As any pet is cared for within the home, the care for horses is very much the same; ensuring the proper medical, physical, and nutritional care for a horse is part of the responsibility of its owners. There are many different facets of horse health and all must be attended to in order to ensure the horse's vitality and longevity.
In order to be well-versed on horse health it is important to understand the signs of a healthy horse; conversely when those signs wane, you will immediately be alerted to a possible decline in the health of your horse. One quick indicator of horse health is the overall appearance of the animal. A healthy horse has a shiny, slick coat with a hard hoof. Any nutritional issues would immediately show up on the horse's coat - resulting in dullness, slowed shedding, and even bald patches. Additionally, dry and cracked hoofs could be a sign of dehydration or poor circulation.
Of course, not much tells a greater story of horse health than the horse's eating and drinking behaviors. The sudden and ongoing decrease in appetite or refusal to eat and drink altogether can be a common sign of a horse in dangerous health. Pay attention to the amount of grazing a horse does during the course of the day, its ability to hold food in its mouth and chew (problems with this could indicate teeth/mouth conditions) as well as the frequency with which it urinates and eliminates waste, and any weight fluctuations in the animal.
One of the most important indicators of horse health is behavior; like people, horses have their own personalities so what behavior may inspire concern when exhibited by one horse may be well within the boundaries of another horse's personality. But there are a few common behaviors that generally signal distress across the board including the appearance of anxiety, lethargy or fatigue, decreased socialization, and stall weaving - a behavior signaling heightened anxiety wherein the horse paces around its stall. A healthy horse should also move unreservedly; any limping or bobbing of the head often indicates painful movement and a veterinarian should be consulted immediately.
As a matter of fact, the most important step to preserving horse health is an established relationship with a reputable veterinarian. As a horse owner, you are the first line of defense in maintaining the health of your horse; you are in a better position than anyone to recognize signs and symptoms that may indicate trouble for your horse. A veterinarian, however, in addition to performing frequent check-ups, can help you identify and address any health concerns you have throughout the lifetime of the horse.
Owning a horse can be a wonderful experience; but also an enormous responsibility. Just as children depend on us to care for them in every capacity, a domesticated horse relies on its human companions in much the same way. In this role, it is incumbent upon us to understand the many facets of horse health and do all that we can to do to protect the lives and vitality of our animal friends.
For more information on horses, try visiting http://www.interestinghorses.com - a website that specializes in providing horse related tips, advice and resources including information on horse health.
¶ 8:33 PM 0 comments
The world of customer service is rapidly changing. Thirty years ago, telephones and mail services were the norm for most companies. Now, faxes, email and web sites offer more options to customers than they've ever had before. It takes a dedicated team to keep loyal customers coming back and new clients coming in.
Customer Service is about that ultimate contact between people. It's about a potential or existing customer/client walking away with the intent of buying your product either for the first time or again. Employees make countless decisions every day that directly or indirectly affect customers and strengthen or weaken your company's reputation and bottom line.
Forging lasting relationships with customers leads to long-term loyalty and referrals. The bottom line is that excellent customer service may be the most important factor in improving a company's bottom line. Customer Service is about offering solutions that are best for each customer. As a company, you need to offer every option available - addressing everything that's important to each customer. Focus on each customer as if he were the only customer. Everyone at your company can work together to turn customer responses into key performance indicators by:
Giving the customer confidence. When they speak out about a concern, you address it within a reasonable amount of time (call back before the end of the day or tomorrow with their answer).
Giving the customer specifics. Tell them exactly what you are doing or going to do and when (I'm going to research the invoice and will call you back within an hour).
Fulfill your promise. Fulfill it within the period given at your initial customer contact.
Be reliable. Deliver what the customer ordered, when they want it (ask the customer to be sure!) and make sure it's delivered at the price agreed to.
Every employee plays an important role in fulfilling each customer's needs:
1. Buyers/Purchasing Agents --- maintain and replenish the inventory at the best prices possible, making sure you have in stock what all your customers want/need.
2. Distribution Center/Warehouse Personnel --- receive the product, verify quantity and condition and put the product away in the right location so the pickers/pullers/stockers can easily and accurately find the product and package/load the product for delivery; in some cases placing the right stops in the right order on a delivery truck.
3. Drivers/Delivery Personnel --- delivers the product, with little to no damage, finds the correct items for each customer easily and efficiently. They also resolve any customer issues at the time of delivery (calling the center/home office/plant to resolve any billing issues or product issues, or replace damaged items at no additional cost to the customer).
4. Sales Support/Customer Service --- takes the customer orders, ensure the prices are correct and deliveries are scheduled for the correct days and times.
5. Sales Consultant/Team/Person --- works one-on-one with the customer, taking their orders, making sure they are offered new items, resolving issues and adding new customer accounts.
6. Management Team/Owner(s) --- provide any and all support to their employees to ensure the customers needs are met as promised. They provide a working environment that stimulates employees to be proactive, productive and pro-company --- these all lead to happy customers both internal and external.
What will make your company stand out - over and above - other companies? How responsible, responsive and timely are you meeting your customers needs? The customer doesn't want to know what it took to get his product there and he doesn't want to hear excuses why his product and/or delivery were delayed. He ordered and expects delivery as promised, so he can go about his business without enduring any inconvenience whatsoever.
The customer understands the importance of measuring their own performance, so they are going to require that the people servicing them---YOU---understand their needs at a much higher level.
Partner with your customers, to provide not only products but also knowledge, expertise, follow-up and execution. For these and other reasons, all company employees---including management and owners---must have good manners. Publicly, on the phone or through email, letters or notes. You must also be accurate and neat and willing to "go the extra mile". It's important that the customer "feels good". Sometimes a simple gesture - being friendly or simply smiling both in person and over the phone does the trick.
Friendliness costs nothing and requires little effort but is worth millions when it comes to building long-term lasting relationships with customers that lead to ongoing loyalty and endless referrals. Friendliness is, by far, the most important factor in improving a company's bottom line. Besides, it's contagious!
What it boils down to is this: What a customer likes the most about any company/distributor isn't their computers - it's their employees! Not only do the employees represent the company, when they contact prospective and current customers/clients, they are the company. How each employee performs reflects directly on what people think of your company overall.
In summary, satisfy your customer and you satisfy your bottom line.
==================================================================
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$$$... The written word won't ever call in sick.
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Simply put, the written word is like having your own personal automatic, money-making robot working for you tirelessly, day and night.
$$$... The right written words will create a mental movie. They'll dramatize an important feature that's guaranteed to hook your prospect deep into the emotional tissue of his decision-making mind.
Want to learn more?
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¶ 5:37 AM 0 comments
As I think about the upcoming holiday weekend and what weve got planned, it occurred to me that its a pretty good mix. This mixture of work and play is also a metaphor or model for moving effectively forward in life. It works whether youre aiming for a good time or just trying to get things done.
Clean Out Clutter
The need to do this is so obvious with our yard sale preparations. We are clearing out the old stuff, so that we can breathe! The belongings weve got stashed down the hill in the garage represent past lives and earlier preferences, and provide plenty of evidence of long-abandoned projects. In order for us to get clear to embrace our now and future plans, weve got to ditch the dead weight.
Its equally valid when planning for a vacation. You select the very few things youll need to provide comfort and to suit your immediate, short-term needs. You dont pack things you wont have time for or that have to do with the very things you left behind in order to relax and explore new territory.
Just thinking about all the stuff takes up space in our minds, and makes it difficult to have new ides and the freedom to be creative and expansive.
Is your current life an extended vacation, and have you moved on to a new phase? Do you really need the albatross of the past dogging your new plans and intentions? Think about how you could lighten your load before you begin your next adventure.
Build Future Memories
On Sunday, were going to plant more seeds and seedlings in our vegetable gardens and place annuals in the whiskey barrels out by the wood shed. If I can get away with it, I may sneak in a flowering bush or two.
Were doing this with faith in and anticipation for what we are building: a steady stream of salad and stew parts, pie ingredients, and herbs to flavor our home-cooked meals and to scent our living space.
As we plan our Dominican Republic vacation for later in the season, were similarly collecting the good reads, sunny clothes, and warm weather toys (snorkeling, yeah!) to create an experience that matches our vision for relaxation and fun.
Im a strong believer in always having something dangling out in the future as reward for good work and behavior. Thats why I like tasks like gardening and planning vacations; they are shared and all about full-throttle enjoyment.
Learn from the Previous Show
On Monday, were spending our holiday learning from what weve been doing lately, so that we can improve our productivity and satisfaction from work. Weve actively been pursuing a lifestyle where we get to work half-time at our passions and half-time in our shared work in marketing and small business development.
Doing and doing with no time for reflection, pretty much assures that well charge ahead with so-so results and fulfillment from our efforts. Well get things done, but may miss the opportunity to fine-tune to do better work and have more fun.
Photographs and other souvenirs collected from trips are useful tools in a similar process. They serve as reminders and evidence of what worked and what falls into the lets never do that again! category.
By considering the full value of past experience, we can plan for more successful projects and trips in the future. We can clear out what failed to work, build in what we think has a better chance the next time around, and then we can carefully observe what happens the next time.
Clean, Build, Learn and repeat. Works for me.
Think about what it would be like to start a project or plan with this framework in mind. Do you think youd have a better outcome? Does it sound like more work? How do you go about balancing work and play in your life?
2007 Andrea R. Williams
Andrea Williams, personal and small business success coach, is the creator of the Fearless, Fabulous Project, a 12-week, step-by-step discovery and rejuvenation process to help you gain clarity and commitment about what is most important to you. If you're ready to pump your life with more fun & fulfillment, check out Andrea's coaching programs and resources now at http://www.FearlessFabulousLife.com and sign up for Fearless, Fabulous Female, her free ezine on personal reinvention at midlife.
¶ 12:53 AM 0 comments
