‘Business’ Category

List Building Explained 101

The more you learn about internet marketing, the more you will find the importance of list building being emphasized.  But it is when you try to unde...

 

The more you learn about internet marketing, the more you will find the importance of list building being emphasized.  But it is when you try to understand what list building is that you face problems, it is so seemingly simple that there are few efforts made to have list building explained.  List building explained, in its most basic form, will be to define a list as a database of all your potential customers and list building will, in turn, be the exercise of building upon the number of potential customers you have so that your potential market increases.  Or, to put it simply, the list is your market and list building is expanding it.

People visit your site because something about what you have to offer has attracted their interest how and why they get interested is another subject altogether.  But just visiting your site does not mean that you will get their business in fact, very rarely does a first visit result in any sales being concluded.  The way to get sales is by building up your brand (your website and business in other words) and the way to do this is by constantly reminding people who you are, what you have to offer and how buying form you is better than buying from anywhere else.  This means you have to have a line of communication with them and online this means being able to send them regular emails with interesting information, details of what you are selling and specials offers and other hooks to get them to buy from you.

Selling online is based on creating trust among your customers and the only way that this can be done is by establishing a link with them through regular communication so that in time they feel they know you and can safely buy from you, although you are a faceless online entity.  The basis of all this communication is your list of email addresses and that is the market you will be selling to.

Many rookies to ecommerce mistakenly think that when it come to lists, size is all that matters.  Size is not everything and having a list of 10,000 people living in India is not going to help you to sell a book about Dating In America.  A good list is one where there can be a good conversion rate, not one that is simply full of email addresses a conversion rate of 20% with a focused list of 1,000 addresses will be far more profitable than a list of 10,000 that results in a conversion rate of just 1%.

Halal Catering Basics: What You Need to Know

 

If you want to start a successful catering business, then you should be prepared to do everything that is necessary to make the client happy and satisfied. This includes going the extra mile by preparing foods that are appropriate for the client’s cultural standards and foods are religiously acceptable.

When doing Halal catering, it is best to make sure that the menu does not have any pork. Caterers should also make sure that it is carrion free. When serving other forms of meat, make sure that the blood is completely drained. Make sure that all meat products are cooked well since meats that are not cooked well enough tend to be bloody. All animals that are not killed in the name of Allah should not be used either which is why it is best to do a little research to find out the exact names of the animals that you should never serve in a Halal catering.

Alcoholic drinks are also prohibited in Halal catering. This includes food that has been cooked with alcoholic drinks as well. If you are not sure if a drink can be qualified as an alcoholic drink or not, don’t take chances and just look fro other drinks to serve. Always remember that the happiness and the satisfaction of the client is the number one priority.

IF you think that you have nothing else to serve, better think again. Serving lamb cutlets and cubed cheese is allowed in Halal catering. Also, consider doing vegetarian food if you are finding it hard to differentiate the kinds of meat that you are allowed and not allowed to serve.

Serving rice dishes is also recommended in Halal catering. Other options include sandwiches and bite size all vegetarian snacks. Salads are also highly recommended in Halal catering.

If you are not used to making these types of foods, always treat Halal caterings as a good way to learn new dishes and new ways of cooking different types of food. Just make sure that the food that you are going to be serving for the first time actually tastes good.

Green Catering Basics

 

If there is one thing that is good about the discovery of some scientists that the world is slowly dying, it has to be the fact that it urged a lot of people to go green in everything that they do. Thankfully, this also urged a lot of caterers to get involved in green catering. However, some caterers tend to believe the misconception that green catering is just about serving organically prepared food. Here are other green catering facts that all caterers and even organizers should be aware of.

Green catering is also about using bio sensible utensils and kitchen materials. Caterers should serve utensils that are made of biodegradable materials such as cornstarch and sugar. Aside from saving the environment by not using harmful dishwashing liquids, biodegradable utensils can also be used as fertilizers. As of now, there are lots of plates, spoons, forks and knives that are made out of biodegradable materials so finding one is not really that difficult.

When it comes to cleaning up the area, caterers should make sure that the detergents, dishwashing liquids and other cleaning chemicals that they will use should be eco-friendly. Nowadays, it’s not that hard to find eco-friendly cleaning materials. It is really up to the caterers if they want to stick with green catering. Caterers should also consider using biodiesel fuel on their delivery vans and trucks.

One great thing about doing green catering is that it can help caterers build up a solid clientele. Since more and more people are into saving the environment, the demand for green caterers is at an all time high. Even big companies are beginning to get into green catering.  Since the big companies are getting involved in green catering, chances are, the small companies are following in their footsteps as well which means more clients for caterers who are into green catering.

Green catering is the best way to give back to the environment without having to compromise a business. Caterers should take advantage of this catering option since they have nothing to lose and have so much to gain.

Catering Ideas for Different Types of Events

 

Catering ideas for different event have a lot of variety.  A lot of factors will influence your choice when coming up with the most suitable menu for a specific event.  Perhaps the most influential factors are the location of the event or the type of event.  Once you know what those two factors are, then it will be easier to decide whether the preparation is elaborate or low-key.

Weddings are perhaps on the top list of catering events that need to be considered.  You have a choice of either a seafood buffet party or meat buffet party or even a combination of both.  For seafood buffets you have choice of steamed lobster claws, crab legs, shrimp, and scallops wrapped in bacon.  These items are sure hit to the guests.  Combine these with regular rice or red rice, green beans, small vegetables, and coleslaw to balance with the steamed seafood

For the meat selection, you can opt for roast beef, ribs, sliced ham, turkey or chicken as an alternative. Then you can match them with choices of vegetables such as green beans, broccoli, or a nice salad bar.  Rice and baked potatoes is a must in this choice of menu.

For children’s party such as birthdays, make sure that the catering ideas you have in mind are accommodating to little fingers.  Pizzas are highly recommended for kiddie parties and they can be decorated to make them look more attractive to the kids.  You can also throw in the mix peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  For healthier snacks you can also put in low fat ice cream and some celery and cheese sticks in the menu.

For kiddie parties never forget to include in the menu these items: hotdog on sticks or sandwiches, ham and cheese rolls, and cupcakes and cookies.  These are the just haves for any children’s party.

For bridal showers or baby showers finger foods are the best types of foods that you can throw in on the menu.  Sandwiches, stuffed mushrooms, baked or mashed potatoes, and tray filled with a variety of small fruits are recommended for the occasion.  You can throw in some chocolates or mini chocolates cakes as this is what considered as the main course by a majority of people when it comes to bridal and baby showers.

Whatever type of event you have in your hands, just remember never to forget putting in desserts into your catering ideas as it will put a nice closing touch to a happy and exciting event.

Facts About Full Service Catering

 

Different occasions require different kinds of catering services. For grand events such as weddings and debuts, it is best to hire full service catering. Although it can be more expensive than the other, simpler catering services, full service catering takes care of more than just delivering the food which is why it is more suited for grand occasions. So, what other things does a full service catering take care of you ask? Here are some facts that you might want to know.

If you are expecting a big crowd, then it is best to hire full service catering. With this kind of catering service, the food is not just dropper off. They are also served to the guests. This is what makes it so perfect for big occasions since organizers don’t have to hire waiters to serve the food. Not only are you saving money, you are also saving precious time since you don’t have to think of so many things all at once.

Although a full service catering also takes care of serving the food, you can still customize the way that you want the food to be presented. For example, the main guests of the event will be the only people to be directly served by a waiter. Other guests on the other hand can just form a line on the buffet table. Not to worry though because they will still be served promptly at the buffet table.

Full service catering, just like any other caterings, has different service fees which would depend on a couple of factors. These factors include the duration of the event. The longer the duration, the more expensive it’s going to be. You should also be careful in choosing the types of food to be served. There are certain catering services who offer additional fees if the event is too far or if the event is suddenly moved to a new location.

This is why before booking a full service catering; you should take time to look at the terms and conditions that apply. It is also good to take note of any circumstances that can give them the right to ask for any additional fees.