Freedom From BigBrother Now!

One of the great values to getting a degree in higher education is the intellectual and social network that are an inherent component to the classroom learning system. The value of this cannot be overstated for several reasons. Complex ideas are better understood through discussions with peers. Maintaining on pace with the course can be made easier through the interaction with those in your class. Even after graduation, the social networks you developed can continue through friendships, but also professionally, with recommendations and contacts playing such an important role in todays business settings.

Recently it has become increasingly understood that the quality of education through online degrees is on par with those in traditional classrooms. But, one concern is that of the absence of the building and maintaining of peer connection and networking. This is a misconception. To be involved in the online health care degree, for example, at Colorado Tech, allows and encourages the interaction of students from all across the country.

The quality of the online health care degree there is second to none and faculty, students, and employers alike recognize that. But it is the relationships that are forged between both the staff and the students that seems to be most surprising to people. Imagine having your social networking not limited to a singular geographic location. Individuals from differing places have different personal and historic experiences and as such are able to offer ideas that may be difficult to be generated by people from other areas.

These relationships are facilitated through discussion boards, threaded classroom discussions, and many other online methods that allow for real interaction. If you’re considering a career in health care, understand that all the benefits of traditional training is available online. And with an online health care degree there are even some unexpected benefits that will arise.

Nelson Widrow is an author who’s written multiple articles about online degrees. Read more of his articles including: online accredited degrees and online health care degree.

I believe that everyone understands that no matter what business you are in- Real Estate, Financial Services, Teaching, Auto Sales any other profession, we are all in the PEOPLE BUSINESS. It’s been said that fully 85% of your success in life is directly related to your ability to effectively work with people. So I wanted to pass on a little tip that will make all your dealings with clients or co-workers much more effective.

It’s laid out in Dale Carnegie’s great book How to Win Friends and Influence People (definitely recommended reading). If you ever asked someone their “favorite subject”, you’d hear answers in a few categories. Most individuals we’ve met will respond with something either in the category of an activity (reading, sports, fishing, etc.) or their relationships (kids, grandkids, etc.) and neither of those are the real answer. The real answer- without exception- is that everyone’s favorite subject is THEMSELVES! By default, everyone is much more interested in their own life and their own day than anyone else’s- and that’s OK. I’m not saying that everyone is or should be totally self-centered. I’m saying that in your dealings with other individuals, you MUST understand and respect this principle. The more you can “put yourself in another person’s shoes”, the better communicator you’ll become. Three tips on how to do it:

1. Master the skill of LISTENING. You have two ears and only one mouth, and great communicators will tell you that that’s the proportion they should be used in.
How are your listening skills?

2. Take a SINCERE INTEREST in others. Empathy, compassion, and a real desire to learn about people are some of the most attractive and persuasive qualities you can possess…and they cannot be faked.

3. Remove the words “I” and “me” from most of your communications. When selling, coaching, teaching, or just working with someone, understand that it usually not about you even a little, so don’t try and make it that way.

As with any success principle, the art of communicating is a skill that can (and must) be learned if we are going to live to the fullest. I wish you the best on your continuing journey- make it a truly great day!

Roger Seip,co-founder of Freedom Speakers and Trainers, currently trains professionals across the country in memory, goal setting, attitude, time management, and effective communications. His newest program, P.A.C.T., is an intensive one-on-one twelve week personal coaching program designed for those who are serious about their success. Please click here for more information onRoger http://www.deliverfreedom.com/speakers_roger.html or Freedom Speakers and Trainers www.deliverfreedom.com. Call 888-233-0407 x113 email roger@deliverfreedom.com

Purchasing a glass truck and glass rack is quite a bit different from owning any other type of glass handling equipment. While the glass business matures, the machinery that surrounds it, has too.

The safe and efficient transport of commercial glass and its dozens of applications, created the numerous types of glass truck rack configurations to fulfill demand.

With the large array of options available, an in depth due diligence of your situations base-line requirements is very much needed to purchasing a glass truck. Although anyone can get a universal glass rack from many equipment makers, for almost no added cost you have an expert design a custom glass rack to your exact situation.

Getting to know your requirements in these ways should assist you select the chassis and body combination that will optimize your money.

Dont forget that bodies will typically outlast two and sometimes three chassis. Thinking that far in advance demands a bit of work because the rack body can only work with a similar chassis type design. The chassis design will also determine major considerations of the body specifications such as rack size, ledge width, and payload.

Meanwhile, glass racks come in in three composition materials: aluminum, stainless steel and carbon steel. They all comes with benefits and flaws.

Carbon Steel is the least expensive rack material, but it is likely to eventually demand high maintenance costs to keep it shiny and in good shape, most especially in corrosiveweather conditions.

Aluminum racks are favored for its lightweight characteristics. if anodized or painted, an aluminum glass rack will keep its shine without much maintenance for years and years. Aluminum are more expensive than steel, and more difficult to repair.

Stainless Steel is the best choice for those concerned with anti-corrosive materials and long life. If measured correctly, it will pay off with several years of light care and enduring lifetime. Since a stainless steel glass racks rust resistant composition, etching the faade for painting is a problem, and thus the glass rack bodies are not painted. A brushed exterior aesthetic is a steel racks typical look. Steel is great and its only negative so far is its expensive investment price tag.

Congratulations! You successfully sold one or more of your company’s products or services to a business unit, department, or division of a large organization. Now your manager has tasked you with “account management”. If you are not already familiar with account management, you are probably asking yourself the following questions:

• What is “Account Management”?
• What skills and talents are required to excel in Account Management?
• What activities must be performed to maximize Account Management ROI?

Providing answers to these questions is the focus of this article.

What is Account Management?

Account management is actually a synonym for account penetration. Just because you have sold one product or service to one business entity within an organization doesn’t mean your job is done. Think of all the additional opportunities that may exist in the account! For example:

• Does your company offer additional products or services that might be a “fit” for this customer?
• How many other business units, departments, divisions, and subsidiaries are potential prospects for your company’s offering(s)?

Required Skills and Talents

A critical talent for successful account management is the ability to build relationships, as relationship selling is a very effective way to increase account penetration. Another critical skill/talent is organization. If you are going to manage large accounts effectively, you need to be willing and able to keep meticulous records.

What kinds of records do you need to keep? Picture a large, three-dimensional spreadsheet in your mind. In the left-hand column is a list of every product and service that you could possibly sell to a customer. Across the top of the spreadsheet are all of the business units, departments, divisions, and other business entities that make up your account’s entire organization. Behind each business entity is every contact you know within that business entity.

Armed with this mental picture, ask yourself the following questions:

• Which business entities are you doing business with?
• Which business entities are you not doing business with?
• Where are the various business entities located?
• Which products and services does each business entity already purchase from you?
• Which products and services are they not purchasing from you?
• Who do you know in each business entity?
• Which of these contacts have you already asked for referrals and testimonials?
• What referrals and testimonials have they given you?

Required Activities

Hopefully your organization has some type of CRM (Client Relationship Management) software application to help you keep track of your answers to these questions. If you don’t have access to a corporate CRM system, here are some other options:

• You can purchase a software package like ACT! Or GoldMine
• You can subscribe to an online service like salesforce.com
• You can track information using a spreadsheet, database, or e-mail program

Next, plan your tactics for increasing account penetration by considering the following questions:

• What process will you use to regularly expose each of your contacts in the account to your company’s entire portfolio of products and services?
• Who can provide testimonials that will help you win business in other business units, departments, or divisions in the account?
• Who can refer you to new contacts in other business units, departments, or divisions in the account?

Why is it necessary to repetitively expose your contacts to your company’s entire portfolio of products and services? Because they forget! I can tell you from personal experience that there is nothing more frustrating than finding out a customer has placed a large order with another salesperson…and the only reason they didn’t give you the order was because they didn’t know or remember that you could fill it!

Is There More to Account Management?

There can be, but activities focused on increasing account penetration make up the critical core. Account management does become more complex if a team of people is managing a regional, national, or global account, but most of the complexity pertains to coordinating the activities of the team members.

Don’t make account management more complex than it needs to be! The basic goal is to maximize account penetration. Look for opportunities to sell every product and service in your portfolio to every business entity (business unit, department, division, etc.) in the account. Make maximum use of referrals and testimonials to help you initiate new relationships. Regularly remind all of your contacts of the full breadth of your portfolio of products and services. Be organized and keep meticulous records. If you do these things, you should be amply rewarded for your efforts!

Copyright 2005 — Alan Rigg

Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople Don’t Perform and What to Do About It. His company, 80/20 Sales Performance, helps business owners, executives, and managers DOUBLE sales by implementing The Right Formula for building top-performing sales teams. For more information and more FREE sales and sales management tips, visit http://www.8020salesperformance.com.

Trade shows provide the best face-to-face marketing effort
but shifts in economics and demographics are important to
note.

MORE SHOWS…
Globalization has opened the doors to new and expanded
shows around the world. The greatest increases are in
China, India and other parts of the Asian marketplace.

MORE COMPETITION…
Time is short and trade shows face competition from
corporate events, from golf events as association
fund-raisers or just networking to anything else in the
corporate incentive and consumer experiential marketing kit.

MORE CONSOLIDATION…
Show organizers and owners are aging or changing focus.
From major owners to small shows, show management
firms are selling to larger firms or specialist organizers.

MORE OUTSOURCING
When owners and organizers realize they can’t keep up with
new technology, rapidly growing markets, or shifts in
association demographics or industry economics, they
increasingly look for outside experts to handle all or part of
the trade show job.

MORE OPTIONS
Companies may opt to decrease space at big shows and
spread the dollars among smaller regional or local shows,
utilizing dealer, agent and representative networks to
spread the word about the company

MORE EMPHASIS ON MARKETING
Thanks to technology, there are more outlets for marketing -
e-mail, blogs, iPods and RFID follow-through - plus retro
(but much appreciated) hand-written invitations. Smart
exhibitors know their markets and how to reach them.

Julia O’Connor - Speaker, Author, Consultant - writes
about practical aspects of trade shows. As president of
Trade Show Training, inc,, now celebrating its 10th
year, she works with companies in a variety of
industries to improve their bottom line and marketing
opportunities at trade shows.

Julia is an expert in the psychology of the trade show
environment and uses this expertise in sales training
and management seminars. Contact her at
804-355-7800 or check the site
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com

If there were a pill you could take that could help you lose weight,
get in better shape, and live a longer, healthier life, wouldn’t you
want to know about it?

The good news is, there is such a pill, and it doesn’t require a
prescription, nor is it available over the counter. It’s a simple step
counter, or pedometer, and it has powers you would not believe to
improve your health and wellness, lose weight, and live longer.

What’s a pedometer? It’s a simple electronic device you wear on
your waistband that counts steps. Technically, a pedometer
calculates distance, as opposed to a step counter, which only
counts steps. The pedometer still counts steps, and uses a user-
input stride length to calculate the distance. Other pedometers
show calories burned, elapsed exercise time, steps per minute, and
on and on. All you really need is something that accurately counts
steps. Other features can be nice, but many are not necessary.

Why is it important to count steps? It’s a primary indication of the
activity you are engaged in during the day. Studies have shown that
you don’t need to dedicate a specific time to exercise, per se, but
smaller bouts of activity can have the same effect as one longer,
extended period.

That means that making small changes in your daily routine can have
tremendous effects on your health. Park farther from the store, take
the stairs instead of the elevator, pace while you’re on the phone,
walk with the dog instead of just letting her go, and go down the hall
instead of sending an e-mail or picking up the phone.

By taking more steps-essentially increasing your daily activity and
burning more calories-you are becoming more physically active.
The American Medical Association says that by increasing your
activity level, you will:

Increase stamina
Stimulate weight loss
Lower blood cholesterol
Lower blood pressure
Improve self image
Improve mood
Enhance quality of life

As if that weren’t enough, the AMA says you will also:

Sleep better
Strengthen your heart and lungs
Decrease stress
Increase energy
Maintain appropriate weight
Lower triglycerides
Control blood sugar levels/diabetes
Feel better
Reduce feelings of depression and anxiety
Improve productivity
Build an maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints
Increase muscle tone
Reduce risk if dying prematurely

If any of these benefits are important to you, it’s vital that you begin
to move more. The American College of Sports Medicine
traditionally prescribes the following as the appropriate level of
activity in order to get these benefits:

Frequency: 3 - 5 days per week
Intensity: 60% to 90% of maximal heart rate
Duration: 20 - 60 minutes

If you can’t take 30 minutes to exercise, try three 10-minute walking
sessions throughout the day. Walk briskly to get the maximum
benefit. If you have been sedentary, check with a doctor and start
slow.

Your new life begins today, and it will be a healthier, longer, and
happier life!

Download our FREE ebook about pedometers: ‘Simple Steps to Fitness: A Beginner’s Guide to Pedometers’ at www.rypsports.com/pedometers.html. It will give you more information on choosing and using your pedometer.

We all know the feeling of going out to make our cold calls, only to be shot down by the person at the front desk who looks at us as nothing more than a solicitor.

These front desk people would be otherwise known as the gate keepers.

Lets face it, getting passed the gate keeper can be tough, we are on their turf, what they say goes. Any slight resistance could end up with them making a call to security.

Here are few really good tips on getting passed the gate keeper that have been proven to work.

1. Ask to speak with someone in the sales department.

The next time you are out cold calling, the last thing you want to do is walk into an office building, approach the front desk, and immediately try to sell your product.

Instead, try this approach. Walk up to the receptionist counter, introduce yourself verbally and with a business card, and ask if you may speak with someone in their sales or retail department.

By asking to speak with someone in a specialized department, the receptionist will believe you are there on official business and put you in contact with that department.

Now that you are in front of someone in the same area of work as yourself, they will most assuredly be sensitive to your needs, and understand your situation.

These are the people in the company that will point you in the direction you want to go, and in the direction of the people you want to speak with about your products and services.

2. Call ahead before you go.

Before you go out to make your calls, place a telephone call to the companies you plan on visiting to let them know that you will be stopping by.

Tell them something like this.

Hello, my name is Jim Smith and I will be in your neighborhood this afternoon. I just wanted to let you know that I will be stopping by between the hours of twelve and two to introduce myself. That’s it, stop right there.

Do not ask for permission to stop by. This will give them the opportunity to say no.

Once you arrive at their office, you can than reintroduce yourself as the person that had called earlier in the day.

This technique makes the transition from gate keeper to decision maker much smoother.

Getting passed the gate keeper can be very tricky, but it can be done. By following the two examples I described above, you should find yourself talking with more decision makers. Good luck.

This article may be reproduced by anyone at any time, as long as the authors name and reference links are kept in tact and active.

Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of www.jconners.com, a mortgage resource site, he is also the owner of www.callprospect.com, a mortgage lead company.

(For this example, imagine that Investor A has found a property worth $200,000 and has set a purchase price of $115,000 and he also knows that there are $15,000 in repairs, which leaves an equity position of $70,000).. Get Martial Arts Supplies Wholesalers at Salehoo wholesale directories and help your business. This is not all you can easily sell these products to your customers at discounted rates to make them visit you again and again. Read on about Martial Arts Supplies Wholesalers and Salehoo Wholesalers. This kind of sales letter is usually four pages in length printed on 11 by 17 inch paper and then folded in half book style. More on Martial Arts Supplies Wholesalers at Salehoo wholesalers.

I started selling lighters when I had my route in San Diego with about 600 stores. Other distributors told me about how much money they were making with lighters so I decided to give them a try. They were right. Since the first day we introduced them to the stores they were best sellers and they have remained best sellers for years. Read on about Martial Arts Supplies Wholesalers. In short it means the primary activity that generates cash for them. More on Martial Arts Supplies Wholesalers

Find out more about Martial Arts Supplies Wholesalers and how Salehoo directory can help you start your own business from home. Martial Arts Supplies Wholesalers: Because SSGI deals in what Jadhavji terms “mega-volumes” of merchandise-tens of thousands of a single item-he doesn’t consider online liquidation sites a threat.

Get: Martial Arts Supplies Wholesalers at Salehoo wholesale directories, and get a head start in your own startup business. The only way to thrive in your startup business is to get quality products cheaply, and from 100%, weekly verified wholesale suppliers from all over the world. CLICK BELOW for FULL DETAILS Inside

Are you aware that its quite possible to get a mobile totally free of charge withfree line rental? What that means is that you can get a free cell phone handset with free inclusive text messages and free inclusive minutes without paying a cent for them!Right now your bound to be thinking that this is some kind of con trick, but rest assured this is for real!The way to make it work is to beat mobile shops at their own game. Understand, phone companies promote free line rental deals to get potential customers through the door. They then attach lots of clauses to the offers to decrease the numbers of customers that actually take out and successfully order a free line rental mobile phone deal.12 months free line rental deals operate because the customer order a mobile phone contract as normal, and pay the bill as they would with any other contract. Then, at pre defined intervals within the term of the mobile phone contract you can to apply for cash back. At this time the retailer that sold you the cell phone sends you a cheque. Usually three individual claims have to be made before you recover 100% of the cost of your mobile.Now heres the deal, the vendors make the process of getting your money back pretty difficult, as they ask that you provide phone bills (which maybe misplaced). They may also insist upon certain dates for the claim (which you may not remember) and implement various other tricks and barriers. For this reason you must be clever and beat them at their own game!Read the contract, make a note of the dates, keep paperwork safe and put in your claim on time and you can get a mobile phone completely cost free for an entire year!The fact is that retailers don’t care about giving away some of these phones cost free as it is good publicity for them. Being in a position to push “free cellular phones” heightens the profile of their business, and, as they know merely a few individuals are likely to jump past all the catches needed to obtain a 12 month free line rental deal, it does not actually cost too much!A free line rental promotion may not be the right for you as you have to be prepared and make sure you properly complete all of the steps of the claim properly, but, a 12 months free line rental mobile is definately something worth considering if you are cost conscious.

It is almost like a dream come true. After working very hard at your business, you get a huge purchase order from one of your best customers. You can almost feel the sweet taste of success. Soon, however, reality sets in. If you are like most small to mid size businesses, you realize that you don’t have enough money to buy supplies because your suppliers are demanding advance payment. You now risk losing the order unless you find a way to finance it.

If your company has been in business for many years, is reasonably big and has a great track record, you will probable be able to get a business line of credit or a similar type of bank financing. If that is the case, you’ll be able to borrow money to pay your suppliers and fulfill the order. But what options do you have if you are a new business owner or if you run a small business that has no bank credit?

There is a little known and seldom used financing product that could help you in this situation. As a matter of fact, it could help you almost any time you have a big sale to a good credit worthy customer. It is called purchase order financing (also known as purchase order funding or po funding).

Purchase order funding can provide you with the financing you need to fulfill orders from your large and best credit worthy clients. As opposed to most financial products, the only collateral that purchase order financing requires is the actual purchase order (and associated payments) from your client. The financing company will provide you with the necessary capital to fulfill and deliver the order. They get paid when the client pays for the order. This makes it an ideal product for small and mid size businesses who are growing quickly and need capital to deliver orders to their ever growing client list.

Who qualifies for purchase order funding?

Purchase order financing is ideal for companies that re-sell a finished product at a profit. For example, import-export companies, wholesalers and distributors can certainly use this type of financing. However, if your company buys a product and modifies it before re-selling it, most probably it will not qualify for this type of financing (there are exceptions).

Although purchase order financing can be affordable if your profit margins are right, unfortunately it does not come cheap. This is because most financing companies consider the transaction to be high risk. The total cost of the transaction, from start to finish, can be anywhere between 5% and 15% of the sales price. Because of this, purchase order financing works best with businesses that have profit margins of 25% or more.

Lastly, purchase order funding only works for commercial sales in which the purchasing company has a good commercial credit score (as most large businesses tend to have).

How does the purchase order funding transaction work?

The transaction itself is actually fairly simple. Once you have the purchase order in hand you contact the purchase order funding company to begin the process. The first thing they will do is verify the credit worthiness of your customer. If the credit review is good, the transaction proceeds as follows:

1. The financing company issues a letter of credit in favor of your supplier. The letter of credit states that payment is guaranteed, provided the supplier delivers the product according to the buyer’s specifications. Almost all suppliers accept letters of credit as payment.

2. The supplier manufactures the product and ships it to you, or drop ships to the buyer.

3. The buyer receives the product and accepts it. Your supplier gets paid by cashing the letter of credit.

4. Your customer pays for the order, usually 30 days or so after receipt. The financing company is paid back for its services and all remaining funds are yours.

One of the remarkable features of purchase order funding is that in most cases, the client has few out of pocket expenses. It’s truly a transaction where you can use other people’s money to grow your business.

Lastly, purchase order financing transactions are frequently integrated with accounts receivable factoring. This is a widely used trick that can help reduce the cost of financing the transaction, thereby increasing your profits.

Copyright (c) 2006 Commercial Capital LLC. All rights reserved. Article may be reprinted if not modified and all links are live.