Team Building Motorcycle Trips: How to Plan Ahead

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There are multiple team building exercises that a small business staff can utilize to become a tighter unit, but going on a motorcycle trip is one of the most effective. After all, most people love going on an adventure, and the positive feelings that they develop while they are riding a bike will become associated with all of their co-workers. Additionally, this is a great way to get everyone out of the office so that they can get away from the stress and begin looking at each other as unique individuals.

What is the Best Way to Plan the Trip?

It is easy to plan a group outing by utilizing one of the many online motorcycle trip planners. These comprehensive websites enable you to select the state of your choice so that you can see all of the best options in your targeted area. For example, if you want to take a motorcycle trip in Florida, you will find 33 different routes throughout the state. However, before you begin looking through routes, you should determine how long you want the trip to be. Florida’s routes range from just a couple of miles to loops that will take several days, so it should be easy to find exactly what you are looking for.

How can We Keep Everyone Safe?

Business owners often worry about liability issues, and this might make the idea of going on a motorcycle trip seem intimidating. Instead of letting this get in the way, you should simply take steps to protect the company and each employee. The first step would be to get everyone to sign an agreement that they cannot sue the company if something happens to them during the trip. You can discuss your state’s local laws with a motorcycle accident attorney West Palm Beach to Fort Walton Beach based to ensure that everyone remains compliant. Aside from that, you should make it mandatory for everyone to wear a helmet.

What Should We do if an Accident Happens?

If one or more of the motorcycle riders are involved in an accident, it is important for the entire group to pull over in a safe location. However, if you are on the freeway, it is not a good idea for everyone to stop on the side of the road. Therefore, you should agree in advance that everyone will get off at the next exit and pull into a parking lot until the situation has been resolved. Meanwhile, the supervisor of the group should contact the police immediately, and it is important to write notes about the accident in case someone ends up in court.

Should We Call an Attorney?

If anyone is injured as a result of the accident, it is definitely a good idea to contact a motorcycle injury attorney. This is especially important if the responsible party is not a member of your group. After all, it can be very expensive to pay for the necessary medical assistance, and the injured person’s insurance may not cover everything.

Going on a motorcycle trip with your small business team is a good way to encourage teamwork because it will give everyone a chance to get to know each other outside of the office. As long as you take the proper precautions to keep everyone safe, your group should return from the outing refreshed and with a stronger bond.

As an event planner for a small non-profit business, Ann Bailey offers these tips for a unique road trip and business team building experience. Keeping riders safe, and defending their rights if injured, the Steinger, Iscoe & Green motorcycle accident attorney West Palm Beach based group represents all manner of injury claims for motorcycle enthusiasts in Florida.

Small Business: Shopping Online for Big Savings

As a small business owner, you need to conserve your financial resources as much as possible. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to utilize the Internet to save money on essential supplies and services. In fact, the vast majority of items that an office company uses will be available for a discount online, and most other industries can also find better prices by simply conducting a quick Internet search.

Saving-Money
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Buying in Bulk

Although you can definitely get discounts on every day office supplies by buying them in bulk quantities at a brick and mortar store, you will most likely be able to save even more from an Internet-based retailer. For example, Amazon sells several common items that small businesses need in bulk, and they also offer a subscription service that will enable you to save even more on the supplies that you use on a regular basis. When you factor in the free shipping and the fact that you will avoid spending money for gasoline, it becomes easy to see how much money you can save by buying items in bulk off of the Internet.

Buying in Smaller Quantities

If you are looking for individual items, it is still usually a better idea to shop online. There are several price comparison websites that have been created with the purpose of enabling consumers to quickly find the absolute best price on any given item. Additionally, some of these sites even include local store prices to help you determine if it makes more sense to buy a specific item locally. You can also download an app for your iPhone that will help you compare prices online for items that you are looking at in a store.

Saving with Comparison Sites

Every company needs to have business insurance and you will also need automobile insurance if you have a company vehicle. Although you could simply get a quote from the insurance provider that you use for personal purposes, you will most likely end up spending more money. Instead, you should use sites like www.monkey.co.uk to help you gather several quotes from various national and local insurance companies. Once you have all of the quotes, you will be able to compare the pricing and available options to easily determine which policies make the most sense for your company.

Shipping Costs and Transit Times

If you absolutely need an item today, you will need to go to a local store to pick it up. Unfortunately, that purchase is probably going to cost a lot more than it would have online. Therefore, whenever you have time to wait, you should always shop online. Most companies offer free shipping over a specific dollar amount, and expedited shipping options are usually available. Even if you end up paying for shipping, you will still save money in most cases.

Shopping online for the majority of your company’s supplies and essential services is one of the best ways to keep your budget in line. If you are not using online comparison sites, you are wasting money on a daily basis.

About the Author: Researcher Shelby Warden provides this information for small business owners who need to watch their bottom line. Small business owners who go to www.monkey.co.uk to compare insurance plans and costs not only get the best online prices, but can even choose a charity to receive a £10 donation when they purchase a policy.

 

Is Outsourcing Fulfilment Services The Right Choice For Your Business?

Is Outsourcing Fulfilment Services The Right Choice For Your Business?

License: Image author owned
License: Image author owned

Fulfilment Services

Order fulfilment and distribution is the life blood of any business. If orders are not filled quickly and effectively, and distributed fast and without incident, then you can wave goodbye to your customers.  For a number of reasons, many companies find themselves unable to carry out their promotional services in their entirety. Many large businesses, especially multinational enterprises, choose to outsource promotional logistics to help out in promotion of their various products and services.

While outsourcing fulfilment to a dedicated logistics firm obviously incurs some significant initial outlay, it is a cost that a large company can well afford, when the cost of undertaking the promotional service themselves is taken into account. Relieved of the problem of promotional logistics and fulfilment, the sales team is freed up to focus on more important factors such as keeping the sales end of things running smoothly and effectively. It is primarily for this reason that so many larger companies and business entities choose to look for promotional logistics service providers.

What To Look For When Identifying A Fulfilment Service Provider

As the internet age draws on, we find ourselves more and more overwhelmed with information. Every decision is made both easier and harder by the sheer number of options we are presented with when researching a service provider online. It is essential however to devote a bit of time to establishing your fulfilment needs and researching the fulfilment services offered by various companies, identifying the ones which best suit the specific a, individual needs of your company. It may seem arduous to trawl through a lot of providers websites, but getting the choice of service provider right is as crucial to the success of the business as doing the promotion itself.

It is not only the costs attached to undertaking promotional activity yourself that your business is set to save when outsourcing fulfilment services; your company will also be able to redirect the man power and other resources that you would have used on promotional activities to other enterprises. The benefits attached to this decision must be equal or greater to the cost of having to outsource.

Adding value

Promotional activities are often an additional cost to the company and they can only be valued by the contribution they make towards increasing the sales volume and popularity of the products or services. The only way to ensure that the value of the promotion services is felt by the company is by ensuring the service provider delivers quality services that are both timely and very professional. Whether collecting various promotion requirements, delivering customs clearance services, or drop shipping promotional merchandise, the service provider must provide these services with ultimate professionalism.

The challenge then is for the service provider to offer a reliable service of the highest quality, so that your business will retain its customers in a competitive industry. If the service provider fails to consistently exceed expectations then you can quickly begin to seek better service providers or build your own promotional teams from your sales divisions. This puts you as a business owner considering outsourcing fulfilment services in a really strong position, as potential service providers are constantly striving to offer the best service they can in a competitive market. Likewise, of course, fulfilment service providers are assured of customers who will always need promotional services in order to stay relevant in very competitive markets and to retain their market share.

About the Author:Kate Parker is a blogger and SEO writer who has written extensively on order fulfilment. she has written this article on behalf of Vision Logistics.

5 Ways Employers Can Reduce Workers Comp Claims

It is not easy being an employer in today’s economic climate. One of the things compounding the difficulty is the excess of worker’s comp claims. Yet, having too many worker’s comp claims need not derail the company. The following are five ways that employers may reduce worker’s comp claims:

License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source

Employee Hotline

Many times, employees have previously noticed an unsafe situation at work, but have said nothing about it. With a confidential employee hotline in place, the employees will feel comfortable to state an unsafe condition that they have picked up on. This situation can then be quickly and quietly corrected before any accident or claim takes place.

Managerial Presence

When an accident occurs, it is often the case that the employee was engaging in some risk-taking action. If there is a strong managerial presence on the floor, this kind of dangerous activity is less likely to occur. This is due to the natural process of people not wanting to appear off-task in front of their boss.

Frequent Inspections

In any workplace where a high volume of worker’s comp claims have been filed, it is wise to greatly increase the amount of inspections. There should be frequent physical inspections of the premises, complete with checklists and times and dates. The inspector should also have an area on the form where they can write in notes and observations.

Reporting System

It may be fun and productive to have a monthly drawing and provide gift certificates or other incentives to employees. A reporting system can be established for any employee who has reported potential safety situations or innovative solutions. That employee may be entered in the drawing to get the gift certificate. It is far more cost-effective for an employer to provide an incentive for prevention of an accident than to fulfill a worker’s comp claim.

Mandatory Safety Attire

Depending upon the type of work establishment, it may be appropriate to have mandatory uniforms or safety attire. This may include non-skid shoes for slick surfaces, eyewear or other protective gear, as indicated by the industry. Naturally, each industry has individual safety standards. Protective garments, gear and shoe wear can prevent a variety of accidents.

There is hope in today’s economic climate for employers. Worker’s comp claims may be greatly reduced. For one thing, frequent inspections of the physical premises will help. Also, a strong managerial presence on the workroom floor may help to prevent accidents and claims. Finally, a clear reporting system, employee hotline and mandatory safety attire will all serve to decrease the volume of worker’s comp claims. The workplace will become a much safer place to be.

About the Author: The preceding article was contributed by Brian S. from Orlando, FL. If you have been injured because of a workplace safety issue, he recommends WorkFlow Orlando, a highly qualified workers’ compensation clinic who specializes in drug testing Orlando services.

Making The Perfect Sales Pitch: Turn A Potential Client Into A Paying Customer

It makes no odds what type of business you work in; profits are typically associated with both sales and new customers.  Perhaps, you are part of a sales team, but your overall performance could do with a little boost.  One of the best ways to turn potential clients into real, paying customers is to concentrate on your actual sales pitch and the ways in which you can improve it.

License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source

This can generally be achieved through additional training and further practice, although the best sales pitches will always be well-organised and of interest to your customer.  Your prospective client should also feel like an individual and therefore they should believe that you are actually engaging in conversation with them, as opposed to simply reading from a script.  Possibly the most important aspect of any sales pitch is to focus on the benefits that apply to the customer sitting in front of you.

Linking Benefits to Your Client’s Needs

Your first step should always be to link the benefits that your company offers with the specific client’s needs.  Take some time to think about the problems your client may face and how your business can provide solutions to these problems.  You can either list these benefits to the client or prepare a short statement that will tell them specifically the benefits they will receive.  An example of this could be that your client may be worried about the initial cost of a product or service you provide.  Therefore, the benefits could be explained by showing the potential costs the client would incur if they didn’t use your business’s product or service.

Always be Prepared

Preparation is crucial in sales.  It’s a good idea to have a specific set of responses tailored to different types of clients.  Imagine if your business sells a wide variety of services or products, you could prepare a list of the different benefits for every type of client you are likely to encounter.  This will allow you to have tailored responses to every client’s needs.  The main benefit to you of this type of preparation is that you will definitely come across as knowledgeable and professional; something which most people will be impressed by.

Use Active Questioning and Listening Skills

Another critical part of any sales pitch is asking your prospective client questions and, of course, carefully listening to their answers.  This will help you to identify how this person can actually benefit from the services or products you have to offer.  In fact, use this as an opportunity to explain how your business can solve a particular problem they face and indeed the advantages you hold over their current providers.  Prospective customers are far more likely to do business with your company if they feel you understand the problems they face.  They are also more inclined to do business with someone who appears genuinely interested in what they have to say, rather than a company who is solely interested in talking about what they have to offer.

Focus on What is Important to Your Client

You should always focus solely on the benefits of your products or services that apply specifically to the client in front of you.  There is absolutely no point in speaking about the benefits that don’t relate to your customer, as they are likely to lose interest.  A prime example of this may be that although you offer the lowest price in the marketplace your potential client is disappointed with the level of customer service they currently receive.  This is an ideal opportunity for you to focus on the customer service benefits your company can offer them.

About the Author: Pipa Rose is a writer who understands the importance of good communication when speaking to potential clients. She strongly believes that all business employees should undertake in regular communication skills training, as this will have a positive impact on overall profitability.