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Sunday 20 November 2011

The Entrepreneur's Checklist

I was asked the other day what personality traits I thought were important to entrepreneurial success. I immediately gave my preprogrammed reply about passion and dedication and hard work. After taking some time later to ponder the question a little deeper (I normally operate in shallow waters), I came up with a more detailed checklist for entrepreneurial success. This is by no means a definitive list, but I'd be willing to bet that if you don't have at least a majority of these traits, your chances of business success will be greatly diminished.

You must be self motivated.

If you don't have the wherewithal to bounce out of bed each day without your spouse drenching you with cold water, chances are you don't have the self motivation or discipline required to be an entrepreneur. Business demands that you take action based solely on your own volition. You have to do a hundred things every day that will not get done unless you make yourself do them.

You can't be afraid of hard work.

If you think working for someone else is hard work, try starting your own business. You will be required to give every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears you can muster and then some. You will have to work long hours and be on call 24/7, at least in the beginning. If the mere thought of hard work makes you tired, maybe you should just keep your cushy day job.

You should have experience in the type of business you plan to start.

If you can't locate your car's engine you have no business buying an oil change franchise. The most successful business owners have prior experience in the industry in which they have set up shop. Consider working in an industry at least part time for a year before jumping in with both feet.

You must be able to climb back on the horse.

I always say: "If business was easy, everybody would do it." Starting a business is hard work and the odds for failure are against you in the first few years. If you want to ride herd on your own business, you must be willing to fall off your horse and get back on a few times without giving up.

You need the support of your family.

When you start a business you may have to spend more time away from the family than you like. The business may also put a strain on you financially. You will have enough obstacles in your way without having to worry if you have the support of your family and those closest to you

You must have a thick skin.

If your feelings are easily hurt, keep your non-threatening day job because business is not for you. Many days in business, rejection waits around every corner and you must be able to handle rejection without taking it personally.

You must interact well with others.

Being an entrepreneur requires interacting with a variety of people, from your own employees to vendors to customers to investors. You must have the ability to effectively manage people without offending them; the ability to accept good advice from mentors and politely discount the bad; the ability to overlook mistakes or quietly rectify them; and the one I have trouble with: the ability to tolerate incompetence without losing your cool (at least not on the outside).

The deeper your pockets the better.

The number one cause of business failure is a lack of money. Before you start your business you should have access to enough capital to see you through until the business can sustain itself.

You must be able to delegate.

Running a business requires the performance of dozens of simultaneous tasks and it's foolish to try to handle them all yourself. You must learn to put your trust in others. If you can't dish out responsibility without worrying over the result, your business growth will be limited.

Previous business ownership is a plus.

Prior business ownership is not a prerequisite, but it can't hurt. Many successful entrepreneurs have the skeletons of past businesses rattling around in their closet.

Another of my sayings:

Business is a lot like marriage: you learn a lot from the first one that may come in handy the second or third time around.

With that kind of advice you can see why I didn't go into marriage counseling.

Here's to your success!

More Customers

urveys show that 85% of success in life relates to your communication, human relations skills, and "emotional intelligence".

Joe Batten, an American motivational speaker said: "Before you tell, ask; before you talk, listen; after you listen, relate; and always show that you care. When you can translate care, people will want to do business with you and details will not get in the way."

From a business viewpoint you also have to build relationships and get customers to trust you. To do that you have to:

1. Be Reliable

Do what you say you're going to do.
Do it when you say you're going to do it.
Do it right the first time.
Get it done on time.
Under promise and over deliver.

2. Be Responsive

Be available
Be accessible
Be willing
Be helpful
Be informative

3. Solve problems

Solve customers' unique problems and they will continue to be your customer. Put yourself in the customer's shoes and feel what they feel.

Does this mean that all your marketing and advertising needs to be "touchy feely"?

No. You can still create calls to action that increase sales whilst observing all these principles.

For example:

Tell them about a price increase!

People want a 'good deal'. If prices are going up on a specific date, let your customers know. They'll want to buy before the price increases.

Offer a trial perio

rial periods are a great way to get new customers. Offer a special deal, extra service or a lower price during your trial / introductory period.

Offer a Guarantee

People want to know there's no risk involved if they're not satisfied with the product/service. Let new customers know they can cancel for any reason before the trial period expires.

Offer free extras

Buy X and receive Y. This works with a whole range of products and services. Be sure to include an end date on your offer. This politely urges people to take advantage of your offer before time runs out. Give a deadline for ordering. Order by the 10th and receive.... That way, your customers know they only have a limited time to respond and they won't fall victim to the "I'll do it later" syndrome.

Offer a FREE gift

As an added incentive for ordering, offer your free gift to the first 100 or 1000 people that respond or walk through your doors.

Offer an upgrade

One simple line can boost your sales. "Order within 10 days and we'll upgrade you to ......."

Whatever you offer be sure to include action phrases:

* Call Now

* 24 Hours a Day

* Mail today in the prepaid envelope

* Fax your response card.

Business success also relates to communication, human relations skills, and "emotional intelligence", but in a business context.

Your Fears As An Entrepreneur

Everyone I have ever talked to that is an entrepreneur has had to come face to face with their fears. I have had to as well. I want to share with you some of the techniques that I have used to face them. The first step is not to be in denial. You have fears even if you don't readily acknowledge them. They sometimes take the form of that chatter in the back of your head that says you can't do it.

Fear is such a huge issue preventing people from becoming entrepreneurs. I have heard from the CEO of a real-estate based network marketing company that even though he has people packing out company seminars, that maybe 2-5% of people will actually go out and apply the knowledge by putting offers on real estate. He is convinced that the rest are paralyzed by fear.

Here are some of the techniques I have used as I learned them from the entrepreneurs I know:

Think about what you do want. When you find yourself spinning the wheels in your mind over and again about your worst case scenario, turn it around and focus on what you DO want. Visualize yourself getting what you do want. See the new house. See yourself talking to the interested person as they become a part of your business. You get what you focus on.

Change the voice. When you hear yourself telling you that you're not good enough – you're going to fail. Just change the voice from yours to that of Mickey Mouse or Jim Cary or something that would hold little weight with you anyway! Who cares if Mickey Mouse thinks you're not good enough? Is Mickey Mouse an entrepreneur?

Voice them to a trusted friend or associate. Hopefully you have been able to find some level of support from at least one other entrepreneur. Ideally, you have a significant other that supports you. If not, then you should have some kind of support network from your team, upline, or corporate that you can talk to. Some people may tell you that it is silly you could even believe that you're not good enough. For me, my wife has been a constant source of support. However, don't go looking for support to all those people who doubted you and told you it was crazy to go out on your own. They will never understand the entrepreneur.<

Have a personal development library. I draw tremendous support from my library. It is not just filled with how to resources, but also stories of others who conquered their fears. I couldn't begin to list the many sources I have, but if you email me I can recommend something based on your own description of your circumstances.

Go ahead and do it. Sometimes just making the smallest step will help get you going enough that the fear of not doing something can go away. An example would be neglecting to write an article such as this one out of fear of failure. Just starting it can create enough momentum to see it through.
Visualize the result, but make the action the goal. There is a subtle difference here for the entrepreneur. Of course you want the result, but maybe that's not in your direct control. Visualize the result in your mind, but make your goal the consistent and persistent action of the entrepreneur. The action will eventually produce the result and you can certainly achieve that goal.

Never, ever quit. I hate to even use that q word. If you do quit, you cease to be an entrepreneur – otherwise you're not beaten, you are moving ahead! 

Solve Problems Creatively

Maybe you've heard of problem solving techniques such as "attributes listing," and "concept combination." More creative thinking doesn't come from just knowing these techniques, though. You have to use them until they become a part of your habitual thinking process.

Imagine you want to invent a new bicycle. If you've trained your mind in "assumption challenging," you'll automatically begin to ask things like, "Are wheels necessary?" "Does it have to go outside?" What if the "bike" was indoors, and pedaling it ran a video screen? You could "steer" through endless different scenes.

You won't always have great ideas, but you'll have enough ideas to make it more likely that you'll find a useful one. This "spontaneous" creativity will be because of your brain training exercise. Why not start developing those habits of creative thinking?

Creative Thinking

Can creative thinking and even spontaneity come from a highly organized approach? Yes! For example, if you watch great comedians closely, you'll see that they have certain habits of mind. Even the most spontaneous ones get better with practice, because they're training their brains to find the humor in situations.

In the same way, you can train yourself for more creative thinking. Just start cultivating the right habits in your mind. Why not start training your brain today, with some simple techniques?

Creative Thinking Techniques

Want the mind of a creative inventor? Start redesigning everything you see. Imagine better cars, faster ways to serve food, or better light bulbs. If you do this every day for three weeks, it will become a habit.

Want to be the person who always has something interesting to say? Train yourself to look at things from other perpectives. What would the Buddha say about this? How would a Martian view it? What's the opposite perspective? The point isn't to ask others silly questions, but to ask yourself, to see what interesting ideas result. Do this until it is a habit, and you'll always have something interesting to add to a conversation.

Want systematic creativity in poetry? Put a word on each of 40 cards; 10 nouns, 10 verbs, 10 adjectives, and 10 random words. Shuffle, deal out four cards, and write a 4-line poem using one of the words in each line. My wife has had poems published that were created with this technique. Your mind will find a poetic use for any word if you use this method often.<

Start Investing Early in Your Career

You're young, you just landed a new job and you're going to be getting a decent paycheck. You also have bills to pay and there are also a few items that you've always wanted so now you can finally afford them.

Investing for your retirement may be the last thing on your mind at the start of a new career. Take some advice from those with a little more experience: Start investing early in your career. Start from day one and you will never miss that money you're setting aside. If your company has available a 401-K or a TSP program, jump on the band wagon immediately. If you don't have these programs at your disposal, you can still start an IRA and the concepts stated here are applicable as well.

It really does it make a difference when you start contributing. It is important to invest in your retirement account early in your career for two reasons. First, if you're fortunate to receive matching contributions, you don't want to miss out on those added contributions that are a significant part of your retirement benefit. Second, the longer contributions stay in your account, the more you stand to gain. Your money makes money in the form of earnings, and those earnings in turn make money, and so on. This is what is known as the "miracle of compounding." As money grows in your account over time, the proportion resulting from earnings will become larger compared to the proportion resulting from contributions.

The size of your account balance is going to depend on how much you (and your company if they match funds up to a certain percentage) contribute to your account and how your account grows as a result of earnings on your investments. To get an idea of what your retirement account could be in the future, look at the following projections.

Assume that you are an employee eligible for organizational contributions, that you are earning $28,000 each year, and that you receive no future salary increases. You choose to save 5 percent of basic pay each pay period; therefore you receive total organizational contributions of 5 percent. The growth projections below are for an assumed annual rate of return of 7 percent on your investments.

After five years your account balance would be almost $17,000; after ten years your balance would increase to $40,000; and after contributing for twenty years, your account would have a balance of $122,000. Clearly your balance would continue to increase each year. If you contributed for forty years, which is fathomable if you start a job at 23 and want to retire at age 63, your account balance would be $615,000. That's over half a million dollars folks! Just from contributing 5% of your income from the day you start work!

Looking at the numbers, it's hard to imagine why someone wouldn't start investing immediately!

Plasma Television

With televisions getting bigger and bigger Plasma Television technology has become a front runner in the big screen race.

A few years ago a plasma television was well out of the financial reach of the average man with the smaller televisions costing upwards of $8000. But with steady competition from the LCD technology these prices are steadily coming down as time goes by. Now is the chance for the common man to purchase a big screen plasma television.

There are several sizes when it comes to plasma televisions. They range from 25 inch up-to 60 inch. All delivering high quality picture. But what do you look for when purchasing a big screen plasma television?

There are several things to look for. Firstly don't go for the biggest one there. This will be the most expensive one and dropping a size or two below the biggest will get you the most value for money.

The second thing to look for would be the brand. Go for the most trusted brand. Some well known brands include Panasonic, LG and Sony. Sony plasma televisions tend to be more expensive than the other brands.

Thirdly you will need to look for a plasma television that suits your needs. Meaning one that has a remote and interface that is simple to use, and has all the connections you need for your surround sound system or DVD player.

Picking the right plasma television need not be a difficult task. You can ask friendly staff at any of the major electronics stores for suggestions and recommendations. In the end the choice is yours. The choice of which brand you want to buy, which color, which size etc. It depends on your personal taste and of course your budget. These days a 60 inch plasma television will cost you around $6000. Of course this is for a huge screen that most of us will not need. The more modest 42 inch screens will only set you back around $3000.

Ecommerce Web Site Design

Ecommerce web site design can spell either success or doom for any business. In this internet age it is imperative to have an online site for advertising, selling or buying a product or service. There are numerous ecommerce websites doing business on the World Wide Web. Your website's ecommerce design must be relevant to all the different elements needed for designing a good website.

If you want to add a personal touch to your site, you can design your own site. However you can also get professional help from the numerous website designing companies to get your online business site designed. Select a good web design company which has high credibility to design your ecommerce web site.

The purpose of any ecommerce site is to generate business for a product or to promote a service. Ecommerce web site designing is not an easy task and is not done overnight. There are some basic simple rules which you need to follow to make a good website. First of all ensure that your website is compatible to different types of browser and operating systems.

The purpose of an ecommerce site is to generate business leads, and if online surfers using different browsers and operating systems cannot even view your site properly, you will lose out on a significant number of prospective clients. Think about this aspect before you actually go about designing a website.

It is said that pictures have the ability to communicate messages which sometimes even words fail to say. Pictures have a very strong ability to portray strong emotions. Silence they say is sometimes stronger than words. Put up relevant pictures on your site to put forward an idea. Take care that you do not put up any irrelevant and outdated pictures on your website. <

Color combination of a website is very important. Choose the color to be used in your ecommerce web site design only after a very careful consideration. Colors in an ecommerce site must not be garish and at the same time must not be too dull, so that it does not even invoke any response from visitors to your site. Choose a color pattern which is appealing to the eye, but at the same time refrain from going over the top.

The navigability and the functionality of ecommerce web site design are of big importance. Your site may be the best visually looking site ever made, but if it does not have proper functionality and navigability, no one is even going to give your site a second glance. No visitor is going to wait and search for information in your site if it is not properly navigable and functional.

Take care of the contents in your ecommerce web site design. Good and relevant content is a great means of bringing visitors to your site. Check out for yourself and see if the content in your site is relevant of not. Also see if all the links are properly placed or not and whether visitors are immediately transferred to the page that has the relevant information for their query.

Make your best effort in satisfying the visitor to your site. Consider yourself as a visitor to a site and think what all things you would want to see in a site. Users are the king in determining if a website will work or not. Take care of the user and try to satisfy his or her needs in your ecommerce web site design.

Coping Under Pressure

The phone is constantly engaged. The taxi ignores you. Your train is late. Why do minor hassles like these have the potential to make us uptight? Maybe it's because we're tightly wound already and can't find the pressure relief valve. Balancing the pressures of home life and work life are vital so that we get optimum amounts of the adrenaline buzz to stay healthy and enjoy the whole life! So here are the top ten tips for when the going gets tough:

1. If you only have a hammer you will tend to see everything as a nail. Learn new techniques to deal with your workload, and life's pressures.

2. Work out what is actually inside or outside your control. And don't tell yourself "I cannot deal with this" when you mean "I will not deal with this".

3. Stop driving yourself with inner messages that say "I must please" or "I must hurry up" or "I must be perfect" or "I must be strong". Instead, ask yourself "What's the worst that can happen?"

4. Learn when to say "no" and when to say "yes". Be consistent so that people know where they stand with you.

5. Focus and lock in to one thing at a time. Take jobs in order and plan ahead. You will soon find that instead of doing five things at the same time, or everything at the last minute, you can get them all done at a relaxed pace and still achieve deadlines.

6. Find the light at the end of the tunnel. We can more happily accept a 14 hour working day, screaming children, or a nagging boss if we know when the end will be! Talk to people; share your situation; and find out what the possibilities are. Then act on them.

7. Being bored or under-used is also very stressful so make sure you're doing things that give you a buzz, to keep you on top of the performance curve.

8. Reserve "me" time (e.g. sport, hobbies, long bubble baths, light reading) as well as time for all the other roles in your life (e.g. spouse, parent, mentor, lover).

9. Stomp round the block! Exercise is a great way to use up excess adrenaline; it keeps you in condition; and can be a source of thinking time.

10. Have a laugh! Laughter is such a great way to relieve pressure, so find more ways to enjoy yourself with the people who make you feel great!

Sunday 13 November 2011

Op-Ed Piece



Op-ed articles, also known as opinion/editorial articles, are a great way for aspiring writers to publicize their work and, in exchange, receive an amazing amount of publicity for free. You can write an op-ed piece and get it publicized provided you follow these simple rules.

Before you begin to write, you need to target which newspaper you would like your article to appear in. You stand a greater chance of getting into your local paper than in a national publication like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or USA Today. Still, if one of the national publications appeals to you, then give it a try.

1. Follow the rules. Every newspaper has guidelines on what their specific requirements are. Familiarize yourself with these guidelines and stringently hold yourself to their requirements. Failure to do so will mean you will be rejected.

2. Write with precision. Newspapers do not like verbose writers, unless it is for a feature piece and it is for a high end publication, such as The Washington Post. Short, crisp, and to-the-point sentences are the order of the day.

3. Write with persuasion. Whatever your point of view, write persuasively. Do not muddy the waters by giving vague answers. If you are discussing a problem, count on offering the solution. Expect that your article may occupy one half of the op-ed page; the other half may feature a rebuttal or an opposite point of view.

4. Double space. As with any submitted writing, you must double space your text. Expect the editors to work their magic on your piece, including removing entire paragraphs to make everything fit.

5. Submit a cover letter. Yes, you more than likely will have to snail mail your letter, so send it off with a cover letter to the appropriate contact person.

6. Your contact information. Your name, address, city, state, country, zip, contact numbers, and email address are all needed. More than likely none of this will be included in the piece, but they do need a way to get back to you.

7. Resource box. Unlike ezine sites where you can write a lengthy discourse on who you are and have links to your site, it is likely that only a one or two word sentence about "who you are" will be included. So, consider writing your own resource box and hope that they like it. [You can count on it being changed if they do not.] It could be written something like this:
John Doe is a Detroit based freelance writer affiliated with Writer's Write.
Yes, that may be about all the information they want to share about you with their readers.

More than likely you will know within two weeks time if your piece will get published. Some papers will contact you to let you know if you have been approved/rejected, while others will simply publish your article. Do not hound them as you may want to become a regular contributor.

What is the next step?

1. If you are approved, you can expect letters to the editor -- from readers -- in response to your piece to begin appearing in subsequent editions of the newspaper. Do not be surprised if letters begin arriving in your home or place of business too. Expect phone calls from people who may want to discuss your point of view further, or invite you to speak in front of their group, etc.

2. If you are rejected, consider modifying and resubmitting your piece or forwarding it to another publication. Accept criticism about your writing style, if offered.

3. Op ed pieces are sometimes picked up by syndicators such as Reuters or Google News; your piece can have a life well beyond the local newspaper. If you hit the national press, you can count on your article having widespread coverage. Do a search on Google a few days after publication and you may discover how wide a net your piece has cast. If that is the case, good for you!

Above all, op-ed article can help shape local or national opinion, so think of the greater good you can do as well as the publicity you just may receive when crafting your article. Although newspaper circulation continues to drop, online versions of these same newspapers continue to grow, thereby giving you exposure far beyond the intended market.

Empower Your Trainees



One of the most memorable quotes that I heard from a trainer came from a man I knew named Rizal:

"As trainees, you are supposed to interrupt me if you don't understand something. You are supposed to ask questions. But you are not to go ahead of where we are in the class. All of the sections will be covered in due time."

As a trainee, I could not have agreed more with Rizal. He made an impact on me. He was one of the best trainers I have ever known. What made him a great trainer was that he loved his career. (Notice I didn't say job.) I knew he viewed his classroom as more than just a place to go to work everyday.

As a trainer, what are YOU doing to enhance the spirit of your trainees?

One great tactic that worked for me happened when I was a restaurant manager. When I would train employees, I would purposely ask them questions that were contradictory. For example, I would ask, "This order is to go, right?" When the trainees answered yes or no, I always asked them why they gave their answer. I wanted them to discover for themselves what should and should not be.

The tactic worked because they learned to rely and trust their own reasoning. Their productivity rose as a result. They were empowered to decide what actions needed to be done, and they took the necessary steps that generated results.

Are you letting your trainees know that you are open to ALL questions? Are you asking yourself what you need to do to ask great questions? Are you wondering how you can get your trainees to be comfortable with you so they can get the most of their training

Here's Some Steps To Show You How:

1. Be up front with your trainees. Let them know that there is NO such thing as a dumb question and that the ONLY stupid questions are the ones not asked.

2. Tell them that they can discuss questions offline if they are not comfortable asking a question in front of others.

3. If someone asks a great question, acknowledge him or her right away.

4. If a trainee asks a question which emits discontent among other trainees, let the classroom know that they are in class to learn and that even the most seemingly silly question could help reinforce answers to other questions. Remind them that no one knows everything, and the moment they stop learning, is the moment they stop growing.

Great trainers are great because they listen. They know that the material they are teaching is new to each person in the room, and they take their time making sure that every person understands it. They have patience and persistence. They are grateful for being able to make a difference in the lives of the people they train. Inside of you is the same greatness. Use it to empower your trainees. 

Creativity and Rebellion: Why They Go Hand-in-Hand

Studies on creative people have consistently demonstrated that creativity is associated with openness to new ideas, risk-taking, and being inner-directed. Do these traits put creative people at odds with the culture and people around them? The answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no.


Say for example that Jeremy is a creative child that performs below average in school. He may be seen as a poor student by teachers and parents for "daydreaming" and doing poorly on objective tests. His latent skills as a right- brain thinker might be underappreciated and underdeveloped.


Or consider the case of Alycia, a high school teacher who works in a constrictive environment. She is eager to try new teaching techniques but finds that her colleagues are traditional in their approach and even hostile to her ideas. What can she do?


There is little doubt that creative people will struggle in environments that are overly structured and they will feel frustrated with tasks that are not challenging. This helps explain why creative children often have trouble in school, their right-brain minds wandering while their left-brain teachers are trying to force them to memorize information that these creative children instinctively see as irrelevant or trivial to understanding the "big picture" in life.
Things often get worse for creative people when they enter the workforce. If they haven't chosen their occupation carefully they may wind up in a job that is not well suited for their particular talents and gifts. Unfortunately, they may find this out the hard way by being bored and frustrated at work.


But the job itself may not be the problem. It may also be the social milieu of the workplace. Every workplace has its own personality which organically evolves and changes over time. Some workplaces value new ideas and risk- taking, an environment that will be very stimulating for a creative, risk-taker. Other environments are rigid and traditional, which will be frustrating and could lead to conflict and dissatisfaction.


Social psychologists have noted that some work groups suffer from groupthink, which is the tendency for some groups to feel superior to others and to downplay any evidence to the contrary. These groups value conformity and resist new ideas. An innovator will feel isolated and rejected by co- workers who support this type of environment.


These co-workers often adopt an unspoken code regarding people who are different or stand out from the crowd. They send overt and covert messages of rejection to a creative co-worker who proposes new ideas. These signals include ignoring a person's comments or providing perfunctory, hollow praise or worse punishments such as threats and ridicule for proposing ideas that threaten the perceived integrity of the group.


Many people at work become comfortable with their daily routines and over time they defend these routines as something akin to being sacred. These kinds of people often bow to the timeworn expression: "If it ain't broken, don't fix it," but they over apply this attitude and to them nothing is ever really "broken" and to suggest otherwise is to threaten the comfort of their work routines. These people might respond in a venomous manner to creative and risk-taking co-workers who threaten their "comfort zone" by proposing new ways of doing things.


All of this suggests that creative people will often be at odds with people around them and frustrated by work environments and organizational structures that are rigid and unbending. This is partially due to the fact that creative people are attracted to novelty and new ideas and ways of doing things, and their creative minds are often generating alternatives to accepted practices.

Creative Solutions

For the most creative solutions you need to get your mind looking in new directions. One of the most systematic ways to do this, is with a list of words, primarily adjectives, to create "what if?" scenarios. The process starts with the question, "what if it was..." and then you insert a word from the list. "It" in the question is the problem you're working on, or the current solution or situation.

Let's explain the process with an example or two.

Example one: You have is an unpleasant co-worker. You aren't sure how to deal with him, so you ask about the problem, "What if it was..." and insert from the list "smaller." How could you make the problem smaller? Spend less time with that person? Get reassigned?

"What if it was... fun?" makes you wonder if being annoying yourself might keep the other person away from you. "Closer" makes you wonder if this person might be nicer to you if they knew you better. You continue down the list and work with each word a bit to get new ideas, which you will look at more analytically later.

Example two: Your house is too crowded because you're running your business from it. You ask, "What if it was..." and insert from the word list, "smaller." Your house is already too small, but could the business be smaller? The word "divided" might give you the idea to keep the business in just one part of the house
Since most words on the list won't help, you can go through the irrelevant ones quickly. But don't automatically dismiss them without a few seconds consideration. "What if it was hopeless?" may seem like a useless question, or it may make you realize that you just can't keep the business in the house any longer. Moving into a rented office might be the most profitable of your creative solutions.

The Creative Solutions Word List

Feel free to create your own list of words. You'll want to use adjectives, descriptive phrases, and any words that can change your perspective. Here is a short list to get you started:

What if it was... larger, smaller, farther away, closer, sooner, later, easier, more difficult, higher, fat, rich, short, black, certain, hopeless, newer, boring, casual, subtracted from, cheaper, common, divided, more interesting, extravagant, subtle, or fun?

Just as with most problem solving techniques, it's important to allow the ideas to flow without judging them initially. You don't want to stifle the creative process. Take notes, then evaluate your ideas later, when you have a page full of creative solutions.

Saturday 15 October 2011

Hypnotherapy

Motivation is the key to positivity in our lives. If we were not motivated enough, we would just not have the will in us to go about our daily lives. Its motivation that helps us get through the most mundane things – motivation for working harder, motivation to have a healthy relationship, motivation to earn more, motivation to have a happy family. And yet sometimes we find ourselves lacking in motivation; I think we have all had days when getting out of bed to get ready to go to work seemed like a Herculean task. Sometimes lack of motivation can really bring people down, and hinder their efficiency and ability. This may lead to frustrations and further breakdown of communication between people. However, if you intercept this lack of motivation timely, you have help at hand. Go for hypnotherapy for motivation to get the zest in life back.

Hypnotherapy is intrinsically related to the concept of motivation, and can help you in every walk of life. From motivation in sports, to business; from quitting smoking to losing weight, hypnotherapy for motivation could help you out. But here's the catch: you can think of successfully motivating yourself only once you have your goals identified. Identification of a goal is very necessary before you start motivating yourself. Motivation is all about helping you realize your true potential, sometimes this potential gets thwarted by certain experiences in our lives. Hypnotherapy for motivation works towards removing those mental blockages by connecting with your subconscious.

Hypnotherapy is based on the formula of auto suggestion, and it works on deeper levels than one can imagine. Hypnotherapy for motivation converses with your subconscious mind, and urges it to alter self-perception and self – image. Unknown to us, our subconscious is largely responsible for the way we think and react; if we train it to think on a different line, no doubt the accompanying behavior would change too. It understands the true potential that lies within us, and taps into it. Through gentle affirmations such as "I can do it", it retrains your mind into believing that nothing is impossible.

In my practice at Oxfordshire, I have helped clients deal with a variety of issues through hypnotherapy for motivation. Some wanted to perform better at work, while others needed motivation to keep a relationship going. Some wanted to perform better at sports, while others at studies. The underlying theory of hypnotherapy is based on motivation, and we need it in every walk of life. However, we need to have our goals clear in our minds for the hypnotherapy to be successful. Hypnotherapy for motivation lets you focus on the particular task at hand, however if the task is undefined, hypnotherapy will be rendered ineffective.

Hypnotherapy for motivation can seem to be too simple a solution for these problems; however you will be surprised at their effectiveness. Once you started this journey of self discovery, you will see the changes in a short time. Through altering self-perception and self-image, hypnotherapy gives you a whole new view of the world. From being a procrastinating person, you can go on to become a self starter. So define your goals now, and dive into the vast sea of your subconscious mind through hypnotherapy. The pearls you will find there will take care of every situation and possibility in life. Happy Self Discovery!

Answering Service, What Every Small Business Needs

n answering service is what every small business needs. Anyone who has ever worked for a small business, or has owned a small business knows that the answering service is a true God send. Every time you are not able to answer the phone, you take the risk of losing business. With an answering service, you don't worry about missing important calls. Whether its an emergency or just an important client that needs a fire put out, answering services can meet your need.

Think about a day with and without an answering service. You are taking a much needed day off and your secretary calls in sick. Your staff is out in the field doing whatever it is they do and your phone is MIA. Your biggest client needs a fire put out and needs it taken care of immediately. If you didn't have an answering service what would be your options. Cancel your much needed day off and answering the phone yourself. Or, let your answering service handle all the calls and only notify you in an emergency or if a big client calls. Now you can enjoy your day off with the piece of mind knowing that if anything comes up, you'll be the first to be notified by your very own answering service.

If you don't currently have an answering service in your bag of tricks, maybe its time to investigate what an answering service can do for you. Believe it or not, answering services are relatively inexpensive. Considering how much money they can either make you by routing important calls to you from prospective new clients or save you by letting you know your number one client needs something done ASAP. Get an answering service today and grow your business with the piece of mind knowing that your answering service will keep you adequately informed of any important incoming calls.

Positive Thinking and Your Creative Mind

You have a bright idea hidden somewhere in the back of your mind that you just can't wait to test out. The question is, do you really want to bring it out into the light? What could motivate you to churn your creative, inspiring juices to their utmost flavor?

Did you know that it always helps to set a time limit to your personal goals? Set yourself up so you can accomplish the most tasks in record time. For example, mowing the lawn in an hour before the big game on TV. A correct and positive attitude in whatever you do will make things easier, and even enjoyable.

It's simple. If you begin to allow yourself a bit of positive thinking then you will begin to realize things that you never thought possible. Thinking big is indeed the American Way and that what made our country prosperous. You can follow other great Americans who tapped into their creative mind and began to thing big..

Discover some tips to make it through your first week of possibility thinking even if you're just sitting in your favorite couch. Your mind is constantly at work for you. Tap into it's great resource while doing everyday activities.

1. Act. You must take passionate action towards living your life by design. Talk is cheap. Action = deposits in the bank of a passionately authentic future. My mother (probably quoting someone else) always said, "Action speaks louder than words". Without action, passion is void.

Dreams become reality when you simply start by tinkering with your mind, then with your hands. And if the idea weakens or falters you can always go back to it later until you finish it. Thomas Edison and his Dream Team had to go back to the idea of a light bulb and recalculate it over 1,000 times before the first working light bulb begin to light the world.

2. Love. Commit to yourself. Then commit to those you love to powerfully create a life you can love. Instead of reacting, commit to creating from your heart and soul, out of love rather than fear. The American Dream will always be there, but a dream will still be a dream without motion. Be amazed as the transformation begins.

3. Live. Embrace moments and opportunities. Recognize and embrace the thought that each moment is perfect regardless of its outcome. Every time you hit on something that may appear too extreme why not give it a shot anyway. See if it will work. You may be surprised with the results. If you are not then decide to use that moment to learn from it and make the appropriate shift. Learning and growing from mistakes and failures is a part of living.

4. Be grateful. Dwell completely in a place of gratitude. Learn to utilize what you have in your hands and make use of it in the most constructive way. Necessity is the mother of invention. Have you ever been stuck without something you needed and had to make do with something else? (MacGyver,from the famous tv show, was famous for that!) How grateful were you that you had the means to solve your situation? Slipping into neediness will become less of a habit when you repeatedly shift towards gratitude and away from poverty consciousness.

5. Be Passionate. Use a Passion Formula of Recognize/Reevaluate/Restore in place of the Shoulda/Woulda/Coulda whirlwind. The former is based on increased knowledge and abundance while the latter focuses on scarcity and lack. As you face people or tasks that may seem harder than scaling the summit of the Himalayas, allow yourself to realize that the task is just as important as giving out orders to your subordinates. You would rather be richly passionate!

6. Laugh. Keep humor at the forefront of thought, laughing at and with yourself whenever possible. You may find yourself quite entertaining when you loosen up! I have yet to see a comedian ever go hungry even though his jokes are as 'old as great-grandma'. Life has too much to offer to allow yourself to mope around in self pity. Humor is very attractive, very passionate: life-giving.

7. Discover Your Purpose. Believe that you are the architect of your destiny. Realizing how you wish to be remembered when you pass from this life is a truly driving force. Your purpose for being can be a seemingly simple as being a great parent to as elaborate as discovering miraculous cures.

When you have a strong purpose no one can take your passionate future from you except for you! Truly, as long as there's still breath in your body, there is no end to how much you can accomplish in a lifetime. Discovering and following your purpose will enable you to enjoy your work. Celebrate in the discovery that acting on your creative mind's thoughts is fulfilling your purpose. Watch everything flow into place with perfect, passionate precision.

Activate your positive thinking. Stretch your imagination. Think bigger than you feel comfortable. Act on your thoughts. The number one tip here is action. You want to start practicing these steps.

Think about this: It is unfortunate that so many people still do not use a computer because it appears too complicated to begin using. Or maybe they just keep putting it off till a more convenient time. These are just a couple of limitations one can set up for themselves. Limitations and failure to act on ideas and opportunities leave many as a dim bulb in a dark corner.

Alert! You are not doomed to darkness. You are interested in living a life of purpose and love. The wonderful, creative idea in you is about to be released. You are interested in doing this because you are reading this article. Fortunately if you truly desire something, the will to attain it will open your creative mind to find a way.

Now you need only to begin to act on your desire to create. Act now! Make your path to creativity and follow your purpose. Take your first step today with a positive attitude.
 

Overture

The Overture Search Tool is a wonder to behold. There are so many tools and so much help available at the site that when you visit you will be asking why nobody has told you about this before now. The costs are small and the services are large and extremely helpful to Internet entrepreneurs. It is free to join the site and there are so many ways for you to help yourself. You can locate the best keywords for your business you can find out what the top bid is on the best key words and you have to opportunity to place a higher bid. For only the very small price of $1.99 you can get even more help....and from professionals.

There are a couple of differences to take note of, however. The free service gives you access to the STST. The way that overture will make a profit here, since the service is free, is by selling you the best key words. There's nothing wrong with that...everybody has to make a profit to stay in business. The Keyword tool on Google gives a complete different set of Keywords. They don't sell the keywords so it makes you wonder which list of Keywords are the best.

If you have not yet made use of Overture, this is certainly a tool you should take the time to explore. Bidding very high on the best Keywords can move your advertisements into the top ten search results in the major search engines very quickly.

We all know that search engine optimization (SEO) is the key to making sales and making use of Overture is one of the best ways to accomplish that task.

Overture was originally named GoTo dot com. It changed its name to Overture in October, 2001 and was purchased by Yahoo in 2003.

Wealth Funnel System & Developmental Performance Consultants

Derrick Harper's Wealth Funnel System (WFS) and Developmental Performance Consultants (DPC)Introduces You to the Wonderful World of BLOGS

Boynton Beach, FL – May 6, 2008

I'm sure most of you have heard the words blog, blogger, or blogging.
If you are anything like me you have probably thought to yourself "I don't have a clue what they are talking about!" Have you had that experience before?

If so, not to worry because we, at Developmental Performance Consultants along with Derrick Harper's Wealth Funnel System of online marketing education, want to share with you some information and insight into the wonderful world of BLOGS and how you can utilize this web 2.0 technology platform to get your products/services and business more exposure on the world wide web.

What is a BLOG? Take the words "Web" + "log" = "Blog".
A blog is, in the case for this article, textual in content and is an online interactive journal used to build relationships between you and your potential/existing clients.

There are a couple of Blog Platforms to get familiar with; "Hosted Blog Platforms" and "Stand Alone Blog Platforms".

A few of the Hosted Blog Platforms DPC and WFS use are: Blogger, MySpace, and WordPress. They are Free, easy to use, simple to implement, and are indexed to the Search Engines rather quickly.

The other type of Blog Platform is the Stand Alone Platform and they include: WordPress (which is currently #1 out of the top 50 Blog Spots), and ProBlogger. These are both Free to post to however, there is a domain name fee, and a hosting fee you are responsible for.

One of the advantages of the Stand Alone Blog Platform is you can post the blogs directly on your company's website. You can also be a little more creative in the design of the Blog as opposed to the standard templates found with the Hosted Blog Platforms.

Derrick Harper & The Wealth Funnel System teach you to be the "Expert" on the products/services you offer by using blog platforms to get your personal branding online marketing campaign out to your clients. Remember, people are looking to you for the leadership skills along with your knowledge and education so you need as many avenues as possible to reach them.

We hope this education has given you an insight into the world of blogs and will be beneficial to you as continue to build your business and online personal branding marketing campaign.

 

chocolate fountain

A chocolate fountain is essentially an apparatus made from stainless steel that serves molten chocolate fondue. A motor at the base of the fountain is used for heating the prepared chocolate morsels that are placed in a heating tray. A central corkscrew pushes the molten chocolate up through a column. Upon reaching the top of the fountain, which may be 2-4 feet in height and have multiple tiers, the chocolate flows down. The chocolate flows into one tray and spills on to the next till it reaches the bottom tier. After the chocolate cascade reaches the base of the fountain, the whole process is repeated again. The first melting of the chocolate can also be carried out in a microwave or a double boiler. The fountain is placed on a base that is sturdy enough to hold around 40 kilograms of weight and is close to a power socket.


Chocolate high in cocoa butter, such as couverture chocolate, is ideal for use in fountains. The chocolate can be either milk or dark. Chocolate low in cocoa butter must be supplemented with vegetable oil; however, this hampers the smoothness and taste of the chocolate.


Chocolate fountains are available as home and commercial versions that can be used for a variety of occasions such as parties, film premieres, bar mitzvahs, and product launches. A home fountain is ideal for a gathering of around 25 people.


Chocolate fountains are available for rent from catering companies and party supply stores. These also provide an attendant who ensures that the fountain works properly, the chocolate cascades smoothly, and there is no abuse of the fountain at the hands of eager children. Tidbits such as fruit pieces, cheesecakes, marshmallows, etc are kept around the fountain. These can be skewered on to toothpicks and dipped in the fountain. Generally, anything that is not liable to crumbling will be fine for dipping in a chocolate fountain.


Chocolate fountains can be rented at an hourly rate that includes the charges for the attendant's services and the cost of the chocolate used. Usually, chocolate fountains are operated for no more than two hours during a party; normally they are functioning when appetizers and desserts are served. They can also be an additional item in a buffet. Installing a chocolate fountain in the outdoors is not recommended as insects get drawn by the aroma of chocolate and breeze may disrupt the flow.

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Sales Prospecting and a Targeted Selection Process

What's a Targeted Selection Process? As related to prospecting, it is a process or system of defining whom you want to call on and performing the due diligence of data procurement to understand who you are calling on and why you have chosen them.
It can be as simple as choosing an industry, picking a company name out of the yellow pages, understanding the appropriate level of contact to call on, and investigating a name that goes with the title.
Or it can be as complex as an expensive CRM (customer relationship management) system for existing customers, defining market share of your product portfolio and routinely touching the existing base to broaden the revenue pond.

But here's what's important to understand. Your Targeted Selection Process is a separate component of your sales strategy. It stands by itself.
But it is directly allied with your other Sales performance indicators. The degree of success you'll have in the business of sales is proportional to raising and maintaining these success indicators to a level more proficient than the industry norm.
And the direction you decide to travel is strategic to the outcome. I call it the 'Playing Field'. Because that's where it all starts… it's where the game begins.

Here's what I mean. There are basically (2) strategies in picking your 'Playing Field'; a 'Bottom-up' approach or a 'Top-down' approach.
The following is an example of a Bottom-up approach. A Telecommunications rep initiates a telephone call into a company and asks the question "Who handles your telecommunications needs?" Guess where they are sent? If you said 'office manager' you guessed right. If you said 'Head Janitor' you weren't far off.

Is there anything 'wrong' with that? Not really; it's legal and a lot of folks out there do it.
But let's think through this option as a 'Business person' would. Let's study it as it relates to our sales process and individual Key Performance Indicators (KPI); Conversation-to-appointment ratio, 1st appointment to Proposal ratio, Closing ratio, sales cycle and average revenue per sale. Because these success indicators are gateways that directly affect the outcome of a sales process.

Do your KPI's go up or down with a bottom-up approach? Historically, a bottom-up approach promotes a:

1. 1st appointment to Proposal ratio to decrease
2. Closing ratio to decrease
3. Sales cycle to increase
4. Average revenue per sale to decrease

Bottom line, you'll be leaving time and money on the table if you choose this Target strategy.
We'll revisit the Conversation-to-appointment KPI in a minute.

At the other end of the Target spectrum is the 'Top-down' strategy for securing a new Targeted business appointment. Let's say that same telecommunications rep chose this approach in prospecting for new business. The first step in this process is 'Homework'; some due diligence prior to picking up the telephone.

Activities like:

• Gathering a list of appropriate industries
• Assigning the highest appropriate level of contact to each account; by company size and industry
• Researching contact name for each appropriate title and account
• Researching what each business does to exist and prosper

That sounds like a bit of work. But what historically happens with a 'Top-down' approach in line with sales performance KPI's?

1. 1st appointment to Proposal ratio increases
2. Closing ratio increases
3. Sales cycle decreases
4. Average revenue per sale increases

OK. We agree that's a no-brainer. So it all comes down to the 1st and foremost sales performance indicator, your Conversation-to-appointment ratio.
That's simply how many times you conduct a conversation with a target prospect versus how many times you achieve one. And the national average on that KPI is between 4% and 18%; Top-down or Bottom up approach. So it takes 10, 12 or 20 conversations to achieve 1 or 2 appointments. And that's a lot of work. In fact, JDH Group studies show sales individuals spend an average of 50% of their time on prospecting activities, or about 22 hours per week.

That leads a sensible person to the conclusion that one needs to focus on efficiencies in Prospecting. And to secure those 'Competencies' one must develop a communication 'system' in line with your business solutions, your 'Top-down' Prospect perceptions and your competitive influences.
Not from a product/service angle, that's 'selling' over the telephone. But a communications methodology that lends itself to 'Business acumen'; insight into what is strategic to your target prospect's business objectives, what pains they are facing due to recent events or what changes are on the horizon that may effect their current status quo.

Next is figuring out how to communicate to your 'Top-down' target the prospective benefits of your product/service in terms relevant to their financial Key Performance Indicators; line items like ROI, IRR and Payback Period. Those are success indicators that organizations rely on to measure progress toward their organizational goals. It's their 'Scorecard'.

So lesson number one. When you're addressing a target level that has Budget authority; a President/Owner of a small company or a CFO/Controller of a medium size one, you'd better be talking terms in line with what they need to accomplish, not in a 'sales language' creating a prospect perception that you're (1) don't understand their business and (2) are simply trying to make a living.
From a 10,000 foot altitude, understand and communicate what's on your 'Top-down' target prospect's 'Front Burner' business objectives…not clear over in the freezer!

You can choose not to accept the standard 'sales 101 playing field'.
Identify your individual performance components (KPI's) that are essential to your success and develop or seek systems to raise your competency ratios and performance efficiencies.
And start your process by picking a 'Top-down Playing Field' and educating yourself to their world.

Instant Luxuries Relieve Daily Stress

Discovering how to de-stress may be easier-and more important-than many people realize. A recent survey reveals that 34 percent of Americans report their daily stress levels are at an all-time high. Of those surveyed, more than 90 percent indicated a growing need for adding some stress-busting "instant luxury" to their lives, with decadent desserts and fine coffee topping their "favorites" list, followed by fresh-cut flowers and high-thread-count sheets.

According to Alison Deyette, lifestyle expert and host of the Fine Living Network series "Pocket the Difference," there are some simple things anyone can do every day to bring in life's little luxuries and reduce stress.

"These days, luxury is a mindset, not a lifestyle; to manage the daily stresses of life, consumers are finding ways to treat themselves with products and experiences that convey attainable luxury," said Deyette. "Products such as Nescafé Taster's Choice 100 percent Colombian coffee provide opportunities to enjoy simple indulgences, such as fine coffee, each day."

For coffee lovers in search of instant luxury, Nestlé recently introduced a new variety that allows anyone to experience the world-renowned taste of Colombian coffee, brewed fresh in the cup anytime. This new offering provides java enthusiasts an opportunity to indulge in delicious premium coffee at work or home, that until recently was only reserved for gourmet coffee shops.

Other instant luxuries Deyette suggests as ways people can treat themselves on a regular basis include fresh-cut flowers, possibly from a farmers' market or just a grocery store. She adds, "These types of indulgences can stimulate the senses and make those 'feel-good' chemicals in the brain spring into action."

Since every day should begin with a good night's sleep, great bedding is essential. High-thread-count sheets that are affordable can now be found at virtually any bedding store or major retailer and can add a "little luxury" to your life.

Defining "instant luxury" as a product or experience that's attainable by the average person, the survey by TNS Express asked 1,000 Americans ages 18 to 90 what they are doing to enrich their lives and cope in an increasingly stressed-out world.

As Time goes Buy

Looking for the perfect gift for an occasion? Need something outstanding for an anniversary or for a wedding, a retirement gift, or for a special birthday? A clock will make a lasting impression and is the perfect choice for just about any situation.

Everyone knows that we are a time driven society. We always have to be somewhere. We are in a rush to make a train, plane or bus or we have to meet or pick someone up at a certain time. The wristwatch just doesn't cut it anymore - you need a clock in every room. And what a great gift a clock makes. They are available in just about any price range. They come in wood, brass, glass, crystal, marble, silver or goldtone. They can be personalized or engraved to make a lasting impression. They can be hung on a wall or placed on a table or shelf. They go in your office, library, kitchen, den or dining room. They can even be found in a bathroom. Clocks can be purchased in every type of decor or color to match or contrast with the area they will be placed. They are available in electric or battery operated models. There are also travel versions. Many have an alarm, some play music or chimes.

There are wall clocks and mantel clocks that play a different sound or tune on the hour. Westminster chimes is a popular sound for the mantel clocks. How can anyone forget the wall clock that had a different bird sound every hour. Many of these clocks have an automatic shut off that keeps them from making noise when the room is dark and everyone is presumably asleep. There are also Lucite desk clocks that change color with every minute. The time changes from red to purple to green to blue and you have to love it. And who could forget those coo-coo clocks that were popular years ago?
Some people prefer analog while others may prefer the digital version. Many of the digital versions will also give the day and/or date. They can also give the room temperature, the phases of the moon, or an estimate of the expected weather. Analog clocks can have roman numerals, or regular numbers. The very popular Movado clocks have just a dot for the twelve. Some clocks will also have room for a photo. Many other clocks are combined with a pen or note paper to make them a desk accessory.

There are also clocks that give the time around the world. These are especially useful to anyone that conducts business in different countries, or anyone that has family traveling or living abroad. It's easier to know the time when you can see it in front of you, instead of having to count all those hours ahead or behind. World clocks are available in analog or digital versions. These clocks make especially nice corporate gifts and are often shown with a company logo or other personalization.

Movado, Bulova, Seiko, and Seth Thomas are some of the better-known brand names. Howard Miller also makes those furniture clocks that are popular once again. These names represent fine quality clocks that anyone would be proud to give or receive. The next time there's an occasion and you can't figure out what to purchase, remembers that it's always the right time to give a clock as a gift.

How To Create, Promote And Earn Money From Your Own Blog

For starters, what is a blog? In general terms, it is a sort of interactive, regularly updated online journal. A blog owner is called a blogger, the activity of keeping a blog is called blogging, and the blogging community and everything related to blogging is collectively known as the blogosphere.

How are blogs created? There are several options. The cost-free way is to start a blog at one of the countless free blog services, such as the Google service called blogger. Another option is to use one of the free blog scripts and install it at a paid or free hosting service. Such free blog scripts are also numerous, the most popular of them being wordpress. It is also possible to sign up for a paid hosting service with an already installed wordpress blog, but this service is somewhat costlier.

Now let's assume that we already have a blog. The next question is: Where do we get content? Choose the subject for your blog. It may be your professional occupation or hobby. In any case, you must have solid knowledge of the subject. For instance, if you are a proctologist, you may write about hemorrhoids, their treatment, prevention and suchlike as long as these are not scientific articles, but materials written in layman's language. To give you a more practical example, if your hobby is dogs, write about them and people will enjoy it. There is another way to get content. The web has many services offering free articles. All you have to do is select the most interesting ones and publish them. In this way you can quickly fill your blog with content.

Moving on to the question of promoting your blog, it is worth noting that blogs are better indexed by search engines than ordinary web sites due to the specifics of the algorithm used in blogs. For instance, a new article in a well-promoted blog may appear on the search engine results page already on the following day. Of course, this requires registration in special catalogs devoted to blogs, which is what you will do next. Another way is to publish articles with a link to your blog. There are also services meant for just this purpose.

But most importantly, a search engine needs external links to your blog from other web sites. These should be good links generating heavy traffic. What does it mean? It means that ideally the link should be on the web site's main page. What's more, this page should have a PR rating of at least 4 (PR or Google Page Rank reflects the significance of any particular web page). Five or six such links will do more than hundreds of other ordinary links. How can you get such links? There are also various options. For instance, you can find a resource thematically related to your blog and offer its owners to reciprocate links. Finally, you can buy such links. The higher the web site's PR rating, the more such links will cost you.

Now let's move on to the question of how you can earn money from your own blog. The scheme is quite simple: traffic is converted into money. Your income increases proportionately with the traffic volume. One way to earn from a blog is to place ads, which is done most often through google adwords. Another way is to participate in partnership programs associated with the subject of your blog. So if your blog is devoted to dogs, you should advertise flea control products and other dog-related merchandise. A third way is to sell your own merchandise or services. Of course, you can combine several ways of generating income in a single blog. Last but not least, remember that strength is in numbers, which is why it's a good idea to maintain several resources at the same time.

The Most Overlooked Safety Event - Driving

Driving a vehicle is probably the most overlooked safety event in one's life. Personal vehicles are driven to have employees arrive at work, to take kids to soccer practice, and even to deliver goods to customers. Basic precautions take a few moments to check. Millions of people are killed each year. People ages 15-44 account for over half of all deaths due to road traffic injuries. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death by injury worldwide. In North America alone, the equivalent of the passengers on ten 747 jets die in traffic incidents each day.

The basics of vehicle operation are to know how to operate the vehicle and use any related equipment or attachments safely. Be familiar with the location and function of all the controls. A good place to start is the owner's manual. Many of the functions of the vehicle are not covered at the point of purchase.

Inspect the vehicle daily. Develop a routine method of inspecting vehicle by doing a quick walk around. Start at the front and do a complete walk around; check the tires, windshield wipers, lights, and for any objects that might be laying in the vehicle's path.
Once inside, adjust seat and controls. Fasten seat belt. Pump the foot brake; the brakes should hold the vehicle and while stopping they should stop the vehicle smoothly. If there is a clutch and gearshift, the shifter shifts smoothly without jumping or jerking. The steering wheel moves smoothly with no play. Make sure all dash controls are functioning properly.

For fleet and commercial vehicles, check the hydraulic systems for operation. If installed check the back-up alarm; if not installed, equip the vehicle with one. Check for the emergency equipment and make sure all required equipment is on board. Check the load and make sure it is secure and complying with regulations. Check the wheels and fasteners and make sure there are no defects in rim or loose or even missing fasteners.
While driving listen for strange noises and even smell for unusual odors that may be coming from the vehicle. Wear the seat belt; more people have been injured by not wearing the belt than those who do.
Now that the vehicle has checked and is safe, simple procedures can be learned and practiced to ensure safe driving. Wear the seat belt every time and insist all passengers wear theirs as well. The airbag is a safety device that can inflict injury if precautions are not used; be sure there is at least 10 inches between the air bag and the middle of the chest; never place a rear-facing infant seat in front of an air bag.

Children 12 and under are safest buckled up in the back seat. Use the appropriate child and infant restraints. For child seats, follow the manufacturers' guidelines on installation; over half the checked seats checked by police are being used incorrectly.

Assuming everyone drives like an idiot will improve defensive driving skills. Keep all vehicle windows and mirrors clear so you can see potential hazards. Adjust your speed to the legal limit, the road conditions and your own driving abilities at the time. Slow down if you're tired, distracted, emotional or ill. Drowsy driving, just as drunk driving, can cause a crash within seconds. Get enough sleep before you take the wheel. Also know what medications may cause drowsiness or dizziness.

Expect the unexpected. Know what is around the vehicle at all times by checking all mirrors every five to eight seconds. Always keep the eyes moving and use every vantage point to gain information about the road ahead such as a hill top. By observing all areas around the vehicle, an escape movement can be used to avoid an incident.

By checking the vehicle each time before it is started and driving defensively, less traffic incidents will occur. The result will be better insurance rates and less injury in one's life.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Shooting Yourself In The Foot

Have you ever been at a networking function talking to someone when during the conversation you felt very self-conscious trying to say the right thing? Were you afraid that maybe if you said the wrong thing the person might not find you likeable, and therefore not want to do business with you? If you have, I am about to tell you why you should not worry about it. Like the obnoxious song "Don't Worry - Be Happy" from years ago, I want to share with you the reason why being careful about what we say works against us in the networking environment.

Our goal in business networking should be to establish new relationships and through the process of follow-up develop them over time. As with any relationship, being honest plays a very important role in that development.

When we meet someone for the first time, we want to make a good impression. Often we put on our "party face" so that we do. This can often cause us problems that we do not expect. One problem is that when we try to appear to be something that we really do not feel inside of us, we often have a fear that we are going to be "discovered". This fear causes us to feel uncomfortable about the situation and though we may be smiling, we are really cringing inside.

Most people worry that if they just be who they are, that no one can accept them. I argue that if we do not just be ourselves, sooner or later who we really are will slip out and then we will have to deal with the consequences of being discovered. This then leads to a feeling of distrust between people.

Have you ever been in a relationship with a person of the opposite sex where you did not tell them something important early on and later had to reveal it or even worse it was revealed by accident? It leads for difficult times after that and a lot of shuffling and apologizing

In my opinion, it is better to risk being who I am up front. To let people know exactly how I feel. People, for the most part, have a forgiving nature. They actually want to forgive. If you make a mistake and say something that can be potentially embarrassing, you can always apologize for it and be forgiven. But if you say something that is not necessarily true and are discovered later, your credibility may be permanently damaged.

If you go into a networking environment prepared to be relaxed and genuine, you will find that it is a lot more fun to be there. If you have a plan of action to really get to know people, you will be much more productive in a shorter amount of time. People will feel comfortable talking to you and you to them. In an environment of truth, more people will want to do business with you and to be around you.

Authentic enthusiasm is contagious. You will always appear to be more attractive when you are excited about what you are doing. When you are not worried about making mistakes, you will appear to be happier. Being happy about the situation will help you to smile more, and the smiling face is a natural human attractor.

So next time you attend a networking function, just be yourself. Your results will improve and you will feel better when you leave to go home. Over time, the difference will be measurable in more ways than just your income. You will find that you have more friends than you had ever imagined possible. When it comes time for the referral, your friend will remember you because friends really do refer friends.

Friday 22 July 2011

:: Peria ::

Pahit-pahit buah peria tetapi banyak khasiatnya. Memang tidak dinafikan peria merupakan sayur yang paling pahit jika dimakan walau dengan apa cara sekalipun. Namun tidak hairan lah buah ini mempunyai khasiat untuk dijadikan ubat.

Pokok peria mempunyai ketinggian sehingga 5 meter dan mempunyai akar tunjang serta akar sisi berserabut. Daunnya berselang seli, mempunyai bunga berwarna kuning dan dapat menghasilkan bunga jantan dan betina secara berasingan. Buahnya pula mempunyai kulit yang menggerutu dan berwarna hijau muda ketika mentah. Apabila sudah masak, ia bertukar menjadi warna kekuningan dan jingga merah. Bijinya pula berwarna putih ketika mentah dan menjadi merah apabila sudah masak.

Kandungan pemakanan, galian dan mineral yang terdapat dalam peria terdiri daripada protin, lemak, serat, karbohidrat, kalsium, fosforus, zat besi, vitamin C dan B kompleks. Peria mempunyai kelebihan dari segi perubatan. Peria juga merupakan buah antidot, anti mikrob, penambah selera dan sebagai ubat julap.

Antara khasiat peria ialah:

1. Merawat Diabetis

Melalui kajian, peria dikatakan mempunyai hipoglisemik atau bahan seperti insulin yang dipercayai dapat merendahkan tahap gula dalam darah dan air kencing. Cara pengambilannya ialah :

a. Ambil 4 ke 5 biji buah peria, dibuat jus. Minum setiap pagi ketika perut masih kosong.

b. Ambil Peria yang telah dijadikan serbuk dan ditambah dalam setiap makanan

c. Amalkan meminum air rebusan buah peria atau air serbuk peria.

2. Merawat Buasir

a. Ambil daun pokok peria yang segar, basuh bersih dan dikisar untuk dijadikan jus. Campurkan 3 sudu teh jus daun peria dengan segelas cecair mentega (1 sudu teh mentega + segelas air suam) dan diminum selama sebulan

b. Ambil akar pokok peria, cuci bersih, dan di asah pada belakang pasu dengan sedikit air untuk dijadikan pes. Sapukan pes akar peria di tempat buasir. Cara ini pun dikatakan mampu merawat masalah buasir.

3. Merawat masalah berkaitan dengan darah

Seperti kegatalan, psoriasis, kudis, kurap dan penyakit kulit yang lain. Caranya dengan mengambil secawan jus peria, dicampur dengan 1 sudu teh jus limau. Amalkan minum semasa perut masih kosong setiap hari selama 4 hingga 6 bulan.

4. Merawat masalah berkaitan dengan pernafasan

Seperti asma, bronkitis (radang saluran pernafasan), faringitis (radang tenggorok), selsema dan rhinitis (alahan). Caranya dengan mengambil sesudu pes akar pokok peria dan dicampukan dengan sesudu madu. Amalkan meminumnya setiap malam selama sebulan.

5. Merawat penyakit kolera(peringkat awal)dan Diarea (cirit-birit)

Kolera adalah penyakit menular di saluran pencernaan. Ketika diperingkat awal ia masih dapat dipulihkan dan daun pokok peria merupakan ubat efektif untuk masalah kolera dan lain-lain diarea. Caranya dengan mengambil 2 sudu teh jus daun peria dicampur dengan 2 sudu teh jus bawang merah dan sesudu jus limau. Amalkan setiap hari sehingga sembuh.

6. Merawat Alkoholisme

Jus daun peria mempunyai antidot dan juga dikatakan amat berkesan dalam merawat kemabukan akibat alkohol.

7. Masalah cacing

Jus daun peria juga dikatakan mampu diambil untuk mengeluarkan cacing dalam perut.


Perlu diingatkan, walaupun peria mempunyai banyak kegunaannya namun begitu perlulah mendapatkan nasihat pengamal perubatan sebelum menggunakannya terutama bagi mengelakkan berlakunya kemudaratan di kemudian hari.

55 Penyakit Kritikal Yang Dibenarkan Pengeluaran KWSP

BERIKUT ialah senarai 55 jenis penyakit kritikal yang dibenarkan pengeluaran di bawah Skim Pengeluaran Kesihatan Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) berkuat kuasa, Jumaat.

1. Anemia Aplastik / Aplastic Anaemia

2. Sindrom Apalik / Appalic Syndrome

3. Penyakit Alzheimer / Alzheimer’s Disease

4. Tumor Otak Benigna / Benign Tumour of the Brain

5. Buta / Blindness

6. Kanser / Cancer

7. Kardiomiopati / Cardiomyopathy

8. Penyakit Hati Kronik / Chronic Liver Disease

9. Penyakit Paru-Paru Kronik / Chronic Lung Disease

10. Koma / Coma

11. Penyakit Arteri Koronari / Coronary Artery Disease

12. Pekak / Deafness

13. Ensefalitis / Encephalitis

14. Hepatitis Virus Fulminan / Fulminant Viral Hepatitis

15. Serangan Penyakit Jantung / Heart Attack

16. Penggantian Injap Jantung / Heart Valve Replacement

17. Kegagalan Buah Pinggang / Kidney Failure

18. Kehilangan Upaya Hidup Sendiri / Loss of Independent Existence

19. Hilang Kebolehan Bertutur / Loss of Speech

20. Kelecuran Parah / Major Burns

21. Trauma Utama Di Kepala / Major Head Trauma

22. Pemindahan Organ Utama / Major Organ Transplant

23. Penyakit Medulari Sistik / Medullary Cystic Disease

24. Meningitis / Meningitis

25. Penyakit Neuron Motor / Motor Neurone Disease

26. Sklerosis Berganda / Multiple Sclerosis

27. Distrofi Otot / Muscular Dystrophy

28. Kelumpuhan / Paralysis

29. Penyakit Parkinson / Parkinson’s Disease30. Poliomielitis / Poliomyelitis

31. Pulmonari Primer / Primary Pulmonary

32. Strok/Angin Ahmar / Stroke

33. Pembedahan Aorta / Surgery to Aorta

34. Sistemik Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Dengan Lupus Nephritis / Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) with Lupus Nephritis2

35. Penyakit Membawa Maut / Terminal Illness

36. Hilang Upaya Kekal / Total Permanent Disability

37. Penyakit Pulmonari Obstruktif Kronik Teruk (COPD) / Emfisema / Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD) / Emphysema

38. Hipertensi Pulmonari Sekunder / Secondary Pulmonary Hypertension

39. Bronkiektasis / Bronchiectasis

40. Fibrosis Paru-paru / Lung fibrosis

41. Apnoea Tidur Obstruktif / Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

42. Penyakit Radang Usus Kronik / Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease

43. Kalkuli Ginjal Memerlukan Intervensi Pembedahan / Bilateral Renal Calculi Requiring Surgical Intervention

44. Abnormaliti Urinari Kongenital Memerlukan Intervensi Pembedahan Segera dan Major / Congenital Urinary Abnormalities Requiring Urgent and Major Surgical Intervention

45. Sklerosis Sistemik Dengan Hipertensi Pulmonari / Systemic Sclerosis with Pulmonary Hypertension

46. Limfoma / Lymphoma

47. Talesemia Major Memerlukan Agen Pengkelat / Thalassaemia Major Requiring Chelating Agent

48. Pemindahan Sel Stem Hematopoetik / Hematopoetic Stem Cell Transplantation

49. Sindrom Imuno-defisiensi Perolehan (AIDS) / Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Senarai 3 Jenis Penyakit Mental

50. Skizofrenia / Schizophrenia

51. Mood Bipolar / Bipolar mood

52. Kemurungan Major / Major depression

Tambahan 3 penyakit kritikal bagi ahli/keluarga ahli berumur di bawah 16 tahun

53. Lelah/asma yang teruk / Severe Asthma

54. Leukimia / Leukaemia

55. Kecacatan intelektual disebabkan kemalangan atau penyakit / Intellectual Impairment Due to Accident or Sickness

Misteri Teknologi Zaman Nabi Nuh Yang Disorok





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Sesungguhnya Piramid Agung bukanlah dibina ketika pemerintahan Firaun Khufu (Cheops) tetapi telah dibina berkurun sebelumnya oleh kerajaan-kerajaan silam yang lepas. Firaun-firaun Mesir hanyalah membaik pulih sahaja piramid-piramid ini yang diwarisi mereka. Hakikat ini lama-kelamaan disedari oleh ramai pengkaji tetapi ia terlalu lama untuk dapat dipercayai oleh masyarakat dunia. Anda boleh tonton filem 10000 B.C dimana terdapat kaum yang membina Piramid ditengah-tengah padang pasir untuk mendapatkan gambaran tentang hal ini. Arkiteknya dalam menentukan lokasi piramid terpaksa melihat jarak bintang dilangit dan koordinasi buruj-buruj dimana pada masa yang sama dia juga adalah ahli astronomi dan ahli nujum Istana.


This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 730x393.



Gambaran kerja pembinaan piramid [filem 10 000 BC]

Kedudukan ketiga-tiga piramid termasuk Piramid Agung Giza adalah bertepatan dengan kedudukan buruj Orion di langit, dan mengarah tepat ke arah kiblat. Ini antara misteri paling terbesar dalam sejarah kemanusiaan. Siapakah bangsa agung yang mula-mula merencanakan pembinaan Piramid? Sesungguhnya Piramid Mesir adalah penunjuk kiblat paling besar yang terdapat dibumi di mana Allah Yang Maha Agung telah menciptakan bintang-bintang Orion sebagai tanda kiblat dilangit. Piramid Mesir adalah petunjuk arah ke Baitullah di bumi manakala bintang Orion adalah petunjuk arah ke Baitul Makmur di langit. Maha Suci Allah yang menciptakan segala sesuatu tanpa sia-sia. Bangsa misteri yang membina piramid terawal sudah tentu sebuah bangsa yang teramat bijak dan genius dan di zaman itu kemajuan material adalah setanding malah lebih maju dari apa yang kita dapati hari ini.

Tidak percaya?. Cuba anda bayangkan kehidupan manusia sebelum berlakunya banjir besar di zaman Nabi Nuh. Bayangkan kehidupan mereka adalah teramat canggih dengan kereta-kereta mewah dan kotaraya-kotaraya bercahaya serta pesawat-pesawat terbang seperti UFO yang bersimpang siur di udara. Setiap rumah terdapat sistem komputer yang canggih dan kemudahan internet kelajuan tinggi. Tetapi adakah semua itu berguna setelah banjir besar melanda seluruh dunia. Tidak, tidak sama sekali. Nabi Nuh terpaksa memuatkan kapalnya dengan manusia, haiwan-haiwan yang berpasangan serta spesis-spesis tumbuh-tumbuhan yang terpilih. Di sini kita dapat mengetahui bahawa 'profesion' Nabi Nuh bukan sahaja seorang pengembang agama tetapi juga pakar sains zoologi yang handal.


Nabi Nuh boleh membina kapal yang teramat besar hanya berbekal pengikut yang tidak sampai 100 orang? Fikirkan. Seratus (100) orang itupun ada yang wanita dan kanak-kanak jadi jumlah pekerja untuk membina bahtera Nabi Nuh teramatlah sedikit. Malahan pula, para pengikut Nabi Nuh as terdiri daripada orang miskin yang lemah dan melarat sahaja. Nabi Nuh juga telah membina kapalnya dalam jangka masa yang terhad (sesetengah pendapat mengatakan dalam beberapa minggu sahaja). Misteri ini benar-benar memeningkan pengkaji malah ada juga pengkaji Barat yang mendakwa bahawa, Bahtera Nabi Nuh dibina oleh makhluk asing. Sebenarnya kita tidak akan hairan dengan kemampuan Nabi Nuh ketika itu jika kita membayangkan kemajuan manusia sebelum Banjir Besar adalah seperti kemajuan pada masa kini sekurang-kurangnya. Kita boleh membayangkan yang Nabi Nuh membina bahtera di dalam hangar kapal yang besar berserta peralatan dan mesin-mesin yang canggih dibantu sistem perkomputeran yang termaju.


Masih tidak percaya?. Jika kita lihat pada kronologi kemajuan manusia, kita boleh melihat logik atau tidak kenyataan ini. Biar kita ambil jangkamasa dari lahirnya Nabi Isa mengikut kalendar Masehi iaitu 1 Masehi hingga 2009 Masehi. Bagaimana kehidupan manusia di zaman Nabi Isa hidup. Bagaimana kemajuan manusia selepas 2000 tahun selepas kelahiran Nabi Isa? Berapakah jangkamasa Adam manusia pertama sehingga peristiwa Banjir Besar di zaman Nabi Nuh. Katakanlah lebih kurang 2000 tahun (ini anggaran yang amat minimum memandangkan jangkamasa dari manusia pertama turun ke Bumi sehingga Banjir Besar boleh memakan masa beribu-ribu tahun), maka logiklah kemajuan manusia mencapai tahap terhebat dan maju ketika Banjir Besar.


Mayat bergelimpangan di Kota Kuno Mohenjo-Daro mengandung radioaktif

Maka jika berfikir seperti ini, kita tidak akan terkejut dengan kisah-kisah seperti Atlantis dan Lemuria serta Kerajaan Rama yang mempunyai pesawat-pesawat terbang seperti UFO. Peperangan juga melibatkan kuasa nuklear seperti kesan-kesan yang ditemui di Mohenjo-Daro dan Harappa.

Tetapi adakah semua kemajuan itu berguna berguna apabila tibanya bala bencana? Semua kemajuan itu habis tenggelam bersama-sama orang musyrik yang mengingkari perintah Allah SWT setelah hanyut dalam arus kemajuan material dan kecanggihan teknologi yang mengkhayalkan. Manusia ketika itu semakin rakus dengan kebendaan dan berbuat maksiat secara terang-terangan. Tidak hairan jika terdapat parti bogel di sana-sini. Pesta-pesta mandi buih acapkali diadakan di festival-festival besar. Konsert-konsert muzik yang mengkhayalkan seringkali diakhiri dengan pesta seks yang menghairahkan dihadapan sembahan-sembahan berhala yang mereka pertuhankan. Dakwah Nabi Nuh dikesampingkan walaupun sering keluar di media-media antarabangsa.


Bateri Baghdad yang ditemui oleh ahli arkeologi Austria

Mungkin anda berasa lucu dengan senario yang dipaparkan di sini. Ini kerana anda memikirkan Nabi Nuh hidup seperti orang gua, bercucuk tanam dan mengembala kambing sahaja. TIDAK SAMA SEKALI. Lihatlah lukisan-lukisan misteri di dinding kuil-kuil Firaun yang menceritakan satu mitos purba tentang penghasilan tenaga elektrik siap dengan lukisan kabel bawah tanah dan filemen elektrik. Penemuan bateri purba di Iraq dan cakera padat purba Dropa (sehingga kini tidak diketahui sama ada ia berbentuk CD, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-RW atau sebagainya) di China.

Masih lagi tak percaya? anda boleh ke web ini

http://www.ancientmysteries.eu/gallery_0pictures.html
Web yang mengumpulkan misteri yang tak terungkai disebabkan kita yang percaya kitalah masyarakat paling moden
.


Carkera padat purba yang ditemui di China

bersambung~~
__________________

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Reaching the Unreached Masses

Advertising is one the most important part of an overall promotional strategy. With the continuing increase in competition in the market today, advertising has become inevitable. But have you ever asked yourself how many of us are unreached by advertising? When you walk the street, to the right and left stretched streets showing hotels, apartment houses, private houses, restaurants and saloons, out of which live people who have or have not come in contact with any form of advertising. On the next block wandered another crowd all apparently without thought of advertising. Nearly all are familiar with newspapers and magazines, but to what degree?

Some take up the newspaper to read the political news and views and nothing more. Some read newspapers to glance at the sports page and nothing more. Some take up the newspaper to read the gossip section and nothing more. And some never even bother to read a newspaper. And some are even so distracted by personal matters that the advertisement they saw in the newspaper does not make any impression on their minds. For this reason, it is important that as a business owner you know how to reach up to your target customers through your advertising materials.

The most important features of an advertisement are ideas, words and arrangement. Ideas come first; they should be correctly expressed and the whole should be properly arranged with type and illustration. So for instance you are going to make a poster. Keep in mind that a good poster conveys a clear message through good visual information and a minimum of text. It should be legible, readable and well organized. Studies show that you only have a few seconds to grab the attention of your reader and most of these readers are going to absorb only the punch line. <

Creating Fear for Inspiration

If you have read or have been involved in personal development, whether it is goal-setting, time management, motivation, weight loss, or the many other categories and have not taken hold of what you desired, chances are that you're lacking an inner drive towards that elusive goal.


You have brought books, CDs, tapes, searched the internet, and maybe even attended seminars, but yet you find that you fall short of your desire or you don't even come one step closer to what you set out to achieve. You may ask yourself "Why do I keep failing? Am I supposed to just remain who I am today?"


Do not lose hope and sight of your goal. If you have obtained personal development resources before, you have a desire to improve. You have a desire to be intimate in your relationships. You have a desire to look your best. You have a desire to free yourself from debt.


Here is a fantastic analogy to help you see the problem. By not defining the problem correctly you can not provide a correct solution, leaving you to wonder your whole life about "what could have been". Think of the books you read, the cds you listen to, the seminars you attend, as a spark. This spark has an extremely powerful potential. It has the potential to ignite and create fire. Can you see the relation between the spark and the resources you read and listen to? These personal development guides create an internal spark in you. They pump you up guiding you towards your goal's correct path.


However, it doesn't take long until you find yourself not moving forward on the path toward your goal, or that you have totally moved off the path. You may have even lost ground by feeling so beaten up after failing you enter into a state of depression and fear. What you need is to turn the spark gained from the personal development resources into a roaring fire. A fire so dominant and independent that it will continue to burn and not require outside help in keeping it that way. To see what can fuel that spark into a fire, ask yourself, "this internal desire I have to improve, where is it coming from?" Are you sick of arguing with your partner or friends and you want to have more intimate relationships? Is it that you're tired of worrying about being able to put food on the table, provide clothing, and shelter? Are you embarrassed by how those additional pounds make you look?
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