet Smart of Pet Co. You may, however, be more likely to find what you’re looking for if you look in small independent pet stores or feed stores.
But there are some things you need to be aware of first.
Very few of the smaller retailers who sell Parvaid really know much about the product or how best to use it for maximum effect, because to them, it’s nothing more than another item on the shelf.
Now, in order to maximize your dog’s chance for a successful recovery, you will need to know how to use this product and you will also have to administer several home remedies for Parvo in conjunction. Unfortunately, most retailers neither have the necessary knowledge nor expertise.
Another crucial factor is that the manufacturer now specifies a minimum requirement for four different products to treat dogs with Parvo (as well as exposed adult dogs), and yet many retailers do not carry the full set of required products.
This leaves you with a dilemma: spend valuable time hunting down a retail store in your area (and this could be hundreds of miles away) and hope that they have what you need product-wise, and then come home and deal with your sick pets on your own as best you can, or you could buy the products online.
Now of course, if you buy from the retail store it would save some a bit of time (and perhaps some money as you would not have to pay for shipping - just gas and time), but you will not get any support whatsoever. If anything does go wrong, because no matter how good the products are (and they are!), some dogs don’t respond to the standard treatment protocols for any number of reasons and therefore need adjusted dosage schedules, you’ll probably find that you’ll get no help from the store you bought the products from as they simply won’t have the knowledge and experience that you’ll need.
If you buy Parvaid online, then you have to examine who is selling the products, how much experience do they have in case you need help, which is most of the time, and how trustworthy is their website.
As you know, there are no shortages of fly-by-night sites out there with many scammers that take money but never deliver.
One way you can tell is to look for the quantity of Parvo information that is on their website. If you can’t find very much (and on some sites, you’ll find none at all), then it’s highly likely that these are nothing more than a few additional products to them, which in turn means they’ll know very little about Parvo and its treatment
Something else to look out for is the range of shipping methods that they use. If the only shipping method is USPS Priority Mail, this is a really good sign that they just don’t get it - Parvo is a deadly virus that kills at a frightening speed, and anything slower than FedEx or UPS Overnight services is just too slow. Some sites even offer free Priority Mail shipping, in an attempt to gain your business, but please don’t be tempted by these, because the money you think you’re saving will probably cost your dog his life, as you wait an extra one to three days for that life-saving package to arrive in the mail.
We have dealt with well over 850 cases of Parvo, we will only use FedEx Priority Overnight (deliveries Monday through Saturday) if your dog is sick, we make available a 100+ page book that we wrote all about Parvo, called Parvo Treatment 101, which you can download to your computer instantly and completely free of charge, we have developed (and frequently update) the most comprehensive Parvo Home Remedy Plan that will help sustain your sick dog until your products can be delivered, and throughout the treatment schedule, that you will find anywhere on the Internet, and we are the only people offering 24×7 personal phone coaching (also at no additional charge).
If you have Parvo on your property in the case of dogs, or Feline Distemper in the case of cats (unfortunately, cats can become infected from Parvo dogs in the form of Feline Distemper), then you will need support throughout this horrifying ordeal.
If you have not already done so, please visit ParvoBuster to help get your pets back on their feet again, and don’t forget to check out the Parvaid testimonials kindly provided by some of our many satisfied customers.
Jun 03
Why bother?
Good customer service is the life blood of any business. Although you should try and attract new customers good customer service will help generate customer loyalty and encourage repeat business. With each satisfied customer your business will secure many more customers through word of mouth and you should always keep in mind that if [...] [...more]
Posted: under Uncategorized.
Why bother?
Good customer service is the life blood of any business. Although you should try and attract new customers good customer service will help generate customer loyalty and encourage repeat business. With each satisfied customer your business will secure many more customers through word of mouth and you should always keep in mind that if you are not taking proper care of your customers there is always a competitor that will.
A customer satisfaction survey will demonstrate to your customers that you care and are proactive in looking for ways to improve the service that you provide.
Where do you start?
Objective - Before you start compiling your survey consider what the objectives of the survey are, in that way you will remain focused and find it easier to decide what questions to ask.
Analysis - Having completed the survey consider how you will analyse the answers.
Bare in mind that ‘closed’ questions (where the respondents are asked to choose from a limited number of responses) are easier to analyse than questions that are ‘open’ (where the respondent can reply in anyway they want).
A lot will depend on the volume of respondents, the higher the volume the more important it is to have an easy method of analysing the results.
Opportunity – As well as obtaining valuable market research data keep in mind that customer surveys are also a good way to advertise areas of your service that your customers may not be aware of.
Before publishing the survey read through the survey from a market research view point to confirm that you are asking the right questions in the right way and that your chosen answer format will provide you with feedback that will allow you to make informed decisions.
Then, read through the survey from a marketing view point, check that you have phrased each question so that every opportunity has been taken to promote your business?
The ideal question will perform the following three functions:-
- Market research - provide valuable feedback to help you improve your customer satisfaction levels and in turn your business
- Marketing - promote aspects of your business
- Information/Education - advertise a service that you provide that your customers may not have been unaware of
For example:- Do you find the in-store baby changing facilities useful?
By asking this question not only will the store receive good feedback on the facility they provide but they will also advertise their baby changing facilities and promote themselves as a family friendly store beyond those customers who have a specific need for the facility provided.
Warts and all – to benefit most from a customer survey you need to avoid the temptation, in any way, of attempting to sugar coat the survey.
A well designed customer satisfaction survey will enable you to identify problems so that they can be addressed; regular customer satisfaction will prevent complacency and give you early warning on where you might be losing out to your competitors initiatives.
What to ask?
Although each business is likely to have specific and unique factors that are important in providing good customer services there are common areas that are relevant to all businesses be they a physical store, online internet store or a service industry. The following are key areas to providing good customer service.
Communication - Is it easy for your customers to communicate with you?
When customers telephone are their calls answered quickly; are their enquiries about products or services handled properly? Good businesses will make every effort to ensure that whatever the customers query it is resolved by the right person, quickly, politely and fairly.
If a problem is not resolvable immediately do you promise to respond in a given time period and do you deliver on your promise?
Use a customer satisfaction survey to check that all your employees are perceived by your customers as being helpful, courteous and knowledgeable.
Location – Are you doing everything you can to ensure that your customers find it easy to visit you, if a physical store, does it have good access and is it conveniently located?
Making it pleasant, making it easy - For an online business it is important to ensure that your website is easy to use and aesthetically pleasing.
Physical store or online website, is the store properly laid out, can your customers find what they need and is there sufficient information and help on hand to explain how a particular product works?
The right quality products – In addition to measuring the quality of the service that you provide you should ensure that the products and services that you provide do fully match your customers’ requirements.
Value for money – Cheap or expensive is rarely a good measure, value for money is.
Do your customers consider your business synonymous with value for money, if not, why not?
Speed and attention – Customers want their enquiries or queries to be dealt with quickly but attentively.
Are you doing everything to prevent any delays?
Customers like to be treated as individuals, how do you treat your customers? Attention is one thing but this has to be hand- in-hand with a quick and satisfactory resolution of the query.
Demographics and Specific issues – Take the opportunity to profile your customers, for example their gender, age group and where they live?
The better you understand your customers the more you will be able to properly target your business.
Within the survey encourage customers to highlight their problems and provide contact details.
What is next?
Having completed the survey analyse the results.
Trends – Identify specific and common areas where the service needs improving.
Ask yourself honestly if any criticism that you receive is valid and if there anything that can be done to resolve or minimise the problem?
Training – Are all employees properly trained and do they have sufficient knowledge?
Where staff training programmes have been implemented have they had a positive impact on the business?
Follow-up – If a customer who has completed a survey has raised a specific issue ensure that they are contacted and their complaint addressed.
Don’t squander the opportunity to resolve a problem and keep a customer.
Continuously Monitor - Based on the survey results make changes and then re-measure by issuing further surveys.
If you are concerned about customer satisfaction and what to view a sample survey for a store that will demonstrate some of the above advice please visit:- Sample Customer Survey
Jun 03
Well if I had a penny for every offer to hold my camera bag, reflector or tripod, I wouldn’t be writing this article.
As a developing semi professional photographer over the last 2 years the author had worked in marketing for 16 years now. Producing everything from brochures, to web sites, to videos and [...] [...more]
Posted: under Uncategorized.
Well if I had a penny for every offer to hold my camera bag, reflector or tripod, I wouldn’t be writing this article.
As a developing semi professional photographer over the last 2 years the author had worked in marketing for 16 years now. Producing everything from brochures, to web sites, to videos and conferences.
The corporate straight jacket required an escapologist manoeuvre if some sanity was to be retained. So, the interest in photography, which had always been there, brought the author from buying in professionals, to retraining as one.
In photographing various subjects, seeing what appealed and looking for a style of my own - which is still being sort, I did think that glamour photography might appeal as an extension to my love of fashion, so with an open mind I gave it a go. But how do you approach photographing glamour models? Well this is where all the laddish behaviour has to be left firmly outside of the studio, else that’s where you’ll be very quickly. I attended a small workshop style shoot with 3 other photographers at Blue Moon studios on Dudley, West Midlands. I’ll admit that I was a little nervous of what they day might bring.
We had plenty of alternatives to work with. The studio offered a wide range of photography services meaning it had various themed areas or “sets” and of course provided a professional model. Blue louvered blinds gave scope for a more creative lighting set up as well.
The day was much more challenging than I imagined - I found my creativity drying up and was struggling to come up with concepts that worked. I prefer much more subtle and low key lighting effects than the modern “all white” look. Less was certainly more - but not when it came to clothes, the shots I felt worked better with a hint of what you couldn’t see. You certainly have to be clear in your mind as to what you want and how to talk to models. It’s hard not to be put off at the end of a sequence of images when your model comes running over to pinch the camera off you and check the shots on the back without a stick on .
It’s good to work to a theme and to build a series of shots that tell a story or show a sequence. Also images that show the process of an action rather than just the end result - it makes for more feeling and adds anticipation. Personally I like to try and get a bit of attitude from the lady into the shots - something that shows their personality.
As for equipment , there was the trusty Nikon DSLR mainly used with an 18-70mm lens. Also some shots were taken from the floor above of one of the sets using a 70-200mm f2.8 to give a different perspective. Studio flash was one or two Bowens Esprit 500w flash heads with radio triggers and soft boxes. The lighting was kept at a low level - firstly in relation to the model and secondly in terms of power, so that the mood ambiance was conveyed in the pictures. Most of these shots were taken using one flash head, soft box and all the windows darkened using the blinds, this being the preferred set up for the professional photographer. Mono light head power was set to one quarter for starters then reduced to suit.
As for camera body settings I rely on my favourite starting position - 160 sec and f8 - camera on Manual. Then the rest is done testing and a quick check of the histogram. With low key lighting and the model wearing partly black and seated on a black sofa I expected the histogram to be skewed to the left.
I was looking for something different than the typical cliche topless shots and eventually found the great contrast in black and colour with low key lighting.
The only alternative to this was the portrait shot with the models hair over one eye, I absolutely love this shot, which is now on my web site and was cropped out of a wider three quarter shot.
All in all a good day and a great experience, on reflection it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. So would I do it again? Yes it’s a challenging area to work in and a great test of your creativity.