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Why honesty matters in business management

poundingfists30395631.jpg There are a number of different factors that bring about a good manager or a bad one. If you want your organization to run smoothly and effectively, you need to make sure you are an honest person. Honesty will go a long way in fostering a number of relationships like those with your employees, vendors, and your customers. A company that is honest is one that can easily be respected by millions. However the sad thing is that there are a large number of employers that aren't honest with their staff. In fact there have been studies done that show only 2 out of every 5 bosses are honest with their employees. This usually involves promising the employees one thing and doing another and so on.

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What you need to know about business management

womanwriting19115187.jpg As a manager you have a number of roles to fill within a company. The management techniques differ with many different organizations and some people don't think much about them. If you are the owner of the company, your management techniques need to be perfected in order for you to be a success. Studies have shown that a business will struggle if it doesn't have a good management strategy in place. A management strategy will do more than perfect the bottom line as it will also help to prefect communication, employee participation, retention, and several other areas of the business.Here are some great tips to help you become a successful manager.

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Small business management

bills39158685.jpg Managing a business is not easy, which is why there are so many consulting firms and software programs out there to help you. When you are managing a small business you are expected to work on so many different job responsibilities that it can be really difficult for you. Where are the areas within the business that you really need to pay attention to? For most small business managers it comes down to the following areas:

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Key business leadership skills

highfives10054971.jpg As the leader of a business you are looked to for just about everything. Your employees need you to be a symbol of strength that they can turn to in order to know where the company is headed and what their role is within the company. Becoming a manager means you are good at what you do and now it's time to start proving to everyone why you are the manager and why you are amazing at what you do. Here are the key leadership skills you need to develop in order to build trust and respect with your staff.

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How better business management can grow your business

graphpresentation16486405.jpg If you really want to make your small business into a success you need to start focusing on the end result of the company and to start setting goals for the future. You cannot rely on your staff alone or a single product to move the company into the future. You have to implement a successful business management plan that will be able to strengthen the company and to help it move into the future. What are some of the things you can do? Here are the business management tips that you need to work on:

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Helping you with the decision making process

interview26236689.jpg Becoming a business manager is a monumental task to undertake as you will be faced with new challenges and obstacles daily. How you handle these roadblocks will say a lot about you as a person and a manager. One of the areas in which you need to work on is your ability to make sound decisions. The decision making process is one that is a struggle to some people because they panic and simply do not trust their abilities and what they are able to bring to the table. Here is a guide to help you make better decisions and to make them in a timely manner:

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Effective tips for business management

manlookingaroundwall23507439.jpg Every successful business has a great management team. Does your business have a great team to lead its employees? A team needs to be dynamic and made up of all different types of personalities. Of course the main goal of a company is to boost sales and to be successful but getting there is very challenging and not always the easiest thing to do. You need to rely on your employees to help you out and to also have the right type of customers that will aid in getting you the results you need for your organization.

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Do you need a degree to be a manager?

cubical32015774.jpg There is a lot to be said of individuals that work hard and go to college to get their degrees but there is also a lot to be said of the individuals that work hard on the job to learn the skills they need to advance in their careers. Learning how to be a manager in school is one thing but coming to the job with the skills is another. Some people have it and some simply don't, even if the "paper" says they should have these skills. Many people wonder if they have to go to college in order to be a manager and the simple answer is "no". However the type of manager you want to be can be influenced by your education and some positions do require the degree for you to advance.

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Different management careers and styles

confidence30842627.jpg No two people are the same and there are so many different types of managers that it can be hard to define what really makes a good manager. The management careers are very extensive and this is why it can be difficult to define a manager because each department and company has separate needs that are very pressing. Most of us have had great managers and terrible ones. The way in which you are able to adjust to your staff and to take lessons from the managers you have respected in the past will help to define you as a manager. The role of a manager in general terms is to get the job done using the available resources and to use their authority to make pressing decisions for the company while fostering the growth and skills of their employees.

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Developing your leadership skills

bikerace19288371.jpg Do you have what it takes to be a true leader of your organization? Becoming a leader isn't an easy process and it will take time in order for you to master these skills along with a lot of hard work and patience. There are a lot of misconceptions around what makes a good leader and it's not always clear for a new manager to figure out.

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How to choose your online customer support software.

If you are a manager of an office or the owner of a smaller company, then you might want to think about improving your customer support by offering online customer support.But there are a number of different options for online customer support software to help you have the best possible online customer support.The topic of this article is to give you tips and general guidelines on how you can choose your online customer support software.
Customer support service is one of the most important components to your business strategy and approach.One of the most important aspects of being a successful company is not just providing a great product and great service, but also to provide great customer service.Because no matter how great your service is or your products are, chances are that even if they don't happen to break for any reason, then customers might have problems understanding how to use your products or they might have questions about all of your different services.
The traditional strategy for customer support has always been, at least since Alexander Graham Bell, to use telephone customer service.But no company can afford to keep its customer support service dependent on the telephone system-doing so will automatically brand you as archaic and customers will immediately be suspicious of your ability to remain up to date with technological advancements.More and more customers are using the Internet for everything that they do.Customer support service is no exception to this move towards online service.Providing online customer support service is a great move towards helping customers become more satisfied with your business.Online customer support service is a great way to always provide information to clients, day or night, and provides a way that they can always seek help and answers for their questions.

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How to choose your document management software.

The topic of this particular article is how you can choose the right document management software for you and for your company or office.If you are a manager of an office or of a branch, or if you are the owner of a company, then you need a great way to manage all of your documents.A great document management software can help increase productivity, increase efficiency, and will help your company run better.A great document management software will actually also improve your relationship with customers and with potential customers as you present a classier and more put-together image, and as you demonstrate an ability to streamline your dealings with customers and handle data and customer relationships.

Let's examine some different possible options for how to choose document management software.The first place for you to begin when you are choosing document management software is to sit down and to a thorough assessment of your company's situation.What kind of company are you?Are you an accounting firm, for example?What kinds of document management will you need?What if you are involved in ensuring regulatory compliance?If you are a local or a state government agency, then you will require different options and tools from your document management software.For example, you might need to streamline your agendas, make public records easier to access and more organized, etc.Go through your company and examine precisely what kinds of documents you are using.Who puts these documents together?Who needs to access the documents?A document management software can help you increase your productivity and make your documents easier to access, but only if you choose the right document management software for your company.If you go into the hunt armed with a list of what you need and the tools and options that you require, then you won't be sidelined by flashy options thathave nothing to do with what you need.

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How to choose your data warehouse supplier.

The topic of this article is how you can and should choose your data warehouse supplier.As the years go by, there is more and more data that you have to deal with.Experts have called this era a time of data explosion.You don't have to deal with just the data that is coming in from your suppliers, from your customers, from your employees, and more, but also data that you have to collect to ensure that you are in compliance with a number of different legislative measures, regulations, and more.There's data that you need so that you can adequately ensure that you can properly use various performance optimization software and programs, and other things like that.You have to bring together a whole lot of data from a whole lot of different places, and then you have to disperse that data and that information to a whole lot of different places.The volume of data that you have is increasing exponentially every year.If you want to stay on top of your game, and if you want to remain competitive in your field and your industry, then you need the most practical and efficient way to deal with your data.
A data warehouse is a way that you can collect your data, keep your data safe, and analyze your data.Organizations are no longer using silo applications to keep their data safe.Instead, data is becoming integrated within the organization, so that you can share data between departments so that you can get an adequately broad and cohesive and complete understanding of how your company is working.A data warehouse is a place where you can deposit all of your data, and it will then organize that data and provide it in a useful format so that you can make the right decisions based on that data.General Motors and Union Pacific and Wal-Mart use data warehouses.Shouldn't use be using a data warehouse also?

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Recommended team-building workshops

When you start looking for the best team-building workshop, you will want to research all the different types of workshops available.

Some great places you can look into to find the right workshop for you is the Team Associations. Here is a list of the current associations available.
Team Associations

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How to choose your spyware removal software.

If you are the owner of a small business, or if you are an office manager, then one of the most important things that you need to do in order to protect your business is to install the best spyware removal software possible.But how can you know what the right and the best spyware removal software is for you?This is actually one of the most important decisions that you can make when you are looking through the software that will keep your business safe.This article will go through some general guidelines that you can follow when you are choosing the best spyware removal software for you.

So what, essentially, is spyware removal software?Well, the problem with the Internet is that while the Internet is a fantastic tool for customers and for businesses, the Internet can end up really hurting you too.Different companies or individuals, for whatever malicious reason, will take advantage of the fact that you are vulnerable when you are online, and without you knowing, they will end up installing spyware on your computer.This spyware will track you movements and everything that you do on your computer, and will transmit the information back to whoever installed the spyware.Spyware can also seriously slow down your computer, and will eventually make it impossible for you to work on your computer.To make a long story short, spyware is a seriously malicious problem that can end up seriously harming you computer and hurting your business.

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How to choose contract management software

One of the least pleasant aspects of being a business owner is writing contracts.It is, however, an important and necessary part of many businesses.One option available to you is purchasing software that will write your contracts for you.This will eliminate the pain of you or an employee having to do it, as well as ensure that your contracts are all uniform and binding.Having good contract management software will improve the efficiency of your business, reduce the cost of the operation of your business, as well as make you more responsible and aware of your business.

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How to Write a Business Letter

A business letter is an essential form of communication within the corporate world. It is a formal means of communication between two people, a person and a corporation, or two corporations. Unlike a personal letter or an email, a business letter follows a specific format.

Although styles and formats can vary and still be acceptable, the most widely-used format of business letters includes the following:

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What to look for in a home business

Everywhere you turn from the internet to the newspaper or even to neighbors and friends, there are opportunities to start your own home business.Some claim instant money with little work, others require hours of dull and monotonous labor.The trick is to find which home businesses will be most beneficial for you, offering reasonable profit as well as a logical amount of work.The following are suggestions on the things to look for when thinking of starting a home business.

1. Look for a home business that you will enjoy and be committed to.If you're going to be spending the majority of your day working on your business, it should be something that you can put your heart into and be self-motivated to accomplish things.You must be willing to make sacrifices to achieve success.

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How Writing Radio Can Help You Become a Better Writer

Knowing how to write, and write well, is a skill that will come in handy in all sorts of situations. And if you combine good writing skills with the persuasive selling tactics found in, say, copywriting, you'll be that much more ahead of your competition.

Of all the different types of writing I've done in my life (and believe me, I've tried practically all of them) writing radio has made one of the bigger impacts on my writing style.

Below are three ways writing radio can help strengthen your writing style. (Oh, and these tips will also help you write better radio copy too.)

1. Follow the rules. Sometimes rules are good. Especially rules that force you to write a certain way. (Think poetry -- mastering those rules can have an amazing effect on your writing style.) Rules require you to slow down and think, to analyze your word, sentence, grammar, punctuation, etc., choices. And that can be very beneficial to your development as a writer.

Radio is short. You have to write something that fits into a 30- or 60-second slot. Not a lot of time or a lot of words. In that 30 or 60 seconds, you need to capture the listener's attention, explain why they should be interested in buying what you're selling, then let them know what you'd like their next step to be. Oh, and did I mention you need to have the business name in there at least twice and probably a tag line as well? And don't forget about music. Or sound effects.

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What is Knowledge Management Anyway?

When you think of all the things companies have, you do not always consider the knowledge they have. For instance, a company is only as good as its employees, its resources, and its knowledge. But, where and what is that knowledge? How is that knowledge managed within the company?

A basic definition of knowledge management is this. Knowledge management is a process that companies use to generate value from their assets. Knowledge management can be much more, but this is the basics of it. Now, there are two types of knowledge management to speak of at this point. One is explicit knowledge.

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Present for Success

Tomorrow's the day and you're dreading it. You're scheduled to give a presentation to the senior management team about the new program you're proposing. You're excited and enthusiastic about the program but nervous and anxious about the presentation.You don't know how you'll manage to sleep tonight. These thoughts keep running through your mind; What if I stumble? What if I talk too fast? What if they get bored? What if they ask questions and my mind goes blank?

Do any of these sound familiar? If you answered yes, don't worry! Try some of these simple strategies for your next presentation to help you build confidence and credibility with your audiences.

Developing your presentation

Change the paradigm: Think from your listeners' perspective If you can change your focus from "What do I want to communicate?"To "What does the audience need to hear and understand", you can be a more relevant and engaging presenter. By focusing on your listeners' needs, rather than on yourself, you can relax and let that focus guide you through the development and delivery of your presentation.

Here are the essential questions that will help you stay on track. Who is your audience? What is most important to them? What is their current level of knowledge on your topic? What do they want or need to know about this topic?

If you can't answer the above questions, it's important that you do some research to find the answers. If your presentation is an educational or training session you might want to send out a pre-class questionnaire or survey to learn the current knowledge level of your audience. This can be a simple 5 to 10 question one-page document that you email or fax.If your presentation is more informational or persuasive, you might want to make some phone calls to learn what you can about your audience.

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Write, Publish and Market a Book with No Out-of-Pocket Money

Do you dream of having a book published, but don't know where to turn? Already have a book, but unsure of how to promote it? Looking for cost effective high-return strategies to market your book? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the following information is for you.

Many writers and aspiring authors are under the mistaken belief if their book is published by a publishing house they can sit back and watch sales miraculously happen. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fact is, competition to have your manuscript noticed and published by a large house is extremely fierce. Additionally, no matter who publishes your book, you absolutely must take an active roll in marketing, promoting and selling your book.

Moreover, profit margins are not extremely good when you go through a publisher. Sure, if you sell tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of books, you make substantial amounts of money. In reality only a small percentage of writers achieve this level of success.

A great model for achieving success is to self-publish and actively promote your book. Self-publishing is one of the best ways to get your manuscript to market quickly is to. Another great benefit of self-publishing is you have complete control of the creative process. You make the decisions on content, editing, cover design, title and you reap the profits.

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10 Ways To Generate New Articles Ideas And Topics

1. Brainstorm for new ideas.

Add your brainstormed ideas to an idea file that you can go back to when you are stuck for a topic.

Also add ideas you get from other sources into this file so that you'll always have a fresh source of inspiration.

2. Visit forums and message boards.

Look for an interesting topic or thread in the posts that you can turn into a new article.

3. Check out newspapers and news programs.

Depending on what you like to write about, you could find some new hot topics.

4. Subscribe to e-zines that reach your target audience.

You'll be able to get new, relevant information that could spark an idea for an article.

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Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

Knocking knees, butterflies (who came up with that word?) in your stomach, sweaty palms, quavering voice. We've all been there - some of us more than others. I'm going to share with you some of the tricks of the trade to help manage and reduce your anxiety before and during your presentation. These methods are tried and true and have helped many presenters.

The first time is always the worst and it gets better from there. In 1991, I gave my first presentation to a large audience. My audience was 150 fifth and six grade students in an outside courtyard of an elementary school. I was scheduled to give a 35-minute student assembly that explained a collection of international artifacts (masks, musical instruments, hats, and other interesting items). It was a program designed to increase multicultural understanding. I was so fired up about the topic, and thought that it was such an important subject that I thought I could deliver the program.

Well, of course everything went wrong! The wind picked up and knocked some of the items off the display table (the kids thought this was funny, I didn't). The microphone had that horrible screeching feedback. My knees shook the whole time, my voice quavered, my heart pounded - and I felt like it was going on forever. I got through my content somehow and looked at my watch. I gave a 35-minute presentation in 15-minutes! I think that I probably forgot to breathe.

After packing up my items and loading them in my car, I collapsed in the driver's seat. When my heart starting beating normally, I had a realization. My realization was that I did deliver the program, yes-terribly, but I did finish it and it would probably never again be that bad. From that point on, I learned something from every program I gave; how to keep the audience engaged, how to test AV equipment BEFORE I started, how to breathe normally and speak at the same time. The list goes on and on. In three years, I delivered this program to more than 100,000 students and teachers.

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The "Real" Lazy Man's Way To Riches Revealed!

Is there really a lazy way to riches? Most people would say no. I used to say that too, but not anymore.

Before we start off let me first define what I mean by lazy. Lazy to me doesn't mean that you don't do anything at all. Even the guy who wins the lottery has to go buy a ticket at some point, pick the winning numbers and submit it for the draw.

So as you can see, lazy doesn't mean you do nothing at all. It means you just do far less than normally required in proportion to the money you earn.

A good example of a "lazy way to riches" can be found in paid membership sites. When you join a membership site you usually pay a small monthly fee. In exchange you get a chest-load of free products. Some sites also give you the option to refer new members for a referral commission.

The referral commission you get paid is usually recurring. What this means is, you do the job (referral) once and then you get paid for it over and over again.

Let's say you join a paid membership site tomorrow and you refer your friend John. When John joins, in other words pays his membership fee, you will receive a portion of that as a referral commission.

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10 Simple Ways to Turn Your Creative Spark into a Flame

Creativity and innovation begin with the spark of an idea. But for so many, the process ends there with no plan to manifest. Understanding simple ways to turn your ideas into action will give you the edge to turn that spark to a flame and rise as a leader in innovation and creativity.

These ten simple tools not only jumpstart your creative spirit, but they help you maintain and sustain the idea flow. Making these steps a part of your life will reinforce a solid creative foundation in your life, facilitate innovation, and ease your problem-solving process.

1. Understand What You're Passionate About.

You can accomplish this by creating a mission statement, an artist's statement, or a set of guiding principles. Finding what truly drives and inspires you helps focus your attention on your creative gifts. A well thought out mission serves as a beacon on your path, helping you decide when to say yes and when to say no. This process is crucial for creative people-especially those who find themselves overwhelmed by numerous ideas.

2. Catch Your Ideas.

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Special Reports Position You as an Expert

Special reports can be one of the easiest and most profitable ways to gain visibility and position yourself as an expert. Everyone has knowledge about something that is of interest to others. What you need to do is find out what is of interest to your customers and potential customers.

You can easily turn your knowledge into a special report offered for free on your website or through direct mail. Basically, a special report is a multi-page document packed with valuable how-to information that readers can use immediately.

Offering any type of information positions you as an expert. The key is to make sure the information is timely and useful.

Brainstorm with key people to determine several topics you could write reports on. Send a series of four to six to keep your name and knowledge fresh in people's minds. Be sure to include contact information at the end of the report.

By Kathleen Gage

Kathleen Gage is a business advisor, keynote speaker and trainer who helps others gain marketing dominance and visibility within their market. To receive Gage's fr*ee report "Learn How One Salt Lake City Based Consultant Made Over 100k With One Idea" visit www.kathleengage.com

Top Seven Ways to Promote your Ezine

To grow your ezine subscriber numbers, you need to let people online and offline know about it. Here's seven ways:

1. Network offline. Visit professional like-minded groups. These groups usually meet once a month, have speakers, and networking time for you to mix with other professionals. Have your free ezine 30-second "tell and sell" ready at networking time, or put your free ezine announcement/ad on a half page flyer to post on the networking table. Always include the top 3-4 benefits of the ezine. Example: I'm Judy Cullins and work with small business people who want tomanifest their book dreams. To get my free monthly ezine, The Book Coach Says, full of tips, articles and resources on book writing, publishing, and promotion visit my site at www.bookcoaching.com.

2. Speak to groups as a teleclass guest speaker or to a group in your city. Pass a clipboard around that has your ezine's title and space for signups below. Ask them to print clearly their name and their email address. Make sure you let them know it's free--that's the big attraction usually. After receiving good information for a few months or so, you may start getting sales from people who now trust you as the savvy expert.

3. Promote your ezine on your web site. Don't just say "Subscribe to my Free Ezine." Give your audience a reason to buy. The free ezine helps you finish, publish, and sell your book-fast! Dan Poynter, Mr. Self-Publishing says, "totally worth your time." Offer an opt-in and opt-out place to subscribe and unsubscribe that automatically sends the notice to your email.

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Four Keys To Effective Delegating Delegation

manconferencetable30341271.jpg
one of the critical determining factors for everyone who wants to be an effective leader or manager. And for those of us control freaks, lack of delegating skill can be a real show stopper.

Because the harder you try to hold on to things, the faster they can get away from you, and if you want to extend your reach beyond your ability to do everything at once, you must delegate some things to other people.

In my business coaching practice, and in our franchise for business coaches we find that delegation is simply frightening for many people.

Why?

First of all, you may enjoy doing the thing you have to delegate...

You may think you do it better than anyone else. You imagine it won't get done properly...

And you know it won't get done your way. You might even believe if you don't do that thing, you won't have enough to do.

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Strategies for Planning and Conducting Effective Meetings

Did you know that business executives spend about half their time sitting in meetings? In fact, 40 to 50 percent of their working hours are consumed by meetings, according to a study by the Annenberg School of Communications at UCLA and the University of Minnesota's Training and Development Research Center.

Meetings are inevitable - whether you're a business executive or member of a volunteer, social, or civic organization. But meetings can be a very effective and efficient way to communicate, if properly planned and conducted. To help you pull off successful meetings, below are some key strategies to follow. You may only need to address a few of them, if you're conducting an informal meeting. For a meeting with major consequences, you should give all or most of these areas careful consideration.


Prior to the Meeting

First, you'll need to define the purpose of the meeting and develop an agenda with the cooperation of the key participants. Then distribute the agenda and circulate background material, lengthy documents or articles ahead of time. This will make participants feel prepared, involved and up-to-date, so they can be ready to make valuable contributions to the meeting.

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Coaching Tips for Powerful Presentations

It is an awesome responsibility and privilege to address an audience as a speaker. If you are a coach or business professional who wants to enroll clients from the platform, you need to connect and engage with an audience quickly and show them the benefits of working with you.

Tip #1 The purpose of your speech is to get results; to help people make changes and think or act differently.

Tip #2 Show your audience that coaching is a process. It is different from consulting.

Tip #3 Determine what kind of coaching the client wants and needs.

Tip #4 People learn in three ways: Visual (what they can see), Auditory (what they can hear), and Kinesthetic (what they can touch). Try to include all three ways in your speech.

Tip #5 People have short attention spans. Review your main points before you end your speech.

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The Lazy Writer's Way to Creating Killer Headlines!

Dear Friend,

I have a confession to make.

It's about the title of this article. I stole it and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

I "modeled" the title after the highly successful ad headline "The Lazy Man's Way To Riches." Contrary to what you believe, Top copywriters don't make up the "killer" headlines they write, they steal them.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about word-for-word plagiarizing here. I'm talking about taking already "proven" headlines and using them as a basis for writing your headlines.


Here's an example of how to do it: Let's use the famous headline...

" Who Else Wants To Look Like A Movie Star?"

This headline has been ripped-off (ethically) many, many times by nasty marketers... including yours truly. Why? Because it works!

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Coaching Tips for Powerful Presentations Tip 10 List

Tip #1 The purpose of your speech is to get results; to help people make changes and think or act differently. So start with the end in mind. What do you want people to do as a result of your speech? What do they need to know to do this? What do they need to feel to do this?

Tip #2 Show your audience that coaching is a process. It is different from consulting. Do some coaching (role playing) during your presentation. Let audience members see what it would be like to have you as their coach.

Tip #3 Determine what kind of coaching the client wants and needs. Interview a few people before you give your program to find out what challenges they are experiencing. The program chair can provide you with a few names to contact. Then use this information in your speech content.

Tip #4 People learn in three ways: Visual (what they can see), Auditory (what they can hear), and Kinesthetic (what they can touch). Try to include all three ways in your speech. Most of your audience will be visual and need to "see" what they "hear" from you. So tell your personal stories to support your points. When the audience hears your story(ies) they will feel connected to you.

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Writing Articles that Get Read

Writing articles is one of the best and most effective ways of promoting your business because it does three things:

*Brands you as an expert.
*Makes your marketing efforts viral.
*Gives you content to attract potential buyers.

There are several things you can do to make sure that your articles get read.

1. Write an article potential buyers will find interesting. Even if you know your topic very well, it pays to do research. Find out what changes are occuring in your field and include that material in your articles. No one wants to read something that is outdated or inaccurate. Readers will find your material far more interesting if you tell them something they don't already know, and you present it from your own unique perspective.

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How to be a Great Speaker

Did you know that great speakers are often nervous with butterflies in their stomach before giving a presentation? And there are many actors/actresses who can not speak to live audiences without cue cards. My 13 years as a professional speakers bureau owner allowed me to hear several thousand speakers give their presentations. Here are a few tips I learned from them.

1. You want to be nervous. Get your butterflies to fly in formation. Some tension brings about a great speech. You usually don't look as nervous as you feel. Be prepared, be relaxed. Practice, practice, practice. Use visualization techniques. One speaker suggests that you curl your toes and get rid of your adrenalin. Get out of your head and in to your heart. Reduce nervousness with self talk.

Your mantra might be - "I am a relaxed, confident speaker."

2. Great presentations are well organized.

Opening - You have 60seconds to get their attention. So start with a great question, quote or short story. Tell 'em what you will tell them.

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Using The Right PDA

When we think of writing it triggers many thoughts and visions depending on our framing. It could trigger a lone man with a full astray, unshaven, staring at an old plunking typewriter with white blank crisp paper waiting in anticipation for his words.

If a mother or younger, it could conjure up an image of a 30-something woman typing away on a keyboard with an apron on, in between making formulas or getting ready for work, still dark outside. Pounding on the keys because the flow is there, just as the light from the window begins to change, trying to get as much onto the page before the kids need her attention.

If you grew up in a Catholic school in the 50s, writing could mean perfect penmanship and a rap on the knuckles if you didn't.

The times have changed, thank goodness, and now children grow up with memories of learning to cluster and freewrite. To allow whatever needs to flow appear onto the page. There are more books than ever on creativity, and how to play and embrace the craft new everyday. It is a freeing time for writers.

Continue reading "Using The Right PDA"

The Art of Knowledge Sharing

Among all the concerning facts that surround us these days, there is one point that shines a positive light on current developments: The progressive trend of knowledge sharing.

Even in the not so far past education, whether in schools or non-traditional settings, was merely a matter of dumping knowledge from one source (the teacher or trainer) to another (the students or trainees). The person in front of the group was the almighty supplier of information, and everyone else was quietly and subserviently absorbing.

Fortunately, there has been increasing awareness that this "bank-deposit" method is not very stimulating or effective. More than half of the lecture gets lost when knowledge transformation is executed from an active to a passive source. There is growing evidence that active learning sorts much better and more rewarding effects.

Continue reading "The Art of Knowledge Sharing"

Why Pacing and Leading is for Wimps!

Okay, you have read some books on body language and they all said you must mirror and match, pace and lead....

And you failed miserably when you went out into the real world.

Let me tell you why and what you need to do instead. But first a story that illustrates my point...

A few years ago I moved into a very well paid position in the company where I worked. And in my new job I was dealing with company directors, business owners and senior executives -- face to face.

And to make it all even more challenging I would meet them on their territory - in their offices.

Teachers of pacing and leading would tell me to pace these executives and then to gradually lead them.

Continue reading "Why Pacing and Leading is for Wimps!"

Top 7 Ways to Succeed in the Business of Speaking

How attractive are you as a speaker? No, your looks, but your consistent ability to provide a quality presentation, attract clients, and be irresistibly attractive to meeting planners and speaker bureaus? Below are some useful tips that I learned while owning a national, professional speakers bureau for 13 years.

1. Presentation - do you have something interesting, inspiring, and useful to share with audiences? Be mindful of your voice (keep it deep and low pitched), your personality and attitude (positive), your tone (soft, loud. Encouraging as needed), your style, your vocabulary.

2. Connection - how quickly do you get to the core of your audience's problems and challenges? Skip what is between their ears and go straight to their hearts.

Continue reading "Top 7 Ways to Succeed in the Business of Speaking"

Top 7 Tips for Speakers

Public Speaking is the number one way to advance your business career.

Do you get nervous when speaking to a group? Do you feel butterflies in your stomach? The following tips will help you get your butterflies to fly in formation.

1. Everyone feels some nerves before a presentation. Try to do a quiet meditation, visualization, or exercise before you speak. Breathe deeply. Memorize those opening lines.and then quickly engage your audience with a question or humorous story.

2. Three keys to being a top presenter: practice, practice, practice. In front of your mirror, in front of your stuffed animals. Use a tape recorder and a cam recorder for playback and feedback. Try your material out with service clubs.

Continue reading "Top 7 Tips for Speakers"

Get Results from Your Writing and Speaking

When we communicate, we usually want something to happen. We want results. And, when we're conscious of results, we're seeking effective communication.

To put it another way, the effectiveness of communication can be measured by the responses it gets. It's not measured by how well we wrote or how eloquently we spoke, although those can help us get the responses we want.

Good writing and speaking help us get a response because they help get the message across. As I've argued in my book, A Manager's Guide to Newsletters, a newsletter that doesn't get read cannot get a response from readers.

So, writing, designing, speaking, and all those other creative activities matter. But, in the end, responses are what count, and effectiveness means getting the responses we want.

That's true for all types of communication, and not just marketing campaigns. Managers who send messages to employees, for example, want employees to respond in a particular way. Maybe they want the employees to do something differently, or maybe they want to reinforce existing behaviors.

Continue reading "Get Results from Your Writing and Speaking"

Making Transitions

Ever notice how smoothly some speakers or writers move you through their speech or memo? It seems they effortlessly take you from start to finish without making you strain to follow.

Yet, while the reading may be effortless, the writing probably took some extra work and attention to detail. In fact, some writers would say you should work as hard on the transitions between ideas as you do on the ideas themselves.

Consider copywriting guru Joe Sugarman, who says the job of each piece of copy, from the headline down, is to get you to read the next paragraph. And the paragraph after that. And to keep on reading them until you get to the 'offer,' where you're asked to order the featured product.

To get readers from one paragraph to the next, or from one idea to the next, we use transitions, words or phrases that 'pull' the reader along, or in the case of speeches, pull the listener along.

Continue reading "Making Transitions"

Speak With E's Part 3

"Educate, Energize, Entertain, and provide an experience
for your audience"

1. Use direct eye contact. You can focus on one person when
making a point. and everyone else in the audience will
think you are speaking to them, too.

2. Don't just stand behind the lectern move around,
gesture.
Be animated. (Fifty-five percent of how people
perceive you is by body language; 38 percent by your voice;
7 percent by your words.)

3. If you are telling a story, assume the posture of the
character you are acting out.
For example, if you are
talking about babies then look like one and sound like one.


Continue reading "Speak With E's Part 3"

Speak With E's Part 2

"Educate, Energize, Entertain, and provide an experience for your audience"

  • Use the "Rule of 3." The most successful speakers limit their remarks to three major points. Here is where you use your signature stories (your own personal stories) to support your points and help people visualize what you are saying.
  • Every five to seven minutes, back up your facts with signature stories (about you or others). Stories are out there everywhere. Find them in stores, at restaurants, on the airplane, at home. People retain information better when they hear a story.

Continue reading "Speak With E's Part 2"

Speak With E's Part 1

"Educate, Energize, Entertain, and provide an experience for your audience"

  • The most important objective of any speaker is to appear credible and knowledgeable about the subject.
  • Embrace your audience. Remember, it is about them, not you. Are you going to challenge them to think or behave differently, or perhaps confirm or explain something they already feel?
  • 3. Speak to your audience as if you were having a conversation with them. Don't lecture the audience. Be inclusive. Say "us," not "you".

Continue reading "Speak With E's Part 1"
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