Posted on June 1st, 2010 by Peter in
No matter what business you are in, the most important part of business is customer service. This is especially true of when you are running your own company, or when you are working as an independent agent in direct sales for a larger company like Southwestern Company . No matter which case you are in there is no one to blame for bad service than yourself. It is easy to say that the product is still on it’s way or that you are sorry for the product being defective and that you will contact the manufacturer, but in the end it will be your product that they remember not to buy again, not your manufacturer or your distributor. If you are a direct seller, it is not likely that they will necessarily contact the larger company, such as Southwestern Company , about good or bad behavior, and if they do it is not that company’s responsibility to deal with your behavior, it is yours and yours alone. There are a few things you can do to make sure that service is great at least most of the time however.
The golden rule of course is that the customer is always right . Even when they are wrong, they are right. If a customer says that they had a rude delivery man, keeping the man on that route won’t help your reputation and neither will simply apologizing. While you should apologize, and possibly even take the guy off that route and put him on another route, also give the customer something extra for the trouble they had to go through. It will make you stand out a little and make them remember how nice you were about the whole thing. Remember not to get gruff with them, share their outrage and disarm them with kindness and you might be able to turn a customer who is ready to leave into a loyal customer for life .
As your company grows and succeeds you will need to hire more people. When this happens make sure to share your standards for customer service with each and every employee and make sure that they treat the customers with the same standards. When this happens word of mouth will continue to spread, allowing your company to grow even further.
Posted on May 26th, 2010 by Peter in
Greece itself is frequently considered by many people from across the world to be a virtual paradise and it attracts numerous tourists every year. In addition, some of the Greek isles are amazing on their own and sometimes even haven an almost equal fame status as the ancient name of Greece. There are so many historic landmarks that date from various periods throughout the centuries that this is another reason many people, including scholars and archeologists, are attracted to it. And most of the people who visit Greece tour at least one of the islands while they are there. And Corfu is one of the most popular of them, which is understandable considering its incredible beauty, among other things.
And for those lucky people who decide to base their visit to Greece on one of the islands, the resorts and hotels on the island of Corfu are some of the most beautiful and accommodating you can find. In addition to all of the beautiful geography and coastal areas on the island, it is interesting to know that its history is directly related to that of all of Greece’s and its beginnings lie with Greek mythology .
The name of the island is derived from, or at least related to in conservative opinions, two important symbols of the sea, Poseidon and Asopos.
In its mythological status, Poseidon fell in love with the daughter of Asopos and ran off with her to a secret island that had not yet been named. The happy couple had a child named Phaiax, and the all of the future inhabitants of the island would be named after the offspring. Throughout its history the island has been a vortex of conflict and battle and this continued up until the modern era. It is now enjoying, as are the tourists who visit it a sense of bliss that was bestowed on it by the original inhabitants.
Posted on May 22nd, 2010 by Peter in
School is ending for many high school seniors and although it is still a couple of months away, it is time to start preparing for a life away from home, without your parents and all the friends you made in high school. This is a time when you have to be able to do things on your own, but you will also be able to have some help from those who are in a higher place of authority than you are. Now is a good time to get ready to be in college , so here are a few things you should do before heading off.
Get copies of important documents.
You will need a certified copy of your birth certificate , your social security card, and a copy of your medical records. You will also want a social security card. If you are moving with a car you will want to make sure you have all the paperwork for the car in order.
Get to know your roommate.
Most schools will send you a little contact info on your new roommate . Call them early and start to get to know them. This will give you a chance to become friends as well as allowing you to work out rules for when you move in with each other. If you like to listen to your music at all hours and your roommate likes quiet you may need to work out some rules.
Get to know your housing
Know what is available in your housing . Will there be a laundromat inside the dorms or apartment you are moving into? Can you park your car somewhere, or will you have to give it up? These are important things to know about your new home. If you are going to be living in a hot or cold climate you will also want to know if there is heating or air conditioning.
Get a physical list of important phone numbers and addresses.
You want this to be a physical list. If something happens to your cell phone you want to be able to find the numbers of anyone who is important to you so that you can still stay in touch with them.
Posted on May 17th, 2010 by Peter in
Something happens when one is out of their own home town or country. Some sense of freedom kicks in to give people the courage to try all things new. When this moment happens, grand ideas come to see, try and do new things that one might never even thought of doing before. Staying at one of the Sentosa Island hotels could lend some thrilling ideas when talking to the concierge about things to do on the island. There are a few attractions that will take the safe minded or phobia ridden beyond their comfort zone.
One of these thrill seeking adventures can be found at the newest attraction, MegaZip Adventure Park . This theme park has some great adventures waiting. The creators of this park are inviting their guests to throw caution out the window and be free to fly and swing in many ways. Snap into a strappy seat hanging on a wire at the top of Imbiah Hill and race your way down a long wire, over the tree tops for the ride of a life time. You can race your family and friends down, enjoying breathtaking views and land safely on the sandy beach below. The park also includes a towering ropes course, climbing wall and a parachute simulator all designed to bring the courage out of you.
If catching a great wave is something of interest than check out the Wave House. This is were one finds a great ride on a real simulated wave. The oceans along the Singapore coast are not great for surfing because they are really calm so they decided to create their own waves. Wave House has a few facilities around the world and now there is one on Sentosa Island. This thrilling adventure facility also has some great restaurants and has become a fun place to catch the night life party. There are always entertaining special events going on with a beach style flair.
Posted on May 9th, 2010 by Peter in
Warming up to the season with the Rome Masters is a particularly magnificent way to begin, and for Tsonga, April has been a good month. This will be especially fortuitous as preparations are already underway for Roland Garros, and there are still many questions about which way things will go. It’s that time of year, when the threads of these players lives start to come together, and spectators and fans start trying to make connections before anything’s really been decided. Welcome to the French Open 2010 , where the world looks on in wonder, thinking that if history would repeat itself, it would have done so by now.
His Ali resemblance precedes him, or gets woven into the very threads that make up his professional reputation. But Jo-Wlifried Tsonga wears the mantle very well, taking the attitude that he may look a little like the heavyweight champion of the world, but there are still many barriers to break through before any such title can be earned. The showing has been very good so far, and it’s been a rather remarkable climb these past two years. Between health problems, with shoulder injuries and stomach ailments, he’s seemed to have gotten stronger through the adversity, and is really swinging like a champion. The forehand is consistently breathless.
Fans keep watching, however, for signs of weakness. The clay court has never been a natural fit, but he’s starting to show some real progress, enough to suggest he might be at home here in a month. France is his birthplace, after all, and that’s one very key reason the eyes are on him, and he’s the number one player in the country.
This, in part, is why the eyes are also on Nadal, because Tsonga has had some brilliant moments playing against this key figure, and their matches have lead to big turns in his career. So the anticipation is here, and it’s set for a slow but sure boil, leaving the world wondering how things will turn out, and how the Wimbledon schedule might reflect mighty changes coming very soon.
Posted on April 22nd, 2010 by Peter in
Bethesda Maryland has a few good things coming from it. It is a small town on the east coast of the United States of America. Maryland was one of the thirteen original colonies, and so, has a long history as part of the New World. Washington D.C. is located in the District of Columbia, an unincorporated part of Maryland. One of the founding principles of this great nation has always been its great emphasis on freedom and education. With bills like no child left behind, the U.S. government has tried to ensure that everyone receive an education. The town of Bethesda has taken the value of education very seriously and has risen as the number one educated small town in America. This means that most of its population consists of persons with a degree of bachelors or higher. Giuliana Rancic is no exception to this standard.
Giuliana Rancic started her education at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland. While she was there, her love of journalism was fostered. The high school is located close to the capital and her influences were many. While she was growing up, her family earned their income as owners of a men’s clothing store. The clothing store is also located in Bethesda at the White Flint Mall . This mall is a hotspot for fashion. It is where Giuliana’s taste for fashion was nurtured. There are several places to stay in Bethesda if one would like to visit and catch the fever of fashion and education. Giuliana visits often with her husband Bill. They have not lost ties to their roots, even with their Hollywood celebrity status. The two often vacation in Bethesda over the holidays to visit Giuliana’s family, and stay several nights. Now that the two are trying to have a baby, they will undoubtedly be visiting the small town of Bethesda more often. Although their little bambino will be raised in Chicago, where the two live now, he will surely have instilled in him the small town’s value of education. Giuliana has a Masters degree in Journalism and Bill Rancic is a motivational speaker and finance genius. There are only more good things to come from Bethesda.
Posted on April 3rd, 2010 by Peter in
While Chicago is Illinois’ most famous, or rather well known and also its largest, city, Springfield is actually the state’s capital. It is another example of a smaller city being designated as the state capital over some of the larger cities and major cultural centers. California is a prime example of this structure. Both Los Angeles and San Francisco are larger than the capital city of Sacramento and they are also the major cultural centers of the state. However, with this in mind, Springfield is also well known and part of the mainstream awareness on its own right. Tourists are extremely attracted to the city, in part because of one of its most famous historic residents, because of the many landmarks and cultural attractions.
Abraham Lincoln is the famous historic resident that has given the city so many of its historic landmarks and also has contributed greatly to its good name. Lincoln lived in the city from 1837 until he left for the White House, which was one of the most important moves any person has ever made in this country. A large number of the guests in the quality hotels have the historic landmarks in the city as a number one visiting priority. And in addition to the buildings that are associated with Lincoln and the other major attractions, the Illinois State Capital Building is also a major attraction.
The current capital building is actually the sixth building to have served as the state’s capital headquarters. The ground for this most recent, though by no means new, building was broke on March 11, 1869 and the design for it was developed by the Chicago based architectural and design firm Cochrane and Garnsey. The style of the building is French Renaissance and construction of the building was complete twenty years after it began. The capital dome of the building is one of the beautiful aspects of the design though the entire building is elegant and sophisticated in detail and design.
Posted on March 30th, 2010 by Peter in
Having a few days to relax in San Antonio while my partner conducts the second half of our business transactions, I thought I’d check into the Flea Markets around the city. I just love seeing what unique items are being sold, and I really like just strolling around the Flea Markets and listening to people bargaining with the vendors trying to get the best deal.
Fortunately, the hotel where we are staying offers free wi-fi, so I went online and found that San Antonio has several Flea Markets. Since is was Saturday, the first place I visited was Flea-Mart . This was definitely one of the biggest flea markets I’ve been to, it’s on about 50 acres of land. At noon there was live music provided by Los Dorados and the flea market provides a dance floor. I was amazed to actually see people dancing and really enjoying themselves. The band was really lively, which really added to the atmosphere at the market, keeping it upbeat and fun. Continuing the fun, there was a Merry-go-Round for the kids, and plenty of kid friendly food, like hot dogs, ice cream and sodas. There was also adult friendly food like tacos and beer. I had a delightful time there, I spent money only on food and drink and I stayed there for almost 3 hours!
The next day, I visited the Eisenhauer Road Flea Market. It was an indoor affair with well over 100 vendors. The building was an entire strip-mall and I found this place had more to offer in the way of the unique or more interesting items, like computer repairs, martial arts supplies, a web hosting business, a billiards and darts supply, and my favorite unique vendor, the house of magic, which also gives magic classes. Sunday is the only days there is live music, but I didn’t see any band playing.
I managed to fit in one more flea market on Sunday, Mission Open Air Flea Market , this was right off the I-410. It is your typical flea-market that prevails in most cities, selling the usual fare. There’s no alcohol or music, but the place was bustling with people and vendors hawking their wares. I’m glad I made this the last on my list, because if this was the first flea market I visited, I probably wouldn’t have gone to the other two, thinking they might just be the same. I do have to admit, though, that it was here, at Missions, that I finally had to purchase an item: hair product – The price was to good to pass up.
Posted on March 28th, 2010 by Peter in
Most Italian restaurants today serve dishes heavily influenced by southern Italy from the early 20th century. Italian foods as we think of them are typically a pasta with a tomato based sauce over them maybe a pizza. but those were heavily influenced by Sicilian immigrants of the time moving into New York and Boston and incorporating what food they could find on hand into something similar to the cuisine of their home country. Southern Italian influenced foods tended to be based on ingredients such as dry pasta, tomato sauce, and olive oil while Northern Italian families brought dishes crafted from ingredients such as rice, fresh (or wet) pasta and butter.
Many of these foods and recipes evolved into new favorites and then later spread nationwide; for example, the muffuletta sandwich from New Orleans which is covered with a marinated olive salad, then layers of capicola, salami, mortadella, emmentaler, and provolone; and the “toasted ravioli” from St. Louis, which is actually deep fried. Recently American’s have been moving away from the generic dishes and embracing more of Italy’s traditional foods. This can be seen by taking a look at any of your favorite Italian restaurants ‘ menus and noticing that one can get risotto, a rice dish popular in Northern Italy along side classics like spaghetti and ravioli. Many other ingredients popular in Italian dishes recently growing in popularity are calamari, eggplant, and various other foods the less adventurous pallet might find off the wall.
Many chain like Bucca di Beppo still lean on the classic image of the “mom and pop” Italian- American restaurant using the popular aesthetic of Chianti bottles candle holders and tables decorated with red checked tablecloths. Others like Olive Garden try to instill a sense of being in Italy through architecture and grape vine accents.
Posted on March 25th, 2010 by Peter in
California is a fantastic blend of everything in the world, all the good and the bad, in one very large and immense place. It’s a perfect place to go to get lost, to reinvent oneself, and to make dents in the brick walls of culture, if there’s enough passion and tenacity. There are large and diverse Native populations that make up the original core of California, and because of its history there is a local Mexican population, then a lot of European-descended Americans came to settle during the various booms, and it’s still a story that’s being written, and written by all the people that come here to visit or to stay.
It has everything anyone could want, with beaches and forests and deserts, small towns and vibrant urban centers, along with vineyards and wharves and the thousands of subcultures making communities all over the state. For that reason alone, tourism is very high, as evidenced by its excellent hotels , and it’s a rather welcoming place for visitors. Almost everyone here feels like a tourist, and even the locals sometimes feel like they’re only visiting a version of California. The multiple versions are tweaked and shifted daily by the media, and it appears in various manifestations in film, commercials, songs, and music videos.
In the 80s, it was given another life by the wildly popular song and video, I Want Candy, by Bow Wow Wow. The teenage lead singer, Annabella Lwin captured the hearts of thousands of teenagers with her sophisticated vocals and energetic dance on the sand. This is a kind of tribute to what California is, and what it can be, because the group is not from here, and came, instead, from London. And Lwin ‘s time with the band was actually rather short, even though she’s gone on to do more with her career, giving her talents the space they need to grow and thrive. This is where California myth meets the real world, and, finding the real world to be a bit of a bore, decides to print the legend instead.