Safety Consulting Corner

Give Me Your Money

When I was setting up my first website that allowed purchases to be made through the site, my web developer for that project, Carol Harkins at Cybergnarus, suggested I use PayPal. I have used PayPal myself for years to pay for purchases but I had never considered using it to accept payments. I was all ready to set up a typical shopping cart system (which I would have to pay for) when Carol at Cybergnarus told me about PayPal. PayPal system lets buyers pay with a credit card or through their own PayPal account and is quick and easy to set up. If you sell anything through your website, consider using PayPal.

Your name and theirs

  Now that you have starting to make the best use of your signature line, you might also want to check out a service called Plaxo. Plaxo can make your signature block look a little more professional and eye catching. You can even include your logo. Plaxo also serves as a web based address book. All of your contacts from your hard drive will be added to your account on Plaxo so you will be able to access them from anywhere, anytime. Plaxo is also able to remove duplicates, update your address book when your contacts update their information, get birthday reminders and more. Best of all - the basic package is free!

Your John Hancock

John Hancock has one of the most famous signatures. If someone asks for "your John Hancock," they are generally asking for your signature. Most of the times we give our signature these days, it is done electronically (well, that is if you are following basic email etiquette guidelines but that is the topic of a future post). What does your electronic signature say about you besides your name? Generally, your name and title should be on the first line. If you own a consulting firm, your next line can be a major benefit such as "helps small companies achieve VPP," or whatever is appropriate to your firm. Next, include your contact information including your full website and email address.  If you have a free offer, the next line is the place to do it. Consider changing your signature block occasionally as well or creating a different signature block for different types of emails.

While many people frown on being sent emails that contain advertisements, a properly worded email signature can provide a small not-at-all obnoxious promotion of your services or products. If you send postings to a list-serv or other large group, you should always use your enhanced signature. You will be surprised how much attention that signature gets.