Even though a lot of people seem to be using credit cards exclusively for incidental purchases these days, the truth is checks are still a preferred method of payment for a lot of people.

It doesn't make sense not to accept checks, since most people will expect to have that option, but there are certainly some things to worry about when you do accept checks. There's always the danger that someone has stolen the checks from their rightful owner or that they just don't have the money to pay for what they're writing the check for.

There will always be some risk involved in accepting checks, but these days technology makes your life a little easier with an invention known as a check reader.

A check reader is basically a scanner that the check is fed into. It reads the check and automatically debits the check writer's account at the time of purchase.

The money is deposited into your account within 24 hours -- you don't even have to drive to the bank and physically deposit the check.

Using a check reader means you'll know before the customer leaves the store if he or she has written a bad check. You'll also get your payment a lot more quickly than if you used the traditional method of accepting a check, depositing it into your account and waiting for it to clear.

A check reader can take a lot of the guesswork out of accepting checks and will make you feel more secure when accepting checks for high-dollar items. Posting a sign that you have a check reader will make customers aware of the system and prevent people from writing bad checks in the first place.

Check readers are commonly available from the same companies that provide payment processing for credit cards and merchant accounts. Some companies even provide this equipment for free to people who are interested in using it.

You'll no longer have to limit yourself to only accepting checks from the local area in case you have to try to track someone down who wrote a hot check. The reader will do all the work for you and tell you in a matter of seconds if the payment has gone through, regardless of where the customer's bank is located.

There's no reason not to get a check reader. You'll get paid faster and know immediately if someone is writing a bad check. At the end of the day, you'll know that the money you made today is going to be in you account tomorrow. What could be better?

Ensuring training makes the leap from education to performance and profits is essential in today’s marketplace. What can companies do when evaluating the myriad of options available?

Knowledge is power.  This is an old adage that has been around for a long time. However, now more than ever it is true.  As Eric Hoffers says, In times of change the learner shall inherit the earth, while the learned finds themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. With technology advances, and the market becoming more and more competitive it is critical that an organization has a workforce that is not only skilled, but is constantly improving those skills. No business can expect growth tomorrow while it rests on the successes of yesterday.  Management expects and even demands performance efficiency increases.  This can only come from a culture where learning is valued and encouraged.

The Challenge of Selecting Performance-Driven Training

You may have been given the task to create this environment and/or feed this environment of learning.  No training department can be the answer to everyone’s needs.  A 2002 report by The Conference Board found that 55% of companies outsource part of the training function. There are many instances when you should go outside the expertise of your organization and look for learning providers.  But one quick search on the internet is enough to send you running for cover!  It is staggering how many vendors there are that want to teach your staff the art of just about anything. From sales to forklift safety from OSHA compliance to training in tropical diseases.  You name it you can find someone who is willing and even eager to come to your organization and teach your staff about it.

Selecting an effective training program is a complex process that requires diligently matching an organization’s needs to its employees’ needs and aligning both of these to create desired outcomes usually improved performance and increased profits.

The process is complex because effective training utilizes a company’s style, voice, mission and many other customized elements that are not available in off-the-shelf training options. What enterprises truly want is to equip their work force with information that works in the moment and provides a real time benefit to a specific product or service.

Benefits of Outsourcing your Training

Why should you outsource your training when you probably have many qualified Subject Matter Experts (SME) in your organization?  Outsourcing parts of your training function can have many benefits for your organization.  The potential of saving your organization money in the long run is probably the biggest factor that motivates most businesses to outsource. Sure you can take your SME’s off their regular jobs to develop content for specific training your staff needs, but the cost of lost productivity plus the SME’s lack of knowledge of sound education principles usually spells disaster for the final learning product.  By outsourcing you save not only money in lost productivity, but you also cut back on expenditures of software, printing costs etc.  You place the burden of those fixed costs on the vendor and only pay a per use charge. Many times this will save an organization thousands of dollars.

You also gain the benefit of having your staff focus on what they know best - your business.  While some of the learning that takes place in your organization is very specific to your business, a large part of the training you need can be done by an outside vendor more efficiently and with greater expertise.  Your staff is freed up to focus their valuable time and attention on improving your products and services to the benefit of your customers and your bottom line. Just as you are focusing on your business, a good training vendor is focusing on their business learning. Many times an outside vendor will have cutting-edge technology or the latest development in a certain topic.  Take advantage of their research.

The goal of all business is that employees within the framework and extended facets of the business are all constant students. The hope of this belief is that all functional teams in a businesses ecosystem

are self-directed, self-motivated, and self-sufficient. This desire is the reasoning behind a majority of the training programs developed and offered in the soft-skill space.

In the early 90’s Gerald O. Grow offered a self-directional model that adapted itself from the arguments put forward by Blanchard’s situational self-leadership model. Grow’s contention was that in order for training to be effective we have to move away from instructor-led platforms to participant-driven classrooms. Such self-direction only comes when the student buys into the concept of constant learning.

Grow suggested that in order for learning to become self-directed and training to have a chance, organizations interested in optimizing their training efforts needed to know which stage the individuals were in.

The goal is that in order for professionals in today’s marketplace to stay competitive and effective, they have to move from being dependent on someone to coach them to becoming self-directed in a consultative atmosphere where adaptability and flexibility are the norm. It is also understood that successful training programs build each component into their activity arsenal so that regardless of where the participant is, the instructor can assume the role of a coach, motivator, facilitator or consultant.

Selecting the Right Program

So, how do organizations solve the challenge of selecting appropriate training that delivers measurable results and keeps the work force engaged and motivated?

The easy approach to selecting training would be to charge on board with the current fad or the trend that seems to be popular. In Good to Great, Jim Collins alluded to the fact that great organizations are ones that maintain a status quo of core beliefs over a period of time. Almost every organization that looks at adding new external components to solidify existing processes needs to be cognizant of the amount of change being introduced into the enterprise.

People are aware of the need to change and hope that every new idea in some ways complements and supplements that which is already in place. Changing direction is okay as long as people understand that the company is not changing the destination with every new input. That’s where frustration comes in. The following steps will assist in the selection of a training program:

1. Verification from all departments that are directly or indirectly involved on what is needed to strengthen the process.

2. Being       open to new inputs from everyone who touches the customer.

3. Input from personnel on what new skills they would like to have and what gaps need to be effectively addressed.

4. A measurement from the training provider that shows opportunity to gauge progress before, during and after implementation.

5. Additionally, if the training provider can quantify the approach and provide sophisticated dashboards for a snapshot view on where the improvements are taking place, this would make selection of the program easier.

6. Looking at training companies that can tailor the approach to include customization of the process to fit a specific industry.

7. Benchmarking       the effectiveness internally but also benchmarking the broader industry that an enterprise works

within to see what training the competition is using to gain the same market share.

If you are now thinking about how using an outside vendor can be beneficial to your organization, then you need to consider how you will sift through all the options available to you.  There are seven key questions you should ask any vendor before investing in their learning content and delivery.

Key Consideration: Measurable

Key Question #1: Is the training measurable?

This is, of course, the age-old question, how do I know I am getting an adequate return on my investment?  There are many evaluation equations circulating that help you calculate your return on investment.  Probably the most trusted model is Kirkpatrick’s four-level model of evaluation. In this model you evaluate training on reaction (how the trainee feels about the training); learning (determine the amount of learning that takes place); behavior (onthe-job behavior changes due to the learning); and results (did the learning meet the desired results.)  A reputable outside vendor should be able to show you how they (or you) will measure the effectiveness of the program on at least two of the levels mentioned above.

Training programs that showcase measurability and are built with reinforcement in mind have greater success because they are built on the framework of taking guesswork out of the equation. If the training group is surveyed prior to implementation on their skill set, and the program implemented takes into account the specifics

of such a survey, then the program can be tailored to focus on the areas needing most improvement. This gives the learner the luxury of knowing that the goal of the training is to address the gaps that are preventing them from having true success. In addition, when

reinforcement on learned skills comes every week in the form of difference-making information, the validation is complete.

By looking for and insisting on tracking mechanisms that allow you to prescribe solutions based on real data and diagnosis, you have a better shot at real improvement for the people you are training.

For the full sales training selection report contact Ziglar Australia.

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Alarm systems are meant to protect lives and belongings if they are positioned, used, and maintained properly.   Datum show that homes without a burglar alarm system (for example) are four times more likely to be targeted.  Alarm systems are also great for fires and other crises.  Alarm systems are installed strategically in consultation with home and building owners.   Another benefit of alarm systems is that insurance companies will render diminished rates for building and/or homeowners insurance if the proper burglar and/or fire alarm systems are installed.  And dont forget, Fire alarm systems are operational and on-duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

There are a throng of divergent applications for alarms.  The most frequent are of course the fire and trespass types, but other applications are being unfurled at a ardent pace.  Think of applications such as medical alarm systems (also called personal alarms, and medical alert devices).  These systems are conceived to activate the EMS service in the event that a sufferer becomes injured, sick or ill.

Alarm systems can be stand-alone (i.e. a acoustic device is set off in the case of an intrusion or fire event), or they may be monitored by an outer monitoring company.  Remote alarm systems are exploited to connect the control unit to a preset monitor of some sort, and they come in many different configurations.  Telecom lines are traditionally utilized to broadcast a sign when an alarm event (fire, break-in, etc.) occurs.  These systems are interfaced with an auto-dialer that will mechanically give notice to the fire or police departments in the event of burglary or fire.   Most monitored burglar alarm systems are equipped with hi-tech battery and/or mobile backup systems that kick in straight away should your power or phone connection fail.  This forestalls a would-be thief from cutting off the phone line to preclude the alarm system from notifying the monitoring service.

Some alarm systems are tied to video surveillance systems so that current video of an intrusion area can be instantly displayed on a remote monitor, not to mention recorded.  With new technology, alarm systems are not only available as hardwired devices, but also as wireless.  The introduction of wireless alarm technology means that new sensors can be added quickly and easily without the need to run wires back to a control panel.

One of the major downsides to alarm systems are false alarms.  When an alarm system is not properly installed, used or maintained, the number of calls for police and fire dispatches may increase.  In many municipalities the alarm owner may be fined or cited if the alarm system becomes a nuisance.  But this being said, in 1994 the International Association of Chiefs of Police passed a Board Resolution stating that professionally installed and monitored alarm systems are useful instruments to deter crime and provide peace of mind for residential and business owners.

So you’re after an usual venue, not the size of the Sydney Opera House, but something just as inspiring.

Of course London boasts it all for event organisers from magnificent Tall Ships and historic Sailing Barges on the Thames to Museums and royal palaces for extravagant receptions.

Meetings and conferences make a Ј10 billion-a-year contribution to the national economy and is an industry that supports 1.8 million jobs. But what’s on offer outside the Capital. Here are my top picks:

The Deep, Hull's Ј53 million Millennium Commission Lottery project is certainly a venue with a difference.  Providing the most spectacular aquarium displays to be found anywhere in Europe, the world’s only submarium is home to nearly 50 sharks and more then 3,500 fish, giving a spectacular backdrop for a variety of events. When you think about it, where else can you banquet with sharks.

A trip to an authentic Victorian fairground should certainly be on any events organiser’s list. Blists Hill Fun fair is part of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage site in Telford and this venue, complete with sideshows and rides can be hired independently. Alternatively, the entire Victorian Town can be booked for the evening, allowing guests to wander leisurely around the shops and cottages giving them an unforgettable taste of Victorian Shropshire.

Even its name suggests a sense of mystery and Sutton Hoo certainly doesn't disappoint.

Described as one of Britain’s most important archaeological sites, an Anglo-Saxon burial chamber and the remains of a 90 ft ship were discovered here at Woodbridge in

Suffolk in the Thirties, which lay untouched for more than one thousand three hundred years. A replica of the ship now forms a spectacular backdrop to a corporate event or drinks reception in the main Exhibition Hall at this National Trust property.

Set in the heart of the city of Manchester, the award winning Royal Exchange Theatre is one of the most exciting architectural achievements in the country, built within one of Manchester’s most prestigious historic buildings – the former Cotton Exchange, once the largest room in the world for commerce. Today it provides a WOW factor for conference delegates as the foyer integrates one of the more unusual Theatre spaces with seating on three levels and in-the-round facilities for up to 750 people.

Of all Henry VIII's wives, Anne Boleyn is arguably the most famous and her headless ghost is still said to wander the corridors of Blicking Hall. With its Dutch turrets, gables and intricate red brick and Ketton limestone, Blickling Hall is a superb conference venue, a National Trust Jacobean house in the rolling Norfolk countryside representing all that is great about the English stately home.

A former residence of queens and ambassadors for more than four centuries, the Hall’s dramatic faзade conceals an exclusive suite of rooms offering the perfect area for corporate hospitality and meetings.

Leicester’s National Space Centre offers an out of this world venue where you can welcome your guests with a reception at the top of a rocket tower but if you’re looking for something that’s a little more down to earth, the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield fits the bill in more ways than one …historic 19th Century colliery buildings, exhibitions that bring the story of coal to life and a unique underground tour make the Museum an exceptional location…while Rheged in Penrith, Cumbria, Europe's largest grass covered building boasts stunning architecture.

But wherever you choose, remember the golden rule… that the conference venue you select is appropriately sized for your requirements. A venue without that right amount of space will be uncomfortable, yet it is often the factor that is underestimated.