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How to Prepare For an Interview

Once you get the call for the interview, the next thing that you have to do is prepare for it. You can never over prepare for an interview. The more prepared you are, the harder it will be to make mistakes. It is best to prepare yourself emotionally as well as intellectually for an interview. Giving a great interview is not as hard as some may think, but not as easy as others do either. Here are a few things that must be done in order to prepare for your next interview.


Remember, during an interview, you are a salesman. You are there to sell yourself to your prospective employer. You want to market yourself in the most interesting way possible. Great preparation for the interview is your best bet. A salesman that is knowledgeable, friendly and positive always gets the close.

Do Your Research

It doesn’t matter how much knowledge or experience you have about the position that you are trying to get in a company if you don’t have a clue who the company is or what they do. It is disastrous to enter into an interview and not be able to tell your interviewer what their company is about. How else are you going to tell them why you feel that you would be a good addition to their company?

A good and less time consuming way to get to know about a company is to look up their website. You can get all of the general knowledge about them that way, including the names of key people and their job titles. You should sift through most of their pages, including the pages that show samples of their work and/or products. You can also look them up in the media files if there are any. Read the articles about them and soak in as much information as possible.

Another thing that would be nice to do is to check out the surrounding area around the company. It makes for a nice breaker during the interview. You can make a comment about a particular monument or resting place nearby.

A trickier way to get a little extra information about the company is to call them on the phone and ask general questions, without referring to yourself as a potential employee. It’s a nice way to get the goods on upcoming promotions etc.

Know Your Contact

When called for an interview, ask to whom you will be talking to. It is nice to be able to greet your interviewer by name at the beginning of the interview without first being told who they are. It shows that you are on top of things, and have prepared before hand.

You will also want to do some research on the person that will be conducting your interview. Learn what they do for the company and try to get some samples of their work or achievements in the company.

If you know what department that you are going to work in you may want to get the names of your potential colleagues and superiors prior to the interview as well. This way you can get some information about their roles in the company and the types of work that they have done.

Mention some of the things that you learn about your potential colleagues in the interview and about how much you look forward to working with them in the future. If you can, give an example of their work so that you will appear more sincere.

Practice Your Responses

It is best, if you are prone to nervousness, to practice giving your responses to the questions that may be asked of you. You should practice your wording and the tone of voice that you plan to use; Try keeping your responses as brief as possible, but with as much detail as you can.

When you are trying to work out the proper responses to the interviewer’s questions, you will also want to practice the art of getting your nerves under control as well as ridding yourself of any other odd habits while talking; like expressing yourself with your hands.

Practice answering your interview questions with a friend. Get his or her opinion about your delivery and gestures. Perhaps your friend will have some nice insights for you to use during the real interview.

Dress the Part

Pre-select your attire the day before your interview. You want to make sure that your clothes do not have any wrinkles or stains on them. Pick an outfit that best suits the type of job that you are applying for. If you are going to work in an office setting, you should dress conservatively. Soft earth tones are best for women. Try to avoid mini skirts and shirts that show too much skin. A nice dark suit is good for a male.

Of course if you are planning to work outdoors or in an artistic environment, you can dress a little more casually. Just be certain to avoid wearing denim jeans, over sized clothing, and under sized clothing. Women should try and avoid wearing too much make-up as well. It gives the wrong impression.

Even in the hotter seasons, you should not wear sandals or gym shoes to an interview. It sends an unprofessional message. The same goes for hats and other accessories.

Get Organized

Make sure that all of the things that you will need for the interview are prepared the day before. Make a checklist of the things that you will need if you have to. You should always have an extra resume handy during the interview. You should also bring with you a note pad to take notes during the interview if needed. (Only write down the important things that you think you will need to remember)If you have a business card, have one handy, it makes for easy contact later, and it also shows that you are professional and may help the employer to remember your name.

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Background Requirements For A Career In Biotechnology

If you’re seeking a career in biotechnology, one thing is for certain … the more education you have, the higher up you can go. The fact is, no matter where you wind up working, you will be surrounded by people with Ph.D.’s and medical degrees. It is highly unlikely that an individual without an advanced degree such as these will get to the top of the corporate chain.


Therefore a bachelor’s degree in the life sciences is a bare minimum. After that, it is recommended that you pursue an advanced degree; whether it be a master’s degree or higher. Common degrees include; molecular biology, cell physiology, biochemistry, genetics and the like.

You should plan to take as many labs in college as possible as these will provide you with hands-on experience. Teaching as a student-teacher is also a wise move, as is becoming a part of a research project. It is possible to co-author a quality research paper before you ever even graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

Biotechnologists frequently gain employment for biotech corporations. Over the last two decades, thousands of biotech corporations have sprung up around the globe. From start-ups to companies the size of Amgen, the choices range from pay to research to prestige.

Employment in the biotech industry may also be sought in academic institutes; such as universities and non-profit organizations. These typically pay less than biotech corporations, but may have more opportunities for independent research.

As a biotechnologist, you will spend most of your work hours in a laboratory. The work can be tedious and requires patience, but many truly enjoy working with their hands. You will design and carry out experiments and will need to keep good records.

The best biotechnologists enjoy innovation and the spirit of helping to advance society. If you choose biotechnology as a career, you can expect to be right on the cutting edge of technology.

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Aseptic Technician Jobs Require Specific Experience Of Aseptic Techniques

Aseptic technician jobs typically require qualifications in biology or microbiology up to degree level, and specific experience in aseptic practices. Aseptic techniques are used to prevent contamination, spoilage or unwanted fermentation during medical procedures or production processes.


Aseptic Techniques and Technicians

Aseptic techniques aim at keeping the concerned area free of microorganisms that cause the contamination etc. People are the greatest source of contamination and at the same time, people are needed to carry out processes. Aseptic technician’s job is to help achieve desired levels of sterilization in the environment where processes are being carried out and monitor contamination levels.

Use of barriers between people and processes, clean rooms, sterile gloves and such practices help eliminate or minimize levels of possible contamination. The aseptic technician has to be familiar with the practices adopted and must have the training to understand the issues involved.

In pharmaceutical production, aseptic techniques involve mechanical aspects such as ensuring that the equipment, clean rooms and utilities are operated and maintained in a way that lead to an aseptic environment in production areas. This typically requires a mechanical aptitude, and engineers with relevant experience are considered for aseptic technician jobs.

In addition to aseptic practices and industry standards, the aseptic technician will also have to be familiar with applicable regulations so that the person can oversee compliance with these.

Who Needs Aseptic Technicians?

* Hospitals need aseptic technicians to establish and oversee practices that prevent sepsis problems in general and in surgery rooms in particular.

* The food industry needs aseptic technicians to ensure that the production processes will result in preventing spoilage of products before their expiry dates.

* Pharmaceutical companies need aseptic technicians to oversee production practices and ensure that the products are manufactured in a manner that complies with applicable regulations and industry standards.

* Medical device and hospital supplies manufacturers also need aseptic technicians to ensure that their products meet aseptic considerations.

Other businesses can also benefit from the expertise of aseptic technicians, though they might not employ them. Clinical laboratories, nursing homes and tetra pack manufacturers, for example, could do with asepsis related advice and support.

How Does the Aseptic Technician Work?

The specifications of the aseptic technician job will vary from industry to industry, and to a lesser extent, even from establishment to establishment. The following specifications by a chemotherapy services establishment can give you an idea of the work involved:

The aseptic technician will report to the Aseptic Services Manager and will work closely with clinical services, IV and day care teams.

The aseptic technician job involves:

* Supporting the daily management of the chemotherapy unit and aseptic services unit,
* Helping with creating and maintaining a quality management system for the aseptic unit,
* Providing pharmacy input to the management of day care patient-centered chemotherapy service and,
* Contributing to the provision of clinical pharmacy services and dispensary.

The aseptic technician has to help establish and maintain good practices with regards to processes and/or internal conditions leading to an aseptic environment.

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Aviation Maintenance Job Boards

A career in aviation maintenance presents many job opportunities for the savvy job seeker. Some of the top employment sites are listed within.


Aviation maintenance opportunities can be found on various sites on the internet. Some job sites specialize in maintenance opportunities, while others do not, however they still manage to list their fair share of relevant opportunities. Please read on to learn about several key sites available to you.

Aero-tech – Billing themselves as the leading technical and engineering staffing agency, Aerotek features jobs in eleven different specialties, including aviation. Job titles featured include: avionics technician, A&P mechanic, aircraft mechanic, quality assurance, and more.

Aviation Employment Board – A free job listing site, this board lists job opportunities across the field of business and commercial aviation. Registration is free and you can post your resume for free as well.

Monster – One of the largest job boards on the internet, Monster has over 800,000 opportunities available. Aviation job listings are somewhat limited, but some good opportunities are posted from time to time. Registration is free and you can post your resume for free as well.

Hot Jobs – Owned by Yahoo, Hot Jobs is job site listing several hundred thousand opportunities at any given time. Aviation opportunities are limited, however. Registration is free and you can post your resume for free as well.

Nation Job – Since 1988, Nation Job has been a leader in electronic recruitment. The site offers free access to visitors, no registration required. Usually several hundred maintenance opportunities are featured at any given time.

Career Builder – This is the largest job opportunity site on the internet, with over one million jobs listed. Aviation opportunities are listed; the site compares favorably with Monster as far as the number of aviation opportunities available. Registration is free and you can post your resume for free as well.

Aviation Employment – Listing more aviation maintenance opportunities then anyone else, Aviation Employment is a free site, no registration required. Typically, over one thousand aviation jobs are listed at any given time.

PAMA – The Professional Maintenance Aviation Association is a private organization dedicated to furthering professionalism amongst members of the aviation maintenance community. Membership starts at $49 per year which allows for members to view jobs and access other member benefits.

Other boards listing aviation maintenance positions include: Plane Jobs, AEPS, Avianation, Climb to 350, and Avjobs. Leading companies are always hiring, contact prospective employers directly.

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How to Find a Job in Insurance

Do you have your insurance license and are ready to take the industry by storm? Are you an experienced agent, adjuster, underwriter, or broker looking for an exciting new challenge? Regardless of the level of your insurance industry experience, looking for a new job can be a time-consuming and frequently frustrating process. A big part of the job search process is knowing where to look for insurance positions.


Licensing is an important part of working in the insurance industry. Some companies will require that you hold a current applicable license before agreeing to hire you, while others are very willing to assist you in procuring the appropriate license(s). This requirement can even vary from department to department within the same company, so it will be necessary to check on the licensing requirement for each position when applying.

The following tips and tricks are designed to take some of the headache out of your search, by giving you some guidelines on steps you can take to land your ideal insurance industry position.

Depending on the type of insurance you are most interested in, visit the recruiting departments of various insurance agencies to inquire about available positions. If there are no current vacancies, ask if you can submit your resume to remain on file should future openings match what you are seeking.

Contact recruitment and contract employment agencies that work in the insurance industry. Aligning yourself with a recruiter can give you access to jobs that are often not advertised to the public. The great thing about recruiting agencies is that allow you to “apply” for positions at multiple companies simultaneously with a single resume submittal, since most recruiters will shop your resume around to all of the available openings.

Use the internet to your advantage. Searching for “insurance”, “underwriting”, “broker”, “agent”, “adjuster” or any number of other insurance-related terms on major job boards such as Monster.com and Hotjobs.com will unearth hundreds of available openings – just be aware that competition for these positions is stiff since hundreds of other professionals are looking at and applying for the exact same jobs.

Colleges and universities often have a database of available positions in the school’s Career Center. Career Center advisors are also excellent sources of information on how to network in the industry and get your foot in the door. Schools that offer business, accounting, and financial degrees are especially likely to have insurance contacts. Note though, that many school limit Career Center resource access to current students or alumni.

Network, network, network! Let friends, family, and casual acquaintances know that you are on the market for a new position. Since most companies are much more willing to interview (and potentially hire) candidates who have already been vouched for, it’s important to get the word out that you are available and seeking a new opportunity.

If you aren’t dead-set on working in a particular insurance field, take advantage of the wide range of positions available in the industry. Expand your job search to investigate opportunities in:

o Auto insurance
o Health insurance
o Workers’ Compensation
o Other types of business insurance (such as E&O, EPLI, etc.)
o Life insurance
o Home owner’s insurance

Don’t be averse to accepting a contract, junior, or “training” position. This are often a great way to get you foot in the door in the insurance industry. It also gives you a chance to evaluate an organization and department to ensure it is a match before fully committing yourself to a long-term full-time position.

Searching insurance industry-specific job boards for available opportunities is a great way to target only those jobs that in the insurance industry.

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How to Use a Resume Objective to Help Your Job Application

A resume objective statement, while an optional section of your resume, can be a powerful tool for job seekers if it used to its full potential. Strong objectives indicate how you will be of value to the company in one clear and concise statement. It tells potential employers your purpose or goal by applying to their company, and indicates the direction you want your career to go.


The decision to include an objective is not one to be taken lightly, since a weak or ineffectual objective will detract from the entire resume. In fact, many recruiters feel it is better to exclude an objective entirely than to include a weak statement or one that is too generalized. As a rule, individuals who are applying for non-traditional positions such as internships or co-ops, those with limited professional work experience, and those who are seeking to break into a new career or field stand to benefit the most from the inclusion of an objective statement on their resumes. In these instances, the objective will allow employers to immediately identify the type of position you are seeking and clarify your intent and interest in the organization. However, if you are using your resume for a more general purpose such as a job fair, employment agency submission, or website job board posting, it does not make sense to include an objective that will limit your options. Other individuals will need to make a personal decision as to the value an objective statement will add to their resume.

If included, the objective appears at the top of your resume, right beneath your contact information. An objective will typically address one or more of the following areas:

1. The type of position desired - Are you seeking an internship, a part-time, or a full-time position? Is your goal an entry-level, experienced, or supervisory position?

2. The actual name or title of the position you desire - Are you applying for the Administrative Assistant or the Technical Services Manager opening?

3. Is there a specific environment, industry, or field that you are targeting?

4. Any skills you hope to utilize in a new position

Since the purpose of an objective is to direct employees as to your specific goals within their organization and indicate how you will add value, it may be necessary to tailor your objective to each individual position. Objectives that are vague and non-specific are useless, so if you are not able to identify a specific goal or value in your objective, do not include it on the resume

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Continuing Education for Nurses

An article on the importance of continuing education for nursing.


The following article relates not only to nurses but also to those aspiring to enter the noble profession of nursing. We hope you will get some insight into this field.
Although we have used the female reference for nurses throughout this article (”she”, “her”), this is done purely for convenience and in no way reflects the gender status of nurses in today’s society.

Most people assume that once a nurse has completed her education and has become registered, that is the “end” and that no more learning or education is required. This couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s more to nursing then just tending and looking after patients.

It is highly critical that a nurse maintain and continue her ongoing education and is kept current on her profession. This is an integral part of maintaining her registration.

A nurse’s life in the 21st century is extremely fast paced. There are medical advances in precedures almost on a daily basis and it is essential that a nurse is kept abreast and is at the forefront of these improvements. This requires a high level of time management and dedication to improve oneself in addition to spending long hours in clinics and hospitals. Of course this is much easier said than done.

It is in the best interests of a good hospital to provide everything needed for nurses to continue their education. A good hospital will also more than likely pay for the education of their nurses. A lack of funds should not be a deterrent to a nurse continuing her education.

Many nurses regularly subscribe to nursing periodicals and magazines to keep up to date with their ongoing education.. Nurses are encouraged to go through the relavent published journals on a regular basis.

Of course let’s not forget that just as important to success is the keeping of portfolios and timely documentation detailing all the training and education received throughout the nursing carreer. This written journal also serves as a method of organizing in an orderly manner, all the continuing education undertaken.

Admittedly, there exists a challenge with regards to access to this education for nurses, namely the expense, since nursing is still not considered to be among the better paid professions. This challenge to accessibility can perhaps be met by employers coming forward and funding the continuing education of registered nurses.

Please be sure to check out the many additional resources available on this topic online.

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Top 10 Secrets Of Outrageously Successful Business Owners

Are you struggling to make a profit? Are you challenged in reaching your next success level? Would just like to reach your desired business goals faster?


Then “THE TOP 10 SECRETS OF OUTRAGEOUSLY SUCCESSFUL ENTERPRISES” is a *must* for you. These business secrets are the *BEST OF THE BEST.* These secrets were not gotten from a book or seminar. Rather they represent the wisdom I gained from coaching & consulting hundreds of businesses over the last 21 years … from the soloist entrepreneur to multi-billion dollar companies.

I GUARANTEE if you apply any one of these top 10 secrets with conviction and commitment, you will experience quantum leaps in your business.

MINDSET SECRETS

1. *EXPECT* TO WIN… *EXPECT* TO SUCCEED

While we all experience highs and lows in our business, outrageously successful enterprises EXPECT to succeed over the long run. For such enterprises,

Success is the ONLY option.

To what extent do you EXPECT to succeed in your business? What less empowering expectations currently undermine your success? Make a *decision* today to succeed. “Cut the cord” on all other possible outcomes.

2. LIVE AND BREATHE YOUR MISSION STATEMENT

While most businesses have crafted a mission statement, it is not enough just to have one. Outrageously successful enterprises live and breathe their mission statement … in every goal, every strategy and every project of their business. It is the life force and the reason for everything they do.

Do you have a compelling mission statement for your business? Do you communicate it - both in words and actions - to every client, every prospect, every employee? If you asked any one of these stakeholders what is your mission, would they know what to say?

Post and read your mission statement daily. Include it in all your collateral materials. Live and breathe your mission statement in every goal, decision and action. This one principle will make your business a compelling magnet for greater and greater levels of success.

3. ALWAYS ASK THE MILLION $$ QUESTION:

***** “Where is the opportunity in this situation?” *******

Within *every business challenge,* there is an extraordinary opportunity for a HUGE breakthrough. Even with the most difficult challenges, outrageously successful enterprises never see challenges. They ONLY see opportunities. They constantly ask: “Where is the opportunity in this situation?”

Where is your focus right now in your business - on the challenge or the opportunity? Make it a habit with every challenge to ask: “Where is the opportunity in this situation?” that one question will blow open the doors to new solutions, new strategies and new possibilities to take your business to the next level.

4. BECOME THE ULTIMATE BUSINESS “ROMANTICIST”

Outrageously successful enterprises are constantly “IN LOVE.” Yes, that’s right. They LOVE their customers. They LOVE their employees and vendors. They LOVE their visions. They LOVE everything about their business.

This priniciple is not something you get from a book. It comes from the very heart and soul of why you are in business. When you are “in love,” it shines forth in every client interaction, every exchange with a prospect, every dealing with a peer or vendor. Remember the old cliche, “People don’t care what you know; they want to know that you care.”

Are you “IN LOVE” wiith your clients and prospects? Are you “IN LOVE” with the benefits you offer? Are you “IN LOVE” with every aspect of your business? If not, why not? What do you need to change about your attitude, beliefs or actions to become the “Ultimate Business Romanticist.”

STRATEGY SECRETS

5. LOOK AT MARKETING AS A *CONTINUUM*, NOT AN EVENT.

Contrary to conventional business thinking, marketing does not end with a sale. Outrageously successful enterprises know that marketing is a perpetual process. And, contrary to most business practices, these enterprises focus more than 50% of their marketing efforts **after the sale** — such as ‘post sale” follow-up, repeat business incentives, back-end selling, referral marketing, etc. They know that the greatest revenues are generated *after the sale.”

How do you see and practice marketing in your business — as an event or a continuum? What *post sales* and prospect follow-up activities can you incorporate as the focus of your marketing efforts? This one shift n your marketing focus alone can increase your revenues 100%, 200%, even 500% … more than any marketing action you take in your business.

6. CONSTANTLY “MARKET UP”

Within every target market, there is a high end and a low end market and everything in between. Million $$ enterprises constantly stretch their marketing sights and target prospects that most businesses would think impossible to acquire as clients. They constantly “market up” to high end prospects … a strategy that catalyzes their business to a much bigger game.

What specific prospects … or kinds of prospects … would you love to have a clients or customers but think it is impossible? Think out side the box and think BIG. It could be celebrities, politicians, admired companies or CEO's, leaders in your community, role-models, etc.

Pick one high end prospect to start. Build a marketing campaign to reach that person or company. This strategy requires persistance, yet is well worth it. From my own first hand experience, ”marketing up” can skyrocket your revenues and business exposure instantly and multiply your profits for years to come .

7. MAKE “ADDING MORE VALUE” YOUR #1 CRUSADE.

Outrageously successful enterprises are in the business of creating value. They have a stgrong conviction to contribute to more and more richness to their clients’ lives and businesses.

In everything they say and do. they let clients know “you matter. Your well-being and success is important to us.” They focus on “what do I have to give?” … NOT “what do I have to do to get a sale?”

Where is your focus right now — on adding value, or making the sale? Make a list of at least 10 ways yo can increase the value of your products and services. Implement the easiest one ideas … starting now. Make “adding value” a routine business priority. When you do, your products and services will sell themselves.

PERFORMANCE SECRETS

8. OPTIMIZE, OPTIMIZE, OPTIMIZE

Outrageously successful enterprises are masters at achieving the greatest return at the lowest possible risk. They constantly look for ways to reduce the amount of time, money and energy to achieve their ultimate goals.

They take what works and see if they can make it better, faster, cheaper. They know the “what if” implications of every new strategy, goal, product or service. They are pros at maximizing performance trade-offs.

Do your know the profit-abiilty of each product or service you offered? Do you know what clients are the most expensive, demanding or time-consuming to serve? If you doubled your client base, do you know the implications on costs, revenues and the operations of your business?

To optimize your business results, think highest and best use of your time, energy and money. ALWAYS THINK HIGHEST AND BEST!!

9. MULTIPLY PROFITS THROUGH THE POWER OF LEVERAGE.

Most businesses build their enterprises in a haphazard way. Outrageously successful businesses grow their businesses from a place of leverage. They look for new ways to convert their current assets, strengths and opportunities into new revenue streams. They constantly take inventory and seek ways to profit from untapped capabilities and underutilized resources. They integrate marketing activities into a single business strategy to maximize results.

How can you leverage

*** your current assets (eg., your client base, employees),
*** your current strengths (eg., your knowledge base, processes),
*** your current resources (eg., your business network, capital),
to quickly grow your business?

How can you revamp your marketing activities so that your products and services sell each other? Leverage is one of the most under-utilized principles for multiplying profits in business.

10. DEVELOP A BIAS TOWARD ACTION

Outrageously successful enterprises understand that, in today’s economy, windows of oportunity are often measured in months … not years and decades. They know they cannot wait for the perfect strategy, the perfect solution to capitalize on these opportunities. They must act quickly if they want to thrive in these highly changing times.

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Sales Therapy 101: Breaking Your Fear of Cold Calling

The fear of cold calling is a painful, daily struggle for many entrepreneurs and salespeople who have been trained in traditional selling techniques. Traditional sales trainers answer questions about cold calling this way.

Almost every day, visitors to my Unlock The Game™ website click on my live instant-messenger chat button, which invites them to “Ask Ari a selling question.”

The fear of cold calling is a painful, daily struggle for many entrepreneurs and salespeople who have been trained in traditional selling techniques.

Traditional sales trainers answer questions about cold calling this way:

“All you have to do is make more phone calls.”

“All you have to do is think more positive thoughts.”

“Just learn to accept rejection as a normal part of selling.”

In other words, “It’s your fault that you aren’t succeeding in sales.”

1. It’s Not Your Fault

We can’t help thinking there’s something wrong with us if other people keep telling us that something shouldn’t be a problem, but our own inner feelings tell us that we aren’t comfortable doing it.

There’s a sort of “old boys’ club” sales-conditioning mentality prevalent in English-speaking countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, that says, “I had to suffer to succeed in sales success, so you need to, too!”

This thinking comes from traditional sales programs that continue to be the accepted approach to selling.

What you need to understand, though, is that you may fear cold calling because you have probably been exposed only to traditional selling approaches, which triggers rejection.

These approaches teach us to make cold calls this way: introduce yourself, explain what you do, suggest a benefit to the potential client…and then close your eyes and pray that they won’t reply with “Sorry, not interested” or “Sorry, I’m busy.”

If you’re still using this traditional approach, you probably hear responses like these the moment you stop talking.

They’re rejections, and what they do us make you feel rejected — and that’s reason enough to make you dislike, fear, and avoid cold calling.

How can cold calling be a positive experience if rejection is the most common response you get?

2. Are Your Self-Perceptions Passive or Aggressive?

Whenever I chat with people about the fear of cold calling, they almost< always tell me that they're afraid to make cold calls because they don't want to be perceived as "aggressive."

This is another part of the internal battle — they beat themselves up for being too passive and lacking the confidence to make the next call, but they don’t want to call for fear of being seen as aggressive.

Here’s the good news: there is a middle ground between “aggressive” and passive.”

It’s a place where you can be who you are while still being extremely effective with cold calling, without ever experiencing rejection again.

Unlock The Game™ shows you how you can be incredibly effective in cold calling without triggering rejection from potential clients. Imagine the possibilities (and the income potential).

3. Learn to Let Your Language Match Your Thinking

If you can center yourself into a place where you can let go of feeling that you have to go on using traditional cold calling “scripts” and behaviors, you’ll find yourself spontaneously using language that you would use in a natural conversation.

Using natural words and phrases — speaking exactly the way you would with someone

you know, can transform cold calling into a refreshing and productive experience.

And, as you let go of the old-school cold calling model, in which your product or service is your only way of generating a phone conversation with a prospect, you’ll make the most crucial transition of all: you’ll begin thinking of approaching potential prospects not from your perspective, but from theirs.

What do I mean by that?

Imagine what it would be like if you could hear your prospect’s thoughts about the problems they are having — and that your solution can solve.

Even more importantly, suppose you could also make note of the words and phrases they’re using as they think about their problems, and that you could take that language and embed it in your cold calling approach.

“Yes, but how would I do that?” you might ask.

It’s simple. Just ask your current clients what three core problems your product or service has solved for them.

When you change your thinking, you can’t help changing the language that you use, which lets you connect in a whole new positive way with the other person you are calling.

If you can let go of your old-school belief system and open up to the possibility that there is a more natural, comfortable way to cold call — one that doesn’t trigger rejection — you’ll be surprised by how easily you’ll break through and overcome your fear of cold calling.

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The Benefits of Business Improvement Programs

By attending to an effective, well-structured Business Improvement Program (BIP), business owners are able to learn elaborate, reliable marketing and business management techniques with minimal time and effort. A solid, coherent Business Improvement Program can easily make the difference between a poorly managed, low-rewarding, average business and a prosperous, lucrative, well-run business with long-term prospects and well-established goals and objectives. Business Improvement Programs are appropriate for both small and extended business owners, providing program attendants with a set of comprehensive materials that account for all the relevant aspects of a prosperous, successful business.


There are various reliable training websites and online services that offer business owners the opportunity to enroll in professional Business Improvement Programs for free or in exchange for a reasonable sum of money. You can either choose to participate actively, by attending to specific business seminaries and courses, or, if your time doesn’t allow it, you can simply purchase self-study oriented materials that allow you to assimilate valuable information in the comfort of your home. However, it is best to personally attend to Business Improvement Programs, as active participation allows you to exchange opinions and interact with well-trained professionals.

In addition, business seminaries and courses encourage attendants to confront their opinions with other people, allowing participants to express their ideas and beliefs regarding business management solutions and marketing strategies. Considering the fact that most Business Improvement Programs are focused not only on theory, but also on the development of practical skills and logical abilities, attendants are able to view their business from a different perspective, approaching and solving problems in a more objective manner.

Business Improvement Programs are appropriate for all business owners, regardless of the nature of their managed business. Such programs account for very important features such as innovative sales and marketing strategies, effective solutions for consolidating the relations with clients, reliable strategies for attracting new potential clients to a certain business, strategies for neutralizing competition, strategies for establishing priorities and long-term objectives, and various other business-related aspects. Business Improvement Programs are presented and taught by the best professionals in the branch, providing you with support and encouragement over the entire period of the training program. By the end of the training program, you will have developed an extended package of valuable information regarding proper business planning and management, corroborated with a set of practical skills and abilities that will improve your relations with your employees and potential customers.

A solid, well-structured Business Improvement Program can help you boost the profitability of your business in a short amount of time. Whether you own a struggling, oscillating business or, by contrast, a successful, properly managed business, BIP can teach you how to get the most out of it with minimal effort. Business Improvement Programs can also help you better evaluate the overall efficiency of your business, teaching you how to quickly identify and correct emerging problems. Business Improvement Programs are the best mbeans to rapidly enhance the efficiency and the prosperity of your business.

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Top Performers Have These Critical Sales Skills

Do want to be known as “The Expert” or “The Guru”? Do you want to advance your career and income? If you answered yes to both of these questions then you need to become a “Top Performer” in your profession. Whether you are now a Manager, Executive, Consultant, Sales or Service Specialist, then Sales skills will be one of the keys to your success. Experience and knowledge in your area of specialty may make you an above average performer, but to be a “Top Performer” start implementing the following 16 Sales skills and action items today.


Top performers are successful by being honest, respecting a clients intelligence and focusing all their energies on how to make a difference in a clients life. After reviewing the following “Top Performer” Sales skills and action items, you will know how to be more effective, efficient, and successful.

Proven strategies that increase revenue per sale.

1. Bigger revenue comes from bigger offerings. Offer super sizes, volume discounts, extended contracts, offering bundles, etc.

2. Try small “Early Buy” incentives to increase volume, but keep them small with a time limit. You want to attract customers quickly without diluting the offering pricing structure.

3. Stand strong on the value your offering provides and stick with the original price. Do not discount pricing on your offerings if they truly provide the value described.

4. Increase sales revenues by providing three options or price points. Customers are more likely not to choice the lowest price. Use a set of three options to move customers from the lowest to the middle price range. Make sure each range is well defined and the differences stand out.

5. Successful selling to an “Dynamic, Entrepreneurial” company. The buyer in this organization is inclined to make independent decisions. Focus on building trust with the customer, your offering, and your company. Make the information and process simple and straightforward.

6. Successful selling to a “Long Term Visionary” company. Concentrate on the technical features and benefits of your offering. Leverage team selling by matching up your management and technical experts with theirs. Focus on the complete solution that matches or exceeds their long term business needs.

7. Successful selling to a “Bureaucratic” company. Decisions are usually based on past preferences, policies, and regulations. These are the toughest organizations to get your foot in the door. Make them aware of your offerings, be competitive on pricing, and stay in touch by providing customer success stories. These companies love to follow others.

8. After a customer has made a purchase, offer a special deal on the higher grade model.

Proving tangible benefits help customers make the right decisions.

1. It is best to have one focused benefit that describes “what you stand for”. Put this benefit on all your correspondence, business cards, memos, letters, and everything else you can think of.

2. Always explain how and why you can achieve the benefits described.

3. Show the offering benefits as measurable and tangible proof that the offering works.

4. Benefits should include “Loss Prevention” items. Describe the loss the customer will suffer if they do not have your offering.

5. Describe value and benefits in a story, making it as personal as possible.

6. Communicate benefit, uniqueness, and value in an easy to understand presentation.

7. Find meaningful differences in your offering by continuously quantifying your customer needs.

8. Describe offering benefits in a story involving personal gains, feelings, etc.

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Top Tips For Starting Your New Business

Prices are going up, up, up and just about everybody is needing a little extra cash these days. This is probably the best time ever for you to own your own small business.


Now before you start thinking you’ll have to get a bank loan, remember that you can own a small home-based business for just a few dollars–or even FREE.

You can easily run your home business from your kitchen table and, frankly, you can finance your business from a few bucks you save out of the grocery money.

How much time will it take to run your home business? That depends on several things, but mostly it depends on how hard you want to work your business. If you’ve got lots of time through the day you can work your business, then you can go after it full force. If you’ve already got a job or two, you can work your business in the evening, in the morning before work, or on the weekends.

The amount of money you earn will largely depend on how hard you work your business. If you’re full-time, your business can start out earning hundreds each month and move up to several thousand dollars a month in earnings.

Work your business part-time and you can earn anywhere from an extra $100 to $1,000 per month. And that might be just what you need to supplement your income from your regular job.

What kind of business should you own? Try to find one that matches your talents and needs. If you like to talk to people and sell them on your ideas, you would do very well in a business that requires a little selling. You’ll enjoy it and make a lot of money at it.

If the idea of having to sell something makes you want to run the other way, don’t worry. There are businesses that require almost no selling. About all you have to do is use the products you sell and talk to people about the products when they ask.

Of course, new customers rarely fall into your lap. You have to make an effort to find new prospects. Here are several simple and cheap ways to get new customers.

1. Talk to everyone you know about your business. More than a few will take an interest and want to buy from you.

2. Send out letters or postcards. Send 10 per week. You can get names and addresses from clubs, associations, the chamber of commerce, and “list brokers” who are in the business of selling addresses. Check your Yellow Pages under “Direct Mail”.

3. Put up a web site. Include all your experiences, products, and ideas on it, then register the site with Google. It’s free to do and pretty soon all the search engines will include your site’s listing.

4. Put ads in email newsletters. It’s a very cheap way to reach thousands of people who are probably very interested in a home business. Search Google for “e-zine directory” to find sites that list thousands of email newsletters.

5. Sell your products or service as a fund-raiser for a local non-profit. They can sell the product you supply. It’s a win for them and a BIG win for you, as you’ll make money from those sales and often grab new customers in the process.

6. Sell at flea markets in your area. Get a low-cost booth and tell your story to anyone who will listen. That’s what flea markets are for, and you won’t feel one bit out of place.

7. If you already have a web site, promote your business on your site and convert your audience into customers.

These are a few time-tested ideas to help you get started. If you’re getting the itch to start your own business, go for it. It’ll be the smartest thing you’ll ever do.

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Touchless Technology Helps Keep Your Restrooms Clean and Healthy

Did you know one of the major sources of cleaning complaints concerns restroom cleanliness? It can be an endless chore for your cleaning staff to get grimy fingerprints off of restroom faucets and soap dispensers. Trying to find a better way to get your restrooms clean? Installing touchless dispensers can keep your restrooms cleaner and save your cleaning crew time.


Are you tired of cleaning grimy fingerprints off restroom faucets and soap dispensers? Indeed. One of the major sources of customer complaints is restroom cleanliness. The reasons for this go beyond the abilities of your cleaning staff. The more traffic a building gets the harder it is to keep high cleaning standards, especially if you are cleaning the building only once or twice a week. Restrooms can have problems with odors, general appearance, empty dispensers, leaky soap dispensers and wads of paper towels stacked up on the floor. Besides not looking clean, this leads to a perception that the restroom is not sanitary. Installing touchless dispensers can help to control these problems.

Touch-free technology not only helps keep restrooms clean, but also helps to reduce the spread of germs and cuts down on your staff’s cleaning time. Using touchfree soap dispensers, water faucets, toilet paper, and paper towel dispensers, restroom visitors do not have to touch handles, buttons or levers. The fewer the objects visitors’ hands touch, the less dirt and grime your staff will have to clean off fixtures.

You may think of a touchless system as expensive because it’s controlled by a sensor. But touchless systems do not have to be complicated or expensive. There are toilet paper systems that hold individual interleaved sheets of paper. The user easily takes the sheets they need and do no have to “fish around” the inside of a potentially dirty dispenser looking for the end of the toilet paper roll. This provides a much cleaner and more sanitary system than the traditional toilet paper roll dispensers. Another low-cost hygienic choice is a folded towel dispensing system. Towels are dispensed one-at-a-time and restroom visitors only touch the towel they need.

The more high tech type systems are sensor activated. These are devices that flush toilets, turn on water faucets, dispense hand soap, and dispense paper towels. No touch technology is extremely important with paper towel dispensers as towels are used after hands are clean.

When deciding on a touchless paper towel dispenser, keep the following in mind:

Power Source

Most paper towel dispensers work off battery power. Look for dispensers that run off normal D-cell batteries as opposed to ones that need a special and expensive battery packs. Those special battery packs may not be available locally and have to be ordered - which will be a problem if the batteries die unexpectedly.

There are several different types of dispensing components. Several studies have shown that users prefer a system where the dispenser is triggered when hands are placed directly under the dispenser.

Refilling

As with any dispenser, the easier it is to refill, the quicker your cleaning crew can get the job done and move on to other tasks. Avoid using dispensers that need threading the towels through a series of rollers.

To minimize the items a visitor has to touch, many buildings are now installing automatic toilet flushing mechanisms. These allow toilets and urinals to flush automatically after use. Some systems are even designed to flush periodically when not in use to keep fresh water in the bowl at all times. To help minimize bacteria and reduce odors, consider adding an automatic disinfectant dispensing system.

Installing touchless soap dispensers and automatic water faucets cuts down on what visitors’ touch and saves on soap and water use. If the restroom is heavily used, be sure to order soap dispensers that are large enough so frequent refills are not necessary.

Restroom cleaning in itself can be very labor-intensive - from wiping down counters to scrubbing toilets, it requires a big time commitment. There now touchless cleaning products that can save you time and money. These systems are designed to allow your staff to clean without having to touch any surface in the restroom with their hands.

One type of system includes a cleaning cart, bucket and series of extension handles with specialized mop heads and attachments. The cart itself includes storage space for cleaning supplies and paper products.

Steam and vapor cleaning is also growing in popularity. The steam cleaning system uses a tank that super-heats water as opposed to using chemicals. The steam is applied to dirty areas through a special wand and an applicator, which includes an attachment for cleaning towels. To use the equipment the operator “wipes” all surfaces with the superheated water and changes the cleaning towel as it becomes soiled.

Another alternative to use in restroom cleaning is the microfiber mopping system. This is a self-contained system. It cleans faster and more efficiently than a traditional bucket and mop. For restroom cleaning, the microfiber is a more hygienic as the mop water is not reused.

Public restroom users are concerned about how clean and sanitary restrooms are. Using touchless dispensers not only helps to control the spread of germs, they help to conserve water, soap and paper towels, and provide the convenience of requiring less action from the user to get the job done. Touchless dispensers also help to keep cleaning costs down as your staff will spend less time cleaning the restroom and refilling dispensers. Less time spent cleaning restrooms means more profit for your cleaning business!

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Track Your Ads for Success

In order to create the most effective ad for your business, you will need to test different versions of your copy and track the effectiveness of where you advertise. Experiment by changing the copy, tweaking the looks, rearranging the layout and testing where you place your ad.

Changing The Copy

Try several different headings for your ad. Just a one word change may have a significant effect on the response rate. Test different versions of your copy to find the most effective wording.

Tweaking The Looks

Change the font style, font sizes, and font colors. Emphasize important words and phrases by placing them in italics, making them bold, changing their color, and highlighting them. Add a border, a different border color and/ or a different border style. Try different combinations of these and find out which combination works best.

Rearranging The Layout

Rearrange the components of your ad to see if it affects the response rate. Add a short testimonial or two to see if that has any effect. Try adding more than one call to action link.

Testing The Placement

Track and test the response rate for your ad. An ad in one
e-zine may result in 100 clicks while an ad in another may only result in 50. You will want to know where you get the best response for your advertising dollars.

You will want to track your ads for these four reasons:

1. To save money.

If you know where you get the best response from, you won’t waste money by advertising on places where you get a poor return.

2. To maximize your profit.

While advertising on one place may bring you a better response than advertising on another, you need to take into account the cost of each ad. If you get 200 responses from one advertising source but each response costs you $4.00, it may be better to advertise on a place where you get 100 responses that only cost $1.00 each.

3. To improve your ads.

By testing different versions of your ad, you will find the most effective one. To obtain a true test of a particular ad, you will need to know how may people were shown your ad, how many people acted on your ad, and the result of that action. (For example, your ad was shown to 1000 people of which 100 clicked on your ad link and 2 bought your product.)

4. To find out what works and what doesn’t.

You will want to know what components of your ad work and which don’t. You can only find this out by tracking different versions of your ad.

While knowing how many people click on your ad and how many sales you make is important, you will want to know how much each click and sale actually costs you. In order to maximize your Return On Investment (ROI) you should monitor the following:

1. How many unique visitors each ad or promotion generates.

2. The number of sales each ad or promotion generates.

3. Which ad or promotion generates the most traffic to your website.

4. The Cost Per Click and Cost Per Sale of each ad or promotion.

5. The Click to Sales Ratio which will show you the quality of the traffic you’re getting.

6. The ROI for each ad or promotion.

You will also want to track where your traffic is coming from. You may get traffic from an e-zine ad, from a forum post and from a banner ad. One of these sources may bring you a significant amount of traffic while another brings you little or no traffic at all. By tracking every ad and promotion you place, you will find out where to direct your advertising efforts, thereby saving you both time and money.

Only about 1 of your competitors. At the same time, you will boost your bottom line as you will no longer be wasting money on useless advertising.

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Tracking Down Wholesalers

With the advent and rise of the Internet, there is more retail business competition than ever before, which often leads to more opportunities for the buyer to find great sales opportunities. Still, even with e-bay, amazon, overstock.com, and literally thousands of various online stores and auction sites, one general rule still reigns true whether its surfing online for the best deal or shopping in a nearby city: as far as value goes, wholesale is the cheapest, most efficient, way to go.


Think of Sam’s Club. They are perhaps the most visible wholesaler, a business built completely on giving customers the ability to buy food and other items in bulk at a cheap price. That is the beauty of wholesale: the customer pays a lot less, in fact pays much closer to the price a retail business would actually pay, and receives much more of the product. It is this combination of savings and supply that makes buying from a wholesaler a great deal. The quality is always assured, since wholesalers sell to the same retail outlets who make a living by selling quality products to other customers.

Online search engines are a great way to find various wholesalers. The only problem may be finding so many results that you do not know who to choose! On the internet there are wholesale providers of about every product and service imaginable. There are sites dedicated to general wholesale selling and general wholesale sites, but there are even wholesale web sites for specific items such as shoes, jewelry, electronics, lingerie, cosmetics, paint, tools, and many other various items. If you are looking to by something by the bulk, or even a smaller amount at wholesale prices, you will find a store online that caters to your need—and depending on what you are looking for, you may not even have to dig too deeply!

Wholesale offers also provides the common individual with a way to supplement their income. Tens of thousands of people by wholesale lots of products, some from an auction site such as e-bay, others from actual online stores, and then turn around the sell the products retail. Some independent business people even make a full time living just doing this and nothing else. Buying large wholesale bulks at rock bottom prices and turning around to sell at retail has made a lot of people a good amount of spare wealth. Either way, the wholesale is the way to go, because it will always provide so much more than retail, and always at a better price.

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Tracking For Profits

Every high-performance venture needs a tracking system. A tracking system with well-designed metrics lets everyone know how well they are doing relative to their commitments. It is a guide to whether additional or extraordinary actions need to be taken.


It is one of the first things I set up with my business coaching clients because without a clear set of objective metrics it is hard for people to be clear about their results.

Establish intentions for your project, figure out the critical success factors, determine suitable measurements for each, and set performance targets for those measures.

For example, say your intention is to increase market penetration. The measure is your venture’s sales divided by total sales in your market. Perhaps your current market share is 10% — good, you have a benchmark, and your new target is 25% by the end of the year.

That’s objective, measurable, and thus… achievable.

Make someone accountable for your project’s performance against each target.

Establish a timely tracking system for each metric, which easily gathers the necessary data.

Develop periodic interim performance targets, and a reporting structure to let everyone involved know how they are doing.

Your performance tracking systems can be kept with pen and paper, or they can be automated on your computer system. However you implement them, keep it simple and don’t let the overhead of your tracking system become a burden of any kind.

Below is a very simple system I used to keep track of my page output while writing Faster Than The Speed of Change. It was kept on a computer spreadsheet, but could just as easily been pencil on graph paper. Whenever I was below the line I had catching up to do.

Start with 0 in the lower left corner, write units of measurement along the left axis, and dates of measurement along the bottom. Draw a straight reference line from 0 to your goal, and plot your performance against that goal. Of course the reference line need not be straight; set it up in whatever way reflects the time-relationship of your goals.

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Trade Show Exhibit Themes: Orbit Into Another World

Trade show exhibitors often ask why they should create a distinctive theme for their trade show display booth. There are at least three good reasons. Themes set you apart from your competition, stimulate excitement and momentum for your staff, and dramatically increase traffic to your trade show display.


Trade show exhibitors often create magical environments to take you “out of the ordinary”—and sweep you away to another world. They can be filled with music (The House of Blues found at the Exhibitor Show 2006 in Las Vegas), or animals (live African blackfooted penguins at the Magnussen Home Furnishing’s booth at International Home Furnishings Market’s biannual trade show in April 2005), adventure or just plain fun.

Trade show exhibitors often ask why they should create a distinctive theme for their trade show display booth. There are at least three good reasons. Themes set you apart from your competition, stimulate excitement and momentum for your staff, and dramatically increase traffic to your trade show display.

Here’s a good example: The International Home Furnishing Market’s biannual trade show (April 2005) was spread over 12 million square feet in 188 different buildings with over 75,000 attendees. Magnussen Home Furnishing was exhibiting at this giant trade show and their theme was Jazz Age opulence featuring Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ on the Ritz” with high hats, narrow collars, white spats and lots of dollars. They used pear shaped penguins that looked like sophisticated men in tuxedos as a whimsical tie-in to their trade show theme of elegance. A way to grab attention at this vast exhibit space was to have real penquins (intimately identified with the Magnussen exhibit) seen by thousands of visitors over four days in the 10 by 10 foot eye- level special habitat built in the trade show exhibit lobby. Magnussen enhanced their penguin theme by having their male staff wear tuxedos while their female staff wore white blouses and either black skirts or black slacks. They also hired teenagers dressed as penguins to roam the spacious trade show floor to attract attendees to their trade show display. The fact that there was a Jazz age band playing with glamorous ballroom dancers showing off the ritz also pleased and thrilled attendees at the dramatic 35,000 square foot Magnussen exhibit booth. Their jazzy results: a 20-percent increase in show visitors over the year before.

In October 2003, Magnussen tabbed their trade show display theme the “Magic of Magnussen.” Two magicians in the lobby acted like pied pipers drawing attendees to their trade show booth while performing riveting magic tricks. Magnussen staff handed out decks of playing cards and they had a stuffed bunny popping out of a black hat as a giveaway. Their magical results: about a 10-percent increase in attendance over the previous year.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) chose the theme, “Break Free” at the National Association of Broadcasters 2005 show. It hit the right cord for the market that wants to do things differently and think beyond restraints. AMD had five hip actors dressed in business suits wearing 3-D glasses spread the message of AMD on the trade show floor, the lobby and the trade show displays of their partners. The cool actors gave out entry cards and 3 D glasses to visitors who got to enter a contest to win an AMD processor-powered laptop each day of the show.
Result: exceeded their original goal of 1500 visitors by 33%.

Remember that by having a theme for your company at your trade show display, you create excitement, focus, and sales. Your trade show themed message becomes a mantra and a hypnotic magnet.

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Thinking About More Business

What does an old Russian joke have to do with getting new business?

Did you increase your business in the past 12 months? Don’t discriminate between more new clients or old clients spending more money — count the increase either way. If you didn’t, you really should be asking yourself why not.


Yes, I know — it all started with the Internet implosion. Then came terrorist attacks. Next, the global recession. And after that, a war that threatened to destabilize the worldwide political structures for peace and harmony. Who knows what’s next, but the fact is, none of these “cataclysmic” events has really mattered.

How can I say such a thing? Because for most of us, several more clients or a few additional transactions can turn a mediocre year into a great one. And large scale macro-level trauma and transition don’t really impact our micro-level ability to find that next client or do the next deal. The only place those macro-things matter is in your head, but — for good or for bad –what happens in your head tends to powerfully affect what happens in your business.

Yefim, a Latvian йmigrй who worked for me years ago told a joke (if you can call it that) from the old Soviet Union. He said, “What’s the difference between an American and a Russian?” “The American expects things to get better, and the Russian hopes they don’t get worse.” Well, after a year or two of lackluster, even dismal, business, you’re probably getting more like the Russian: not sure if things can ever get better. And you’re questioning whether you can expend any resources to do anything about it.

When you believe the world is going to hell in a hand-basket, not taking steps to improve your business seems natural. You expect that clients and prospects will say no to even your best proposition. After a while you simply stop trying.

Thinking about more business starts with thinking such a thing is possible — nay, probable –but if you’ve read this far you still may be a believer. And if you think increasing your business is possible — despite what’s reported on the evening news — then it is time to get busy. No more excuses. Not the weather. Not the season — I don’t care if it is Summer or Christmas or Ramadan. Not even the economy.

So what’s the good news? In 1966, Richard Farina wrote a book called “Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me.” Feel that way? Great, because making a difference is going to be easy. You’ve probably been dormant so long, any improvement will look simply marvelous.

Here’s the secret.

There are only three ways to grow your business: you can find new clients, you can have your clients buy from you more often, and you can have clients — old and new — buy more each time.

“You mean that’s it?”

Listen closely, grasshopper. This little formula can yield great insight into how to approach your business right away — if you let it.

Want help? Answer the following questions.

What ways are you currently using to find new clients now? Go ahead — make a list, even if it’s only in your head. Are those ways working? (No — probably not, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this.) Are they the same ones you were using a year ago? (Shame on you — they weren’t working a year ago, why should they work better now?)

What new products or services have you introduced in the past six months to help your current clients? (You haven’t– no one’s spending any money.) Of course not, they already have all the stuff you sell they think they need.

What new combinations of products, or products and services, or subscriptions, or renewable services, or… It boggles the mind how many ways there are to increase the value of each individual purchase. How many of these new offers have you made to your prospects and clients in the past six months? (I’m not even going to wait for your answer.)

If you meditate on each of these questions like a Zen Koan — you will assuredly invent at least two — and perhaps many — new ways to increase your business.

Of course, these aren’t the only things you can do, but they are a great start.

Can’t come up with any ideas? Let your clients do the work for you — after all, it’s in their own best interests. Do a survey — call up 10 or 20 and find out what they need from you that they can’t get.

While you’re at it, you may want to insure that your core product still makes sense. After all –clients aren’t buying it like they used to. That can only mean a few things — either you’re doing a bad job telling people why they want it, or they just don’t want it.

Both of these problems can be fixed, but it’s important to make sure you’re fixing the right one. If you fix your marketing and tell people about something no one really wants, you’re just wasting money. On the other hand, if your products really are right for the market, but you’re not communicating effectively — you might end up changing your products unnecessarily.

I hope you realize from this simple exercise how easy it is to quickly begin generating new and increased business. Just ask yourself good questions and invent some good answers. After all, that’s what thinking is.

Then take those thoughts and put a few into action.

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Three Factors to Consider when Bottle Labeling

If you are planning to sell your own bottled goods to retailers, you will need to learn a bit about the ins and outs of bottle labeling. There are a few things for which you should be on the lookout when finding a printer to handle your labeling needs. Consider these three important aspects of bottle labeling:


First, make sure your labeler can produce labels that are fade resistant. Your bottles’ labels will be exposed to light for extended periods of time, and their attractiveness to consumers will, in large measure, be dictated by the labels they feature. Bottle labeling experts should be able to provide you with labels that will look new for the whole of your product’s shelf life.

Second, remember that your bottled goods will be subjected to circumstances that are a bit different than those experienced by other labels. As such, you will need to find labels that are resistant to dramatic temperature shifts, water and even the ingredients of your product. This requires both a quality surface and an appropriate adhesive.

Third, bottle labeling should feature easily scanable bar codes. Poor bar codes are a headache for retailers and customers alike. They decrease efficiency and can result in fewer subsequent orders. Make sure the bar codes on your labels scan easily.

Bottle labeling requires thinking about some factors that don’t often come up in other labeling discussions. By being aware of your need for scanable, strong and fade-resistant labels, you will be able to make better bottle labeling decisions. The right labels can make a huge difference in sales numbers. Don’t overlook this critical aspect of the product and its marketing.

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Three Guidelines To Selecting A Florist
a
How to find the best florist available for your special occassion.


Sometimes you deserve the best. When it comes to your wedding, your anniversary, or other occasion, why not use the best florist? How do you know a florist is the best and would also be the best for you? I recommend a simple set of criteria to evaluate florist: customer service, flexibility, reliability, and product. Selecting a florist for a big event can be stressful and it does not have to be. If you use the three steps that I recommend, it will become very easy. For my wedding, I chose the best florist in Northern Virginia – who coincidentally was the best choice for my wedding.

Customer Service

The list of client is impressive. Does that mean the florist is right for you? A high priced set of customers is not always a good indicator for how the florist would treat you. In many businesses, when a customer with a 7 figure income or a celebrity status comes in to make a purchase, they are given preferential treatment. That is understandable. My question is how is the average customer treated? When I walk into a good florist shop, they are always busy but not too busy to handle my business. The owner or another florist will come over to greet me and handle my business. Everyone that deals with the customers knows flowers. My purchases are generally small – a dozen roses, some orchids, or a bouquet of something that they recommended. Despite the size of my purchase, I am always treated well.

Product

Do they have what you want? If not do they suggest something that is reasonable to your budget and your taste. Do they have variety? If a florist can service high volume customers or the very rich, does not mean that they can service the average customer. On the other hand, if some of the more prestigious restaurants in the area or some of the local celebrities use a florist that can be a good sign. A four star restaurant would only deal with the top florists in the area. A four star restaurant could not afford to be supplied by an unreliable florist as their restaurant rating and their business depends upon appearance as much as it does on their food. However, even if the florist has high volume prestigious customers, does not mean that they are flexible enough to provide the same high level of service to the individual customers. A florist shop should provide the same high level of service to all its customers.

Reliability

Only one thing is more devastating than having flowers delivered to the wrong building or on the wrong day. That is having flowers delivered that are dead, petals falling off in your hand with only the stems remaining. I have had flowers delivered to the wrong state, wrong person, a week late, and flowers delivered that were clearly dead (as they sat overnight in some garage in August before they were delivered a day late). If something did happen that was unfortunate, I need to know that they would try and make it right. Occasionally, my floral mishaps have been made right by either resending the flowers or a refund. Mistakes happen. Why not go with the best? If a problem occurs it would be very rare and taken care of very well. If their restaurant clients use them, they know the mistakes are very rare.

These three guidelines should help you find a florist for those special occasions. I recommend a test run. Order a bouquet to be delivered. If they give you good customer service, have what you want in your price range, and deliver it without a problem, than those are good signs.

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Three Keys To Fabric Selection

There is so much variety available in fabric shops, on-line, and in mail-order catalogs that it’s almost difficult to choose. Often, I end up buying fabric whether I need it right now or not. After all, a quilter must always have fabric on hand.


The “magic” comes when you find a fabric that you fall in love with. Finding a suitable fabric usually isn’t difficult for a project you’re working on. Settling on just one fabric is the hard part.

Here are some criteria to keep in mind when making fabric selections: colorfast quality; fiber content; surface design. If you stick to some guidelines about these criteria, then you’re sure to be pleased with the final result of your project.

Surface Design:

The printed or woven surface design and, of course, the color, is very important.

1) Try to pick fabrics with the same color value so one doesn’t stand out in the finished quilt.

2)Check to see if there is a one-way direction in the design; you may need to purchase extra fabric to allow for cutting fabrics with plaids or stripes.

3) The size of the design and the background spaces are also important considerations. Are the designs large, medium, or small? Is the background area prominent? How will this particular fabric look when cut it into small quilt pieces? If the design is too widely spaced, it may be lost in the cutting of the fabric.

Take a few minutes to analyze fabric and keep these questions in mind when purchasing fabric. It is far better to have left over fabric than be working on a project and run out of material. I’ve run out before only to find that the fabric is no longer in stock.

Colorfast Quality:

Avoid fabrics that fade. Pigment-dyed fabric resists light 40 hours. Wet-printed resists light 20 hours. The best thing to avoid having your quilt fade is to keep it out of direct sunlight.

Fiber Content:

The fiber content is especially important when purchasing fabric for quilts. The way fabric responds to manipulation is determined by the fiber content. The standard 100% cotton fabric sold for quilting is easy to work with and this is the best choice.

Cotton blends are harder to work with; they tend to shift while cutting or sewing them. 100% cotton is strong when wet, absorbs moisture, creases easily, irons nicely at high temperatures and wears well.

Beware of Discount Fabric:

For a good finished product, quilters need to purchase good-quality, colorfast cotton fabric from a reputable supplier. I’ve bought fabric from discount stores because I liked the print. Then I had trouble manipulating the material; it would shift and bunch as I sewed it.

The finished product usually reflected the problems I encountered while sewing. No matter how much money I saved on material, my time was wasted by producing a less than satisfactory quilt.

In order to be happy with your finished product, I recommend that you buy what appeals to you… as long as it is good-quality, colorfast cotton fabric that is treated with finishes to control shrinkage, resist soil, and resist wrinkling.

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Affordable Transcription Services

Affordable transcription means cost-effective transcription services to clients using web based software technology without compromising quality. It provides fast and accurate transcription service for legal, medical and other professional industries.


To make transcription affordable, the transcriptionists mainly use two kinds of services.

1. FTP Digital Uploading:

Uploading audio files for transcription to an FTP is the most cost effective and quick way to send voice recordings to the transcription service. For this, the audio for transcription should be of good quality and then is converted to MP3 for uploading. There are a lot of free softwares available on the internet to do the conversion. The information like time of recording, number of people in the recording and the turnaround option are provided by the client. Based on this information, the cost is calculated.

2. Call-In Dictation:

In call-in interview, a toll-free number is dialed via a touch-tone phone. With the help of client’s personal code, the audio is dictated into the receiver or speaker of the telephone. Key pads are used to control the recording functions. After the completion of the call, a digital file is created and can be sent for transcription.

Call-in dictation has many benefits like:

1. No capital expenditure for software.
2. 24 hour service availability.
3. Ability to dictate from anywhere, only a phone is required.
4. The costs are only for the minutes one is using.

This kind of dictation is ideal for interviews, meetings and group discussions. Here, the transcription cost is predictable.

Companies that claim their transcription services are affordable are;

1) Are using advanced technology.
2) They are getting their transcription outsourced at a cheaper destination
3) They have a very large client base

By providing good quality recordings, one can make transcription affordable, as the turnaround time will be less and the transcription will be more accurate.

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Legal Transcription- The Language And The Job

Some legal writings tend to consist of very long sentences, sometimes hundreds of words in length. This makes the transcription job harder. Below are some tips and hints of the legal terms encountered in legal transcription and how to transcribe a document successfully.


No doubt, one of the things that make legal language hardest to understand is its unusual words and terms. Some legal terms such as-judge, court, interrogation etc. are relatively well known, where as others are complete mystery to non-professionals. Some legal writings tend to consist of very long sentences, sometimes hundreds of words in length. This makes the transcription job harder. Below are some tips and hints of the legal terms encountered in legal transcription and how to transcribe a document successfully.

Some difficult legal words and terms.
Without knowing these, transcribing legal documents will be almost impossible.

1. Arbitration-A method of alternative dispute resolution in which the disputing parties agrees to abide by the decision of an arbitrator.

2. Assignment-The transfer of legal rights, from one person to another.

3. Bankruptcy-This is a process governed by the federal law to help people, when they cannot or will not pay their bills.

4. Bifurcation-Splitting a trial into two parts: a liability phase and a penalty phase.

5. Certiorari- It refers to the order of a court so that it can review the decision and proceedings in the lower court.

6. Deed-A written legal document that describes a piece of property and outlines its boundaries.

7. Defamation-The publication of the statement that injures a person’s reputation.

8. Deposition-It is a process in which a witness testifies under oath, before trial.

9. Escrow-The deed of a property will be in escrow( in pending), until the completion of the real estate transaction.

10. Foreclosure-When a borrower cannot repay a loan and the lender seeks to sell the property.

11. Immunity-Exemption from a legal duty or penalty.

12. Implied warranty-A guarantee imposed by law in a sale.

13. Intestate-To die without a will.

14. Plaintiff-The person who initiates a lawsuit.

15. Pro see-A person who represents himself in court alone without the help of the lawyer.

16. Quash-To nullify or declare invalid.

17. Slander-Defamatory oral statements and gestures

18. Subpoena-An order compelling a person to appear in court or produce documents.

19. Suvoir Dire-Means speak the truth.

Tips to become a Good Legal Transcriptionist

Below are certain rules you have to keep in your mind to become a good legal transcriptionist.

1. Listen to a legal phrase or group of meaningful words carefully again and again before transcribe, till you are not sure.

2. Understand each legal testimony correctly and use them appropriately.

3. Analyse what is being dictated, listen dictator’s voice, and follow it as a guide.

4. A 1-hour tape will take not less than 3 to 4 hours, depending on your speed. Maintain a good speed throughout, so that you can finish it in time.

5. Review document for a second time and improve it by studying rules.

6. Use information found in the appendix, prefix, suffix sections of legal reference texts, whenever necessary.

7. Edit the final copy, which should be free of spelling, punctuation, grammar or any other errors.

8. Proofread the transcript with 100% accuracy.

Legal transcription involves the conversion of audio files into typed transcripts. Modern day legal transcription technology has gone digital and is highly effective.

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Top Traffic Secrets

Track all sources of traffic generation

John Reese stresses the need to track where all traffic comes from and at what cost. It is crucial to know exactly how many sales, newsletter sign-ups, or other leads your particular marketing campaigns generating. This enables you to work smarter and not harder. By tracking all traffic to your site you can make twice as much while working fifty percent less.


Content is King

On the internet, people are searching for one thing……. Content! Load your website with as much content as possible. Then, continuously add content. Search engines love information and they will love your site if you’ve got lots of it. There’s plenty of free content for the taking on the internet. You can load up your site with articles from article directories like ezinearticles.com. Or, you could be like John and use content from the public domain. Or, you can use content that is in the creative commons. This type is now easier than ever to find now that Yahoo and others have come out with a search engine designed specifically for content that is in the creative commons.

An affiliate program is critical to maximum traffic and sales. Lots of internet marketers don’t take advantage of this powerful traffic-generating technique. An affiliate program allows you to have your own personal salesman spread all over the web. The best part about it is that there is absolutely no risk involved but tons of traffic and sales to gain. Your website simply cannot grow to its full potential without an effective affiliate program.

Banner Ads

John Reese advocates the use of banner ads during a time when they are largely an untapped marketing source. Banner ads are one of the most overlooked sources of targeted traffic online.

Also, banner ads are now one of the cheapest sources of targeted traffic. In the late 1990’s during the dot-com boom, people were selling banner ads for $40 and $50 CPM. Then the dot-com bubble hit and these rates hit the floor. You can now buy banner ads dirt cheap, at $1 to $1.50 CPM. This is $1 for 1,000 banner impressions. The key here is to find the perfect place to advertise that will send targeted, willing to buy customers to your site.

Create viral reports that can quickly spread around the internet. This method works best when you have an affiliate program. Allow others to brand your report in order to encourage its distribution.
A quality free report can be a powerful promoter when passed around the internet. This same phenomenon can occur when you submit your articles to article directories and popular newsletters.

Take advantage of your virtual Real Estate

Take advantage of the different parts of your website. Don’t let any of your web pages go to waste. You can do this by adding a link to another one of your web sites or pages on your thank-you or sales confirmation pages. If you have articles on your site, place links to related articles on the bottom of the page. The longer you keep a visitor at your web site, the more valuable they become.

It is very important to funnel traffic from within the multiple sites you may have.

Continually seek out other web sites to link to you. Now, we’re not just talking about any kind of link here, but powerful, traffic-generating links from respected sites. Here are some quick suggestions:

Send a related web site an article that you have written and allow them to display it on their website with a resource box at the end. Offer to exchange articles and tell them about the benefits of doing so.

Allow multiple, related web sites to distribute your free e-book or report. All web masters are looking to add value to their web site, why not make it easy for them.

There are Unlimited Possibilities, be Creative!

Online group participation can produce a no-cost stream of traffic and sales.

Get involved in email discussion lists, online groups and forums that are related to your target market. Becoming involved in discussions makes you very credible. Traffic from forums can produce a much higher sales conversion rate.

This method can produce quite a bit of sales for you just by helping others out. Not to mention, you’ll learn a lot along the way.

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