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We all know it; times are hard. When it comes to the bottom line, every pitch for new business counts. It’s tempting to down-size advertising budgets, dismiss the consultants and just try to keep outgoings down. However, if your company is repeatedly coming second in bids for new business and tendering unsuccessfully for those all-important bread-and-butter contracts, maybe, rather than try and find a new sales manager, it could be more economical to bring in some temporary help. If sales are where it’s falling down, there are now companies specialised in the whole bid support process from business proposal writing to sales presentation training and they could just turn things around for you.
As in all service areas, the important word is ‘bespoke’. Maybe your sales guys are doing a great job out there but are working with uninspiring materials. Tired PowerPoint presentations and brochures which make even the sales team yawn are not going to inspire potential new clients. Behind the presentations comes the hard graft of business proposal writing – maybe this is where you need the help. Or the inverse may be true – the team at head office put their everything into the details of the bid, which the sales team then fail to deliver effectively because of a lack of sales presentation training.
Bringing in specialists in tender and bid support is no longer something that just huge companies do. In fact, it’s precisely the smaller players in the market who can ill afford to have specialists in all these complex areas full-time who can most profit from an outside team coming in occasionally with cutting-edge ideas and market-leading competencies to pass on. It’s also smaller businesses who most rely for their survival on winning new tenders. Suddenly, hiring a specialist company starts to make sense.
There are additional bonuses to hiring a company to guide you through the tendering process. The bid support you shell out for this time may well give you the confidence and expertise to go it alone the next time you have a important pitch. Knowing you have expert help with your business proposal writing and that your team are receiving excellent sales presentation training can also give you a confidence at tender time which will be communicated in your bid. And confidence, when it comes to that big pitch, could be something well worth paying for.
Please visit http://www.salesengine.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.salesengine.co.uk/
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document management systems are a fix to a problem that has only really existed since the rise of the PC and its use in offices and businesses around the world. Thirty years ago, the majority of work was carried out the old fashioned way: with pens and paper, typewriters and filing cabinets. Documents were physical objects that could be held in the hand, read and altered manually, and then stored in a filing cabinet. Then along came the PC, and some people preferred to use that, with its versatile word-processing programs and spreadsheets. The problem was that even the most computer literate person would sometimes doodle a note on a piece of paper, and many forms require filling out with a pen. It’s going to be a long time before we see the back of physical documents in offices. Enter document processing, the means by which physical pieces of paper – letters, forms, invoices and other documents essential to the running of a business – are converted into e-versions, so that they can be stored in the same file systems as the docs that were created on the computer in the first place. Invoice processing does the same for the accounts department, meaning that none of your clients are treated differently – either because you are mainly set up to prioritise physical invoices, or virtual ones.
The fact is that all offices have this problem. It’s a rare business that is genuinely paperless, although lots claim this. Even if they are, their clients may not be – in which case, how do you deal with one of the many pieces of paper they send you? Answer: process it and turn it into a computer file. This may be a quick scan to pdf, but more sophisticated systems actually use advanced character recognition to turn handwriting into a word-processed file – invaluable for someone who still prefers scrawling notes with a biro, but needs them to be legible to everyone (especially if that ‘everyone’ includes colleagues on the other side of the world).
So document management systems are a must for large companies who have to find a way of somehow fusing their modern IT systems and online ethos with the realities of pen and paper, and the physical documents customers and suppliers may prefer. Document processing means that everything can be filed the same way, and nothing is left behind just because it happens to be printed, rather than stored electronically. Invoice processing applies this to the bills and payments your company has to make – again, invaluable for a modern firm with a reputation to keep.
Please visit http://www.bottomline.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.bottomline.co.uk/
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A lot of people don’t get what a phono stage is for. After all, it’s easy to plug in your old turntable to your modern sound system without a phono preamp, and use all of your old records like you used to 30 years ago. Except, of course, it’s not quite as good as it was back in the day. The sound quality isn’t as good. There’s static and background noise – before you even put the needle down on the record, which is a sure sign that something is wrong. It’s not that the record is old, or the turntable just has too many miles on it: it’s because you’re missing the phono amp which is specifically designed to interface the turntable with your hifi, providing the kind of signal it needs to give decent quality playback.
The signal that comes off a regular turntable is very low. That’s fine if your amp and speakers are made for that kind of signal level, as they would be if you were using ones you bought at the same time, that were always intended to be used with vinyl. But when you start mixing old and new, you run into snags. The turntable signal is too quiet. You can get around that to a certain extent by turning the volume on your hifi way up high, but that brings plenty of problems of its own. For starters, the louder it is, the more ‘noise’ you get: you are amplifying everything, including the sound that you require (i.e. the music signal from the record). That means that all the extraneous, unwanted noise gets amped up too – which you hear as hiss and static. That will be present even before you put the needle down and start playing the record, because it’s not a problem with either LP or player. It’s a problem with your hifi, which was never made to play records.
The solution is to buy a phono preamp, also known as a phono stage. This alters the signal from your turntable, preparing it for the hifi, which can then treat it as it would a signal from a CD or modern input. Very few modern hifis have a built-in phono amp, since it’s now quite a rare and specialist thing, and an unnecessary outlay for most sound systems. But if you’re into vinyl, then there’s no real substitute for one.
Please visit http://www.whestaudio.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.whestaudio.co.uk/
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When it comes to kickboxing London has all the variety you could want. The capital has loads of different venues for training, meaning that if you live in London kickboxing classes are simple to find and you should be able to find one that suits your needs. Kickboxing – which is something of a generic term for a hybrid martial art that draws techniques from a wide range of sources – is practised for a broad range of different reasons, by both men and women, of all ages. Some people try it for the sparring, enjoying the rush of facing an opponent in the ring – although you will naturally need to master the basics thoroughly before progressing to this. Others do so for the exercise; kickboxing is a brilliant workout, since it combines excellent cardiovascular fitness with strength conditioning, as well as flexibility. Other fans go for fun, because they enjoy meeting other like-minded people, or because they want to pick up some self defence. Depending on the London kickboxing club you join, you may find that some or all of these factors are prioritised.
As the name suggests, kickboxing involves learning sparring skills based on a range of kicks and punches. However, there is much more to it than this. You will need to learn blocks to both, and the footwork to go with them. Different styles have differing levels of complexity. Plus, depending on the club and style, you may learn other techniques, such as self-defence moves, which may incorporate techniques from other styles, perhaps locks, throws and other grappling movements. (However, if you are keen to major in the grappling techniques, then kickboxing itself may not be for you – there are plenty of styles, such as Hapkido and ju-jitsu, which focus on locks, holds and throws as an ends in themselves, far more than hand and foot strikes.)
London kickboxing classes are organised by many different organisations and individuals, meaning that one London kickboxing club will not necessarily be like another. It’s an idea to find out what you can expect by looking at their website and asking around if you’re in any doubt, although most clubs will be extremely approachable and many will offer free initial sessions in order to help you make up your mind without committing on a long-term basis. Thus, if you’re hoping to try some kickboxing London has all the variety you’ll need, whether you’re looking to make new friends, learn some self-defence or lose a few pounds as part of your new year’s resolutions.
Please visit http://www.karmaa.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.karmaa.co.uk/
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Any accounts manager will understand that things don’t always add up as easily as they should. It ought to be simple in principle: incomings, outgoings, profit, loss – the figures should balance. When they don’t, you can be virtually certain of the reason why: human error. duplicate payments are easy to make when people are disorganised and don’t keep track of invoices. An accounts payable audit is likely to turn up a number of these mistakes and problems, highlighting just how costly this can be for a company. Recovery audit software is one way of finding and tracking the discrepancies in your accounts system, gaining back the money you have unnecessarily paid out and avoiding the same thing from happening again in the future.
Whilst computer systems are reliable and predictable, people often don’t work the same way. Duplicate payments can occur when invoices are submitted twice, perhaps mistakenly due to miscommunication, or perhaps because the client has sent it to two different places in the hope that it will get dealt with more quickly. If clients are disorganised, this can be even worse – you could be dealing with a backlog as they try to get up to date, and be expected to sort out the disorder of their own accounting system. Then there are the rarer cases of fraud, where people deliberately try to exploit loopholes in your accounts department. Naturally, you will want to be aware of these, since this represents a deliberate and criminal attempt to siphon money off from your company – rarer than simple error, but by no means unheard of.
Estimates vary about the extent of the issue of duplicate payments and other unnecessary payouts, and obviously it will depend on the scope and size of your business, as well as how organised and qualified your accounts department is. However, an accounts payable audit on the average business might typically turn up a one percent over-payment – a deceptively small figure which can nevertheless add up to a significant amount of money, especially if a company is very large or perhaps close to the edge in the first place. For a one-off outlay, recovery audit software can avoid such problems occurring again in the future – and help you to recoup any past losses at the same time: a nice bonus that might pay for the investment at a stroke. Put in those terms, there’s no downside to putting that kind of safeguard in place.
Please visit http://www.fiscaltechnologies.com/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.fiscaltechnologies.com/
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The changes in the NHS will have uncertain impacts for those in allied health jobs. When the Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are done away with over the course of the next few years (the first being expected to disappear as early as spring 2012), those with jobs in radiography and jobs in occupational therapy – particularly if they are on temporary or part-time contracts – may face an unclear future. GPs will be given charge of budgets, and therefore those outside the mainstream of recruitment and traditional employment set-up may discover there are changes to the methods that they engage in the jobs market.
There are 152 PCTs in England, responsible for allocating 80 percent of the NHS budget of £106 billion. PCTs are now responsible for commissioning local services – hospitals and GPs, community clinics and counselling services. The PCTs are set to be dissolved by the government by 2013, with GPs taking on the part that they have in order to give them a greater degree of control and directness in the commissioning process. But although the NHS budget has nominally been protected, doctors have also been told they need to make £20 billion of savings within four years. The Royal College of Nursing warned that the ‘penny-wise, pound-foolish approach’ would mean that some important services would face reductions to save money in the short term, leading to higher costs in the future. Counselling – already one of the NHS’s ‘Cinderella services’ – is likely to be impacted by the shakeup. Some GP surgeries are already getting rid of their counsellors, with more mental health services likely to be affected by the abolition of the PCTs.
The same set of factors is likely to affect further services, including allied health jobs – in fact, with reductions being made across the board despite this nominal ‘ring fencing’ of money, it is likely that all areas of the NHS will suffer difficulties and changes of one sort or another. Jobs in occupational therapy, jobs in radiography and those who seek jobs in other areas of the allied health sector will be smart to consider their options carefully and to think ahead for some of the upheaval that is going to come.
Please visit http://www.abouthealthprofessionals.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.abouthealthprofessionals.co.uk/
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It can be difficult knowing where to get going when you are looking for employment. In the past it paid to know which national newspapers advertised jobs in which sectors on which days of the week. If you missed seeing the printed advertisement then there was every chance you would miss out on the chance to apply for the job altogether. Nowadays, however, the process of tracking down relevant job advertisements is much more straightforward. If you are looking for security jobs jobs London or if you would like to apply for sales jobs jobs london then you can discover many such positions currently advertised online in easily searchable databases. Online job hunting is also very helpful in that it allows you to do bespoke job searches which will display only those jobs or regions in which you are interested in working. Many job hunting websites can even combine the two. So if you are looking specifically for accounts clerk jobs in Bedfordshire or sales ledger manager jobs in London such job hunting websites are very convenient.
When hunting for the job that you most want to do and which will give you the most fulfilment it is important to be proactive. This means building-up a network of contacts within the division in which you want to work, monitoring painstakingly the advertisements and recruiting websites of companies you would like to work for, and treating the hunt for a job like a job itself. It can be depressing to receive multiple rejection letters, or to feel that there is not a suitable job out there, and so it is important to accept that the process may take time and is best approached as part of your daily routine.
There may be a lot of other people competing for the post which you have applied for and it can be very beneficial to have longer to prepare your application and to practise your interview technique. Again, job hunting websites are useful from this point of view because you can arrange recruitment updates to be emailed to you automatically. This makes the process more efficient and helps you to avoid failing to notice a relevant job advertisement.
Searching on these websites for accounts clerk jobs in Bedfordshire or sales jobs jobs london may also open your eyes to related careers that you might wish to consider applying for. Equally, if you are looking to move to a certain region and do not mind what job you take you can run multiple searches, receiving results both for, say, sales ledger manager jobs London and security jobs jobs London. The internet has greatly simplified the onerous task of looking for employment.
Please visit http://www.jobsfromblue.com/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.jobsfromblue.com/
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social work jobs are challenging and intense at the best of times, leaving a small amount of room for reflection of the past, and thereby achieving more perspective on the present. However, Brian Dimmock, a principle lecturer in social work at the university of Gloucester, has completed a project to change that. Recently the Guardian reported on his project to compile more than 50 face-to-face interviews with a range of people in all types of social worker jobs. The interviewees range from very young workers at the start of their careers to older people, who have been in social services jobs for over 40 years; from students in their first jobs, to managers.
The interviews also include a range of workers from various parts of the country. Dimmock’s research took more than four years, and the interviews are unedited, ranging from 20 to 50 minutes long. The main reasons for carrying out this project seem to be to gauge the mood, or level of job satisfaction, amongst social workers, and to see how they perceive their own profession. Also, the aim was to test whether progress is being made in social work according to the workers, and to see what has changed in 40 years of support work.
One of the findings is that people find that the rise of the management culture can frequently be frustrating, since it is perceived to lead to a reduction in face-to-face time with the people they are supposed to be able to help. This is accompanied with frustration at a higher level of bureaucracy: the amount of risk assessments, incident forms and other types of paperwork has risen consistently over the past 40 years. However, there were positives to come from the interviews.
The most striking of the findings, according to Dimmock, has been that people in social worker jobs have stayed so positive about their professions, despite the many difficulties that they face. The profession does seem to suffer from a perception that, to begin with, one starts off idealistic, and ends up becoming ‘world weary’ as a result of the frustration of not being able to make as much of an impact as one had hoped. However, this does not seem to be the case, judging by the people in social work jobs interviewed in Dimmock’s project. Social services jobs still seem to attract people who are motivated to make a genuine difference to people’s lives, and often as a result of their own life experiences.
Please visit http://www.socialworkandcarejobs.com/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.socialworkandcarejobs.com/
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One of the most important software tools for the sales teams in most businesses is PowerPoint. It is a very powerful tool with loads of potential for impressive and persuasive presentations. It may come as a surprise, then, to know that a staggering 72% of all companies do not formally review their PowerPoint presentations at regular intervals. The issue with this is that, in a fast-moving medium such as powerpoint design, sales presentations can go from looking shiny, new and attractive to looking ugly, stale and out of date in a matter of months. It is absolutely fundamental, if you are to get maximum effect from presentations, to make sure that they demonstrate an awareness of the latest designs, techniques and styles. Otherwise, even if your ideas and products are very good, you could face a situation where potential business partners or clients are turned off by the fact that you do not seem to know how to stay on top of the game.
A consultancy with professionals can help to solve this problem. A good presentations consultant can help to recognise the problems and the flaws of your presentation plans. They will do their level best to bolster the quality of your slides, and indeed you overall strategies. And believe it, there will always be room for improvement. This can make the difference between clinching a great new deal and barely missing out to a competitor’s bid.
This kind of service is fundamentally like an MOT for your sales presentations. You can hand your existing presentation plans to the consultants, and they will take you through several steps to improve them. By the end of the consultation process, your presentations should have an altogether re-designed look and renovated the content. As a result the presentations should have exponentially more ‘wow factor’, and they will enable you to stand out in a sea of competitors.
PowerPoint is possibly the most ubiquitous software in sales presentations worldwide. But it is also probably the most misused. Countless organisations seem to think that making decent PowerPoint presentations consists only in adding information to a few slides, and then reading them out as they appear to the audience. This perception could not be more wrong: there is much, much more to powerpoint design than that. Meticulous planning, as well as a large amount of craft and imagination, is needed in order to create a presentation that stands out and grabs the audience.
Please visit http://www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk/
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computer support London companies are consistently reporting on the huge implications of a computer-based mishap, such as when, earlier this year, a trading glitch caused a sudden crash in the stock exchange. The IT support London companies can provide is the only real way of getting the most possible protection against this sort of issue. But, issues with IT systems affect all business, whether they be multi-national corporations or small start-up companies.
The word ‘glitch’ can often be deceptive, because it seems to mean an unimportant hiccup; a little bump in the otherwise straight and smoothly paved road. However, the problem with a glitch is that it could prove the start of something much more serious. Ultimately, a relatively minor fault, usually of a technical variety, can often be exploited. That is exactly what makes a minor fault so potentially serious: the fact that we rely so much on technology. In other words, a mere glitch in a company’s computer system can lead to much more than just a hitch, or a bump in the road, elsewhere.
Business moves at a quicker pace than ever before, thanks to advances in technology and the world becoming smaller as a result of globalisation. This is because these factors have created an increase in start-up accessibility, which ultimately adds up to one thing: greater competition. Your company does not have to be a multi-national or multi-billion dollar organisation in order for an IT problem to throw a major spanner into the works, and any time or other resources you need to spend on resolving IT related issues is time that you are losing to your competitors. In lots of cases, insufficient allocation for IT problems has even led to businesses failing all together. For this reason it is worth considering a solution well in advance of any big problems. Good IT support, of course, functions in a preventative sense, as well as resolving problems when they do arise.
If disaster, such as the one that befell the stock exchange earlier this year, strikes at your company, things would probably be a whole lot easier if you have a process in place, such as consulting an IT support London company. Lots of computer support London specialists, such as FWCS, provide disaster recovery and backup services for their clients, which enables business to carry on as usual. So in order to stay ahead, it is worth thinking seriously about having a good IT support consultant.
Please visit http://www.fwcs.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.fwcs.co.uk/
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