Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Business Hotels – The Best Place for Your Conferences

Business hotels can serve as the perfect venue for business conferences, corporate events and business retreats. More and more companies are choosing to book conference venues in business hotels to host their functions, seminars, product launch events, work shops and meetings. Whether you want to have a board meeting or a shareholders meeting, business hotels can be just the place you want to hold it at.

Business hotels are a very effective way of impressing people and creating the desired effect on them. They are ideal place to conduct meetings when it is serious business at stake. For instance, if you have to give an important presentation to clients or clinch a deal, you can choose a posh business hotel to make your mark.

These business hotels are quite modern and updated conference venues. You will find all the technological assistance that you require in your meeting like OHP, LCD projector, VoIP communication facilities, DVD & VCR players, microphones and all the latest gadgets that are useful in successful presentation. These business conference venues enables you to have a well presented, effective and highly professional meet.

However at the same time, these conference venues are also well within your budget. You do not have to burn a hole through your pocket for hiring such professional venues for your conferences. You can get attractive business conference locations that you can very well afford.

But for that either you need to have thorough knowledge of all the business hotels in UK or you can depend upon professional venue finders. UK has quite a few good business conference venue and business hotel finders who can give you thorough and updated knowledge about the various conference venues available in UK as well as in major countries.

All you need to do is prepare your presentation and minutes of the meeting in a style that would be just as professional and smart as your business venue would be. If this presentation or meeting holds much importance in your professional life, then let nothing come in between you and success.

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Saturday, May 26, 2007

Do Banks Love Wholesale Business For Mortgage Loans?

Is wholesale business and wholesale dropshipping good for mortgage property loans? A simple maybe and another maybe not, for your case. For those looking for a mortgage loan with total security from Internet marketing income and from a diverse capital from e-commerce investments- you may want to know some safety facts the banks might have in your country, for their own well-being.

We all know that banks are in business to win and not the other way around. Even a nut may very likely know that right? To my surprise, it is much of the same as asking for small business AMEX card in your company name. Banks want a total unanimous 2 year security gap from continued gross income.

You can live well by renting, but you may not purchase ever a house from gross income coming from the net. No matter if you have been with more than 12 months with a continued steady gross income, it will not matter. Two years or, they make look at your wife income and your wife credit score to firstly, qualify the already qualified by the numbers!

And I repeat again, you may have nearly 2 years and steady income from your online endeavors, if you for some unacceptable reason draw yourself back from a hectic schedule or a most likely 10 hours minimum a day schedule workable months- your mortgage banker may categorize your loan as income that is not totally stable.

Of course, depending on the bank, they will work with you to take averages per month and all that voodoo quest out of your reach for ease of mind, but will that favor you in monthly payments when you hand-picked that beach house of your potential dreams, especially if you are in Puerto Rico?

Having a glimpse of having Lending Tree sure won't work here in the "Isla Bonita". What will be up there in Orlando if you have continued e-commerce tangible and consultation businesses continued steady income up there in Orlando, Florida?

If you are planning to retire here at Puerto Rico and getting a mortgage loan for a first owned property or a first investment property, always make sure to speak with the right bank and the right officer in such mortgage department. You will be surprise at the options you have and you might not be.

If you are getting united in the long run with someone who is goal-oriented and with a current high paying job, you might be lucky and increase your chances before your bell rings for you and your couple. It has been said for decades that who we marry helps us shape ourselves and as a couple to be bound together, achieve wonders.

While I am far from being Mr. $90,000,000 self-help guy, far from being Anthony Robbins or anything close to it- you should know two facts. Banks categorize businesses as a huge risk, wholesale business, wholesale dropshipping e-commerce portals, you name it.

Banks will be totally happy to consider your business when you have continued steady income from 2 years and above when it comes to e-commerce or if you work for someone else offline. If you work offline, great, additional props for you and your goals- if your spouse and you want to own a mortgage solely from gross income online, prepare to wait a bit patiently- your time should come!

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Thursday, May 24, 2007

The First Principle of Sales

'Nobody can buy your product or service if they don't know you exist'

That's pretty obvious isn't it? There is a bit more depth to the corollary; 'The more people who know of your company the more business you will get'

The principle is easy to see with websites. Suppose you have an attractive offer, the product is in demand and the price is right, but no traffic. You won't sell a thing.

But, to go to the opposite extreme, if you can make most of the population aware of who you are, what you do and how to contact you, you'll get a massive amount of business.

Pizza Hut advertises, before and during The Simpsons - peak time TV, with an audience of millions. That is exploiting this principle to the maximum.

Now let's consider how this relates to the typical entrepreneur, inventor or small business owner.
If that's you, how many of your potential customers know that you are ready, willing and able to help them?

I've put this question to hundreds of delegates at my 'Selling for Engineers' seminar. It can take a fair bit of consciousness-raising before the true scale of the opportunities becomes apparent.

For a bit of fun, I introduce the concept across like this:

'Here's a number, 6,700,000,000. That's how many people there are on planet earth'. Then I ask, 'How many of those people have heard of Coca Cola - or Microsoft, Nike, Honda?

And then I enquire, 'How many of them have heard of your business?'

This generally gets a laugh and someone is bound to hold up their hand making the zero gesture. For most of the other participants their customers number only a handful.

Since you can't sell to people who don't know you exist, task one for increasing sales is to let your market know what you do and how to contact you.

At this point I sometimes get the comment, 'Our customers know where we are if they need something'.

But things never stay the same, new organisations are born, old ones become dissatisfied with their existing suppliers, personnel change. The market place isn't static there are always new opportunities.

Besides, we exist in a global village these days. Nowhere on the planet is more than 24 hours away by plane. With phone and email it's only seconds.

So we can proceed in two ways; first look hard to find more prospects in your local area. Second, consider where else in the world you can service. You may not need any local office, agent or staff; for many organisations the internet makes them redundant.

Make a start like this; where are your main customers? In that geographic location, how many other organisations are there which could potentially use your products or service?

There are many sources of information. In the past, you'd take a huge directory and pore over it to extract prospects. Now you can do all that on-line with little effort and usually free of charge.

Simply use your favourite search engine and enter the name of a location and a relevant product or service. Example,
This is what Google gave me today: Results 1 - 100 of about 656,000 for Electric motors Yorkshire.

Or look for a directory of your product and the area . If you find one, compared with the first method, you will save time going through the listings.

Either way, you'll have plenty to get started with. Then you can consider if there are other districts / cities / regions / countries where there are users of what you supply.

If you are serious about wanting more business. Here is a very simple method which always, repeat, ALWAYS works.

Every day, contact a few new prospects, briefly introduce yourself and tell them what your business does and send them some information.

Suppose you called 5 new people a day, which could be done in half an hour, and you kept this up for a month. 5 X 20 days equals 100 new contacts. If there is even a little demand for what you do, a percentage of the people you reach will be interested. Let's assume it's only 5%. Now you have got 5 extra customers after a month.

Apply some self-discipline, keep the program going, and after a second month you have 10 customers you wouldn't have had before. Pretty soon you are going to need some help to deal with all the jobs that are coming in and your turnover will be climbing.

And on the subject of money, what has this process cost? Apart from phone calls and perhaps the printing of flyers, there has probably been no other expense. You haven't paid for advertisements or a marketing consultant.

Sounds good doesn't it, a lot more customers at little or no cost? Then why don't more business people follow this simple plan?

There is a collection of answers - 'don't have the time', 'you can't do that in our industry', 'it's unprofessional', 'it wouldn't work', 'people hate unsolicited calls'. But in reality, what these protests amount to more than anything is fear of the unfamiliar.

Anybody who has done sales the hard way, door-knocking around houses, industrial estates or cold-calling on the phone for a really tough sale, such as advertising space, insurance or real-estate listings knows that even if it's not always fun, it works. And that is with difficult products.

But if you offer something that is not widely promoted, you'll be surprised at how interested and welcoming prospects are.

They don't say 'go away and stop bothering me', typically they want to know more, and ask for information to be sent or for someone to call and see them.

You don't need to talk anyone into anything, just let them know you exist.

That's all it takes.

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Monday, May 21, 2007

Your Construction Estimating Expertise Can Save You Cash

Construction estimating is a multi million dollar business. When a contractor is building a home or structure, there are huge amounts of cash involved that are transferred to the contractor in increments. It is critical the job flow that the estimate is done correctly to avoid any delays.
It is estimated that forty percent of a construction job is used for labor and laborer are paid an hourly rate. If there are any delays because of cash flow problems, the laborers still get paid the hourly rate for just sitting around doing nothing. This will add to the final cost of the project and the project will not be finished on schedule.

Construction Cost Estimating – How to do a Professional Job

There are a lot of factors involved in drawing up an estimate. Attention to detail and experience is needed to draw up an accurate estimate.

An experienced estimator knows that there are two parts to creating an estimate. The first part is deciding on what type of structure is being planned. Whether it is a home or business, or an addition to a home, or even a swimming pool, all parties' involved need to sit down and form a plan. This gives the estimator a rough idea of what will be needed including any land that will be purchased for the construction. Once all of this is decided on, the next step of the estimate will be to hire a construction engineer who will examine the information that you give him, including plans for the structure, and he will then draw up an estimate for the total cost of the structure only.

The second phase of the estimate will be to take into consideration the cost of the rest of the project. An experienced estimator knows the market value of equipment and materials that will be needed for the construction project. He will know how many laborers to hire, and how long the project should take to finish. He or she will take the entire project into consideration, starting with the cost of the construction engineer and all of the rest of the project. A construction estimator has the knowledge and experience to give an accurate estimate.

A construction estimate is designed to give you an idea of what the total cost of a project will be.
One a person has an idea of what a building project will be, they will be able to get the financing that they need to complete the project. It is critical that you have all of your financing in place before the project starts. Any delays in payment will result in delays in building project and will ultimately cost more money. you will need a constant cash flow to keep the project on schedule.

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Saturday, May 19, 2007

Make Money With Just A Van - The Easiest Way To Make Money?

When it comes to utilizing your vehicle to make a profit, the possession of a van may go a long way. While many companies and other services offer the use of rented vehicles, many do not offer assistance. For jobs that require an extra helping hand, establishing a "man with a van" service is just one of the ways you can make a profitable use of the van you own. Customers may opt to select your services because you can help them with aspects of a move or item transportation that they are unable to handle on their own.

The price to rent a truck from a major company can sometimes cost an arm and a leg. Even the use of a van from a local business for only a few hours may seem a bit pricey. When you are able to deliver a better deal to individuals in need of this type of service, a small business or making extra cash on the side is the result. To further contend with the competition, you may also offer your services after hours when other companies have sent their workers home.

Who Needs Van Service?

Moving companies are known for making a bundle packaging, loading, and transporting items from point A to point B. For local moves, a "man with a van" service might be just what a family needs in order to stay within their budget limitations. Sometimes, the use of the van is all that is needed and for that reason, you may offer two different options with your business: van only service and van with assistance service.

As college kids shuffle to the realm of higher education, some students don't move far from home. Transporting all of their belongings to the college campus may prove too overwhelming for the family car to handle. The use of a van for a short period of time is just the thing to make sure as few as possible trips back and forth to the college are made.

Sometimes a heavy-duty round of spring-cleaning has created a need to transport unwanted items to the Salvation Army, Goodwill, local charity, or junkyard. Old couches, sofas, dining room tables, and other sizable household goods simply do not fit in the back of a car, calling for the use of a larger vehicle. A "man with a van" service not only helps individuals load these items, but also charges a small fee for delivery to their intended destination.

The use of a van is also needed when large household items are purchased from a furniture store and there is no way to transport the objects back to a home. A "man with a van" service not only solves this problem, but also helps consumers bring the items safely inside of their home.

Spreading the Word

To get the public interested in your van services, you have to let people know that your services exist. When individuals are in need of help or the service of another, one of the most commonly used resources is the local Yellow Pages. Placing an ad or listing with this source is highly suggested in order to make your business a competitive venture.

The local newspaper is also a popular mode of advertisement, which helps to drum up business. Also, as you ride about town in your van, eye-catching advertising splashed on the side of your vehicle will alert the public of your services.

Once you have established yourself then word of mouth will spread if you give a good service, then you can think about expanding your business and taking on staff to cover more areas, then the world is your oyster!

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Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Carpet Cleaning Business Plan - Making Your Business Successful

If you are going to have a successful carpet cleaning business, you need a great carpet cleaning business plan. Having a carpet cleaning business plan is one of the most important things you will need to help you make money with your business. There are a variety of things that you should include in your carpet cleaning business plan. Keep reading to see how you can use a carpet cleaning business plan for your success as a carpet cleaning business.

Pay Per Click Advertising:
One thing that you should make a part of your carpet cleaning business plan is pay per click advertising. This is a great method of advertising that can help you get word of your business out there. The great thing about incorporating this into your carpet cleaning business plan is that you only pay when the advertising is used - when people click on the advertisement. This is a great way that you can get advertising for a great price.

Check Out the Competition:
Another key part of a carpet cleaning business plan is to check out the competition that you may have and see what they are doing to bring in customers. If they are using special promotions, you may want to think about making promotions part of your carpet cleaning business plan, too. Also see what services that these other business have to offer and see whether your business comes up to what they offer. If not, you need to take measures to get your business where it should be.

Use Email Marketing:
Part of your carpet cleaning business plan should be to use email marketing. You can reach many people by using email marketing as part of your carpet cleaning business plan. Make sure that you use email text that is interesting and captivating, and make sure that you make your business stand out from the others, as well.

Article Marketing:
You can also use article marketing as an essential part of your carpet cleaning business plan. There are a variety of places that allow you to post articles on your topic and to add links to your website that offers your services. This is a great way to get the attention of prospective customers and to get them to your site. If you use article marketing as a part of your carpet cleaning business plan and make sure to use great text that attracts readers, you can gain many new clients for your business.

These are just a few things that you should have as a part of your carpet cleaning business plan. Using these things effectively can help your business become more and more successful. Remember that having a great carpet cleaning business plan will lead to you having a great and successful business as well.

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Friday, May 11, 2007

Struggle Is Not Required - Seven Key Sources

Struggle is not required for success. Are you surprised to hear that?

Personally, I grew up with the philosophy that you needed to work hard to succeed. This doesn't really serve me today.

What I've done for you in this article is identify seven key sources of struggle. For each of these struggles, I'm sharing a remedy. Finally, we'll look at what the rewards are for squelching these struggles!

URGENCY

Struggle: When there is urgency, there is hurry. There is strong emphasis on what is "in your face" and the important things tend to be ignored. A decision made in this mode of thinking can often be one that is not grounded.

Remedy: Take a moment to breathe. Remind yourself that some of those things don't need immediate attention. Just that little pause can give you great perspective.

Reward: Satisfaction in being able to move forward in a purposeful, directed way.

SCARCITY

Struggle: When we feel there isn't enough, we tighten up. We may feel as though there is no support available. Perhaps the financial base isn't what we feel is necessary. How will we get all that we need?

Remedy: Remember that there is always enough. It may be that you just need to do the project in phases as the support comes to you. As you relax into the challenge, more solutions will come to you as to how to get the results you want.

Reward: Your attitude will have a positive effect on those around you. What a great legacy to spread to those who are learning from you!

LACK OF FOCUS

Struggle: Who hasn't found themselves going in circles trying to decide what needs to be done first?

Remedy: List your items and prioritize. Use the Covey quadrants relating to importance and urgency. Once you have decided on those items that are both urgent and important, you know where to start. Work down your priority list from there.

Reward: What a wonderful thing! You may have moved yourself so fluidly through the most pressing, important items that you have the freedom for more personal time.
Once you realize you are able to do this, you'll feel more confident scheduling your free days ahead of time, knowing that you'll be in the position to enjoy them!

SELF-IMPOSED DEADLINES

Struggle: Have you ever over promised and then found that you are getting lots of pressure for the finished product at the last minute? Sometimes in the interest of pleasing others and showing how good we are, we say that we can do things in minimal time.

Remedy: This is super stress that is not necessary if you take the time to schedule realistic deadlines. It's important to factor in any obstacles that can get in the way of smooth completion so that you are able to move toward the deadline at a solid, steady pace.

Reward: Clients are pleased that you have met or exceeded your promised due date. Those around you are thrilled that you are not "biting their heads off" as you did when you were overstressed with deadlines you were not meeting.

NEGATIVE SELF-TALK

Struggle: We can really cloud our thinking with lots of self-reminders of how we performed poorly on previous projects. It's easy for those negative memories to dominate because they are the painful ones. How difficult it is to feel passionate and motivated when this heaviness is hanging over us.

Remedy: Take the time to think of those times that you were successful. Notice what you are doing well now. At the end of each day, really acknowledge yourself for what you did accomplish. It's easy to forget about that when we are making exaggerated notations to ourselves of our shortcomings for the day.

Reward: Passion comes alive when there is room for it! Getting rid of those gremlins jumping around in our heads can make a huge difference in our energy level!

FEAR OF CRITICISM

Struggle: When we have fear of being criticized, it is easy to try to please everyone all the time. We tend to moderate our words, our actions, and look over our shoulder to see who's watching. This is a sure-fire way to stumble at what we're doing (we're not watching ...too busy looking to see who else is watching). How can we be creative when we're so concerned who may not like our original idea?

Remedy: We may please some of the people all the time. We may please all of the people some of the time. But we won't please everyone ALL of the time. Just accept that fact. Complete your projects with your creative juices flowing. Be aware of new ideas you may have that will make things go better.

Reward: Your creativity will grow exponentially. When you look for it and accept it without fear, you will come up with more innovative ideas.

ALLOWING URGENT ISSUES TO PUSH OUT THE IMPORTANT ONES

Struggle: How frustrating it is to feel as though you are supposed to be doing three or more things at once!

Remedy: As is usually the case, you need to pause for just a moment to get a sense of just what it is you need to be doing right now. Some things that may seem huge are really not that important in the scheme of things. Perhaps some of those items can be taken care of by someone other than you. Focus on what you know needs to be taken care of.

Reward: Others will respect you when they see you taking charge in a centered, empowered way. You will find that you are able to feel accomplished because you were not swept away by extra issues that were not best handled by you at that time.

We've looked at seven key sources of struggle.
Without them your path could be so much smoother!

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Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Just What Makes Your Chiropractic Practice Unique?

Probably, quite a bit, because the beauty of private practice is that you tailor it to your likes, dislikes, hours, procedures, etc. Extraordinary practices communicate this to their patients and their community by effective "positioning". But most offices never effectively communicate this, and thus they leave a tremendous marketing opportunity on the table. And I am not talking about big buck campaigns here, just simply what your staff and your patients perceive, as to why they should be in your practice and refer patients to YOU!

So, today, start to weave a common thread into staff meetings, patient newsletters (which you do every month, right?) and even your phone messages. The quickest way to do this is to make a list of what you enjoy about practice most. After all, this should be about your own fulfillment, as well as excellence in patient care.

First of all, what is your favorite case type or types? What types of conditions do you treat best, for example, and how do patients identify them.
A good example here is scoliosis, asthma, or what other conditions you may excel at. Most staff is really observant about this part, and will gladly help you.

Maybe yours is a Family Practice, and your focus is Athletic Injuries or Nutrition Counseling. So, you might use a statement like "Preferred Practice of Local Athletes", "Ask about our "Energy Boosting Programs" or "We Care for the Entire Family".

Next, use simple tag lines, which identify what makes you unique, like "Practice dedicated to Families", "Early Morning Convenience" or "Four nights a week 'til 7 PM" (which is ours at HSG) in all your communications
and advertising.

This simple measure will start to drive more referrals to your practice, with very little expenditure of $ or effort. Why not do it today? This is "Guerilla Marketing" at its finest.

Lastly, set up every marketing system in your practice to be congruent with this, and make sure every system is set up to be on autopilot, as part of your Perfect Practice Platform.

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Monday, May 07, 2007

Living Creatively - Avoiding Routine When You Own an Art Home-Based Business

Though all my customers know I make many different crafts, what I am known for, and consequently what I sell, is jewelry. In a week, jewelry making/selling takes 80% of my time. If I'm not at the craft room, coiling wire, then I am at the computer, promoting or writing. In many weeks, that 80% of time becomes 100%.

There are two sides to home-based business: if your products sell, you can easily get trapped in the routine of making always the same things over and over; but if you pick on too much different things, customers can feel confused about your work and you will sell less for sure. To get a business started and going can take months of long hours a day; once your business is going, you work exactly the same hours, if not more. It is not easy to find time for "hobbies" when a profession gets in the way.

Routine is probably the most powerful enemy to your mind. Routine KILLS creativity and leaves you blocked and worn out. It is a fact that your neurons create connections by habit: that means that if you constantly repeat something (could be a statement like "I'm not the creative type" or any other process, mental or physical) you are fixing it in your brain until neurons make connections that insure that you will always use that connection; that may be very useful for social habits, but not for creativity! Once your neurons have made the connection, that becomes the "accepted" way of working, and usually when that happens we hardly ever question that procedure.

There is no such thing as an artistic/creative personality type, but there are certain artists who are never blocked and can produce art continuously, even in different forms. Their designs are constantly evolving and art skills improving and renovating. They seem to go ahead of the pack and are usually copied by followers. What is the difference between that people and the rest of mortals?
That they have an improved ability to avoid routine: instead of producing, they are living creatively.

We were all 100% creative when we were about two years old; as we were discovering everything and looked at experiences with no prejudices, we had to create the ways to approach them. Our creativity was not bounded within what we call art; all things in life – relationships, conflicts, self-image – were approached creatively. We were living creatively.

Then, parents and school fixed the connections on your neurons about what you were, what you were able to do or not, or how should you behave in life to gain success and self-satisfaction. I'm sorry to say this, but most of it was wrong. So, it doesn't matter if you're 20 or 60 – we all started acting like 70-year old brains when we were 5 or 6.

Thankfully, all this patterns can be changed; we may never reach the freshness of a 2 year old kid, but we don't need to! It's time to revise our attitude and see if we challenge ourselves enough from day to day. A good way to understand how deep we are into routines is to keep written track of our actions; for two weeks, make a brief resume of your day every night. After that two weeks, check your activities: how many times did you eat the same thing? How many times did you watch the same tv shows? In the last two weeks, did you do something that you had never done before? Did you learn anything new? Who did you talk with? Did you meet anyone?
The answers to these questions are more important than what you may think: they are the diagnosis of your routine problem.

If there is one thing that is important to understand, is is that being creative is not a goal, is a method. As school and parents fixed that wrong ideas by repetition, we can alter any belief using the same method. Kids do not learn everything in one day, and nor will we.

The power of words and sentences is universally known; a mantra is a sacred sound that connects us with our divinities, but also with our Higher Self: the Creator. You can see this process through its spiritual side (this is, in many ways, a self-enchantment) or through its scientific side (you are teaching new connections to your neurons) – I prefer to see it through both as I don't see, really, any contradiction in this. Our first mantra would be:
I am a Creator. My infinite creative potential manifests in every one of my actions and thoughts.
Of course, you can write your own mantras, as long as you use always assertive sentences (never use "don't", "never", "not") and be as general as you can. You can print the mantras and hang them around your craft room, add them to your scrapbook, diary, book of projects or wherever you want to remember important things. Other useful mantras for this topic could be:
I am aware of the infinite Beauty and Love of the Universe and I am constantly inspired by it.
All my choices lead me to a more creative and free life.
I am creative in everything I do.

Every time you feel blocked and tired of what you're doing, remember these mantras. They will help you fix the right stream of thought and, sooner than you think, you will have an instantly positive response – you have reached the habit. This will not only enhance your art production, but your entire life; then your art production will only be one of the many fruits that you will draw from your new creative way to see your life and your world. This theory is so simple that is hard to believe, I know, but if it worked for you when you were 2, why wouldn't it work today? You can have back what was taken from you – and I'm sure you will.

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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Consumer Driven Health Care For Individuals And Small Businesses

A Good Match!

Small businesses are responsible for about eighty to ninety percent of all businesses and employment in the United States. Therefore, they comprise the largest workforce in the US. Health care is the single largest problem facing employees and Middle America. These two major components of our society converge at a point where this workforce is in dire need of affordable health care coverage. In the past it didn't matter if an employer was able to afford health care for his/her employees but this has changed and you need to be ready for more changes – now! Why? Universal health care is here, where everyone has to pay his or her portion of the overall health care bill just as we all now pay for auto insurance. Of course, the major portion of the health care insurance/coverage burden, like it or not, is going to fall on small business owners. However, there's consumer-driven health care (CDHC), which can help you dramatically! This article explains what CDHC is and how it will help, and maybe save, many small businesses. We'll also discuss why this is a good business decision that may cost you nothing and still provide health care coverage for you and your employees.

Consumer-Driven Health care and Universal Health care

Consumer-driven health care is a concept being driven by the Federal Government to help deliver it (Fed.Gov't)) from the financial strain now on Medicaid and Medicare. These are two entitlement programs the former for the poor and the latter for the elderly and disabled. Medicaid is funded by the Federal Government but gives each state oversight for its portion. Medicare is directly through the Federal government controlled by the Health and Human Services Dept.

To help alleviate the health care cost burden consumer-driven health care has seemingly come to the rescue. We say seemingly because it's still new. This idea of consumers directing the purchasing of health care rather than health care experts and providers (hospitals, HMOs and practitioners) determining a patient's course was championed by Prof. Regina Helzinger of Harvard University, about 17-18 years ago. The idea, which is common in any other industry, is novel in health care. CDHC allows the consumer to decide, without interference from Human Resources Departments, employers, HMOs, third party payers, etc. the choices of providers and services a consumer desires. Its main instrument is a high deductible/catastrophic insurance product with an attached Health Savings Account (HSA). The employer and the employee fund HSAs. They are portable and the unused portions can be invested (similar to an IRA but used exclusively for health care purchases). The HSA can also be accumulated from year to year, in other words there's no use it or loose it penalty.

Enter Universal health care! This is not the socialistic universal health care we see in Europe where there's a one-payer system – the government, paid for through taxation, but a more free market form. The US model, now in Maine 2003, IL 2005, MA 2006 and VT 2006 have, as the basic format, that every citizen of these states must demonstrate some form of healthcare insurance or coverage when they file state taxes or the state will raise their individual taxes. Each state's model is specific for that state.

In these states the burden has fallen, as expected, on employers, who vigorously complained, as in Massachusetts', to legislators that they were going to be the fall-guys to get their employees coverage; this will, no doubt, affect the costs of doing business. So, hold on…there's Universal health care coming to a state near you: CA, CT, FL, HI, MO, NH, NY and WI all have Universal health care on their legislative agendas in 2007.

Get Ahead of the Curve

You can get ahead of the curve, save money, get health care coverage for you and your employees, make it budget neutral (pay nothing) and lower your tax exposure all at the same time.

There's another form of CDHC that is NOT an insurance product but provides health care "coverage" at affordable prices ranging from $11.95 to $59.95 per member per month for individuals or families. How does this work? The key is that it's NOT insurance, it's discount health care coverage. The difference is that the CDHC coverage is like getting a Costco or Sam's Club membership and operates similarly except it's to purchase health care. As a member you have practitioners that will accept your membership and charge you a considerable discounted fee, somewhere between 50% and 80% off the usual and customary price. It includes hospitals and practitioners e.g. as doctors (specialist and primary care), dentists (orthodontists, generalists, and others) and chiropractics. Some companies offer vision, prescription, labs, diagnostics and even veterinarian services.

For a small business owner to get all of the advantages let's first look at this purely from a business perspective. If you were to purchase one of these "provider access/discount coverage" products it can be paid for using pre-tax payroll dollars paid for by employees. That is, the costs for most of these discount coverage products are so low that if offered to employees they can purchase it with their own payroll dollars before taxes. If done as a pre-tax payroll deduction the company's tax burden is reduced thus the company saves money. Additionally, the company gains as it offers these benefits, which are not for from it's own budget making it budget neutral. Of course, if the company chooses they can pay for all or portions of the coverage for their staff helping with employee retention. However, you have affordable options!

As a healthcare benefits package these are some of the offerings: affordable, makes providers of healthcare accessible, discounted, covers many different healthcare services, no age limits, not restricted by pre-existing conditions, can be discontinued at any time, covers households (anyone who lives at the members address regardless of citizenship, relationship or no relationship) and others. A potential drawback is that these products require the services be paid at the time they are rendered. In other words, like Costco or Sam's Club when you get to the register you've got to pay the bill. Large balances can be paid off as any other bill – by installments; but things such as annual/regular doctors/dentist visits must be paid at time of service.

Why would doctors and other practitioners agree to this? It's because they're loosing money on HMOs and insurance companies who pay approximately $.40 for every $1.00 submitted for reimbursement then, there's at least ninety days to get paid providing there are no hassles.

With respect to hospitalizations this is now acceptable at all hospitals except VA hospitals. Some companies offer patient advocate negotiating teams for their members. If hospitalization is required they negotiate with the hospital, usually at a 75%-80% discount with a structured payoff of the balance in 3-5 years. Last, when looking for one of these companies it's imperative that the company be a member of the Consumer Health Alliance the only nationally recognized association for these companies; member companies must agree to strict operating guidelines.

For more information on Consumer Driven Healthcare visit:


Ameriplan USA at:


www.deliveringonthepromise.com/40446572


RClaypool@ameriplan.net


1-800-431-0327


713-726-6075

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