Using a Hiring Agency

In an earlier post we talked about the ins and outs of hiring good employees-after all, your employees are the bread and butter of your industry! Sometimes you don't have time to step into the labor intensive process of looking around for an employee that meets your specifications, however. After all, it takes time and effort to target trade publications, and screening the resumes of hundreds of potential candidates can feel like more trouble than it's worth. It takes less time out of your day to just do the job you need someone else to do than it does to go on a hiring spree.

That's why many companies decide to bring in a hiring agency.

Hiring agencies specialize in sifting through the resumes of their own potential pool of applicants and finding one that will meet your needs. They'll check out their background and qualifications, as well as their education and personal skills, to find out how they match up with the job descriptions you send them. Once the candidates have passed their test they'll be passed on to you!

Bringing in a hiring agency can save your human resources people hours of aggravation, especially if yours is a small business and you ARE your human resources department! It's important, however, that you pick the right hiring agency. Look for one that specializes in placing individuals in your industry, and if they happen to be local that's even better. (That saves you having to worry about bringing in applicants from California for a job in New York, since most of them are going to want help with their relocation that your current profit margins may not be able to provide.)

Once you've brought the right hiring agency into the mix you can sit back, relax and focus on your marketing strategies knowing your business is in good hands.

Strategies for Hiring Good Employees

Your employees are a vital part of your business, acting as front line communication between you and your customers. In many cases, your employees are the foundation your business is built on-after all, how often does the company CEO have time to get to know each and every one of their consumers? It's sad but true-if you spent all day interacting with your customer base you'd never get anything else done! That's why hiring good employees is one of the most important steps you'll ever take in ensuring the success of your business.

The first step to hiring good employees is advertising in the right places. If you're looking for an entry level worker and on the job training is provided local advertising (newspapers, help wanted signs) are a perfectly acceptable method of searching for employees. If you're looking for an employee with certain skills or certifications, however, you're going to have to be a bit more selective.

Advertising in trade publications and taking part in career fairs are great ways to get in touch with employees that have the credentials you need.

Once you have a pool of candidates it's time to start the interview process. Try to keep your interview questions general as opposed to leading) and cover all your bases. Ask them about their skills and their education, as well as specific job experiences that have prepared them for the challenge you're asking them to take on. Find out how they respond in a crisis, and don't be afraid to toss some psychological questions in there-it's a good way to see how easily they shift gears as well as breaking through their interview persona.

When the interview is done and you've got four or five candidates you like, check their references. It's tempting to skip this step, but good employees almost always have a strong work history and a long list of satisfied employers. If they've done the job well in the past there's a good chance they'll do the job well in the future, making them an extremely valuable resource and allowing you to offer them the job, then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

How to Save Money on Groceries

One of the most important things you can do right now is save money on your overhead to stretch your budget as far as it will go, whether you're talking about your business budget or your household expenses. While food certainly isn't an optional expense, there are things you can do to help you save big bucks at the grocery store.

1) Make a list. It seems like common sense, but by making a list of groceries you need for the week and sticking to it you can avoid spending money on impulse buys that will drive your grocery bill up. See something on sale you just can't say no to? Cross an item off your list and exchange the two. You can always have spaghetti next week!

2) Buy store brands as often as possible. Store brands can save you a lot of money on your groceries because you're not paying advertising fees, and in most cases the products are the same quality as their brand name equivalents.

3) Clip coupons. Yes, it can get a little tedious at times, but coupons can save you a lot of money at the grocery store and are widely available in newspapers and magazines. Just be careful you don't fall into the trap of buying something you don't need just because you have a coupon for it!

4) Sale shop. If you have a choice between the DiGiorno pizza that costs you $7 and the Freschetta that's on sale for $5, go for the Freschetta. That $2 can add up over time! Store specials and sales can save you a fortune when you're stocking your cupboards.

5) Never, ever grocery shop when you're hungry. It's the oldest rule in the book, but it bears repeating. When you're standing in a grocery store and your stomach's growling you're going to walk out with way more food than you really need-and chances are you're not going to be stocking up on vegetables.

The Truth About Super Bowl Advertising

The screaming fans. The national media coverage. The fact that hundreds of football hating Americans tune in every year to watch the commercials. There's a definite appeal to advertising during the Super Bowl, which is why companies pay millions of dollars for the privilege each year. That thirty second slot is seen by over 130 million people (on average) which is tremendous exposure. But did you know that Super Bowl advertising might not be as effective as you think it is?

A recent study preparing to publish in Managerial and Decision Economics this summer shows that researchers have found no quantifiable evidence to prove that advertising during the Super Bowl is any more effective than advertising during prime time or other "peak" times and locations. Those companies that have seen a boost in their sales are either new to the scene and still climbing the growth curve of their products' life cycle or pulling out all of the creative stops to make commercials that are almost as interesting as the game.

After all, who doesn't remember the Budweiser frogs?

There's a lesson to be learned here. Sometimes the fickle market can be misleading, and advertising attempts that seem like they should present you with a huge yield are actually remarkably ineffective. This is why it's so important to do your research before deciding where you're going to spend your advertising budget-especially if you're a small business counting your pennies and trying to lower your overhead. Sometimes deals that sound too good to be true really are, and the last thing you want to do is waste your precious resources when they could be put to better use somewhere else.

Find more marketing information and resources for your company by visiting http://www.1uptoyou.com/.

The Pros and Cons of Billboard Advertising

When you're stuck in a car traveling for miles down the highway there's nothing more interesting (besides insulting the other drivers) than spending your time checking out the highway billboard signs. Their widespread appeal and ability to attract the attention of weary travelers with nothing else to occupy their time makes billboard advertising an extremely popular way to get the word out about your business; however, before you go out and buy the first billboard space you see it's important to truly understand the pros and cons of outdoor advertising.

The advantages of billboard advertising are pretty obvious. You've got a fairly large pool of travelers that goes past your billboard every day, which means there's a good chance you'll increase your exposure dramatically. And because billboards are large (and technology has given us the ability to do so many cool things with them) you've got huge amounts of creative freedom with which to play to transform your billboard virtually any way you want to.

On the other hand, billboard advertising tends to be expensive-really expensive. The average cost of a highway billboard sign runs between $900 and $2500 a month depending on size and exposure, with off-highway billboards running anywhere from $200 on up. Because you can't really target your billboard advertising attempts the way you can most other marketing strategies you're going to be buying into the mass media mindset and hoping it works. This can make for a fairly dubious returns on your investment. Finally, if you're going to be spreading your billboard advertising attempts across a wide field you're going to find it very difficult to regulate your billboards. (The whys of that have always seemed rather dubious, but the statistics never lie.)

Creative billboard advertising has the capability to boost your profits dramatically, but it's important to do your research and ensure that you've done everything you can to make your billboard convey the message you want to send to appeal to your target market.

Find more marketing info and tools for your company at http://www.1uptoyou.com/.

Automatic Savings Plans

In my last post I talked about ways to stop spending money, saying that it wasn't enough simply to save. That doesn't mean that focusing on saving your money isn't important! If you've read through any of your recent Social Security reports you'll find that even the federal government is working hard to encourage people to save their money and put it away for retirement, and the easiest way to do that is through some form of automatic savings plan.

After all, you can't spend your money if it's not there!

You have many, many options when it comes to automatic savings plans. The simplest is to look into a retirement plan of some sort, like a 401K or an IRA, which has the added benefit of generating a return over time; however, that doesn't take care of your short term goals or protect you if your investments fall through. Automatic savings plans like those offered through ING Direct (for example) provide you with an invaluable way to save money for both your long and short term goals.

How does it work? It's simple. You arrange for the company to make an automatic withdrawal from your qualified bank account on a regular interval (usually payday) for whatever amount of money you feel you can live without and want to put into a savings account. This can be as little as $20 a week…it's all about cumulative effects!

Over time this balance builds up and you can consider moving your money from an ordinary savings account to long or short term CDs (certificates of deposit) that will generate a high interest return in exchange for leaving your money with a particular bank. While you're not going to find yourself sitting on a cool million by the end of the first year, an automatic savings plan takes away your responsibility to save your money and provides you with a simple, easy way to prepare for your future.
Find more information to help you weather the recession and prepare for your future at http://www.1uptoyou.com.

Easy Ways to Stop Spending Money

Have you noticed that even though you try to be careful with your money you still find yourself scrambling to pay the bills at the end of the month? It's amazing how money can flow like water from your pocket if you're not careful. Since today's economy virtually requires every man, woman and child to learn how to tighten their belts, it pays to learn how to stop spending money.

That's right. It's not enough just to learn how to save money (or even how to make money). Any fourth grader with a basic book on investments can do that. You need to learn how to plug the leak and stop money from flowing out of your house at the rate it has been if you're going to learn how to make the most of your financial resources. In other words, instead of learning how to save money you first have to stop spending it!

The first thing you need to do is sit down and make a list of things you HAVE to spend money on each month. Things like water, electricity, telephone and car insurance aren't optional. Once you've figured these things out you can start to figure out what you can STOP spending money on!

How much are you spending at the grocery store each week-and what are you buying? Many people don't realize that just shopping at the grocery store instead of going out to eat isn't a guarantee that they'll save money. In light of today's recent trends toward overpriced organics and the number of sweets and sodas on the market you might be surprised to find that you're spending way more money than you have to on food each week.

I'm not saying you have to forget the healthy stuff altogether-I'm just suggesting you look for some alternatives! Whole wheat breads and pastas are available through many generic retailers for a fraction of the price of their brand name competitors, and in many cases they're just as healthy. Steroid free meats can be purchased through retailers like Wal-Mart and Target for considerably less than most natural food stores, and do you really need all those cookies, sodas and frozen foods? Finding ways to save money at the grocery store isn't as hard as you might think!

You might be surprised at how easy it is to blow through $100-200 a month on little things like candy bars, knick knacks and Starbucks. Reasoning that it only costs you three to four dollars a day doesn't change the fact that that three to four dollars a day is going to total up to $120 or more at the end of the month! Try to carry healthy, non-perishable snacks in your purse, car and/or work desk, and pack your lunch as often as possible when you're out and about.

Finally, there's the shopping trips. How much of what you've bought in the last month did you really need versus what you bought because it was on sale? The first key to stop spending money is to stop buying things you don't really need and focus on the things you do. If you can master that you'll be amazed at how fast your savings account will grow.

Find out more about maximizing your financial resources during the recession by visiting www.1uptoyou.com.