I have been reading the book The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. In the book there is a tale of two frogs, that brought both a smile to my face but also made me wonder. Let me tell you the tale: One night two frogs ventured onto a farm. Finding themselves in a dairy, they hopped into a pail half full with cream. Of course the cream tasted delicious, so they drank and drank the cream with great enthusiasm. Once they were full and feeling a...more
Since the dawn of warfare, Man has been trying to find better ways of protecting himself physically. Protective gear and defensive structures have come a long way since those early days, and in our largely domesticated lives, it can become quite difficult to think of practical uses that justify the cost often associated with such amenities. However, bullet resistant fiberglass and bullet proof panels are offering a number of benefits to a wider...more
Improvisation is too good to leave to chance. --Paul SimonEver marveled at how skillfully Improv Players respond to the seemingly unrelated suggestions thrown at them? There is no script to follow, no direction and typically only the thinnest of plots. Does this sound familiar to you? It should! As salespeople, how often do we walk into a situation with a thread-bare plot (like an information-gathering meeting), unsure of what's going to confront us (objections, personality conflicts, budgets, etc.) and last but not least, an audience waiting to be entertained. (Yes, your client expects some entertainment for their hard-won time and dollars!) Sellers can learn a lot from Improv Players, like how to take a curveball and turn it into a homerun. Learning to react quickly and skillfully to the unexpected can mean the difference between winning and losing the sale during these uncertain times. But there is more to Improv than just spitting out the first thing that comes to mind. Here are FIVE TIPS I've adapted from Improv that you can start using in your sales calls today! 1. KNOW YOUR MATERIAL. This obvious but critical step is often overlooked in our rush to get in...more
Vertu, known as the Rolls-Royce in mobile phones, is the top brand in luxury digital goods. In 2002 Nokia created the independently operate mobile phone brand Vertu, whose name is from Latin originally meaning unique and high quality. The ultimate platinum Vertu Mobile Phone's price is up to 32,000 dollars, the gold Vertu mobile is 18,500...more
Why is it in life, and everywhere you look around you can find two seemingly similar people, who have had exactly the same opportunities in life but one becomes successful whereas the other seems to stagnate? The Answer: Their Philosophy in life! I am part of an Internet based business opportunity and I have had success in life and in...more
Have you ever seen the Film Sliding Doors? It's one of my favourites because after watching it your left with the question 'what if?' What if I had taken that tube? What if I had gone to the gym three times a week? What if I'd stuck to that diet? What if I'd gone on that date? Life's all about the 'what if?' And it's the 'What if?' that Jeff Olson tackles in his book The Slight Edge.The Shoeshine Woman Olson begins the book relaying a tale of being in Phoenix airport having his shoes shined. During a conversation with the shoeshine woman, she told of how her daughter had won a cheer-leading scholarship in Dallas, but the woman confided that she could not 'even find the money to buy her the uniform and the plane ticket, let alone the camp tuition'. Olson noticed that beside the woman was a stack of books (or trashy novels rather) that the woman would read in between clients, and it set Olson to wondering: 'What if instead of spending ten or fifteen minutes here and there, tucked in between customers, sinking into the pages of those forgettable novels, she had spent the last five years reading the...more
The success or failure of your business does not depend solely on your hard work and commitment. When you are trying to seal a big deal with an established player in your industry, it's often the nuances of business etiquette that can make or...more
For people who find themselves faced with a difficult situation where they don't have enough money, one option open is to take out a cash advance. There are many situations in life that can cause financial hardship, such as one's vehicle...more
A CCTV camera or security system has almost endless uses for any business, protecting assets, profits and products and thus representing a practical investment which will help to save money and help hold onto employees in the long run. When you think...more
The business model known as a franchise has become a fundamental component in the world of business. We are familiar with paying tribute to this model at many of the restaurants we eat at. Behind the scenes are many other franchised businesses that...more
The peak of the shopping mall business model has certainly come and gone in the United States, however, in many places around the world, especially Asia, shopping malls are growing strong. The last decade has shown surprising results to world...more
Anybody can buy magic tricks at a magic shop. But just making those tricks work isnt the same as being a magician. Its creating an atmosphere that is right for each trick that is what makes them really magic. Magic is one of the performing arts. The...more