Wednesday, December 17, 2014
sambal8.blogspot.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Travel Like A Business Owner, Frugally!
People who don't travel much will often think that business
travel is exotic. Interesting cities, nice hotels, restaurant meals all
seems so much better that the everyday "humdrum" existence they live!
Then there are the people who actually travel for business, whose view might be a little different. Longer hours, no home cooked meals, miss their own bed, hotels are all the same when all you do is use them to sleep and shower, restaurant meals get old and then there is the time away from family. Not often mentioned but equally off putting is the exposure to germs and people you might not otherwise choose to meet! Too often you find yourself in an aircraft where invariably you are sitting next to a large person who overflows into your space, and has a very obvious cold!
Now that I have put business travel into context, it IS a valuable, and needed, activity for any business that has multiple locations or even just clients in multiple locations.
Business owners approach travel with the goal of achieving their business needs as effectively and as "cost effectively" as possible! Here are some business travel tips from a business owner:
"Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." Benjamin Franklin
These are lessons I have learned over the last 18 years owning and operating my own business.
What tips do you have to share?
Then there are the people who actually travel for business, whose view might be a little different. Longer hours, no home cooked meals, miss their own bed, hotels are all the same when all you do is use them to sleep and shower, restaurant meals get old and then there is the time away from family. Not often mentioned but equally off putting is the exposure to germs and people you might not otherwise choose to meet! Too often you find yourself in an aircraft where invariably you are sitting next to a large person who overflows into your space, and has a very obvious cold!
Now that I have put business travel into context, it IS a valuable, and needed, activity for any business that has multiple locations or even just clients in multiple locations.
Business owners approach travel with the goal of achieving their business needs as effectively and as "cost effectively" as possible! Here are some business travel tips from a business owner:
"Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." Benjamin Franklin
- Book ahead! Last minute travel is costly... and does not allow you to plan your days as effectively as you might.
- Look at travel options... don't go with the same airline all the time just to collect points! In Canada I might travel on Westjet, Air Canada or Porter based on price, convenience and my travel needs for a given trip.
- Be frugal with hotel bookings. Generally it's just a bed and a shower. You don't need the most expensive hotel. I find a reasonable place, convenient to my meetings. I often use sites like Hotwire to get great rates and have friends who use airbnb.
- Limit travel in business hours. I get early morning flights when headed west, and late evening flights when headed east. This means I can maximize my time at my destination. For example if I leave Toronto at or before 7am I can arrive in Calgary or Vancouver around 9am local time, giving me a full day in that city.
- Look after your body. Eat well, get enough sleep and work out. You don't even need a gym to work out! Pushups, ab exercises, squats, lunges, walking the stairs etc. are all good exercise that you can do anywhere.
- Travel with hand sanitiser. In the "germ environments" of planes and hotels it makes sense to act like a health professional. Wash your hands often!
- Travel with supplements. You will likely not get the nutrients you get with your regular diet so bring vitamins, ColdFX even some pain medication. It will help you stay healthier and hence more effective.
- Limit your alcohol intake. It is easy to let this get away from you when you are visiting colleagues and clients in other cities. Exercise some restraint, your body will thank you.
- Take materials with you that will make your travel time effective. Catch up on reading, create a reading file with photocopies or cutouts of articles. Put materials on your kindle, iPad or other reader.
- Travel light. Learn to pack effectively and think through your wardrobe... if you can travel with carry-on luggage only you will save time and aggravation. (Learn to us an iron... there is one in most hotel rooms).
- Spend like it is your own money. As a business owner it IS your own money! Tip appropriately, but not extravagantly. Choose reasonable but not crazy restaurants. Take the team for a couple of drinks, but don't make a night of it.
These are lessons I have learned over the last 18 years owning and operating my own business.
What tips do you have to share?
hptelphone.blogspot.com
Three Steps to Getting on Google
If you want your website to be noticed, you have to get on Google. And if you want to get on Google, you have to make yourself as visible as possible to them and their web crawlers. Then of course once you're on, you're going to want make sure you stay there.
Getting and staying on Google can be broken down into three easily remembered stages:
· Build (on-site SEO)
- How Do You Choose The Best Online Business To Star...
- Hidden Features of Google Search
- How to Make Money Online the Easy Way Without Inve...
- How To Make Money Using wikiHow
- My 5 Favorite Ways To Make Money Online
- Give Your Customers What They Are Looking for
- Why Web Hosting Is Good For Your Business
Monday, December 15, 2014
pesawatair.blogspot.com
Fisher-Price Imaginext Supernova Battle Rover
 |
| >Shop now |
| List Price: | |
| Price: | $109.99 + $14.49 shipping |
| You Save: | $10.00 (8%) |
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by ToySheep.
Please check other sellers who may ship internationally.
- Endless Imaginext Play! The hot wish-list toy that will keep your boy engaged and playing with it for years!
- Turn disk to raise removable space shuttle; pull trigger to fire projectiles from the space shuttle's two launchers
- Use kid-controlled panel to interact with the Rover, triggering SFX, phrases and lights!
- When other Imaginext ships (sold separately) fire at it, the Rover responds with different SFX and phrases!
- Includes Battle Rover, removable space shuttle, storage area, tools and weapons and much more!
usahapesawat.blogspot.com
Getting Deals on Great Houses: Consider Finding a Realty Company to Help
For Sellers
The real estate agent will help a homeowner set a price. This aids the homeowner in not getting ripped off. Plus, it can help the homeowner put the house up for sale for a price that's actually reasonable,
Getting Past Sales Objections
It seems that every time I'm on a sales call I get an objection.
Sometimes it's a concern about the program taking too much time or costing too much. Sometimes they already have taken programs and want to do more with them before moving on or getting more. Maybe they feel that they can't make the decision at that moment and need to consult with their partner.
Bottom line, it's almost never "Sure that sounds great, sign me up!"
As a business owner and, by default, a sales person, it's frustrating.
You know your product or service is amazing. You know that your product or service can help people.
Why don't prospects simply say yes?
The reality is that nobody says YES to any purchase immediately, including you.
Don't believe me? Think about this.
You go to the supermarket for groceries.
You are in the produce section. You look around, what looks good? You head to the apples. Do you get the organic or not? What's the price difference? Which looks better? You decide which type to get and then pick through them to find apples with no blemishes or soft spots.
You see spinach. This should be easy, your entire family enjoys spinach and it's on sale. Then you wonder, why is it so cheap? Better check the date on the package. Are they trying to move it before it goes bad?
You go to the broccoli and then you remember, last time you bought broccoli it didn't get used up and it went bad, maybe you won't get it after all.
Finally you see onions, you grab a few, then stop... you think there may be some left, and you call home and check before you get them.
You move onto the meat department. You see a beautiful roast. It's on sale, but it's still quite expensive. Logically you shouldn't buy it but you really want it. You go for it, even though you know you're going to have to explain yourself when you get home.
Here's the deal, every time you buy something a decision is involved.
You decide if the product is right for you and if it solves the problem you have. You need to trust yourself to use the product. You also must trust the business or person providing the product. And most important, you need to believe that the problem you have, or the desire you are seeking to fulfill is worth your time, energy and money.
This is true even for your "impulse buys". Retail stores are experts at engaging in a sales conversation with you the entire time you are in a store. They hint, they "warm you up," they put products right where you are most likely to have a YES conversation.
And what about those things the things that you just grab off the shelf because they are on your "shopping list"? Well, you already engaged in a sales conservation with yourself and decided to buy it even before you went into the store, although I bet you check the quality of the packaging anyway.
How do you, as a business owner, get people to say "YES"?
First of all know that you are going to hear an objection. The objection is simply the prospects way of engaging in a meaningful conversation with you.
It is never your job, as a business owner and sales person to convince someone to buy from you. It is simply your job to be present with them and help them to make a decision.
It is your job to help them see how your product or service can benefit them. To help them understand how what you are offering is different from something that they already have. To help them prepare for a conversation with their partner, so that they can help their partner understand why they bought it or want to buy it.
Sometimes it's a concern about the program taking too much time or costing too much. Sometimes they already have taken programs and want to do more with them before moving on or getting more. Maybe they feel that they can't make the decision at that moment and need to consult with their partner.
Bottom line, it's almost never "Sure that sounds great, sign me up!"
As a business owner and, by default, a sales person, it's frustrating.
You know your product or service is amazing. You know that your product or service can help people.
Why don't prospects simply say yes?
The reality is that nobody says YES to any purchase immediately, including you.
Don't believe me? Think about this.
You go to the supermarket for groceries.
You are in the produce section. You look around, what looks good? You head to the apples. Do you get the organic or not? What's the price difference? Which looks better? You decide which type to get and then pick through them to find apples with no blemishes or soft spots.
You see spinach. This should be easy, your entire family enjoys spinach and it's on sale. Then you wonder, why is it so cheap? Better check the date on the package. Are they trying to move it before it goes bad?
You go to the broccoli and then you remember, last time you bought broccoli it didn't get used up and it went bad, maybe you won't get it after all.
Finally you see onions, you grab a few, then stop... you think there may be some left, and you call home and check before you get them.
You move onto the meat department. You see a beautiful roast. It's on sale, but it's still quite expensive. Logically you shouldn't buy it but you really want it. You go for it, even though you know you're going to have to explain yourself when you get home.
Here's the deal, every time you buy something a decision is involved.
You decide if the product is right for you and if it solves the problem you have. You need to trust yourself to use the product. You also must trust the business or person providing the product. And most important, you need to believe that the problem you have, or the desire you are seeking to fulfill is worth your time, energy and money.
This is true even for your "impulse buys". Retail stores are experts at engaging in a sales conversation with you the entire time you are in a store. They hint, they "warm you up," they put products right where you are most likely to have a YES conversation.
And what about those things the things that you just grab off the shelf because they are on your "shopping list"? Well, you already engaged in a sales conservation with yourself and decided to buy it even before you went into the store, although I bet you check the quality of the packaging anyway.
How do you, as a business owner, get people to say "YES"?
First of all know that you are going to hear an objection. The objection is simply the prospects way of engaging in a meaningful conversation with you.
It is never your job, as a business owner and sales person to convince someone to buy from you. It is simply your job to be present with them and help them to make a decision.
It is your job to help them see how your product or service can benefit them. To help them understand how what you are offering is different from something that they already have. To help them prepare for a conversation with their partner, so that they can help their partner understand why they bought it or want to buy it.
5 Skills You Must Master Before Launching a Start-Up
You're on the cusp of that one big idea. It's a time of
excitement, research and discussion. You're itching to jump headlong
into launching your start-up. But before you do, you should pause for a
moment and put your mind to 5 essential skills. Then, once you've
mastered them, the business world is your oyster.
1. The art of networking
'It's who you know, not what you know' may be an overused saying, but it does ring true as you embark on your business venture. At this point, you need all of the contacts you can get. Some will be able to offer advice and expertise. Others may be in a position to help with the logistics, or to simply provide moral support. Either way, it's time to jump on LinkedIn and dig out those old forgotten business cards in the deepest depths of your wallet. Lay your contacts on the table and start talking. You never know what will come of it unless you try.
2. How to build a brand
Image is everything, especially when it comes to business. And there's little point in launching a start-up without understanding how to create a brand. We don't mean any old brand: we're talking a suite of design assets that make a strong statement about your business. Your brand - everything from your logo to your web content - should be memorable, honest and original. Do it right, and it will put you head and shoulders above your competitors, right from the word go. So make it count.
3. Basic financial management
It may not be the most exciting facet of business, but financial management is certainly one of the most important skills you can master before launching a start-up. First, you'll need to register your business as a legal entity. Then, you'll need to put the systems in place to manage your finances - whether that's physical folders, an Excel spreadsheet or nifty accounting software. Learn a few good habits now, and you'll save yourself time and headaches further down the line. So file your receipts, keep a running total of your income and expenditure, and list your assets. Or better still, find a good accountant to do take it all off your shoulders.
4. Get online savvy
From building brand awareness to generating online sales, you should not dismiss the benefits of the World Wide Web. In fact, a strong online presence can give your fledgling business the best possible start in life - so now is the time to get internet savvy. You'll need a website, along with a solid digital marketing strategy to drive traffic. So if you don't know your CMS from your SEO, it's time to gain some online skills. Read blogs, speak to marketing experts (here's where your contact list will come in handy), or even enlist the help of a digital agency. A little time and effort now will go a long way as your business starts to grow.
5. How to measure success
Success may sound like a concept, but there are ways you can - and should - measure it. To start, you'll need a clear idea of your goals. What are you trying to achieve this month; this year; over the next five years? Set up the systems to measure this success - whether it's conversion tracking in Google Analytics, financial forecasts or the growth of your mailing list. Don't take a 'finger in the air' approach - you need focus and precision from the moment you get started. Then, if you begin to veer off course, you can set things right before any damage is done.
So before you launch your start-up, take stock and get skilled up. These five skills won't only stand you in good stead as you begin your venture - they'll provide a sound basis throughout the entire lifespan of your business.
1. The art of networking
'It's who you know, not what you know' may be an overused saying, but it does ring true as you embark on your business venture. At this point, you need all of the contacts you can get. Some will be able to offer advice and expertise. Others may be in a position to help with the logistics, or to simply provide moral support. Either way, it's time to jump on LinkedIn and dig out those old forgotten business cards in the deepest depths of your wallet. Lay your contacts on the table and start talking. You never know what will come of it unless you try.
2. How to build a brand
Image is everything, especially when it comes to business. And there's little point in launching a start-up without understanding how to create a brand. We don't mean any old brand: we're talking a suite of design assets that make a strong statement about your business. Your brand - everything from your logo to your web content - should be memorable, honest and original. Do it right, and it will put you head and shoulders above your competitors, right from the word go. So make it count.
3. Basic financial management
It may not be the most exciting facet of business, but financial management is certainly one of the most important skills you can master before launching a start-up. First, you'll need to register your business as a legal entity. Then, you'll need to put the systems in place to manage your finances - whether that's physical folders, an Excel spreadsheet or nifty accounting software. Learn a few good habits now, and you'll save yourself time and headaches further down the line. So file your receipts, keep a running total of your income and expenditure, and list your assets. Or better still, find a good accountant to do take it all off your shoulders.
4. Get online savvy
From building brand awareness to generating online sales, you should not dismiss the benefits of the World Wide Web. In fact, a strong online presence can give your fledgling business the best possible start in life - so now is the time to get internet savvy. You'll need a website, along with a solid digital marketing strategy to drive traffic. So if you don't know your CMS from your SEO, it's time to gain some online skills. Read blogs, speak to marketing experts (here's where your contact list will come in handy), or even enlist the help of a digital agency. A little time and effort now will go a long way as your business starts to grow.
5. How to measure success
Success may sound like a concept, but there are ways you can - and should - measure it. To start, you'll need a clear idea of your goals. What are you trying to achieve this month; this year; over the next five years? Set up the systems to measure this success - whether it's conversion tracking in Google Analytics, financial forecasts or the growth of your mailing list. Don't take a 'finger in the air' approach - you need focus and precision from the moment you get started. Then, if you begin to veer off course, you can set things right before any damage is done.
So before you launch your start-up, take stock and get skilled up. These five skills won't only stand you in good stead as you begin your venture - they'll provide a sound basis throughout the entire lifespan of your business.
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