Thursday, October 31, 2019

3 Enterprise Data Backup Solutions That Are Secure

It is clear that data security is more important than ever for individuals and business people. There is so much important information that could get easily lost.

This is the reason more people are figuring out how important it is to protect your data. The following are three data backup solutions worth considering.

1. HYCU.

HYCU is a backup software system that can be used for Nutanix. The system used to be known by Comtrade HYCU, but the first part of the name was dropped not too long ago. It is a very versatile software system that could be considered hypervisor agnostic.

Part of the reason this system works is because it uses Nutanix Storage level snapshots as a starting point to help it execute incrementals. It should be pointed out that compliance can now be automated, thanks to this software.

You should also know that this system is quite collaborative since it does support AHV and ESX. It also supports cloud storage, just in case users want to go down that route. The support is coming from AWS and Azure, so everything is quite secure.

The software can use backup targets, and this is due to protocols, like NFS and SMB. It should be pointed out that one of the newest features that has gotten many people excited is the tool’s power to recover Microsoft Active Directory.

Customers are going to be happy to know that data will be safely coded from its source to its target.

2. Acronis Backup 12.5.

Acronis Backup 12.5 is one of the few software systems that can provide protection in a number of ways. For one, it can help take care of data on-premises and remotely.

It can provide data protection to public and private clouds because the company knows that data is shareable, and data moves like water throughout several locations. The backup software can even work for all mobile devices if needed.

The company promises to provide recovery time object or RTOs within seconds and is definitely attracting many customers. The software was created to provide virtual server protection for some of the giants, like VMware vSpehere and Microsoft Hyper-V just to name a few.

The way backup works can seem a little confusing, but it is meant to help ensure that data is saved and can be recovered.

First of all, the replication process is handled through VMware vSphere Replication using optimization capabilities by WAN. The data isn’t just working with replication as it also uses Oracle databases. Most of Oracle’s power comes from disk-imaging and bare-metal recovery capabilities.

It should also be pointed out that this software system has an added feature that is meant to give customers even more peace of mind, and that is vigilance. Yes, the software system watches each file, searching for patterns that might alert to ransomware or cyber attacks.

Should the attack damage a file, the system is designed to restore that specific file without the customer having to worry about it.

3. Micro-Focus.

Micro-Focus is another good choice when looking for enterprise backup solutions. Its primary goal is to simplify data protection no matter the type of environment, be it physical, virtual, or simply cloud. Part of the reason this tool is so versatile is because it actually comes with an adaptive architecture.

This system offers almost instant recovery, thanks to the integration of certain native applications. The applications include SAP/HANA, Oracle, Microsoft, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Sybase, and DB2.

Virtual, such as VMware and Hyper-V, environments can be backed up with an agent or an agentless VM. The restorative power in this system is quite powerful and reliable, which is part of the reason many are choosing Micro-Focus over other options.

Cloud backup and recovery has been simplified in a number of ways, and it all starts with a good support matrix storage integration with Dell/EMC and NetApp. Cloud-based data can be backed up using applications, such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon S3, which are some of the most powerful apps in their class.

Of course, this system does come with disaster recovery gear that expands from its bare metal recovery to all other systems using pre-existing file systems or images. This gear can be activated at anytime by the user with just the touch of a few buttons.

The system also comes with the ability to track SLAs to help users highlight performance issues if there are any. Once issues are found, customers can automate workflows a bit more efficiently to reduce operation errors that are common and simply take up too much time to correct.

These are just some of the backup solutions out there, but there are others worth considering. What users need to figure out is which solution will match their needs most effectively. We hope that one of these data backup solutions can do that for you.

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The 7 Most Important Web Development Software In The Market Today

The digital age has been more beneficial to us than people realize. Above everything else, the internet has been the primary source of most of the recent advancements we have seen. That said, perhaps the most overlooked tool in today’s tech world is website software.

Website software plays a significant role in how successful a website is given all of the responsibilities it has. Web software is capable of creating a responsive website interface, online security, and everything else in between. What makes web software more exciting today is that it is increasing in capabilities and demand.

In the job marketplace, this has resulted in a quick rise in competitiveness for web-development jobs and other similar positions. Overall, this means that we are in to see a surge in new web software tools in years to come.

Now that we understand the importance of web software, it’s also essential to understand the many different types of software there are. This will allow you to choose the best software that’s best for your website situation. With this in mind, here is the top seven best website development software in the market today.

#1: Web Design Software.

When it comes to creating a responsive and creative user interface, web design software are the go-to tool to accomplish this. It is mostly used to design web pages that are simple but engaging enough for a visitor to take action. With this goal in mind, most web design software integrates other tools such as lead capture creators and call-to-action plugins. For the most part, the more user-friendly the website page is, the likelier the chances of converting from the site are.

#2: Web Graphics Creative Software.

Not to be designed with web design software, web graphics software hold their weight in terms of importance. The main difference between the two is that web graphics software is mostly used for any content that requires graphics such as videos or motion pictures. Anything interactive to the touch has at least some form of creative web graphics. That said, perhaps the main reason it’s a popular software is because of the freedom of creativity it gives users.

#3: Mobile Integration Web Software.

No matter what type of website you design, one thing that all sites can relate to is mobile users. Optimizing for mobile users has been the most prominent change website designers have had to make in recent times. This stems from the rise in technology within the smartphone and tablet industry. More importantly, with this industry showing no signs of slowing down, mobile integration web software will only become more critical as time goes by.

#4: Web Application Software.

Depending on the type of website you have, the web application software might be one of the most important tools you use. Specifically, web application software run applications that perform in different operating systems. This includes desktop systems such as Windows and Mac. Another way to look at web application software is like a system of making computer programs that can assist you with your daily website needs and functionalities.

#5: Back-End Web Software.

A back-end web development software serves the purpose of working on the internal structure of a website. It works in these areas to make sure the front-end of a website works efficiently and productively. It does so with capabilities such as data storing, error spotting, and server protection as well. As a whole, the three main parts that this software will focus on is the server, an application, and the database.

#6: API Web Software.

API web software is unique in that it is the foundation of many website procedures. This includes laying the groundwork for systems such as website types, interaction methods, and other similar tools. In simple terms, API development software gives extensibility to a website.

#7: Web Security Software.

Last but not least, arguably the most crucial website development software anyone could use is web security software. The thing about this software is that it goes far and beyond protecting against simple malware. A good web security software can prevent malware attacks through spotting, launch protective counter-attacks, and setup second-layer protective firewalls. Overall, web security software will give you the peace of mind to work on other areas of your website.

Choosing The Best Software.

When it comes to selecting the best software for your business, it’s essential to understand that there is no perfect software in the market. Depending on what situation your website is in, different software might be more fitting than others. As an overall rule, look into where your website is trying to go. In other words, figure out what the main goal of your website is. By understanding this factor, it will allow you to choose software much more straightforward.

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8 Simple Strategies To Self-Soothe And Stop Work Overwhelm

work overwhlem

by Judith Orloff, M.D., author of “Thriving as an Empath: 365 Days of Self-Care for Sensitive People

Are you experiencing work overwhelm? Or even full-blown burnout? You’re not alone.

Today, a whopping two out of three full-time workers are wrestling with burnout, according to a recent Gallup study. To boot, the World Health Organization (WHO) now classifies work-related burnout as a “syndrome” and an “occupational phenomenon.”

But what does that actually mean in the real world?

Workers are reporting feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, lower confidence in their performance, less motivation and more negativism, and a greater likelihood to take a sick day or even visit the emergency room, explains Gallup and WHO.

All to say, there may be a legitimate reason – and not just lack of pep or positivity – for feeling like you can’t work another minute, particularly now, when escalating speed, stressors, and supercharged connectivity encompass the workplace.

This is especially significant if you’re among the tens of millions of us who are empaths — highly sensitive people – or other caring beings with intensely “attuned” systems and, likewise, some unique special needs.

The good news? You can learn how to self-soothe when you’re feeling overwhelm at work, when things on the job seem to be spiraling out of control, or when you think that you just can’t take it anymore.

To kick-start the process, I suggest a practical daily practice drawn from my book Thriving as an Empath: 365 Days of Self-Care for Sensitive People. Alongside the daily practice, use these eight simple strategies to help in your journey.

1. Use conscious breathing.

As soon as stress hits, immediately take several slow, deep, and deliberate breaths. Such conscious breathing helps expel tension so it doesn’t get stuck in your body.

2. Engage in positive self-talk.

Don’t let negative or fear-based voices get in the way of believing in yourself. Instead, improve your self-talk: “This is a transient situation. I will realize the best way to handle it, and everything will be okay.”

3. Be your own witness.

You are larger than any anxiety, fear, or self-doubt. Tell yourself: “I am not this emotion. I can calm and center myself. I can detach from this state of overwhelm. And I can witness my own experience.” This will relax you and offer a new and different perspective.

4. Accept others’ experiences, actions, and behaviors as their own.

We all deserve the dignity of walking our own path. By making this a personal affirmation, you can accept people for who they are, appreciate their life experiences, and avoid feeling responsible for their actions and behaviors.

5. Visualize.

Envision white light emanating from the crown of your head — and darkness flowing out the bottom of your feet. This is just one of many visualization techniques that reduces overwhelm and results in more positive, productive energies.

6. Use essential oils.

Essential oils have the ability to calm, invigorate, heal, and protect us. I recommend lavender oil because its properties are known to help treat anxiety, stress, restlessness, and more. You can breathe the oil in with deep inhalations or massage it into your temples, between your eyebrows, and around areas like your neck and shoulders, where you may physically carry stress.

7. Place your hand over your heart.

Just as mothers console their babies by patting their chest, you can comfort yourself by placing your hand over your heart. The heart is the center of unconditional love, and by simply touching it, you can activate endorphins – ‘happy hormones’ – throughout your body.

8. Practice self-compassion.

Your thoughts make a profound difference in your life. So rather than beating yourself up when you experience overwhelm, exercise self-compassion instead. Be kind and gentle with yourself. Seek out me-time. Nurture yourself with rest, relaxation, and if possible, bodywork or spa treatments. Tell yourself that you’re doing your best. And, whatever you do, never fail to cut yourself some slack.

Additionally, you can consider other ways to self-soothe. Cuddling with your partner. Spending time with family and friends. Doting on your kids or pets. Taking a leisurely drive. Walking in nature. Curling up with a good book. Binge-watching your favorite TV show. Savoring a special meal or drink. Meditating. Praying. Volunteering. Or whatever it may be that really resonates with you.

What’s most important is to know that with a practical daily practice and some simple strategies, you can self-soothe – and stop work overwhelm.

 

Judith Orloff, M.D., is a New York Times bestselling author, a member of the UCLA Psychiatric Clinical Faculty, and has a Facebook Empath Support Community with more than 6,000 members. She has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, and in Oprah Magazine, the New York Times and more. Her new book, “Thriving as an Empath: 365 Days of Self-Care for Sensitive People”, draws from her own experiences as an empath to share the secret to well-being.

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4 Smart Ways To Save On Marketing Expenses

do your own taxes

One of the priority investment areas for businesses relates to marketing. A recent Gartner ‘CMO Spend Survey’ showed that the marketing budget is 11.2 percent of the total revenue of a company.

 Close to 57 percent of businesses are looking to increase their marketing budget as per the survey. While one-third of the budget is allocated to marketing technology acquisition, nearly 21 percent of the budget is set aside for multi-channel advertising.

For businesses that earn less than $5 million annually in sales, the US Small Business Administration (SBA) recommends allocating six to seven percent of the revenue.

While the ideal marketing budget depends on the business needs, competition, and nature of the business, it is not necessary to spend a fortune on advertising. A survey on advertising spends of 529 small businesses across the US found that the budget for advertising for 37 percent of small businesses spend is below $10,000.

Irrespective of the nature of your business, a keyway to save money is to get suitable business insurances. Your service based business depends on your skills and expertise, which means any error, negligence, missed deadline, or breach of contract – whether intentional or alleged – can result in costly lawsuits. As per a Court Statistics Project report, the average cost of a breach of contract can be as high as $91,000, which can deplete a small business of its profits. Check here to know more about different kinds of business insurances.

Ways to save marketing expenses.

A majority of expenditure for small businesses relates to social media, email marketing, content creation, website design and management and offline marketing. These alternatives help businesses to optimize their budget while saving a considerable amount of marketing dollars.

Leverage user-generated content: One of the major spends occurs in digital marketing, and specifically, content marketing. Successful B2B companies allocate as much as 40 percent of their budget for content marketing. A tactic to save money on content marketing is to encourage user-generated content. HerCampus.com is an example of community-drive content generated by university women.

Promote referrals: Encourage your happy customers to refer your service or products to friends and family members. The effective referral programs based on small incentives have contributed to the success of companies like Airbnb and Uber.

Use free marketing tools: Digital advertising is a key focus area for marketers and small businesses, given the advantages of targeted advertising.

A study found that 56 percent of small businesses are looking to enhance their marketing spending on social media advertising, while 41 percent are set to increase expenditure on online advertising. Many of the available online marketing software or tools charge a fee, but there are some free alternatives. Hootsuite’s free tools, instead of the expensive business packages, can be used to promote your business on social media. For graphic design, Venngage and Canva that offer free infographics and graphic design tools are ideal options in place of paid tools such as InDesign and Photoshop. WordPress.org helps create a free website instead of spending money on a costly web design package.

For market research, you can use SurveyMonkey that offers free online questionnaire and survey tools to analyze your target market. There are also free marketing budget templates offered by Hubspot, Score, and Smartsheet.

Partner with others: Acquiring new customers can be an expensive process. By partnering with companies that have an extensive customer base aligned with your target audience is a great way to cut down on the cost of new customer acquisition.

While there is no one formula that fits all companies when it comes to saving money on marketing, planning the marketing budget, keeping track of marketing spend, and using metrics to measure the ROI of your investment are some ways to stay on top of your expenses.

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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

4 Reasons To Add Personalized Video Marketing In Your Marketing Plan

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then just imagine the impact of a video. The marketing industry has understood the significance of conveying story through a video; that’s why video marketing is spreading its wings everywhere. Digital media is a whole new world for marketers, and they are living it to the fullest. From the realm of website development and SEO marketing to social media promotion, now digital marketing has added personalized video marketing in this game. And its growing popularity shows that it is working!

Whenever you open a YouTube video, you are bombarded with advertisements, and many of them are personalized videos. According to research, almost 63% of businesses have started incorporating personalized video marketing in their marketing strategies, and the result shows that they are winning it! If you are missing out from this 63% business strata, then here is why you should be part of it:

Approach Wider Customer Base.

Do you know that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world and over a billion users consume this platform every day? Among this huge number of audiences, many of them could be your potential customers. You just need to pitch them right on point, and they will be yours. You can either go with the advertisement or launch your own channel and upload videos that trigger audiences’ interest along with strengthening brand value and gather customers.

Higher ROI Rate.

Where electronic media advertisements and SEO marketing requires a lot of investment, video making is coming out as an affordable marketing technique that offers higher ROI (return on investment). You can make a high-quality video on your smartphone for free or hire an affordable personalized video making agency like https://www.bluerush.com for a professional touch. In either of the case, it cost less than other forms of marketing. And if it triggers customer interest and your customer falls for it, then the return on investment will be more than you can imagine.

SEO Boost.

Besides conquering YouTube’s domain, the personalized video also helps in winning the realm of search engines if you incorporate it in your website. Google being the first highest search engine platform, holds a major role in giving any business a significant boost if you manage to ride on the top position and first page of its searches. That’s where a video can help you! A website with a video has 50x greater chances of getting on the first page of Google’s search result. And it can also be your website!

Enhance Product Understanding.

Today’s consumers have become intelligent; they don’t go for any product or service until they are not fully aware of it. And description of a product is not only difficult to read but also troublesome to comprehend. A video about the product or service saves consumers from the difficulty of reading. It also guides customers comprehensively about your product because you are showing your customers what you have to offer and why they should give it a try.

So, now you know that if you are not going for personalized video marketing, then why it should be your next priority. Go for it because it is worth it!

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10 Ideas For Creative Guerrilla Marketing Campaigns

Guerrilla marketing, a marketing strategy that’s different to your traditional methods. Alternative strategies hope to cut through the noise of promotion in the media and therefore grab attention.  The essential quality of a guerrilla marketing campaign is to apply creative thinking – maximising unique and surreal means of seeing the world.

This marketing strategy has been most often used by small companies who have a limited budget.  They try to get a bang for their book by inspiring our curiosity and encouraging the organic spread of the message.  However, the biggest names in business are now turning to similar disruptive modes of marketing – from flash mobs to some spray paint.

Here is our guide to some of the best ideas for guerrilla marketing campaigns – to help spark inspiration for your future campaign.

1. Graffiti.

Banksy in Bristol showed the power of random acts of graffiti art.  The social problem messages that popped up incited so much chatter that could never have been achieved in traditional circumstance.  Big businesses in cities around the world are inspired to create advertising in the form of street art.  Netflix, Burberry, Absolut are all companies who have been promoted with the use of graffiti.

2. Stencils.

Like street art on walls, stencils on the floor are incredibly cheap but also visually striking.  The strange markings on the pavement capture the attention of pedestrians, who tend to spend much of their time walking with their eyes to the floor.

3. Reverse stencils.

This stencil is a little odd – it takes a dirty surface and removes some of the grime to reveal a brand’s message.  Puma has used this strategy in Manchester to significant effect.

4. Flash mobs.

T-mobile used this famously in Liverpool – Beyonce also had a go at a flash mob in London.  It is captivating for the people around at the time – and people will create the video for you – and then spread this around social media.  People post a time and location, and lots of people turn up to sing or to dance.

5. Treasure hunts.

The best thing about social media is that you can drop hints that are picked up by millions.  People who follow you and show loyalty to your company will be rewarded because they pick up the clues first.  It also energises the customer to go out and seek a reward and then share the experience.  The higher the value the prize at the end of the hunt, the more buzz that will be created.  Samsung managed this brilliantly in London and enjoyed viral attention of Twitter.

6. Viral videos.

One of the critical factors to successful guerrilla marketing is the word “viral”.  Unfortunately, there is no magic ingredient to ensuring a video goes viral – sometimes the simplest thing in the world explodes.  Basic and inexpensive can sometimes gain a lot more traction than those with high production values.

7. Undercover marketing.

Stealth marketing can cross the line in black hat strategies.  This phrase represents a stretching of the ethical and moral standards in advertising – as it encourages hired actors to merge with a crowd of peers and to pass the message.  Sony did this once – hiring actors to walk around with the phone with a camera commenting on the fantastic pictures they could take with the excellent tech.

8. Stickers.

Stickers might seem like a small fry attempt at promotion.  You may also think that poster printing is no longer relevant.  With the media and the online world, this sort of marketing seems grossly outdated.  However, stickers are beginning to be used creatively to grab attention and spark curiosity.  For instance, Lynx created a campaign of stickers for exit signs, which showed men escaping from a crowd of women.

9. Publicity stunts.

Red Bull is probably the king of the publicity stunt.  They fund adventurous projects that link to the idea that the drink “gives you wings” – there was the balloon that went into space from which a man chose to skydive to Earth.  This sort of stunt has the effect of creating news stories – and the coverage by journalists results in extensive advertising – without the audience feel like they are having a marketing campaign thrust down their throat.

10. Subtle touches.

Adding small touches to the environment, which could easily be missed, encourage people to buy the products by offering constant subliminal messaging again and again.  An example of this used successfully by Guinness, who added wraps to pool cues in the UK and the US – so each time you played, you were pushed towards this drink from the bar.

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[Interview] Robert Morton, Toronto Business Leader and Former Home Capital Executive On New Product Development

New product development is an essential part of the entrepreneurial landscape. Many people become entrepreneurs because they see a need or problem in the marketplace and have an idea to address it, improve the user experience or simply create a new efficiency. In many cases, they create something new and innovative that improves people’s lives or even changes history. Consider Bell, Edison, Westinghouse, Jobs and Wozniak.

For companies of all sizes, from big corporations to small businesses, new product development is crucial. Without constant innovation, sales will be in danger of declining. New products help companies continue to grow, thrive and generate revenue.

Toronto executive Robert Morton, principal at RLM Consulting, is experienced in the area of new product development. He works with established companies and entrepreneurs alike to help them develop, shape and launch new products.

Prior to establishing his firm, Rob spent more than two decades holding a variety of leadership positions in the financial services industry, working in securities, asset management, equities, capital markets, and mutual funds. In addition to serving as an executive for three years at Home Capital Group, Inc., where he oversaw the areas of financial support, treasury, strategic and capital planning/development, procurement, and investor relations, he spent 21 years holding a variety of executive positions at State Street Bank.

Today, he advises business leaders across a range of industries on strategy, strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, and, of course, new product development. He talks about why and how new products are crucial to the success of every company.

Why would a company want to introduce a new product? Is it dictated by marketplace factors? 

Rob Morton: Yes, new products are created to fill a need or meet a demand in the marketplace, and sometimes to introduce something new that has the potential to be successful. Product types are across the board and could be tangible or even intangible, like experiences.

Sometimes, a new product will replace an existing product. Other times, existing products are introduced to new audiences, or rebranded and re-introduced. New products will often help a company grow its bottom line. It’s important for all forward-thinking companies to be aware of marketplace trends and identify opportunities to think about how they can better serve their customers.

It seems that there’s a lot of opportunity to improve upon existing products today, given the number of online forums on which people discuss product features. What types of new products are developed or reintroduced most often in today’s ever-changing marketplace?

Rob Morton: All types. Companies continually improve on previous versions of their own products. For example, smartphones, like iPhones and Androids, are regularly updated with new operating systems and features, and reintroduced. Sometimes a new process leads to a new products. For decades we brewed coffee in coffee pots. Then Keurig came along and completely reinvented the coffeemaker, and now many homes and offices have them. They changed how we practiced a longtime habit. For companies, revising and reintroducing an existing product provides a way to boost an existing revenue stream or create a new one.

What are the steps a company goes through in developing and launching a new product, and what are their needs when they seek outside counsel?

Rob Morton: Generally, they’ve identified a need or opportunity, so they want to move forward with addressing it through either a new or improved or enhanced product. Now they have to come up with exactly how they’re going to respond, and what type of product they’re going to create. Early on, we’ll discuss features, benefits, look, feel, potential uses, and more. Once the concept is determined, the research and development phase begins, which includes such activities as prototyping, testing and analyzing the results. At a point during all this work, there’s also discussion about product naming, branding, packaging, and marketing. Once everyone is satisfied and ready to proceed, we roll it out.

What are the challenges related to creating and introducing a new product?

Rob Morton: The main challenges can include determining what exactly the new product will be, creating the product’s design based on a number of factors and, of course, creating a demand in the marketplace. As I described, it can be a complex, even arduous process at times, but it’s well worth the time, cost and effort if the potential ROI justifies it.

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Your Guide For Shifting Your Car To A New State In India

Shifting to a new state means looking into many crucial things so that your life there can be as smooth as possible. From looking for decent accommodation to buying necessary commodities, you make all arrangements beforehand. If you are a car owner, you also need to make arrangements to get the car shifted to that new place. This involves not just the physical transfer of the vehicle from one place to another, but also legal transfer.

If you are seeking information to shift your car from your current location to another Indian state, then let us guide you about it.

Why is Legal Transfer Necessary?

Registering your car with the government authority is a mandatory requirement under the law of India. For the registration, you need a proof of your place of residence. This establishes ownership between the individual and the vehicle, thereby helping the government in taxing you as a car owner.

So, when you move your vehicle from one state to another and intend to use it for more than one year following that, you need to re-register the same in the new state.

The various steps in this process are as follows:-

Step 1 – Procure No Objection Certificate (NOC) From the Traffic Department.

To get the NOC from your district’s Regional Transport Office (RTO), you will have to submit two documents, namely-

  • One from the traffic police indicating that no fines are pending against you
  • A report from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which clarifies that your car is not a stolen one or is not involved in an accident

You will have to submit the following documents to get NOC from the NCRB and traffic department-

  • A letter in the name of the Deputy Commissioner of Traffic
  • A copy of your car’s RC along with insurance papers and Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate
  • A copy of your Driving license
  • Your Address proof (driving license, Aadhar Card, bank passbook or any other)
  • Clearance letter from financing bank if the car is under loan money

It is advisable to carry all original documents to the Traffic Police office at the time of verification. The process of getting the NOC from NCRB and traffic department is the same, and the certificate is usually provided after a few days.

Step 2 – Visit the RTO.

After you obtain the NOCs from the NCRB and traffic department, you will need to visit the RTO with the following documents-

  • Form 28, which is the Application for No Objection Certificate and Grant of Certificate
  • An attested copy of the Registration Certificate
  • Records indicating the payment of the road tax (only if you use your car for commercial purposes)
  • Car’s valid insurance document and PUC certificate
  • NOC obtained from the traffic police
  • Clearance certificate from NCRB (In specific states)
  • NOC from the financing bank (In case of a car loan)

Step 3 – Submission of Documents.

Next, you will have to submit all the documents mentioned above to your district RTO along with the applicable fees. You will receive the NOC in a few days. It is on receiving the NOC from the RTO that you can request for re-registration of your car in the new state.

Step 4 – Vehicle Re-Registration After Interstate Transfer.

Various documents required for re-registration are as follows:

  • Form 20, which is the application form for the car’s registration
  • Original copy of Registration Certificate from another state
  • NOC received from previous RTO
  • Form 27, for assigning new registration certificate to a vehicle
  • Form 33, for intimating about the change of address in the registration certificate
  • Attested Copy of address proof, valid driving license, and PUC Certificate
  • PAN Card, Form 61, or Form 60, whichever is relevant
  • Passport-sized photos
  • NOC from the lending bank if the car is under a loan

Also, remember to inform your insurance company about re-registration and get it updated in the insurance document through an endorsement. If your motor insurance policy has become inactive, get it renewed or buy a new one. Having motor insurance policy is a mandatory requirement by Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and is of great support to you by providing third-party coverage, road-side assistance and no-claim bonus along with several other benefits.

Step 5 – Payment of Road Tax.

Lastly, you will have to pay road tax through a demand draft in the new state to which you are planning to move. After making this payment, you will also get reimbursement for your previous road tax payment. The documents required for this are as follows:

  • Application for refund of road tax
  • Updated and signed Form 16 (your salary certificate from the employer)
  • Copy of new registration certificate
  • Copy of old registration certificate
  • Insurance policy with new registration number
  • ID proof and address proof

After submission of all documents, the RTO in the new state will contact the one in the old state for authentication of the registration number. Following this, it could take up to 6 months to get your road tax refund.

Now that you know the process of transferring your car to another state, go through each step one by one and get it all done. We wish you a good life in your new place of residence.

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How B2B Brands Can Generate More Website Traffic

Getting businesses to visit your website is very different from encouraging the general public to visit web pages. B2B marketing has some crossover with B2C marketing, but when it comes to traffic generation, the tactics for those companies that target other businesses are significantly different. There are some clear and practical methods available for those B2B businesses that are hoping to boost the number of people that visit their website, and the effects can be highly beneficial. From improving brand awareness to making more sales, the right traffic generation can transform the future of a B2B brand.

If your website figures are holding you back, then here are the best ways to generate more traffic and boost your online visibility.

Ignore SEO.

While marketing professionals will always focus primarily on SEO boosts, it’s a good idea not to get too bogged down in it. Of course, SEO is a vital component of modern marketing for any kind of business, and the temptation is always going to be trying to second-guess search engines and adjust marketing tactics that will do nothing more than please Google.

For B2B brands, focusing only on SEO can actually hold you back from improved performance. Never forget that pleasing an algorithm can often mean that you forget your actual audience.

When it comes to content, create the website text and images that will resonate with your business audience. Consider what your prospects will be most in need of and tailor your content to match those needs. If you struggle in terms of creating the right content, then consider using content writing services like those offered by www.clickintelligence.com. This will provide you with some significant benefits. The advantage of content creation for a human audience is that it will have an inevitable positive effect on your SEO because you will be creating content that has value.

That will mean your visitors will stay on the page longer and check out more of your internal pages. This is great for SEO, but it also makes it far easier to introduce those prospects into your sales funnel.

Email Campaigns: Dos and Don’ts.

All B2B brands should be using email marketing. While emails fell out of favor for marketing purposes around 2013, they are back with a vengeance and are now considered the marketing must-have for both B2B and B2C companies. That’s because email newsletters and promotions are one of the best ways to encourage site visits. The challenge is making sure that your email campaigns are of sufficiently high quality to generate that traffic. For B2B brands, that means:

Refreshing your client list: Don’t waste time sending out emails to people that aren’t interested. Use your analytics to identify those people that either don’t open your emails or simply never respond to your CTAs. If you keep sending out emails to people that don’t want them, then your brand will start to be seen as a nuisance. Clear your client list database regularly so that only the people that want you to land in their inbox are listed.

Paying attention to ‘subject’: Your email subject is one of the most important parts of your email to get right. It needs to be both informative and catchy. The goal is to encourage people to open your email and read it. That means your subject title needs to be clickable and relevant. Don’t resort to clickbait, but when the right subject title can convince someone to click and read your latest newsletter, it makes sense that you spend some time thinking about the best title to use.

Timing: For a B2C brand, email marketing is best targeted for when people are relaxing at home. For B2B email strategies, it is best to send out your emails when prospects are still at work. This might seem obvious but far too many B2B brands continue to work with a B2C mindset when it comes to email timings. It’s a good idea to avoid sending out your emails on a Monday or Friday, as these are the periods when people are either too busy or too focused on finishing work for the weekend.

Top Tip: Send out emails ten minutes before the hour as this might catch people as they are waiting for a meeting to start or for their own clients to call them back. Timing it right and you can dramatically improve your chances of getting read.

Clear and dynamic Call to Action: The end goal of your email campaign is to get people onto your website and into your sales funnel. If you are using a call to action (CTA) that is confusing and generally weak, then chances are that they will be ineffective. Have one CTA per email and ensure that it is easily understood and actionable.

The B2B and Social Media.

It’s very common to see B2B brands limit their use of social media. This is largely due to the misconception that social media is only beneficial for B2C business models. The fact is that social media marketing for B2B models is both low-cost and highly effective when it comes to traffic generation. Social media gives you the opportunity to connect with your sales leads and prospects and engage with them.

Additionally, social platforms not only boost brand awareness, but they also improve your ability to provide consistent customer service. When trust is such a vital component of B2B management, using social platforms can very easily boost your brand authority and encourage engagement. When it comes to generating more website traffic via social media, remember to:

Tell Brand and Client Stories: This will not only make your B2B more connected to your clients but also boost brand loyalty and trust. Storytelling is now a vital component of content marketing and social media platforms are the ideal place to position them.

Listen: Social media is a two-way communication process. Don’t post content and walk away. Respond to discussions and comments, and avoid the hard-sell at all costs. The goal is to gently encourage people to find out more about you and your brand on your actual website. Answer questions and make sure that your audience knows that if they need more in-depth answers that your website has all of the info that they need.

For B2B brands, digital marketing is one of the best ways to help your business to grow. Make sure that you understand the importance of encouraging more traffic to your website and the role that the right content plays in guiding prospects to a purchase. The more that you focus on traffic generation, the more your SEO and your sales figures will benefit. Remember, you can have the best-looking website on the internet, but if nobody sees it, then your business will invariably suffer.

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Five Strategies To Grow Your Business And Get More Clients

get more clients

by Maureen Gharrity, CEO and founder of Finding Your Way Coaching

Growing your business, or trying to get new clients, can be hard. It doesn’t always have to be. The strategies that work to bring in more business are not necessarily what you may think or what you default to.

When business owners and executives struggle to grow, they quickly fall back to what they know, or what got them to their current level of success. This isn’t always the answer, which actually then deepens the frustration.

Consider implementing one or more of the following strategies to take your business revenue to the next level.

#1 – Set up systems and processes within your business.

Having processes and systems in your business does a couple things. You do not have to reinvent the wheel for yourself of course, and they do not have to be complicated. They can be simple, which will not only save you time, it will hold you accountable as well. The more automatic tasks are in your business, the less you have to think about them,  the more likely they are to get done and free up time for you to do more of what you need to be doing in your business, such as development or talking to clients and/or prospects.

I know many clients who had baskets of business cards just sitting in their office that they never did anything with. And fear or nervousness about reaching out. Once a system or follow up routine was established, it automatically went into their calendar and into their records, making this important task easier.

#2 – Be willing to invest in yourself and your business.

This one is so important and often the most overlooked and the least understood. The willingness to invest in yourself is ultimately an investment in your business, yet so many people don’t understand this. You think it is about marketing or networking; while those things all have their place, you still need to be willing to look at what is stopping you or causing the struggle. It’s on the inside.

This is one of the biggest reasons people use to not hire a coach or mentor, especially in the beginning, when it can be the very thing that gives them the breakthrough they need to get to build momentum and get to the next level.

#3 – Get clear on your path. Clarity is power.

The more specific you can be about what you want, and who you want to work with, the easier it is to attract it. I know it may seem counterintuitive to you. As though by choosing a group you are excluding a whole myriad of other potential groups as prospects. It doesn’t work that way. In fact, the clearer you can be the more likely you are to attract those people and the opportunities to meet them.

This does not mean you have to have an avatar, not yet. Most people need a place to start and to develop the avatar later or along the way.

For example, many of my clients begin or focus on just helping people, or other business owners yet they struggle. Once they chose a group to work with, such as attorneys, or realtors, all kinds of opportunities came, as well as the confidence to move forward into it.

#4 – Take control of your time and your calendar.

You are very busy. Being more purposeful in how you spend your time and the commitments that you make, can save you time and reduce stress or anxiety.. Most people are reactive in their approach, spending much of their time and energy reacting to what comes up in their day, often without even realizing it. Emails. Client problems. Meetings. Referrals.

The key here is to shift to being more deliberate, to having things in your calendar, with boundaries to help you keep those commitments. Otherwise, it is easy to spend time on other people’s priorities and not your own. At some point, you will wonder “How did I get so off track?”

It is often one of the hardest things to do, especially on your own. Business professionals often think that because they are busy, they are on the right track, but that is not necessarily the case. Busy-ness can keep you from seeing and accepting the best opportunities.

For example, having an open door policy, is good for those you work with, it isn’t necessarily productive for your own responsibilities. And for many people the interruptions make it hard to refocus and recalibrate their own progress. So have time set aside, for yourself, to focus on your own projects.

#5 – Self confidence can save the day.

Your strengths and talents are important and equally so is your confidence in those abilities. First you need to recognize them, and then really accept them. Oftentimes this will show up in your brand. Self confidence will improve just about every area of your life, your business,  your communication, the delivery of your services and especially the rates that you charge your clients.

I hear this from all of my clients, throughout our work together, because the more they know about themselves and what they can do for their own clients, changes the way they show up. It just has a trickle effect, for everything they want to do.

To build your confidence, you can start right now, by looking at your strengths. Those abilities that come naturally to you. Everyone has them, sometimes they are hidden behind self doubt or uncertainty.

Celebrate your accomplishments. I like to have my clients do this over the course of our work together, it builds confidence and momentum. People are quick to discount what they have not done or what did not go well, we need to be quicker at recognizing what went well or how far you have come!!

Bonus: Make YOU a priority.

Self care is an integral part of success, including success in business, but it is definitely not one of the first things you are taught. It’s why work-life balance is such a popular topic. Typically you are taught to put others first, the boss, the kids, your spouse, a client… and it’s easy to do.  However, It is critical to the individuals as well as the company performance as a whole for opportunity to focus on yourself.

This first step here is making you a priority. That means things you want to do, time for yourself, eating right, exercise, a lunch break, what is right for you, needs to be scheduled into your day. Whatever is best for you. Not just for everyone else. It will show, in how you feel, your energy and your work, and how you show up for your clients.

 

Maureen Gharrity, CEO and founder of Finding Your Way Coaching is a master coach and talented business strategist with expertise in income acceleration, business development, sales, and mindset. A master of manifestation and a gifted healer, she blends mindset and business strategy to help clients reach their true potential and highest goals. Her intuition, along with 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and business development, helps her clients achieve unprecedented breakthroughs.

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Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Consulting Sucks (Sometimes): 15 Ugly Truths To Ponder Before You Take The Leap

by Elaine Biech, author of “The New Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond

The gig economy is roaring right along, and that means consulting work is more popular than it’s ever been. And the truth is there are many great benefits to becoming a consultant. In fact, you may even be thinking about taking the leap yourself.

But before you hang up a shingle, know a sobering truth: Consulting sucks. Well…some of the time it does, anyway.

While consulting work is rewarding, fun, and often quite lucrative, no one should jump into it blindly. As much as I love consulting, it definitely has a dark side. And it’s important to explore some of the darker corners, so you’ll know what you’re getting into.

In my new book “The New Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond” I paint a vivid picture of what consulting is all about — the good and bad. There I don’t shy away from some drawbacks of consulting. For example:

1. As with all start-ups, failure is an option.

According to the Small Business Administration, half of all start-up businesses fail within five years. Responsibility for success or failure rests almost entirely with the person who started the business. Some of the reasons include mistaking a business for a hobby; asking friends and relatives for advice; mismanaging money; lack of a business plan; poor or no marketing; lack of pricing knowledge; inability to manage growth; lack of commitment; failure to set and revise goals; inability to develop, monitor, and understand financial statements; inability to balance business and family; and underestimation of time requirements.

A lot can go wrong with a start-up. You’re better off being prepared up front for the level of effort it takes to stay afloat.

2. You probably won’t strike it rich.

Even though many consultants charge over $2,000 a day, that doesn’t guarantee you’ll “get rich” as a consultant. Without an employer to share the burden, you’ll still have to set aside money for taxes and benefits like health and life insurance and retirement. On top of that, you can’t do billable work five days a week because you’ll need to allot time for preparation, marketing, and administrative work. You can definitely make a living doing this work, but don’t expect to make a killing.

3. You’ll give up the security blanket that is a regular guaranteed income.

One reason people go to work for companies is to have a guaranteed income. There is a lot to be said for the reassuring promise of a steady, predictable paycheck. But — oh no! — there is no such security for consultants. You are responsible for acquiring business, servicing clients to their satisfaction, and billing promptly to keep the cash flowing.

4. Clients don’t always pay on time.

Clients don’t always pay their invoices on time, or at all, in some cases. That means that you have to continuously generate enough work (and stay on top of billing) to maintain a steady cash flow in case money you counted on doesn’t arrive. It also means learning to live with the psychological burden of not knowing when (or even if) a check will come through — and, depending on your personality type, that can be a heavy burden.

5. You might be disrespected or viewed with suspicion.

There’s a lot of negativity around the consulting field, and you’ll have to have a thick skin to handle being called a “beltway bandit”, conman, pest, or worse. (I’ve been called all three of these names!) There are many charlatans out there, so in some cases the negativity is deserved. In addition, the profession lacks legal standards or legitimate certification. But there are also lots of great consultants as well; unfortunately, they must often fight a battle of trust due to poor ethics or overcharging by a consultant who worked with a client previously.

6. You won’t always win the client…

Imagine investing 10 hours to write a proposal that you later learn never had a chance because a candidate was preselected. It’s also common to lose a proposal on a technicality.

Clients choose to ‘go another way’ for all kinds of reasons. The disappointment never gets easier, but it’s best to take it as a learning experience and move on.

7. … and when you do win them, clients will exhaust you.

You’ll be working for clients who go to work early, have tight deadlines, and experience huge pressures. This often translates to doing 12 hours or more a day of sustained work for your clients — more if you take them to dinner after the workday. And depending on your client load, you could be working with multiple people inside several different companies each week and dealing with various personalities and sets of office politics. It can wear you down, which is why it’s so important to make time for self-care and relaxation during your time off.

8. Your client roster will stay in flux.

You may have 11 clients today, but that could change tomorrow. A change in the economic climate or the industry, or even a change in leadership, could end a project abruptly. This possibility means that you must constantly market yourself and network so you don’t end up with only one or two clients.

9. Any semblance of work/life balance may go out the window.

Consulting life may sound glamorous, but it’s really about long hours and a lot of work. Like most entrepreneurs, consultants spend 60 to 80 hours a week getting their business up and running during the first year and beyond. You’ll wake up for 4:00 a.m. flights and spend countless hours waiting in the airport. You’ll miss out on plenty of family dinners and often arrive home well after midnight. Weekends often aren’t free either, and you often devote them to catching up, making phone calls, and even traveling. (Remember, if you travel on a Monday, you will lose a billable day of work.)

10. Let’s be clear: Traveling will consume your life.

Your clients may live all over the country or the world, which means you’ll spend much of your time away from home. On the plus side, this means you can live anywhere as long as you’re driving distance to an airport.

11. Consulting is a lonely business.

Working for yourself can be an isolating experience. On top of that, there’s no one to help you when you’re overloaded with work. This is why some consultants choose to hire people, from an assistant to answer phones to creating a partnership with another consultant to complete the workload. This, of course, means taking on the burden of generating more income (to pay the second person) or facing the growing pains of expanding your business.

12. You’ll struggle to get good food and enough exercise.

You have to work really hard to eat a healthy diet and exercise while on the road. Instead of enjoying homecooked meals, you’ll be eating lots of poorly prepared restaurant food, and most of your exercise will consist of running through the airport to catch your flight.

13. Your social life will probably take a hit.

Traveling means that spending time with friends is harder to schedule and carry out. When you fly back into town on a Friday evening, it’s usually too late to make weekend plans for social activities. And if you do have something planned, you may need to cancel when a crisis comes up. It is possible to maintain an active social life when doing this work. You just have to be thoughtful with your scheduling and grab opportunities when you can.

14. You will miss your loved ones at home.

Being away so often for work places an obvious strain on you and your family. Though you can stay connected via Skype and the telephone, you will no doubt miss being near your loved ones and have to forgo at least some events you wanted to share with them.

15. Working from home can be distracting.

When they’re not traveling, many consultants work in a home office. This has some obvious pros, like enjoying privacy and working in sweatpants, but the biggest drawback is the constant distraction. Your mind will wander off to any number of personal projects. Your dogs will bark, and if you have kids, you can count on having them barge in when you’re on an important phone call.

Some aspects of consulting really do suck — and it’s best to know up front what you’re getting into. But that is also true of any job. If you’re passionate about what you’re doing, you’ll have the energy to power through the demands and you’ll enjoy clients and your work. When you deliver outstanding work that you truly believe in and care about, you’ll feel great about yourself — and that great feeling makes all the rest worthwhile.

Even with all the drawbacks, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It was the best leap I ever took. I never feel as if I’m going to work; I feel that I am going to play every day.

 

Elaine Biech is the author of “The New Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond“. She is a dedicated lifelong learner who believes that excellence isn’t optional. As a consultant, trainer, and president of ebb associates for more than 35 years, she helps global organizations to work through large-scale change and leaders to maximize their effectiveness. She has published 85 books, including the Washington Post #1 bestseller “The Art and Science of Training“.

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5 Ways Your Business Can Save Money On Travel

Hitting the big time, no longer just making products in your garage, room or even at your other job.

Your business is beginning to boom and people want to meet you, they want you to come to them and present your brilliance in person. Consequently, you are going to need some helpful tips that will make sure every meeting is more lucrative than the last, so try these:

1. Look at flight dates before scheduling meetings, this seems like an odd one but no one else knows your schedule so you can easily say to potential clients that you’re available only on certain days and are able to fly on those, whilst judging on say a site like Kayak.com or Skyscanner.net which is going to be the cheapest for you, it always makes you look better if you can’t do a certain date but remember it makes you look terrible if you can’t do any of their dates.

2. Book a car with a fair fuel policy, I’ve not seen this around too much but the site enjoycarhire.com secures this with their packages, they also operate to find the best deal for you across all the available hire companies wherever you are headed.

3. Travel only when it is necessary, these times that we live in are wonderful for creating and maintaining businesses that operate wholly online, there’s really not a huge necessity for meeting anyone face to face unless of course there is training involved or a disaster happens or you wish to meet the client that wants to work with you as there is something a little off about them, although really if you can’t trust someone from the outset it’s probably not going to be worth it whatever the price tag.

4. Pack light, the extra fees for wherever your flying may seem minimal at the time and yes it can be great to have a larger bag, of course having ‘priority’ written on your ticket may too seem like you are part of more exclusive club make connections and get your own private jet one day rather than waste a tenner on exclusivity now that could add up to as much as three hundred over the year. Forget about the ridiculous ‘other queue’ at the airport, you do not need extra luggage if you are only going somewhere for a day, take a great outfit and your swimming/running/fun times gear, done.

5. Rewarding repeat business, if you are headed somewhere a number of different times then ensure that you make friends with the people on the ground there, mates rates comes from mates not strangers.

Keep your friends close and your enemies as far away from your secrets as possible.

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Machine Learning For A Startup: 10 Things You Should Know

Machine Learning is considered to be an invention in Artificial Intelligence that allows the computer-based systems to learn from its experience instead of being programmed with every decision it should make for every condition. It’s being implemented in many algorithms such as facial, speech, and object recognition, natural language processing and predictive analytics.

Listed below are 10 things you should know about Machine Learning for startups:

1. Are Machine Learning and Data Mining, the same thing?

Not at all. There is a huge confusion between ML and Data Mining, though they have many similarities ML has a lot of statistical tools and a good knowledge of mathematics is involved in it. The main differentiation between the two is that data mining is all about penetrating down into a dataset to find useful information that will further help any organization when analyzing the data. Whereas Machine Learning is about utilizing that useful information to work out how to predict future outcomes which then helps to train a machine to perform a set of tasks. You can learn more about it by taking machine learning training.

2. Machine Learning roams around data and algorithms.

In Machine Learning, the data is the most important or you can say a fundamental element that makes Machine Learning achievable in real life. You can practice Machine Learning without complex algorithms, but not without good and efficient data.

3. Do not use a complex model/algorithm unnecessary.

By analyzing the patterns and exploring your data, ML trains the model. If your data exploration is too huge, you’ll overfit to your training data and train a model that doesn’t generalize beyond it. So its no use to have a complex model, you should always keep your models as easy as possible.

4. ML model will depend on the data you provide.

Whatever data you provide to your machine, the quality of the model will be based on your data only. Machine learning can only recognize patterns that are being in your training data. For supervised machine learning assignments like classification, you’ll need a strong collection of accurately labeled, well-featured training data.

5. ML model works on illustrative data.

While building a model, the training set is being considered to have a unique set of labeled data that provides known data that is used in supervised learning to establish a classification or regression model. When a model is constructed, we need to examine it in order to compare it with another model. So, the past performance is no guarantee of future outcomes as it is only guaranteed to work for the data generated by the same distribution of the test and train dataset.

Be careful of changes between training data and production data, and retrain your models periodically so they don’t become old and keep them updated. This indicates that the Machine Learning model needs a representative or illustrative data.

6. Data transformation is the most laborious task in Machine Learning.

Machine Learning is not only about selecting and tuning algorithms. The main work while creating a Machine Learning model is the data cleansing and feature engineering in which we transform the raw features/data from the dataset into features that have a better representation of the signal in your data.

7. Machine Learning is not Artificial Intelligence.

The fact is that Machine Learning is the subset of Artificial Intelligence and it utilizes the experience that the model has so that it can look for a specific pattern that the model learned from the past training whereas Artificial Intelligence uses the experience and the AI algorithm knows how to apply that knowledge for new situations.

8. Machine Learning is not a threat to human society.

In today’s world, most of the AI projects are based on Machine Learning that solely helps to recognize patterns within the datasets and that algorithm tries to make predictions based on the existing data. AI is not about recreating the human brain. It is roughly about developing a system that functions or operates like a human.

9. Machine Learning totally depends on humans.

ML is all about pattern recognition from the data that computers can learn without being programmed to achieve some specific tasks. They learn from past estimations to produce stable, repeatable conclusions and outcomes. When the machine learning model fails, it is because of the machine learning algorithm like human error into the training data, creating bias or some other systematic error which has been created by a human. Thus it totally depends on the human.

10. Machine Learning is all around us.

Currently, one of the most extensively used AI techniques for the advancement of new applications is known as Machine Learning. What ML tries to do is to present as much data as possible to algorithms that the ML developers create which then enables the model to improve the experience and make recommendations automatically.

In today’s world the tech-based companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple and many more have consolidated smart systems into their products and are directing toward a future where there will be automated real-time interpretation during a call, suggestions of what you want to purchase online, or the identification of your voice while communicating with your mobile phone.

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A Young Entrepreneur’s Guide On How To Establish Low Cost Shipping

With over half a billion small businesses opening their doors every year and eCommerce increasingly becoming a retail juggernaut, one industry has benefited tremendously.

Shippers.

Shippers/logistics services companies are worth over 10 billion dollars today and will grow to over 12 billion by the year 2023. While that’s good news for shippers, that’s bad news for small business owners like you that are fueling that growth with the rising cost of shipping inventory.

Therein lies the value of this post.

Below, we’re going to share tips/strategies on how to attain low cost shipping services for your business. In doing so, you’ll see your profit margins widen, your customer-base grow and you’ll be in a position to better compete with big box operations.

1. Make Free Consumer Shipping Your Goal.

The purpose of attaining low-cost shipping as a business owner is so you can pass most of those savings onto consumers by lowering their shipping rates.

Why?

Because companies like Amazon have set the bar on low-cost shipping. As it turns out, that bar is a hard one to beat given that it’s set at $0.00.

Per that fact, your goal as a small business owner should be to make your consumer shipping rates competitive with Amazon’s. While that may not be possible now, as you attain more shipping discounts, use them to inch closer to that goal.

2. Compare Rates.

The most simple way to attain low-cost shipping is to compare rates among shippers. As far as providers go, you have three primary options in the United States:

  • USPS
  • UPS
  • FedEx

Each of these three shippers will offer different rates for the same packages. See which shippers offer the most competitively priced services for your needs and award them all of your business.

Getting a quote for LTL shipping on large volumes of products is a more cumbersome process than getting quotes for small, domestic parcels. If you have special shipping needs, contact specialized freight organizations directly for information on what they offer.

3. Raise Your Item’s Prices.

If you’re not sure how else you can inch your consumer shipping costs closer to free, raising prices could be an option.

On its head, raising an item’s price and discounting that amount from shipping might not seem like a valuable move. In reality, a consumer may be more drawn to an item that’s $5.00 more expensive but ships free as opposed to one that’s cheaper but costs $5.00 to ship.

Your market’s conditions will dictate whether or not baking shipping into your item’s prices will allow you to stay competitive.

4. Entice a Minimum Order.

Another way that you can lower your consumer’s shipping costs is by enticing a minimum order. For example, you may be able to afford to offer free shipping if your customers spend at least $50.00 on products.

If that’s the case, give your customers that option.

Doing so will create a win-win for you and your customers since you can offer them free shipping and you get to move higher volumes of inventory.

5. Keep Your Inventory Light.

One of the ways that young entrepreneurs run up exorbitant shipping costs that they’re forced to pass onto consumers is that they ship heavy inventory. In general, the heavier your inventory is, the more expensive it’s going to be to move.

Because of that, we recommend that entrepreneurs focus on ventures that deal with small and light items. Building your business around a light product could save your company thousands of dollars per year in shipping.

6. Avoid Odd Shapes.

Another factor that can unnecessarily ruin your low-cost shipping aspirations is obscurely shaped items. Shippers don’t like to move boxes that are awkward to carry and stack. Also, box manufacturers don’t make packing materials in bulk that accommodate unique needs.

By working with inventory that doesn’t require odd accommodations, you’ll save money at your shipper’s counter and in the acquisition of supplies.

7. Negotiate Special Rates.

Volume shippers should never pay consumer shipping prices. As a matter of fact, many shipping organizations expressly offer bulk shipping discounts that you can read about on their websites.

If your shipper doesn’t advertise bulk rates, give their sales office a call and let them know the volume of business that you’re doing and ask how they can help you. You may be surprised by how much money a phone call could save you on shipping over a year.

8. Pay for Shipping With Rewards Cards.

Your business should have a rewards earning credit card that it uses for purchases. A rewards card that offers as little as 2% cashback on shipping-related costs would net you a $2000 discount on $100,000 worth of spending.

9. Source Shipping Supplies Affordably.

If you’ve taken our advice and have decided to deal exclusively in inventory that can leverage standard packing materials, you should have no problem sourcing boxes, bubble wrap, air-bags and other common materials affordably.

Many of these products can be acquired from manufacturers internationally which may result in substantial savings over getting supplies from big box stores domestically.

Low Cost Shipping Will Make You and Your Customers Happy.

In today’s eCommerce market, customers have come to expect low cost shipping on what they buy. For you to facilitate that, you need to attain discounts from the shippers that your business leverages.

Our tips above should help you achieve those ends which we hope will ultimately, propel your company to new heights.

Best of luck getting the most out of your entrepreneurial ambitions and feel free to browse more of our content for additional information on all things business.

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The post A Young Entrepreneur’s Guide On How To Establish Low Cost Shipping appeared first on Young Upstarts.



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