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Added for You - Online Registration Services - How to Select the Right One
Saying that two Salespeople are the same is like saying that two pets are the same; and we all know that isn’t true.For starters, dealing with a salesperson with years of experience is definitely different from dealing with a salesperson that is just rounding out his or her first week in the industry.Furthermore, dealing with a salesperson that puts your needs before his or her own is quite a different thing all together from dealing with a salesperson that puts his or her own needs first.As another example, working with a salesperson that wants to build a partnership based on a win-win philosophy that involves helping your company reach its goals is far removed from the experience of dealing with a salesperson that simply wants to sell you a product and move on to the next account.The question then becomes, how do you choose the right salesperson?I personally think it’s as easy as looking at how he or she does business.For example, are they willing to provide reference letters and testimonials when asked upon, can they answer your questions in a timely fashion, are they currently working with some of the key accounts in the area, and are they concerned with what your company is hoping to achieve or are they only concerned in telling you what you should do and what you should buy?The answers to all of these questions should be good determining factors when
If a provider is close, but doesn’t have the exact functionality you need, some companies also offer customization services (for a fee). You tell the company what you need, and they’ll tell you how much it would cost to customize their system to better meet your needs.
How do I know if the company will be there for me when I have questions or problems?
Support falls into three categories: online help, training, and one-on-one phone and email support.
If the online help is good, it will be the most efficient way for you to get quick answers 24/7. How easy is it to access? Is there context sensitive help that will give you help specific to the section you were in? How thorough and practical is the help? Do they offer how-to’s, tips, and warnings? How oft
JV the Costs – Whether it’s an office you share, or a receptionist, or an administrative assistant, or standby conference call lines, you can make deals with other businesses that may not need a full-time receptionist, for example, to keep the costs down. A local school supply business shares an office with a surveyor. A small downtown Hartford mail order firm shares office space and conference rooms with an advertising agency. A New York investment consulting firm shares the mailing address with a Florida realtor who is also licensed in New York and wants a local presence. Things like office and mail services, help desk support, and other shared services are becoming more common. If you can’t find one that makes sense for your business, why not invent your own solution?JV to Build Your List – Your list is your greatest asset, right? But if you only have 1,000 names where 50,000 or 100,000 is the norm (more is better, right?), then why not JV a list exchange. Bear with me. It’s true that you may not have much to offer to the list owner of 100,000+ names, when you only have 1,000. But it can be done.One way to do this? Ok, let’s pretend that I convince a speaker to do a teleseminar with me that I know at least 2 or 3 other 100k+ list size owners would love to tell their subscribers about. Let’s couple that with the fact that these list owners want to build their lists even more. And you do to
We want it to be easier for you to select an online registration provider because you have a lot to gain from making the switch. In this paper we will help you understand what to look for and which questions to ask when selecting an online registration provider…
What do I look at first?
First impressions say a lot about a company. If it is easy to obtain and understand information about their service, then it is more likely that their product and company are easy to work with. If it takes too much up-front effort on your part, then it may be a sign of what’s to come.
How responsive were their sales people to your calls or emails? Did it take hours or days to hear back? Did you like interacting with them? How clear were their features and pricing? Did you get straight answers, or need to really dig to get to the bottom line? As much as you are buying technology, you are buying the people who make the technology and their ability to make your life easier.
How do I determine which system will be easiest to use?
Most providers will talk about their ease of setup and use. Depending on your technical aptitude and the complexity of your event, you may or may not agree with their claims. Something to consider: the simpler a system seems at first, the less likely it is to have advanced functionality that you may quickly hunger for. When you look at a system, it’s important to consider both simplicity and functionality. If you go with a very simple system for eases sake, you may miss out on some important functionality or vice versa.
The best way to truly understand ease-of-use is to play around with the system yourself. Most companies have a demo account where you can log into their system and setup or play with a registration form. When you do this, ask yourself… Is the interface intuitive? Can I figure out how to do most of what I want to do with it? Would my coworkers be able to understand and use this system? Sometimes you can also get a sense of the system through their live online demos. It’s best to see the live application in use, versus a PowerPoint, to show you how the system works.
If you have relatively complex registration needs, you will need a system that is more robust and therefore may appear less simple. In this case you will want to pay greater attention to their training and support (which we will cover later).
What is the easiest way to figure out if they really have the functionality I need?
An easy way to check if their functionality fits your needs is to fax your current registration form to the salespeople. Make an additional list of your management and reporting needs and identify them as either “have to haves” or “would like to haves”. Ask the salesperson to walk through it with you and tell you what their system can and cannot do.
A great way to confirm their claims is to ask for and call references that have events that are similar to yours. This way, you can talk through how they used it and compare it to your own needs. Ask the references what functionality is missing and how easy it is to use.
Most systems cover the basic functions like collecting information, sending confirmation, reminder, and notification emails, processing credit cards, and producing basic reports. However, it’s the advanced features that are important to identify and compare. Some of these include wait listing, hotel blocks, custom reporting, mass emailing, surveying, and series meeting management. Within each one of these categories, there are a host of increasingly specific functions to consider.
If a provider is close, but doesn’t have the exact functionality you need, some companies also offer customization services (for a fee). You tell the company what you need, and they’ll tell you how much it would cost to customize their system to better meet your needs.
How do I know if the company will be there for me when I have questions or problems?
Support falls into three categories: online help, training, and one-on-one phone and email support.
If the online help is good, it will be the most efficient way for you to get quick answers 24/7. How easy is it to access? Is there context sensitive help that will give you help specific to the section you were in? How thorough and practical is the help? Do they offer how-to’s, tips, and warnings? How ofte
Credit cards for people with bad credit are a form of borrowing that often involves charges. So it's wise to compare terms and fees before you agree to open a credit or charge card account. Try looking for a credit card with a low APR. Find out the APR because this is the amount charged to you on monthly balances.Are you overwhelmed with credit card offers and don’t know which one is right for you? Tired of looking for a credit card? Chances are you have received your share of credit card solicitations. Not sure which credit cards you should apply for? Shop around because not all credit cards for people with bad credit are created equal.The following are some important things to consider that generally must be disclosed in credit card applications or with credit cards that require no application. Annual Percentage Rate Periodic Rate Variable Rate and Grace periodThe card issuer must disclose the "periodic rate" - the rate applied to your outstanding balance to figure the finance charge for each billing period. Some credit cards for people with bad credit allow the issuer to change your APR when interest rates or other economic indicators - called indexes - change. Because the rate change is linked to the index's performance, these plans are called "variable rate" programs.By making on-time payments you could be on the road to repairing
How do I determine which system will be easiest to use?
Most providers will talk about their ease of setup and use. Depending on your technical aptitude and the complexity of your event, you may or may not agree with their claims. Something to consider: the simpler a system seems at first, the less likely it is to have advanced functionality that you may quickly hunger for. When you look at a system, it’s important to consider both simplicity and functionality. If you go with a very simple system for eases sake, you may miss out on some important functionality or vice versa.
The best way to truly understand ease-of-use is to play around with the system yourself. Most companies have a demo account where you can log into their system and setup or play with a registration form. When you do this, ask yourself… Is the interface intuitive? Can I figure out how to do most of what I want to do with it? Would my coworkers be able to understand and use this system? Sometimes you can also get a sense of the system through their live online demos. It’s best to see the live application in use, versus a PowerPoint, to show you how the system works.
If you have relatively complex registration needs, you will need a system that is more robust and therefore may appear less simple. In this case you will want to pay greater attention to their training and support (which we will cover later).
What is the easiest way to figure out if they really have the functionality I need?
An easy way to check if their functionality fits your needs is to fax your current registration form to the salespeople. Make an additional list of your management and reporting needs and identify them as either “have to haves” or “would like to haves”. Ask the salesperson to walk through it with you and tell you what their system can and cannot do.
A great way to confirm their claims is to ask for and call references that have events that are similar to yours. This way, you can talk through how they used it and compare it to your own needs. Ask the references what functionality is missing and how easy it is to use.
Most systems cover the basic functions like collecting information, sending confirmation, reminder, and notification emails, processing credit cards, and producing basic reports. However, it’s the advanced features that are important to identify and compare. Some of these include wait listing, hotel blocks, custom reporting, mass emailing, surveying, and series meeting management. Within each one of these categories, there are a host of increasingly specific functions to consider.
If a provider is close, but doesn’t have the exact functionality you need, some companies also offer customization services (for a fee). You tell the company what you need, and they’ll tell you how much it would cost to customize their system to better meet your needs.
How do I know if the company will be there for me when I have questions or problems?
Support falls into three categories: online help, training, and one-on-one phone and email support.
If the online help is good, it will be the most efficient way for you to get quick answers 24/7. How easy is it to access? Is there context sensitive help that will give you help specific to the section you were in? How thorough and practical is the help? Do they offer how-to’s, tips, and warnings? How oft
When you are hunting for a mortgage, you will find that there are many different types of mortgages available. I will list some of the more common ones and their uses.15 vs 30 YearsYour mortgage term can be just about anything you choose. 15 and 30 year terms are popular these days, although 10 and 20 years also are available.The shorter the term, the lower the interest rate. But the main attraction of shorter term mortgages is the money you save.For example on a $200,000 mortgage with a fixed 4.5% rate, you would pay $1013.38 a month for 30 years and $1529.99 a month for 15 years. Over 30 years you would pay $364,816.80 versus $275,398.20 over 15 years, a savings of $89,418.60 or 24.5% in interest.If you cut a very conservative quarter of a percent off for reducing the lenders exposure by 15 years, your savings will be nearly 26%.Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM )ARM’s are mortgages whose rates adjust according to the terms of the contract you made with the lender.Usually interest rates are fixed for the first 1, 3, 5, 7 or 10 years. After that period is up, rates will be allowed to fluctuate within the limits of your contract with the lender.Terms are usually 15 or 30 years (although you can negotiate just about any duration you want). There can be a balloon involved.Because the lender is not taking as big a risk o
If you have relatively complex registration needs, you will need a system that is more robust and therefore may appear less simple. In this case you will want to pay greater attention to their training and support (which we will cover later).
What is the easiest way to figure out if they really have the functionality I need?
An easy way to check if their functionality fits your needs is to fax your current registration form to the salespeople. Make an additional list of your management and reporting needs and identify them as either “have to haves” or “would like to haves”. Ask the salesperson to walk through it with you and tell you what their system can and cannot do.
A great way to confirm their claims is to ask for and call references that have events that are similar to yours. This way, you can talk through how they used it and compare it to your own needs. Ask the references what functionality is missing and how easy it is to use.
Most systems cover the basic functions like collecting information, sending confirmation, reminder, and notification emails, processing credit cards, and producing basic reports. However, it’s the advanced features that are important to identify and compare. Some of these include wait listing, hotel blocks, custom reporting, mass emailing, surveying, and series meeting management. Within each one of these categories, there are a host of increasingly specific functions to consider.
If a provider is close, but doesn’t have the exact functionality you need, some companies also offer customization services (for a fee). You tell the company what you need, and they’ll tell you how much it would cost to customize their system to better meet your needs.
How do I know if the company will be there for me when I have questions or problems?
Support falls into three categories: online help, training, and one-on-one phone and email support.
If the online help is good, it will be the most efficient way for you to get quick answers 24/7. How easy is it to access? Is there context sensitive help that will give you help specific to the section you were in? How thorough and practical is the help? Do they offer how-to’s, tips, and warnings? How oft
It is a well known fact that as the population increases then the number of people wanting to go into business increases –obvious but true.This is despite the fact that a large amount of businesses fail within the first two years.Ideally one would like to purchase a business for less than it takes to create one – this is not always easy and can take as much effort as the former.So just how does one take the choice of whether or not to uptake the business opportunity?The decision can be helped by the work taken to look at the factors affecting the eventual outcome.What is commonly misunderstood is that businesses have their life-cycles –if you are lucky enough to buy a business when its life-cycle is still enhanced by its customer loyalty then it is fortunate but if one is basing their future on this then it can be touch-and-go.So what should one look at when purchasing a business franchise?Establishing a customer baseInternal systems and proceduresMarket awareness and credibilityPremises and cash-flowStaffingFranchising is such a popular industry due to the ability to focus on the first three points.It must be noted that, however, as with any business, it essential to establish a customer base.Also, it is important to ask oneself whether or not the customers will stay happy in the long-term; this is of paramo
A great way to confirm their claims is to ask for and call references that have events that are similar to yours. This way, you can talk through how they used it and compare it to your own needs. Ask the references what functionality is missing and how easy it is to use.
Most systems cover the basic functions like collecting information, sending confirmation, reminder, and notification emails, processing credit cards, and producing basic reports. However, it’s the advanced features that are important to identify and compare. Some of these include wait listing, hotel blocks, custom reporting, mass emailing, surveying, and series meeting management. Within each one of these categories, there are a host of increasingly specific functions to consider.
If a provider is close, but doesn’t have the exact functionality you need, some companies also offer customization services (for a fee). You tell the company what you need, and they’ll tell you how much it would cost to customize their system to better meet your needs.
How do I know if the company will be there for me when I have questions or problems?
Support falls into three categories: online help, training, and one-on-one phone and email support.
If the online help is good, it will be the most efficient way for you to get quick answers 24/7. How easy is it to access? Is there context sensitive help that will give you help specific to the section you were in? How thorough and practical is the help? Do they offer how-to’s, tips, and warnings? How oft
I sit on the board of an organization and at the last meeting found myself speaking with another board member named Standolyn Robertson. Standolyn is also a business owner and our conversation was about managing expectations … both ours and our clients. She said something that is very true--‘It is about using our knowledge and expertise to foresee and side-step roadblocks, revise unrealistic timelines and debunk myths.’ And I couldn’t agree more.But there are times when I am not there to coach a client and it seems prudent to share information with you on how to manage your own set of expectations when it comes to improving your organizing or time management skills.Foresee and side-step roadblocksIf you have tried to improve your skills in the past, but have not been successful over the short or long-term, step back and think about the types of roadblocks that interfered with your success. Was time committed to your calendar? Did you lack information? Did you lack of support? Wrong tools? Did you even have ownership of your goal? Or maybe it was perfectionism that got in the way. As I have said in the past and continue to say, the goal is to be successful…not perfect. Identifying past roadblocks will help you become more aware of them so that you may be better prepared to overcome them and reach your goal.Revise unrealistic timelinesYour organizing and time management c
If a provider is close, but doesn’t have the exact functionality you need, some companies also offer customization services (for a fee). You tell the company what you need, and they’ll tell you how much it would cost to customize their system to better meet your needs.
How do I know if the company will be there for me when I have questions or problems?
Support falls into three categories: online help, training, and one-on-one phone and email support.
If the online help is good, it will be the most efficient way for you to get quick answers 24/7. How easy is it to access? Is there context sensitive help that will give you help specific to the section you were in? How thorough and practical is the help? Do they offer how-to’s, tips, and warnings? How often do they update the help? Updates are especially important with companies that are improving their technology on a weekly basis. Do they provide regular email updates on enhancements or changes? Some companies also offer flash mini-trainings that you can click on to watch at any time.
The next is training. What trainings do they offer? How often? Is there a charge for training? Do they have flash trainings that you can take whenever you like? What do customers say about their trainings?
As well as some of the systems are built, you most likely will have questions or needs that require a live person on the other end (especially if you don’t have time for online help or training). The important questions then become: What is the average response time to an email or phone call? How helpful and friendly are they? How many clients per dedicated support employee (non-programmer) do they have? Do they have restrictions on how you can use support (email only, $ per incident, etc.)? Try asking the support team directly for the answers to these questions. The way they respond will tell you something too.
With some providers, they will build the registration pages for you (for a fee). If you are in a pinch for time or find it a hassle, this can be a life-saver, so be sure they have it.
How do I figure out the real bottom-line cost?
Unfortunately, pricing is one of the most confusing aspects of this industry. This has come as a result of providers trying to tailor their pricing to too many different client needs. Small events, large events, frequent events, processing credit cards, etc.. Here are the categories of pricing: per event, per registrant, % of transaction, annual fees, up-front fees, flat rate licensing fees, and additional service fees.
Mix all this together with volume discounts and long-term contracts, and there are a lot of numbers to look at. To sort them all out, start with a most likely scenario of what your events will look like for the next year and get the prices for that.
Create a spreadsheet and input all the numbers from the different providers to come up with a bottom-line price for each. Then weigh the total cost against all the other criteria discussed here. Don’t make the mistake of going with the cheapest at the expense of missing out on features, stability, or good service.
Also, be careful with entering long-term contracts, just to get a better price. It is important to do a test-run with a couple events before locking into the long term (if at all). Some agreements have auto-renewal clauses that, without you really knowing, lock you in year-to-year.
What do I need to know about processing credit cards online?
If you are using their merchant account, how does billing work? How quickly do they pay you? Do they hold back on any portion? If so, for how long? Can you view real-time transactions? How easy is it to do refunds?
If you are using your own merchant account, do they support your gateway? How long does it take to connect up? How do you do refunds?
Pricing for merchant services can be confusing as well. If you are trying to decide if it makes more sense to create you own merchant account or use the providers merchant account, consider the following: If you use your own merchant account you will pay monthly, per transaction, % of transaction (plus their hidden non-qualified rates), as well as monthly, and per transaction gateway fees, plus whatever fees the registration provider requires for integrated processing. All totaled, you may be able to save a percent over if you used the provider’s merchant account. You need to weigh the pot
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