Are You Utilizing Your Most Valuable Asset?

As a business owner, what is your main objective? To make money. What is one of the most overlooked asset at your disposal that can help you do this? Your employees. Research has shown that companies who utilize a system of performance management training have a higher retention rate among employees, boast of increased productivity and a better bottom line.

Successful organizations get their competitive edge from performance management system training. Developing a team of individuals who are energized and empowered helps your business thrive. Performance management system training programs give you the tools you need to hire talented professionals, put each employee in the right job position and continually develop their skills to reach the goals of your organization.

When a shared understanding unites an organization, everyone is working together. Performance management system training teaches and develops these common goals to achieve the highest level of performance possible. When you train your employees effectively, they know what is expected of them and need less monitoring. Employee morale is boosted when everyone feels they are adequately qualified for their job position. Positive morale has proven to increase productivity, which ultimately means more money in your pocket.

Are you taking advantage of your most valuable asset? Email me to learn more about performance management training.

Alaina's Voice

Visit Alaina'sVoice on Elance; the world’s leading online talent marketplace, where I am now qualified to offer a wide variety of freelance services.

Fibromyalgia

Over 12 million Americans suffer from the debilitating condition known as fibromyalgia. Women are 10 times more likely than men to get this disease, usually between the ages of 25 to 60. As one of those women, I feel more than qualified to write on this topic. I used this subject as my first article for Suite 101, which recently approved me as one of their contributing writers. Suite 101 is a content website similar to Demand Studios, which I also write for.

My article "About the Symptoms of and Treatments for Fibromyalgia" was published today. I am excited to reach out to new audiences with another avenue of writing. I look forward to writing more articles related to the health & wellness field, as well as on travel, parenting, and business management.

For more details on the services I offer, please visit my website.

Goal Reached!

I reached another exciting writing goal this week: 2 writing stars on helium.com!  I have been working towards this goal for a while, and have finally achieved it. Read the top-rated article that qualified me for the second star: Copywriting Tips For Advertising.

My next goal? A third star, of course!

Get More Done in Six Simple Steps

Whether you are the owner of a giant corporation or a stay-at-home mom; you're busy. There never seems to be enough time in the day, and at night you worry about the things you didn't accomplish. How can you utilize the time that you have to get more done?

1. Learn to love lists. First thing in the morning, create a detailed "to do" list. Jot down everything that comes to mind and then number them in order of importance. Deadlines that have to be met, appointments that need to be kept and items such as these get the top spots. Rather than leaving the less desirable tasks for last - get them done early so they're out of the way. Cross off the tasks on the list as you complete them, and refer back to your list frequently throughout the day.

2. Don't deviate. The list is there for a reason - so stick to it. If you need to go online to pay a bill, resist the urge to check your email. Save personal things for later; in fact schedule a limited block of time in your day that you can do whatever you want. When a friend calls to chat, ask if you can call back at your designated "personal time".  If you're interrupted during a task you've deemed unimportant, remember that it still needs to get done. Don't let yourself brush it off; it will only end up on tomorrow's list.

3. Perfect the art of prioritization. Some people mistakenly give priority to things that they "feel like" doing. Working on creative projects, updating blogs - your "fun" things to do usually get done first. What's the harm? As the day comes to a close and the night approaches, you're tired. But you still have things that need to get done today. You are in no mood to finish the annual sales report for tomorrow's meeting. You've pushed back researching how to advertise your new business or making an important sales call. Now the stress starts to set in. The solution? Prioritize the important things that must get accomplished that day. This may mean starting your list with the most challenging, the lengthiest, or the most involved tasks. You will have much more energy early in the day for these activities, and will feel less anxious once they are crossed off your list. Learn what priority really means to you.

Interested in learning the rest of these helpful tips? Sign up for my free newsletter! This month's edition:
Get More Done in Six Simple Steps.

Why Hire a Proofreader?

I received a brochure in the mail yesterday from a local business advertising specials and new prices. I could tell the business owner had spent a lot of money on these brochures from the nice glossy paper and high-quality graphics. The brochures were really impressive....except for the 3 spelling mistakes and numerous grammatical errors.

It would be difficult for me to give my money to a business that doesn't have someone double-check their advertisements. This is possibly their one chance to convince me, and everyone else, to shop at their store. It needs to be the best they can offer. And before you start thinking that their spelling errors were really hard words to spell and maybe their fact-checker just wasn't familiar with them, let me give you an example.  "Payments accepted by cash or chesk."

There is no reason this mistake (and the others) shouldn't have been caught before hundreds of these glossy brochures were printed and ordered. It isn't incompetence or laziness that caused this to happen. The truth is that the business owner probably went over the brochure dozens of times before sending it to the printers. Sometimes the eyes only see what they want to see. The only way to catch all the mistakes in writing is to have someone else's eyes go over the material. If it is an important piece of material, (like an advertisement) the best bet is to hire a professional proofreader.

Years of experience combined with a natural knack for proofreading makes me an ideal candidate for this job. For more details, or to email me for a free quote, please go to http://www.alainasvoice.com/.

10 for 10

My work with Demand Studios has been going really well.  I have submitted 10 articles since I was hired, and all 10 have been approved and published.  A few of what I've written are:

The Best New York City Clubs
Why Did Mexico Become a Vacation Spot
How Plants React to Light
Training Your Female Dog
How Floridians Protect Citrus Trees From Frost

My articles are published on content sites such as eHow.com and answerbag.com.  The pay isn't fantastic, but this is a great way for me to improve as a writer, learn to work under deadlines, and expand my writing portfolio.  I hope to use this experience to narrow down my field of expertise (read: decide what I really want to write about) and continue to grow as a freelancer.