Floor Ideas for Your Next Remodel

| Wednesday, November 2, 2011
By Alana Vaughn


Ideas for your your floor covering project can be difficult to find. If you are not used to making decisions about your homes construction or decor this is especially true for you. That initial decision to put new flooring in your home can be exhilirating. This task can become quite overwhelming when considering the practical aspects and the number of choices you have to make. We will discuss these options in this article.

Today more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious. You might not even realize it, but it is achievable to go "green" with your flooring. Have you been keeping your eyes open for "green" flooring ideas? Bamboo and cork are the two better-known options available for those who want "green" flooring. In actuality, bamboo is a type of grass found all over the globe that grows quite rampantly. Cork flooring is really created from the bark of cork trees. As time progresses, the bark grows back (and is re-harvested) - this actually benefits the trees to have their bark trimmed every decade or so. These are optimal selections if you're wishing for "green" floors.

You may also want to consider cork flooring. If you're looking for something more environmentally friendly, cork is a good option. The flooring is only made from the hard pressed bark of the trees so no trees need to be harvested for this flooring. Another selling point of cork flooring is it will help regulate your home's temperature. If you stand all day at your job, this type of flooring will be beneficial because it has more give to it. Cork also works well as a decorative flooring. Stains and dyes work well on cork because it is rather absorbent.

One other idea is vinyl flooring. Don't confuse vinyl with linoleum like many people do. Vinyl is available in sheets and is, of all of the flooring ideas you will have, the easiest to install. For the most part this flooring is used in kitchens and bathrooms. This is because it's ease of cleaning. Another reason it is possible is because you can find it in about any print you want. It is possible to get vinyl that is printed to look like hardwood floors if you like (though the sheen on the vinyl might give your secret away).

It can be difficult to decide which way to go with your flooring. You have many choices to choose from you're not limited anymore. These days it is your choice and there are many choices to make. It is key that you maintain your floors or you could find yourself having to replace your flooring again. What is important to you will weigh heavily in your decision of floor covering. Your floor will be awesome quickly.




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Don't Give your Office Cleaning Company the Keys Until You Ask these Things

| Tuesday, November 1, 2011
By Peggy Finley


If you are planning to hire someone to help keep your office clean, you should consider several things before letting a janitorial service into your building. Don't hire a cleaning company that cannot ensure that they have all of the appropriate measures in place to protect you as their client.

Does the janitor service carry workman's compensation and general liability insurance? It is not a legal requirement in Texas for employers to carry workman's comp and many cleaning companies do not. Should an accident occur, this puts the liability on your plate. Also, limits on coverage should be one million for both policies or at minimum $500,000. Another good policy for the company to have is a "non-company owned vehicle" rider. This covers you if there is an incident in the cleaning staff's vehicle on the way to your location. A surety bond is good as well, but many are not aware that it only pays out if there is a conviction of a crime which rarely happens in this industry.

Who will be doing the actual cleaning your building? Will the staff cleaning your building actually be employees of the janitorial company, or will they be under sub-contractor status? Using sub-contractors is a very common scenario with cleaning services locally as they attempt to reduce costs by avoiding payroll taxes on employees. Both the IRS and the Texas Workforce Commission are clear on this point: anyone cleaning for your company should be an employee. Additionally, the general liability insurance and workman comp policies will not cover those individuals classified as sub-contractors.

Which additional services will you use from the cleaning company? Avoid lumping additional services like floor care and additional products like toilet tissue, hand towels, etc. in with the monthly cleaning price. Instead, ask for separate pricing on floor care, carpet cleaning and other services on an "as needed" basis. This puts you in control of your budget and keeps your monthly cost lower. Often, it looks like a better deal up front but many cleaning services will simply neglect to perform all the add-on services during the course of the year when no one is noticing. As for hand soap, trash can liners, toilet tissue etc, buy your own. The janitorial company is simply going to add 20% or more to the cost for the convenience of handling it for you.

How does the office cleaning company deal with inspections? Do they even do them? Are they done on a routine schedule? Make it clear you will be looking for a visit from the supervisor each and every month to discuss the results of an onsite inspection. Most companies do not do them and of those who advertise they do, many do not consistently show up to do them. Inspections should not be optional and if your janitor service is not doing them, you will likely end up needing to find a new service eventually because you will end up dissatisfied with their work.

What is the pay scale of the cleaning staff? If they are paying only minimum wage, they will probably only provide minimum wage service. Low quality cleaning and large turnover rate are just a couple of things that will likely happen in this scenario. If the company provides healthcare benefits to their employees, that's even better. It is not common, but if you find one that does, you should feel good about the fact that they will likely take good care of your office as they do their employees.

With just a few short questions you can find out just who you are hiring when you choose an office cleaning company. The time it takes you to do this up front will be well worth the satisfaction you will get when you hire a cleaning company that has it all together.




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How Your Sales Team Can Win Customers Over

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By Lindsay Barnes


There are many factors that can help your company succeed, from great products and branding to focused, effective leadership to satisfied employees. Business isn't just all about profits, of course, and people are just as important as the money you are making, and the people you should be thinking about are your customers. You need your customers to not only be interested in what you are offering, but you want them to keep coming back and also find you and your employees a pleasure to transact with. That is why you have to ensure that you have a sales team that is responsive to your clients' needs and knows how to maintain their loyalty.

Sales teams are generally advised to do things like upsell and make sure that they successfully close a deal. The sales quota is the thing that is typically being highlighted for sales teams. No one is denying that meeting the sales quota helps to measure if merchandise is indeed being moved and that your sales team is doing its job. But there are instances when people find salespeople annoying, especially those who have a tendency to become too aggressive and are too obvious about wanting to make a sale. When salespeople do that, people are driven away and become less interested in coming back.

What your salespeople must do is to build good relationships with clients. Your salespeople represent your business, and their behavior and level of service reflects back on you and your company. How they serve customers affects people's perception of your business. That is why your salespeople shouldn't just concentrate on pushing products and services, but also on becoming a real partner in helping people to make their decision about buying your products.

One of the things your sales team should do is to ensure that they know what you are selling and what you are all about. It never ends well when customers ask a salesperson something and he or she can't give a straight answer. Someone who really knows the products is someone your customers can trust, and he or she could even become your customers' go-to person when it comes to the items you offer.

Your sales team should also remember that eloquence and being charming do not necessarily makes a great salesperson. Customers shouldn't just buy, but they should also have a great experience when dealing with your sales team. Your sales team should also remember that they should also be ready with solutions and answers when customers have problems with what they got. In other words, the focus is not just to sell things, but to ensure customers' satisfaction well after they bought the item.




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