Not Advancing in Your Career? Here's Why!

Not Advancing in Your Career? Here's Why!
Are you ready to move your career to the next level?
Can’t figure out why you keep getting passed up for
promotions? Have you given in to fear and frustrations
about upward mobility in your career? Do you understand
what networking is all about?

It’s time to look in the mirror and take a reality
check to determine how others may be viewing you, and learn
what may be holding you back from career advancement.

Once you do this, you then need to decide what (if
anything) you need to focus on to move your career to the
NEXT LEVEL.

There are many reasons you may not be advancing in your
career. Some things you may be capable of changing, and
some things may be out of your control.

Take a look at all of these road blocks to career
advancements and decide for yourself what you need to work
on. Remember, you are the only person who has the power to
make positive changes in your life.

Here are the Top 25 Reasons why people lack career
advancements:

1. Not enough experience / lacking diversity<Br> 2. Bad
attitude on the job. Managers dislike you<Br> 3. They know
you are looking for another job<Br> 4. You gossip / talk
too much<Br> 5. Lack of education or unrelated degree<Br>
6. You are a minority / you are not like
“them”<Br> 7. Gender differences<Br> 8. You
plan on having a family (or you already have children)<Br>
9. You won’t put in the overtime they desire<Br> 10.
You don’t socialize / hang out with key members after
hours<Br> 11. They don’t trust you or your
intentions<Br> 12. You intimidate others— maybe even
your supervisor<Br> 13. They know you won’t stay for
too long <Br> 14. You lack the image they are seeking (body
size, ethnicity, etc.)<Br> 15. You are not willing to
relocate if needed<Br> 16. They show favoritism to
relatives or friends<Br> 17. You lack the social status
they desire<Br> 18. Poor work performance / not completing
tasks in a timely manner<Br> 19. You have poor management
skills<Br> 20. You have bad written/verbal communication
skills<Br> 21. Your appearance (heavy make up, dress
inappropriately, etc.)<Br> 22. You are above the current
salary range<Br> 23. Age discrimination<Br> 24. They want
to fire you!<Br> 25. You didn’t network with the
right people<Br>

For those of you who are not self-employed, take a step
back and be willing to evaluate yourself in terms of your
job performance, project management skills, etc., and
decide to work on the areas you can improve. You never
want to be passed up for a job opportunity because you were
too arrogant to improve in some areas.

As we all know, sometimes you can do just about everything
right and still be “held back” for reasons out
of your control (e.g., appearance, gender, age). This is
why the power of networking is so critical for us all.

Some people have a bad concept of what networking is all
about. It does not mean that you give someone an
opportunity (or a lead) that they are not qualified to
handle, it simply means that you help each other by
“exposing” those opportunities and sharing your
resources to service each other, make referrals or
introductions so that everyone may benefit and have the
opportunity to explore those options.

Networking also involves developing relationships and
associating yourself with people in key positions who can
help you achieve your career goals. The concept of
networking does not imply that you should ever place
yourself in a position in which you are uncomfortable,
forced to do things against your will, or involve yourself
in any illegal activities.

Be careful when deciding how, when, where and who you will
choose to network with, especially when it comes to
networking with top executives, hiring authorities, peers,
etc. Not all networking contacts are great contacts!

In conclusion, do you want to take your career to the next
level? Aside from improving ourselves, we need to begin by
networking, helping each other, and developing key
relationships with those who can help us. When we look out
for one another, we look out for ourselves as well.

Unlocking Greatness...

----------------------------------------------------
Career Author & VP of Staffing featured on ABC news.
"25 Reasons Why THEY Won't Hire You" and
"25 Reasons Why I Won't Hire You!"
Zenja Glass
Unlocking Greatness...
http://www.job-hunting-career-guide.com

Preparing Your Career For The New Year

Preparing Your Career For The New Year
It is already well into the Christmas shopping season.
Christmas songs play on every radio channel and TV
commercial, and Christmas cards have started rolling in.
With all the busyness of the season many professionals
overlook the need to reevaluate short and long-term career
management goals, strategies and expectations. How have you
faired this year? Are you still on target? Do you have
changes you need to make?

Lots to think about! Maybe New Years isn’t a good
time, maybe the spring time would work better for you. It
really doesn’t matter when it is done as long as you
review your goals annually. Think of it as a yearly
check-up. Usually a dreaded event but always glad once you
have done it.

During your annual evaluation some things you want to
consider adding to your resume should include new courses,
seminars or certifications completed throughout the year.
Take note and tuck away positive reviews, press releases
involving your accomplishments or assistance, bonuses or
awards in a file for future use. It is much easier to do
this as an annual or ongoing task then 5 or 6 years down
the line when details start to become fuzzy.

When the need for an update in your resume does presents it
self you won’t have to waste valuable time searching
through files or old calendars trying to remember
significant information. It might make the difference in
getting your new resume together and to your potential
employer in time.

Look over your goals (another good habit to get into!!) you
made for the year. Have you accomplished them? Was it a
successful year? Are you still on track with your focused
career objective? Answering these and other questions will
help you determine your success level for the year.

What are your goals for the coming year? Can you list 5
short-term and 5 long-term goals that will help you stay
motivated and working towards your focused career
objective? Think about what you want to accomplish this
year. Take a few classes, attend a conference, and expand
your network are all productive goals that keep you moving
forward. Make the goals detailed with deadlines and
specific outcomes. Keep your Goal List in a spot where you
will see it often such as a briefcase or in your planner.
Review them often and watch them come true!!!

A note about end of the year job searching. Most people
think end of the year is a bad time to search for work. But
this is not always the case. Some hiring managers are
putting together budgets and expected employment reports
for the next year. Getting your resume to someone who is
currently contemplating adding employees can make the end
of the year a great time to search for work. Something to
keep in mind!

Have a Blessed Christmas and New Year!!

----------------------------------------------------
Kris Plantrich is the owner of ResumeWonders Writing and
Career Coaching Services and is certified in resume writing
and interview coaching. She offers wide-range of career
management tools and services at
http://www.resumewonders.com .

Sales Skills that Strike Gold at Trade Shows

Sales Skills that Strike Gold at Trade Shows
For the self-employed, trade shows and conventions are a
golden opportunity to gain exposure for your service or
product offering. Unfortunately many hopeful entrepreneurs
take on their first show with no idea of how to get the
most new business for their trade-show dollars.

Trade show participation is typically one of the more
costly marketing strategies, so it pays to have a solid
plan for success before you set up your trade show booth.
For maximum revenue impact, your trade show strategy should
include these four elements:

1. Have your sales skills prepared and polished

Before you get anywhere near the trade show, know your
sales process inside and out. You will only have a few
short moments with each prospect, so you have to make that
valuable time count. Here are some sales skills to count
on:

* Be prepared with qualifying questions so you don’t
waste valuable time with those who have no need for your
product or service. Ask questions that will uncover your
potential buyer’s needs.

* Listen carefully for buyer “hot buttons” that
will reveal your prospect’s buying motivation. If
you address their specific needs (instead of offering a
canned presentation), they will be much more likely to buy
from you.

* Anticipate objections, and be prepared with answers that
will increase the buyer’s confidence. This will
allow you to transform passive interest into qualified
“hot” sales leads.

2. Have a prospect-gathering strategy

Lead generation for future sales is the number one goal of
trade show participation. Most people do not intend to
make purchasing decisions at trade shows. While many
attend in order to gather product information, the majority
of trade show attendees come for entertainment
purposes—it’s just a nice way to get out of the
office on a Friday afternoon. Simply put, without some way
to gather information on prospect leads, your time and
money are wasted.

There are several means for gathering prospect leads:

* Collect and make notes on business cards for
business-to-business trade shows

* Have them sign up for your insider-information newsletter

* Set appointments for prospect follow up with in-office or
in-home visits

Be sure that your information-gathering tool collects all
the information you need. You don’t want to find out
at the last minute that your contact card should have had a
line for “cell phone.”

When the show is over you will need to distinguish
“hot” and “warm” leads from the
mildly interested. This will help you set your follow up
priority list and generate new business quickly.

3. Be proactive to initiate conversation

Once your booth is finally set up and the crowd begins to
arrive, you must be ready to take the lead in starting up
conversations with visitors. If you sit back and wait for
people to ask about your product, you will be ignored.

It doesn’t take an extrovert to be a great
conversation starter if you follow these few tips:

* Stand, rather than sit, so that you’ll be at eye
level with your audience

* Seek out initial eye contact

* Be approachable with an inviting smile

* Don’t have a table between you and the crowd

* Be prepared with open ended questions that lead to
conversation

4. Have a lead follow up strategy

Once the show is over, don’t sit too long on those
precious leads. Have a follow up strategy in place to
contact them before they forget all about you and your
offering. For best results, contact all your leads within
the first two weeks of the show.

Your follow up strategy will most likely involve a phone
call to the prospect. This is where so many good
intentions fail. Let’s face it, making phone calls
feels an awful lot like telemarketing, and you didn’t
start up your business so that you could be a telemarketer.
Right?

Making the first call is the most difficult, but if you
remember a few important distinctions, it will be a lot
easier to get through your list of calls:

* You are calling people who gave you their contact
information; therefore you are not making unsolicited phone
calls.

* Since these people have already met you, you are not a
stranger to them.

* You are calling people who have already shown interest in
your product.

Contacting leads after the show requires your greatest
selling skills. Much depends on how well you established
rapport during your initial visit at the trade show. Did
you leave them with something to remember you by or were
you just another face in a long row of displays? In your
post-show follow up you’ll need to take them from
“Yeah, that looks like a cool product,” to
“When can you deliver that, and do you take Visa or
Master Card?”

As with all small business owners, your marketing budget
has its limits; you want to make sure that your trade shows
are paying off by generating new business. For the highest
return on your trade show investment, prepare a solid
strategy before you go. You’ll see a boost in sales
that will have impact the whole year through.

----------------------------------------------------
Deborah Walker, Small Business Coach helps entrepreneurs
build their bottom line with sales strategies and expert
advice. Her revenue growth expertise can help keep your
business in the black. Learn how Deborah can help your
business at:
http://www.RevenueQueen.com

Newspaper Publishing: Key to the Dream

Newspaper Publishing: Key to the Dream
Impressive income, flexible schedule, plenty of time off
and freedom from an annoying boss…for successful newspaper
publishers, all this is captured in one, all-important word:

RENEWALS

Advertising renewals is the key to the dream life in the
world of newspaper publishing. Renewals work like this:
new advertisers typically sign a contract to place their ad
in a predetermined number of issues. Once those issues have
been published, the advertiser needs to decide if she will
continue the ad campaign. If she does, then she renews her
contract.

For example, let's say that your new client Dr. Jones
decides to advertise with you in three consecutive issues.
Dr. Jones pays the contract rate for those three issues and
hopes for an acceptable response so that her business will
grow. As the papers circulate, you are pleased to discover
along with Dr. Jones that her phone is ringing; new
patients are taking advantage of her services. Dr. Jones
is very pleased because her business is growing and she is
making a difference in people's lives.

What is the likelihood that Dr. Jones will renew her
advertising contract? Barring unforeseen circumstances, it
is a virtual certainty. After her initial three issues Dr.
Jones informs you that she not only plans to renew, but
would like to receive a slightly better rate by signing on
for six issues this time. You fax over the contract.

Notice that in order to generate new revenue for your
business, you didn't have to spend time prospecting a new
client. Multiply this phenomenon by even a small factor
and you've got the business of your dreams. It doesn't take
many clients like Dr. Jones to create a business that is
self-sustaining and even self-growing.

If you have a high renewal rate for your publication, you
enjoy ongoing business without needing to spend the time
prospecting new customers. For each issue, you accept
renewals and replace those clients who drop out with an
equal or larger number of new clients who have seen your
publication and want to get involved (incidentally, the
most effective marketing vehicle for a newspaper is the
newspaper itself).

Why do some publications enjoy high renewal rates? Because
their advertisers are happy, simply put. This usually means
they are making a return on their investment. Several key
factors make this possible:

Relevant, Readable Editorial

For a newspaper to become popular, readers must value it's
content. Publications that are full of boring or irrelevant
material do not last. A good publication will create
demand among local readers who grow to anticipate each new
issue. When readers benefit from the editorial content,
they will want to support the publication by using the
products and services offered by advertisers.

Effective Distribution

It doesn't matter how good your editorial or ad content is
if you can't get your publication into the hands of not
only readers, but the right readers. The most common
mistake many small publishers make is misunderstanding the
science of proper distribution.

Under typical circumstances, publishers waste up to 40% of
their circulation because they don't distribute properly.
Effective distribution is CRITICAL to success, paying
dividends well beyond the additional effort requited to do
it well. Give away gold if you like, but if people don't
receive the news, they won't show up.

Unprecedented Value

Most publications simply sell ads to their clients. What if
in addition to ad space, you were able to offer several
additional (and very effective) ways for your clients to
promote their business at no additional cost to them? Not
only are they motivated to maintain their ad, but you've
also given them additional reasons to keep their business
with you. Adding on real value to your service makes you an
indispensable resource to your clients.

Applying the above principles effectively creates a very
interesting scenario in which a full-time income on a
part-time or very flexible schedule is an actual
possibility. Getting there requires a certain tenacity and
plenty of hard work, mixed with a healthy dose of technical
support and critical industry knowledge.

For those who catch the vision, the life of a publisher is
a dream come true.

----------------------------------------------------
Mike Bundrant is the Founder of Healthy Times Newspaper, a
national franchise opportunity. Healthy Times can be found
at:
http://www.bestnewspaperfranchise.com

25 Reasons Why I Won't Hire You! Reason #1

25 Reasons Why I Won't Hire You! Reason #1
Do you want to know the number one reason job seekers get
turned down for positions?

If you are thinking the answer has something to do with
their resume, nepotism, lack of transportation, etc., you
are far off from the reality. If you believe the correct
answer may have something to do with the applicants lack of
experience, lack of education, etc., you are closer to the
correct answer, but still not quite there yet.

I'll save you some time. The number one reason job seekers
get turned down for a position is because of their
personality. Yes… their personality!

Having a bad personality or bad attitude is certainly one
way of appearing "not trainable." No one wants to work
with an employee who doesn't have an ounce of humility and
will not allow anyone to train him on the job.

Likewise, for those job seekers who naturally have a
boring, quiet or uninspiring personality, equal damage can
be done during the interviewing process if you do not
impress the interviewer. In most cases, hiring
authorities do not enjoy having to "pull information out of
a candidate" to get questions answered.

In fact, many hiring managers have stated the following:
"It is perfectly fine for a potential employee to be a
little on the quiet side, but I can't stand interviewing
the ones who just sit there and answer yes or no to every
question I ask. It's like pulling teeth to get some
information. They literally put me to sleep."

Truth is— people hire who they like... Plain and simple!

For the most part, hiring authorities hire who they think
will get along well with others and create a positive team
environment by communicating effectively and sharing
resources. They tend to hire candidates that engage in
conversation and turn the interview into a "get to know
you" meeting, rather than a question and answer session.

I can't tell you the number of times I have heard the
comment: "He is lacking some of the experience we require
for this position; however, everyone really likes him, and
we feel we are able to devote a little bit of training to
get him to where he needs to be." This is a classic
example of what happens when hiring authorities are pleased
with candidates.

Job seekers... listen up! Don't leave the most important
attribute you have to offer when you go on an interview—
your personality!

Here are a few tips that should help:

1. Observe your surroundings as you interview with hiring
authorities and learn how to pick up on their interests by
discussing things as you would in a natural conversation
with someone you just met.

2. Be a little personable with the interviewer so that he
can get to know who you are and begin to picture you as a
valuable candidate. Keep in mind, I am not implying that
you should discuss how rude your last boyfriend was, the
number of times you have been married, or how many kids you
have... Proceed with caution!

3. Don't be afraid to ask the interviewer some questions
about his work history with the company (e.g., how long
he's been with the company, if he enjoys working for the
company, etc.).

4. Don't forget to smile! I know it sounds so simple, but
many job seekers get so serious during an interview, and
they instantly forget to smile.

Remember this… if you can get the person conducting the
interview to like you, and feel good about your ability to
become a great team player, you have already jumped over
the greatest hurdle to landing the job.

You will increase your number of job offers if you continue
to work on your interviewing skills by developing a
connection with the interviewer.

Please pass on the knowledge.

Unlocking Greatness...

----------------------------------------------------
Author & VP recently featured on ABC news as The Job
Hunting Expert! "25 Reasons Why I Won't Hire You! What You
Did Wrong Before, During and After the Interview -2nd Ed.
http://www.job-hunting-career-guide.com

How to Choose a Business Name.

How to Choose a Business Name.
As far as making first impressions go, it seems like your
business name is right up there. So you've spent a lot of
time soul-searching, brainstorming, sweating up the perfect
business name.

And then, when you do, what happens?

"I'm in a panic. The name I really want for my business is
taken! What do I do?" That's what one of my clients wrote
to me recently. What should she do?

Sticky, sticky, stuck.

It's our nature as human beings to get attached to things.
We like what we like, and that's that.

However, what you get attached to, and what your client
gets attached to, are often two separate things. You may
sweat, building up calluses on your finger tips, and
writing a box of pens dry of ink coming up with your
business name.

You print it up on business cards, letterhead, a website.
You shave it into the fur of your cat, and tattoo it on
your forehead. (Please, don't do that to your cat, or your
forehead.)

And then what happens?

Years later, you're still hearing people refer to your
business as "Oh yeah, what ... does, you gotta talk to
her." (Your name is ... - isn't it?)

Despite all of your hard work, your business name has
disappeared up in smoke. Enough to make you want to chew
your boots, eh?

IBM. Hewlet-Packard. Laidlaw. 3M.

Gawd, how boring can you get? These names suhhck. There's
no razzmatazz, or specialness about any of them.

Huh? It didn't make a difference? They were able to make an
impact on the marketplace anyway?

That's right. I'm not saying that these companies are
examples of the highest expressions of human good. I'm just
saying that their names didn't slow them down.

What's more important than your business name?

Save your blood, sweat, and ink for how you name your
offers.

How your name your offers will have a much bigger impact
than how you name your business. And, because your offers
will be on a webpage within your business, then you don't
have to worry whether the domain name is already taken.

But I still need to name my business!

Well, okay. Let me give you a few tips on picking a name.

Keys to Naming Your Business

• Do you like your name?

There's nothing wrong with naming your business after
yourself. (William) Hewlett-(David) Packard is a fine
example of that.

That's how your clients are going to think of you, anyway.
Smith and Associates. Johansen Consulting.

Similarly, if your business is local (or even if it's not),
you can name it after where you are located. Beaumont
Health Clinic. Rose City Chiropractic.

Simple. Easy. Memorable.

• Odd couples.

Another way is to pick mismatched, unrelated, or opposing
words to go together. Heart of Business. Psychotactics.
Monk at Work.

This creates something memorable, hooks up new associations
in the listener's mind. And, there's more of a chance that
the domain name may be available, simply because it's a
weird combination.

• And about those domain names.

Easy-to-spell is better than short. Google, although it's
short, too, won the search engine wars in part because it
was just easier to type and spell than 'Lycos,' which was
shorter, or 'Alta Vista' which was a little confusing.

A website name like 'the_best_consulting_company.com' is
going to be easier for someone to remember to type in, than
something clever like 'chronicity.com' (Was that,
'chronosity' or 'kronocity' or 'chronisaty?')

Take a load off your shoulders, and don't fret too much
about your business name. Have fun, be creative, but keep
it simple.

----------------------------------------------------
Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your
Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your
Heart, Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line.
He has helped hundreds of small business owners around the
globe succeed in business without lousing their hearts. Get
three free chapters of the book online:
http://www.heartofbusiness.com