Are you really using the power of modern technology to make your business more profitable? Sure, you are using e-mail, you have a web page and you may be reaching your clients and customers with an electronic mailing list, but are you using web and video conferencing to hold virtual meetings with your employees, customers and clients in different geographical locations? Here are six ways how web and video conferencing can help you to increase the efficiency of your enterprise.

First however, it is important to know what web and video conferencing are. Web conferencing is when two or more people “meet” over the Internet to share information and ideas. Web conferencing systems typically provide tools that allow participants to perform “Online Collaboration” by working together over the Internet, sharing applications and documents.

Some web conferencing tools include the ability to share one’s desktop, allowing participants to “present” information, be it a PowerPoint Presentation, an Excel Spreadsheet or a Word Document with other attendees of their web conference. It is even possible for participants to remotely control other participants’ computers. Video conferencing allows participants to see and hear each other using head sets and web cams, and is usually included in good web conferencing system.

Now take a look at how some companies are already getting the benefits of this cutting- edge technology:

1. They are holding “web meetings” with prospects, customers, clients and fellow workers without having to incur any travel expenses. These face-to-face meetings are conducted using the click of a keyboard and the movement of a mouse.

2. They are demonstrating and supporting products and services without having to send people to far-flung destinations. Web conferencing can enable your staff to get behind the desk of your client and do the trouble shooting or give the training that you may be currently doing, without having to send your support staff out on expensive personal visits.

3. They are holding virtual training and classrooms for students, employees and clients . Schools and Universities in particular are using web and video conferencing to create “virtual classrooms,” while companies are training their employees at several locations using combined web and video conferences.

4. They are giving online web and video support to clients . Live chat boxes are great, I use them all the time, but the support you can offer when your technician can take over a client’s computer and really fix the problem is much more powerful. And, when your client can see who is helping him or her, it really adds a special “warm and fuzzy” touch.

5. They are saving thousands of dollars in travel costs by cutting down on commuting and travel and time spent out of the office . “As a result of this technology, our need to travel between offices has been greatly reduced, which has already saved us thousands of dollars,” says Saul Rothschild, Information Systems Manager at Steel Encounters, Inc.”

In times of rising fuel costs, web and video conferencing can really make a huge difference to a company’s bottom line. Companies using web conferencing are not only able to cut down on their travel expenses, but their sales representatives, trainers and support staff also get to spend more productive time in the office and do not lose valuable hours sitting in a car or on a plane.

6. They are thinking “outside the box” and devising new ways to work now that they are free of geographical limitations . The companies and organizations that have adopted web and video conferencing technology are marketing products and services, conducting training and giving support as if all their employees, prospects and clients were working together under one roof. Company meetings, sales meetings, employee training, and product launches are now being conducted with a new 21 st Century flair.

So, consider your own business or activity and think of how web and video conferencing could help you to work more effectively with all your constituents without having to leave your office.

Hopping in and out of planes is exercise enough, you say. But that’s not the kind of exercise that will condition your heart, make your reflexes and joints more fluid, keep the sugar levels or keep you from swinging from one mood to another!

Nor is it the kind of exercise that will make you euphoric after a good cardiovascular session. You need to counteract the effects of jet lag, artificial air in pressurized aircraft cabins and sky fatigue. Suzanne Schlosberg says,

“Sometimes your travels help you recognize how humdrum your workout routine has become. At home, it’s easy to fall into a rut – to use the same weight machines in the same order, week after week, month after month, simply out of habit. But a trip may take the routine out of your routine. You may have no choice but to try new strength exercises or jog in the pool instead of swim laps. And you might find these new pursuits so enjoyable that you add them to your fitness repertoire at home.”

Common Obstacles

What are some of the reasons why travelers do not incorporate exercise while they’re on the road?

They’re stressed or too tired

They don’t feel comfortable about working out in unfamiliar surroundings

They don’t have access to a hotel gym

But if they made just a tiny effort to change this thinking, they’d be on the road to fitness sooner.

Engaging in exercise allows you to get out of that bubble of meetings, seminars and tours.

Walk when on the Road

When traveling, have a pair of good walking shoes (trainers preferably) so that you won’t feel so daunted about getting from one side of the airport to another.

Having the right pair of walking shoes will encourage you to walk up the stairs instead of take the escalator, to walk instead of taking the conveyor belt, and to transfer from one concourse to another on foot instead of taking the shuttle service.

You may not know it, but walking these long distances with your luggage in tow serves as a combination/weight lifting exercise!

Fitness while Flying

Once settled comfortably on the plane, make sure you time your stretching and walking periods. If it’s just an hour’s flight, walk around the plane once and do your stretching at the back of the plane; if it’s a three hour to five hour flight (east to west in the North American continent), try to get up from your seat and walk around at least once every hour, doing leg extensions and trunk/neck movements.

If you’re crossing the Pacific or Atlantic oceans, those killer flights need not kill you. Increase the frequency of your stretches and walking.

Airlines such as Japan Air Lines show videos of how travelers can incorporate flexibility movements while seated or standing. Take full advantage of these videos. The exercises may help you ward off fatigue and jet lag.

A note about DVT

In the last five years, there have been reports about flight passengers, especially in economy class, suffering from DVT – deep vein thrombosis.

The link between confining airplane seats and deaths from DVT (formation of deadly blood clots) has been established by the United Nations World Health Organization. It has nothing to do with gender, risk factors or genetics. Everyone is at risk in economy class! This should constitute compelling reason to integrate exercise while high in the sky.

To make exercise possible while traveling, schedule your flights so that when you get to your destination, you don’t rush through dinner and then go to sleep.

Try to arrive during the late afternoon/early evening, to give you time to shake off the fatigue from the trip, and have at least an hour to do exercises either in your hotel room or in the hotel gym.

Important “to do” things when traveling

Be fully rested before a trip – have the usual “to pack” items ready well in advance so you’re not scampering for them at the last minute, depleting your energy levels.

Time your sleep correctly – as soon as you board, get the local time of your destination and set your watch accordingly. If it’s already night time in your destination, wear blindfolds and ask for a pillow and try to catch a few winks.

Drink plenty of water – wine and cocktails will only dehydrate you further; note that humidity levels inside aircraft is below 10%, so water is your best bet.

If your job requires you to travel at least four times a month, ask your company’s travel department to book you in hotels with gyms or a swimming pool.

Make time out of your travel schedule to insert a workout into your grinding schedule.

Here’s a friendly suggestion: get up earlier in the morning and before or after breakfast, head over to the gym and do a brisk walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes, or do the rowing machine (great for the core muscles, back problem reliever) for 10 minutes.

This session is just to wake you up from your travel stupor. See if you can walk to your business appointment instead of taking a cab (that’s another 10 minutes).

At night before going to bed, go to the hotel gym again and lift weights for 10 minutes, to complete your workout for the day. This way you did your cardio and resistance training, two essential components of a fitness program.

Now, tell us, doesn’t a 10-20 minute session sound less intimidating than clocking 1.5 hours in the gym?

Working out with Friends

Another friendly suggestion: if you’re traveling in a group, ask a colleague if he or she would do a game of squash or tennis with you. The concierge can give you local addresses of sports or recreational centers in the vicinity.

When there’s no Gym!

If the hotel gym is crowded or “temporarily closed for maintenance,” you can still exercise – in the comfort of your room.

Here are some exercises that you can perform:

Turn on the TV or sound system and jog in place; or look up the TV guide and see if some old Jane Fonda or Denise Austin shows are on. Get on with the beat

Jog in place or jump rope (great cardiovascular workout)

Conduct floor exercises (described below)

Floor exercise 1: the Cobra (or back extension). Lying on your stomach as though getting ready for push-ups, keep your hands on your side with palms facing down and fingers pointed forward. With your hands, push to lift your torso off the floor (ensure you’re lifting head, shoulders and chest only).

Keep pelvis on the floor and your head looking ahead. Hold and then release. Repeat 3 times. You should feel your spine lengthen. Joe Decker recommends not just pressing back with your hands, but also pushing your upper body up and forward.
Do not tilt your head back to look at the ceiling (many people make this mistake). This puts a strain on your neck.

Floor exercise 2: Crunch (for lower abdominals). The lower abdominals are the weakest muscles in your torso because they are rarely worked, and they’re the first to sag after childbirth and after menopause.

This exercise will help:

Lying flat on your back with your knees bent, cross your arms over your chest. Squeeze your buttocks, tighten your abdomen and push your lower back into the floor. Hold for 10-20 seconds, breathing normally. Relax, and then release. Repeat as often as you can, without overworking yourself

Floor exercise 3: Hurdler’s Stretch. Bend the knee towards the front, and then tuck your lower leg in toward the opposite thigh. Stretch gently toward the straight leg. Do not bounce. This movement is like the ballet movement when an arm goes above the head gracefully, which stretches the sides of the trunk to increase flexibility.

If you pick up any exercise book, there will be a rich inventory of exercises you can perform while on the go. Pack this in your bag so you can refer to it for correct form and posture.

Yoga

Yoga on the train? Yes! A news report was published in the Montreal Gazette recently saying how many overstressed Germans still hide behind their papers rather than exercise. We’re sure Americans and Canadians are no less guilty.

So these commuters are being taught yoga and relaxation techniques on their way to and from work. Instructors are now in what the German government calls “wellness trains” in southern Germany. This was an initiative taken by Deutsche Bahn – Germany’s state-owned railway. The organization decided to offer relaxation and yoga techniques to calm an anxious work force.

This article along with several others that I will be posting over the next several days is YOUR key to fitting exercise into your life.

To keep things organized and simple, the articles will be broken down into five easy sections:

Section 1: Assessing Physical Damage And Accepting the Importance of Exercise

Section 2: No Matter How Busy you Are, there are Ways you can Exercise

Section 3: Busy Traveler? You can Fit Exercise into your Trips (Which you are reading at this moment)

Section 4: Exercise Aids To Go

Section 5: Information / Resources for the Hurried and Harried

Read them in order, or if you wish, focus on the section that is most relevant to you right now. Regardless of how you choose to read these articles, you can be confident of one thing: once you apply the advice within these pages, your busy life will include something new and important: exercise!

Have you been contemplating raising your personal training fees? Are you nervous to bring up the subject of increasing your fees for fear that your clients will get angry or even worse, quit? Not sure how to go about it? While it’s never easy to broach the subject of money it may be necessary especially if you initially priced your fees below market value or are incurring additional costs to your business. Here are a few ideas to ease the process when it comes time to raise your fees.
1. Be reasonable about how much you intend to increase your fees. Raising your fees by $5 or $10 all at once will be too much of a jump for most people. If you need to raise your fees by that much then you probably set them too low to begin with. Instead start with a $1 to $2 increase. Overall it won’t seem that much for the client to bear and you will have fewer objections to your fee increase.
2. Explain the increase. While some clients will not care about the reason you are increasing your fees, others may want to know why. There could be any number of reasons why you need to raise your fees. Rising costs to your business, setting your fees too low or you haven’t raised your fees in a number of years. The best policy is to be honest with your client when they ask why. State your reasons confidently and make no apologies. Every business has to increase fees at some time or another. It’s a good idea to include the phrase, “prices subject to change” on your fee schedule. Point this out when signing a new client and let them know the last time you raised your fees. As a customer I would want to know if I was going to get a surprise in a month regarding increased fees.
3. Inform your clients ahead of time. Give your clients plenty of notice when you intend to raise your fees. Provide one to two months advance warning so clients have time to make any necessary adjustments to their budget. Talk to your client in-person or on the phone, not by e-mail or letter. This is more personal and allows your client an opportunity to communicate any issues right away. It also demonstrates your commitment to listening to their concerns and working them out. Follow-up your conversation with a reminder letter or e-mail.
4. Offer additional value. If possible, offer additional value when you consider raising your fees. For example you may decide that after ten sessions your client will receive a complimentary fifteen minute stretch or a travel program. You don’t have to offer additional value simply because you raise your fees but it can be a nice touch.
5. Create a red carpet club. Create a VIP program for your loyal clients and don’t increase their fees. By not raising their fees you reward their loyalty and continue to build good will with your client. Instead increase your fees for new clients only.
It’s possible that you may lose a client or two when you raise your fees. Obviously, that’s not advantageous but it can happen. Money is increasingly tight for people and every dollar counts. However, it’s been my experience that for every client you lose another one will take their place.
If you are really concerned that you may lose too many clients by increasing your fees, then consider cutting your expenses or looking at other ways to generate revenue. Talk to your clients and feel them out. Let them know your situation. If you have taken the time to develop a trusting relationship with your clients they will understand your situation and be more willing to help.

New York is a city that truly has something for everyone. The diverse residents from around the globe make New York unlike any other city in the world. A major destination for business travel, New York is home to countless businesses and is a world economic capital. When traveling to New York City, business travelers are often surprised by the high cost – including meals, hotels and transportation. Some corporate per diems are not high enough to cover expenses. TransportationAirports Serving New York City

There are three airports that you can use when traveling to New York City – John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), La Guardia (LGA) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). JFK, the largest of the three airports, began service in 1948 and has since grown to five times it original size. Located just 15 miles from downtown Manhattan, transportation options range from public transportation to taxis and hired cars.

La Guardia is smaller than JFK, servicing about half the number of passengers as JFK. It is located closer to downtown Manhattan than JFK, just 8 miles. Transportation options include public bus service from the airport to all areas of the city, bus service to Grand Central Station and Penn Station via the New York Airport Express Bus and as always, taxis and hired cars are available.

The Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), across the Hudson river in New Jersey about 16 miles from midtown Manhattan is also a good option for business travelers. Currently, Newark airport is undergoing a five year renovation project to its B terminal. Taking the Train to New York City

For East Coast business travelers, New York City is easily accessible by taking the train. Amtrak offers several routes that travel between New York City and numerous East Coast cities.

The Acela Express train runs from Washington, DC to Boston, with stops in Philadelphia and New York City. Business travelers will find the Acela has amenities not offered on other trains, and travels at speeds up to 150 miles per hour. You will get to your destination sooner than the other trains, but a ticket on the Acela comes at a premium cost.Getting Around the City

New York City is known for its hectic traffic – but don’t worry, getting around is not as hard as it may look. Taxis and the metro are the primary forms of transportation for business travelers.

When getting around or asking for directions, all you need to remember is compass directions and have the right vocabulary. “Uptown” is when you are heading north towards higher numbered streets while “downtown” is when you are traveling south. You will go to the “East Side” or “West Side” when you are crossing the island. And be aware of building numbers which often don’t follow logical patterns. What to See

If you are lucky enough to have some free time while traveling to New York City, you will find you have endless options to keep you entertained. Known as the city that never sleeps, there is always something to do in New York no matter the time. Home to many world famous attractions such as the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Empire State and Chrysler buildings and over 20,000 restaurants and 150 museums, you will never run out of something to do while visiting this exciting city.