Tabbedout

Tabbedout is a mobile application that allows customers to view, open and pay their bill with an Android or iPhone. The app is free and keeps a running total of the bill in real-time which enables the customer to have the ability to settle their tab at their own discretion. Tabbedout is being embraced by customer and the major POS vendors as well. Agilysys, Dinerware, Jumpware, Future POS, Micros and more have all certified the integration of Tabbedout for use within their POS systems.

New Micros POS Advancements

Micros, a POS provider, is currently running in over three hundred thousand restaurants and is now joining the trend of mobility. Micros’s first innovative mobility offering is Micros mymenu. Mymenu is an interactive portal for restaurants and is built for the Apple iPad. It enables restaurants to create an interactive food and beverage menu that showcases the menu items with pictures, advertise daily specials and showcase special events. Mymenu also allows for tabletop ordering and processing payments.

Pay at the Table

Verifone and Micros have teamed up to provide an NFC, near field communication, POS system that allows businesses in the restaurant industry to reduce fraud and increase the efficiency of their servers by allowing for NFC-payments right at the table. No longer will patrons have to turn their credit or debit cards over to servers, instead they can pay at the table using an NFC-enabled mobile phones and an NFC-ready payment processing device. Verifone offers three Pay at the Table solutions; PAYware Mobile Enterprise, VeriShield Total Protect and VX 680.

eTab

eTab introduced their latest POS self-patron technology at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Their PCI-compliant payment technology can be integrated into the restaurant’s POS system and communicates in real-time with the kitchen, bar staff and servers. The eTab table-side ordering and payment solution facilitates the ability for patrons to order and pay for their meals at the table with a portable touch-screen tablet. eTab offers their equipment for free and charges a monthly fee which includes updates, maintenance, tech support and programming at a price well below other systems.

ISISPOS

ISISPOS offers an iPad POS system for restaurants that is built on Apple Xcode. This solution allows servers to use an ipad to take orders at the table and then digitally and instantly transmit the order to the kitchen through a 3G or Wi-Fi network. This system offers unique services such as wine pairing suggestions, add-on orders and table-side payments. As the ISISPOS system is designed to be in the hands of the server rather than the patron, it still allows for personal service, but increases efficiency and improves customer service.

EVO Mobile Pay

EVO Merchant Services and Apriva have partnered together to create EVO Mobile Pay and is compatible with browser-based phones and 3G, 3GS and 4 version iPhone devices. This payment processing app employs AprivaPay software for processing mobile payments in the restaurant and retail industry. This application allows for secure and reliable mobile transactions. EVO Mobile Pay offers businesses with several features such as swiped or keyed transactions, signature capture, and the ability to print receipts through optional readers or printers.

As the security, reliability and efficiency of incorporating mobile POS systems into restaurants and retail stores becomes more widely accepted, newer and more advances solutions are sure to follow. Merchant service providers are also finding ways to stay current and innovative. Merchant account reviews are a great place to read about the newest systems and find out which one offers exactly what you are looking to bring to your business.

If your business predominantly operates online, you will no doubt have invested in web-based advertising. However, overlooking offline marketing altogether would be a mistake.

Many businesses now operate largely or even solely online, meaning that web-based advertising in all its forms is an important way to raise your profile. However, there are clients you will simply never reach this way for one reason or another. Although offline advertising can be expensive, there are ways of engaging people in the real world that are easy, cheap and effective. These include:

• Business cards
• Stationary and emails
• QR codes

These are an excellent way to network and leave your details with interested parties. They are cheap to produce, thanks to the rise of digital printing, and come in almost infinite variety – don’t feel you have to restrict yourself to the traditional white rectangle. Just make sure you create a strong, clear design, and opt for good quality card and printing. If you need some ideas, simply look at other people’s cards or search the web for some inspiration.

Stationary and emails

Even if you do operate online, you will still likely use snail mail for deliveries and other functions. Even if you don’t, you will almost certainly send emails. Each of these communications offers a chance to reinforce your branding and message. Make sure your correspondence contains your contact details, logo, tagline and website, as applicable. These can go in an html email too. Once you have set these up with letterheads or email templates, they cost nothing to continue using by are a constant reminder to clients and suppliers.

QR codes

QR codes (quick response codes) are a kind of 2-dimensional barcode that are rapidly gaining popularity amongst smartphone users. They can be created using free software available on the web and store information which is accessed when they are snapped by a phone’s camera. This may take several forms, but one of the most popular is simply a link which is opened automatically. This significantly reduces the divide between online and offline, allowing advertising on physical surfaces – whether a poster, flyer, shop front, business card or letter – to act as a signpost to a far greater amount of information.

There are plenty of other ways to advertise your website by offline means, but if you are a small business these options will be of interest because they are cheap and easy to implement, therefore offering the possibility of an encouraging return-on-investment for the time and money spent on them.

This article was supplied by Nick Green of printed.com, a supplier of quality flyer printing and an accredited member of the Direct Marketing Association.

Bright Staff

Simply put, you donít want to do business with a company that strictly hires high-school graduates, young people fresh out of school, who have never worked a day before in their entire life, or fashion models. While it is true that these people, too, can perform well, what you want is professionalism, and a type of social intelligence that you only get from experienced professionals. Ask the staff agency representative to provide details about successful past events theyíve been involved in, to get a clear picture of their abilities.

Stylish

While it’s not all about the clothes they were, it is absolutely vital to the success of any event that the hired events staff blends in seamlessly, rather than standing out from the crowd for being either over- or underdressed. Similarly, if you need the staff to wear uniforms, make sure the staff company can provide them themselves, without you incurring any additional costs. Once again, asking for photographic proof of past events (which should cover as broad a range as possible) is a good idea. Consider the profile of your event attendees and select the event staff from a coherent area. If youíre putting together an academic or industry conference, then anyone aged below twenty-five would probably not blend in as well as a more seasoned professional. And this is but one example of the many you can think of.

Dynamic

Events staff basically have to be up and on their toes throughout the event. While theyíre not exactly running marathons, in a certain sense itís almost as if they were. Being dynamic involves being quick to respond, as well as well-trained and emotionally intelligent enough to pay attention to the guestsí needs. If the events staff requires more feedback from you than an initial training session, chances are they are simply not suited for this industry or not motivated enough to perform well. To this end, inquire the events staff company representative about the most complex and lengthiest event they have been associated with. This will give you at least a rough idea with respect to their level of experience and stamina.

First, when designing your sign try to use a light background and dark letters for maximum contrast. When considering colors, remember that the primary goal of the sign is to attract attention and while remaining easy to read. Bright colors should divert eyes to your sign, but fluorescent colors or jarring combinations may cause drivers to look away from your sign.

When placing your letters, leave enough adequate space between each letter, word and line. If the letters are too close together they can be difficult to read. Remember that someone driving down your street only has a few seconds to read and digest your sign. Avoid using long or difficult to read words, and be certain that everything is spelled correctly. Use only a few words, and space them well.

Another important aspect of the sign is to take into account the environment that the sign will be put into. Depending on where you’re located the sign will have to be made to handle those specific environments. It’s important to ensure the materials will hold up to the extremes and not break or fade over a short time.

Finally, if you are placing your business signs to encourage others to contact you, be sure to include clearly written contact information. Double check telephone numbers and email addresses to eliminate any errors. Also, include the area code on your telephone number to help those who are traveling from outside of your immediate area. Be sure the letters and number are clear and bold to make for easy reading while on the go.

Your sign is your one chance to showcase the most important and accurate information possible to all your potential customers. For the best results, take a walk or drive by yourself to make sure that the placement, size and other features of your sign allow for easy reading.

This guest post was provided by Brandon Serna on behalf of FASTSIGNS, a signage company specializing in business signs, banners, vehicle wraps and other visual communication services.

Image credit: Vertigogen via Flickr



1. Research, Research, Research

A business often starts with the catalyst of a killer idea however no business should strive to become more than an idea until vigorous market research has been conducted.

Market research tells you if your business idea is likely to work and if you are likely to have customers. It helps you define your target market, how much they have to spend and if they are likely to buy your product or service. What you think might be a winner might be completely unattractive to those you think may buy it. You can never tell if your idea will be successful until you test it on the market.

Always analyse your research results objectively. If you are going to twist your findings in order to show the result you were hoping for, then the time spent on research will be wasted. And if you find that you have to do this to make your business idea viable then you will be starting out on very shaky foundations.



2. Planning your Vision and Making it a Reality

If your market research bears fruit then that is the time to make your business plan. Your business plan should define your business idea, set out your vision for the future, contain solid financial projections and demonstrate how you will reach out to your target market in order to sell your product or service.

If you require external funding to get your business off the ground then you will need a watertight business plan in order to convince potential investors.

3. Establish your Finance Infrastructure Early

Running a business is hard work which is made 10x harder if you are disorganised from the start. This is why the third golden rule for business start-ups is to get your systems in place as early as possible. This means your accounts and accounting system, a place to store your receipts, invoicing, filing, computer systems, databases and anything else you need to run your business and ,more importantly, keep the cash flow running smoothly.



4. Don’t Sell Yourself Short

All businesses struggle to get those first few clients and it can be tempting to under-price and undercut in order to win business. In some cases, such as in the case of a longer term relationship, this can be a worthwhile way to start generating income. On the whole, though, you should charge a fair and competitive rate for your products or services from the start and only discount selectively in a targeted and strategic way.

It is a common observation of many business start-ups that once they upped their prices, the orders came flooding in. As a general rule of thumb, clients usually believe that you get what you pay for and low prices carry connotations of poor quality or desperation. It can also be difficult to raise your prices once you’ve set them low, particularly for existing customers.

5. Marketing Pays its Way

When funds are tight, particularly at the beginning, it can be difficult to pay out for various forms of marketing or find the time in your ever-busy schedule. Many new business owners neglect the marketing aspect of setting up a business until the phone stops ringing. Get ahead of the game and begin your marketing efforts from the moment you set up. Marketing carries unbeatable return on investment and in many cases, like that of Social Media Marketing, it is completely free and only costs a little bit of your time every day which in the long term can prove to be worth its weight in gold.

Hi I’m Ed, and I work in the exciting, fast paced and ever-changing world of a B2B services. I’ll be trying my best to keep you abreast give you a wide smorgasbord of handy hints, tips and advice to get the squeeze the best out of your business.

Printing and distributing a business card does not necessarily translate into sales. To see a return on your investment you need both to target the right audience and get them to notice you.

Once only the preserve of wealthy city types, business cards are now a ubiquitous medium for sharing your contact details. A quick trawl of digital print companies will turn up any number of options for your cards. Once you’ve had them printed, though, you still have to get them noticed by the right people – and every little advantage helps.

1. Up the quality

There are a lot of business cards in circulation, and most of them are pretty low quality – drab little dirty-white rectangles of card that look cheap because that’s what they are. Even though they seem to save money, the problem is that they make your business look cheap too. Business cards are a significant part of your marketing and branding, and you don’t want to look shoddy. Go for something a cut above the rest – heavier card (aim for 400 gsm or more), a good finish to make them more durable, and make sure the design is strong.

2. Be creative

If you really want to get noticed, go for something a bit more creative. There are lots of examples of really innovative and imaginative cards out there – search the web for some ideas if you need to. Your card doesn’t have to be a white rectangle, no matter how high the quality. There is endless variation of colour, shape and even function – cards which double up as useful reminders of one kind or another. They cost a little more, but they’re far less likely to be thrown away. One proviso is that you should make sure the design is still linked in some way to your business or distinctive approach – otherwise it looks like you’re just being different for the sake of it and it can come across as a gimmick.

3. Be useful

A variant on this theme is to turn your card into a useful object of one kind or another. How many times have you seen beer mats or coffee coasters with an advert of some sort on them? Again, these work better if there’s some kind of inherent link with your business. The point is that these should be things that people will hold onto because of their intrinsic usefulness as well as for the contact details you put on them.

4. Get out there

There is no substitute for getting out and meeting people, or developing strong word-of-mouth leads. These are far more reliable ways of attracting customers than giving cards out more-or-less randomly. If you can establish a relationship with someone, even if it’s just for a few minutes, they are far more likely to remember you and to use your services in the future because you’ve taken the time to speak to them – rather than reducing them to nothing more than a potential customer by handing them a card and moving on. Similarly, leaving a few cards with happy customers to pass on to others who need your services is a great way to expand your reach.

5. Reciprocal arrangements

You can join forces with someone who works in a related area without directly competing with them. For example, if someone needs a builder, there’s a good chance they might need a painter too. If someone needs a painter, perhaps they also need a designer, or landscape gardener. If you develop relationships with professionals in distinct but related fields, you should be able to gain some really solid leads by swapping cards with them on the understanding that you can both benefit from the arrangement. Make sure it’s someone whose work you respect, because you are making a personal recommendation which will also reflect on you. Once again, word of mouth is a powerful force and one professional’s recommendation about another counts for a lot.

This article was written by Kes, an in-house writer and marketer from printed.com. You can also check out some more info on the benefits of digital print and how to utilize it for your business.

• Prepare a Solid Loan Request Letter

Though available in some regions of the country and for various types of small enterprises, government loans are not always the best solutions for amassing the money you need in order to start your business. Always remember to keep your options open, no matter your outlook or plans for the future, be they connected to business or not. Look into banking loans or credit lines offered by other types of financial institutions. Credit angels, organizations and charities which offer grants, or even bridging loans are all workable options for getting the money you need. However, all of them require you to write a good, believable, documented and researched loan request letter. Your letter should include information on how you plan to use the money, how and when you expect to repay it and a professional summary of your proposed business strategy. This letter will be thoroughly analyzed and verified.

• Hope for the Best, Expect for the Worst

The state of the economy has also affected the leniency of banks and other crediting institutions with respect to granting credits. If three years ago, they were readily available for almost everyone, times have now changed. Obviously, this means you have a fair chance of not getting your much wanted loan. If push comes to shove, remember you have backup and alternative solutions. Always ask for detailed explanations on why your application was denied. Though you might not agree with every single argument you receive, chances are the other creditors you file with might agree. For this purpose, the feedback you get from those who reject you will help you put together a better proposal for your other requests.

• Sacrifice

Setting up a small business requires a lot of sacrifice from the part of the one who comes up with the idea in the first place. Expect to go quite a long span of time without a holiday, and even without a regular salary, as you work your way toward profit.

• Promote with Promoters

Picture the following scenario: you are at your local supermarket, hypermarket or grocery store. You are tired after a dayís work, yet you know back home you’re running scary-low on milk, butter, fruit, chicken and whatever else tickles your palate. You’d love nothing better than to kick back in front of the TV with a cold one, yet you go to the store. You discover that most everyone else who works an eight hour day is also there. The place is noisy, crowded and making you even more tired than you already are. You simply want to get out of there as quickly as possible. That’s when you notice a well-assembled, elegant retail display, with two lovely young ladies smiling at you. They’re offering free samples of coffee, cheese, seafood or whatever else. You, as a customer are refreshed after a quick, free, unexpected yet highly welcome bite of food. You will remember this product and purchase it. This is why POS promoters are such an efficient marketing toolóthey respond to the basic needs of the consumer right then and there, when he most needs your product.

• Elicit Curiosity

Bland display set-ups will have the buyer walk right past your brand new, incredibly good quality product. They will head on out down the aisle, where they know theyíre bound to find their favorite, regular brand. Thatís what will happen if you do POS marketing for a new product release the wrong way. If you do it the right way, with the right copy, artwork and clever, intriguing marketing at the point of sale, you are bound to pique the buyerís curiosity. At the very least, they will stop to see what all the hype is about. Once more, if done right, the marketing strategy will also prompt the buyer to try out this mysterious new product, of which he hasn’t heard before, but to which heís willing to give at least one chance.

• Dare to Be Different

Most products in supermarkets these days are conservative, to put it mildly. Current economic conditions have scared them into a corner, where they are so concerned they will scare off their base market that they choose to stay put and keep quiet, from a marketing and POS advertising perspective. This is where you and your product can choose to be different. By setting up an unusual retail display structure, you are bound to get noticed, talked about and eventually purchased. Brands may be conservative, but at least one segment of customers have had just about enough of the ësame old, same old approachí.

Find a Good Real Estate Broker

Recommendations from clients and partners are the best and most reliable you can get. A good broker will offer comprehensive services, and alleviate the stress of locating a maintenance company for your future space. Go all- inclusive, if possible, don’t just settle for a brokerage company that will handle the legal and technical details of the rental per se.

Know the Market

Know Your Needs

Here, I have pulled together a list of my favourite travel apps to ease your mind and save you money along the way.

1) FlightAware This completely free app lets you track your flights to let you know if your flight is on time or running late, before leaving the house. It will send you delay notifications and any data on your flight, all in real time.

2) Babelingo ñ There are many wonderful translation apps on the market, and many of them are free, but for $1.99 USD, this app gives you basic and heavily used phrases in hundreds of languagesóall without requiring a Wi-Fi connection. This way, you can easily communicate with hotel staff, vendors, or cab drivers, without trying to find a signal or paying for wireless service. 3) GasBuddy ñ If youíll be driving a rental car on your next holiday, take a moment to download the GasBuddy app. It allows you to search by city or zip code to find continuously updated information on the cheapest gas prices in the area.

4) Tips ó This little app is invaluable for helping you figure out how much to tip, which is something we all sometimes struggle withóit even takes into account how much you liked the service. In addition, it allows you to figure out how to split the bill if youíre dining with friends!

5) Trapster ñ Of course you would never speed or knowingly violate the traffic laws in any country, including your own. However, this free app does let you know what roads the police in the area are monitoring, thus saving you much time, money, and the aggravation of a traffic violation in a foreign country.

6) TripIt ó This helpful little app organizes all your reservation information, for car rentals, hotel rooms, even restaurant reservations. It pulls information from your email and gathers together your confirmation numbers, contact information, check-in times, and other crucial information so youíll never again be scrabbling through your bag looking for your confirmation number at the airline ticket window. It also updates your information with any changes, even at the last minute. And it saves your maps so you always know where you are!

7) UrbanSpoon ó This totally free app lets you search for restaurants by location and type of food. It also gives you maps, menus, and reviews of the restaurants. Great for travelling or even at home!

8) Skype ñ The Skype app allows you to talk to anyone from anywhereóyou purchase an inexpensive subscription for your city and chat to anyone, wherever they might be.

9) XECurrency ó The gold standard for online currency information, they now offer a free app! Crucial for overseas travel, this app allows you to check current exchange rates for every currency on the planet.

10) Expensify ñ This app helps organize all your receipts and invoices when youíre travelling for business. You can photograph receipts, track your mileage, and more. When your trip is over, Expensify will generate an expense report for you and send it to your accounting department for reimbursement. It even allows your employer to send your reimbursement directly to your bank account!

On your next business trip, try using these apps to save you money on dining out, petrol, and currency exchange fees. You might be surprised at the amount of money you can save!

About the Author: Laura Murphy has lead the eclectic vagabond life, traveling here and there and now has settled into the perfect gig for the perpetual itinerant: writing for the cheap car hire site NovaCarHire.com! She’s learned a thing or two about saving money on travel and hopes you follow her on her quest to share her lessons with folks who have a traveler’s heart, if not the budget.