Businesses wanting to modernize outdated appearance with new retail signage no longer have to face weeks of construction and lost revenue. Modern construction and design techniques allow major design upgrades to happen with little to no negative impact on operations.

The latest generation of 3D design software offers building owners new insight into how construction projects will affect the final look of a building. Design professionals use the software to help clients visualize their proposals and save money on construction costs.

In business, time is money. And businesses operate in "real time" -- especially in a call center environment. In order for a center to be effective, reports must provide management with complete real-time data so that agents and managers can modify their company's behavior quickly to achieve higher productivity and efficiency and thus be more profitable. Real-time call center reporting delivers key indicators in an instant by showing performance over the last hour, day, week, month, etc.

Frequent component failures can be frustrating and hard to track down. If you are suffering above average failure rates in electronic components, it could be a symptom that your business has dirty power.

What Is Dirty Power?

When we consider the electricity coming out of the wall, we tend to think of it as a steady stream like water from a tap. In a perfect world that would be right, but in reality the electrical signal varies and that can damage equipment.

The most common example of poor power quality is a surge cause by a lightning strike. This brief period of high voltage can literally fry equipment. However there are many other power quality problems that can insidiously damage equipment over time. Electrical signals can experience swells or sags as equipment is turned on and off, such as the way the lights dim briefly when high-power equipment is turned on. Noise in the signal can cause fluctuating voltages. Any of these problems can wear out electronic components.

How Do I Know If I Have Dirty Power?

Plants use panel meters to monitor the condition of the power entering their facilities. These panel meters might be placed just on the main line coming into the building or could be used to check power in individual pieces of equipment.

Panel meters can detect transient voltage changes, ongoing fluctuations and other problems. Technicians can examine readings to see if the electrical signal is pure or not. If power quality problems are detected, they can nail down exactly what kind of problems are being experienced. Once the panel meters have detected the low quality power, decisions can be made about how to deal with the situation and protect the expensive equipment that will be damaged by the poor quality power.

How Can I Fix Dirty Power?

Your electrical utility is obligated to deliver clean power. If a panel meter shows the power coming onto the property is low quality, contact the electric company so they can address the problem. However the utility's obligation ends at the property line. In large industrial plants, large pieces of equipment create quality problems in the plant-wide grid.

Power conditioners regulate the electrical signal and prevent dangerous signals from reaching the equipment and causing damage. A power conditioner acts as a surge suppressor, preventing dangerous overvoltages from causing equipment failure, but also cleans up the power signal and protects against undervoltages or other problems.

The cost of a power conditioner is fairly low, almost certainly far lower than the equipment being protected. They provide ongoing protection, which will extend the life of electrical components and in the event of disaster are designed to "take the bullet," protecting attached equipment by burning out.

If you suspect dirty power, the first step is to install panel meters throughout the plant to verify power quality. Do it now before poor quality power can damage more equipment.

The windows of your business are an advertising space you have full control over. The visual displays you choose will have a strong impact on how many people notice your store and impulsively decide to come in. What elements make the best window graphics?

Keep It Simple

People can absorb only so much information. Cluttered window display signage is likely to confuse people and obscure your message. When presented with busy visual information, our brains filter out images without realizing it. This means the more information in your window graphics, the less people actually see.

The graphics should be easy to see. Window displays should be clearly visible day or night. The entire display should be well lit and additional lighting can draw attention to particular elements. Motion is another way to attract attention whether it's a simple blinking light or an actual moving object.

Despite the advice to keep it simple, there is evidence that companies with younger clientele should opt for more complicated displays. The younger generation has grown up on information overload and has become so effective at filtering out noise that they don't even see simpler window graphics.

Focus on Merchandise

We've all seen those television commercials that are exciting and interesting, yet when the commercial is over we can't remember what they were selling. That is not effective advertising. Promotion is about products and if viewers don't know what you are selling, why should they come into the store?

Your window graphics should highlight store merchandise. It isn't enough to bring in customers. You want to bring in customers with the desire to buy. Your visual displays allow you to motivate customers to buy and to direct their attention to merchandise you are trying to move.

Don't use merchandise you think you will run out of. Customers leave unhappy if they can't get what they wanted. Focus on high inventory items in your promotions.

Get Professional Design Help

It may seem easy to design window graphics, but the difference between a good design and a bad design is hard for the untrained eye to spot. Rather than doing it yourself, hire experienced design specialists to create your visual displays.

Effective window graphics come from combining countless ideas and elements such as color, shape, lighting, placement and more. When you create the displays yourself you probably aren't even aware of how strong an effect these different aspects can have. You are likely to end up trying to merge random advice like "group objects in odd numbers" or "display items in pyramids" without really understanding their effect on the overall design.

A professional display designer brings years of experience to the project and is able to combine design ideas on an intuitive level, producing graphics greatly superior to do-it-yourself attempts.

A number of businesses underestimate the power of architectural signage. An organization that embraces the potential and creates a powerful sign will see a direct increase in customer traffic and profitability.

The Power of the Sign

Architectural signage is not just a label on your building. It is a powerful advertisement. If you tried to put a billboard that big on your property, it would probably violate city ordinances. But a sign on the building allows you to promote your business and attract new customers.

Often the first thing people see as they approach your business is the architectural signage. It sets the mood. A sloppy, amateurish sign tells people you are a sloppy, amateurish business. A well designed display instills in customers a sense of confidence in your business.

The sign also says a lot about what kind of business you are. An insurance company and a nightclub aren't likely to use the same style of sign because they aren't trying to create the same image in the marketplace.

Architectural Signage Is About Architecture

To make the most powerful statement, architectural signage should be designed to complement the style of the building. It should merge into the overall look of the business, not but placed upon it. Ideally, it should be physically integrated into the building.

However even if your business is using a rented building, you can still create architectural signage that takes advantage of the natural features of the building's architecture and surroundings. Again, consider the statement you are making. You don't want to say, "We are here just temporarily." You want to become an icon in the area, a permanent fixture in the customer's mind, and the permanence of your sign does a lot to create and reinforce that message.

Integrate Your Own Style

The design of the architectural signage should also consider your business identity and branding. All exterior signage from parking arrows to window graphics should work with the main sign to create a unified theme. Depending on whether you own or rent the building you might have limited control over other signage, but as much as possible you should create a single, powerful image.

This image should continue inside the business. Interior visual displays should match the theme. Even signs on the restrooms should incorporate the style you are trying to create. These images work together to create strong branding in the minds of customers. The visual identity of your business is a powerful promotional tool.

There are many marketing studies that have demonstrated that effective architectural signage has a direct effect on the profitability of a business. Companies need every advantage they can get in today's competitive world. The money spent on well-designed, professional signage will be recouped in no time.

Some economic analysts label an economic downturn as a recession by examining leading financial indicators. Others judge it by a less exact measure: fear. As the economy stumbles, business owners may panic and make bad choices. Those decisions hurt the business and ultimately the economy. This is the time to form partnerships with other organizations such as virtual accounting departments which can provide sanity checks, keeping you in tune with what's really going on.

Outsiders Provide Objectivity

One of many advantages of working with a virtual accounting department is the perspective they bring. If there is a sense of panic in an organization, it will infiltrate all departments. Internal accountants and bookkeepers may become so focused on an organization's woes that they lose sight of the bigger economic picture.

A virtual accounting department has a larger view of the local, national or global financial picture. Because they work with many organizations across a wide segment of the economy, they can see strengths in your company that you might not. While most businesses are hurting right now, many are still financially healthy. If your business is suffering fewer losses than others in the industry and has the resources to ride out the hard times, you are positioned to recover quickly when things turn around.

Professionals Manage your Money Better

This is the time to squeeze every advantage out of your organization. It's not enough just to monitor your money. You have to manage it efficiently. An experienced virtual accounting department can help find ways to make your money work harder for you. They provide a level of analysis you wouldn't have if your company's finances are being managed by bookkeepers who simply enter numbers without examination.

Putting your books in the hands of professionals gives you peace of mind. You no longer have to face the demoralizing effect of daily bad news. The knowledge that a skilled virtual accounting department is overseeing financial operations allows you to relax and turn your attention to forming strategies to deal with the problems and strengthen the organization.

Virtual Accounting Departments are Cost Effective

Outsourced accounting services provide the benefits of an internal operation without the expense of office space, employee benefits, equipment and more. They run leaner and that means your accounting dollar goes farther, an important strategy during this difficult period. You retain full control of your books, but don't have to interview, hire and manage the financial professionals needed.

Using virtual accounting departments allows companies to remain flexible. As demand fluctuates so do staffing needs. The need to layoff then rehire people in response to changing market conditions is hard on a company. The cost of hiring and training is wasted if those people have to be let go in a few months. External accounting services easily adjust to your organization's changing finances. When the economy turns around, you can quickly expand to meet increased business.

The IRS recognizes two methods of accounting: cash and accrual. As a rule, small businesses operate on cash basis and large ones on accrual. It is common for growing businesses to convert from cash to accrual as their annual revenues climb into the millions and most of them find an outsourced accounting department to be a necessity for this operation.

What Are the Advantages of Accrual Basis Accounting?

Cash accounting operates the way we run our personal finances. We put transactions in our books when they happen. We enter our paychecks when they get deposited, not when we work the hours. The rent check is logged when written, not necessarily on the first of the month. The problem with cash accounting is it doesn't provide an accurate financial picture.

In accrual accounting, financial transactions are entered into the books when they happen even if no money has changed hands yet. Invoices are logged when service is provided, not when a customer pays. Similarly, bookkeeping services enter expenses as they happen not when the check is written.

Including outstanding expenses and income creates an accurate profile of how the company is faring in real time. However it is a system which is harder for non-professionals to grasp and typically an outsourced accounting department is needed to administer an accrual system.

Who Should Use Accrual Basis?

In theory every business should use accrual basis. It is the professional accounting system most Generally Accepted Accounting Practices are built around. Realistically, the increased complication of the system and the added expense of hiring an outsourced accounting department makes less optimal for businesses below a certain size. Very small businesses can get by using a cash system, though an organization can never go wrong using accrual.

Per IRS regulations, any company generating over $10 million in annual revenue must use accrual. Businesses generating between $1 million and $10 million in revenue in the wholesale, retail, publishing, sound recording or mining industries must use accrual as well. Finally, partnerships, tax shelters and some farming corporations must use accrual regardless of revenue.

If you are unsure if your organization falls into these categories, an outsourced accounting department can help you make the determination.

Do You Need Professional Help?

Very few organizations can administer an accrual system without the benefit of an internal or outsourced accounting department. Some companies manage their own cash systems, but the complexities of accrual are beyond a typical bookkeeper.

Conversion to accrual should be part of an overall revision of a company's finances from the haphazard shoebox accounting small businesses might use to a professional financial system that grows with the company. However the system needs experienced and educated professionals to administer it properly.

An outsourced accounting department eases the transition to the new system and takes over the daily operations. The business owner can step back and take a big picture view of the operation, a necessary step as the company expands.

Almost everyone's heard the story of the kid who's spent countless hours and energy pouring over triple diamond baseball cards, only to discover Mom threw out the entire collection before realizing how valuable it was. Baseball cards were once a valid investment tool, but what about now? Can you really improve the energy of your investment portfolio using these triple diamond baseball cards? These three cards are rare and should be snapped up if you ever come across one.

1909 Honus Wagner Card

In 1991, the near mint condition 1909 Honus Wagner card was purchased by hockey great Wayne Gretzky for $451,000. The card changed hands in 1995, 1996, 2000, 2007 and finally sold for $2.8 million in 2008. Industry experts estimate that the card would be worth $3 million today, making this triple diamond baseball card one of the best around for improving your portfolio's energy. In this market, it's unheard of for an investment value to increase $200,000 in just one year.

Another Honus Wagner rookie card in good condition is said to be worth between $250,000 - $350,000. A Honus Wagner card has proven to be a solid investment regardless of the condition.

1869 Cincinnati Red Team Card

In 2008, an antique store owner in Fresno, California made an amazing discovery. While getting ready to list a box of miscellaneous items on eBay, the owner found a triple diamond baseball card that would change the energy of her financial well-being. The owner, not knowing exactly how valuable the card was, listed it on the auction site for $10.

Within hours she had received multiple inquiries. She decided to pull the auction and take the card to an expert. What she found astounded her - the card was actually 139 years old and was the first baseball card ever printed. In February 2009, the card sold for $75,000 and the value is expected to rise.

1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth Card

In mid 2008, the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth card sold for $517,000, doubling its previous selling price. This card was Babe Ruth's rookie card released by the Baltimore News and was in very good condition.

Another card featuring the entire 1914 Baltimore Orioles team from the same collection sold at the same auction for $52,875, though it's important to note that this card had clipped corners due to being glued into a scrapbook for a number of years. The card pictured the entire 1914 team, including Babe Ruth.