Debit Cards vs ATM cards Is Convenience Really Worth It In The End

As a society we have made changes due to increases in technology. Less Americans are carrying cash today, all because of the now highly used debit cards that are issued with nearly every bank account we open. Prior to this, we had ATM cards which were great in the sense that we were able to always take money out of our bank accounts or deposit money into our accounts from multiple locations at any hour of the day. Now with the increased reliance on Debit Cards, we may be forgetting about the risks we take in using it over our traditional ATM cards.

Think of it this way. When you use an ATM card, you have to know the pin number. When you use a Debit Card you merely swipe, sign and go. This convenience is not only good for us but also anyone that get a hold of our debit cards! If we had ATM cards, there ability to hack into our account would be greatly reduced merely because of that pin number.

Banks offering Debit Cards through the Visa or MasterCard name are also upholding the “zero liability” rule on them. Basically stating that as long as your report your card stolen within 2 days, you will not be held liable for money lost do to fraudulent usage. But you also have to go through a lengthy process and it can be up to 20 days until the banks refund the money into your bank account that was lost. This is something to keep in mind when choosing between an ATM card and a Debit card.

Debit Cards are an obvious good choice for those individuals with damaged credit who are unable to get typical credit cards. The Debit Card will allow them the same buying conveniences as a credit card. For those who already have credit cards, the ATM may be a better option. Cash availability without the worries of someone else getting a hold of it and hacking into your bank account.

With the high rate of increase of identity theft throughout the world, we need to take any steps we can to try to protect ourselves from becoming victims of this faceless crime. When faced with the choice of a traditional ATM card and a debit card I urge you to truly consider what is best for your situation. Convenience may have its setbacks.

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Create a Market Position for Your Medical Practice

Carve out a market position to maximize your marketing investment

In the marketing world, positioning is a relatively new concept. Introduced in 1982 by marketing gurus, Al Ries and Jack Trout, the idea behind positioning is to clearly define what your practice represents to the patient. Through this unique position, a level of mindshare is devoted to your practice. These positioning efforts should clearly communicate what your practice offers.

Prior to the 1980's, Madison Avenue advertising executives allocated as much money as they could to mass marketing and it worked pretty well. At that time, media venues included newspaper, billboards, radio and three major TV channels. Whoever purchased the most ad space won the battle for the consumer's dollar. Today cable television and the Internet have fragmented the market and our attention into niches, irrevocably changing the face of marketing. Marketers now had to be smarter; shouting louder than everyone else was no longer effective. Positioning was born to define a product and service to a marketplace whose attention is increasingly more divided.

A good exercise to discern your practice's position is to draw a series of four concentric circles. On the outer circle allow room for eight to ten descriptive words which describe your practice's unique qualities. If you are an OB/GYN practice, the words may include 4D Ultrasound, experienced physicians, multiple locations, friendly staff, limited wait time and valet service. Within that circle, allow yourself six of those words that you deem most important to your patient base. Once this task is complete, move to the next circle allowing the three most important of the last six words. The last circle is designated for the most relevant descriptor of the final three words that you feel is of utmost importance. This one word or "core message" will help to reveal what your position or brand promise involves.

Unfortunately, it is not enough to build your core communications message around what you and your staff thinks. A patient survey will reveal what your patients perceive are the best assets of your practice and may reveal areas to be improved upon. Surveys also create a great deal of good will with patients because they are appreciative of the fact that your practice cares enough to gauge their happiness.

Once you have the results in from at least 200 surveys and your own core message evaluation in hand, a "visioning" process can take place. Mission and vision statements are important elements to a successful marketing plan. Too often, I hear that a mission statement was generated because, "everyone else had one!" A mission statement reveals what your practice's promise to its patients, referring physicians, employees and vendors is in a one-year period. It is common to reevaluate and modify the mission statement as your practice grows. A vision statement is exactly what it sounds like; a five-year vision of what your practice will become. The vision helps all your employees to "keep their eyes on the prize", enabling the practice to reach its fullest potential.

It is difficult for most practices to objectively understand how to position their business. The flurry of activity in a practice on a day to day basis limits time for true introspection like I've described within this article. Marketing is really about differentiating one product or service from another. In the medical marketplace you may have a competitor who offers almost identical services to yours. Development of a market position gives your practice a critical competitive advantage to help existing and potential patients to understand the difference in the two practices.

Once you've determined your practice's core message, a positioning or tag line may be developed. This positioning statement is a succinct message that captures your practices core message. A positioning statement should be memorable and relevant to the core message. This six or seven word statement should appear on everything that a patient sees, from business cards to website to exterior signage.

A defined position is the beginning of a strong brand. It will help grease the communication wheels for maximization of your marketing impact, with less investment.

Woody Stoudemire is owner and president of Medical Marketing, a strategic marketing firm specializing in patient retention and growth for health care practices. He is a 17 year veteran of the marketing communications industry. He may be reached at http://www.medicalmarketing.ws

Can You Plan Your Own Wedding

Can you plan a dream wedding on your own? I’m sure you want your wedding extra special and memorable. The key to planning a perfect wedding on your own is making lists, calling to confirm and a pocket planner.

Your wedding planning lists revolves around your wedding date. So write your wedding date on your calendar first. Next make a budget and a list of everything you are going to need for your wedding and a list of businesses and phone numbers to contact.

The next important thing that affects your wedding planning process is the location. Choose your location and write down details in your wedding planner. Details such as d้cor, colors, lighting, parking, number of church pews, are chairs available? Does the sunshine in at a certain time of day? Are you going to rent an aisle runner? How much room is available for ferns, flowers or candles?

Next you need to jump to planning the reception because reserving a great location on the same date as your wedding can be difficult. To find a great wedding reception location ask around or recall weddings that you have attended in the past. Make a list of questions to ask when you call or visit the location. Things such as price, availability, what time you can set up, do they have in house catering or can you hire your own caterer or bring in food or alcohol? I had my reception in an old southern mansion and they only allowed a champagne toast and no other drinking.

Next consider what type of music you would like for your wedding and reception. Booking good musicians or a recommended DJ needs to be done as early as possible because they get booked up. Write your musician’s phone number in your planner and be sure to give them a reminder call a day or two before the wedding to confirm that they will be there.

You will also need a florist. Again ask around to find out which florists in your area have the best prices and reputation. Schedule a consultation with the florist and ask to see samples and a price list. A good florist will ask you what your needs are and help you stay within your budget. Add your florist number to your planner and ask when the flowers will be delivered or when they will be ready for pick-up. Again make a follow-up call to ensure that your flowers will be ready or delivered on time.

Of coarse you will need to find the wedding gown of your dreams and add their number to your planner to confirm when your gown will be available for pick-up.

The reception food is another very important element that needs to be planned ahead of time in order to be successful. Ask friends and family if they know a good caterer or if your budget is tight consider purchasing food platters from reputable deli departments. My husband and I ordered fruit, meat and cheese platters with rolls from Kroger’s and had a friend put them out on the decorated buffet table at the reception. It only took minutes to set up and was beautiful and self-serving. We received many compliments on our reception food and it looked beautiful. Add you caterer or food provider’s number to your list and give them a quick follow up call the day before or the morning of your wedding to ensure that the food will be ready for pick-up or delivery on time.

Next find a good baker. Call around make an appointment to look at their wedding cake book or take a picture of a cake that you like. This is one area that frequently gets messed up because brides assume the baker knows what they are thinking. Make sure you confirm exactly what you want. If you want it simple, emphasize that. If you want the bottom layer chocolate, re-confirm that and make sure they write it down. Add your baker’s number to your list and call a day before to make sure that your cake will be ready on time for delivery or pick-up. Confirm the delivery time and location and make sure that they have a mobile contact number just in case they can’t find the reception location and need to call for directions.

The best way to plan your own wedding on the run is with a cell phone. Once you pick your wedding vendors enter then into your cell phone for quick access. Your cell phone will be a valuable tool for making appointments and following up with vendors. Keep a list of important phone numbers handy to make quick calls when you have a few minutes.

Visit http://www.YourWeddingStory.net for more Wedding Planning Tips

[tags]Wedding planning, planning a wedding, planning a wedding on a budget, wedding planning guide[/tags]

Can We Not Learn From Other People

Throw the first stone he who hasn't made a mistake.
It is a prerogative of life to teach us through our mistakes, a fact that is really unfortunate, as we would be much better off if we learnt from the mistakes of others. Here are some conjectures.

Wouldn't it be great if we could just not repeat the very same mistakes that most of our elders have made and hence, grow up much more rapidly and then make brand new mistakes so others would learn from us and grow up even more rapidly? How advanced we would be!

But no, here we are, teaching our children and friends what NOT to do, only no one listens to us, as we practically never listen to anyone either. Why is that? We don’t listen and invariably we screw up. Though most of them are light, some mistakes carry huge consequences.

How many times did your parents teach you something that came in the one ear at the same speed that it went out the other? Why do our children do the same? And so do we?

Example: Your child decides to jump off a tree near a spiky branch lying around. You see the danger, you yell “Don’t jump!” and he does it anyway. He stumbles and nearly loses an eye when the branch hits his face.

Question: Has your child learnt to listen to you or as has your child learnt not to jump so close to another branch?

Consequence: None, but potentially serious.

Example: You see your teen backing up and driving faster than it would be safe on a parking lot. You repeat over and over: “Careful, don’t go so fast. This is a parking lot and you may hit cars and, God forbid, people!” She keeps ignoring you until she nearly hits a car or nearly runs over a pedestrian.

Question: Has you child learnt to listen to you or has your child learnt to slow down in the parking lot?

Consequence: None, but potentially serious.

Example: Your parents know that you tent to drink alcohol and while taking drugs (soft or hard). They say “This is very dangerous. Stop doing it” But you ignore them and do it anyway. So one of the times you mix the two you feel very bad and among other things you nearly lose your consciousness.

Question: Have you learnt to listen to your parents or have your learnt not to mix drinks and drugs?

Consequence: None, but potentially serious.

How many of potentially serious consequences have we faced throughout our life? What if they indeed come to pass? Why can’t we just accept the fact that the experiences lived by others are a great tool for our maturity and therefore we must pay attention? You tell me!

But I tell you… Next time someone gives you an advice, think twice before ignoring it. At least, if the consequences of your actions are not severe, you don’t have to hear: “I told you so!”

ฉ Maria Moratto 2006

Want to have more abundance, health, time, love, fun, and blessings? Visit Prescription For Bliss at http://www.rx4bliss.com, sign up for the newsletter and receive a fr*ee ebook called "Happy People Are More Abundant!"
Dr. Maria Moratto is the author of "The Inner Cure: Healing Your Body, Mind, and Soul," and "The Inner Cure: Mending Your Broken Heart."

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[tags]mistakes, consequences, advice, family, teens,[/tags]


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