Premium Australian Wines for Australia and the World

In the past year, total wine sales in Australia increased from $3.1 billion to $3.2 billion; however, wine export volume decreased.  Although there was a decrease in the export volume, the trend in the Australian wine demand is towards more expensive wines.  The new foreign investments coming in, particularly from China, have boosted the confidence in the country’s wine industry. 

Changing the Perception of Australian Wines

According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), Australian wine exports were worth $181 million in 2010-2011 and likely to increase if the perception of Australian wines is changed.  There’s a big export opportunity in China but this has suffered because of the image that China has of most Australian wines sold in their market: cheap wine, therefore not of good quality.  To better penetrate the Chinese market, Australia should do a good job of promoting Australian wines.   

This scenario is the same with Australian wines’ reputation in America, as featured in the March 2012 issue of Business Review Australia.  There is a need to overcome the stereotype of Australian wine; and that’s what Wine Australia, a statutory authority of the Australian Government, focused in their marketing efforts during the Australia Week across the US and in the coming months.

What Gives Turners Crossing Vineyard the Edge in Wines

For Turners Crossing Vineyard, they have well established their presence in the industry across the country and in other four continents.  Their grape vineyard, nurtured since the 1800s, has produced exceptional, premium quality wines that earned them national and international recognitions.  If you’re wondering why they have been successful and how they have made it this far, here are some of the factors that made Turners Crossing Vineyard what it is today:

·         Grape vineyard

o   Located near Bendigo, a historic wine-growing region in Central Victoria, Australia

o   Situated on the banks of the Loddon River, at Turners Crossing, a popular river crossing used by local farmers in the mid to late 1800s

o   Warm days and cool nights allow grapes to ripen during the day and recover at night

o   Has 105 acres of grape vines on red, well-drained, sandy clay topsoil, with red light-medium clay subsoil that contains limestone pebbles

o   Pesticide- and chemical-free

·         Grape vines

o   Spur pruning

o   Carefully calculated bud numbers to deliver low yields, ensuring premium quality of the wine

o   Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Piccolit and Viognier grapes

o   Supply fruits to highly regarded wineries: Hanging Rock, Blackjack, Chateau Leamon, Seppelts, Cellarmasters, Sandhurst Ridge, Mount Moliagul, and Carlei Green Vineyards

·         Wines

o   “The Cut” Shiraz

-  Their premium wine released in 2003

-  Consistently awarded over 90 points since its release by wine guru James Halliday

o   Cabernet Sauvignon

-  A complex mix of flavours in a class of Bendigo Cabernet Sauvignons that are difficult to emulate

-  Awarded over 93 points by wine guru James Halliday

o   Shiraz Viognier

-  Most popular wine in their range

-  Consistently awarded over 94 points since its release in 2004

o   Viognier

-  The only white wine in their range

-  Awarded over 90 points

Turners Crossing Vineyard reflects the taste of delicious and quality Australian wines that the world demands.  In our Wine Shop we hope you enjoy browsing our range and learn a little more about the Turners Crossing Vineyard and the premium wines which we produce. Check another article for more information about Turners Crossing Wine.

Good Communication Skills, Better for Business

According to a survey conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s KatzBusiness School, good communication skills, including written and oral presentations, and an ability to work with others, are the main factors contributing to job success.Elaine Stolick, director of the Competency-Based Coaching program at Katz said that the primary thing recruiters look for in M.B.A. graduates is effective communication skills. It is an important factor in hiring a manager or promoting an employee to a management role.

If you want to get ahead in your career and move forward in your business, regardless of the industry you belong to, you need to arm yourself and your employees with effective business communication skills training
. Weak communication skills can sabotage professional development. However, many people and businesses do not give attention to-communication skills development, and employees rarely receive training.

Why is good communication important?

It’s important that organisations provide business training services for their employees.  Investing in employees’ growth leads to greater productivity, better customer service, higher team morale, and personal fulfilment.  Here are some significant factors that describe the importance of good communication in the workplace:

-    It’s atthe heart of every organization.

-    Everything being done in the workplace results from communication.

-    Communicating effectively with people leads to success in both professional and personal lives.

-    Good communication skills can reduce misunderstandings, errors, frustration, and conflict.

-    Effective communication can influence every interaction in a positive way.

We see how communication creates an impact wherever and whenever it occurs.  It is a learned skill that has the power to build or destroy.You can develop and master these business communication skills with the help of business communication consultants  Black Isle Communications consultants are specialists in this field and offer training in various business communication skills, including business writing skills, influencing skills, presentation skills, social skills, meeting skills, and more.

Basic Communication Skills are Essential in Organisations 

To improve the performance of your employees and your business, basic soft skills should be learned, practised, and developed.  People tend to take for granted communication skills, without realising their significance in the workplace, and even in their personal lives. Here are some of the reasons why your employees have to possess effective communication skills.

Good communicators:

-    Are good listeners.  They can repeat back what they have just heard with no problem recalling the message.

-    Are courteous and respectful.  They can clearly communicate their message in a direct manner.

-    Can give feedback and compliments sincerely. 

-    Educate their listeners with the goal of informing the listener without sounding condescending, conceited, preachy or superior.

-    Know how to connect with others. They mean what they say and express a genuine interest in others.

-    Adapt their message to their audience. They recognize their listeners’ needs and tailor their messages to fit those needs.

-    Make sure their body language and tone of voice match the message being conveyed.

-    Select words carefully. They know that how it is said is as important as what is being said.

-    Are aware of external distractions that may prevent them from hearing a message and work to remove those barriers.



With our communication consultants you can improve your business communication skills, influencing skills, report writing skills and business writing. We also provide business training services, communication skills training and presentation skills training.

Create Your Identity, Promote Your Brand with Smart Name Badges

Jonathan Winchester of Shopper Anonymous (www.shopperanonymous.co.uk), a mystery shopping organisation, conducted research in the UK, Australia and New Zealand that showed how name badges improve customer satisfaction.  Based on 116,000 measured shopping experiences, results show that the overall rating for the customer service experience in organisations where the staff wore name badges is 12% higher than those companies where the staff didn’t wear any name badges.  Name badges are clearly an important and also create a customer’s first impression of the organisation.   

Benefits of Name Badges

Name badges are not just for advertising your brand or customer service; they also promote confidence and trust in your employees or students.  Here are some advantages of wearing a name badge:

·         Corporate name badges

o   Identification

-  Easily identify the employee’s name, rank or designation especially if it’s a large organisation

-  Ensure safety and security in the office premises

-  Promote the sense of identity and belongingness in the organisation

-  Easily address, interact or converse with other employees from other departments

-  Add a professional impression in customers’ eyes

-  Build confidence, respect and pride in employees

-  Establish trust within the organisation and from the customers

-  Save regular visitors from embarrassment if they forget a person’s name

-  Help distinguish staff from customers in businesses that don’t wear uniforms

-  Improve employee-to-employee working relationship by putting a name to the face, instead of addressing employees by the department they belong to

o   Brand Promotion

-  Serve as a promotional or advertising tool

-  Help popularise the brand and company image to the public

-  Can create a long lasting impression in the customer’s mindset

-  Make a statement of what the brand is

-  Professionally present the entire organisation or brand to the client

-  Create an impression of providing a personal service because you’re on a first-name basis

-  Create trust in the customer’s eyes because you are presenting a sense of accountability for your actions

·         School name badges

o   Identification

-  Build pride in the institution the student belongs to

-  Carry out the school’s philosophy and ideals

-  Ensure security and safety of children in the school premises

-  Create discipline and team spirit

o   Recognition

-  For academic and athletic achievements

-  To acknowledge leadership qualities and responsibilities

Name badges have become an important part in an organisation’s identity.  But to make the name badge effective, you should create a design that’s not only impressive but also reflective of your organisation’s identity and ethos.  Ideally, name badges should be smart, direct, appealing, readable and recognisable.  When customising a name badge, you may include a person’s name, the institution’s name, logo, tag line, and colour.  But you also have to consider its limited space; avoid too much content that it becomes incomprehensible.  Make it short, informative and targeted.  For its layout, avoid shiny surfaces or indecipherable font types that make them very difficult to read.   

You can trust Smart Edge Badges to help you create the image you want to project to the public.  They design impressive layouts that promote your organisation’s identity and culture.

---

Call Greg now on 1300-795-598 or send an email for your quality door signs, door name signs, changeable/sliding door name signs and nameplates or  for all your name badges, or your own  custom designed school badge or lapel pin.

Taking Out the Stress in Moving House

Just a week after Russell Brand filed for divorce, moving vans arrived at Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s $6.5 million Hollywood home; although it’s unclear whose belongings were being taken out of the property.   Whether it was Katy or Russell, this moving out is another stress on top of their divorce. 

Whatever the reason for your relocation, moving to a new place is never easy; more so, when you’ve never moved before.  There are so many tasks to accomplish, decisions to be made, costs to pay, and hard work.  But if you know the basic steps to do and if you carefully prepare for it, then there’s less stress. Here are some tips to get you started:

·         Contact a removalist you can trust.  If you’re in Sydney, you can enquire at Always Moving Stuff, a reliable removals and storage specialist that helps in furniture removal, transport work and storage facilities.  They can pack, move and store any house or office furniture, from small fragile items to large bulky furniture.

·         Take an inventory of your possessions.  Donate to charity usable furniture you won’t bring to the new house.  Throw away the compiled junk inside and around your house.  Sell surplus items through a garage sale, second-hand shop or online auction.  Return rented videos and books.  Label correctly and clearly your boxes so they can be placed in the proper rooms in the new house. 

·         Visit your insurance agent to cover the move.  The removalist’s liability is limited and does not cover the lost or damaged goods while in transit.  Get a special insurance policy for your furniture removal.

·         Disconnection of services.  Inform your service providers for electricity, water, phone, Internet, cable TV, newspaper delivery, gardening, etc., about your move.  Arrange a schedule for the disconnection or cancellation of services.

·         Advise the post office of your move.  Have your post office re-direct your mail to your new address.  Ask for change of address kits to notify friends and associates.

·         Pack breakables or fragile items yourself.  Although your removalist can do this for you, try to pack them yourself if you know how.  If you let the removalist pack for you, observe how they do it.

·         Get plenty of boxes.  You don’t know how many cartons you’ll need to pack everything and you’ll always find something else to pack.  Have an assortment of carton sizes because you’ll need small boxes for heavy items and large boxes for small ones.

·         Feel the weight of your boxes.  The box is heavy if it weighs over 40 kilograms.  Carrying very heavy boxes could cause you health problems.  Also, if it’s too heavy, the box may not be strong enough to hold it.

·         Empty your appliances.  Make sure you consume perishable foods in your refrigerator and properly seal other goods before putting them in the box.  Totally drain your washing machine.  Ensure that there’s no fuel in the lawn mower and other equipments.

·         Pack and transfer valuable items yourself.  You should personally pack and keep your cash, passport, jewellery, legal documents, and medical records.

Moving to your new house means new opportunities and a new life.  Plan and organise your move properly so you don’t start your new life with stress. 

---

Specialising in relocation and furniture removals, Always Moving Stuff is the furniture removalist you can trust.