Check Silla.ae before you let some quack screw up your back Thursday, Feb 24 2011

We are all familiar with social networks. Up till now most people just use them to connect with distant friends and their favorite brands. But a client of ours has built a social network with a more beneficial goal.

Enter Silla.ae, a search recommendation engine that ‘helps you find the best healthcare practitioners in the UAE.’ We are all familiar with this technology, we use it to buy shoes, clothes, and electronics online. After reading the ratings of other buyers, we select the item with the fewest negative reviews, in the hope that we will have a positive experience with the product. So what if you could do that with your doctor, therapist or yoga instructor? The outcome could be the difference between excellent and sub-par health care.

The owner, like other amazing Plug Business Owner Clients, is a very smart, lovely woman who is dedicated to her site like it were her very own child. Her mission is to promote the reliability of getting healthcare based on positive experiences and reviews. She has modeled the site to be based specifically on ratings, and doesn’t allow practitioners to purchase a good score. Right now the site is still in process, and she is asking everyone she meets to rate their doctors on silla.ae. Ultimately the goal is for the information on the site to be based on a wide variety of opinions, and paint an accurate picture of every provider.

Now Plug is asking you to do the same and support one of our bedroom business sisters. Go to Silla.ae and vote for your yoga instructor, counselor, general practitioner, your husband’s cardiologist, everyone you can. And the next time you’re looking for a good doctor, check back and read the reviews before you make your decision. Oh, and tell your friends!

Thanks,
From Plug, and Silla.ae

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Sometimes Freelancers Rock So Hard They Have to Join the Payroll! Tuesday, Jun 15 2010

Every story has a beginning, and for Plug, the story of our new Social Media service starts over 10000 kilometers away. Let’s start with what you may already know. In December Plug started hosting a blog, detailing funny occurrences with clients, would be clients, and the absolutely abysmal individuals who could never in their wildest fantasies be clients.

What you don’t know is that while our lovely Chief Surgeon supplies the stories, the blog is actually penned by a young female New Yorker by the name of Tonie Phillips. Sadly Tonie hasn’t been to Dubai (though she’s hoping after a year of faithful service to get a mysterious plane ticket in the mail). However she’s written for projects across the globe in areas like marketing, entrepreneurialism, photography and fine cuisine. Some previous experiences were good, others were terrible. While Plug has successfully produced a Plug Movement, others try, and fail, to build a society around their business. For example the time Tonie worked for a fledgling web platform whose managers couldn’t get over their God complex long enough to generate a real brand for their webpage…she had to quit that one…promptly.

Realizing that she might be sitting on a gold mine, our Chief Surgeon decided it might be advantageous to throw in a few more twitters onto Tonie’s freelance payroll. And what do you know? Success! Now Tonie is an official member of the Plug team, and we’ve expanded to a full on Social Media Service! Twitter, Facebook, and even blogs!

So would you like to give your brand a bit of New York spice? If so, give Plug a call today and ask for their Resident Communications Specialist Tonie Phillips!

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Caution! The Plug Movement May Cause Spontaneous Biking Through the Streets Screaming Our Praises Wednesday, May 12 2010

As a design house that works directly with small business owners everyday, Plug has developed a philosophy on the key to being a successful entrepreneur. Tons of businesses are started because their owners had their sights set on positive cash flows. But the heart and commitment to bring an idea to positive execution takes much more motivation than financial security.

We can bear witness to the fact that the best businesses come from people who see what their doing as a ‘cause’. To achieve something mind obliterating and unique, it seems to us that it is necessary to believe in your mission and seek to have a positive impact on the lives of others.

At Plug, we believe in something we like to call the Plug Movement. There is a real satisfaction that comes with working with smaller businesses. It is exciting to come to work each day to enable entrepreneurs with fresh ideas to find success. The difference is we’re a caring design team striving to meet needs instead of just taking money.

Recently, a business contact had a Plug Movement breakthrough. She exclaimed that she intended to get on her bike and yell the good word through the streets wearing a Plug branded shirt. That was both touching and hilarious coming from a normally very serious woman. It is also very reassuring because it tells us we’ve reached our goal and are truly spreading the word called good.

So our question to you is: Are you running a business, or Leading a Movement?

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Note from Plug: Try Not To Hurt Your Jaw As It Drops Because of Our Low Prices Monday, Apr 26 2010

Our Chief Surgeon recently met with a client who brought along a friend who was currently working with another design house, famous for nothing more than overinflated prices.

Just out of curiosity, the friend asked how much Plug charges to host web pages. When she heard that our prices ranged from 500 – 1000 dirham, her jaw, and a large portion of her body nearly hit the floor. We didn’t understand why until she shared that she currently paid a little less than 4000 dirham a month to have her web page hosted with the other company. This revelation almost pulled us from our chair as well. As far as we’re concerned, for prices that high we surely hope those customers are getting a happy ending with their websites. Unfortunately, they give nothing more than any other company. While the other agency is bigger, they simply cannot not hold a candle to Plug’s light bulb.

Smaller businesses like this woman’s are being preyed upon by larger companies because they equate size with quality when that simply is not the case. We give special attention to each of clients, and we do not see the point of inflating our prices just because it might be the norm in our market. Actually, we are considering hosting all of our websites for free for the next 6 months because our clients are important to us.

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Plug Cannot Perform Miracles, When You Don’t Want Our Help, We Can’t Help You Sunday, Apr 18 2010

A recent business meeting with a highly experienced European owned business left us both speechless and dumbfounded. While a genuinely nice man, the business owner was entirely negative about the prospect of new customers for his business. But instead of entertaining proven methods of generating foot traffic, he preferred to shoot down every idea with a brand of negativity so powerful that were ultimately unable to help him.

The business unfortunately doesn’t have a website, so we offered solutions like starting a web page, a newsletter, social media, and even fliers. But no matter what we proposed, he was convinced that because his location in a less than excellent part of town, it was a completely lost cause. Moreover, he maintained that his budget was far too low for any real improvements. We assured him that we offer cheap design rates and could charge just enough to cover time spent. But he was as firm in his stance as an angry mule.

Point being, this is the wrong approach to marketing and promotion. There is a proper marketing mix that WILL work for you, and Plug is just the company to discover and employ it. Don’t waste time with questions like ‘what if it doesn’t work.’ Try it, and see the improvement happen right before your eyes.

In the end Plug Account Managers are not miracle workers. We cannot force you to see that there are answers to your concerns. But remember that we have tons of happy clients who have watched their profits double because of our help. Negative Nancys aren’t welcome at the gates of Plug Communications. So bring your Can-Do attitude and we’ll be happy to help.

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Never Send a Hobbyist to Do an Expert’s Job, Instead Plug into Success Monday, Mar 29 2010

This week’s blog is about freelancers. But before we start, please note that we harbor no ill will toward freelancers. We do, however, do take it personally when inexperienced freelancers take business from established design experts and not only screw up the job, but still manage to keep customers because they’re only a few bucks less than we are.

The story deals with a conversation we had with a potential client we’ve interacted with several times. She recent confessed that while she really wanted to work with us, she was also considering hiring a freelancer, despite a previous bad experience. In her previous arrangement with a freelancer she was disappointed because the work she requested was never completed on time, and never even reached acceptable levels of mediocrity.

Knowing this, it was unclear to us why the client would work with yet another freelancer after such a terrible experience. So to help her decision, we reminded her that Plug offers monthly retainers and could offer her triage rates to keep costs low. Since she was still not convinced, we asked her if the freelancer was a full time worker with numerous contracts, or a part timer. She revealed that he actually worked at a computer shop full time and was freelancing for extra money and to practice his web skills. All it took was this revelation for her to realize that this was a bad idea. Ultimately she changed her mind and is currently engaging plug to work normal hours at a price well within her budget.

The point of the story is don’t let saving a few cents force you to accept shoddy workmanship. The Plug Difference is not reserved for big companies with big budgets. We love working on smaller jobs like updating web pages. We are willing to work with you on a reasonable cost structure, and most importantly our work is beyond superb. Next time you are thinking twice about giving us a call, ignore that little voice of doubt, pick up the phone, and let us show you how amazing an expert’s touch can be.

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Grizzly Bears Have No Business In the Plug Universe Wednesday, Mar 24 2010

This week’s blog is about our fair Plug Chief Surgeon, and the events that took place after she swapped business cards with a presumably nice business partner pair at an event. On the day after the event, the presumably sane and even tempered twosome decided to give us a call. They wanted to set up a meeting because their design development was tanking with another company. Being the reliable set we are, we agreed to set up a meeting for the very next day.

After taking a look at their visuals during the meeting, our Chief Surgeon, being the straight shooter she is, told the duo that their logo looked a bit…strange. The company’s products, which were intended to promote safety, just weren’t connecting with the style of their designs. Instead of taking the feedback in stride, and asking for recommendations, they switched into attack mode and protected their ugly little logo like a grizzly bear protects its young, who in this case, as we mentioned, is terribly freaking ugly. But, the crazy shit is they KNEW their logo wasn’t quite hitting the mark, and they apparently just did not care. One of the partners launched into a barrage of questions about our qualifications and demanded a detailed account of the services we’ve completed for other clients.

Despite the 10th degree grilling and the almost argument, our Chief Surgeon kept her business face on and offered to do a draft of home page visuals and even gave an estimated cost for the job. She told them that the drafts would be sent to them by the following Monday evening.

Apparently the grizzlies weren’t too happy with that deadline, and decided to send a text at 7:30AM that Sunday asking if the visuals were completed. In addition to this pushiness, the text also implied that Plug’s quote was expensive! US…EXPENSIVE! Yeah right. Well instead of politely ignoring the text and proceeding with the previously discussed deadline, our Chief Surgeon decided to put some other deadlines aside and complete the work by that afternoon. All in good faith.

Well, the visuals were sent, and they at least had the decency to say thank you. They also mentioned they’d get back to us by the end of the week. At that time, Plug was under the impression that we were the only other house that was contacted. We were sadly mistaken. Just before the end of the week our Chief Surgeon decided to email the pair to ask if they’d made a decision. She received a rude response saying they were busy reviewing other proposals, and they would get back to us at the end of the week! As of Monday evening they still haven’t replied. Good faith has officially gone out of the window.

These lovely folks are not Plug clients. People who can be so blatantly inconsiderate and rude don’t deserve a team as caring and involved as us. We reserve the right to kick those kinds of people out on their asses. Just like our clients, we expect respect because it is the only thing we ever give.

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Reason#452 to Love Plug: Gorgeous Girls Serving Tea, ‘Nuff Said Tuesday, Mar 16 2010

This week’s blog post is about giving members of our network the extra push to come down and see us. We’ve compiled a list of reasons why you and so many others should love our design agency.

• The Pluggettes: Plug’s staff is comprised of a series of lovely women with soft hearts who are always willing to go the extra mile to assist their clients.
• We live and breathe design! There aren’t any trends or avenues for design Plug isn’t aware of.
• We listen to our clients briefs: Other agencies try to tell you what you need, and don’t take the time to listen to what you want. At Plug, you’ll see your vision assembled before your eyes, exactly how you imagined it. We are here to offer guidance in bringing your dream to life.
• We are excited about helping clients grow their businesses: We love to see clients we helped at the very beginning corner a market and enjoy all the success they deserve.
• We enjoy networking and helping people: We’re always excited to meet new contacts and spread our expertise throughout the Dubai market. Our contacts enjoy the benefits of consultations, and we enjoy the benefit of helping out a friend
• We are laid back and easy going: As you may be able to tell from our blog, the Plug staff is filled with people who enjoy a good laugh, and like to create a comfortable environment for our clients. Ultimately, we’re here to take care of you.
• We have loads of happy clients who come back for more! Many of Plug’s past clients come back to us for further design assistance and refer their friends and associates to us. A series of loyal clients can’t be wrong.
• Working with Plug won’t break the bank: We understand that it is important to budget. Because of this, we keep our charges reasonable, and even offer a Web Triage Center, where clients with smaller design issues can be seen at a reduced charge.
• We love to meet with our clients and invite them to join us for a nice cup of tea! Tea is a staple of Plug Communications. We want to warm your belly as well as your website!

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Plug’s Project Moral Support Thursday, Mar 11 2010

Plugians!

Plug specializes in making your design life easier. In the vain of some of our earlier posts, we’ve set up a few steps that make it easier to tackle a new project, whether it be cleaning out the house in time for spring, or revamping your brand’s image. Follow along with these steps the next time your project seems far too big to tackle alone.

Work Endorphin Rush
Visualize the feeling you get when you’ve just removed a heavy burden from your shoulders. Isn’t it warm and relaxing? From now on, consider your project or chore as your ticket to that freeing feeling!

Little Victory Party
Move through your work step by step. A bunch of little victories equal one giant celebration with a little work.

Gimme Me A Break
Don’t be afraid to take a break! Those 10 minutes might refresh you enough to do a better, faster job, or look at your project with new eyes.

Design For Dummies
One way to get through a difficult ordeal is with the help of an expert. Putting together a piece of furniture, get a friend who’s good with his hands. Designing a web page? *wink wink* Give Plug a Call.

Sugar Vengeance
Tea breaks are a favorite of the Plug team. So when feeing overwhelmed by a current task, we suggest some Sugar Vengeance! Our favorite varieties include peppermint tea, almond tea, and of course the always reliable earl grey.

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Lonely? Call Plug: Dubai’s Leading Escort….umm…Design Agency Tuesday, Mar 2 2010

Hey There Plug Universe

Today’s blog intends to teach you proven methods for turning prospects into clients.
Well….not so much. Today’s blog is really about…you guessed it, THE PLUG DIFFERENCE!

Plug’s primary responsibilities have always included building meaningful relationships with our clients. We believe in expressing our appreciation for their business, and most importantly, letting our clients know that they are special to us, because their mission is our inspiration. While most agencies may claim to build bonds with their clients, some fail at the very first point of contact. Follow-up is the most important part of not only keeping customers, but getting them as well. Here are some stats that might not surprise you.

DID YOU KNOW
48% of sales people never follow up with their prospects
25% of sales people make a second contact with their prospect and then, stop
12% of sales people make three contacts with their prospect and then, stop
Only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts with their prospects

Let’s face it; nobody likes to be bombarded with never-ending calls trying to convince them to buy stuff. (Lonely people not withstanding…they might love a telephone date with their local telemarketer…you never know.)You may be thinking that you’d actually LOSE customers and lessen your message by potentially harassing your prospects. If you were thinking this, you would be WRONG! Because…

DID YOU KNOW
2% of sales are made on the first contact with a prospect
3% of sales are made on the second contact with a prospect
5% of sales are made on the third contact with a prospect
10% of sales are made on the fourth contact with a prospect
80% of sales are made between the fifth and twelfth contact with a prospect

Who knew! Apparently most of the world is secretly longing for an ongoing telemarketer long distance love affair. And lets be honest no good girl puts out before the fifth date!

One would find themselves searching far and wide to find an agency as attentive and dedicated as Plug Communications, point blank. We are ready and willing to wine, dine and keep you entertained. Think of us as the cute geeky guy who used to make you mix tapes and leave them in your locker even though you always ignored us. One day you’ll come to your senses and realize that football player will never love you like we could. But don’t worry, we’ll be right here waiting for you when you do.

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