Is customer service the weakest link of your business?
July 24, 2008
SPEAKING OF SERVICE - by Jeff Kasper || You’ve probably heard the phrase, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” and “The Devil’s in the details” or “Leave nothing to chance.” So many businesses plan for the major, expected interactions with customers. They plan for advertising, capacity, distribution systems, logistics and more. It’s important to plan. However, your success depends on the implementation. More importantly, it depends on everyone in your chain to be as strong as the others. Read more
Concord’s NextEnergy to be acquired by LoneStar Capital
July 23, 2008
NextEnergy of Concord is scheduled to be purchased by LoneStar Capital of Texas for $3.6 MM. NextEnergy has installed solar power systems throughout the state of California, its main focus is the Northern California territory. Residential installations account for 90% of NextEnergy’s revenues with small business installations accounting for the remainder. Mr. Randy Kauffman is currently the President and majority shareholder of NextEnergy.
Housing crisis hits East County tax rolls hardest
July 22, 2008
The East Bay Business Times last week reported that: “Contra Costa County and the cities of Antioch, Brentwood and Oakley will take what could be the region’s biggest tax hit from declining property…the three East Contra Costa County cities saw sharp declines in property assessments - down 8.84 percent in Antioch, 8.78 percent in Brentwood and 5.54 percent in Oakley. Contra Costa County saw just under a quarter of 1 percent jump in total property assessments, according to Assessor Gus Kramer.” Read more
Walnut Creek data breach makes Google rethink outsourcing data storage
July 16, 2008
Google last week said that thieves that broke into the offices of Colt Express Outsourcing Services of Walnut Creek, Calif., stole several PCs containing the personal information of Google employees, in addition to personal data of CNET Network, and other clients of Google. Google ended its relationship with Colt on Dec. 31, 2005, but data from employees hired before Jan. 1, 2006, was still with the company. It would not say why.” Go figure. The Walnut Creek break-in shows the critical nature of any outsourcing of storage of sensitive data.
Estate Planning for Resident Alien Spouses
July 10, 2008
Noncitizens who reside in the U.S. (sometimes referred to as “resident aliens”) have some—but not all—of the gift and estate tax exemptions available to U.S. citizens. The exclusion amounts available to U.S. citizens are the same for noncitizens making transfers, For example, noncitizens who live in the U.S. do have the full applicable credit amount against U.S. estate tax and generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax, which is currently $2 million per person. Noncitizens can also use the $1 million lifetime gift tax exemption and the annual gift tax exclusion (currently $12,000) during their lives. Beyond these exemptions, noncitizens are subject to the same gift and estate tax rates that are levied on U.S. citizens, up to a maximum rate of 45% in 2008 for the largest estates. However, when the noncitizen spouse is the recipient rather than the donor the rules change a bit. Read more
AP set to charge bloggers and e-mailers that quote its articles
July 9, 2008
Boing Boing weighs in on AP’s attempts to rewrite fair use policy by charging the public to cite their source when they quote AP stories. This affects innocent e-mailers like Richard Soderholm, as well as brazen bloggers.
Writing well is the key to sales success
June 30, 2008
Do you seduce your customers with words? Do you create such desire for your product or service that your customers did not have any choice but to buy? If you’re not getting these results from your written marketing materials - both printed and on-line - then you’re not getting the full value of your words. Read more
California hands free cell phone law takes effect, Jul 1
June 25, 2008
You better get ready as California’s hands-free cell phone law goes into effect July 1. The professionals at Elite Auto Network is ready to deliver and custom-install hands-free communication technology to put you in compliance with the new California cell phone law. I had them install a Parrot 3200 and it works like a charm. Call Tracy Porter today to schedule your appointment, 925-467-1000 or visit their site at eliteautonetwork.com.
According to the LA Times: “The threat of a $20 fine may not sway every California driver from using a hand-held cellphone when a state ban takes effect July 1, but a motorist who ignores the law and causes an accident could face huge civil judgments or even jail if fatalities result.
Click for some excerpts from the article: Read more
Add value to raise your bottom line
June 23, 2008
SPEAKING OF SERVICE - by Jeff Kasper
You’ve certainly heard companies talk about this concept called, “added value.” So what does it mean? And, if the big companies are doing it, why can’t you?
Added value is what gives a company the right (decided on by the customer) to charge more for a product or service than what it costs them to buy or deliver it. The automobile industry is a classic example of adding value and charging you for it. Read more
