Holiday Bugs are Happy Bugs!

So are YOU ready for Thanksgiving this year? Where did the days go? I can’t believe it’s that time of the year again! This Holiday is a favorite in our home! We love the family, fun, friends and the freedom to eat a little more of the good stuff without any of the guilt. I read a post recently on facebook that said “Holiday Calories Don’t Count!” I chuckled a little before I responded “Yeah, wouldn’t that be the perfect Holiday gift?!”

So, are you planning a fabulous family get together with all the relatives over for turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and all the fixings? Is everyone invited? Even the bugs? Did you do know that Holiday Bugs are the happiest bugs in the world? Do you know why? Guess! Maybe it’s because they get lots of yummy sticky, gooey, ooey, sweet stuff everywhere! This is the time of year when the leftovers can’t fit in the fridge so they get left over on the counter over night! It’s when your lovely nieces and nephews leave sticky handprints all over places you didn’t even know they could reach! And it’s when your neighbor drops by to say hi and her not so cute kids leave cookie crumbs all over the floor, the couch, the counter and who knows where else! Oh them kitchen critters just love this time of year!

We just came out of a pretty wet rainy season and if you haven’t called me to come visit you yet you just might have a nice collection of bugs hidden in those secret hiding places in your kitchen, pantry, laundry, bathroom and anywhere else they find comfy enough. Those pantry bugs just love to get into your flour, pasta, cereal and spices. Those suckers reproduce faster than you can blink and if you have one you better bet you have a good fifty or more! The last thing you need is crazy aunt Rita screaming and carrying on like it’s the end o the world in front of all the family while nearly giving grandma a heart attack all because she found bugs in the flour when she went to make the biscuits!

You have Thanksgiving next week and Christmas shortly after that with New Years on their trail and each event is more food and happier bugs. Now we’re all for happy and have nothing against bugs but we really like making our clients happy and keeping the bugs out of their living space so holiday life can be a little more enjoyable. So right about now is the PERFECT time to call Lenny’s Pest Control so we can come by and spray your place just to make sure all your guests are the ones you really invited this year!

We want to take this time to say THANK YOU for reading our blogs, liking us on facebook, following us on twitter and connecting with us on linkedin. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you haven’t already done so. We also appreciate our many loyal clients for all their years of patronage and we wish you and everyone a Very Happy Thanksgiving Holiday season!

Wow – where has the time gone! We have been pretty busy serving our customers here at Battery Giant in Cape Coral, and the holidays are sneaking up on us. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which will kick off the holiday season. And since we’re on the subject of giving thanks, we would like to take this opportunity to THANK YOU for your patronage and loyalty. Thanks for taking the time to connect with us, read our blog and for making Battery Giant of SWFL you favorite place to go for batteries!

In anticipation of the holidays, we’re going to be getting some cool battery related products in which will make fantastic gifts for the folks on your list. I’ll provide a couple of examples before I go into more battery fundamentals.

For example, for the holidays, we have stocked up on some really sweet LED flashlights that are incredibly powerful and bright. And for those of you who have four-legged friends, we’re also getting some awesome LED collars so you can see – and your friend can be seen – at night. Come on in and check them out – we think you’ll love them. We have lots of awesome stocking stuffers that your family, friends and employees will absolutely love!

Enough of the commercials – lets get back to battery fundamentals. Last week, I spent some time to explain three of the basic types of batteries that customers need. In today’s blog, I’ll cover off four others, which make up the balance of the market for replacement batteries.

As before, I’m going to take advantage of materials provided by our Battery Giant headquarters operation to provide the content I’ll use.

• Nickel – metal – hydride (NiMH): these types of batteries have a higher energy density compared to Nickel Cadmium. However, they have a reduced cycle life compared to NiCd. The other good news is there is relatively little toxic metal in NiMH batteries, but please bring them to us for responsible recycling anyhow. Popular applications for NiMH include cordless phones, rechargeable batteries, and older generations of cellular phones.
• Alkaline: Alkaline batteries are one of the most popular consumer batteries. They are available in a number of different sizes – the most popular are AA, AAA, C and D. They have high energy density, long shelf life, superior leakage resistance, and lower internal resistance that allow it to operate at higher discharge rates over a wide range of temperatures. Popular applications include radios, watches, toys and numerous other household applications.
• Lithium Phosphate:Lithium Phosphate batteries have high energy density by weight and volume, safety (high resistance to thermal runaway), and high current or peak power rating. Typical applications include power tools, solar lighting, and a broad range of medical devices such as oxygen concentrators, defibrillators and EMS equipment.
• Lithium Polymer: Lithium Polymer batteries provide higher volumetric energy density. Beyond this benefit, the primary advantage for manufacturers of consumer devices such as iPods and cell phones is that Lithium Polymer provides great flexibility in cell size, shape and weight. Lithium Polymer also provides superior stability in over-voltage and high temperature conditions.

Finally, I wanted to let you know we’re preparing our first email newsletter, so for those of you who have given us your email addresses, expect to see our newsletter in your inbox in the near future. Don’t delete it – it will have a valuable coupon for you to use on your next visit to us! If you would like to subscribe now – click here!

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. – Alexander Graham Bell

Anyone who has ever wondered how successful people achieve their goals has quickly discovered that preparation was the key and the main difference between those who win and those who fail in life. I wonder how something so simple and obvious can be so complicated and difficult for so many people. If you want to arrive from point A to point B you get a map and take the quickest and safest route possible. If you want to learn a new trade you research, study and plan out your goals and then walk in that direction. If you want to be happy in life you stop doing the things that make you unhappy and start doing the things that make you happy. Sounds simple enough doesn’t it? Well it is!

I’ve come to understand that the problem most people have in life isn’t necessarily in failing to take the steps they need for success but rather in not knowing what they want to begin with. Most people tend to go through life wandering aimlessly… searching without a clear direction of where they are headed. Sadly they have no idea what they are actually looking for. They don’t have a list of goals and they don’t even have a map. They haven’t searched within to understand who they are and what they really want out of life. They lose their faith and forget to call on God for guidance. Then the years go by and time takes its toll and life passes them by. They waste their youth trying to be someone they aren’t and then they waste their adult life trying to buy back their youth. They live a lie and they don’t even know it. They are lost and they can’t even see it. They struggle just trying to keep up with the Jones’s or in wanting to have it all while in truth they had nothing at all because they lost themselves in the process.

My last blog was about the importance of pre-planning for your death and enjoying the peace of mind that your family will not be burdened with the details of your funeral. Click here if you missed it, it’s important! And while I feel it is very important to take the time to plan out the details of your end of life I feel compelled at this moment to urge you to plan for LIVING now, before it’s too late and your time has run out. Being in the funeral business here in Southwest FL I have seen more grief and regret than any person needs to see in a lifetime. The purpose of this blog and maybe my purpose for being here at this moment, writing for you, is so that I can inspire you to look within and discover who you are and what your own purpose is.

The only way for you to plan your life and really enjoy each day God grants you is to know who you are, what your purpose is and how you’re going to achieve it. I invite you to search for your personal map so that you can find that quickest route to your own personal happiness. Write down your goals and start walking in that direction now, today… there’s no need to wait until Monday or next year. Life is shorter than you realize and sometimes the things you think are important really aren’t that important at all.

This brings me to something I read in a book recently and I’d like to share it with you now: Nothing in life can take the place of knowing your purpose. If you dont’ try to discover your purpose, you’re likely to spend your life doing the wrong things. As psychologist Viktor Frankl said, “Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life. Everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus everyone’s task is unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.” Each of us has a purpose for which we were created. Our responsibility – and our joy – is to identify it. – Taken from: Leadership Promsises for Every Day by John C. Maxwell.

You have a purpose and only you can discover what that purpose is. My goal today was to inspire you to live life in a manner that can bring you happiness, joy and peace now and all the days to come. In my next blog I’ll get back to more benefits of pre-planning for your funeral so stay tuned.

Anderson Patterson Cremation and Funeral Services is here to help you find Peace of Mind today knowing you have taken care of all of the important details ahead of time. We have experts waiting to answer all of your questions and help you pre-plan your funeral. Please feel free to contact us at (239) 694-4121 or (239) 368-7080 or visit our website at www.AndersonPatterson.com.

Persistence –   How to Hire Great People 

It’s no secret that hiring is one of the biggest challenges of managing and growing a productive team. So why do we chronically underestimate the time and energy that we need to dedicate to this crucial task?  Business owners frequently minimize the importance of hiring. It’s a “tertiary task” superficially unrelated to client work, and often triggered under duress: a huge new client project to ramp up for, the opening of a new office, or the exodus of a few great employees. For this reason, hiring often takes on a stressful tone and is executed hastily. Yet no decision can have a bigger impact on the direction of your work and the long-term success of your business.

Hiring exceptional people allows a leader to set strategic direction and then hand over incremental decisions to smart, capable team members.  Letting people in the organization use their judgment turns out to be faster and cheaper – but only if you hire the right people and reward them for having the right attitude.

The trick is uncovering those talented and trustworthy people – and knowing what they look like when you find them. Here are a handful of tips:

1. You cannot clone yourself. One of the first obstacles in expanding your team is re-wiring your brain. Subconsciously or not, you may be fixated on looking for someone with the skills, mannerisms, single-minded passion, and other useful qualities that mimic your own. Instead, look for a cocktail of complementary skills to balance your weaknesses. Seek a foundation of rudiments and a likeable and hard-working personality. There is no one who loves your work more than you.

2. Persistence is golden. There’s a rule of thumb called The Rule of 100. Assume you’ll need to make contact with 100 people in order to find 10 prospects to narrow to a pool of 3 great matches. Sometimes this is an overestimation, but the point is that finding the right person is usually a matter of persistence. Don’t stop looking if you’re having trouble finding the right fit, just keep looking.

3. The best resource is your personal network. Hands down the best source for locating a person that fits you and your company is your circle of contacts. It’s your job to communicate effectively to your network by being clear about what you’re looking for and the context of the hire. It helps to be specific when approaching your network to give them information that’s easy to act on.

4. But… don’t forget to look beyond your network. It is a common strategy (and a common mistake) to stick to your personal network to find quality people. Go beyond your circle of contacts. Make a list of people and companies you respect or admire and reach out to them for assistance. Always ask who you should speak to next to continue to expand your network concentrically outward.

5. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior… but it’s not always obvious. Often a person’s interests are found in the seams of their resume or professional trajectory. Find out about hobbies, art projects or groups they started outside of work. This type of initiative will provide insight into how well a person works independently and if they’re prone to turning ideas action.

6. Use “critical incident interviewing.” This is an interview model that queries specific past events as a basis for discerning a person’s capabilities. It’s all about cascading questions. Start by asking about an incident, then peeling back the layers to evaluate the person’s thought process, judgment, and how he or she deals with a situation.

For example:

• “Tell me about a time you disagreed with your supervisor on a creative issue.”
• “Walk me through the problem.”“What did you do about it?”
• “What led to that decision?”
• “Why do you think that was effective?”
• “What was the outcome?”

7. Assign homework. After a series of interviews, it is common practice for companies to assign a phantom project or problem to solve. Some even hand off a client assignment and compensate potential employees for their work. There’s no better way to predict performance than by having the opportunity to evaluate the work directly and get a feel for a prospect’s style and habits.

8. Do great work and make great stuff… so the best people find you. It’s no surprise that the best companies always have the easiest time hiring. That’s because people are clamoring to work for them. Strive to do mind-bendingly great work and the hiring will take care of itself!

YOU CAN’T PLEASE YOUR CUSTOMERS UNLESS YOU KNOW THEM!

Customer Service is a big part of every business and unfortunately it’s one that often gets forgotten. Every year business owners spend hundreds and thousands of dollars in advertising, marketing, getting the best packaging for their product, securing the perfec t location, etc… - it’s all a part of doing business, right?  So why doesn’t it always work? Well often times they are missing a really big element – Customer Service! In this new blog series we’re going to review several tips, tricks and ideas on how you can become a successful business person by improving your customer service skills! If you missed it, click here to read Part 1.

Part 2 of “THE FOUR CRITICAL STEPS TO CUSTOMER LOYALTY” 

2. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER!  

If we take a look at the big business successes of the past it’s not that difficult to see that the leader or person in charge of that company or business had a pretty good idea of what the end-user wanted and was then able to fill the need in a manner that made the client happy. Take Steve Jobs for example – he was able to take Apple from a dream idea to a household name with products that everyone doesn’t just want but HAS to have and right now… how? He had a knack for knowing what people wanted. Even when everyone else around him said it was crazy, impossible or a waste of time, he not only made it happen but he created a success out of it.

Now I know we all can’t be Steve Jobs and we certainly don’t have crystal ball or magic powers to see what our potential customers want but there are plenty of fundamental and basic tips to great customer service. There is a lot that you can do as a provider of a product or service to research and learn more about your customers and what they need. Below are just a few tips to help you get started!

IDENTIFY THE STUDENTS/CUSTOMERS NEEDS 

• Know their timing needs. 
• Try to anticipate their needs in advance. 
• Be able to ‘READ” their attitude. 
• Practice skillful listening with care. 
• Create two-way dialog.

Knapp Consultants has been offering Customer Service Training for over 23 years! Please contact Lee Knapp to find out how she can help you and your employees increase your sales and improve your customer satisfaction. (239) 481-8557 or visit www.LeeKnapp.com for more details!

National Author, Joy Rocco, has chosen A Night in the Cape Mini Trade show on September 1st for her first book signing for her newest published novel Blue Moon Red Blood – 2012 End Times. www.JoyRocco.com

Skip Wentworth, using primitive instinct and tortuous CIA training, circles the planet in a heart-pounding search for ruthless terrorists plotting to destroy America and Israel on the
date the Maya predict the world will end, December 21, 2012. Their plan is to use equipment designed by the US and skimmed from the manufacturer’s assembly line. Adding to his torment, his new bride is taken hostage by the mad enemy determined to avenge their God, Allah. The accomplished bloodhound tracks them in a frantic race to beat the countdown to annihilation, saving his wife, the nation and possibly the world from the maniacal conspiracy to initiate Armageddon.

To schedule a book signing, please contact Joy at FictionWriter8@aol.com.

Click here for details on Joy’s Sept. 1 book signing.

A Night in the Cape will be on Thursday, September 1st from 5 to 7 pm at Wine & Roses Italian Restaurant - 1404 Cape Coral Parkway, Cape Coral, FL. Click here for more information.

A Big THANKS to Michele Andre, Editor in Chief of The Bridge Business View and Jodie Andre for her role as Director and Writer. These ladies do an amazing job every month bringing us local news, information and great articles!

MGS Designz & More

Local Artist, and Quality Services Pro’s Member, Sandra Priest “San” has been given the amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity to use her passion and create sculptures from the concrete from Ground Zero.  San’s first sculpture will return to Ground Zero for the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Your partipication in our golf outing will help fund this awesome project!  We’re so proud of San! We are having the golf fundraiser next Friday, August 26, 2011, and need your help! All the proceeds are going directly to Project 11Up. San will be in New York City at Ground Zero for the unveiling of one of her sculptures, a tribute to the victims of the 911 tragedies.

Project 11 Up golf outing will be on August 26, 2011, registration starts at 8am, shotgun start at 9:11am, lunch at noon, and will wrap up by 1:30pm.

You can be a part of history! Project 11Up will be here long after we are all gone, guaranteeing that 911 will never be forgotten.

This is not a Quality Service Pros event, it’s a support America thing and everyone is welcome to join us. We are not trying to raise a fortune by any means, but are simply trying to help San with some airfare and lodging since she has volunteered her services
on Project 11Up.

There are so many different ways that you can help!  You can play a fun round of par 3 golf, which includes lunch, be a hole sponsor, or if golf is not for you, then just join us for lunch and some great networking.  If you can’t make it, we certainly understand and would ask only for a small donation.

Please help us get the word out! Share this post via facebook, twitter, email, etc.

A big thank you to Pool Pros for donating our “day of golf”, and Beverly Hills Window Tinting & Internet Services Group of Florida, LLC for sponsoring lunch! Click here to view all the event sponsors.

A word from San Priest about the project 11up… The number 11 is very powerful. The project stands for 11 pieces coming up out of the ground, the 11th day of the month that this happened and this year 2011, the anniversary.  Most artwork created after 911, is of grief and sorrow, understandably so.  We have mourned and been sad, but this art project takes us out of that and into the future of rebuilding.  San likes the building block theme for it resonates with the original shape of the concrete blocks she has been working on.  She chose the style of artwork to keep at sides to the abstract forms, so that the viewer can relate to the wall itself where it came from. For more information go to www.sancrete.com

Quality Service Pros is an online resource created to assist home and business owners in locating qualified licensed and insured business professionals in Lee and Collier County. We are also a networking group working together to create business for ourselves and other members in the form of referrals. Visit us at www.QualityServicePros.com.

Click here to view our Press Release about Project 11Up!

C.A.R.E.S. is helping to save lives from suicide.  Every 17 seconds a suicide attempt is made.  Every 15.2 minutes someone is successful.  The U.S. is ranked 11th in suicide deaths and Florida is ranked 9th in the nation.  Approximately 32,000 Americans kill themselves every year in the U.S. and approximately 2,300 are Floridians.  According to the Lee County Medical Examiner’s office, in 2010 119 people committed suicide between the ages of 13-97..that is just in Lee County.

We have many teens dealing daily with bullying and trouble home lives.  Teens feel trapped and alone…like their is no way out other than suicide.  C.A.R.E.S. volunteers are here to help by training, counseling, listening, and what ever it takes to save a life.

Thursday, August 25 Virginia Cervasio will be speaking on The Signs of Suicide.
If you are a parent, teacher, counselor, principal, care giver, etc. please join us.  The event is free thanks to Woman’s Life #701 and sponsors and includes a buffet dinner.  The details are below and a RSVP is required since seating is limited.  Please call Michele at (239) 225-5019 or TheBridgeNetworking@hotmail.com

Sponsorships are available.  For only $98, you will receive two months of advertising with The Bridge Networking Group and Woman’s Life #701 (over $200 value.)  The more sponsors we have, the more people we can reach on August 25.  Click here to sponsor. 

Woman’s Life #701 will be holding a raffle during the dinner to benefit C.A.R.E.S.  Raffle items are needed.  You can bring to any Bridge, Woman’s Life or Wellness Wednesday event or email gift certificate to TheBridgeNetworking@hotmail.com.

Health & Wellness
Networking
Wednesday June 22nd

Quarterly Luncheon
Mixer
11:00am -1:00pm

Admission is Always FREE
Complimentary Chair  Massage

Lunch Buffet Will Be Served
Quality Give-Aways – No Purchase Ever Required!
Meet Local Health and Wellness Professionals in a comfortable, inviting
environment. Wellness Wednesday is always open to the
community. The public are encouraged to attend and meet local people with similar
interests in health and wellness.

2525 First Street

Fort Myers, Florida 33901
Venue Directions: 239-332-3333
More Event Info:  239-691-6955
Visit Website

STRESS FREE NETWORKING!

Our June event will focus on
“The Life Cycle and How We Age”.

How much influence does our lifestyle really impact our lifespan?
Can certain health products or lifestyles really
slow or accelerate the aging process? 

Special Guest June 17 at The Bridge Networking Group:  Rudi Dekkers

Author of ‘GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION’, THE UNTOLD STORY OF RUDI DEKKERS, A BOOK BY THE MAN, WHO TAUGHT THE 9/11 TERRORIST TO FLY

Rudi Dekkers, native of the Netherlands and owner of Huffman Aviation International, the flight school on Florida’s Gulf Coast where two of the September 11 high-jackers, Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi, took flying lessons, will launch his book ‘Guilty by Association’ The Untold Story of Rudi Dekkers  published by Brio Press, Minneapolis, MN this August 15.

Rudi Dekkers will be our guest speaker at the June 17 Bridge Networking Lunch at Famous Dave’s BBQ in Ft. Myers. Learn more about Mr. Dekkers at www.RudiDekkers.com.  An RSVP is required for our lunch by clicking here.

He will share his story with us.  Over the past ten years he has been threatened, ostracized, forced to sell his business and is trying to survive.  This situation could happen to any of us, the small business owners in America.  We could be selling products, renting a home, lending money, etc. to a terrorist and not know it…just like Mr. Dekkers did.  Your world could be turned upside down in a minute even though you were not aware your client was a terrorist.  Google Rudi Dekkers and you will find the CNN and ABC stories over the years.