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Concern About Fraud In Crude Oil Selling? 2 Percent Performance Bond Surest Proof of Genuine Seller

Concerned About Fraud In Crude Oil Selling? Why, for Buyers, getting the 2 Percent Performance Bond by the seller is the Simplest & Surest Proof of a Genuine Seller

Credible research has shown that, while virtually every supposed crude oil seller who goes to a potential crude buyer to solicit business, would almost ALWAYS profusely forswear heaven and earth that he, or the crude oil he professes to be selling, is “absolutely trustworthy, reliable, genuine, authentic, and honest,” virtually every OBJECTIVE, CREDIBLE EVIDENCE available, on the other hand, gives a completely opposite and contrary REALITY – namely, that the overwhelming majority of these supposed sellers and their offers (in deed, up to the level of 99.999999%, according to one report) are totally fake, bogus, fraudulent or not legitimate.

MASTERFULLY FORGED & FALSE DOCUMENTS ARE AT THE HEART OF THE CRUDE/BUYING SELLING SCAM OPERATIONS

The primary instrumentality by which these fraudulent con artists and crude “sellers” operate or perpetrate their con game, is the use of skillfully forged or false documents. Such fraudulent and fake “sellers” – or, at least, the ultimate masterminds who originate and stand behind the scheme – are notorious for being master forgers and excellent copiers of every conceivable legitimate refinery and government agency documents related to crude sales or purchases. In deed, according to experts, so masterful at this game are these fraudsters, that the documents they provide to prospective buyers are often so strikingly convincing and real-looking that they are frequently plain difficult, if not impossible, for almost all but the most skilled of document authentication experts to immediately distinguish from the real and authentic ones.

As one report by the Fraud Watch International summed it up, “Victims [of such fraud] are often convinced of the authenticity of Advance Fee Fraud schemes by the forged or false documents bearing apparently official Nigerian government letterhead, seals, as well as false letters of credit, payment schedules and bank drafts.”

The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, in a report titled “Nigeria Advanced Fee Fraud,” describes the documents employed by the Nigerian Advanced Fee Fraud (AFF) or 419 perpetrators, as “official-looking stationery with appropriate government seals, stamps, and signatures,” whose quality, it says, has “evolved over the years, from poorly handwritten letters to more professional products prepared on word processors. Word processors also allow AFF criminals to generate more letters.” It adds that the “AFF criminals include university-educated professionals who are the best in the world for nonviolent spectacular crimes.”

THE MAIN PROBLEM: INABILITY BY BUYERS TO VERIFY SELLERS’ CLAIMS & DOCUMENTS

The point is that, largely in consequence of the above reality, for serious international buyers of Nigerian crude oil, the single most critical and most difficult and risky problem they confront in the open market, is now often the verification and confirmation of the seller’s claims about having an authentic crude allocation and/or its current availability, and the confirmation of the proofs and documents submitted by them in support of those claims. For most buyers, undertaking that task is often dreaded and viewed as something fraught with massive risks and uncertainties that should only be threaded with the utmost caution, and the greatest care and deliberation.

BUYERS’ “PREFERRED” PROOF & EVIDENCE OF CREDIBLE SELLER TODAY – a 2% PB

Because verification and confirmation of such documents from sellers are generally so difficult and dicey, most such international crude oil buyers seek, therefore, to buy ONLY from sellers who can provide them what they consider the safest, most tangible, and most easily reliable kind of proof and evidence of credibility by a seller. And what is this “preferred” proof and evidence that most buyers would rather have? It is simply this – the provision by a seller of a 2% Performance Bond (PB) to the buyer.

THE USUAL VERIFICATION & CONFIRMATION APPROACHES

In a word, the usual proofs and evidence of crude allocation and availability offered by sellers to prospective buyers, is often the provision to the Buyer of the cargo’s PROOF OF PRODUCT or POP. In a C.I.F. or F.O.B deal, for example, the typical manner by which a supposed crude oil seller shows “proof” or evidence to a potential buyer that the Seller has a genuine crude allocation or crude available to sell, is for the seller to provide the buyer the PROOF OF PRODUCT, and the buyer is asked to “verify and confirm” the authenticity of this on his own, and, upon that, for the buyers to issue their Bank Guarantee or Letter of Credit (or other payment instrument) to cover the purchase cost of the product at delivery.

But the problem with this traditional method, is that for most international crude buyers, the average Nigerian seller’s POP (an array of documents that could include the current loaded vessel documents, current Authority to Board (ATB) that was specifically issued to the initial buyer (consignee) of the crude in whose name the vessel was issued, Certificate of quality, Certificate of origin, Cargo manifest, Vessel ullage report, Certificate of quantity, Bill of lading, the Bulk Allocation Details, the Seller’s Authority to Sell (ATS) from the NNPC, etc), is NOT reliable or readily verifiable for genuineness. For example, the POP, which is, in a word, the seller’s main document that’s meant to prove to the buyer that the seller actually has the product being sold, might be showing that an owner of the oil allocation or commodity has possession of the product as of the specific time of the transaction, say, at a certain hour of the day today. But yet, there is no guarantee that the product might not have been sold to another buyer just hours, or even minutes, right after that transaction, and that the commodity is actually still available for sale or delivery to the buyer.

“Most buyers do not accept Nigerian sellers’ proof of product (POP),” says Sam Nelson, an expert in crude buying and selling methods and the author of a primer on the subject. “As a result of this, they (the Buyers) want a tangible (Physical) proof of product. The buyer would request that the seller inspect the cargo and present a verifiable inspection report from accredited agencies like SGS, Q & Q or Robinson International before they (the Buyers) will charter a vessel for the transaction. This is because some so-called Nigerian sellers have false claim over products that never existed and they would forge documents to present as POP. Nigerian market has to be followed very carefully and all documentations thoroughly verified.”

Nelson adds: “Please do not give any inspection money to the seller. Always pay the money directly to the inspection company after they have collected samples of the crude oil from the mother vessel for chemical analysis to confirm the quality and quantity of the crude in the vessel. Also, insist that the ATB (Authority To Board) from the vessel for inspection originated from the captain of that vessel. Do not accept any documents as authentic if you did not verify it from the captain of the feeder vessel. Any documentation from a Nigeria seller must be verified for authenticity.”

MOST DOCUMENTS OR PROOFS BY NIGERIAN SELLERS ARE VIEWED WITH SUSPICION

In deed, nowadays, the same problem of general inability to definitively authenticate genuine crude allocation or availability, now pervades even situations where “tangible, physical” POP inspection has supposedly been made. And some buyers find that even this cautionary advice by Nelson, that the buyers should “insist that the ATB (Authority To Board) from the vessel for inspection originated from the captain of that vessel,” would often not quite work any more in many situations today.

In a TTO deal, for example, the fact of the buyers’ representatives boarding the vessel to make an “inspection” or “confirmation” of the “loaded” vessel, is often no more a guarantee that the transaction is necessarily genuine or legitimate. Nigerian con men and 419ers who operate in the crude oil industry, have been known to work with fraudulent vessel managers and captains or con men disguised as staff of the Shell/JV terminal operators. And Vessels confirmed as “pregnant” (i.e., loaded) even by the buyer’s representatives and his appointed SGS inspectors invited to come aboard the ship on a presumed ship “captain’s” ATB document, have been known to be actually arranged by fake ship operators and ship managers and “captains”; and in such cases the buyer will only be taking over a ship and cargo with FAKE Charter Party Agreement executed between the buyer and fake ship manager, with no AUTHENTIC ship owner’s approval and no authentic shipping documents. And once the buyer’s representatives aboard the vessel confirms that the vessel is “pregnant,” the buyer pays for the cargo, takes over the vessel, and the con men quickly split the money and vanish. The buyer losses everything since the legitimate vessel owner never authorized the captain to issue the CPA, and the essential cargo shipping documents used in the transaction are all merely fake.

Nigeria’s bureaucratic quagmire

And there’s yet another problem involved in trying to authenticate Nigerian crude oil documents. The problem of the bureaucratic quagmire associated with doing business in Nigeria. One expert vastly experienced in doing crude oil buying business in Nigeria, put it this way to this writer: “NNPC Crude Oil Marketing Department, Abuja, is the authoritative source to verify the Authority to Sell document. But you will spend an endless amount of time trying to verify it. As with most Nigerian establishments, people use personal connections to get such documents, but that does not mean that they can deliver.”

WHAT BUYERS NOW VIEW AS THE BEST AND MOST “PREFERRED” PROOF OF AN AUTHENTIC CRUDE SELLER – A SELLER WHO CAN PROVIDE BUYER A 2% PERFORMANCE BOND

In short, the point is that virtually all traditional manners of verification and confirmation of crude oil ownership and availability have become seriously infected and adulterated by con artists and fake operators to the point that many international crude oil buyers regard those methods as largely unreliable, too difficult to verify, and fraught with intolerable risks. And consequently, there has evolved among them what could today be called a “preferred” method for determining an authentic and credible seller of crude oil in today’s market. Such a seller is simply one who can meet one basic requirement – namely, is willing and able to provide the buyer a 2% Performance Bond upfront in a transaction.

What is a Performance Bond or PB?

This is, in a word, an insurance document issued for the seller by seller’s bank or insurance company guaranteeing that the issuer will pay a stipulated amount (a sum amounting, in this case, to 2% of the total value of the cargo being purchased) to the buyer in the event that the seller breaches (fails to perform) the terms and specifics of the contract signed by the seller with the buyer. (The Performance Bond could also be posted in the form of a Cash Bond). The bank or insurance company which issues the PB acts as the responsible “surety” of the bond

If a seller contracts with a buyer to put up a 2% PB – and is able to actually post that bond with his bank or insurance company – the seller is, in a word, guaranteeing the buyer that if he were to fail to perform his obligations under that contract, his bank or insurance company, in their roles as the “surety” of the bond, will pay the buyer a sum amounting to 2% of the value of the crude being purchased, regardless.

WHY BUYERS LOVE THE PERFORMANCE BOND GUARANTEE

Buyers love finding sellers who can provide them UPFRONT 2% Performance Bond, overwhelmingly viewing that as the “preferred” option as they consider that the safest, most reliable, most tangible, and most assured and least fraud-prone kind of proof and evidence of credibility by a seller. Most experts contend that if a seller can offer a 2% PB deal – and, what is even more important, is actually able to post the PB because he has the financial wherewithal to do so – it is almost assured that the seller will not fail the buyer in the actual execution of the deal, but will almost surely perform those obligations as contracted with the buyer.

Sam Nelson, expert in crude buying and selling methods and the author of a primer on the subject, put it this way: “A contract with any of these bonds in place will be successfully completed. A bonded contract has a higher degree of success than a non-bonded contract. A bonded contract is a bankable contract. The players have their money at stake and that is a good reason for them to perform.”

And the Legal Dictionary explains it this way: “The purpose of a bond is to provide an incentive for the fulfillment of an obligation. It also provides reassurance that the obligation will be fulfilled and that compensation is available if it is not fulfilled. Performance Bonds guarantee for the satisfactory completion of a project.”

There are a few specific bases why buyers and experts feel that way:

1. Being able to post a PB is a sign of financial credibility and ability.

To be able to finance an actual posting of a 2% PB (which will mean, for example, at the current crude prices, 2% of, say, $200 million for a 2 million barrels cargo, something amounting to $4 million), a seller would have to have some substantial financial ability and resources.

2. Financial Cost and Penalty Involved In Posting a PB, is a Powerful Disincentive Not to Perform.

Sam Nelson: “The players have their money at stake and that is a good reason for them to perform.” In deed, most buyers, upon getting the 2% PB issuance from a seller, would promptly accept that as equivalent to POP and forgo having to review the POP.

3. The Normal Con Man or 419er Will Not Have the Disposition, the Reputation & Financial Wherewithal to Post a PB.

Robert Strickland of Strickland Associates, an experienced New York dealer in crude oil deals, says as follows: “If you are concerned with FRAUD! ONLY true Sellers that offer a 2%+ Performance Bond are genuine Sellers of Nigeria [crude oil].”

Sam Nelson, the crude oil deals expert and author: “These bonds are necessary to protect the interest of the parties involved for unnecessary losses due to fraud or complete negligence.”

4. Being able to post a PB is a solid indication to a buyer that the Seller has already been vetted.

Obtaining a PB is generally not an easy or automatic thing. Before a bank or insurance company would give a seller a bond, the seller shall have gone through a rigorous application process, and must have met a set of stringent financial and character requirements and conditions. Hence, when a buyer gets a seller who can, and does actually, post a 2% PB, the buyer is almost assured that he’s got a credible seller, and one most unlikely to be a fraudster or a 419er.

For just an example, one Syracuse, New York, insurance company requires applicants for a Public Construction job PB to provide them the following items, among others:

Surety Questionnaire Filled Out Completely

Copy of Contract/Award Letter or Solicitation Letter

Business Financial Statements (2 years audited fiscal year financials) OR

Last 3 years Company Income Tax Returns

Personal Financial Statements and Resumes on all owners of 10% or more

Work in Progress Schedule (if applicable)

Insurance Confirmation

A. Workman’s Compensation

B. Liability Certificate

C. Key Man Policy

Supplier and Contractor Reference Letters

Schedule of Completed Jobs

Bank Reference Letter

Company and Personal Indemnification (GAI we supply)

Articles of Incorporation

Corporate Resolution

Job Cost Breakdown and/or bid specs

IN SUM

To most buyers of crude oil in the international open market, getting an UPFRONT 2% Performance Bond issuance from a seller, is the overwhelmingly “preferred” method for doing a sales/purchase deal. It is the option they consider to be the safest, most reliable, most tangible, and most assured and least fraud-prone kind of proof and evidence of credibility by a seller.

For various reasons and factors, many of which are outlined above, most buyers and experts believe that if a seller can offer a 2% PB deal – and, what is even more important, is actually able to post the PB because he has the financial wherewithal to do so – it is almost assured that the seller will not fail the buyer in the actual execution of the deal, but will almost surely perform his own obligations as contracted with the buyer. Hence, in a deal of that kind the buyer has little or nothing to worry about concerning a potential risk of fraud or scam. In consequence, buyers love finding sellers who can provide them – who can actually post – a 2% PB, and consider that to be the best evidence and assurance of having a credible seller, and one most unlikely to not perform the contract, or to be a fraudster or a 419er

NOTE: As with many things concerning many a Nigerian crude seller, it’s one thing for a seller to claim to a buyer that he’ll post the PB, but quite another thing altogether for the seller to be able to actually do it, or to actually do it!),.

FOR A FOLLOW UP

YOU WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON HOW YOU CAN ASSURE GETTING A NIGERIAN CRUDE OIL SELLER WITH A TRUE, UPFRONT 2% PERFORMANCE BOND? OR SELLER WITH OTHER KINDS OF SALES DEALS THAT ARE GENUINE, “SAFE” AND SCAM-FREE?

INSTRUCTION: You can do so. You can readily obtain the specific basic requirements you’d need to meet in order for you to become automatically considered “proven” as a truly LEGITIMATE seller who really genuinely has some crude to sell. USE THE AUTHOR’S FIVE BASIC OPTIONS PROGRAM.

Just send an email and simply ask for “the FIVE OPTIONS.” CONTACT THE AUTHOR ON THIS ONLY BY EMAIL, PLEASE, at: anosikemo@yahoo.com OR anosike2@aol.com

MORE ON THIS AND RELATED TOPICS ON THE AUTHOR’S BLOG AT: http://www.affordablebankruptcy.blogspot.com/

A Look at How the New Epson ColorWorks CW-C6500 Will Change Enterprise Label Printing

The New Year is coming, and with it, plans for personal and workplace improvements. Come January 2020, Epson’s new ColorWorks CW-C6500 color label printer will arrive, making it the perfect addition to your enterprise label printer fleet.

Companies that print high volumes of labels have historically relied on large fleets of thermal transfer printers and pre-printed color label stock to produce their color labels. The pre-printed stock has blank areas which are later printed with the black thermal transfer printer. This allows for some customization, but, as you can imagine, has some limitations.

For example, where are you going to get the pre-printed label stock in the first place? Through a third party print service provider most likely. That incurs setup and die costs. It also usually requires a large minimum order. Should the labeling requirements change, the pre-printed labels must be discarded. Meanwhile, staff must constantly manage label inventory. If they run out of pre-printed labels, it will cause some serious downtime until new labels can be ordered, printed, shipped, and delivered.

Epson ColorWorks CW-C6500 Label Printer is Designed to Replace Thermal Transfer Printers

This is where the Epson CW-C6500 color label printer shines. Not only does it allow companies to print in full color, it does so on demand. There’s no need to order, store, manage, or potentially waste pre-printed labels. The Epson CW-C6500 color label printer comes in two versions, one with an auto cutter (CW-C6500A) and one with a peeler (CW-C6500P). Both are 8-inch ColorWorks label printers with comparable features, media handling capabilities, and connectivity options as the leading thermal transfer printers currently in use in today’s enterprise label printing environments.

Epson CW-C6500 Features

Among the many features of the Epson CW-C6500 color label printer are:

8-inch print width (a 4-inch model, the CW-C6000 is coming in May 2020)
1200 dpi print resolution
Up to 5 inches per second print speed
PrecisionCore TFP serial printheads
GHS BS5609 certification when used with certain DuraFast pigment ink chemical labels
ESC/Label and ZPL II interface language
Remote printer management
Seamless integration with SAP, middleware, Windows, Mac OS, and Linus
Applicator I/O port
Low cost

Business Benefits

Adding Epson CW-C6500 color label printers to an existing fleet of thermal transfer printers is just as easy, reliable, and affordable as adding thermal transfer printers, but with the added benefit of full color label production. This printer and its 4-inch sibling are set to transform the enterprise label printing industry in 2020.

Choosing the Best Printing Service For Your Printing Needs

Printing services which encompass commercial, educational and scientific areas have become a major industry today. Many businesses give preference to best printing services for their advertising requirements and all printing needs.

Locating best printing service is not an easy task. There are different factors that can help you in selecting one good service which meets all your printing requirements.

These factors include:

Whether the company can offer services for both offset as well as digital printing? If this facility is available, you can get all your printing work done from one dependable source.

Offset printing is meant for handling bulk orders. Very large quantities of prints can be created and reproduced at affordable costs. Unit costs drops as order quantities increase.

Digital printing is suitable for smaller quantities of print. This process enables direct printing without use of mechanical processes like plate production or film stripping.

A second factor in selection of best printing services is the product it handles. You will benefit from a printing service that handles wide range of products. A big advantage with such a company is that you don’t have to run to different companies for getting different products.

The products that one best printing services should offer include: business cards, catalogues, brochures, calendars, door hangers, envelopes, letterheads, newsletters, greeting cards, posters, stickers, flyers and labels. The best printing service should have facility for format printing of large posters and vinyl banners. It should also provide different options for customisation.

Another important factor in deciding best printing services is the support it offers to clients, like free proofs, project estimates at no extra cost and free review of files.

One more factor that will differentiate one best printing service from another ordinary service is the response time. When you want something to be printed on short notice, the best printing service provider will always be able to supply you quality product in shortest possible time without printing errors. Such situations arise more often and you have to depend fully for express service on your printing service.

Thus the best printing services would be the one which can be set up for different printing processes and products, which is very quick to respond and produces high quality of printing.

A Unique Selling Proposition and Convincing Guarantee

What makes you hire a car from a particular firm? Remember Avis’s we try harder and FedEx’s when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight? Each of these is a compellingly unique selling proposition that differentiates their brand and persuades consumers to use them above their competition, because of the convincing guarantee that they imply.

This is the process I follow as a business coach when helping my clients to develop their own unique selling propositions and guarantees in an imaginative, creative way.

Think in terms of what your customers receive. Nobody is interested in buying quality and service because they have no intrinsic worth. But a car hire firm that tries harder and a shipper who guarantees deadlines – now that is something to talk about. So what makes you different from the firm that does the same thing as you across the street or down the road?
How is the product or service that you sell unique in terms of customer benefits? How does it solve the problems, frustrations or challenges that your prospects face? A fridge is a fridge but one that auto-defrosts is more than just a fridge, it’s a lifestyle too. All golf coaches are the same, right? No they’re not. The unique selling proposition that guarantees to improve your swing (they all do that, by the way) is the one who gets the business.
Identify a “pain point’ in your industry. Like sitting for hours in a doctor’s waiting room or having take-outs delivered hours late. Domino’s Pizza got it right when they promised pizza delivered in thirty minutes or it’s free. How’s that for a convincing guarantee? Think laterally, but be prepared to be held to your promise.
Be specific and make sure you can back up your proposition when asked for proof. Advertisements are sometimes focused internally to inspire staff, but unique propositions are not. They describe what you are already doing, so what makes you special? How come you are still in business? It’s just not good enough when only you know why.
Distill this all down into a single sentence or better still a short phrase. You must think in terms of output and every word must sell. This is where a business coach can be a useful ally. I have wrestled with paradigms like this before, and I offer independent input.

The job is not over though until you have integrated your unique selling proposition into all your business stationery and advertising materials and done a market launch as well. Convincing guarantees are two-edged swords when out there in the public eye. You’ve just created another role for yourself – you must monitor, monitor and monitor to make sure your firm is sticking to its promise.

Direct Mail Marketing For CPAs And Accountants

In the accounting industry, direct mail marketing can be very cost effective. CPAs and Accountants are fortunate to be in an industry where they are able to purchase a database, which provides precise information on potential clients. This makes marketing with direct mail a very cost effective approach to develop new clients.

The first thing a CPA Accountant will need to do is purchase a list of businesses that meet the criteria a CPA Accountant establishes to qualify a client for his or her firm. There are many criteria a CPA Accountant may choose, but the most common are, location, number of employees, sales volume, and industry. Some list companies will even provide limited credit information. It is best to generally select locations closest to your office. Most compiling companies use databases with zip codes to establish locations. Accordingly, the CPA Accountant should start by providing the zip code for his or her office working a radius outward until the desired number of businesses on the list is reached.

Once the criterion is established, the Accountant is now ready to purchase a database. Info USA and Dunn & Brad Street are perhaps two of the largest companies that compile and sell database information for resale. It is recommended the list be purchased from one of these two companies. They are reliable and have been in business a long time. Unfortunately, there are many companies selling list information that are not reliable and that have high error rates. Many other companies are basically just list brokers who purchased a list wholesale from one of those two companies and then resell it to you. It makes sense to always purchase your list from a database compiling company, which has a proven reliable record.

With the list purchased, the Accountant now has a defined target market of potential business that could be good clients for his or her firm. Direct mailing to the defined target is cost effective. The CPA Accountant is not incurring costs of marketing outside of his or her target market. Radio, television, and newspapers all broadcast or publish to the general public. Advertising in these forms of media would subject the CPA Accountant to incurring cost communicating outside of his or her target market. Direct mail focuses the cost of communication to his or her defined target market.

There are three basic rules the CPA Accountant must follow in direct-mail marketing. The first rule is always use professional letterhead and envelopes. Many times Accountants generate “in house” their own business stationary giving it a “home made appearance.” The CPA’s direct mail piece is the first representation of his or her firm’s work that a potential client might experience. The CPA desires his or her marketing piece to be of the highest quality. A professional appearing CPA Accountant direct mail marketing letter to a profession or business will be opened while a low grade appearing letter is often just discarded.

The second rule is never use bulk mail or mailing labels. When unsolicited mail is received, the business owner will look at it and make a decision. Does this look like something he or she should open? The decision is then based on visible attributes of the CPA’s direct marketing envelop labeling. If the labeling of the envelope was with a pre-printed mailing label accompanied with a bulk mail stamp, most likely the letter will never be opened and will be discarded. However, if the Accountant directly labeled the envelope with postage paid via a metered or regular first class stamp, the envelope will appear important influencing the decision to open the letter.

After the business owner decides to open the Accountant’s letter, he or she will always scan the piece to discern quickly if it is of interest. The third rule is to always keep the letter short and to the point. The prospective client will quickly determine if it is interesting and short enough to read while not consuming much time. A common mistake CPA Accountants make is attempting to write long lengthy letters to “sell themselves”. This is a very costly mistake. The objective of the letter is to initiate a positive response. Once a prospective client responds positively, he or she will be provided an opportunity to convey those things in subsequent conversations and meetings enticing him or her to use the CPA Accountant’s services.

In addition to the three basic rules, it is always recommended the CPA Accountant include a business card with the direct mail letter. This will allow the prospective client to locate the CPA Accountant’s contact information and retain it for future reference. It is also recommended that the CPA Accountant refrain from using postcards in direct mail marketing for the accounting industry. They have a commodity appearance diminishing the perception of the quality of the CPA Accountant’s firm. Finally, always use industry-specific direct mail pieces whenever possible.

In summary, direct mail marketing for CPA Accountants can be very cost effective. The use of target markets avoids spending advertising dollars outside of the target audience. It is important to always follow the three basic rules for direct mail marketing for CPAs and Accountants. The costs of violating those rules can be enormous. Marketing for CPA Accountants does not have to be expensive but can be very cost effective if implemented correctly.

An Accountant Supply List

Not many years ago, accountant supply lists involved items such as ledgers, stamps with inkpads, and a very large cup of sharp pencils. Today, accountant supply lists are much different.

Computer

First and foremost, the most important accountant supply to purchase is a computer. This is a given in nearly every existing business in the United States today, and choosing a computer can be complicated and confusing due to the many options that are available. If you don’t have a computer that you can use for your accounting business, visit your local accountant supply store, office supply store, or computer dealer.

Shop around at a minimum of three places, and ask a sales representative to demonstrate the different features, as well as review features on memory. Bring a note book to write down the different types of computers you’ve seen, as well as the pros and cons of each different computer. If you have a relative or close friend who knows computers, share your findings in order to make the most educated purchase that is best for your business.

Accounting Software

After purchasing a computer, or if you already have a computer suitable for your accounting office, the obvious next accountant supply that will be needed is a good accounting software package. Rather than choosing accounting software by brand, though, choose software that is right for your particular business.

Out-of-the-box accounting software is most suitable for small and medium-sized businesses that have standard accountant supply needs. If your business needs unique data reports, make sure the accounting software you choose offers customizable reports. If you run a service-related business, check to be sure the accounting software includes features such as a time and billing module. When choosing your software, ask a few pertinent questions to make sure the package is right for your accounting business.

– Does the accounting software allow you to print or electronically send cheques, purchase orders, and invoices?

– Does it have internet connectivity so you can bank online?

– Is it integrated with other software that you often use, such as Microsoft Office?

– Is it able to convert data from other accounting programs or databases? In other words, will the accounting software be able to meet all of your needs, now and in the future?

– Does it work easily with tax forms and configurations?

If you anticipate your business to grow and include other staff accountants, consider these additional questions as well.

– Is the accounting software networkable?

– How easy or expensive is it to move from one user to multi-users?

– With some accounting software, adding new users is just a matter of buying the appropriate number of user licenses; with others, you have to purchase multiple copies of the accounting software program, which is much more expensive.

Some software accountant supply packages, such as Peachtree by Sage, offer areas of accounting software specialty as well, such as accounting for construction, accounting for distribution, accounting for manufacturing, and accounting for nonprofit organizations. Therefore, as with a computer purchase, get several opinions from various sources in order to make the most educated purchase for your accounting businesss.

Other Supplies

Once a computer system and software package is installed, filling an accountant supply cabinet is the next item a self employed accountant should choose to complete. Before spending your hard earned dollars, though, carefully research the items that you will need the most and those items that you will need immediately in your particular accounting specialty.

A few basic items for your effectively equipping your office, which are available at most any accountant supply or office supply store, are as follows:

– Client tax guide organizers

– Presentation materials and client folders

– Accounting forms

– Filing cabinet with file folders

– Accounting reference materials

– Telephone with headset

– Desk top calculator and adding machine

Some items that will be needed in your accountant supply cabinet can be purchased at an accountant supply or office supply store, but could also be obtained at no charge through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or ordered at irs.gov.

– W2 and 1099 tax forms

– Federal and State envelopes

– Federal and State income tax forms for the current tax year

Basic office supplies that should be included on your accountant supply list are:

– Pens

– Pencils and an electric pencil sharpener

– Paper clips

– Stapler

– Rubber bands

– Desk organizers and baskets for organizing paperwork to be kept on your desk

– Envelopes of various sizes

– Postage meter if you do or plan on doing a lot of daily mailings on a very regular basis

– Self inking stamps – one with your business mailing address and one for stamping bank deposits

– Letterhead and envelopes with your business name printed on them

– Business cards

Additionally, consider a unique accountant supply that could be of great benefit to you and your clients — a subscription to a tax update newsletter, or another resource that will keep you regularly informed of tax updates, and can help you remain updated on the latest changes in taxes and tax laws.

Email Template – Procedure To Create An Email Flyer

Email marketing is a very strong advertising tool and creating an email flyer is a fun activity. Email marketing is a tool which can create a huge impact on the audience and increase the sales to a great extent. And the most important benefit and advantage of email marketing is the cost and benefit involved in this marketing process. The cost is minimal with great results which can be beneficial for any business owner.

Now let us see the procedure to create an email flyer. It is better to use email templates if you are making it for the first time. You can find a wide variety of templates and you can choose the one you like the best. However, it is necessary that you choose it very carefully and it goes well with the logo and color scheme. It is good to use a few design elements while using a template. Make sure that the contrast settings of your templates are according to the audience. People with visual disabilities will always like a high contrast and medium size font. Make sure that the images are relevant and according to the audience and the season. Also make sure that the branding goes well with the other marketing strategies like letterhead, signs and brochures. Also make sure that all the hyperlinks included in the email templates are color consistent and underlined.

One of the major factors that need to be considered is the aim or goal for which you are creating the email flyer. There is a simple reason behind this. You need to understand the basic goals and aims before you convey anything to your audience. If your reader does not understand what you are talking about then your marketing strategy is most likely to fail. Keep everything straightforward and simple like the registration forms and the navigation. There is a vast difference between an email that needs to be sent to the college students and the one that needs to be sent to the corporate clients. Thus, one needs to understand this point well. Make sure that your flyer has everything clear and concise. Format it in such a way that the audience does not miss the main part and it immediately holds their attention. It is good to include expiration dates and offers in your email flyers to get a quick response.

Make sure that the language used in the advertisement is appropriate and does not have any grammatical errors. Usage of conversational tone is allowed but, only to a certain extent. Make sure that the navigation is user friendly and the links are working properly. Avoid asking for personal information directly from an email as the users are generally scared about the scams that keep taking place. Make sure that your subject line is in accordance with the content and gives an actual idea about the content. You can also copyright your content if you want to protect it. Thus, this was some essential information about how to create email flyers.

Fraud in Nigerian Crude Oil Selling: Authenticating The Crude Allocation and Documents by Oil Buyers

HOW DO YOU ASSURE THAT A NIGERIAN CRUDE OIL SELLER’S ALLOCATION OR DOCUMENT IS AUTHENTIC OR GENUINE?

This observation by the research report on the subject, done by the Africans in America News Watch, a New York based non-profit organization, in August 2010, sums up the issue:

“There are many genuine crude oil sellers in Nigeria but the problem is getting the real and verifiable ones. Crude Oil trade is a booming and thriving business and many people seem to want to go into it. Buyers from other countries contact sellers in Nigeria in order to buy Nigerian Crude Oil. [But the business is now full of]… scammers on the prowl.” It adds that “There are lots of crude oil sellers in Nigeria, but the challenge there is the ability to find genuine and verifiable sellers.”

In point of fact, as this author has amply documented elsewhere in another study, the assertion that in the arcane world of international crude oil buying and selling today the landscape is literally littered and crawling with fraudsters and scammers, is now a well-established, well-settled truth about which there can hardly be any serious argument or disputation in the contemporary international oil buying and selling industry.

In consequence, given that stark REALITY that “there are many genuine crude oil sellers in Nigeria but the problem is getting the real and verifiable ones,” the big million dollar question is this: AS A CRUDE BUYER, HOW THEN DO YOU GET THOSE SELLERS FROM AMONG THE WHOLE LOT WHO ARE THE “REAL AND VERIFIABLE” ONES?

THE KEY? Most experts, in the case of Nigeria, say that basically you (the crude buyer) would have to demand and insist on the purported Seller showing you AUTHENTIC documentation and other proofs of having genuine BLCO and FLCO allocation from the Nigerian NNPC, as well as proof that that product is still currently availability. (For Nigeria, the NNPC, which stands for the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, is a Federal government-owned company that administers the buying and selling of petroleum, including giving allocation to genuine sellers of the crude oil in Nigeria).

THE KEY DOCUMENTS IN NIGERIAN CRUDE OIL BUYING/SELLING INDUSTRY

There are some key documents that are crucial in the purchasing of the Nigerian crude oil transactions. They will include the following documents, among others:

– Seller’s shipping documents, such as: Clean Ocean Bill of Lading; Seller’s Commercial Invoice

– Seller’s Proof of Product (will comprise the License to Export & the Approval to Export, issued by the country’s government, statement of Availability of the Product, Port Storage Agreement, etc)

– SGS/Sayboat Certificate of Quantity and Quality issued at the loading port

– Certificate of Origin issued by the NNPC

– Certificate of Authenticity issued by the NNPC

– Charter Party Agreement on the vessel, issued to the charterer of the vessel and presumably showing that the vessel is actually chartered in the designated Seller’s name

– the Q88 questionnaire, filled out by the managers of the vessel providing the relevant information and specs of the vessel;

– Etc.

PROOF OF PRODUCT

Probably the most important document of all that a crude buyer may need to see from the seller, is the proper Proof of Product (POP). This document, which has to be one issued by the appropriate department of the NNPC in Abuja, Nigeria, serves as a clear indication to a crude buyer that the owner of the oil commodity has true possession of the product, and also serves as an indication that, at least as at the time of the transaction (but only at that time), the seller has the commodity available for sale.

IMPORTANT: It should not just be any form of POP, however. It needs to be one that is in a format that will enable satisfactory verification to ascertain that it is valid and authentic. Based on this writer’s research, to ensure the optimum likelihood that this goal can be attained, there are basically two types of POP documents that are acceptable, and none others, and only sellers whose POP documents meet those “preferred” POP documents standards, ought to be entertained or attended to.

THE POP MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS.

A). It must have the Loaded vessel documents that are CURRENT (that is, must not be more than 2 days old, otherwise the document will immediately be rejected as it may mean that the vessel is no longer available), and should include the following documents:

i. A Current Authority to Board (ATB). Seller must provide, for the buyer’s inspection, the ATB that was specifically issued to the initial buyer (consignee) of the crude in whose name the vessel was issued. The name on the ATB must match exactly with the name on the POP and other documents named here. And, here again, the ATB MUST be CURRENT – that is, it must be no more than 2 days old. (An ATB that is more than 2 days old, should be automatically be viewed as representing a vessel which is no longer available and hence not acceptable).

ii. Certificate of quality.

iii. Certificate of origin

iv. Cargo manifest

v. Vessel ullage report

vi. Certificate of quantity.

vii. Bill of lading

viii. ATS (Authority to Sell) from the NNPC

B) PROVIDE THE PARTICULARS OF THE VESSEL.

Generally, the Buyer may require (and hence the Seller must be willing and ready to release them), vessel particulars such as the following: the name of the vessel, location of the vessel, the IMO name, call sign and other vessel details. The reason this is required is so the buyer can do the tracking of the said loaded vessel, and to ascertain its current availability.

C) PROVIDE THESE DOCUMENTS, ALSO, FROM THE NNPC

As in the case of the POP which reputable buyers’ facilitating outfits like the Reliable Dealings International require from any AWR seller before they can begin to do business with them, the other things that may often be required from a seller, would include the following:

= the Lifting Lease/License from the NNPC, and

= the Letter of Authority to Sell (ATS) from the NNPC. The Letter of Authority to Sell, also called a Letter of Allocation, which should usually come from the NNPC’s Crude Oil Marketing Department, is basically the official document which shows the buyer that the seller actually has the authority from the official government agency for the crude product that he’s selling. (Must usually be in a paper format and on NNPC company letterhead; must contain the date of issue and expiration date, and be signed. Scanned copies of document are alright. All documents must be certified, valid, authentic and verifiable.)

= If, for example, the seller claims that the cargo has been cleared, then he should usually be able to provide the CPA (Charter Party Agreement), the ATL (Authority To Load), and Q88 vessel details.

ALRIGHT, BUT HOW DO YOU ASSURE THAT THESE DOCUMENTS ARE AUTHENTIC?

OK, so let’s say you’ve assembled the proper Proof of Product and the other essential documents such as those that are outlined above. There’s one key, in deed critical, question that still remains for you – how do you assure that these documents you’ve gotten from the seller are even any good? That they are real, valid, AUTHENTIC and GENUINE to warrant your taking the Seller’s offer seriously?

This question is, perhaps, often the most critical for a buyer because, as a rule, most fraudsters and con artists who operate in the Nigerian crude oil industry, are simply masterful forgers and copiers of every bit of the legitimate industry documents that are used in selling and buying operations by refineries and government agencies, and who are highly skilled at the craft. Consequently, buyers are strictly wary never, ever to accept outright at face value or be ever fooled by, any document submitted by sellers or claims made by them, however seemingly convincing or real-looking!. And what it all means, is that one crucial facility that a crude oil buyer and his aides must quickly develop and have, are some good, fool-proof, tools or skills by which they can INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY the authenticity of at least the key, most significant pieces of documents from among the tons of documents that sellers and their agents will often present them in the course of hawking their products. And, above all, that they must have the skills and the knowledge and business sophistication to be able to detect which ones among such documents are genuine and legitimate, and which ones might be plain bogus.

To be sure, making such verification and confirmation may often be problematic for a buyer. However, it is not really that difficult a task, at least for the schooled and experienced eyes. You only need to know what and what to look for, the right questions to ask, and how to counter check and cross check facts and information. And, in any case, whenever in serious doubt about the authenticity of a document, you should always take the path of caution – ask for more proof, or even reject the offer, depending on the particular facts at issue in an offer.

FOR A FOLLOW UP

YOU WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON HOW YOU CAN ASSURE THAT A NIGERIAN CRUDE OIL SELLER’S ALLOCATION OR DOCUMENT IS AUTHENTIC OR GENUINE?

Please see the instructional information in the author’s resource box below

Vector Graphics Explained

Do you need to produce illustrations on your computer for your business or organisation? Understanding how to use object-oriented graphics will enhance your company’s literature and the vector drawing software is not difficult to use.

Vector graphics make such a difference to any form of illustration produced on a computer. This article explains what they are and the differences between vector and raster graphics. Learn how to use object-oriented graphics to enhance your organisation’s posters, flyers and letterheads.

What are vector graphics?

They are created on a computer and are a popular illustration format.

In the following article, we’ll explain exactly what they are, what benefits they have over raster graphics and when they are best used.

A vector is a line

But it doesn’t have to be a straight line. Object-oriented graphics are mathematical equations that consist of co-ordinates, positions and curve information. They’re similar to a dot-to-dot drawing, albeit slightly more sophisticated.

Think about an aeroplane taking off from the ground and rising to an altitude in the sky. There are a series of factors that determine the curve between the point at which the plane leaves the ground and the point at which it reaches cruising altitude, such as speed, angle at takeoff etc.

And it’s a similar case with object-oriented graphics. To draw a curved line, for example, the vector graphics programme requires the co-ordinates of the line’s two end points. Once these have been plotted, you can create a curve between them. The mathematics will have been calculated in the background.

If a shape needs to be enlarged, numbers are added to the equation behind the scenes to present the same shape at the same quality, but much bigger. Colours and styles are then added.

But object-oriented graphics don’t restrict you to simple 2D images; incredibly detailed, almost photo-like results can be achieved.

Increase size without decreasing quality

No matter what size you enlarge or shrink object-oriented graphics, the quality will remain exactly the same; it will be 100% sharp and clear.

Compare this to raster graphics where the images are composed entirely of squares of colour known as pixels. Resizing these graphics forces the software to estimate which pixels will fill a larger image, causing pixelation which gives a blurry and fuzzy effect.

The ability to increase a vector’s size without sacrificing quality is also closely linked to file size. Even if your vector graphic is the size of a billboard, the file size will still be relatively small, especially when compared to that of a raster image.

This is because a vector file only records the information related to the graphic’s objects, i.e. co-ordinates, positions etc., whereas raster graphics need to record every single pixel in an image, leading to a much larger file size.

One disadvantage to vector graphics in the past was that you couldn’t achieve anywhere near the photographic, lifelike quality you could in a raster image. However, developments in software mean that this is now more feasible, although the process can be time-consuming.

Perfect for print and screen

Vector graphics are used in websites, animations and business branding materials such as logos, letterheads and flyers. A logo, for example, needs to be flexible and versatile in its design so it can be applied in varying sizes and across a range of media which could be anything from an A4 sheet of paper to the side of a car.

The fact that you can easily enlarge and shrink vector graphics to any size makes this possible. And it’s not just in printed materials where vector excels.

The format has become popular on websites too because of a combination of small file size, high quality, and compatibility with all major browsers and most smartphones.

Raster graphics, on the other hand, can boast high quality, but at a cost of a larger file size. The downside here is that a larger file forces page load times to increase, which might mean a potential visitor has to wait for a page to appear.

Vector graphics software makes it easy

As you can see, vector artwork is ideal for a number of situations and, with software readily available and far from expensive, there really is every reason to try your hand at it.

Tools are easy to use too, with changes quickly made, and the results are sharp and sophisticated so it’s perfect for materials that represent your business.

How to Write a Quick & Easy Car Repo Letter

On your own letterhead paper write or print out a notice which includes the name, address, and phone number of the defaulted client. Explain that you have attempted to contact them to no avail. Notify that they must contact you in order to come to a resolution to their outstanding payments.

List the vehicle that is in question along with its VIN number.

Give a final date that all past due payments are due by (labeled “last date for payment”) and the amount due to catch payments up (labeled “amount now due”). Explain that:

“If you pay the amount now due by the last date for payment you may continue with the contract as though you were not in default. If you do not pay by that date, we may exercise our rights under law, including involuntary repossession of the vehicle in which we hold a security interest.”

Remember that as time passes until the due date you assign more payments due may accumulate. Include in the letter that by the due date these payments will also be due and list each payment by amount and normal scheduled due date, i.e. “date due_______ Amount _______”

After listing these payments that will accumulate by the final due date explain that:

“In order to fully cure your account, and in order to prevent the exercise of our legal rights under the law, the payment or payments listed above must ALSO be paid in full on or before the last due date for payments”

Inform that even if the account is caught up you still have the right to take action in the event that payments fall behind again within a designated amount of time:

“If you are late again within the next____weeks in making your payments, we may exercise our rights, including repossession, without sending you another notice like this one.”

Explain your rights to collect further monies owed under the lien contract:

“The rights we may exercise under the law include repossession of the motor vehicle securing this debt. If the motor vehicle is repossessed, either voluntarily or involuntarily, it may be sold and you may owe the difference between the net proceeds from the sale and the remaining balance due under the contract.”

Ask the client to contact you right away if they have any questions.

Close the letter with:

“If we do not hear from you within___days, we will have no choice but to put out a REPOSSESSION ORDER on the vehicle.”

Sign it and have it notarized.

Mail the letter certified with delivery confirmation and return address requested. This way you have 2 ways of confirming and proving that they did receive the notice in case legal questions arise after the repossession.

You also obtain any forwarding address if the client has moved so that you can more easily locate the vehicle. The return address requested will send the letter back to you if they have moved instead of being forwarded to them.

If payment has not been made and you are ready to repossess the vehicle you need to write or type a REPOSSESSION ORDER. This will state the following:

Repossess Order

Purchaser:
[Name]
[Address]
[Phone number]

Default of contract
[vehicle year, make, model, VIN]
Net Payoff Balance: [Total bottom line balance owed]
Repo fee: [$ amount of the repo fee you charge]
Storage fee: [$ amount of the storage fee you charge]
Damage: [$ amount of any damage known to be done to the vehicle] You may also write TBD or To Be Determined here
Total: Add up all of these amounts and enter the total here

The named buyer is in default of installment loan contract and payment is under uniform and commercial state and local codes covering installment contract.

We agree to indemnify and save [your name/business name] harmless from and against all claims damages, losses, and actions resulting from or arising out of our efforts, except as may be caused by negligence or unauthorized acts by our agents representing us.

Dealer Authorizing Repossession

[your name/business name, address, and phone number here]

Notarize at the bottom

-Make a copy of the order for your records and give the order to your repossession agent (the person performing the actual vehicle acquisition).

Note that –

* If you follow these steps you will have done a legal repossession.
* Many people do not send a notification letter because many times a client will attempt to hide the vehicle once they have received a letter like this, especially if they have no intentions of paying.
* Most people are unaware of their rights when it comes to a vehicle repossession so they usually don’t report someone who has not followed proper procedure, however, If you do not send the certified letter notifying them of their default and giving them opportunity to make payment they have grounds to report you to the state’s DMV Dealer Services and the state’s Attorney General which can result in you being fined as well as taken to court for violating repossession laws.
* Keep in mind that some states do not allow a repossession to take place on private property if the repossession agent is asked to leave (some states require him/her to leave and for you to obtain a court order).
* Some states have no restrictions on public property.
* Some states forbid repossession to take place at a client’s place of employment.
* Be sure to check specific repossession laws pertaining to your state.