The Crucial First Step In Resume Writing: Establishing Your Focus

The Crucial First Step In Resume Writing: Establishing Your Focus
OBJECTIVE: A professional position with opportunities for
advancement that will allow me to use the full range of my
qualifications.

Wow! Could you imagine an objective that could be any less
specific? But, as a professional resume writer, I can tell
you that such a nebulous, non-specific resume objective is
more common than it is not. This is one of the most
frequent mistakes that I see people make on their resume.

Let me ask you: If you don't know what you want and where
you are going, what makes you think a busy employer will
take the time to figure it out for you?

Very frankly, they won't and they shouldn't!

While I hear it every day, I still cringe when I pick up
the phone and prospective clients tell me that they "just
want to find a job - any job."

Using this hit-or-miss, anything-will-do strategy, even if
by some stroke of luck you land a position, the job you
land would very likely be one that you would be miserable
in! You may have the ability to do the job, but it wouldn't
be in line with your interests, your values, and your
passions.

When individuals come to me and are not able to express a
focus, I tell them very frankly that until they are able to
articulate a clear career target, hiring a professional
resume writer will be a waste of their time and money. If I
am unable to assist them in narrowing down a focus, I will
refer them to a career counselor and suggest that they
spend some time defining a focus and setting career goals
before we work together on the resume. And yet, so many
people TRY to write a resume without a clear focus. Are YOU
guilty of this?

Do you have a resume? If so, what I would like to request
is that you pull it out and take a look at it with a fresh
eye - try to look at it objectively as someone receiving it
for the first time might look at it. Is your career focus
immediately clear? Within seconds - because that is REALLY
all you have - will the recipient come away with an
understanding of your job target -of the level and type of
position you are seeking - and of exactly where you would
fit in their organization and add value? Be honest with
yourself? This is really important! If you have trouble
being objective, it may help to ask a friend or
acquaintance for their impressions after a 10 second scan.

Assuming that you do need to refine the focus of your
resume - as most people do - you may be wondering just how
to do that.

Is an objective statement the best way to focus your
resume? In the past you were probably taught that objective
statements were an essential part of the resume. Happily,
this is no longer true.

Today, profile or summary sections are used to set the tone
and focus for most resumes. Why? Well, think about it:
objectives tell the reader what you WANT from them.
Profiles or summary sections tell the reader what you OFFER
them. This is a subtle but really important difference.

Your resume needs to be employer-centered and focused on
how you will meet the employer's needs, solve their
problems, and add value to their organizations. Your resume
must be focused, but the more modern way of doing this than
an objective statement, is to create a headline statement
that is incorporated as part of your summary or profile.
Are you having trouble envisioning what a headline
statement is? Or, even what a resume profile or summary is?
There are dozens and dozens of examples for you to review
in the resume samples section of the Distinctive Documents
website.

The best job target, of course, is the well-defined one. At
the very least, you should be able to articulate and
succinctly state the job function that you want to perform
and the professional level you are targeting. But even
these two criteria are quite broad. To be really effective
you should pair those criteria with one or more criteria.
For example, other criteria might include the industry you
plan to target, the company size or type you are interested
in, or maybe the type of product or service developed or
sold by the company.

You'll be using all of this information to create a really
strong and focused headline statement and summary profile.
But don't stop there. Your resume is a marketing document!
It is not an autobiography. Your resume is, at its very
core, an advertisement of the specific benefits you have to
offer in relation to a specific type of position. Every
word and element in your resume should serve a purpose and
should support your job target. If irrelevant or extraneous
data that does not support and promote your job target is
left in your resume, you will dilute your focus and will
almost certainly confuse the reader. Don't let that happen
and don't make the mistake of thinking you need to include
everything about yourself in your resume. Once you know
your focus, carefully review the body of your resume and
eliminate or reframe everything that doesn't serve your job
target.

And, here is another really key tip: Remember that you are
writing to the future in your resume, not about the past.
Your resume content should be guided by who you want to be
and how you want to be perceived. You need to know your
goals and write from those perspectives. If you are
involved in a career transition, you need to be absolutely
honest and truthful while re-evaluating, re-weighting, and
reframing past experience to bring the transferable
qualifications to the forefront.

A well-defined target will guide you in your entire job
search - in how you prioritize your skills and past
experience as a focus for your resume and other job search
documents, the people that you contact and network with,
and the companies that you research and ultimately apply to.

So, go ahead. Take some time right now - today - to make
certain that your resume is clearly, accurately, and
immediately conveying your focus and your job target to the
reader. This simple step will dramatically enhance your
resume and the results it generates. And, as always, don't
hesitate to ask for professional resume writing help if you
need it.

----------------------------------------------------
Nationally certified resume writer and personal branding
strategist, Michelle Dumas is the director of Distinctive
Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents
http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP
Services http://www.100kcareermarketing.com

Michelle has
empowered thousands of professionals all across the U.S.
and worldwide. Michelle is also the author of 101
Before-and-After Resume Examples
http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com

Advertising and public relations are motivation

Advertising and public relations are motivation
The second thing we did to make it easy for our salesmen to
sell new safety products was to help them get in the door
in the first place with strong advertising and public
relations support. In industry, Cadillac has a well
respected name for plastics. We wanted to capitalize on
this goodwill as well as let the world know we had the
finest line of safety products available anywhere.

We chose to advertise in both horizontal and vertical
markets, repeating our message over and over again,
"Cadillac Plastic is THE SOURCE for safety products to meet
OSHA requirements."

For some industries, such as construction, we grouped
certain products together to make a kind of mini-safety
products package. Our salesmen really liked this because
it made it easy for them to organize the call. And dollar
sales figures proved we were right.

Through our public relations department, we offered our
catalog free of charge to all interested (and potential)
customers. And our publicists worked overtime to keep
editorial interest in Cadillac's new line high. We
furnished articles and pictures and as much helpful
information as we had available to trade magazine editors
who were also struggling to understand OSHA. This paid off
in the form of a thick stack of press clippings from many
of the most highly respected and widely read industrial
publications.

Finally, all inquiries Chat resulted from advertising or PR
were carefully sorted and distributed to our sales force.
This served as a steady source of already knowledgeable
potential buyers as well as a stimulant to the salesmen who
felt pride in the recognition given to the company they
represented.

We had come a long way in our launching of the OSHA-Spec
line. Our people had learned about the products, and
orders were starting to flow in. But we still had one
problem to solve. How could we keep our sales people
motivated to sell the line?

Keeping salesmen motivated

Again, our answer was to make it easy. We kept up a high
level of enthusiasm among our people through recognition of
outstanding efforts.

The backbone of our recognition program was an internal
bulletin we named the Ollie-Gram. This was a "personal"
message from Oilie Osha written in a light, breezy style.
In our Ollie-Grams we publicized exceptional orders and
passed along selling hints. If a particular branch or
district was doing well, we spotlighted it in an issue.

To further generate enthusiasm, we created a new status of
salesman called a Safety specialist. People who
demonstrated a special flair for safety products were given
additional training. In turn, they assisted other sales
personnel in making difficult calls, selling more complex
equipment, and closing large orders.

Finally, we formed a special club to reward exceptional
efforts. We held a contest using criteria that were fair
to all people in all parts of the country. Winners were
announced monthly and were awarded membership in our
exclusive Safety-First Club. We gave each winner a gold
tie with a special Safety-First insignia, which became
quite a status symbol. Standards were kept high to keep
the group exclusive.

At the end of the calendar year, we rewarded the club
members with a special luxury trip. After the trip, a
special Ollie-Gram was published with many pictures so that
nonmembers could see what they were striving for.

For further recognition, we presented an engraved plaque to
each club member. A club roster for each year hangs in
our Hall of Fame at corporate headquarters for all to see.

In summary, there isn't much more to say other than that
our safety products introduction was the most successful in
our company's history.

So, what motivates people? Volumes have been written on
the subject and research is still being conducted. But when
it comes to motivating sales people, one thing is certain:
Make it easy for people to succeed and they will rarely
disappoint you.

----------------------------------------------------
Thotsaporn is the owner of http://www.newfinance.org where
he provides finance information and resources.

Healthy Mind In Healthy Body - Medicine For The Home Business Success

Healthy Mind In Healthy Body - Medicine For The Home Business Success
In my experience, luck has very little to do with achieving
home based business success. People who succeed in their
home based business are typically the ones who are always
positive, believe they will succeed, have a burning desire,
goals, knowledge and courage to implement a plan of action.
How can you believe and expect to succeed in your home
business if you allow yourself only negative input.

Discover how to lift your mood and your energy with these
five simple tips and the home business blues will become a
song of the past.

1. Just as you can choose your mood for the day, you can
choose positive things that will give you a lift the first
thing every morning. Those could be for example, just as
simple as, seeing your wife's or husband's smiling face, or
your children playing in the living room floor, or what
ever. It doesn't matter what those are. The most important
thing is that they make you feel good and happy.

2. When you're not physically healthy, your energy levels
are compromised, your mind doesn't function at optimum
efficiency, your moods may be altered and heavy, and an
imbalance may be created that will affect all areas of your
life and business. Take care of yourself. Eat healthy and
excersise regularly. I am sure you know the phrase "Healthy
Mind In Healthy Body".

3. Lift your mood by having the time of your life,
literally. If you will force yourself to call a friend and
meet for coffee, a movie, a walk, a talk - anything to get
out and change your atmosphere, the chances are good that
will have a good effect on changing your mood for the
better.

4. Watching an hour long comedy where we laugh and take our
mind off our daily problems can last for hours or days as
far as reducing chronic pain, a "blue mood" feeling. This
is very effective way for me personally to cheer up if I
feel a little bit down.

5. Music (hearing it or playing it) has long been used by
people of all cultures to create or alter a mood. It will
change your mood for the better if you allow it to and if
you concentrate on the music and creating and forget how
you have been feeling.

Now that you have created choices for yourself to lift your
mood, reward yourself every time you make a positive
choice. No matter what type of reward it is, make sure it's
something that doesn't counteract your home business goals,
but instead makes you want to achieve more. Knowing that
all of the income you have coming in was created because of
you is a great feeling. Being positive and energetic makes
you more effective, being effective makes you more money,
and making more money, trust me, feels soooo good.

In summary, to be successful home business owner you must
have positive attitude in all areas of your life. Positive
attitude comes from yourself. It is all up to you how you
keep your mind healthy. Here was some simple tricks for you
to use.

----------------------------------------------------
Are you in good mood and feeling energetic now? Good, visit
Pasi Kaarakainen's website at http://www.WealthatHomer.com
and put your energy to good use and start building your own
home business with all the resources you need.

Fax Machines - A Buyers Guide.

Fax Machines - A Buyers Guide.
First invented in the mid 1800's, fax machines reached the
height of their popularity during the 1980's and early
1990's, with their ability to encode and transmit data over
a phone line and send it to another fax machine, where a
hard copy of the data would be created.

When fax machines first appeared, they were sold as
individual units. Today, they are usually available in
combination with printers, copiers, and scanners in
machines known as multifunctional machines.

Even though they are not as popular today as they were a
decade ago, fax machines are still a valuable and necessary
piece of equipment in today's businesses and offices. When
it comes to purchasing a fax machine today, factors such as
the speed of transmission, the type of printer the fax
machine uses, amount of memory and the size of paper it can
handle should all be considered.

Transmission Speed - Sending a fax is not free, and usually
has charges associated with doing so. As a result,
choosing a machine that has higher sending speeds is key to
saving money. Most fax machines send data at a speed of
36.6 kbps, which means they can send a page of data in
about 8 seconds. Machines do not have to have the same
speed in order to communicate with each other, although
communication will take place at the speed of the slower
model.

Laser vs. Inkjet Printing - Fax machines come in both
inkjet and laser printing varieties. Inkjet fax machines
are usually slower, but produce good quality text and
images. They are however, not designed for heavy use. Fax
machines with laser printing capabilities are designed to
handle more use and more wear and tear, but they do provide
excellent image quality while requiring less servicing and
repairs.

Memory - The more memory a fax machine comes with, the more
pages and incoming and outgoing data it can hold. A
typical fax machine can store about two-dozen pages in its
memory, and additional memory cards can be purchased in
order to increase the amount of data it can hold. Memory
on a fax machine becomes important when the fax machine
runs out of paper, a paper needs to be scanned before being
faxed, or when a fax needs to be sent out at the same time
that one is being received.

Paper Size - Before purchasing any fax machine, make sure
that it is capable of handling the particular paper size(s)
used in the office. Most fax machines are designed to
handle standard 8.5 x 11 inch paper.

----------------------------------------------------
If you would like to learn more about the different makes
and models of fax machines available online then visit the
website :
http://www.abt-fax-multifunction-desktop-machines.co.uk/fax-
machine.htm for a detail list of fax machines.

Superior Selling Provides Entrepreneurial Success Formula

Superior Selling Provides Entrepreneurial Success Formula
Sales success is a complex topic often viewed through a
variety of definitive lenses. After searching the world
over, consulting with numerous mathematical geniuses and
studying seemingly endless statistical data, I have
discovered the true definition of selling success!

Newton, Franklin, Edison and Einstein would be so proud! In
simplest terms, expert sales success is scientifically
defined as follows:

N(U*R)/T + (O * P) = S

N = leverage of your network

U = your efforts

R = your resources

T = time

O = opportunity

P = preparation

S = sales success

You do not necessarily need to be a math genius to
understand the success process, yet a clear understanding
of how entrepreneurial success is derived is crucial to its
achievement. Please note how the various components
interact, especially the leverage factor. Leverage is our
key to exponential growth. We each have the same 24
hours/day available to us, yet given similar resources,
some entrepreneurs are far more sales productive than
others. Let's take a closer look.

The application of leverage amplifies our selling efforts
and de-emphasizes the time constraint. Lacking leverage,
what remains is simply trading time for dollars. We can
only converse with so many customers in the course of a
day. What's more, both our tangible resources and time are
limited.

Three types of leverage are quite useful in sales:

1. Personalized referrals allow us to reach qualified
prospects faster and more easily.

2. Expansion of our contacts network, allowing both the
generation of additional referrals and the ability to be
selling on a variety of fronts simultaneously, employing
the various systems we have established to generate sales
in a "multiple streams of income" manner.

3. Develop and market your personal brand. Increase
awareness of the many benefits for customers to be working
with you.

I challenge each of us to adopt a new sales strategy for
the new year; one that is multi-faceted, forcing us to
expand the limitations of our comfort zone. Growth is
simply not possible if we remain comfortable. Do not allows
anything, especially self-imposed fear, to restrain your
efforts.

Here then are three strategies to be employed for the
attainment of selling and entrepreneurial success:

1. Develop an extensive contacts database and stay in touch
with them on a regular basis. Leverage your network of
contacts to maximize your efforts and resources.

2. Utilize many systems to brand yourself and be sell your
products and services simultaneously. (ie...blog, web site,
RSS feeds, email campaign, speaking engagements, article
writing, e-books, etc...)

3. Establish multiple streams of income from a variety of
sources. (ie.. writing, referrals, electronic ordering,
affiliate sales, speaking, publishing, teaching, etc...)

Utilizing the same status-quo thinking and sales agenda
that did not work for you in prior years will not work for
you this new year either. You must change your approach and
your methodology to discover remarkable sales success.
Develop your personal brand and market it carefully.
Develop your brand's awareness in your market like never
before.

Learn new skills and study personal development techniques
to maximize your effectiveness. Soon, your preparation will
intersect with available opportunity and your resulting
success is virtually guaranteed.

Be certain to put yourself in position to win. Get ahead of
the wave. Take responsibility for your own destiny. Make no
excuses and do not waste any time. Put this sales success
formula to work for you beginning now and begin reaping the
rewards immediately.

----------------------------------------------------
Daniel Sitter, author of both Learning For Profit and
Superior Selling Skills Mastery, has garnered extensive
experience in sales, training, marketing and personal
development spanning a successful 25 year sales career.
Experience his blog at http://www.idea-sellers.com

Right Brain For Business? It's a No-brainer!

Right Brain For Business? It's a No-brainer!
In the left-brain world of business — a world
dominated by facts and figures — a right-brain
revolution is taking place. Executives are turning more and
more to their "inner consultant," more commonly known as
"intuition." And the trend is being reflected in a number
of surveys and studies.

One such study, the sixth annual PRWeek/Burson Marsteller
CEO Survey, (2006) revealed that an amazing 62% of CEOS
indicate they're more likely to rely on intuition rather
than financial issues, competitive analysis, or other
metrics when making business decisions.

While almost everyone has had a "gut feeling" about one
thing or another, some might consider it risky to give so
much weight to instinct when it comes to making
million-dollar decisions. So how do you begin to not only
trust your instincts, but also hone the skill to use it
effectively for everyday decisions? Be Open to New
Possibilities Japanese Zen priest, Shunryu Suzuki once
noted, "In the beginner's mind there are many
possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few."

Sometimes all it takes to be open to intuitive insight is
to have a beginner's mind — curious, interested,
willing and inquisitive. Listen to music that is outside
your comfort zone. Choose a different route to the office.
Drive a little slower. Take a train or bus if you usually
drive the car. Try a different kind of ethnic food. If
you're usually an extrovert, try being quiet and listening.
If you consider yourself shy, practice being confident and
extroverted. Try writing the answers to some of the
exercises on this page with your opposite hand. Do
something creative. Learn to knit. Take a foreign language
class. Try a new recipe with a food you've never eaten.
Find a new hobby. Read a book on an unfamiliar topic. If
you're used to reading dense business tomes, try a murder
mystery or a romance novel. Have fun! The purpose of all
of this is to give your intuitive mind the message, "I am
open to new possibilities." It will reward you with rich
insight.

Question Your Assumptions-- You may be feeling stuck
because you're making incorrect assumptions about a person,
idea or situation. Challenge those notions. Ask yourself
questions such as "Is there another way of looking at
this?" Or, "What might cause someone to act this way?" The
obvious can disguise information that may be critical to
understanding your situation. Search for ways to look at
the situation differently by changing your perspective.
How might you view it from the other person's perspective?
If you were an outside observer how would you describe this
situation? Be willing to look at your challenge from a
number of different ways. When you find yourself thinking,
"Obviously..." question whatever words complete that
sentence.

Ask Upside-down Questions-- "The silly question is the
first intimation of some totally new development," states
British mathematician Alfred North Whitehead. He would
probably agree that if you think about your problem from an
entirely different or "upside down" perspective it may
provide some innovative solutions. To use this method, jot
down a business challenge you're facing. For example, "We
want to increase our sale of widgets in Asia." Now come up
with rapid-fire answers to the question, "How can we ensure
our widgets won't sell in Asia?" Have fun with this!
You're looking for outrageous, creative, harebrained,
off-the-wall ideas here. When you're done, choose a few of
the more intriguing ones and reverse them, i.e., write the
opposite and evaluate your solutions.

Let the intuitive muses provide answers-- Do you ever
notice that brilliant, creative answers don't seem to come
when you're really focused, intense, and serious? It
happens to all of us. You may as well take advantage of
this fact and let the muses help you by expanding your
options. "Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it is
the only one you have" says philosopher, Emile Chartier.
To begin, choose a topic about which you'd like some fresh
insight. Write a line or two about it in your notebook.
Now take a fifteen-minute break and do something routine.
If you're home — take a shower, wash the dishes or
pet the cat. If you're at the office — take a walk
outside, grab a latte or simply take the elevator down to
the lobby. When the fifteen minutes are up, grab your
notebook again and jot down all the new ideas you have at
the moment. The great thing is that the intuitive muses
enjoy helping you. You just have to give them a work
assignment!

Whenever you're trying to come up with new ideas, it helps
to keep in mind the wonderful dialog from Alice in
Wonderland. Alice laughs and says to the Queen, "There's
no use trying. One can't believe impossible things." The
Queen replies, "I daresay you haven't had much practice.
When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day.
Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible
things before breakfast." May you believe impossible things
and create wonderful possibilities!

Copyright © 2008 Lynn Robinson

----------------------------------------------------
Lynn A. Robinson is a bestselling author, speaker and
leading expert on the topic of intuition. She's a
sought-after consultant who uses her own highly-honed
intuitive skills to provide businesses with accurate,
on-the-spot insights into goals, decisions and strategies.
Her latest book is TRUST YOUR GUT: How the Power of
Intuition Can Grow Your Business.
800-925-4002 or Lynn@LynnRobinson.com
http://www.LynnRobinson.com

Do Not Wait Around to Get Clients!

Do Not Wait Around to Get Clients!
If you market your small business in traditional ways, you
spend a lot of your precious time waiting - waiting for
them to find you.

For example, if you advertise in print or on line, you
create the best ad possible, within your budget. Then you
place the ad, within your budget. The advertising rule of
thumb is that it needs to be exposed at least 6 - 8 times
before you can expect any response. If you have advertised
in a monthly publication, you could be waiting the better
part of a year before getting *any* return on your
investment.

Networking in groups is similar in some ways. Although
it's often less expensive than advertising, you may still
have to wait months and months before the relationships you
are building begin to pay off.

Waiting. That is not very efficient marketing.

In addition to the marketing strategies that you know will
work, but require waiting, be more pro-active!

Identify places where your target market gathers, and other
services they use that are related to your business. Now
put the two together - what kinds of businesses can you
identify, that are complementary to yours, who have the
same target market as you? Make a list on paper and
evaluate it.

Now identify a few businesses from your list with whom you
would like to develop a business relationship to get
clients now. Perhaps you can refer clients to each other,
or maybe they will send clients to you and you reward them.

Next, develop a step-by-step plan to get to know them and
build a friendly business relationship. Will you take them
out for coffee or lunch? Bring muffins to their office?
During this time, you need to have a clear idea of what you
want to accomplish and be honest about it. Try to get them
to commit to sending you referrals.

NOTE: be sure to ask your new alliance what they would say
when they refer you, and give them words if they need them.

This creation of strategic alliances gives you more control
over your marketing and can be extremely fruitful.

Another important action you can take to get new clients is
to get on the phone! Create a system for closing new
prospects. How do you convince prospects to have a sales
meeting with you? Do you offer something free, like a
consultation or needs analysis? If not, what form does
your sales meeting take?

Your prospects need to be motivated to meet with you so you
have the opportunity to close the sale. Create your
systematic approach around this motivation. This approach
should also be spelled out in a step-by-step plan.

For example - you meet someone you think would be a great
client at a networking meeting. You call to follow up
within 3 days of the meeting. Make sure you have a script
to follow, outlining briefly why they would benefit from
meeting with you. Don't get ahead of yourself and sell
your service until you get to the sales meeting!

You bring your sales meeting agenda to the meeting,
controlling the meeting and leading the prospect toward the
close. When all their questions are answered, you ask for
the sale.

Now get out there and get yourself some new clients!

----------------------------------------------------
Audrey Burton, Small Business Coach, is "The Tigress". Get
her FREE Special Report, "Closing the Sale is Not
Complicated!" with her FREE monthly email newsletter at
http://www.TigressCoaching.com .

Recession-Proof Your Business?

Recession-Proof Your Business?
Recession. Consumers cut back on spending. Businesses cut
costs and lay off employees. In response, consumers cut
back even more.

Our economy is officially in a recession when the GDP
growth rate is negative for two quarters or more. However,
any slowdown in economic growth can have a negative impact
on your business.

Your first response may to focus all your attention on
bringing in more new customers as quickly as possible.
After all, your current advertising methods have gotten
your business where it is today, right?

If consumers are cutting back, your advertising may be less
effective. You may find that you are throwing more and
more advertising dollars out there, with less and less
response. A recessionary economy can stifle new business.
As consumers tighten their belts and reduce discretionary
spending, you may find yourself fighting your business
competition for a smaller pie.

Economic ups and downs are part of life. It would be
unrealistic to expect constant growth. The big question is
whether or not your business is prepared. Could your
business survive losing 30% of your customers? What's your
marketing plan for this scenario? Do you have one?

Fortunately, you have options. While new business
acquisition is important, it is just one way to grow your
business. You should always continue efforts to bring in
new customers, but focusing on your current business can
help prevent lost profits and even allow your business to
grow while others around you are stagnating.

One of our existing clients was concerned about a downturn
in his industry and asked us how he could handle a
potential loss of 30% of his customers. He was not sure he
would be able to bring in 30% new customers to replace
them. We showed him how he could lose 30% of his customers
and do the following:

- Increase his average sale by 2%...

- Reduce his direct costs by 2%...

- Get his existing customers to come back 2%
more often...

- Increase his productivity by 1%...

- And bring in just 2% more new customers...

And the best part is that even if he lost 30% of his
original customers his net profit would actually increase
by 15% using this plan.

How quickly could you get your business back on track with
a similar plan? And, what if you were able to boost a few
of these percentages a little more? How would you like to
be increasing your bottom line while your competitors
struggle to keep their doors open? Even better, what would
following a similar plan do for your business if your
industry is not currently slowing down? Periods of slow
growth can be a good turning point for your business. It
can give you time to fine-tune your operations, increase
customer service, and streamline procedures. Rather than
spending all of your energy focused on how to bring in your
next customer, you can take the time to build up back end
sales to your existing customer base. Your greatest asset
is your customers-are you doing what it takes to bring in
the right ones and keep them coming back for more?

----------------------------------------------------
Todd Jensen, "The Profit Engineer", is a business growth
expert. To discover easy and simple strategies on how to
"Recession-Proof" your business, visit:
http://www.theprofitengineer.com or
http://www.4waysuccess.com VIP Access Code:801

The Illusion of "Pay for Performance" Telemarketing

The Illusion of "Pay for Performance" Telemarketing
Throughout my tenure in the Sales Outsourcing arena I have
been approached regularly with my thoughts regarding pay
for performance marketing for Lead Generation and
Appointment Setting campaigns. Particularly in Outbound
telemarketing Business to Business. Sure it seems very
appealing. No risk, have the vendor pay for your marketing,
and let them work for free until results come. Wouldn't it
be nice to do a direct mail campaign, but only pay for new
customers? How about marketing on a cable or local T.V.
network, and only pay them if you get new business? Maybe
place some ads in your local newspaper and only pay them
for results? Marketing is Marketing and Telemarketing is no
different. Some vendors have tried this, mostly offshore in
places like India, The Philippines, and South America.
Although it may appear as a safe approach, you will almost
always experience poor results, higher staff attrition,
increased training time, reduced quality and the risk of
having your company conveyed in an unprofessional manner.

Nathan Lewis, A Senior Business Development Advisor for
Grindstone Inc. Shares the following: All marketing efforts
embrace a "ramp-up" period. If your company is paying for
results alone you can bet the telemarketing agent is being
paid the same way. If immediate success is not achieved it
is proven that the quality will suffer due to "pushing"
through leads and appointments that are not properly
qualified. The result: Your sales executives are chasing
down prospective clients that were never truly interested.
Worst case scenario, your salesperson shows up for an
appointment only to find that the prospect has no idea who
you are or why you are there. Naturally, this lack of
quality leads to call agent replacement which will now
require additional training and more ramp up time for those
new agents. Worst case scenario, many pay for performance
call centers will simply add agents and increase call
volumes to satisfy minimum quotas without thorough
training. Now your company's visibility and integrity is
jeopardized by representation that is not symmetrical or up
to the professional standards that you have worked so hard
to create. Let's face it, the reputation of your company is
critical to growth."

Companies looking to have success in outsourcing must
select those vendors with solid management infrastructures;
appropriate recruiting measures and capable systems and
technologies to execute professional Business Development
efforts. These qualified vendors work on hourly rates
because they have adequate resources and processes in place
to ensure proper practices and professional business
continuity.

First, many call centers vendors are fly by night
operations. Do not be surprised when doing your due
diligence to find that the sales guy is also the manager
and telemarketer for your program. Ask about the structure
and composition of the company you are researching. Here
are a few excellent questions to ask to determine the
quality of the company you are prospecting: How many
members make up your management team? How many clients are
you currently servicing? How many calling agents are
currently representing your clients? What is included in
your service? How are the agents compensated? How are the
calling efforts monitored? Will the agents be working my
program exclusively? You will uncover quickly the
companies that are well organized, procedurally sound and
equipped to make the best use of your marketing dollars.

Second, you can avoid many of these detriments by selecting
a vendor with strong business continuity and quality
assurances in place. Any telemarketing program is driven
by the calling agents making the actual phone calls. Be
sure when shopping for a third party vendor to ask about
the agent selection process. You deserve to know who is
representing your company, their work experience and why
they are the best fit to represent your organization. All
quality telemarketing firms should allow you the
opportunity to meet and learn about the agents representing
you. If they do not, consider this a red flag. The
relationship and communication between agent, management
and client heavily impacts performance. Top notch firms
strengthen business continuity by paying agents on an
hourly basis and rewarding them through incentives for
quality results. After all, you want your telemarketer
focused on delivering the right message and not wondering
where their next paycheck is coming from.

Last but not least, the company you are investigating must
have appropriate systems in place to effectively monitor
your program. The best vendors out there have management
software and give clients access to their program's data
and reports. Everyone wants results but credible firms
want you to get those results with an explanation as to how
they were achieved. Marketing is an ongoing learning
process and not something that just happens. A call
center's ability to monitor activities, make revisions, and
track efforts will ultimately paint a clear picture
regarding your company's successes.

Next time you decide to look for the assistance of a third
party Telemarketing Company, realize that the right
questions will get you the right answers. Whether you are
an upstart or an established company, the key to success is
finding a firm that focuses on agent talent, embraces a
strong management team and provides modern day technologies
to help track and build an adaptable and successful
marketing program. I assure you that your return on
investment and overall experience will be greatly improved
by following these simple little steps in your selection
process. Bottom line, avoid Pay for Performance plans.

----------------------------------------------------
Brian Augustus Parnell has extensive Sales, Sales
Management, and Marketing experience. He is considered an
expert in the area of Business Development. Brian founded
Grindstone Inc. an outsourced Business Development company
in 2003. see http://www.grindstone.com

Recognizing Common Stalls: No More Tilting at Windmills

Recognizing Common Stalls: No More Tilting at Windmills
There are just a few stalls that are almost always
responsible for causing inappropriate reactions to
irresistible forces. The greatest stall is to be unsure of
your enterprise's purpose and direction when facing
irresistible force headwinds.

The effect of the irresistible force can leave everyone
confused because the organization finds itself constantly
shifting in new directions with remarkably different
choices and opportunities. This situation is like being
knocked off your feet by a large wave while wading and
finding yourself lost underwater, wondering which way is up.

The everyday business version of this occurs when a
business performs so poorly due to irresistible forces that
its leadership is constantly being changed. Each new
management team has a different idea of what needs to be
done, and less and less idea of what works for this type of
business. Confusion reigns amid continuing frantic activity.

Others will experience the stall of trying to discount the
irresistible force, preferring to believe in a friendly
future that matches their preferences for the
organization's environment. That is what most paper
companies do, despite having suffered from poor
profitability for decades.

Still others will simply feel overwhelmed, and be stuck on
the spot, immobile, as though Super Glue had been applied
to the soles of their feet. Many retailers from physical
stores reacted this way to the first inroads from
Internet-based competitors.

Some organizations will react primarily by withdrawing and
turning within. This response can take the form of simply
trying to limit the harm of the irresistible force rather
than turning it into a benefit. Department stores have
often done this when confronted with specialty retailers
who provide more variety at a better price.

Or the organization will choose to try to adapt solely with
its own people and knowledge, something that will provide
less flexibility than using a variety of resources. IBM
initially fell behind in developing the first personal
computer, until it overcame this stall.

Other organizations will become entranced by the plans they
are pursuing and that fixation will render them inflexible
to the actual business or organizational environment.
General Motors' tremendous loss of market share in the
1990s was influenced in part by this stall.

One of the most negative of responses is to try to pretend
that nothing adverse is happening and to cover up for any
damage that occurs so that no one knows the damage has
occurred. Many of the larger Japanese companies took this
route during the 1990s, delaying their eventual adjustment
to a changed competitive environment for their island
nation. This understandably human response leaves the
organization at risk for greater damage and can even
destroy the enterprise.

Even if the enterprise decides to adapt to irresistible
forces in positive ways, these forces are very powerful and
can shift rapidly. Riding the trend may be like staying on
a bucking Brahma bull.

You have to match your organization's approach to
irresistible forces by considering their strength and
volatility compared to your peoples' ability to work with
such forces. Faced with initially irresistible forces in
both retailing and financial services, Sears probably made
the right decision by trimming down to focus its attention
on retailing issues. Those have kept the company more than
occupied for the last several years. That refocus,
however, proved inadequate, and K-mart became the new owner.

Copyright 2008 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved

----------------------------------------------------
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of seven books including Adventures of an
Optimist, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The
Ultimate Competitive Advantage. You can find free tips for
accomplishing 20 times more by registering at:
====> http://www.2000percentsolution.com .

The Hidden Secret to Leadership Success

The Hidden Secret to Leadership Success
Think back to when you first starting working in your
profession. There was quite a bit of variance in the talent
and intelligence of your many peers, wasn't there?

Now that you've moved up the food chain, the variance isn't
so big, is it? After a certain point, talent and
intelligence alone won't help you get ahead. It's the mind
game that counts. You can psych yourself up or psych
yourself out.

One tool I've used with clients for many years is from the
world of sports psychology. I first learned this tool from
Dr. Rebecca Kraus, a sports psychologist for the Olympics
and a superb trainer at the Center for Creative Leadership.

I've modified the approach just a bit over the years for
pragmatic reasons. When you're having trouble with a
particular performance (say, you repeatedly clam up in
important meetings) or you just want to improve a skill
(like putting), give it a try.

There are five steps and I do recommend that you do them
all:

1. Pre-Performance: This is like a rehearsal. Go through
the entire performance in your mind, as close to real time
as you can get within the confines of your schedule.

2. Pre-Act: immediately before the performance, visualize
the performance as if on fast forward 3. Performance

4. Post-Act: immediately after the performance, remember
the performance as if on fast forward

5. Post-Performance: remember the performance more slowly,
analyzing how you did and identifying any needed changes in
your performance

To get the most value from the visualization process, try
the following:

* Visualize yourself in the actual room, on the putting
green - wherever you will be performing.

* Imagine the entire situation with vividness and clarity.

* Imagine the feel of the action, what it would really be
like to be in the meeting or on that putting green right
now.

* This is not an exercise in perfectly predicting the
future - just take reasonable guesses about what will
happen, what others will say and do, how they will respond,
etc.

* Succeed mightily during the rehearsal. If you start to
fail in the rehearsal, rewind and do the failing part over
until you are successful.

* Take a few deep breaths before visualization and again
before the performance to relax. Unclench your fists, too.

* The night before the event and the morning of the event,
relive your best previous performance. If you have not yet
had a successful performance, relive a different successful
performance that is in some way similar.

Now, get out there and knock their socks off!

----------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Selby Long, Founder and Principal of Selby Group,
provides executive coaching and organizational development
services. Jennifer's knack is helping clients navigate the
leadership and organizational challenges triggered by
change and growth. She knows firsthand that great plans
often fail because companies don't take into account the
human factors that come into play when implementing them.
Visit Jennifer at: http://selbygroup.com

How to coach your boss

How to coach your boss
The relationship you have with your boss is very important
on both a professional and a personal level. It can have a
significant influence on your day-to-day job satisfaction
as well as your long-term career success.

The relationship is also important to your boss who is
counting on you, and your colleagues, to satisfy customers,
meet deadlines and achieve objectives.

But keeping this relationship healthy and productive is not
about 'managing' your boss: it's about understanding them,
and you, and then choosing to behave in a way that gets the
best results for you, your boss and the organisation.

Only by understanding your mutual needs, styles,
expectations, strengths and weaknesses can you develop a
relationship that works for both of you.

In any relationship what you say and do influences the
other person. You can't change your boss but you can
control your own behaviour. It's important, therefore, to
understand what you do that either helps or hinders the
relationship. Here are some actions you can take to make
the relationship work. Take responsibility for your own
career and personal development

Ask for feedback throughout the year - don't just wait for
performance reviews. Learn how to evaluate your own
performance - what are you doing well; what do you need to
improve on.

Take responsibility for performance reviews

Be aware that not all bosses are good at holding review
meetings so help by being as positive as you can be, even
if you don't like some of the criticism you may receive.

Discuss mutual expectations openly

Find out what your boss's expectations are and share your
own. Tell your boss what development and support you need.
Don't assume they'll automatically know.   Use your
boss's time well and develop good timing yourself

Your boss's time is limited so make good use of it, don't
waste it. Find out if your boss is a lark (good first thing
in the morning) or an owl (better later in the day) and
choose your moment to raise issues.

Have a 'no surprises' policy

Communicate bad news immediately. There's nothing worse for
your boss than being called to task by his/her boss about
something they know nothing about.

Identify your boss's preferred working style

How do they like to receive information - face-to-face, in
writing, by email? How much do they like to be involved in
decisions? How organised are they - can they cope with a
little chaos? How comfortable are they with risk taking?
How 'hands-on' or 'hands-off' are they - can you use your
own initiative?

Recognise and appreciate your boss's strengths

Compliment your boss when they do something you like; that
way they'll learn the actions and attitudes that work for
you.

Remember, bosses are human too

Bosses make mistakes too. If your boss is reasonable when
you make a mistake then you should be prepared to do the
same for them.

Perfect the art of compromise

If you want to do something one way and your boss wants it
done another, find out why, don't just argue to get your
way. Choose which battles to fight and which to decline. If
it's possible, and appropriate, negotiate.

----------------------------------------------------
Matt Somers is a coaching practitioner of many years'
experience. He works with a host of clients in North East
England where his firm is based and throughout the UK and
Europe. Matt understands that people are working with their
true potential locked away. He shows how coaching provides
a simple yet elegant key to this lock. For a bumper load of
coaching tips and tricks - including FREE resources - visit
http://www.mattsomers.com

How to Make Money with Email Marketing

How to Make Money with Email Marketing
Many people who work from home promoting the products and
services from an internet affiliate program eventually
realize that they can make money with email marketing. With
email - a tool that most everyone uses almost every day -
it's easy to start to establish a relationship with
prospects who are likely to purchase the projects and
services that you are promoting.

Email marketing works because there are opportunities to
personalize messages to each person on your list. It also
works because it's possible to set up an auto-responder or
even an ezine subscription service so that the messages
that you want your prospects to receive is sent out at
specified intervals (you didn't really think that all of
the email that you receive from online marketers was
written personally, right?). This is ideal because it also
makes it possible for you to use the same marketing
messages over and over whenever you have a new prospective
buyer for your internet affiliate program products and
services, and you can even create multiple lists so that
different people can choose which information they want to
receive.

Of course, that doesn't mean that getting started with
email marketing for your internet affiliate program
products or services is easy; it's more complex than
launching a pay per click campaign, a bit trickier than
writing articles and more challenging than finding forums
to participate and post in. This is because you need a list.

Now, it's possible to go to a list broker and to arrange to
buy a certain number of email addresses - some of which
will be targeted leads, people who have an interest in the
products and services that you're focusing on in your home
based business. But there's always a risk that, when you
buy a list, you won't only get contact information that you
can use, you'll also end up paying for some bum addresses
and that not everyone will be interested.

It's essential, therefore, because of internet Can SPAM
initiatives that you let people whose addresses you
received on a list know that they are not obligated to stay
on your mailing list. If you received their address from a
company that asks them to check off a box to indicate that
they do not want their address shared, be sure to be clear
about it.

Buying leads is a well-established marketing process; but
not everyone believes that it should be. Therefore, if you
are serious about making money with email marketing to
promote your internet affiliate program products and
services, you may want to look into designing your own
website. That way, you could not only provide links to the
products or services that you are promoting, but also you
would be able to generate a form and gather information
from site visitors - instead of buying a list, you can
build your own list.

There are a number of advantages to this as many who make
money online will tell you, but it's not for everyone.
Those who have seen the benefits, however, will tell you
it's definitely worth it.

----------------------------------------------------
Clinton Douglas IV, writes E-Business articles for people
who want to achieve more online success. Learn Today, "How
to Start an Online Business in less than 30 Days starting
from Scratch"! Free Special Report - Limited Time! Plus,
weekly newsletter from Online Empire Secrets (A $400
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