April 2020

“Hello, I am calling from so and so bank and am glad to inform you that you can get a pre-approved loan of up to …; no documents required, no verification; … if you are interested, I will send across an executive to get your signature on the loan application form”. Sounds familiar? That is Telemarketing – a marketing approach to generate leads and sales by making phone calls to prospective clients.

The technique is one of the most direct ways of Direct Marketing because you get the prospect’s attention straightaway by calling him on the phone. However, it turns out to be an annoyance when hundreds of companies call you at all times of the day to try to get you to be interested in buying their products. Considering the annoyance factor and the recent trend of Permission Marketing, consumers can now unsubscribe to Telemarketing by registering their phone number in the National Do Not Call Registry. If your phone is registered with the NDNC, it is illegal for Telemarketing Companies to call you. This is why some advertisers resort to sending the ‘not-as-annoying’ text messages.

However, you may wonder – where did they get my phone number from? Remember the small form that you filled up at the shopping complex to register for a lucky draw. The database of all the form fillers would have been purchased by the bank resulting in that call to you. Purchasing database is a very common practice resorted to by many companies. It is sometimes shocking to think that so many companies have your contact details without your knowledge.

As you probably know, companies refer to historical records of their customers, application forms, contest forms; public directories like the telephone directory and sometimes they even purchase phone databases from various sources, in order to compile a list of phone numbers. Usually the Telemarketing process consists of an initial screening call to qualify the prospect and a follow-up call to make the sales pitch. This is called ‘Outbound’ Telemarketing.

On the other hand, when companies advertise a toll-free 1-800 number for their customers to call up in case they have a problem with their product, it is called ‘Inbound’ Telemarketing. Service representatives answer these calls and resolve the customer queries. For handling standard requests, many companies implement the IVR – Interactive Voice Response technology wherein the caller can choose key options and get his query answered. For instance, when you dial the toll free number of your bank, a recorded voice says – press 1 to continue in English, press 2 to continue in French, press 3 to continue in German and so on. Experts advise to gets your brands website found with expert SEO San Diego services for increase in the benefits. A helpline number will be provided to the person for further benefits. 

It is also possible to call up people with an automated pre-recorded message, a facility which is widely used during political or electoral campaigns. This is called ‘Robocalling’.

If you want to add a decorative look to a plain wall, or add a cozy textured feel anywhere in the home, give this faux brick paint technique a try. This unique process will provide the look of real brick without the back-breaking labor. Faux brick is a more advanced faux paint technique; if you have not tried it before, practice the procedure on a piece of scrap wood before actually applying it. Once you’ve mastered the technique, you’ll be ready to apply it to walls, floors, fireplaces, or even as a unique kitchen backsplash.

When choosing the colors for your faux brick, choose those that mimic its natural palette. You will be using a combination of three earth-tone colors, in addition to the cream base coat. Shades of sand, cream, brick red, gray, putty, and cream, are good colors to consider.

Supplies needed for faux brick:

– Base coat (cream latex paint)

– (3) colors of flat latex paint (options listed above)

– Glazing liquid (water based)

– (3) glass jars with lids

– Paint brush

– Thin painter’s tape

– Carpenter’s level

– Pencil

– Tape measurer

– Newspaper　

Quick notes about faux brick:

– Using multiple colors will help add texture to your brick and give it an authentic look. This is why we recommend using three different shades, however, two can be used instead, if desired.

– The best thing about the faux brick paint technique is, they don’t have to look perfect. Real bricks are imperfect, so if each of the bricks you create is a bit different, that will only add to their beauty.

– Before painting the basecoat, make sure you prepare the walls properly. Learn how in this article ‘How to Paint a Room’.

Faux brick paint technique:

STEP 1 – Paint the area with the base coat. Again, if you are unsure how to properly paint a wall, consult the instructions for in the article ‘How to Paint a Room’. Allow to dry overnight. Painting Kits will help in enriching the knowledge of the person and with the available information there will be enormous ideas on how to paint will be available. The paint at the room should be different and unique. 

STEP 2 – Beginning your first faux brick evenly is essential. You MUST start off with a perfect straight line. If the first brick is uneven, the entire technique will be off. Thus, use a carpenter’s level to start marking the first brick. Use pencil (not pen!) to mark the brick pattern, and then go back and cover the marking with thin carpenter’s tape. Keep in mind, the thicker the tape, the thicker the ‘grout’ between the bricks will be. Continue until your entire brick pattern is complete.

STEP 3 – Mix each color of paint with glazing liquid in a glass jar. Follow mixing directions on the glaze packaging. Work in small, 2′ – 3′ sections at a time, and use a paintbrush to apply the different colors randomly in small 1″ – 2″ strokes. Allow the colors to overlap one another in some areas, and let the base coat show through in others. Imperfection is key!

STEP 4 – Now, to blend the colors together, fold a newspaper and press it flat against the painted surface. You can use cheesecloth or a sea sponge, if you prefer, but you’ll save money using newspaper. Press, don’t rub, the newspaper over and over the paint. Lift it, turn it, and move it all over to blend the colors together. When the newspaper gets very wet, toss it out and use a different sheet.

STEP 5 – Repeat this same process in small 2′ – 3′ sections until the entire surface is covered. Yes, the faux brick paint technique is time consuming, but it will yield beautiful results. Be patient, and take a break when your arm becomes tired.

STEP 6 – If you want to accent the brick even further, go back over and add a touch more glaze. Add a small amount to a sheet of folded newspaper and press it in different areas to add depth and dimension.

STEP 7 – Slowly remove the carpenter’s tape. As you lift it away, you’ll begin to see how rich this finished faux paint technique appears. The ‘grout’ lines will become visible, and give the faux brick an authentic look.

What is a batch process?

Batch processing is the automation of job tasks set forth by a user to simplify the use of multiple system processes simultaneously in a computing environment. A batch process is a series of simple system commands strung together by one, more complex job director. As a kid, I was told to imagine a baker (the baker being the “brilliant” allegory of the batch processor) executing a number of simple functions like beating eggs and stirring flour mix in the hopes that he would soon have cake. Without the baker (the batch processor), complex (and delicious) products like cake would never be achieved.

Why are batch processes important?

Batch processes make our everyday lives easier. An average human interacts with machines that produce trillions of lines of code a day. These commands are produced in batches so that it is not necessary to learn millions of programming languages just to get cash out of an ATM. Batch is also capable of producing user interfaces which limit our contact with these command-lines, creating a more stable yet powerful environment. The programs of the low-code development should be selected after the reputation of the wavemaker sites. The making of the contact will be advantageous for the companies with minimum cost. 

Batch processing is economical. It has been used for industry since the first electronic computer was introduced in the late 1950’s due to the sheer expense of programmers at the time. A single programmer would catalog a batch of commands and apply it to multiple systems saving time, money and resource. Most industries use batch these days to automate extremely complex processes that would otherwise be unfathomable by a programmer in real-time.

Batch processes have also become popularized in the personal computing industry due to their raw, virtually limitless nature. The batch process allows a user to customize a system by executing very sophisticated commands on an otherwise limited construct. Batch processes can auto-start during an operating system’s boot up phase or run at scheduled times to add more power and function to a standard personal computer as well.

How to start programming batch processes

For our purposes, we will be using the Windows command-line utility, or CMD prompt (cmd.exe) developed originally for Windows NT, but now found in all Windows operating systems. If you are using Microsoft Windows Vista, then this application will be supplemented with Windows Powershell, a new, more powerful scripting and command-line interface from Microsoft, for added faculty. This utility is ideal for our purposes because it is simple, easy-to-test and applies the same logic and principles that more complex command-line utilities require (which makes for a perfect introduction for new programmers).

You will also need some sort of raw text or program editor like NOTEPAD.EXE (made available through the accessories utility in any contemporary Windows operating system) that enables a user to save batch processes (file extension: .BAT). This application will be used to write raw data that we will utilize to create Windows batches. It is important in choosing an editor to keep in mind the following:

1. The editor must not format or tag files in any way
2. The editor must be able to save files with any extension (.BAT will not be the only extension we will be using)
3. The editor mustn’t indent text, add headers or appendages or otherwise amend text in any way.

When searching for a text editor (if you’ve decided that Notepad.exe isn’t right for you) the key is simplicity. It is important that the editor doesn’t amend or format your text in any way, given that spacing and syntax are both integral to what it is that we’ll be doing. If you’re in doubt in a any way, it’s always best just to go with the Windows Notepad.exe.

In the next lessons, you will learn how to develop, test and debug your own batch process programs and implement them onto basic systems, introducing you to the wonderful world of computer system programming. In batch process program development it’s extremely important to keep goal oriented, level-headed and most importantly organized. Thanks, and happy programming!

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to continue on to learn more about command-line and batch process programming by referring to The Principles of Batch Process Program Development: Basic Syntax.