What Rushing Your Design Project Really Means

What Rushing Your Design Project Really Means
If you don't plan to allow enough time for your project to
be designed, printed and delivered, then you may still be
able to have your project completed in time, but the design
will have to be rushed.

This means that your designer will put aside other client's
work and work late nights, even weekends, to get your
project out - but at a price. And the price takes several
forms other than just financial.

The cost of rushing your project includes:

- Skipping important parts of the design process: With less
time there's often not enough time allowed for a designer
to spend much time at all on a creative approach or concept
for your project. There also may not be enough time for
your designer to present a lot of concepts to you or to go
through a lot of revisions. You'll also be rushed through
the approval cycle - which means it's more likely that you
might miss your deadline.

- Quality may suffer: With less time and more stress the
finished product often won't be of as high a quality as it
could be. In design this could mean poorly prepared files,
the details of the design aren't always attended to, or
that a website is coded poorly. None of this will greatly
harm the effectiveness of a finished piece, but it's always
nicer to have a beautiful, perfect finished piece than have
one that's almost all the way there.

- Financial costs: Just like any other profession a
designer will charge extra for the late nights and other
sacrifices that a rush project requires. It's an industry
standard to charge one and a half times the normal cost of
a project to rush it.

- Not being able to ask your audience: I highly recommend
that you run your desgns-in-progress past your best clients
and your target audience. Doing this sort of mini
focus-group will enable your clients to give you invaluable
feedback on your designs, your text, and their impact on
your potential clients. If your project is rushed, then
there's often no time to run the design options by your
clients to get their input - and you'll lose out on a
valuable resource.

Lack of planning can cost you a lot extra. So I suggest
allowing plenty of time to design well thought-out
materials, at a leisurely pace. This will cost you less and
will often produce a more effective design.

----------------------------------------------------
Erin Ferree is a brand identity and marketing design
strategist who creates big visibility for small businesses.
Through her customized marketing and brand identity
packages, Erin helps her clients discover their brand
differentiators, then designs logos, business cards, and
other marketing materials and websites to reflect that
differentiation, as well as to increase credibility and
memorability.

http://www.elf-design.com

How To Become A Marketing Expert

How To Become A Marketing Expert
If you ask a hundred different people what marketing is
they are going to give you a hundred different answers. A
lot of the people that write books on marketing and
business, really just complicate what marketing is.

For example, a lot of college business professors will
write books on marketing. These people have never been in
business for themselves and yet they will write these huge
books that are filled with all kinds of complicated
garbage. When you try to make heads and tails out of what
they are preaching and you are nothing but confused. And
the confusion will spawn even more confusion.

You will also find a lot of the books on business and
marketing written by Fortune 500 and Fortune 1,000
executives. These people only have business experience
running these huge conglomerates, these multi-billion
dollar corporations. They've never started a small business
on their own. They don't understand anything about what it
takes to turn a small amount of money into a huge amount of
money. The only thing they understand about business and
marketing are running these huge, huge operations that were
already successful when they took over. These same
"executives" later retire and become consultants. Their
game becomes writing and selling books on business,
advertising and marketing.

So the question is: who should teach the guy who is
thinking about starting a small home-based business or the
small business entrepreneur how to market their business or
products?

The Answer: Find the guy who has successfully done what you
want to do and copy him or her. Learn everything about them
and their marketing. Find somebody who you can easily
contact for consultation. In my experience, this is the
only way to succeed. Forget about books! Get in touch with
the guy who has started with the smallest amount of money
and then turned it into the largest amount of money in the
fastest period of time - in the easiest manner. Remember
this when you go to the library or the bookstore and you
look at these different books. Realize that most of these
people who wrote them have never started a small business.
These people have never turned a small amount of money into
a huge fortune.

The only people who can help you are the ones who are
dedicated and patient about wanting to do everything
possible to teach you how to turn a little bit of money
into a lot of money. When you become a marketing expert YOU
can do it too! These people will tell you that Marketing is
simply everything that you do to attract and retain
customers. That's it! These are the people who are in the
business of doing just that. Attracting new customers and
then doing more and more business with the customers that
they have right now. That is all marketing is about.
Marketing permeates every part of your business. Every time
a phone is picked up, every contact that you have with the
customers, it's marketing in action! It's all about
marketing and there are things that are required to
becoming a marketing expert, but you can do it.

Therefore, find the people who can show you how to become
an expert marketer. The benefit is... if you'll become a
marketing expert this will make you set for life
financially. I promise you'll never ever have to worry
about having enough money for the rest of your life if
you'll just dedicate and commit yourself to becoming an
expert in marketing.

Marketing includes all of the things that you do to attract
new customers and all of the things that you do to keep
those customers happy and keep them coming back for more.
THIS IS IMPORTANT! There is only "3 ways" to build or grow
a business. I don't care what business you are in! From the
smallest businesses to the largest business, there are the
only 3 ways to build and grow it.

----------------------------------------------------
The author has been marketing on the Internet for 12 years.
You can learn more about "The Top 20 Most Powerful Secrets
to Getting Rich" and how you can use these secrets to make
all the money you want, need and truly deserve by listening
on the Internet and/or downloading your copy of the FREE
$495 Audio and Report at:
http://www.hypertracker.com/go/JohnMuritu/SubmitYourArticle/

Shine by Dressing for Success

Shine by Dressing for Success
Dress for Success. Is that irrelevant in today's business
world? How much importance do we place on "dressing up"'
for work? Well I think in some instances - not enough.

What message does your image send? Do you feel confident in
the way you present visually through what you wear? It
seems that there is still a lot of confusion in the work
place about how we should dress. I read a posting recently
on small business website Flying Solo which detailed one
guy's dilemma about what to wear to a client interview and
possible photo shoot. To wear a tie or not to? Well the
reaction from the comments posted were varied, from "I wear
a funny bowtie to break the ice"' to "my best suit"' to
"who cares?"'

How well do you understand the image you put across? Image
is created by a lot of different ingredients acting
together. Physical appearance, dress, voice, manner, the
views you express or the fact you don't express any and the
way you react to the people around you. These impressions
are made instantly. Images are so powerful because however
little you may like it they do say something true about
your personality. It's no accident that you dress, talk and
behave the way you do.

So what is your visual appearance like? Do you grab the
first thing you see in the morning or put some thought into
what is the most appropriate outfit for that day? Having an
extensive wardrobe of all the latest fashions isn't really
necessary. Establishing your own image and a strong sense
of individual personality and style is the key. You may
only need a few quality, signature pieces that reflect your
individual style and that you can mix and match. You don't
have to look different every day, you just need to look
good and look professional.

Let's look at the scenario of work from home.

Get up and get dressed! Ditch the pj's and trackie daks.
Put on something smart and comfortable. I've often read
that it helps to have a separate work place in your home, a
dedicated office phone line. Well it's the same with your
personal brand. To be making calls, sending emails and
acting in a professional way to run your business, means
dressing in a professional way too. Now I don't mean you
need a shirt and tie or a corporate outfit but choose
clothes that make you feel like you're working. You must
look smart not only in the eyes of the people you're around
but your own as well.

Going out to meet a client? Dress appropriately for the
occasion. Do your research. You wouldn't go to a client
meeting without knowing something about the company. Find
out how the boss dresses, that's a start, or the code of
dress in that organisation and take it up a notch. After
all you're there to win the client's business and that
won't happen if you dress inappropriately or look like a
slob.

Think about what they're looking for. If you're in finance,
law or other professional services they want you to look
like a credible, successful business person. You might be
in IT or a creative service. Your potential client wouldn't
expect to see you in a 3 piece suit. However does that mean
you need to wear jeans and scruffy sneakers? Think about
it, plan it out. You are part of the package that you're
presenting to the client. People shouldn't judge us by our
outward appearances, but of course they do.

I know a number of professional speakers, it's the industry
I'm in. Let me share an example of two men, both $10,000
speakers. One works mostly with creatives yet has invested
time and money into developing his image, finding the right
cut to suit his body shape, wearing flattering colours, and
choosing smart casual outfits. He looks like a $10,000
speaker. Another with a great reputation for the work he
does with leading entrepreneurs still chooses to wear the
tried (or maybe tired) and trusted jeans and black jacket.
Mmmmm.

This scenario should be considered also by those that work
in a slightly more casual workplace environment or have to
endure casual work days. Jeans just don't cut it. They are
what you wear when you are out and about at weekends or
going out with friends at night.

Your appearance does label you; therefore it is crucial to
get the right label! If your appearance shows that you
care, people will recognise this. If you look like a slob,
they begin to question your professionalism. It's not
trivial to concentrate on your outward appearance. When you
carefully select your wardrobe and create your look and
personal style, you propel yourself forward by having a
unique self brand.

Let's take a look at the corporate workplace.

Each workplace usually sets its own standards. However in
the corporate environment there is an underlying code of
dressing which is smart and professional. Suits have been
the most acceptable form of dress in most industries with a
trend today toward more casual wear particularly in IT and
advertising and similar industries. Men have it easier than
women in the matter of image. They at least have an example
to follow. If everyone in the office wears suits there's no
question they will do the same.

I think if you have one good working outfit for every day
of the week that is all you really need. The idea is to mix
and match and choose good, quality pieces. You can update
with shirts, ties and accessories. What your clients or
bosses want is someone who looks speaks and acts like they
think someone in that position should speak or act. I think
a woman or man who dresses smartly, elegantly and looks
neat has a clear image of his or herself and what they are
presenting to the outside world.

What do you think?

----------------------------------------------------
Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications
Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace - your
inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business
educator and speaker on personal branding through image and
media. Sign up for free monthly tips on personal and
professional PR at
http://www.shinecomms.com.au/contactmanager/default.cfm
and learn more about how you can achieve recognition,
enhance your image and shine.

Volunteer Your Way to Medical Transcription Job Opportunities

Volunteer Your Way to Medical Transcription Job Opportunities
As soon as you are ready to find medical transcription job
opportunities, volunteer your time, effort and resources to
establish your professionalism. Seek out and join a local
chapter of the American Association of Medical
Transcriptionists (AAMT) in your area, and ask how you may
be of help to your local chapter. Volunteers are always
needed and will be welcomed with open arms. This is a
terrific way to brand yourself as a person who is serious
about the medical transcription career. Veteran medical
transcriptionists will take notice of you, and that will
open the doors to medical transcription job opportunities
in the future.

When seeking medical transcription job opportunities,
market yourself to local medical transcription agencies.
Set up an appointment or interview, if possible. Expand
your network by talking to everyone you can in the medical
transcription field and let them know that you are willing
to do whatever it takes, including volunteer work, to get
your foot in the door. Do not forget to thank those who
have helped you along the way.

Medical transcription job opportunities are everywhere; use
some unique strategies to find them. Look for a local
situation that may be of benefit to you. For example, in
the 1990s, the County of Orange in California declared
bankruptcy. I contacted the Sheriff-Coroner's Office only
to discover that all but one full-time medical
transcriptionist had been laid off and there was a nine
month backlog of autopsy reports. Nine months! After
interviewing there and receiving a great reception, I
worked there every Saturday for almost a year and received
a wonderful education in Pathology terminology. This was
the best experience I ever had. Plus, the sole medical
transcriptionist was nearing retirement which put me in a
great position if I were offered the job.

In your search for medical transcription job opportunities,
ask your instructors if they need some help with
transcribing classroom assignments. When I was an MT
student, I remember how bad the assignment copies were.
After I completed the medical transcription course, I word
processed the assignments, corrected the mistakes that had
been in them, and then took them to a print shop for
reprinting and binding. Then I sent these to my medical
transcription instructor. It was a way to thank her for
all she had done for me. I also helped my medical
terminology instructor, who was writing a book. I word
processed the medical reports for her medical terminology
book. I was working full time as a medical transcription
and word processor, but I made the time to pay back these
wonderful professionals who gave me a great education.

Volunteering is a networking strategy used to find
unadvertised medical transcription job opportunities. Not
many people employ this technique. Although you may not
get immediate results from your efforts, people will see
you as a serious medical transcriptionist and admire your
professional tenacity in your job search. The word will
get out that you are looking for a MT job, and soon you
will find what you are looking for: medical transcription
job opportunities.

----------------------------------------------------
Mary Ruff-King is a veteran MT who helps new MTs with tips
on how to find
medical transcription job opportunities. Other tips on how
to find medical transcription jobs are provided at
http://www.MTMasteryCenter.com .