Using Cover Letters as Marketing Tools

01310676172_generalinterestletter.jpgA well written cover letter can make a lasting impression on job recruiters and is an additional way to showcase skills and achievements that may not appear on your resume.

Using Cover Letters as Marketing Tools: Research the Company
Researching the company and including a statement that references familiarity with the company’s growth and business model shows professionalism and an interest in the industry the company operates in.

Cover letters should never be generic. Cover letters that could be written for any company, in any industry will quickly be discarded and may only lead to your resume being scanned for two seconds or disregarded entirely.
Using Cover Letters as Marketing Tools: Include Additional Metrics
Cover letters can be used to include additional metrics (i.e. managed quarterly budget of 2.5 million) that you may not have been able to include in your resume due to space or formatting requirements.

A bulleted list works well when listing additional employment metrics and is easy to scan by prospective employers.
Using Cover Letters as Marketing Tools: Include the Benefits You Will Bring to the Company
A cover letter may be the perfect place to showcase additional benefits you will bring to the company if chosen for employment. Benefits should focus on what you can do for the company, such as extensive experience that gives you insight into the company’s industry.

You may also want to include a brief synopsis of one of your biggest accomplishments that benefited your former or present employer.
Using Cover Letters as Marketing Tools: Include Additional Training
It is often difficult to list all the continuing educational courses or certifications you have earned on your resume. Including these in your cover letter will ensure all pertinent training is documented.

A paragraph or bulleted list is the easiest way to show additional training that you have completed.
Using Cover Letters as Marketing Tools: Clear up any Discrepancies
If you have a large gap in employment (6 months or more), your cover letter is the perfect place to clear any questions up if you have a valid explanation. Stating that you took time off to take care of a sick relative, go back to school or volunteer overseas shows that you are aware that your resume has a hole in it and understand this might be a concern.

Keep explanations to one or two sentences only, prospective employers do not need to know your life story. If an additional explanation is needed, you’ll be asked during your interview.

Crafting a cover letter can be time consuming, but doing so can help give you an edge in the long run.

Nostalgia is Big Business for Clothing Company

21310675442_big-business-logo-upgrade3.jpgVintage clothing sites are popping up all over the Web, and thrift stores are all the rage. Incorporating vintage pieces into the modern wardrobe has become the latest fad as parents and kids of all ages make a grab for days gone by.

Denim Apparel Group, a publicly traded company, bet heavily on that enthusiasm when it recently acquired retro-vintage sportswear company Moonlight Graham, named for a rightfielder who played one game in the majors for the now-defunct New York Giants.

The California-based company has rights to the movies “Field of Dreams” and “Animal House,” car company General Motors, Major League Baseball, and beverage giant Cadbury Schwepps, as well as Kellogg’s and other retro Americana.

Founder and president Bart Silberman has Moonlight Graham poised to become an arbiter of cool, with designs and fabrics that set the company apart from other casual sportswear.

“You don’t have to be a fan of the New York Mets, Dr Pepper, a 1970 Chevelle SS, Budweiser or the Talking Heads to appreciate what we do,” Silberman said. “Our artwork and quality tend to cross over. Of course it appeals to the hardcore fans out there, but a large amount of our business is done solely on the basis of cool art.”

Firmly entrenched in its Melrose location, Moonlight Graham is now exploring new retail locations. Prospects include Armitage Avenue in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, Sawgrass Mills in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Thompson Street in New York near New York University and Boston’s Newbury Street shopping district.

Going Into Dry Cleaning Home Business

01310675585_zzcars-corporations.jpgStarting a dry cleaning business is one good way to make money, especially if you live in the urban region. This business brings constant income when run the right way.

What you need to start are a place for your business, license including business registration, a bank account and the machine that will do the work and you are up and running with your business. You start from home or a small office space until it grows into your getting a big business.

With the every day life in the city and even at your local areas, most workers do not have the time to clean their clothes and so the dry cleaner comes in.

The first step is actually getting the technical know how(desired knowledge) thereafter, is getting a good place for your shop or best starting from your home and try to make good publicity to brig customers to your door step or else no business is done.

Secondly, you will need a conducive space for your machines. Your working area should be departmentalized into reception, pickup area, where you sort clothes, an area for pressing clothes, hanging, labeling and packaging.

Once the above is in place, you will need man power; employees who would also assist you in carrying out the day to day activities, which must include receptionist as well as marketers and operators plus pressers.

If you must grow fast and big, you will need to invest in machines, chemicals and in marketing your services and equipments.

Writing down your business plan with every detail that is needed for your business to take off and move smoothly is important. Do not undermine this. In details, your business plan must include marketing plans and budget, detailed description of all the equipments your need, location, how much your equipments and machines costs, what your competitors are doing rightly and wrongly and how you intend to improve on their weakness and make more money.

Your target market is also important as you will make more money when you concentrate on white collar job clients.

Once you have the fund and commence with this business, get your business out to your location neighborhood and in no time you will see them flow to you.

And the bottom line is that you start giving them great customer service as this will bring referrals as well as recommendation from your satisfied customers. Giving out Bonanza and other promo during some weekends will also help. And above all, your book keeping should at all cost be up to date for you to know if you are making or not. GO OUT THERE AND GET STARTED NOW.
YOU AND ONLY YOU ALONE CAN PAY YOURSELF WHAT YOU WANT TO ACTUALLY EARN WHILE WORKING.

ReservationRewards.com Credit Card Fraud Protection

f_01310676113_copy20of20building1.jpgTo qualify for Credit Card Fraud Protection coverage, you must notify us promptly upon loss or illegal use of your credit or debit card(s).* We will accept full responsibility for your liability for all fraudulent charges to your lost cards from the moment you notify us of the loss/theft of your cards. This liability coverage applies only to fraudulent charges that occur while you are a Member of Webloyalty’s Reservation Rewards http://attractions.reservationrewards.com/. Also, this coverage is in addition and subordinate to any coverage provided by your card providers and your other insurance carriers.

Under Federal law, for debit and cash machine cards, consumer’s liability for fraudulent use of the card is up to $50 if a consumer notifies the card issuer of card loss within 2 days. After that, consumer’s liability is up to $500. Or, if a consumer does not notify the card issuer within 60 days of receipt of a monthly statement showing unauthorized charges, then the consumer’s liability is up to $50 and the total amount of unauthorized charges that occurred after the 60-day period and before notice, provided that the card issuer establishes that the unauthorized charges would not have occurred if the consumer had notified the card issuer within that time.

How to Make a Claim

You can initiate a claim at Reservation Rewards http://www.reservationrewardsinfo.com/. You need to submit a claim within 1 year of the occurrence that triggers the claim. You will need to submit a completed claim form along with a copy of the credit/debit card statement(s) that includes the liability charge. You must include the name of the credit/debit card, the state in which it operates and a phone number for the institution(s) if these are not visible on the copy of the statement(s).

Reimbursement Terms and Limitations

As a Member of Webloyalty’s Reservation Rewards http://www.webloyalty.com/our-approach/reservation-rewards-benefit-package/, if you are held liable for unauthorized charges made to your credit and debit cards, our Credit Card Fraud Protection reimburses you to the extent of the payment(s) made by you to cover fraudulent charges assigned to you by your card issuer(s).* The maximum Fraud Protection coverage for credit cards is the lesser of $50 per registered credit card lost or the amount for which a Member is personally held accountable. The maximum Fraud Protection coverage for debit cards is the lesser of $500 per registered debit card lost or the amount for which a Member is personally held accountable. The maximum coverage per person (Member) is $1,000 per year.

Under Federal law, a consumer can be held liable for up to $50 in unauthorized charges on each credit card. For debit cards, a consumer can be held liable up to $500 on each debit card or, in limited circumstances, up to the full amount in your account(s).

This article is originally published here: Reservation Rewards http://www.reservationrewardsinfo.com/credit-card-fraud-protection.html

When Business Magnates Speak, You Should Listen

21310676572_businessweek.jpgThese days, a lot of people talk about business, and the mass media around the world produces thousands of publications on business topics every day. Though the big financial issues like Financial Times, the Economist and Business Week are circulated in millions of copies around the world, the publications of their writers seldom have the magical effect of the quotes made by the big players in the business world – those who have made millions, and even billions, of dollars themselves. Really, what makes these quotes so appealing to the public?

Several points have to be considered when answering this question. First and foremost, the money quotes of the rich and famous short and concise, and yet are packed with wisdom. Let us put it like this – it may require some knowledge in business and economics when it comes to grasping the ideas of business writers (three or four pages in length), while the quotes of the famous business-men and business-women are the gist and nothing else. There is another reason why those who make their first steps in business prefer to trust the big magnates more than business publications and those who write for them. The first are basing what they say on personal experience, and that kind of experience is invaluable. The second know what they know from the thick business manuals and endless amounts of lectures and seminars. Their knowledge is usually worth only several thousand dollars a month.

When asked about the idea of innovation and change, Rupert Murdoch stated that the world was changing really fast: big will not beat small anymore. As it stands, it is a case of the fast beating the slow. You could read hundreds of pages on the importance of innovation and change in the business world. Or, you can take Rupert Murdoch’s simple words that growing a big business is not as important as growing one which is quick to adapt to changes in the market. Sometimes less is more and, in business, immediate action tends to bring better results than endless preparation. The sooner you stop reading and analyzing theories, and start implementing what those who are really in the know tell you, the sooner you will become successful.

If you are an entrepreneur yourself, you can use the quotes of business magnates in the same way that they do – to motivate your employees. You know more than well that an unmotivated sales team is no good to you at all. You have to inspire them, and if a quote inspires you, then the chances are that it will inspire those who work for, or with, you too. As a rule, the work routine of a good sales team is tense. Sales have to be made or your people are wasting your time and money. If your employees are not in the mood for work every single day, its time to find another team. If they are tired or stressed out, however, you can motivate them by using quotes and sayings from famous business people. You give them food for thought and an excellent opportunity to laugh.

Shopping Address

f_11310675953_businesscard2b.jpgSome years ago, purchasing articles from the United States of America and other western countries without being present there was like a dream for people, as people were not daring enough to indulge them in the trauma attached with cross-border parcel services. The shipping costs were high and there was no guarantee of package delivery. Even if you were lucky enough to receive the consignment, it would remain useless. But that scenario has changed now. A company such as oneUSAaddress.com has streamlined the whole process of purchasing and delivery of products from the USA.

You can purchase online from your favorite USA retailers and provide your USA shopping address for the delivery of your package. You can get this real and unique address by registering with oneUSAaddress.com which contains detailed information about its services, features, rates and plans. As soon as your registration process is complete, you will be assigned a shopping address. The retailers here will accept it as your shipping destination. The company will then make arrangements for the collection of materials at your shopping address. You will be constantly informed about every bit of progress your package makes. It also examines the package to ensure that the product is as per your order and repacks it beautifully. The company furnishes detailed information like package volume, package description and package condition on its website and posts an image of the package for the satisfaction of the customer. The customer can instantly review, consolidate, accept or reject a package through its website. If you have bulks of packages, the company will also provide storing facility.

The customers worldwide will feel like at home by having a shopping address in the USA. This shopping address not only helps in the procurement of packages but also in the delivery of packages at the client’s home country. You can avail the benefits of the address for a specified period depending upon your registration plan. The safety of the merchandise is of prime concern for the company. It provides the best transportation facilities and you will receive your package within a week’s time. The shape and condition of the package will remain intact as it was earlier. The reason for the popularity of this service is its affordable costs and easy to understand plans.

A shopping address in the USA helps to eliminate boundaries between countries. As oneUSAaddress.com covers more than 220 countries, people from far flung areas can also avail its benefits. People are never far away from their dream products. The only thing they need to do is to sign up with the company. One time user can opt for Free Plan which has no monthly fees. You have to pay one time setup charges only. The company believes in improving the online shopping experience by utilizing new ideas, providing a better service and designing better web applications.

Business owner

11310675584_nyc-corporations.jpgThey are the big cheese of our time. They are the big time people that make all the money. They are the collectors. They are the entrepreneurs of our time. Ladies and gentlemen I present the business owner, and they are not seen to often. Those big business owners are the ones in the back ground and remember what I said, the ones that are behind the scenes make all the money. So for example have you ever been to a restaurant? I’m sure you have.
Well tell me what you see there. Usually you see waiters, bartenders, cashiers, and maybe the restaurant manager (Though I hope you haven’t). All these people you see are the workers for the owner of the restaurant. They are the ones that have jobs and make the 10% of us money. While the ones that are the owners they are the ones that really are the big cheeses .
They are the ones that make the real profit of the restaurant. They are the ones that make 90% of the us money along with their partners the investors. They are the ones that build assets rather than build liabilities, like the 90% of Americans the make only 10% of the money. The big time business owners also pay less in taxes. Why? Well if you employed 300,000 workers would the government want you to downsize those workers? And would the government want you to struggle and have to downsize hundreds of thousands even millions of workers that are under you? I didn’t think so.
So the government will be a little bit more kinder to you than they would the workers for the workers are the ones that don’t have anyone under them. So that is why taxes raise on the workers so much because they work for the rich and own no one instead of being rich and owning everyone in a sense. Also another example, if the government raised taxes on you and you employed 300,000 people that ate at your money. You could easily go to another country where the taxes are lower and where the people worked for much less than they do at America and what will happen to the 300,000 people you left behind?
They will be downsized and you will be upgraded because of all the money you saved from another country. So what am I saying? I am saying that the government will lower taxes on the richest ones for they employ the works and the workers will fill in the gap. This is happening now to. Workers are getting downsized and the companies are moving overseas. Why? Because people don’t have enough money anymore to buy things from them so they re seeing a decrease in profit so that is another reason to move. I am not an advocate to move out of the U.S. in fact that is the last thing I want to happen but I am just telling you what I happening from my point of view and from common sense really. I mean it just takes a little thought to figure this out and I’ll give you a scenario to prove it. Lets say you’re a wealthy business owner.
You have been seeing a decrease in profit because people don’t want to buy your products because of the financial crises so you raise the prices hoping to make up for the gap. However because of the raise in prices you lose a lot of your valuable costumers. On top of that the government raises taxes on you and the workers are begging for higher salaries. Wouldn’t you want to move out of the country and go overseas? If you do your employees will work for less, there is no financial crises to worry about, there are lower taxes to pay and as a plus your workers will work more diligently.
Although you hate the idea of going overseas your profit is still lowering without end. So would you? I am not taking any sides but I am just trying to get both point of views down so next time just try not only to think of your own situation and think that the rich are greedy snobs but think of what situation they might be in. Also there are so that are dirty and mean. So My point is that is why the government offers tax advantages to the rich because they don’t want to make the situation worse and unemployed those workers.
Also when you offer tax advantages someone’s got to fill in the gap so if not the rich for being employers and not the poor for not having money in the first place, then who do you think will fill in the gap? The middle class workers of course but things are starting to get to tough for them to. Also if you have anything you wish to say to me please do not hesitate to E-mail me at Trenzel123@yahoo.com. I will get back to you if I can. Also if you like this article please take the time to look through the others I made Via my profile page. Thank you for your interest and have a wonderful day.

Formats And Fonts For Business Letters

21310676173_businessletter.jpgWriting for any business purposes? Usually, business letter are more common in negotiating or addressing someone formally and talk about some important business issues or professional concerns.

Even though any offices practice this kind of letter writing, every student must learn how to write one. That is why every school nowadays taught their students on how to write a business letter effectively and correctly.

But it is not too late for those writers who wanted to learn more on business writing even if they are no longer school learners. Besides, not all writers are experienced enough to write a business letter and not all are equipped enough to do so.

Business letter writing, as we all know, is more about formality and is written in a professional tone. However, we should also consider about what are the fonts and correct formats that we should strictly follow in any business writing.

Just come to think of it, you are going to write a business letter and you are using a font size that is extremely small or extremely big. You might even use an inappropriate font for your text. Ever imagine how your recipient will react with your letter? They might even dump your letter at their first glance.

Then how are they going to read your message? That is why choosing the correct and proper fonts and formats in writing a business letter is very important and a writer must always take note of it.

Want your business letters to be taken seriously? Do it on your end first. If youre serious about it, theres a good chance those receiving your letters will reciprocate.

Apart from carefully writing your letters and using a good grammar software for correctness, its a good idea to follow standard business formats and fonts to keep it as professional as possible. If youre not familiar with standard business layouts, the following should serve as a good guide to follow.

Formats

Different organizations will use their own preferred formats. The following are the most common ones employed.

Block Format. In this format, the whole letter is left-justified, with single space lines. Use a double space only between paragraphs.

Modified Block Format. Like the block format, text is left-justified and single-spaced. Letter date and closing, however, are set in the center.

Semi-Block Format. This one is presented in much the same way as the modified block, except the paragraphs are indented, instead of left-justified.

Fonts

For fonts, the most important thing is readability. Using one of the common types (Times New Roman, Arial, Tahoma) with a size of 11 or 12 is usually enough. If its a conservative company youre writing to, stick to Times New Roman.

With these guides in selecting the correct and proper way of using fonts and formats, your business letter will look presentable in the eyes of your recipients. Since businessmen and other professionals are very busy with their activities, just be sure that your business letter will catch their attention and they will be able to read it in no time.

eBay and Customer Service

f_21310496158_corporatetypesclimbingandfalling.jpgIf you are running an eBay business, you may not realize that the need for great customer service still exists – even for online auctions. When a buyer receives quality customer service from you, they will potentially do one of two things – or both. They will give you great feedback, and they may look for more of your auctions in the future. If you hope to make a living from eBay, you have to stop thinking of it as an “auction” and start running it like a “business.”

If you owned a brick and mortar business, how would you treat your customer while they were standing at your counter, waiting for you to finish ringing up their order? You would be helpful and respectful of course! You would do everything that you could to guarantee that customers return to your establishment in the future. You would bend over backwards to make sure that their buying experience with you was both satisfactory and enjoyable. Why would you do any less at the close of one of your eBay auctions?

First, act quickly at the close of your auctions. Contact the winner, and congratulate them. Describe the item they have won and how the item will be shipped – even if this information is already part of the description for the auction. Remind them of their winning bid amount, and give them payment options and instructions. Let them know when the item will be shipped.

Close your email by thanking them for participating in your auction. You might even take this opportunity to tell them about other open auctions that you have as well. Think of this contact with the winner as a conversation that you are having with a customer who is standing at your counter in that imaginary brick and mortar store.

Once the payment and shipping details have been taken care of, contact your buyer again. Let them know when the item was shipped – the exact date and time – and when it is expected to arrive on their end. During this contact, let them know that if they have any problems or questions, that they should contact you through the eBay site. If they do contact you in the future, make sure that you answer promptly, and that you do all that you can to make them happy with their purchase – even if it means issuing a refund.

Yes. You should be open to issuing refunds, depending on what the item is. Furthermore, you should issue refunds promptly. Of course, it is reasonable to expect the buyer to return the item to you, at your expense, before the refund is issued – but once you receive the item, issue the refund promptly. This is just good business!

Writing Business Letters – Tutorial 1: Letter Format

11310676175_coverletterdarkwaterproductions.jpgIt’s unavoidable if you want to run your business or just stay in touch with your suppliers and clients. How well … or not so well … you write reflects on you and your business. Write poorly constructed letters with unprofessional layout and format and you will look like a rank amateur, no matter how good you are at plumbing, cooking or whatever it is you do.
If you are a seasoned letter writer who has completed a business communication course, this series of articles is probably not for you. It will help, however, if you haven’t been educated in communication skills. You will be able to improve your writing very quickly just by following a few simple rules.
Letter Format
The easiest, quickest and most efficient letter format is known as “full block” or simply “Block”. A block letter has all its text left justified ie, there are no indents. This method is very popular because it is simple to produce. Here’s an example using Australian address formats – modify it for your own country:
Parker Morgan Finnigan
Lawyers
PO Box 2345
SYDNEY NSW 2000
29 October 2010
Ms Janette Jameison
PO Box 34687
NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2005
Dear Ms Jameison
CONTRACT WITH ACME FINANCE CORPORATION
I refer to our previous correspondence requesting a copy of the contract between you and Acme Finance Corporation.
If you do not provide us with a copy of the original contract, I’m afraid we will not be able to act on your behalf. We need the contract to accurately assess the claims you have made and to question legal staff from Acme Finance Corporation.
Please send us a copy of the contract at the earliest so we can get this matter under way.
Yours sincerely
Parker Johannson
Principal Legal Consultant
PARKER MORGAN FINNIGAN
Whether you use Letter or ISO A4 paper, this format looks good and saves time. Your paper needs to have a border all round of 2.5cm (1″) and you should endeavour to place the total content of the letter so that it is symmetrical on the page ie, don’t have more text in the top half of the page than on the bottom half. A balance of black and white and good position on the page makes the letter look good.
You’ll see that there is no punctuation except within the body of the letter. This is called ‘open punctuation’ because the text is open where punctuation doesn’t add significantly to the reader’s understanding of the letter.
Using Letterheads
Some letterheads I see are poorly designed. While they look good from a graphics and colour perspective, the flow between logo and letters is poor eg, when you run your eye down the left column, there is no, or poor alignment between text and letterhead elements.
If you design a letterhead page that is left or right justified, design it so that the left most portion of the letterhead graphic or text is 2.5cm (1″) in from the left or right sides. The best design is one that is centered on the page. This is because it doesn’t ‘force’ a right or left margin allowing users to set margins of any width that still appear balanced on the page. When you have a short letter you can bring your left and right margin in a little to make the text area look larger.
Tutorial two of this series discusses the parts of a letter.
Copyright 2005 Robin Henry

Robin Henry is an educator, human resources specialist and Internet marketer. He helps small to middle-sized businesses and individuals improve performance by using smart technology, smart processes, and personal development. He runs his business Desert Wave Enterprises from Alice Springs, Central Australia and can be found at http://www.dwave.com.au or http://www.winagovtjob.com