The Cost of Inaction - Can You Afford It?

The Cost of Inaction - Can You Afford It?
What is the cost of inaction? Only you can determine this,
but will you? Examine, by projecting yourself a year into
the future, the status in your life if you simply keep
doing the same things you are doing now. Furthermore,
examine the projected worsening damages that may present
themselves by allowing inaction to continue unabated.

Think of status quo as a fleeting moment. Other than the
blink of an eye we are either progressing in our journey to
success or we are losing ground. This writing is to focus
those of you who wish sincere change in your life the
opportunity to experience it. Margot Zemach's award winning
book for children, "It Could Always Be Worse" comes to mind
as a great read if you are feeling as though you are losing
ground. If you do nothing to change, like those in this
legendary Yiddish folk tale, it could always be worse.

As a business coach, I listen to the reasons people are
interested in a business opportunity where they chart their
own destiny. Reasons like repeated loss of a job,
insufficient retirement plans leaving retiree with the need
to supplement to make ends meet, or not enough for
life-long dreams of travel, adventure, or comfort. Some
are not able to work outside the home and earn enough to
pay day care or are gone so much they have little time left
for parenting. Many, ridden with credit card debt, are
unable or barely able to make their monthly payments.
College tuitions, family vacations, leisure pursuits go
unfunded. Those in the housing industry, mortgage lending
and real estate sales are experiencing perhaps the greatest
downturn in their careers right now.

If you resonate with one or more of the profiles listed and
you are ready to "pick your self up" and "start over again"
then you can benefit from these words. Note - If you are
truly "ready go" skip dusting yourself off. There is
little time for it.

Some people say if you do nothing to change your situation,
you will be in the same situation a year from now. I do
not believe that is true. If you do nothing about your
situation, you are likely, in reality, heading down hill.
Even ground is just a blink of that eye. If you do not
course correct, you will not be in the same situation; you
will be in a worse situation. Moving to a positive field,
the state of attraction will be a solid step of action.

What will it be that will initiate course correction,
change, that action for you? Many factors or interrupters
keep us from action. However, the prevalent ones center on
fear. Fear, fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear it
could be worse all keep people from the self-confidence
they deserve and it keeps them from action. Daily I talk
with people who are desperate for a change in their lives.
They are experiencing the unhealthy pain of a stress
pressed life. Inaction will not drive you in any upward
bound direction. Most people do not fall into success.
They just do not. Most of us who enjoy a ladder of our own
climbing have worked hard for what we have achieved. We
have become fearless and taken ACTION.

Sure, there is risk. Risk can be minimized. In the system
that we teach, a unique business model, people are able to
work their W2 jobs while they grow their own residual
income stream. We call this "straddling". It is a good fit
for those ready to make positive change in their lives and
be proactive in accomplishing a sustainable income not
dependent upon the whim of corporate mergers or bosses who
are trying to produce bottom line results to keep their own
jobs. Those who have lost their jobs have a great
opportunity to build a residual based income. Our model
has the capability of producing substantial income within
one to two years so often a job is still necessary for a
time. While job-hunting, one can easily devote two to four
hours a day to beginning a business that will pay for a
lifetime.

If INACTION is a word of past and you are READY GO to work
fully focused on charting your own destiny, climbing your
own ladder then follow the link provided. It could always
be worse and if one anchors in inaction it is very likely
it will be worse. In the words of Henry Ford, "Whether you
think you can or think you can't you are right". Which
right do you want to be?

----------------------------------------------------
Financial Strategist Nancy Quinlisk helps thousands of
young families and those on the horizon of retirement to
create wealth for the future. She charts the way for
developing a solid plan and teaches how to replicate the
system for others, thus dispelling the common myths that
sabotage wealth cycle development.
http://www.powerof12online.com

Building Your Booming Business - Leave the Past Behind and Intend Great Things!

Building Your Booming Business - Leave the Past Behind and Intend Great Things!
My childhood was what some would call dysfunctional. My
father died in an auto accident when I was seven years old,
and my grief stricken mother never totally recovered from
the loss. My brother and I lived with alcohol, and
sometimes abuse, as a way of life. But that was a long
time ago...

Over the years, I've learned to forgive my mother, who
chose to leave this world when I was 21 years old. I've
learned to use my past as a spring board to my life now.
My tenaciousness, ambition, and caring and belief in the
power of people to reach their goals all came as a result
of what I lived. What I am is not what I was; I am what I
have chosen to be right now. I am the result of intentions
I have brought to fruition, with God's grace and guidance.

I'm sharing a little bit of my story with you as a
demonstration of the power you have within you to succeed,
no matter what your past looked like. You're not defined
by mistakes or circumstances from the past. Those were
just roles you played for a little while. You are defined
by what's inside of you right now ' by how you're choosing
to live your life, and how you express love, kindness,
gratitude, and all the other qualities that make life worth
living.

When you're building a new business, all these qualities
are right there with you. There's no room for the past,
there's only room for what you want right now. The gifts
your past experiences gave to you will now serve you in
moving forward. That's the only real function the past
should play.

So from now on, whenever a wretched thought or feeling from
the past creeps into your mind put it to good use. Ask
yourself what it taught you that you can use right now.
How can its lessons help you decide what you do or do not
want your business to represent to your community of
customers. Then let it go. It has no power to hurt you
now, because you have the ability and power to take charge
and build your business and life in your own unique way,
regardless of what did or didn't happen to you in the past.

For example, if you were treated in the past like you were
less worthy than other people because you didn't grow up in
the best neighborhood or wear $150 tennis shoes, use that
experience as an example of how you don't want to treat
other people. Make sure that all your customers know how
important and special they are to you, not just as a
customer ' but as a person.

If you felt like you were never heard by your family, fine
tune your listening skills and make sure your customers
know you care about their opinions, and you're willing to
do whatever it takes to be an essential ingredient to their
success.

Use the gifts the past has to offer - then let it go.
Nurture a clear vision of the potential and possibilities
that lie before you right now. Use all your life
experiences to create an environment that expresses the
soul of who you are, and what you want your business to
become.

Make a bold statement to the world by creating a life and
business that feeds not only your spirit and the spirit of
your customers, but your bank account as well!

----------------------------------------------------
Would you like to learn more about how building a
soul-based business can create a thriving business that
feeds your spirit and bank account? Visit my website at
http://www.soulpreneursuccessstrategies.com to check out my
free "Creating Money" ebook, free articles, and Soulpreneur
Coaching Services.
Sandy Reed, the Soulpreneur's Coach, is a business coach,
writer, ex-corporate manager, and co-owns her own
successful home-based business.

There's Strength in Strategic Alliances

There's Strength in Strategic Alliances
An alliance is really just a business-to-business
collaboration. Some people use the term business networking
when referring to alliances. Alliances are formed for many
reasons. When you are a small business owner, it's
important to understand that there is a strength that can
be utilized by strategic alliances, which may be overlooked
in light of developing new business and developing
additional revenue streams.

Small business alliances produce great rewards

Alliances between small businesses can offer additional
benefits besides an increase in business. For instance,
there are alliances of small business owners who
proactively approach office supply corporations, internet
service providers, health care providers and others on
behalf of their membership base in order to secure better
rates, additional services, and other benefits as the
result of the alliance they've formed. There's strength in
numbers when you're a small business owner, and if there
are some products or services that you're looking for to
enhance your business, chances are other small business
owners are looking for similar products or services too.
Why not form a strategic alliance and approach the product
or service provider as a group to show that there is a
need? There is a market and that you are aligned in hopes
of doing business with large companies who are willing to
work with you.

Capitalize upon merged resources

Additionally, small businesses can combine more limited
resources in order to appear in more high traffic
advertising areas than what each business could afford to
do on its own. For instance, one small business networking
group decided to participate in a local high traffic
tradeshow, on behalf of the businesses that chose to be
involved. Using the banner of their combined membership,
the group divided and conquered the tradeshow fees and
staffing for the event, with each participating company
taking a time slot and promoting his or her business, as
well as the alliance that they had formed. Not only did
the participating members increase visibility and gain new
business, the networking group added new members that were
unaware of their activities, and thereby increased the
strength of the alliance by providing a larger member base
to include in negotiations.

Synergetic referrals

Another business group of marketing professionals found
strength in forming a strategic alliance amongst themselves
in order to offer a more comprehensive service package to
large clients than any of the independent businesses was
able to offer on their own. While they had to deal with
some service crossover, it was determined that the size of
the potential contracts outweighed what any one business
would give up in revenue if crossover in services did
occur. To handle the situation, it was written in the
alliance contract that the company who brought the business
to the table would have the last say in who would work on
each contract and what the final compensation would be in
the event of a crossover situation. The business owners
were like-minded in that they all agreed to act in the best
interest of the alliance's clients first in order to
provide a service level above and beyond the large
marketing communications firms with which they were
competing. By operating as a virtual team of experts, this
alliance was able to increase business for all of the
participants; they understood the strength in approaching
large clients with a more comprehensive offering than any
of them could offer independently. It paid off in the end.

Leverage the strengths of a strategic alliance on behalf of
your business and tap into clients and resources you may
not have thought previously available.

----------------------------------------------------
Christian Fea is a Collaboration Marketing Strategist. He
empowers business owners to discover how to implement
Integration, Alliance, and Joint Ventures marketing tactics
to solve their specific business challenges. He
demonstrates how you can create your own Collaboration
Marketing Strategy to increase your new sales, conversation
rates, and repeat business. He can be reached at:
http://www.christianfea.com

Is Business Incorporation Right For Your Business?

Is Business Incorporation Right For Your Business?
If you're trying to decide whether or not Business
Incorporation is the right avenue for your business, you
should consider the following points.

When you incorporate your business, you're legally
separating it from yourself and officially giving it a
separate legal identity.

Before incorporation, you as the owner of the business,
personally own the assets of the business. But, far more
importantly, you are also personally responsible for its
debts and liabilities. This means that if your business
fails, your own personal assets are at risk!

Therefore it may be a significant benefit to you, if you
decide to incorporate your business as you will protect
your personal property and assets.

After becoming incorporated, you will only be personally
liable for amounts owed by the business up to the amount
you have invested in the business.

Beyond your invested capital, you will have no further
personal liability for the settlement of debts owed to your
business's creditors, unless of course, you have signed
separate personal guarantees for any specific loans or
debts.

Personal guarantees may be necessary where your business
has little trading history, or where your balance sheet is
not robust enough to provide sufficient guarantees to
lenders.

There is also another benefit of incorporation. The flip
side of the above personal protection from your business's
debts, is your business will also be isolated from any
personal financial problems you incur in your private live.

You should also be aware that, should for any reason your
incorporated business cease to trade, all of its creditors
and liabilities must be paid before you receive any of your
invested capital back. Basically, in times of trouble,
shareholders are always the last in line for repayment.

Your decision to incorporate your business is a very
important one, particularly if you're expecting to expand
your business in the future. Incorporated companies will
often find it easier to raise new capital required for
expansion from financial institutions.

Incorporating your business sends a message to the
financial world that your business will be around for the
long term, and that feeling of security makes it easier to
find additional finance.

Becoming incorporated also allows you to transfer ownership
of your business easily. Separation of the business's
assets and liabilities from your personal assets makes it
easier to value your business. Becoming incorporated also
eases the introduction of retirement plans and insurance
schemes.

Once incorporated, your company is governed by its Board of
Directors. The Directors are elected by the shareholders,
who then act as agents of the company on behalf of the
shareholders.

Finally, business tax rates are much lower than personal
tax rates. There are some issues of double taxation to
consider though. Whilst there may be tax benefits, there
will be some additional legal costs and administration
costs associated with being an incorporated company to
consider.

To learn more about the benefits and disadvantages of
incorporation, click on the link below to read more.

----------------------------------------------------
Richard Taylor MBA is a Chartered Management Accountant and
Company Director with a specific interest in small business
start ups. Click on the following link to learn more about
the pros and cons of becoming incorporated.
http://www.incorporate-my-business.com

Marketing Strategies

Marketing Strategies
There are three ways to grow your business profits. Most
business owners believe that there are an unlimited number
of ways to grow your business, however; they are incorrect.
There are only three primary ways in which businesses can
grow. Understanding these fundamentals can help business
owners to distinguish what they need to accomplish for
their businesses to not only survive, but to thrive. I
will first go over the three ways and in subsequent
articles I will dive deeper into each one.

The first method is the most common method and that is to
raise your gross sales. This means that you raise the
number of units sold. When you look at traditional
business this is where 90% of all the effort goes into
improving the profits of a business. Not to say that it is
not important, however; it is the least effective return on
investment of the three ways to grow your profits in any
business.

The second and much easier way to grow your business is to
increase the size of the transaction. If your average
ticket price is $2,500, think about the impact on your
bottom line if you can raise that by 20% to $3,000. For
most businesses the fixed costs exceed the variable costs,
so the incremental difference in expense would be very
little, leaving the majority of the gain to go directly to
the bottom line.

The third way, and I personally believe the most important
way to grow your business, is to increase the frequency of
the purchase. For instance if your client currently
purchases from you an average of once per year, let's bump
that up to 1.2 times per year. This is a twenty percent
increase in volume by just increasing the frequency of the
purchase. We will go over in more detail several ways to
affect each of these areas but for now let's take a look at
what the impact is of these changes.

For simplicity sake we will take a service company that is
generating $1,000,000 in gross sales, their fixed overhead
at this volume is $400,000 which covers real estate,
administration, advertising and general operating expenses.
The variable expenses are $350,000 which covers sales
commissions, allowances, returns, costs of goods, etc.
This leaves the company with a $250,000 pre tax profit. Or
a 25% net income after all expenses.

Taking our example above we are going to increase each area
by 20%. Gross sales from above will go from $1,000,000 to
$1,200,000 which represents 480 units sold at $2,500
average. The average ticket price we will increase by 20%
which changes that from $2,500 to $3,000. With 480 sales
at $3,000 per sale now our gross sales are at $1,440,000.
The frequency was the average client purchasing once per
year, we are going to increase that by 20% to an average
1.2 times per year which increases our gross annual sales
to $1,728,000.

Let's take a look at the impact increasing these three
areas has on the businesses bottom line. In this example I
am using a business, however; this directly applies to
commission sales people as well. We have fixed overhead of
$400,000, the increase in the sales will more than likely
only have a very small affect on these fixed costs for most
businesses, however; let's say that a few more admin people
are needed and possibly a larger facility was required so
let's move fixed costs up by 25% to $500,000. Our variable
costs were at $350,000 or 35% of gross sales, these should
stay the same as a percentage or if anything decreases as
larger efficiencies of scale start to occur. Let's leave
the variable costs the same as a percentage of sales volume
and we will use 35%. Our fixed costs now are $500,000 and
our variable costs are $604,800 or 35% of $1,728,000.

This leaves us with a net profit of $623,200 instead of
$250,000; that's a 250% or two and a half times increase in
net profit to the businesses bottom line! That is the
power of a simple increase of twenty percent in all three
areas, it's exponential to the bottom line and every
business has room to do it.

----------------------------------------------------
Brandt Stohr is a marketing consultant that helps his
clients make quantum leaps in their business. For more
information and some free marketing video's visit his site
at:
http://www.socialmarketing explosion.com
or to inquire about consulting 1-866-490-1919
http://www.brandtstohr.com

An ineffective manager can cost the organisation $1 million!

An ineffective manager can cost the organisation $1 million!
The difference to the bottom line in monetary terms between
a new manager with extremely poor performance and his or
her counterpart who performs at an outstanding level, can
be as much as $100,000. This difference can increase to a
staggering one million dollars for a middle manager - as
reported by Professor Nikos Bozionelos of the Durham
Business School in Management Issues, Sept 07.

Do organisations realise this?

Despite the obvious impact an ineffective manager has on
the organisation's profitability, many still pay little
attention to training and supporting supervisors and
managers, particularly in their first managerial role. The
general contention seems to be that because the new manager
was probably an excellent technical or professional
operator, they will automatically make a good manager.

However, organisations that do spend money on management
training, tend to allocate it to their middle and senior
managers. Yet it is the new manager who is most motivated
and ready to learn. He or she is only too fully aware of
the challenge facing them, whilst often managers at a
higher level see management training as a waste of their
time.

Do organisations have to spend a fortune on highly tuned
development training programs for new managers? No.

For starters, new managers generally start at different
times, so waiting to get a suitably sized group together
for training is both inefficient and ineffective (often the
new manager can be in the role for sometime before
attending the training).

There are three factors that are most important when
training new managers. Firstly, the training must be
timely - ideally started before commencing in the new role,
but at latest as the person takes up their role.

Secondly, the training must suit the new manager's learning
style. So for instance, if the new manager is a detail
minded person, then a good book could help. Big picture
type people on the other hand, might find it easier to talk
through their challenges with colleagues.

Thirdly, the best person to do the training is the new
manager's manager. It is he or she who knows the real
challenges of the role and what the new manager must do to
become fully competent. Make sure your managers are
trained in how to train their managers.

Training of new managers can be a great boost to
organisations who are keen to improve their bottom line.
Not only are good managers more productive than their
counterparts, but an effective manager who also shows good
leadership skills, can have a major impact on both their
direct reports and indeed their peers.

Training and developing new managers can be a lot cheaper
and more productive, and certainly more motivating, than
many of the endless cost cutting measures organisations
seem to often embark on.

----------------------------------------------------
Bob Selden is determined to help new managers overcome the
challenge of moving into their first management role. Bob
survived his own time as a new manager to ultimately
develop into a senior manager in a large bank. He is the
author of "What To Do When You Become The Boss" an
innovative self-help book for new managers. For free
advice on your management challenge, contact Bob at
http://www.whenyoubecometheboss.com/

A Review of the BigMoneyPro Income Opportunity

A Review of the BigMoneyPro Income Opportunity
If you are looking for a way to make easy money, then
BigMoneyPro is here to save your day - or so they say.
There are a lot of companies out there (if that is what you
want to call them) that claim to make you tons of money.
Most of them do not, and most people know that. Sometimes
it is just that desperate hope that allows us to be able to
give it a try even though it is complete nonsense in the
back of our minds.

Who They Are

BigMoneyPro is one of these programs, but it is unclear if
it is a rip off or not. They have been around for about
three years now and they do not have much of a reputation,
good or bad. They claim to make you lots of money for no
work, but it is unclear if that is true or not. A skeptical
person would never believe this, but someone with hope and
an open mind may be very quick to join the program and see
where it takes them.

What They Do

It is unclear exactly what they do. Basically, all they
talk about is how much money they can make for you and how
easy that it is to do it. It sounds like you just sign up
and you make money, although we know that isn't true. The
idea, like most of these kinds of programs is to get people
to sign up under you and for them to do the same. This is
known as an MLM program, but it is not certain that
BigMoneyPro is that.

How You Make Money

They do not give an exact answer to how you make money with
them. They give off the idea that if you join their team,
you will make money over a long period of time. BigMoneyPro
does not claim to get you rich overnight, but with some
patience you will make money within a few months. The more
time that goes by, the more money you would make. They do
not really tell you how to make money exactly until you
sign up and get going with them. They do however, guarantee
with a money back offer that you will be satisfied.

What We've Heard

We haven't heard much - there are not too many people that
are known to be part of this program and the ones that are
do not have anything bad to say about them. It seems that
BigMoneyPro could be a pretty legitimate company that
offers a way to make a long term source of income. It would
be hard to say, because BigMoneyPro is a newer company.
From what is understood - the faster you get involved the
better off you are going to be.

It's all about the money. People sign up and join these
programs because of the money making possibilities. It is
up to you to decide what you think about it. If everyone
thought it was a rip off then I would imagine nobody would
be signed up. It really just depends on your personal
feelings about these kinds of programs. Overall,
BigMoneyPro seems like it could have some good income
opportunities.

----------------------------------------------------
Learn the Lemons from the Straight MLM Winners at
http://www.MLMreviewKings.com/trivita.html from Brian
Garvin and Jeff West at ttp://www.MLMreviewKings.com.
This article may be used royalty free provided Bio & Links
remain intact. Copyright © Mission Billion, Inc. All
Rights Reserved Worldwide

Personal Development - Break through Barriers and Achieve the Impossible

Personal Development - Break through Barriers and Achieve the Impossible
Grow revenues, increase profits, develop more products,
improve customer service, reduce costs, increase
prices...and you must work on all these items in your
business at the same time. Do any of these items bear
resemblance to your 2008 goals?

The first quarter of the year is ending, and now is a good
time to reflect on the progress you have made toward
reaching your business (or personal) goals.

Right now, do they seem impossible to reach; are you losing
your grasp on them? How about considering a new approach
to your goal planning?

I have found over the years that many people don't like
planning. They don't even like mention of the word!
Planning means work; hard work. People mean well, but it's
so easy to get distracted by the daily challenges of our
work and home lives.

Maybe there's something deeper at work if you haven't made
satisfactory progress toward reaching your goals. Could it
be that your goals aren't exciting to you? Maybe they're
too abstract, or perhaps you're not the type of person
that's passionate about "profits", etc. You might even
harbor self-beliefs that it's impossible to achieve your
goals.

Most goal planning programs suggest you set a probable goal
with interim milestones to keep track of your performance
(think monthly or quarterly). Even though I emphatically
condone this method of achieving outcomes, I want you to
stretch yourself and think about accomplishing something
that you currently think is impossible. Is that exciting
to you? Does it make your heart race? Good!

Now, I'm not talking about doing something humanly
impossible, like flying off a building with mechanical
wings. What I am asking you to do is look at areas in your
life where you've become resigned that your ideal desired
outcome or "way of being" is impossible. These places
could be your business, your job, or even personal issues.
You might think the task is physically or mentally
impossible for you to achieve, you've made up your mind
this just can't be done (by me)! Examples of such things
are:

1. Double your sales or income this year.

2. Lose 20 pounds

3. Go on a 4-week vacation

Before you can achieve the seemingly impossible, you must
break through the barriers of resistance that tell you
can't achieve something. This powerful "shadow belief" is
sabotaging your ability to successfully achieve your goals.
So, let's eradicate them!

To break through the barriers of resistance you are
feeling, you first have to do some simple research about
what you want in your life, in a business or personal
sense. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. "If I had more time, I'd..."

2. "If I could I'd..."

Finishing those statements gives some substance to things
you want to accomplish, but may seem impossible because of
current circumstances in your life. The actual activity on
the surface may not seem impossible, but, if I asked you
about making plans to do them, you'd stammer something
like, "There's no way I could do that!" But, other people
do these things, right? Somehow, they accomplished the
same things you desire, and I bet you'll agree with me it
probably wasn't simple or easy for them. Undoubtedly, they
first had to have a vision of what they wanted their life
to look like, and they had to overcome the internal
barriers holding them back.

ACTION POINT

Describe your ideal vision about what you want your
business or personal life to look like in the next year,
how you want to "be". Describe it in as many ways as you
can see it. What changes will you see in your life when
you accomplish your vision?

This is a great first step to take, because it helps you
become aware of what you want. It's almost impossible to
achieve your dreams and visions if you haven't articulated
them clearly in your mind. By creating a clear vision of
what you want, even if you think it is impossible right
now, helps to set you on a path toward accomplishment.
Why? Because half the battle is breaking through the
resistance, you may currently feel about the impossibility
of your goal and vision.

Even if you don't achieve your goals exactly as you defined
them in the next year, by playing the game with passion,
and a desire to win, you'll certainly make progress toward
achieving your dreams. After all, a championship tennis
player doesn't know if he will win every major tournament.
But, like any champion, when they lose a game, they
continue to play and reap the rewards.

What do you think is impossible? Go for that in 2008.

Copyright 2008 Bonita L. Richter. All rights reserved.

----------------------------------------------------
Bonita L. Richter, MBA, founder of Profit Strategies,
teaches entrepreneurs and business owners how to start and
grow businesses, attract more clients, and market their
businesses to increase sales, business success, and
generate wealth. Find out more about how to market your
business and boost sales with her popular FREE eBooks at
===> http://www.Profit-Strategies.biz

Job Fairs Aren't for Sissies; 10 Tips to Improve Your Chances

Job Fairs Aren't for Sissies; 10 Tips to Improve Your Chances
There is more competition in the job market than there was
a few years ago, so it pays to get out there. Attending a
job fair beats sitting at home waiting for the phone to
ring. If nothing else, it's a place to schmooze and find
out what's happening. Your approach to the fair may make a
huge difference in whether you achieve satisfactory results.

Joe received his layoff notice on a Friday. After a week at
home, he knew he had to get out and make some contacts. He
found and landed his last job at a job fair, and soon
discovered on the Internet there was a tech fair in his
area the following week.

Armed with several copies of his resume, Joe set out with
an air of confidence. His confidence got a blow when he
arrived at the site and saw the long line of people waiting
to get in. This was going to be a very different experience
than his last job search. As he walked down the line, he
met friends and former coworkers. He tried to find out what
was going on inside and how to deal with it. Some of his
friends were veterans of the system and were glad to share
some survival tips with him. Here are 10 of those tips:

1. Once inside, get a list of participating companies and
choose which companies interest you. Spend your energies on
them rather than wandering from booth to booth.

2. Check out job openings for each company of interest,
typically found on a listing sheet. Or use a computer, if
provided, to look up individual companies.

3. Get a floor plan map -- usually at the entrance or
information table. Plan a route to move around the floor
quickly, visiting your companies of interest.

4. Stay upbeat and energized. Try to make an impression
through your enthusiasm about the work. Also try to engage
the company representative in conversation about the
company, and listen to what the rep has to say.

5. Try to talk to the hiring manager or senior member of
the team, if possible. Recruiters can be helpful regarding
the company and what they are seeking, and human resources
personnel can give you information on the hiring process
and the company, but the hiring manager is the one with the
clout.

6. Let the person you talk to know what you have to bring
to the company. Be prepared with a short statement about
yourself and your background -- less than two minutes. Try
to hook the interviewer's interest with something unique
about you.

7. Try to get a name or business card from anyone you talk
to so you can use the name as a reference when you follow
up.

8. Follow up by sending a letter and another copy of your
resume to human resources and the hiring manager. Mention
that you talked with them, or a company representative, at
the fair. Tell them how excited you are about the position.
Let them know you are the solution to their problem -- you
can make a difference and add value.

9. Follow up in a week or so with a phone call, inquiring
about the position and the hiring status.

10. Use the job fair as one of many sources in planning
your job search. Do further research on participating
companies by visiting their Web sites and checking for
additional openings and opportunities.

Try not to be overwhelmed by the size of the job fair or
the number of job seekers in attendance. Keep focused on
the companies you want to interview with. Don't be
discouraged if you don't go home with a job offer or formal
interview lined up. This should be just one step in your
research and networking process.

Consider any new contacts you meet or information gathered
at the job fair as a positive addition to your resources.
Be persistent in your endeavors -- job opportunities
sometimes come from the least expected sources at the most
unexpected times.

----------------------------------------------------
Carole Martin, America's #1 Interview Coach is a
contributing writer for Monster.com Carole will coach you
at her Live Speed Interview Coaching Event.
http://www.interviewfitnesstraining.com/speed.htm