Advanced Medical Consultants November 2017

3 Cleaning ‘Rip-Offs’ That Actually Work

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But sometimes we stumble across a few hidden gems that make our lives easier. And, when it comes to cleaning house, we can all use a little “easier.” Check out these products you may have already written off and let them surprise you. Dollar Store Cleaning Products If you’ve ever ducked into the local dollar store to buy some Mylar balloons for your niece’s birthday party, you might have noticed the jugs and spray bottles plastered with the word “Awesome.” Surely, this knock-off soap can’t work as well as your brand-name products, right? You’d be surprised. Online reviewers sing Awesome’s praises, suggesting it should really be a higher price for how well it works. Just make sure you wear gloves when you use it.

Detergent Pods You use too much soap in your washing machine and dishwasher. At least, that’s what the New York Times reported as the No. 1 complaint from repair people and appliance experts. Modern appliances are designed to use less water, and as soap becomes more concentrated, using too much can damage your machine. That’s what makes detergent pods so handy. They don’t look like they can clean all your dishes or an entire load of clothes, but they actually provide the perfect amount for modern machines. You save money on detergent and machine repair! Foam Cleaning Blocks Anything with “magic” in the title sounds like a scam. For this reason, you may have avoided the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and similar melamine foam products. But this is one case where the product lives up to its wild claims. Melamine foam is abrasive and can break down and remove material from fine cracks and textures, making it an effective cleaner. It can be used to whiten sneakers, clean tub scum, and remove permanent marker from your fridge. Since the snake oil salesmen in the days of old first tricked trusting folks out of their hard-earned cash, consumers have wised up and are quick to write off perceived scams. Still, every now then you get lucky, and the cheap white sponge really does make the stove look like new again. But you should still think twice before you say yes to gas station sushi.

How to Calculate the Lifetime Value of a Customer

The lifetime value of a customer is an easily overlooked and often underutilized concept. Don’t risk doing yourself and your business a huge disservice. Why track customer lifetime value, or CLV? When you know the CLV, you have data you can use to your advantage. This data can be applied to customer retention initiatives, marketing campaigns, referral programs, and, most importantly, keeping repeat customers happy. Plus, when you know the current CLV, you can work to improve that number.

Just keep in mind this number is based on averages and will not give you precise information (for a more comprehensive method of calculating CLV,

There are different ways to calculate CLV. Some methods are more complicated than others. At a minimum, you need to be tracking the following data points: A. The money spent by each customer (the revenue your business gains per customer, factoring in the margins of the products or services you provide) B. The time frame for each customer purchase (the average amount of time you keep a customer) C. The initial cost to acquire a customer

check the Wikipedia entry for customer lifetime value). The more data you have to pull from, the more accurate the number will be. For instance, if you’ve been tracking A, B, and C for the past six years, you will have a more accurate picture of CLV versus a business that started tracking last year. Think of it as an efficiency formula. With this data, you can determine which are your best customers and which are not. From there, you can tailor your marketing endeavors and get far more out of your marketing dollars.

With this data, you can then calculate CLV: A x B – C = CLV

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