Going for an online presence with a steady track record is a bit of a challenge. Personality and entertainment-values aside: When does one reach a new awareness, a new Eureka? Discoveries, innovations and inventions that one did not have before and are now emerging.
Can I really use my Blog as a personal inspiration Journal, subjectively reflecting on external and internal input? Or could it be compared to the Captain's log (without the personal log) like Jean Luc Picard in Startrek?
Awareness as a whole is a pretty big issue and I have collected and read many books and articles about this subject. Recently I noticed the great overlap of David R. Hawkins' work regarding the calibrated consciousness scale (the map of consciousness) using applied kinesiology with the inspiring channelled work of Esther & Jerry Hicks (also featured in the movie 'The Secret' about the Law of Attraction).
Hawkins calles it calibration levels and Esther Hicks called it frequencies or vibrational interpretation (this jargon or terminology is also used in therapeutics and NLP). Eckhart Tolle, author of 'A New Earth', featured on Oprah's website probably calls it identification with a certain form and at the lower levels (Hawkins Scale: above 200=Truth / below 200= Falshood) identification with the (collective) painbody. Caroline Myss, medical intuitive & author of 'anatomy of the spirit' also identifies the collective tribal energy circuit (First Chakra in eastern terminology). Myss greatest methaphor is the analogy of your bodies energy system with a bank-account and identify where your energy flows. Stop the leaks or you become energetically bankrupt which causes illness in your body. My association when watching Caroline Myss explaining this Energetic Bankaccount concept was with Robert Kiyosaki, author of the book 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' in which he explaines the flow of money of the poor, the middle class and rich people [video] identifying assets (puts money in my pocket, will feed me) and liabilities (takes money out of my pocket, will eat me). The comparison of the importance of educating Financial Literacy and educating personal Energetic Literacy is rather interesting.
Back to awareness: When I meditate using only the Silva Method I am tuned in the Akasha field somewhat (Zero Point Field for scientists but what's in a name), but when I also use the Heartmath (HeartCoherence) techniques I unlock and release creativity and new potential.
Burt Goldman, an 81 year old (retired) Silva instructor also known as the American Monk created a course named Quantum Jumping where you go to parallel dimensions when meditating using the Silva Method. In Silva you just go to your Lab and you meet your 2 advisors, but what if you just create a board of advisors, a mindteam if you will, and check the outcome in a parallel dimension immediately after your consult or brainstorm. Even if you only imagine it or visualize it: This is very powerful stuff and I haven't even mentioned ESP or remote viewing.
I am aware that everyone chooses his or her own path in life, but although a skeptical approach is custom when dealing with these claims, one cannot ignore the impact experiences like these ideas have, even if it is just imagination and overwhelming evidence is pure luck according to witnesses. I'd like to end this personal awareness piece positive: Suspend (your thinking) & Hang in There, (free interpretation of Peter Senge's Presence) and close with the wonderful affirmation:
"Everyday in every way, it is getting better and better!"
March 09, 2009
February 18, 2009
Online Collaboration
Looking for online collaboration tools I came across the following info from the Mashable Blog:
Business Productivity
37Signals.com - Maker of collaboration tools including Basecamp (others listed below).
8apps.com - A mixture of social network and productivity applications.
BlueTie.com - Online collaboration directed towards small and medium sized businesses.
Businessitonline.com - Centralized cash flow, documents, calendars and more for a team or small business.
CentralDesktop.com - A full work suite for project teams including spreadsheets, file sharing, calendar and more.
Colligo.com - Allows you to work on projects off-line and then sync them when you can login.
ConceptShare.com - Share concept designs and allow invited workers to mark-up, comment, and give feedback.
Confluence - An enterprise-class wiki with features such as PDF exporting.
ContactOffice.com - Allows groups to share documents, calandars, contacts, and files. They can then access them from a number of different mobile devices.
Coventi.com - Upload your documents, share, and allow others to highlight portions or edit.
Copperproject.com - Share projects, tasks, documents and timelines with your entire team.
CrossLoop.com - Allows two computers to connect securely to share their desktops for collaborative work and transfer of files.
Eloops.com - Share files, calenders, projects, and then create RSS feeds to share your public ones.
Foldera.com - Allows for communication over projects, and centralizes work to make sure version is always current.
Glide - Facilitates group meetings to review projects together.
Google Docs & Spreadsheets - From the behemoth known as Google, collaborative documents and spreadsheets.
GroupSharp.com - Allows you to share lists, databases, file sharing, and wikis for your team.
Huddle.net - Designed for collaborative work in the fields of PR, advertising, marketing, design and more.
Instacoll.com - Allows real-time sharing of documents to work on them with colleagues.
Joyent.com - Get collaborative software and backup services in one package.
Longjump.com - Offers standard collaboration, but also the ability to build new applications for your team to use and even market.
Mindquarry.com - Work on projects online or off-line, then synchronize as soon as you are back.
Near-Time.net - Build wikis, blogs,create documents for your team to work on, and have the ability to sell your content and expertise.
Nexo.com - Share files and notes amongst your company, or even with other companies you invite.
Octopz.com - Allows your team to work a wide range of documents including video, audio, and flash animations.
OpenTeams.com - Allows your team to create cPages of your project.
QuickBase.com - A collaborative tool from Intuit, the makers of Quicken.
PlanHQ.com - Specifically for groups working on business plans.
ProjectSpaces.com - Share and work on documents, notify team members via RSS and email.
Solodox.com - Create, access, edit, share, and collaborate on documents & projects.
TeamWorkLive.com - Track tasks, centralize communication, share documents and files, then collaborate with clients and remote teams.
TheOpenDoc.com - Create multiple workspaces with multiple documents, then share them for group editing.
Thinkature.com - Collaborative workspace with voice chat and numerous drawing tools.
Tracbac.com - Workspace for your group that features versioning, IM, VoIP ad more.
Uhroo.com - Focuses on working on goals, estimates, client feedback and more.
Vyew.com - Your team can work on a project and then publish it directly to where you choose on the web.
WebOffice.com - Work on documents and more with live web meetings.
Wrike.com - Project management that allows you to assign tasks and then let people work in teams on them.
Writewith.com - Create documents and invite others to edit and chat while you do so.
Yugma.com - A catch-all collaboration site for files, tech support, presentations and more.
Zimbra.com - Email service with collaboration tools.
Zoho.com - Create documents and grant permissions for others to work on an entire page or just one portion or object.
Creative Collaboration
Kalabo.net - Site for musicians to collaborate on compositions together.
Freepository.com - Specifically for computer program development and allows storage of code to be worked on from anywhere.
Glypho.com - Site for group writing of fictional stories.
Novlet.com - Collaborative writing of non-linear stories in any language.
WebBrush - Focuses more on graphical sharing and includes drawing tools.
Writeboard.com - From 37signals, perfect for collaborative writing, journalists, bloggers and more.
WriteMaps.com - Designed specifically for creating and sharing sitemaps amongst web teams.
Family and Social Collaboration
Cozi.com - Helps families organize and communicate in a web based method.
Famundo.com - Built for families or small groups to organize and share contacts, calendars, and projects.
Grouptivity.com - Uses email to start a group discussion on any subject of your choice.
LooseStitch.com - Create to do lists and share them with whomever you choose.
Mecanbe.com - Post your goals in life, get suggestions on how to achieve them.
Stixy.com - Share documents, photos, to do lists and more with family and friends.
Wamily - For teams, families, clubs and everything in-between. Share photos, run a wiki, have conversations.
Mindmapping
Bubbl.us -Create and share your mind map with your team, also embed in to your website or blog.
Comapping.com - Mind mapping for everyone from students working together to project management.
Gliffy.com - Draw & share mind mapping diagrams.
Kayuda.com - Mind mapping for individuals or organizations.
Mind42.com - Mind mapping for one, or multiple users.
Mindomo.com - Has both free and premium accounts for mind mapping.
Mindmeister.com - A mind mapping tool you can share with an unlimited number of simultaneous users.
Getting things done isn’t easy. In fact, it’s incredibly tough. In this article, we look at four ways to get through your work faster: running your life online, mastering RSS news feeds, aggregating your social networks and using keyboard shortcuts to save precious seconds.
When it comes to getting things done, the web can be a real distraction. But thanks to the many new applications springing up online, it also provides invaluable ways to keep your life in order. To start, we look at the web-based apps that can help you most.
Word Processing Services
Online word processing provides you with ways to manage and write documents without a download - great for collaboration or those using multiple computers.
Google Docs - A way to create your documents and share them too.
Zoho Writer - Serious competition to Google Docs. There are some options present that Google Docs lacks and of course vice-versa.
ThinkFree - Think Microsoft Office, except this is the online equivalent.
Buzzword - A recently discovered service that is still in private beta. It has many offerings and a slick interface to boot! (Private Beta)
Web Portals
You have the potential to be productive the moment you turn on your computer and fire up that web browser. You can have all the information you want and need accessible to you immediately by using one of the following services.
Netvibes - Generally considered to be the first successful, independent startpage.
Pageflakes - Pageflakes could be considered the brother-in-law to Netvibes and both have very similar offerings in customization and content.
iGoogle - If you have a Google account, then the iGoogle comes part of the package deal, and since many of us have Google as our home page anyways, why not give iGoogle a trial?
My Yahoo - The offerings are somewhat more customizable than iGoogle, but essentially the same concept from a different provider.
Calendar Services
Let’s say you have your parent’s anniversary, project deadlines, and finally taking the family pet to the vet all coming up this week. Having all these things on a calendar is undoubtedly the way to go for keeping track of these events. Unless you prefer writing it on your hand…
Google Calendar - I personally use Google Calendar on a daily basis. It is just that freaking awesome!
Yahoo! Calendar - Yahoo provides a pretty good, but basic, calendar application for organizing your life
30 Boxes - Has a lightning fast interface that is really easy to navigate makes this a good contender.
Kiko - A very nice calendar application with a drag & drop interface.
Contact Management Services
Your cell phone and e-mail program are likely your primary sources for keeping information about your contacts. This is fine. You must ask yourself though, what happens if your cell phone is lost, your webmail account goes down or you lose all the data on your computer? You are pretty much screwed. Time to rethink the way we do contact management.
Plaxo - One of the best known services which allow you to keep track of contacts. Other services that can tap into your Plaxo account and utilize your contacts with your permission.
Tabber - was created with the notion of linking together friends from many social sites and services, but it still serves very well as an address book and contact management application.
Highrise - A premium option to manage your business contacts. If you are more serious about keeping your contacts and have hundreds of them, this could be a cost efficient solution depending on your needs.
HyperOffice - Another premium service that offers control of your contacts. This is for more serious contact management.
Communication Services
Stickam - If live video conversations are your thing, then Stickam provides you an excellent opportunity to mingle with friends, coworkers, or just random people if you so desire. We wouldn’t use it for business calls, though.
Google 411 - This service from Google is likely something you have never tried before, but once you do, you might use it for a long time coming. A good 411 replacement. (US Only)
Meebo - If you prefer to communicate with friends and colleagues through IM, then Meebo is the site for you to do it all in one easy to use program.
Gmail - The king of e-mail? We think so. Much more efficient at handling large volumes of email than rival services.
Charting & Diagram Services
Ever heard of brainstorming? Of course you have! Well, the following applications follow the same line of thought, but now you can throw your ideas in charts and diagrams often referred to as “mind maps” to plan any future project you may attempt. I personally use these types of applications very often.
Flowchart.com - The title says it all really. Flowchart allows you to create charts and diagrams in a nice drag & drop interface. (Private Beta)
MindMeister - Offering both a free and premium version, MindMeister focuses on collaboration in an easy to use “mind mapping”environment.
Mind42 - Yet another “mind mapping” web app that allows you to collaborate with others. This one is completely free.
Gliffy - Likely the most technical and detailed option on this list. It has many more options available than the others.
Mapping Services
If you need to find out where you are going, and how to get there, these tools can help prevent (or at least reduce) the amount of times you get lost on those long road trips.
Google Maps - Recently has taken over as one of the best mapping tools out there. Not only does it have streets, but you can get an insane amount of data displayed on Google Maps through other services like StreetAdvisor.
Yahoo Maps - Google has obviously driven Yahoo to improve its mapping services, and it shows here.
Mapquest - A very reliable source for getting you from point A to point B.
File Storage Services
Box.net - A very nice solution to uploading and backing up your files, as well as sharing them. You can sign up for free and get a gig of space, or you can have additional storage with the premium options.
MediaMax - Another powerful and useful service to regularly back-up all your important data.
Networking
OK, so social networking isn’t often productive, unless you’re rubbing virtual shoulders with a potential employer. But if you must use all these sites (and most people do), how about saving time by aggregating all your profiles and updates in one place? These services do just that.
Profilactic has very recently been upgraded to version 2, which brought a decent amount of new features - a new look, support for Pownce, LinkedIn, Shelfari, and the ability to add more than one account for the same site. At its core, Profilactic still does the same two things: it displays your personal lifestream, which consists of your social networking activity, and a group lifestream from your friends. What it does, it does well; however, we’d still like to see more options to interact with the items in your streams. There’s also the option to create clippings - bits and pieces of information from the web; but this option is not really connected to the rest of the features on the site.
Minggl is a browser toolbar that works with Firefox, IE and Flock and promises to “put you in control of your social web universe”. The idea behind Minggl is to “attach” social networking profiles to Minggl and then control them all from one place. You can see an overview of the main features in this video tutorial.
Another application that’s based on the concept of group lifestreaming, iStalkr perhaps chooses the most logical route of all the applications on this list. It enables you to follow your own and your friends’ social networking activities on a timeline, and to act on it directly from iStalkr’s interface. Working with iStalkr, we’ve noticed that the updates aren’t coming that fast; but we’re not sure if this is due to the limitations of various APIs involved or iStalkr itself.
Correlate.us doesn’t really give you the ability to do much with your social networks, it merely gives you a nice overview of your activities on them. While the application is quite simple, it’s done well, and we think that it could be a good basis for a bigger project.
Instead of aggregating social networking information, Explode.us lets you search all the social networks with one form. For each found user you can see tags, friends, comments, as well as the latest content this user posted. Explode.us supports, among others, LiveJournal, Flickr, Twitter, Jaiku and 43Things.
Spokeo is a social network tracker which enables you to track what your friends are doing on various social networks from Spokeo’s interface. It aims to be the simplest of the aggregators, offering a kind of “RSS reader for social networks”. Our longer review of the newly launched Spokeo is here.
Create a profile with your personal information, clippings from the web and your personal social networking lifestream. Profilefly works as a widget or as a Facebook application, and it supports a huge number of social networks, including MySpace, Digg, Hi5, Facebook, Last.FM, Second Life and many others. The actual profile is a bit bland, with the lifestream - which should be the center of such an application - offering very limited options; for example, time stamps and any kind of interactivity is lacking.
PeopleAggregator aims to become a social identity hub. It works through a desktop software application which currently runs only on Linux, and although we applaud its reliance on OpenID and open standards in general, the decision to start a service that aims to connect social networking users and their profiles, on a Linux platform, seems like a suicide. The official FAQ which is at the moment a bunch of spam links doesn’t help. Look at the presentation of the service in HTML form here.
SocialURL helps you organize your online identity and get back in touch with all of your friends and classmates. It’s a unified profile with support for photo galleries and videos, as well as a central portal with links pointing out to all your other social network profiles. It’s all spiced up with lots of additional features, like on-site email, reminders and bookmarks.
We’ve already said quite a lot about Social Stream considering that it’s not even in beta stage yet - all that’s available at this point is a vidcast presentation of what Social Stream can do. However, the huge amount of attention that Social Stream got is a clear indicator that some pieces of the puzzle are still missing in the social network aggregator space.
Tabber is a personal profile page, which displays some information about you together with your latest activity on Digg, del.icio.us, your blog, Twitter, or any RSS feed. It’s very similar in concept to ProfileFly, and just like it, it lacks any possibility to interact with your lifestream.
Naymz is another personal profile site, which goes a step further than services like Tabber or ProfileFly by giving you the possibility to actively monitor certain sites for mention of your name. Naymz also actively promotes your profile by trying to make it more visible on Google.
In contrast to the majority of the other services described here, 8hands is a desktop application which currently works on Windows XP and Vista. It allows you to access your profiles on social networks (currently supported are Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter and many more) from a single IM-like interface. The idea is to have an overview of what’s happening on your social networks, and send instant messages to other users. 8hands software is currently in alpha (I guess we’re lucky alpha is the first letter of Greek alphabet, otherwise we’d have even more unstable software dubbed with a name that signifies even earlier stages of development), so expect some instability.
Second Brain takes a radically different approach to aggregation than other apps on this list. You organize your data - this includes data from your social network profiles, like Flickr photos or YouTube videos - into collections. A collection is basically a bunch of links, photos, or other bits and pieces of data thrown onto a dashboard; you can create your own collections or explore what others have collected. While the concept seems powerful, I’ve found myself trying to find something to do with it all. In any case, Second Brain is currently in invite-only beta stage and there will probably be some changes in the service until it goes public.
UpScoop lets you upload the contacts from your address book (Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail and AOL are supported) and it lets you discover which of your friends are active on social networks like Hi5, MySpace and others. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing UpScoop didn’t work with my perfectly valid Gmail address, so I couldn’t properly test it out. Hopefully, it’s just a temporary glitch.
ProfileOMat advertises itself as the last profile we’ll ever need - if only things were that simple! ProfileOMat doesn’t really aggregate your social networking profiles; it merely creates a profile from which you can reach all of your other profiles on social network. It does have a couple of nifty features, for example, you can set up your geographical location with the help of Google Maps.
MyLifeBrand tries to go a step further by really integrating various social network sites within a MyLifeBrand frame. While this approach brings a far more streamlined experience, it’s unlikely that social network users will want to open their favorite website within some other website; also, there’s always the possibility of unexpected errors with this approach. At this time MyLifeBrand is in invite-only beta, so if you don’t have an invitation code, you won’t be able to try it out.
Amongst the rounded corners and reflections that have become the usual visual identity for Web 2.0 ProfileLinker stands out by looking very Web 1.0-ish. After registration, you can add your various social network profiles and your contacts, and all this activity will be shown on your ProfileLinker profile. The look and feel of the interface leaves a lot to be desired; for one thing, I’d like to be able to remove random information about ProfileLinker’s history that shows up on my profile; in general, the options for personalization are quite limited.
Snag takes a no-nonsense approach: no registration required; just enter some of your social network credentials (Facebook, MySpace, Hi5, Friendster and LinkedIn are supported) and you get a group lifestream of your activity on these networks. The application needs much polishing, though; for example, entering the wrong credentials won’t result in an error; instead, your lifestream will consist of login errors retrieved from that particular network. At this point, Snag looks more like proof-of-concept than a full-fledged app.
Besides aggregating your social network profiles, Socialnetwork.in spices things up with ratings. Perhaps I’m just unlucky, but testing the service resulted in numerous errors which pretty much prevented me to do any serious analysis. To see some basic features check out the screencast here.
OK, a free bonus for the 21st: Mashable also aggregates your social networking links in one place, with video, photo sharing, Flickr import and other features. It’s worth disclosing at least.
October 13, 2008
Sales Triggers
Copywriting Persuasive Ads, what's the secret?
Have general knowledge: be creative, experience the world. Know specific knowledge about the product or service, be an expert. Practice writing, write a lot, every moment you can, letters, etc. What's the best environment to sell the product? Harmonize with the prospect / reader (rapport, get the prospect to say yes, make compliments, harmonize with the environment and product Selling books; based on curiosity, suggestion, a secret in the book Slippery slide in the copy of an ad (over the edge, pitch and tempo) Seeds of curiosity (later I'll tell you something I never told anyone else, but there's more, wait till you read what I just discovered, getting interest) Sell with emotion, use logic to justify the purchase (sell the concept with emotion, example: challenging the buyer) Technical explanation; it shows and proves you're an expert Service; raise and solve the issue if you're product needs service Trial period; courteous refund? Price comparison; good value Ask for the order, close the deal Summary Product explanation Sexual orientation; be careful not to be too sexist Raising objections and resolve it New feature; highlight them Ease of ordering Clear copy; write for yourself (bigger for upscale audience Rhythm in an add (short and long sentences) Paragraph headings / subheadings (makes the copy look less intimidating; in direct mail: making statements, attention getting) Type face; legible language, clear Seriff style type Physical Facts, mention all facts, size, weight, price Name the price Testimonials Avoid saying too much Conversational tone: First person: I want to..., me, we, our ... to a person individual Tell a story in the copy How to structure the content Inquiry generator: first call then sales or direct sales: test! Contest in the add: challenge the reader Branding start up: informative Copy should be long enough to cause the reader to take the action you request. Every communication should be a personal one from the writer to the recipient regardless of the medium used The ideas presented in your copy should flow in a logical fashion as if you were face to face with your prospect anticipating and raising every question and answering them as if these questions were indeed asked In the editing process you reduce the copy to express exactly to what you want to express with the least amounts of words Selling the cure is a lot easier than selling a preventative, unless the preventative is perceived as a cure or the cure would have aspects of the preventative or is emphasized. Telling a story can effectively sell your product, create the environment or get your reader well into your copy as you create an emotional bonding with your prospect. Use the slippery slide; your reader should be so compelled to read your copy that they cannot stop reading until they read all of it. Keep the copy interesting and keep the reader interested by the power of curiosity The incubation process is the power of your subconscious mind to use all of your knowledge and experiences to solve a specific problem the efficiency of which is dedicated or dictated by time orientation, environment and ego. (take a break) Never sell a product or service, always sell a concept. The mindstretch-effect; the more the mind must work to reach a conclusion, which it eventually successfully reaches, the more positive, enjoyable and stimulating the experience.
Psychological Triggers
The feeling of involvement and ownership (also visualizing using the product) Honesty (truthful statements, tell all the good and bad things about the product) Integrity (trustworthy Credibility (if price is too low or high) Prove of value for comparison purposes Justify the purpose (compare to similar product, for business tax deductible) Greed Establish authority Satisfaction conviction; I'm so convinced that you're going to like this product that I'm offering you... the consumer feels the public is going to rip you off (refund the money not used, not used in two years etc.) Nature of the product (perceive the need of the product: burglar alarm, insurance) Current Fads (in the beginning, at peak or slightly past nothing lasts forever) Timing Desire to belong (to special group who own a ..., the smartest people own ...) The desire to collect (scarcity, several models Curiosity (most powerful element in campaign) in retail: immediate gratification go Sense of urgency; limited supplies (needs prove) (also: example extra offer if the response is within few hours) Instant gratification Exclusivity, rarity or uniqueness Simplicity; is the key to sell any product; test out your ads (dotted line around the coupon) Human relationships (relate to the human using it, good looking people) Reciprocity; if you do a favor, they will want to do a favor back (guilt)
[Reposted from MetaMagazine 2002]
Copywriting is a mental process, the successful execution of of which reflects the sum total of all your experiences, your specific knowledge and your ability to mentally process that information and eventually transfer this to a piece of paper all for the purpose of communicating an idea.
The purpose is to reach out in your pocket and buy the product.
The format
First line: lead-sentence, a few words, second sentence getting you to read the rest.
Use the next aspects as a checklist for your copy:
Psychological Triggers
This overview is based on Joe Sugarman’s E-book Psychological Triggers
[Reposted from MetaMagazine 2002]
October 12, 2008
Secrets of Sales
1. A tightly scheduled 12-hour day.
2. Have contacting goals.
3. Systematic communication.
4. Know your subject.
5. Learn from questions you are asked: Don't get caught twice.
6. Always have an active prospect list that you contact regularly.
7. Respond fast.
8. Keep your name in front of the customer.
9. Develop innovative strategies for yourself and your customers.
10. Impressive preparation.
11. Finding a niche.
12. Weekly targets.
13. Show people their strengths.
14. Use 80/20 rule.
15. Each day write down 2 things on the job you did that you enjoyed or found satisfying.
16. React to problems promptly.
17. Honesty.
18. It's all or nothing for the customer.
19. Thorough planning.
20. Verify key points after meetings in writing.
21. Start meetings with a review.
22. Bring, show or discuss one positive they are not expecting.
23. Tried and true case studies.
24. Develop a system that allows you to find info in 15 seconds.
25. Respect deadlines on promises made.
26. Use flexibility to break into new markets.
27. Perfect your communication.
28. Mentally walk with them.
29. Put features and benefits into layers of pyramid and focus on best layer.
30. Mind-emptying exercises.
31. Structured follow-up
32. See how success works and copy, copy, copy.
33. Don't get tired of service.
34. Flair
35. Anticipate questions and know the answers.
36. Believe in your product.
37. Know exactly where you're going to start the next day.
38. Have high daily targets and when you achieve them--quit.
39. Set up definite rules to get over each hurdle and on to the next.
40. Know competitors products.
41. Create pride of ownership.
42. Have a structured selling answer to "What do you do? & a handout.
43. State your price as a benefit.
44. Answer, "What do you do?"
45. Spend 90% of your time either prospecting or on appointments.
46. Develop solid closing questions.
47. Know your product--shoot the answer.
48. List the benefits of your product.
49. Look as if you've operated the product all your life.
50 Full-scale mock-up. Prototype.
51. Be there when you're needed.
52. Never, ever forget one single thing you've promised to do,
no matter how trivial it seems.
53. Respect the client for what he is and for what he has accomplished in life.
54. Verbalize respect.
55. Reliability, responsiveness, tangibles, assurance, empathy.
56. Know your case and their case.
57. Put enormous thought and energy into reconfiguring your world so that when emergencies happen you have exactly what you need to do the job.
58. Know their history when you arrive.
59. Always know and communicate the next step.
60. 3 Steps: Previous, Current, Next.
61. Way of the gull: Work like hell and go after every scrap.
62. Leverage time and effort.
63. Analyze, measure, identify my selling, marketing, advertising and operations.
64. In a minute, describe what it is about your business that gives
greater advantage, greater benefit, and greater result to your client.
65. How can I test one way against another?
66. What is my clear, accurate distinct vision of my business?
67. How many better, other additional ways could I be doing?
68. How can I get the highest and best use of my time and opportunity.
69. Who could recommend me?
70. What do my clients pre-do and post-do that I can leverage.
71. Do one good thing consistently well.
72. If something works, experiment with a copy.
73. Never create the same routine twice.
74. Trial and error but debrief.
75. Rise before dawn.
76. Be willing to be consumed by a task as long as it takes.
77. Practice the basics endlessly.
78. Your core investment must be in understanding your customers.
79. Stress high quality relationships
80. Be a perpetual prospecting machine.
81. Lose the no's.
82. Have a strategic plan and a relentless application of the plan.
83. Document everything. Always know what happened.
[Reposted from MetaMagazine website 2002]
2. Have contacting goals.
3. Systematic communication.
4. Know your subject.
5. Learn from questions you are asked: Don't get caught twice.
6. Always have an active prospect list that you contact regularly.
7. Respond fast.
8. Keep your name in front of the customer.
9. Develop innovative strategies for yourself and your customers.
10. Impressive preparation.
11. Finding a niche.
12. Weekly targets.
13. Show people their strengths.
14. Use 80/20 rule.
15. Each day write down 2 things on the job you did that you enjoyed or found satisfying.
16. React to problems promptly.
17. Honesty.
18. It's all or nothing for the customer.
19. Thorough planning.
20. Verify key points after meetings in writing.
21. Start meetings with a review.
22. Bring, show or discuss one positive they are not expecting.
23. Tried and true case studies.
24. Develop a system that allows you to find info in 15 seconds.
25. Respect deadlines on promises made.
26. Use flexibility to break into new markets.
27. Perfect your communication.
28. Mentally walk with them.
29. Put features and benefits into layers of pyramid and focus on best layer.
30. Mind-emptying exercises.
31. Structured follow-up
32. See how success works and copy, copy, copy.
33. Don't get tired of service.
34. Flair
35. Anticipate questions and know the answers.
36. Believe in your product.
37. Know exactly where you're going to start the next day.
38. Have high daily targets and when you achieve them--quit.
39. Set up definite rules to get over each hurdle and on to the next.
40. Know competitors products.
41. Create pride of ownership.
42. Have a structured selling answer to "What do you do? & a handout.
43. State your price as a benefit.
44. Answer, "What do you do?"
45. Spend 90% of your time either prospecting or on appointments.
46. Develop solid closing questions.
47. Know your product--shoot the answer.
48. List the benefits of your product.
49. Look as if you've operated the product all your life.
50 Full-scale mock-up. Prototype.
51. Be there when you're needed.
52. Never, ever forget one single thing you've promised to do,
no matter how trivial it seems.
53. Respect the client for what he is and for what he has accomplished in life.
54. Verbalize respect.
55. Reliability, responsiveness, tangibles, assurance, empathy.
56. Know your case and their case.
57. Put enormous thought and energy into reconfiguring your world so that when emergencies happen you have exactly what you need to do the job.
58. Know their history when you arrive.
59. Always know and communicate the next step.
60. 3 Steps: Previous, Current, Next.
61. Way of the gull: Work like hell and go after every scrap.
62. Leverage time and effort.
63. Analyze, measure, identify my selling, marketing, advertising and operations.
64. In a minute, describe what it is about your business that gives
greater advantage, greater benefit, and greater result to your client.
65. How can I test one way against another?
66. What is my clear, accurate distinct vision of my business?
67. How many better, other additional ways could I be doing?
68. How can I get the highest and best use of my time and opportunity.
69. Who could recommend me?
70. What do my clients pre-do and post-do that I can leverage.
71. Do one good thing consistently well.
72. If something works, experiment with a copy.
73. Never create the same routine twice.
74. Trial and error but debrief.
75. Rise before dawn.
76. Be willing to be consumed by a task as long as it takes.
77. Practice the basics endlessly.
78. Your core investment must be in understanding your customers.
79. Stress high quality relationships
80. Be a perpetual prospecting machine.
81. Lose the no's.
82. Have a strategic plan and a relentless application of the plan.
83. Document everything. Always know what happened.
The above list was taken from Dale Kirby's Meta-Web. Mostly compiled from the book "The Secrets of the World's Top Sales Performers by Christine Harvey" and other sources.
[Reposted from MetaMagazine website 2002]
Exchange Economics
Most ways humans have of organizing are adaptations to scarcity and want. Each way carries with it different ways of gaining social status.
The simplest way is the command hierarchy. In command hierarchies, allocation of scarce goods is done by one central authority and backed up by force. Command hierarchies scale very poorly [Mal]; they become increasingly brutal and inefficient as they get larger. For this reason, command hierarchies above the size of an extended family are almost always parasites on a larger economy of a different type. In command hierarchies, social status is primarily determined by access to coercive power.
Our society is predominantly an exchange economy. This is a sophisticated adaptation to scarcity that, unlike the command model, scales quite well. Allocation of scarce goods is done in a decentralized way through trade and voluntary cooperation (and in fact, the dominating effect of competitive desire is to produce cooperative behavior). In an exchange economy, social status is primarily determined by having control of things (not necessarily material things) to use or trade.
Most people have implicit mental models for both of the above, and how they interact with each other.
Government, the military, and organized crime (for example) are command hierarchies parasitic on the broader exchange economy we call ‘the free market’. There’s a third model, however, that is radically different from either and not generally recognized except by anthropologists; the gift culture.
Gift cultures are adaptations not to scarcity but to abundance. They arise in populations that do not have significant material-scarcity problems with survival goods. We can observe gift cultures in action among aboriginal cultures living in ecozones with mild climates and abundant food. We can also observe them in certain strata of our own society, especially in show business and among the very wealthy.
Abundance makes command relationships difficult to sustain and exchange relationships an almost pointless game. In gift cultures, social status is determined not by what you control but by what you give away.
Used source: Homesteading the Noosphere by Eric Steven Raymond\
[Reposted MetaMagazine 2001]Local Echange Communities
Local Exchange Economies are formed locally worldwide with a Local Exchange Trading System (LETS) which often use their own local currency unit. It is a barter-like network but not only for businesses; also individuals can join. I am member of Keerkring Groningen which is one of the many LETS groups in the Netherlands. See also Letscontact.nl (Dutch).
Another bartering network I joined (aiming at sustainable economy) is Qoin.com.
Solving Financial Problems & Money Affirmations
Loose the negative associations with Money allowing yourself to own money (see Money Affirmations below)
Practically there are basically only three ways to solve financial problems:
 | increase income, |
| decrease expenses, or |
| adjust credit debt payments. |
Several options exist for increasing income but all may not be alternatives for a particular situation. These possibilities include upgrading a present job to one that pays more; switching jobs to a better-paying one; working overtime; having someone additional in the household seek and find employment where more money is made than spent; qualifying for assistance, either public or private such as food stamps, child support, grants or subsidies; and renting or selling assets that are no longer needed and/or used.
Temporary adjustments in expenses may provide temporary income increases. Stop payroll deductions for retirement, savings, or education funds. Adjust tax withholding so that enough is being withheld but a large tax refund will not be coming next spring. Do more home production; garden or sew if you already have the skill and equipment needed. Use community resources for recreation. Pay insurance premiums monthly instead.
To decrease expenses either CUT DOWN or CUT OUT. For most people going "cold turkey" or cutting out entirely may not be possible. Above all, to cut expenses, go to a cash-only basis; put all credit cards out of reach.
Certain expenses cannot be cut out entirely because of health or safety concerns such as utilities, food, health, recreation, and insurance.
[Reference (renewed) source: Solve Financial Problems]
Recommended reading:- Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter (Contributor)
- Why We Want You to be Rich: Two Men - One Message - Donald J. Trump, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Meredith McIver, Sharon Lechter
Money Affirmations (spiritually oriented):
- I am now open to receive the abundant good that God has for me
- God is the source of all my good, I look only to him for my supply
- I vision only that which is for my highest good
- I speak only good, kind, loving and harmonious words
- I now release all fear, worry and doubt into the loving arms of God
- All that the father has is mine, I rejoice in it now
- I now let go and let God work in my financial affairs
- I think only loving positive and uplifting thoughts
- Money is positive, money is my friend
- I am now open to receive the abundant good that God has for me
- It is good to be wealthy
- God wants me to share in his good fortune
- I use my wealth wisely
- I now decree to God that I am ready to receive his abundance
- Financial success is mine, I accept it now
- I send out in thought only that which I desire to have returned
- The good I send out in thought, comes back to me multiplied
- I now have a clear and open connection with my higher self
- Money is coming to me easily and effortlessly
- I love the work I do, it is a part of God's divine plan
- I am now one with infinite intelligence
- I am an open channel expressing God's will
- God is guiding me in everything I do
- I deserve to be rich, I accept it now
- God goes before me making everything right
- I now live in a loving harmonious universe
- God is abundant, I am one with God
- As a loving father, God wants me to enjoy his good wealth
- Success is mine, I accept it now
- I now decree to God my intention to share his wealth
- I use my money wisely for the good of all
- Money is circulating freely in my life
- Money comes to me in many ways, through God
- I am divinely guided in all that I do
- The Lord wants me to be prosperous, I say YES!
- I now gives thanks to a loving, abundant God
Written by Jeff Staniforth - AffirmWare 7 Part Affirmation Course? Visit http://www.AffirmWare.com.au
Quoted at the forum of Positive-club.com.
Management Roles
The primary role of management is to make it possible for teams to work. They also provide guidance and direction to work effort.
The role of management in an organization is purely functional. It is not a role any more or less prestigious than any other role in the company. It is similar to the difference between marketing personnel and engineering personnel. The function of management is:
- Set up a plan (vision) for the company, group, or team being managed.
- Ensure that the management personnel can do their jobs with the up most efficiency.
- Resolve any disputes that arise.
- Act as an interface between employees and upper management
- Track resource use and report costs to higher management.
- Present new ideas for the company to upper management.
- Track project progress and revise estimates or make adjustments.
- Deal with problems and shield employees from them as much as possible to allow them to concentrate on their jobs.
One important difference between managers and other functional positions in the company lies in the fact that decisions made by the manager will affect more people either in a positive or negative way.
Skills Required
- Communication - Learn to listen and be observant.
- Experience - At least 10 years working in a field similar to those being managed. A broad background is helpful.
- Leadership - Leadership is really a mix of many other skills and in many ways is intangible. A true leader, however, is willing to do any task necessary to complete the job. That means, they are willing to do the same work as other employees and get their hands dirty when required.
- Delegation - Good managers must be willing to trust their staff and delegate responsibility and authority.
- Organizational - Being able to organize teams, roles and projects is important. Some organizational requirements can be delegated, however. Having a messy desk does not necessarily mean a manager is unorganized.
Not all individuals have all these skills in abundance, but essential skills require communications and getting along with others.
What to do
- Trust your team and expect professionalism unless proven otherwise.
- Base project estimates using employee estimates times the observed load factor of the team. The load factor can be calculated when iterative development is used. It is calculated based on how long the iteration would have actually taken vs the original time estimated.
- Make sure all team members are heard with regard to ideas and project input when applicable.
- Make sure all confidential meetings with employees stay confidential.
What not to do
- Force schedules upon employees. This is dependent on the project or problem. If there is a major problem such as a network being down it needs to be fixed as soon as possible. For these types of problems or mission critical problems, everything else is stopped until it is fixed. Therefore this is as much a setting of priority, but is normally a short term problem where overtime is justified.
- Be bureaucratic with employees that show initiative.
- Fail to reward desired behavior.
- Fail to resolve problems when they occur.
Management Roles
Management must:
- Keep focused on requirements
- Shield the team from distractions
- Resolve conflicts
Serious project risks that can be caused, allowed, or influenced by management are:
- Excessive schedule pressure
- Creeping requirements
- Poor estimates
- Low quality
- Low productivity
- Inadequate measurement
Mintzberg's 10 Managerial Roles
| INTERPERSONAL | Figurehead | Performs ceremonial and symbolic duties such as greeting visitors, signing legal documents |
| Leader | Direct and motivate subordinates, training, counseling, and communicating with subordinates | |
| Liaison | Maintain information links both inside and outside organization; use mail, phone calls, meetings | |
| INFORMATIONAL | Monitor | Seek and receive information, scan periodicals and reports, maintain personal contacts |
| Disseminator | Forward information to other organization members; send memos and reports, make phone calls | |
| Spokesperson | Transmit information to outsiders through speeches, reports, memos | |
| DECISIONAL | Entrepreneur | Initiate improvement projects, identify new ideas, delegate idea responsibility to others |
| Disturbance Handler | Take corrective action during disputes or crises; resolve conflicts among subordinates; adapt to environmental crises | |
| Resource Allocator | Decide who gets resources, scheduling, budgeting, setting priorities | |
| Negotiator | Represent department during negotiation of union contracts, sales, purchases, budgets; represent departmental interests |
Original source: Henry Mintzberg - The Nature of Managerial Work
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