Please, drop the jargon, going forward

Please, drop the jargon, going forward
Don't you just love that phrase, "going forward"? Really,
what other way can we go. If we could go backwards and
forwards then it might make sense but, as we well know, you
can only go forward in time so why use such a superfluous
phrase. I'll tell you why some people use it - because they
think it makes them sound more important if they are seen
to be using a new buzz phrase. But, if you want journalists
to use that part of your interview, drop all jargon,
business speak, acronyms or other stuffy language.
Journalists, and the mass public they represent, hate that
stuff with a passion.

In my country, our new leader cut short his media honeymoon
period by embarking on a world tour and writing his own
speeches that were laced with clichés, jargon and acronyms.
In April 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told the Brookings
Institute in Washington that: "The idea of a harmonious
world depends on China being a participant in the world
order and, along with others, acting in accordance with the
rules of that order. Otherwise, harmony is impossible to
achieve. Therefore, there is on the face of it a natural
complementarity between the two philosophical approaches.
And a complementarity that could be developed further in
the direction of some form of conceptual synthesis."

What? This piece dismally fails what I call my town or city
square rule. Walk into any town square, stop 10 people at
random and ask them what that passage meant. If you get one
person to explain it, you would be very lucky indeed. The
point is that unless seven or eight of those people can
understand your words, don't use them. Replace them with
simpler words that will have more power and the ability to
increase the reach of your message to many more people. Why
limit that reach by using words that the majority of
listeners, readers or viewers can't understand? Our Prime
Minister came home from his 18 day world our to headlines
like: When it comes to plain speaking, the Prime Minister
may be beyond help, What was that, PM? And Rudd says he's
no robot yet he talks like one. Not good.

Mind you, Americans can be just as silly with their use of
the language. The Agriculture Department, which has
consistently used the word 'hunger' to describe those who
can least afford to put food on the table, decided to use
the phrase "very low food security" as a description for
the 11 million people who go hungry at times!

Outcome is another of those stuffy words that has become
commonplace these days. Whatever happened to the word
result which sounds a lot simpler to me? I've actually
media trained people who have later told me they went back
to their jobs eager to use less stuffy language when
presenting to colleagues and were thrilled at how much
better they communicated and how much better it was
received.

This stuff works with both media interviews and with other
communications as well. After all, when you talk to a
journalist you're really talking to the audience behind
that journalist and there's little difference between that
and talking to people in a social situation. If you think
about it, the people at next week's dinner party, BBQ or
other social event will be asking you similar questions to
the ones the journalist asks you in a media interview and
we tend to use simple language socially so why change it
for a media interview. Mind you, if the journalist is not
asking you those sorts of questions, he or she is not doing
their job properly.

----------------------------------------------------
Graham Kelly hates jargon passionately and strives in all
his media training workshops to get participants to talk
more simply and powerfully. Training details at
http://www.kelly.com.au . He has also written three
editions of his media training book, Managing the Media and
details are at http://www.mediatrainingebook.com .

Four Common Tax Myths All Home Business Owners Should Be Aware Of

Four Common Tax Myths All Home Business Owners Should Be Aware Of
The home office deduction gets a bad wrap. There are so
many rumors out about the home office deduction that you
may want to avoid the whole subject. But if you have a
home office and aren't deducting it, you could be missing
out on some very valuable tax savings. Let's take a look at
the truth behind the myths about the home office deduction.

Myth Number 1 - The home office deduction is a red flag for
an audit.

Twenty years ago, this might have been true, simply because
it was unusual. Now, the home business seems to be almost
as popular as home ownership! Millions of individuals
operate some kind of business activity out of their homes.
Others telecommute, and deduct their home office expense as
an itemized deduction. The home office deduction is no
longer an automatic flag for an audit.

The key to avoiding an audit is reasonableness. The IRS
uses computer analysis on all tax returns. Any deduction
that is excessive on your income and the benchmarks for
your industry may be questioned.

Bottom line: Deducting a portion of your home expenses as
a cost to operate your home-based business is expected!

Myth Number 2 - If I take a home office deduction, I can
deduct all the costs of my home.

You deduct a portion of your home expenses as a home office
expense based on the square footage of your home office
space. If you have a 2000 square foot home, and a 200
square foot office, you could deduct 10% of your home
expenses.

Unless you operate a day care center, your home office
space must be exclusively used for business. Your kitchen
will not qualify as home office space simply because you
use the table to complete paperwork. If you use the space
for personal and business, it does not qualify.

The easiest way to keep track of this is to designate a
room or rooms for home office purposes. If you don't have
a complete room to use as office space, use furniture to
separate the personal part from the business space.

Of course, there is an exception to this rule. If your
business is wholesale or retail and you do not have any
other fixed location, you can include any space you use for
storage of inventory or product samples as part of your
home office. This space does not need to be used
exclusively, but must be used regularly, and be suitable
for storage.

Bottom line: Calculate the square footage you use
exclusively for business and the square footage of your
storage space for inventory to determine your home office
deduction.

Myth Number 3 - I can only take the home office deduction
if I work at home exclusively.

Old rule! Congress expanded the home office deduction to
allow business owners without any other fixed business
location to take a home office deduction regardless of the
number of hours they spend at home. If you provide services
to customers or clients at their location, you can still
qualify for the home office deduction. You simply must use
your home office for administrative and management duties.

Bottom line: You can deduct your home office as long as
you don't pay for other office space to run your business.

Myth Number 4 - The home office deduction will make me lose
my tax exclusion on the sale of my home.

The rules have changed here, too. If you use 10% of your
home for business purposes, you no longer have to recognize
10% of the gain on the sale that could have been excluded
if you meet the requirements for the sale of your principal
residence.

What you do need to do, however, is include any
depreciation deduction you took in prior years as a taxable
capital gain. You still benefit, because your capital gain
rate is most likely lower than your ordinary income tax
rate. You are able to take the original depreciation
deduction at ordinary income tax rates, and bring it back
into income when you sell your home at the lower capital
gain rate. Your depreciation deduction can also reduce
your self-employment taxes.

Bottom line: You can still save taxes overall by taking
the home office depreciation deduction each year.

Operating your business from home is a very smart move
financially for the new or small business owner. You can
save yourself thousands of dollars in rent by operating at
home rather than renting business space.

But the cost of housing your business is an expense, and
should be treated that way. You would not hesitate to
deduct rent expense for your business. Treat your home
business expense the same way. The tax money you save can
be used to grow your business, or even to fund your family
vacation! Talk to your tax preparer if you have more
questions, and get ready to take that home office deduction
on your next tax return!

----------------------------------------------------
Todd Jensen, "The Profit Engineer", has helped hundreds of
business owners make their business more successful and
profitable. For tips and strategies on how to boost your
business success as well as increase your profits, visit
http://www.theprofitengineer.com or
http://www.freebusinessstartupinfo.com

Starting a Business - Why Some People Lose, and Others Win

Starting a Business - Why Some People Lose, and Others Win
Ask five people what to do to be successful when starting a
business and you will probably get five different answers.
Everything from, "you absolutely have to have a business
plan" to "failure is eminent without my new software."
Although a business plan is very important and there are
some very valuable software applications to grow a
business, there is one aspect of success that seems to be
very hard for many people to overcome.

Here's a story to illustrate the point. A friend, named Joe
wanted to start an internet marketing business. Before he
began selling anything he hired someone to coach him. The
coach did not have any really revolutionary ideas, pretty
much the same as the other guru's but he was honest with
Joe when he needed to hear the truth. Joe followed his
instructions on researching profitable niches. Once Joe's
coach emailed him with a suggestion that he thought would
make it easier for Joe, but Joe responded saying that he
thought the suggestion made by his coach was nearly
impossible. Joe told him, "I cannot do that, it's too
hard." The response from the coach was paramount to Joe's
success. It changed everything for Joe. He replied saying,
"Joe, if you think you can't then you're probably right."

Joe understood what his coach was getting at. Joe's own
thoughts about what he thought he could and could not do
were holding him back. Joe decided that very day that he
could in fact do what his coach suggested to find a
profitable niche. That's right, he made a decision that he
could do it and that he would not give up. Not only did Joe
find a very profitable niche, he found ten profitable
niches. Joe quickly started his first internet business
selling a hard good product and it turned out to be a total
success. This rest as they say is history.

Ask yourself, what could you do if you removed "I can't"
from your vocabulary and weren't hindered by what you think
are your abilities. Joe knew nothing about the niche he
started in and even so his business took off like
gangbusters. He learned about his product as he went along.
He didn't know how to build a website but he learned. Joe's
success had nothing to do with a large starting capital
because he started with less than $300.

Your success at any business venture has very little to do
with talent, money you have to invest, knowledge about the
product and a whole host of other excuses that people come
up with about why they can't start an internet business.
Your success does have everything to do with your
determination to succeed and perseverance when challenges
come your way. Now don't go and throw money down the toilet
because you don't want to give up, please use common sense.
If you haven't made any money after a couple months don't
decide that online marketing isn't for you. Consider moving
on to find another niche. There are millions of hungry
buyers in thousands of niches waiting to buy. Keep plugging
away until you find a need to meet in a specific niche and
fill that need. It will only take a few months to get to
know your market.

Every single month, there are millions of people searching
for information on how to make money on the internet, yet
less than 3% of those people ever actually make any money.
The difference among those that succeed and those that do
not is that the ones who make money don't back down when
faced with the same challenges that all online marketers
face. It comes down to this, you have to delete the phrase,
"I can't" from your vocabulary. Don't be one of the 97%
that give up right before you strike gold.

----------------------------------------------------
Ken Troyer is a very passionate online entrepreneur and has
a very high level of integrity. Ken has been involved in
online business coaching since 2005...and has developed
several successful websites since then. You can read more
about Ken over at his main website: http://kentroyer.com

Helping the journalist can pay off

Helping the journalist can pay off
People going into a media encounter invariably think that
it's the journalist's interview and that they are powerless
to do anything to help themselves. They place themselves at
the journalist's mercy and, often, come out of the
encounter second best because of that misplaced trust.
Standing up for yourself is mandatory in any media
interview but it also pays to try and help the journalist
before, during and after that interview.

The actual interview is only part of the encounter. It
really started when you or your PR person received the
phone call from the media outlet asking for information
and/or an interview (Or when you or your PR person made the
phone call in a pro-active way rather than reactive
manner). You must never launch straight into dialogue with
the journalist before you prepare so you can tell him or
her a white lie (you've caught me in a meeting, what is
your direct phone number and I'll call you back in 10
minutes) and also use the excuse of checking the latest
details to bide time for that preparation. This is helping
you, rather than the journalist but you can tell them that
you'd hate to mislead them with information that wasn't up
to date and that will make them think that you're helping
them.

If you're putting out a media release about, say, a media
conference at an accident site, let the media know the
directions to get there, if a helicopter landing site is
nearby or if there are any restrictions on the media
presence and why. As a former chief of staff at four TV
stations, I can tell you that this information will be
appreciated by the COS who will be organising the
journalist/crew to get to you.

Younger journalists particularly will appreciate any
information you give them. Their inexperience will mean
they will have trouble filtering a lot of information so
you can do that for them. I always advise preparing a
single piece of paper with the heading Main Points and a
list of four or five dot points on the main points as you
see them. This is not a media release, which is often seen
as a whitewash by journalists, but a simple sheet of paper
with just dot points on it ' it can even be handwritten for
that extra touch of simplicity. Any journalist, young or
not, who has not had the chance to prepare for the
interview (they could have been diverted from another story
by their chief of staff) will appreciate that gesture.

How else can you help the journalist? If the subject matter
is complex, ask them if they would like a simple
explanation prior to the interview. This also gives you the
opportunity to put your spin on the material (perhaps more
even than the journalist's) before the microphones are
switched on.

Do you have any charts, diagrams, models, video or stills
that might help the journalist tell the story better. If
so, use them. Let the journalist know as soon as possible
because it may alter the way he/she will construct the
story.

Finally, think about using a Video News Release for TV
exposure. Today's news crews and daily current affairs
journalists do not have the luxury of time to capture the
better shots. You and your tame crew can do just that to
help the media out and at the same time, place control of
the shoot firmly in your quarters so you know what images
will and will not go to air.

----------------------------------------------------
Graham Kelly has a background in journalism and media
training and knows just what help a journalist might need.
His advice is being used by the thousands of business
people he has media trained over the past 22 years. Details
at http://www.kelly.com.au . You can read about his book,
Managing the Media at http://www.mediatrainingebook.com .

7 Tips to Selecting a Professional Resume Service

7 Tips to Selecting a Professional Resume Service
Many people question the differences among resume services,
and it's no wonder: the Internet is bursting with
companies that claim to make you "look good" with a minimum
of investment.

Considering that you'll spend more waking hours on your
career than any other activity (with your salary riding on
this decision!), it makes sense to thoroughly check out
these services.

Ensure that your efforts result in a powerful resume that
opens doors by looking for a writer that offers:

1) - Verifiable Credentials. Certification is a MAJOR
distinction between dedicated professionals and "hobby"
writers. Becoming a Certified Professional Resume Writer
(CPRW), Certified Expert Resume Writer (CERW), or
Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW) requires a
candidate to pass a rigorous exam judged by industry
experts—with a high failure rate.

Some companies claim certifications that haven't earned
them, so be wary. Verify CPRW, CERW, or NCRW status by
visiting the Professional Association of Resume Writers at
www.parw.com, Career Directors International at
www.careerdirectors.com, or the National Resume Writer's
Association at www.nrwa.com to search for the writer's name
and credentials.

2) - Samples. Look carefully at resume samples to discern
the extent of the writer's business knowledge. A clear
strategy should be evident on each resume, plus a keen
understanding of the industry and career goal.

If the writer won't show you sample work, consider moving
on to another.

3) - Actual Recruiting/Job Hunting Experience. True resume
experts couple their professional training with REAL-WORLD
experience as a hiring manager or recruiter.

You can also look for corporate experience on BOTH sides of
the hiring table; former job hunters offer a valuable
perspective that cannot be learned in other ways.

4) - Dedication to Ongoing Development. Here's a tip:
writers who achieve the strongest results tend to belong to
at least one professional career industry association.

With participation in these organizations, most members
avail themselves of continuing development opportunities to
learn the latest strategies that will deliver results for
YOUR resume.

5) - Published Work. If you pick up a resume book on
Amazon.com or at your local library, chances are it
contains the work of a select few writers compared to each
other WORLDWIDE by the publisher.

In other words, resume writers who have had work chosen for
publication are among the cream of the crop.

6) - Guarantee. Look closely at the type of guarantee or
other verification of quality offered by a resume writer.
Do they stand behind their work?

If so, this means that you, the customer, will receive an
expertly crafted document that is fully tuned to meet a
hiring manager's expectations.

7) - Professional-Level Pricing. This may seem like an odd
criterion, but think about it: writers who charge less than
$200 are literally telling you that they either unwilling
or unable to devote sufficient time to your project. Many
will simply reformat your information without an in-depth
consultation.

Make no mistake about it: a masterpiece resume that truly
markets your strengths requires critical analysis of your
goals, PLUS content.

A skilled writer will take presentation, keywords, and
information placement into consideration, plus possess
knowledge of your field. It's a time-consuming process!

Keep in mind that many excellent resume writers exist,
along with a few who may fall short of your expectations.

Your best bet is to carefully assess each company's
credentials and offerings--since your future earning power
and career happiness will depend on it.

----------------------------------------------------
A unique resume authority and former recruiter, Laura
Smith-Proulx, CCMC, CPRW, CIC has achieved a 98% interview
success rate for fast-track professionals. With published
work in career bestsellers, Laura is a certified writer
that maintains active membership in career industry
associations. Get Laura's FREE 7-Part E-Course on "The 7
Biggest Resume Mistakes That Can Keep You From a $100K+
Job" at http://www.anexpertresume.com .

Step Up And Create Your High Payoff Meetings

Step Up And Create Your High Payoff Meetings
There are times in business when it gets complicated
sorting out why a team gets stalled. I've had clients who
were facing so many competing issues they couldn't figure
out where to start: their strategy, their capabilities,
their products or services, and so on.

With those companies, we often have to feel our way through
as I sort the issues and help them prioritize where to
start the Change process.

And there are other times when there is a clear starting
point.

I'm working with an organization that knows exactly the
challenge they're facing and the impact it's having on
their business.

They've been sitting for hours in management meetings with
very little managing or problem solving taking place. Can
you imagine what it was like for them to see my slide with
a calculation about the cost being over $1,800,000 in lost
productivity?

Their breakdowns are a result of inexperience with
practices that make individuals and teams effective. While
several of them have been entrepreneurs, they now need to
work at problem solving with peers. Many of them are used
to being responsible for getting things done during
business turnarounds and are unfamiliar with delivering on
both the competing priorities of 'normal' work and client
emergencies.

Most of them are in their role as division heads for the
first time in their careers. They're grappling with the
endless stream of challenges and paradoxical conflicts
faced at that level in businesses. They know they've been
less productive and much less effective than they ought to
be as a team and as leaders of their employees.

A month ago I observed two days of management meetings -
nearly twenty hours in which perhaps 4 hours of actual work
got accomplished.

I pointed out to them that since the root of their
breakdowns is not personality differences but "know how,"
the work I'm doing with them is to give them new tools and
techniques, sort of like new hand rails, shoes and stair
treads, they'll use every day.

They love the fact that what I'm teaching them is
immediately valuable to them in their management meetings.
AND it's also immediately useful in other settings,
including their work with their own direct reports.

Because their behavior is so easy to spot when they're in
their management meeting, that's where we started this
week. I spent 16 hours with them 'first describing the
techniques of running high payoff meetings, then doing some
role playing, and then taking it straight into the rest of
the meetings they had planned.

Here are 3 quick tips they learned to make your own
meetings more effective and productive, immediately:

Tip #1 Have a purpose for the meeting before it begins

While these folks started their meeting with a schedule
that showed a list of topics, they usually launched
straight into discussions without any stated goal for any
of the conversations.

Now they're stating clearly at the beginning of each
conversation whether the purpose is to clarify an issue
that has come up, to identify potential solutions for it,
evaluate efforts underway, or come to agreement about
specific actions and accountabilities.

Stating the purpose at the beginning is helping with the
next tip...

Tip #2 Have the right people at the meeting

Usually, five or six members of the management team sat
through hours of discussions that had no relevance for
their own work in the company. Everyone was at the table
"just in case" it might be useful. So they were spectators
rather than contributing to the work.

Now they're planning each agenda item ahead of time,
including inviting those who belong at the table and
excluding people who have nothing to add.

Having the proper group to work on the matter means they
can absolutely achieve the next tip...

Tip #3 Stick to the topic

When half the people in the room sat observing, they often
tried to contribute ideas so the time didn't appear to be
wasted. Yet their 'helpful' comments derailed conversations
into explaining details already known, or addressing
tactical ideas when the discussion was strategic, and so on.

Now they're holding their conversation among subject matter
experts and people responsible and accountable for the
results. Their conversations go deeper yet take one quarter
as long as before. They're stepping up to a new level as
issues that had languished without progress for months are
being worked on in the next 30 days.

The entire team is very clear about the high payoff return
they'll be getting using those new practices.

----------------------------------------------------
Management expert, consultant, and coach Linda Feinholz is
"Your High payoff Catalyst." Linda publishes the free
weekly newsletter The Spark! to subscribers world-wide and
delivers targeted solutions, practical skills and simple
ways to build your business. If you're ready to focus on
your High Payoff activities, accelerate your results and
have more fun at it, get your FREE tips like these visit
her site at http://www.YourHighPayoffCatalyst.com

Interview Tips: Results Guaranteed When You Build Value

Interview Tips: Results Guaranteed When You Build Value
Interview Tips: guaranteed. By building value even before
the interview, you are guaranteed to be using the most
effective methodology to secure the position of your dreams.

Step 1: Commit to a step-by step value-building progress
and cast off your old ideas about job searching. There will
always be the desire to just blast out resumes, believing
that the new or revised resume will pre-sell you and the
phone will be ringing off the hook. Many of us had
previously used this method successfully, years ago, but
the market has changed.

Take responsibility for doing this right. No one is going
to "get" you a job. Develop and hold yourself accountable
for a marketing plan, complete with objectives and
timeframes.

Step 2: Identify what you bring to the table and what you
enjoy doing. Ask yourself, "If money was not an issue and I
had no family responsibilities, what would I do?"

One of our senior executive clients responded to this
question with, "I like wine." After a deafening silence, we
learned that he was actually a wine connoisseur; a
certified expert in every area of winemaking, from growing
to bottling. We found a way to turn this hobby into a
partnership at a winery desperate for his executive
talents, where he eventually exceeded his original
executive salary while enjoying a higher quality of life.

Step 3: Research and identify 10 target companies that can
use what you bring to the table and can afford your salary.
Confirm decision-maker names.

Step 4: For the 10 target companies, research their
competition, the industry, and any market changes that
could affect business. Have real-time alerts delivered to
your email or cell to keep up with breaking news.

Annual reports are among the most valuable and easily
attainable of all resource documents. Typically, they will
have information on threats and legal issues, as well as
vital accounting data and expansion plans. You can also
request promotional materials geared towards attracting new
stockholders.

Step 5: Research the opportunities. Look for movement and
follow the money. Trade journals are also filled with
hidden opportunities, including promotions, announcements
of new products and services, awards, relocation, grants,
new contracts, etc.

Step 6: Based on your research, develop a finely-tuned
letter to each decision-maker and a promise to follow-up
next week. Since it's not a resume, it will not be
automatically sent to HR by either the gatekeeper or the
decision-maker. It will get through.

Make sure all your written materials, including resumes and
letters, are professional in design and incorporate proven
styles that speak properly to your target employer's needs.

Step 7: Follow-up. Persistence is a fine quality in a
potential staff member. How you conduct your job search is
a direct reflection of how you will perform under pressure
as an employee.

Step 8: Turn the interview into a business discussion. Be
prepared to show a well-rounded understanding of all
aspects of the company and the industry.

Get the job offer *and* destroy the competition, leaving
the company no second hiring option. This increases your
negotiation position.

Step 9: Negotiate. It's expected! The tougher the
negotiations, the higher the degree of perceived value.
Your image as a tough negotiator will open many doors of
opportunity within the firm.

Step 10: If you were unable to secure an offer, use the
experience as a networking opportunity. Owners and VPs know
other executives. "Who do you know?" might be the most
rewarding question of the interview.

You started the career search campaign as a person of value
as opposed to a desperate, hat-in-hand person. You bypassed
HR and connected with a decision-maker that could
understand your worth to the firm. You showed expertise in
your area and a global understanding of the business. You
negotiated a higher salary, more perks, larger benefits,
and a title two levels higher than what you expected.

You're exactly where you want to be. Get focused and
create success. Become the Rookie of the Year! Now is the
perfect time to keep looking for the next better
opportunity, either inside or outside the firm. Manage your
career or someone else will do it for you!

----------------------------------------------------
In 1982, Randolph L. Stevens, President and CEO,
incorporated R.L. Stevens & Associates based on a strong
desire to help people succeed and built on an unwavering
commitment to helping executives achieve their career
goals. To find out how we might help turn interviews into
job offers, contact us ==>
http://www.rlstevens.com

Lessons Learned from a TV Appearance

Lessons Learned from a TV Appearance
Since launching my first book Apprentice to Business ACE, I
have been consistently profiled in the media. It's been a
fantastic vehicle to raise my profile, enhance my
credibility and build my brand. Just recently I was invited
on to Sky Business News and had the opportunity to answer
viewer's questions on branding and PR for small business.
So I would like to share some lessons I learned from my TV
appearance.

You Know Your stuff

TV hosts and producers don't want to give you too much
information about the questions. Why? Because they don't
want you to sound stilted and rehearsed when you give
answers. You are generally there because you are the expert
(or say you are) on that particular subject and because you
do know your subject better than anyone else you will be
able to answer questions spontaneously.

But you should think about some possible questions they may
ask and prepare answers beforehand. Ask your partner or a
friend to ask you a few questions and have a rehearsal '
practice. You can find out what angle are they taking? What
are they expecting from you ' what are the question areas?

Research

Watch the program beforehand to get a feel for the type of
show it is if you can. At least look up the website and
perhaps view a video clip or listen to a podcast. Find out
as much as you can about the program on which you're being
asked to appear ' is it live or pre-recorded? Is the
audience completely general, or is it targeted at
housewives or business people? Think about the points you
could make which are most interesting, useful and relevant
to that particular audience.

Arrive early so you can meet and chat with other guests,
hosts, producers to feel a bit more comfortable and
familiarise yourself with the surroundings.

Get to the Point

Do try and get to the main point of your answer quickly
without wafting on. A short, sharp, interesting point works
best in the media especially for television and will be
easier for viewers to remember. If you don't give enough
information the interviewer will simply ask a follow-up
question.

If you have something to promote (such as a book) keep it
in mind and look for an opportunity to get your point
across. All well and good being great media "talent" but
you could use the opportunity to at least promote your
business name. Try and be in control and use every
opportunity to get your message across.

Have Something to Say

Be aware of the latest news, gossip or current affairs
stories particularly that relate to your topic. Read the
papers, listen to radio and be as informed as you can
because you never know what might come up during the
interview. If there are controversial issues in your area
of expertise, work out where you stand, and what you should
say. It is better to respond rather than say "no comment".
Don't be afraid to put your point of view across. If you
don't know the answer, say so.

Make It Interesting and Descriptive

Make your answers more memorable by using real stories and
descriptive words. Cut through the clutter with words that
paint a picture in the mind of the listener. As an example
in a radio interview I did, I told a story about a young
journalist interviewing a well know media personality and
used the word "hyper-bowl", the media identity kindly
corrected her and said the word is pronounced
"hyper-bo-lee". We made it a fun, interesting reference to
the issue being discussed.

Friendly and Attentive

Remember that what you're really doing is having a
conversation. Listen to the interviewer's questions. The
host will appreciate your attentiveness. Use the
interviewer's name to make it more personable when
answering questions.

If you're doing an interview face-to-face use eye contact
and try and interest the interviewer in what you're talking
about rather than thinking ' do I sound OK ' do I look
alright on TV. If your eyes flicker around during a TV
interview, you look uncomfortable, and possibly a bit
shifty. If you keep your eye-line focused on the
interviewer, you will come over as being in command of your
subject. Just try and relax and take your time. And
remember to smile, you will look and sound a lot friendlier.

Animation and Gestures

Be bright and buoyant in your answers. You need to be
slightly more animated and larger than life. Pep up your
delivery so that it is energetic and enthusiastic, rather
than dull and low-key. Television is entertainment after
all and broadcasting is a performance! The more engaging
you appear the more interested and involved the audience
will feel. It's perfectly okay to move, rather than
sitting stiffly and looking unnatural. Just be aware of
exaggerated movements or unconscious movements such as
flicking your hair or tapping your fingers. If you always
'talk' with your hands, like I do, that's okay; just don't
over do it. Also be aware of knocking your microphone,
movement or other sounds that may interfere. Look & Sound
Good

Always take time to warm up your voice. You will come
across as more articulate and authoritative. It will help
prevent a "frog in the throat" during the interview. Sip
room temperature water before and during the interview.
Never drink anything too hot or cold and nothing with milk
in it otherwise you'll be constantly clearing your throat.

Dress well and look your best.

Take your cue from the presenters on the show you're
appearing on. Perhaps it's business casual for a morning
show or more business corporate for a news show. Wear
make-up. Ok guys maybe just a touch of powder to eliminate
shine.

If you stumble, or slip-up, or use the wrong persons name
like I did during my interview, just forget about it and
move on. Even top TV presenters make mistakes.

Did I manage all of the above in my interview? Probably
not. But the key is to relax and enjoy the interview as
much as possible ' after all it is your opportunity to
promote your business, product or service and hopefully
raise your profile and profits.

----------------------------------------------------
Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications
Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace ' your
inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business
educator and speaker on personal branding through image and
media. To learn more about how you can achieve recognition,
enhance your image and shine, sign up for free monthly tips
at http://www.shinecomms.com.au/subscriber.html

Career in The Apparel Industry

Career in The Apparel Industry
Interest in fashion apparel is on the continuous rise and
so are the concerned opportunities and the competition. It
is comparatively easy to earn degree in apparel designing,
merchandising and apparel marketing, each of which focus on
the different aspects of the apparel industry. As the
industry of apparel is continuing to grow, there is an
increasing need for specialized and educated staff in the
apparel world. Those people who have the valid and
appropriate degree education in apparel will be able to
market their services effectively in this competitive
apparel industry. Becoming an apparel designer is a dream
career for a large number of people but only those who have
the artistic ability and a serious determination for their
job will succeed in this industry. He or she should have an
eye for the lines, colours and textures and an ability to
bring their thoughts to life by way of drafting. Once the
final sketches are complete, the designers have to choose
the right material that can be used to make the final
product, after which the pattern cutting and sewing
together is needed.

The apparel industry involves designing, advertising and
selling of the fashion clothes. An apparel marketer should
have a widespread knowledge of the apparel industry so that
he or she is able to identity which design will be
appealing to the target market. The apparel designers and
marketers are the ones responsible for recognising and
identifying the upcoming trends and being familiar with
various consumer groups. In a way, the apparel marketing
industry connects the apparel designers to the general
public by tracking by regular consumer buying habits. An
apparel marketer then comes up with the advertising
campaign for targeting their specific consumer groups that
might like to purchase their products.

Apparel marketing and merchandising work hand in hand. The
merchandisers are responsible to buy the clothes and
present them in the stores. One of the biggest parts is to
create displays for helping consumers want to buy those
products. Basically, apparel marketing is the selection of
clothing lines and choice of how they will be presented in
the market. Apparel is a career, which combines the
business aptitude with an artistic eye. It is one of the
most potential career prospects in today's world and we can
see that the apparel designed by some well known designers
are worn by the most famous and rich thus making them a
status symbol. Since this job is all about creativity and
art, it also enhances the aesthetic sense of a person. In
addition to that, the high demand of designer clothes in
the market promises good money and name in the industry.

In the apparel industry, each apparel designed has a
specific purpose, theme and target market of its own. The
work of an apparel designer is not only limited to
designing clothes but also extends to fashion accessories
like jewellery, shoes and bags. After a formal education of
apparel designing, you can also start your own business of
designing clothes for people. Starting what the person
learned during the course, he or she can further add his or
her new thoughts and creativity in the apparel and give
something that is unique in itself.

----------------------------------------------------
The article is written by Nor Nan. Please visit following
websites which you can find all the information about your
apparel needs.
http://www.apparelhot.com
http://www.apparelagency.com

Marketing: Discover a Simple 3-Step Solution to Grow Your Business - Eat More M&M's

Marketing: Discover a Simple 3-Step Solution to Grow Your Business - Eat More M&M's
Have you ever experienced the feast of having many
profitable clients wanting your services at the same time,
to entering a period of famine where no one seems to want
anything to do with you?

I have a solution to help you even-out your sales cycle.
Eat more M&M's.

If you are experiencing the "feast or famine" rollercoaster
ride right now, I want you to take a deep breath, pop a few
M&M's in your mouth to nourish your body, and relax so you
can concentrate on what I'm going to tell you...

Business growth happens for one major reason ' more clients
want your services.

The catch is they have to know you exist before they can be
attracted to you, and willingly open their wallets to make
a purchase.

So, how do you get more clients? The answer is simple -
Marketing.

Most of us start our businesses business because we want to
help others, and we have a passion for what we do. We love
coaching, massage therapy, or opening a retail boutique to
sell one-of-a kind treasures. Often, we don't think
thoroughly about the "other" required arts and sciences of
going into business, like developing financial budgets, and
Marketing.

Yet, we have to market our businesses if it is to survive.
If you neglect marketing your products and services, you
won't have much of an opportunity to grow your business.

Marketing your business in a consistent manner lets
potential clients know you exist...and this is right where
most people fail in their marketing efforts because they
don't have a marketing system they consistently work at
each week.

Following is a simple and tasty 3-step formula you can use
to successfully market your business, and at the same time
be rewarded for doing so!

1. Choose three marketing activities you can do
consistently on a weekly basis. Examples you can use are:

* Attend a networking event

* Write and post an article

* Schedule a speaking engagement

* Participate in an online discussion group with your
market niche

* Send a weekly promotion to sell a product to your email
list

2. Do these three activities consistently for 30 days.
Keep at it, and focus on making sure you actually do what
you planned to do.

3. Every time you successfully complete a marketing
activity, eat an M&M. The more marketing activities you
do, the more M&M's you can eat, and the greater your income
will grow! Remember...

More Marketing = More Chocolate = More Income

I guarantee that if you follow this simple 3-step formula,
you will begin to see positive income results from your
marketing efforts.

----------------------------------------------------
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

Stop Selling! Build Relationships and They Will Buy.

Stop Selling! Build Relationships and They Will Buy.
Let's face it, people buy from people, particularly people
they trust and like - people who remind them of themselves.
This is the foundation of a relationship. Therefore it is
important for you, as a sales professional, to learn how to
quickly build rapport and gain that trust.

In order to build a relationship, there are a number of
factors to consider - one must be to first establish trust.
Trust can be established in a number of ways but the
quickest way is through building rapport.

Once rapport is established, and the prospect trusts you,
you can proceed to ask questions and get information.
Without trust, the prospect will not answer any questions.
This is the most important first step in the selling
process you are about to discover, the ABC, 123 Sales
Results System.

In contemporary use, "building rapport" refers to achieving
a sense of relationship, agreement, and harmony. However,
the word "rapport" actually derives from Old French and
means "to bring back". In sales, the concept of "bringing
back" is key to what is meant by "building rapport."

Building rapport is an ongoing process that is only
beginning early in the sales effort. Therefore, you will
have both short-range and longer-range objectives for
building rapport.

Short-Range Objectives

These are some typical short-range objectives for building
rapport.

* Make the prospect comfortable in the sales situation.

* Begin to find out why the prospect is there — gain
a sense of the prospect's need and how you can learn more
about that need.

* Ensure that you will be able to continue the sales effort
beyond its opening moments.

Objectives such as these must be met if you expect the
prospect to be around long enough for you to earn the right
to proceed.

Longer-Range Objectives

Here are some typical longer-range objectives for building
rapport.

* Gain attention so that you are able to begin a dialogue
with the prospect.

* Begin building a foundation of rapport between yourself
and the prospect — the sense of "harmony, affinity,
and agreement" that is key to your success.

* Earn the right to proceed — ensuring that the
prospect will stay with you (and return if necessary), thus
positioning yourself to learn about the prospect's need
and complete the sale.

A key point about building rapport is that it is an ongoing
process that is only beginning early in the sales effort.
But it is by far the most important first step to building
long term relationships.

Keep in mind that people by people first - if they buy you,
they trust you, a relationship begins. You job as a sales
professional is then to maintain that relationship and
start to create a secondary sales force through word of
mouth - the greatest referral program going. So, stop
selling and start building relationships.

----------------------------------------------------
Bob Urichuck is an International Speaker, Trainer and
Best-Selling Author. Learn personally from Bob in the areas
of Sales, Motivation, Leadership and Team Skills. Bob
presents a series of great ideas and strategies with
combination of facts, humor, and practical concept in a
high-energy and self-discovery process that you can apply
right away to achieve results. Subscribe to Bob's Free
Newsletter, worth $297, visit http://www.BobU.com Now!

Call Center Abbreviations

Call Center Abbreviations
In the contact center industry we come across a lot of
abbreviations and expressions that are used very often
without having a clear definition about them. He You will
find a list of these expressions with their definitions .

Automatic calls distribution - ACD

A computerized phone system that responds to the caller
with a voice menu -IVR and connects the call to the
appropriate CSR according to a set of parameters -e.g
priority of skills or longest available time . It can also
distribute calls equally to agents. ACDs are the heart of
call centers, or contact centers, which are widely used in
the telephone sales and service departments of all
organizations.

Computer-telephony integration - CTI

Is a computerized systems which combines the callers data
with voice systems in order to enhance telephone services
by retrieving the caller database and get it displays at
the appropriate CSR's screen when the call gets routed to
him by ACD -Automatic calls distribution

Interactive voice response - IVR

Is a computerized system that allows a person, typically a
telephone caller, to select an option from a voice menu and
otherwise interface with a computer system. Generally the
system plays pre-recorded voice prompts to which the person
presses a number on a telephone keypad to select the option
chosen, or speaks simple answers such as "yes", "no", or
numbers in answer to the voice prompts.

Call Work Code - ACD

A number, up to 16 digits, entered by ACD agents to record
the occurrence of customer-define deviants -such as account
codes, social security numbers, or phone numbers on ACD
calls.

Key Performance Indicators -KPI

Factors that show certain standards and guidelines to
maintain productivity.

Service Level Agreement - SLA

A contract between a network service provider and a
customer that specifies, usually in measurable terms, what
services the network service provider will furnish.
Services for customers can be measured, justified, and
perhaps compared with those of outsourc­ing network
providers. Some metrics that SLAs may specify include: What
percentage of the time services will be available; The
number of users that can be served simultaneously; Specific
performance benchmark to which actual performance will be
periodically compared

Average call waiting - ACW

The time from the person reaching the number being called
until the CSR picks up the phone -~20seconds

Average Talk Time -ATT

Time frame within which the customer is kept in the phone
-~2minutes

Average Hold Time -AHT

Period of time during which the customer is kept on hold
-has to be as minimum as possible

Customer Service Representative - CSR

Person attempting and handling all the calls, providing the
customer with any inquired information.

Senior Customer Service Representative - SCSR

CSR who is not only handling the calls but also conducting
telesales.

Team Leader - TL

person who plays leading role among the team, setting up an
example and responsible for couching, training, guiding,
motivating and encourage the CSRs to accomplish the
assigned tasks as well as coordinating externally and
internally and drive the team ahead towards the potential
vision.

Supervisor - SUP

A person who is a step above the team leader and below the
managerial level, responsible for the day-to-day
performance of the group, should have the authority, to
hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote,
discharge, assign, reward, or discipline CRS, or
responsibly to direct his team leaders on the efficient
ways to achieving the department goals , adjust their
grievances, or effectively recommend an actions to resolve
the raised issues. It is not of a merely routine or
clerical nature, but requires the use of independent
judgment.

Customer Relationship Management - CRM

Entails all aspects of interaction a company has with its
customers whether it be sales or service related. The
Computerization way of interaction is recently being used
in the market approaching the new strategy in serving
customers with each new advance in technology, especially
the proliferation of self-service channels like the WEB and
WAP phones, more of the relationship is being managed
electronically and therefore organizations are looking for
ways to personalize online experiences through tools such
as help desk software, e-mail organizers and Web
development.

Internet Contact Center - ICC

Where all the required contacts and inquiries can be kept
in one database, and viewed by all of the users. ICC has
such features as Universal Queue, real-time and historical
reporting, web collaboration, email transfer, etc.

Voice Over IP address - VOIP

A category of hardware and software that enables people to
make telephone calls via the Internet. In simple words
these hardware and software converts the voice signals into
packets of data, which are transmitted on shared, public
lines.

----------------------------------------------------
Your Call Center Managment Resource
http://www.steptocallcenter.com/blog/