Tag: Approach

  • Preventing child obesity in the next generation must start before conception

    Preventing child obesity in the next generation must start before conception

    The key to preventing obesity in future generations is to make their parents healthier before they conceive, leading health researchers suggest.

    In a series of papers, published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, the researchers say that the time before couples conceive represents a missed opportunity to prevent the transmission of obesity risk from one generation to the next. They argue that a new approach is needed to motivate future parents to live a healthier lifestyle.

    There is now a wealth of evidence that the risk of obesity and its associated conditions, such as heart disease diabetes and some cancers, could impact the developing baby. In turn, when the child becomes a young adult they may pass the risk of obesity on to their children – it is a vicious cycle.

    Views: 0

  • Businesses Pursuing New Product Development

    [ad_1]

    With the aftermath of globalization, companies are carefully thinking about the best ways to extend their product and service offering. Thus, product development strategy is critical for their success. Yet, many companies are in defensive mode and merely want to maintain the position in the market place.

    However, staying in a holding position is a definite way for companies to be left behind. Innovative thinking that allows for product/service growth is a too sure way for sustainable success. In today’s discussion, we will explore the importance of product development for the growth of businesses, especially in a competitive market.

    Launching into new product offerings is not easy. According to one market research, approximately 75% of consumer-packaged goods and retail products fail to earn even $7.5 million during their first year. Harvard Business School Professor, Clayton Christensen, who is the world’s foremost authority on disruptive innovation, suggests that the failure rate of new products may actually be as high as 95%. Product failure rates relate to the number of products that are launched commercially but fail.

    Geoffrey A. Moore, the author of Crossing the Chasm, maintains the challenges of product deployment: “… the less successful product is often arguably superior. No content to slink off the stage without some revenge, this sullen and resentful crew casts about among themselves to find a scapegoat, and whom do they light upon? With unfailing consistency and unerring accuracy, all fingers point to-the vice president of marketing. It is marketing’s fault!” Thus, new product development is a risky proposition to senior executives making these critical positions as well as the organization as a whole.

    Businesses that want sustainable growth must develop new product and services often and consistently. Philip Kotler and Kevin Keller, authors of Marketing Management, “In an economy of rapid change, continuous innovation is a necessity. Highly innovative firms are able to identify and quickly seize new market opportunities.”

    In taking any actions on new product development, businesses should think strategically about their product development. Alexander Chernev, the author of Strategic Marketing Management, further argues that managing growth is the most preferred route to profitability compared to just cutting cost.

    He outlines four key issues in managing growth, which include: (a) gaining and defending a market position, (b) managing sales growth, (c) new product development, and (d) product-line management. Chernev maintains, “New products and services are the keys to sustainable growth; they enable companies to gain and sustain their market position by taking advantage of the changes in the market to create superior customer value.”

    With that said, new product development meaning having the ability to take a product or service idea and convert it into a tangible offering that customers want. The following are the steps that more products undergo for market consumption: (a) idea generation, (b) concept development, (c) business analysis, (d) product development, (e) market testing, and (f) business deployment.

    The Ansoff Matrix is a strategic tool for product development, consisting of market penetration, market development, product development, and diversification. In market penetration strategy, organizations seek to grow using its existing product offerings in existing markets. With this strategy in mind, organizations try to increase market share. In a market development strategy, companies try to expand into new markets like new buyers using their existing offerings. In product development strategy, businesses seek to create new products and services targeted at its existing buyers.

    In a diversification strategy, an organization tries to grow its market share by introducing new product offerings while at the same time entering a new market. Diversification is the most-risky approach due to simultaneous making new changes (new product, new market). Kotler and Keller further maintain the difficulty of sustainable product success: “It is increasingly difficult to identify blockbuster products that will transform a market, but continuous innovation can force competitors to play catch-up.” The concept sounds easy. However, it is riddled with problems.

    Without a doubt, many companies know that product development is a risky business. Although many consumers will proudly proclaim the success of many innovative products like Apple and Google, these same buyers are not aware of the numerous product launch failures in this country. In our discussion, I demonstrated the importance of product development for the growth of businesses, especially in a competitive market. Failures often lead to innovation.

    American great inventor, Thomas Edison, had his own share of failures, but learned how to innovate because of them: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Likewise, today’s businesses can also achieve success if they understand how to deploy their products and services to the marketplace strategically. Although there is enormous danger in failure, there is also the opportunity of unforeseen growth. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

    © 2017 by DD Green

    [ad_2]

    Source by Dr. Daryl D. Green

    Views: 0

  • Effective Restaurant Training Techniques: Jump-Start Your Training Program Today

    [ad_1]

    I have seen different types of training techniques for restaurant staff. Some restaurants send new hires to their corporate training school; others hire experienced staff thinking they already know how to work that position. I think all new staff members should receive quality training regardless of previous experience.

    Each role in a restaurant is important for the restaurant’s success!

    Management must be able to work in every position. Their knowledge of each job is vital. Managers must step into those other roles to maintain customer service. Some reasons could be if there is a call-out, or if the sales are higher than projected.

    If people tell you that managing a restaurant is easy, they are dead wrong. In-fact it is the most difficult position in the restaurant. Running a restaurant is challenging; management needs to be able to multitask, give direction, and follow-up on that direction. Managers must be able to retain large amounts of information and make quick decisions and be ready to step into any position.

    Managers are not born to run a restaurant; they are developed into that position. The same goes for the rest of the staff. Train the management staff, then the trainers. Management will oversee the trainers as they train the rest of the staff.

    The most effective restaurant training techniques are:

    • Show-Do-Review: The trainer shows the staff member how to do the task. Then the trainer observes the trainee actually doing the task. After completion, they review the task together and the trainer gives feedback to the new hire. The Show-Do-Review technique is especially effective in learning recipes, kitchen duties, cleaning tasks, or service tasks.
    • The Memory Game: Once the new hire has some understanding of their new job, the trainer shadows the staff member and helps the new hire remember different key components of the job. Periodically the trainer will ask the trainee a question. If the trainee does not answer the question correctly, then the trainer will provide the answer. The trainer will continually repeat the question all throughout the day or night until the trainee answers it correctly. The purpose of the exercise is getting the staff member to retain the information. The Memory Game can be used to remember important food time and temperature, menu and recipe knowledge, service steps, or even manager responsibilities.
    • Role-Playing: Role-playing is one of the most effective training techniques to use in creating top-notch performers. Existing staff members and new hires experience real life situations and “learn by doing”. The trainees will experience “real life” situations in a simulated and controlled environment. This technique allows the trainer to evaluate the trainee’s strengths and areas to improve. This also helps to develop an action plan so that the trainee can overcome any obstacles to their success. “Practice make perfect.” This technique allows the employees to see different perspectives, build confidence, and form good habits. The trainer will observe the role-playing and my correct the staff members periodically to ensure they on the right path. Role-playing is a great technique for service staff and managers to learn the proper way to handle customer questions or complaints, how to approach a table, and the steps of service.
    • Shadowing: The trainee shadows the trainer, and the trainer shows the trainee the correct procedures in completing the assigned task. The trainer should ask open-ended questions in reference to the task. Once the trainee is more comfortable, then the trainer will shadow the employee. Communication between the staff members is crucial in developing the trainees. Shadowing could be used for nearly any role, especially on the first days and last days of training.

    Once the trainer evaluates the staff member and determines that the employee has mastered that position, then that person is ready to work independently.

    Management should observe or be involved in the training process to ensure that employee is receiving quality training. The general manager/owner oversees the managers. The general manager/owner may have the final say in whether a new employee is ready to work solo.

    Utilize any tool available to help achieve the training goals. During the training process using feedback or assessment forms can help track the quality of the training. Documenting the progress of the training and reviewing it with the employee will help the employee to know your expectations. It also gives you a paper trail of that particular employees training.

    Using a variety of training techniques for your restaurant is useful in getting all your staff on the same page. It also is more interesting than sitting down with someone and reading a scripted presentation. It will help you retain staff, because too many people are thrown into their jobs without the proper training and get frustrated and quit. Having a training program that is easy and effective is important in your restaurant’s success.

    [ad_2]

    Source by Jeffrey Schim

    Views: 0

  • Secrets of the Piggyback Marketer

    [ad_1]

    Owner/Producer of SIMPLEnetworking, Chi Chi Okezie is an expert in piggyback marketing and uses other people’s resources to grow her business, credibility and brand-name. Never stingy with information, Chi Chi has graciously enlightened us with five points on piggyback marketing as follows…

    #1 “Civil Servant”

    Golden Rule in Piggyback Marketing, “You keep what you give away.”

    Volunteering is the biggest, best and most effective tool in Piggyback Marketing. When you volunteer with a big company or organization, doors swing open in your favor. Whether you are donating money, time or services, you position yourself into a group of like minded, generous and business oriented “do-gooders”. Latching onto a credible name or brand will drastically increase your visibility and add dimension to your efforts.

    #2 “Moonlighting”

    Start teaching a continuing education class or an evening course at a well known state or private institution. Pick a course or topic in which you are an expert. By teaching the class, you are building your credibility and developing great skills in research, communication and public speaking. You are automatically associated with the state or private institution and can leverage that for business. The class becomes another product which you can market to your clients and potential customers.

    #3 “Club Hopping”

    Join a club, chamber of commerce, business organization etc. and become an active member. Usually, clubs/organizations are members of bigger clubs and organizations. You can approach the director/president of your group and ask to be a representative of that group or organization which is a member of a bigger group, organization or chamber of commerce. Next thing you know, you will be seated or rubbing elbows with board members and significant decision makers!

    #4 “Show Your School Spirit”

    Get involved in your school alumni chapter and attend events or join a committee. Your position within the chapter can be a direct link in marketing your business to fellow alumni as well as school departments and students. Also offer to do class presentations, mentor students or be a recruiter/liaison. If there is not a chapter in your city, contact the alumni dept. and suggest one – you can be the President!

    5# “Half Time Show”

    Do you know any colleagues, entrepreneurs or other professionals who present seminars, classes, workshops or talks? If so, offer to do a quick presentation during their breaks to promote your brand, industry, products or services. Or you can opt to introduce the speaker/lecturer at an event. If you can make a dynamic introduction or pull off a great presentation during a break, potential customers will flock to you for business!

    [ad_2]

    Source by Chi Chi Okezie

    Views: 0

  • Herbal Cure For Joint Pain

    [ad_1]

    Joint pain can be stressful and it can also limit the activities you can do comfortably. Severe joint ailments might also restrict mobility. The most common joint ailments that cause excruciating pain include arthritis and osteoarthritis. People are always looking for ways by means of which they can cure or at least relieve the discomfort. Herbal cure is probably one of the best that you can choose for pain relief. This is considering that it revolves around natural herbs which do not have any side effects.

    Ayurveda is a natural healing process which offers a holistic approach allowing the patients to attain higher self harmony (atmay), mind (manas) and helps in regaining vital energy from the universe (prana), body and the senses. The Ayurvedic treatment process combines natural herbs and herbal minerals with no side effects. Meditation, yoga and use of massage are also practiced under this treatment to achieve complete wellness besides, getting rid of joint pain.

    Arthritis Treatment

    This is the most common joint condition people suffer from. It is a systemic, chronic inflammatory disorder which affects organs and tissues, thus leading to pain and ailing. It is a disease that can start with morning stiffness and fatigue extending to muscle ache, weakness and loss of appetite. Those suffering from this condition might use pharmaceutical drugs to relieve the pain, but it is not always a good option. Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis is probably the most effective herbal way of dealing with the pain.

    This herbal treatment revolves around internal medicines and external therapies which help in dealing with and eliminating the pain of arthritis. It uses traditional Ayurvedic treatment methods together with classical Ayurvedic medicines to help with pain relief. The treatments are made up of:

    Choorna Kizhi:

    This is considered to be the most effective of all Ayurvedic treatments when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis and osteoarthritis. The treatment uses a mixture of natural herbs which are applied to the body to an extent that the individual sweats profusely. The treatment requires that the patient is kept in different positions including left lateral, right lateral, supine and sitting positions.

    Abhyangam:

    This treatment uses special massage oil. The oil is applied using a variety of strokes lasting for up to 45 minutes every day for at least two weeks. The treatment is most suitable for osteoarthritis, obesity and body aches among others. The treatment nourishes the body, revitalizes the nervous system, helps overcome stress and fatigue, promotes good sleep, improves physical appearance, and builds self confidence.

    Njavarakizhi:

    This is another Ayurvedic treatment where the patient suffering from joint pain is rubbed with medicated herbal oils. It is applied all over the body and in different postures, including lying and sitting. The treatment uses cooked Njavara rice and a medicinal decoction used by the therapist for at least 14 days for complete joint pain relief to be enjoyed. Regular use of the Ayurvedic pain treatment methods has a way of offering a permanent cure for arthritis. This is because complete well being is promoted during the treatment.

    [ad_2]

    Source by Shalini Mittal

    Views: 0

  • The 7 Traits of an Exceptional & Successful Entrepreneur

    [ad_1]

    How often have you either referred to or considered the expression, “Success is a journey and not a Destination?” Probably many times, yet often being in a hurry to get there, we forget that success is not an end unto itself, but is instead an ongoing process.

    Though some people seem to have the Midas touch and easily turn everything to gold, most of us have to give our endeavors lots of time, effort and the sweat of our brow before seeing things come to fruition. The simple truth is that the majority of us are simply not born leaders, but become leaders by who we are and the actions we take. Consequently, whether or not you’re an established entrepreneur or just starting out on your journey, there are particular traits you’ll usually find operating within the exceptional entrepreneur. In fact there are 7 particular traits you’ll generally discover deeply embedded within the exceptional and successful businessperson.

    If you’ve already taken the plunge as an entrepreneur, you know that it takes a great deal of planning, development and strategic marketing to succeed. At any given time, there are changes to be considered and new directions to examine. In which case, whether you’re the CEO, CFO, Chief Marketer or Chief Solutions Officer of your company, your journey to success is probably full of trials and tribulations.

    To support you in your journey to success, be willing to open your mind and sense of reasoning as you consider whether these traits are part of your driving force. If they are not yet ingrained within you, I recommend that you give them some thought.

    THE 7 TRAITS TO SUCCESS

    1) Successful Entrepreneurs Gain the Respect of their Peers

    One of the first and most obvious characteristics you’ll see operating in an exceptional entrepreneur is an equitable and unbiased disposition . Plain and simple the successful entrepreneur recognizes that no one is above or below. With an attitude of respect for others, the successful entrepreneur gains the respect from everyone they encounter. Strategies, attitudes and methods filter down to each person and reflect on all actions and activities. A successful entrepreneur gives everyone the space to be great. No matter how effective or beneficial your expertise, becoming a successful entrepreneur requires building up of your character muscles, traits and habits, which correspondingly make your dreams a reality.

    2) Successful Entrepreneurs Believe and Trust in Themselves

    The savvy entrepreneur is good at trusting his or her own ideas and instincts. Starting out as an entrepreneur requires persistence, determination and a high level of self-discipline. Continuing as a successful entrepreneur requires even more persistence, determination and self-discipline. The wise and successful entrepreneur knows this and works hard at developing their level of confidence. If you have a strong code of ethics and believe in yourself, then your ideas can work. Having the desire and passion are the first steps on your journey; getting there requires believing in yourself.

    3) Successful Entrepreneurs Follow a Plan

    The successful entrepreneur follows a plan. Haphazard or trial and error have no place for the triumphant entrepreneur, for no one gets to his or her destination without a map or a guide to follow. That doesn’t mean you won’t go off course if another road seems better, but it’s still more effective to have a plan in place. Most successful entrepreneurs start out by writing a basic business plan that acts as the impetus and guide for their endeavors. It doesn’t have to be fancy or lengthy but it should include marketing strategies, goals, intentions, ideas and why you can do better than your competition. A business plan should be reviewed and updated periodically for each new idea stirs and inspires other ideas.

    4) Successful Entrepreneurs Think Creatively

    Successful entrepreneurs are not afraid of thinking creatively. Whether a business idea has already been tried makes no difference to the exceptional entrepreneur. He or she sees better ways of doing things and knows that every idea can be expanded upon, made better, enhanced or broadened . The successful entrepreneur is willing to think outside or the proverbial box, which means using imagination, trying new things and expanding on a vision. The savvy entrepreneur pays careful attention as to whether a particular strategy is working. If after giving it his or her best shot the entrepreneur realizes the particular strategy isn’t working, they know there’s no point in continuing to invest energy, time and effort in the strategy. They move on to another approach and idea.

    5)Successful Entrepreneurs Explore Their Exceptional Skills

    Successful entrepreneurs realize that we each have our strengths and weaknesses as well as a multitude of skills and talents. Successful people ask themselves often what skills they have that no one shares in quite the same way. An exceptional and successful entrepreneur explores their particular skills until they find the ones that match most closely with their ideal. They don’t try to be and do everything. If the successful entrepreneur needs help, they’re willing to find someone who can do it better, and allows in the support. The successful entrepreneur stays open to change for they recognize that as they move forward, doors open in unexpected places that carry them to their next level of success.

    6) Successful Entrepreneurs Envision Their Success

    The successful entrepreneur gives time to envisioning how they want their business to look and how they want it to be. Intention is a powerful and dynamic tool. For those who are not inclined towards intention and visualization, talk to a successful athlete and you’ll discover that before each sporting event, the successful athlete envisions exactly how he or she wants things to turn out. Imagine what it will feel like when you’ve reached a particular set of goals. Get in touch with the feelings, you’d have as a successful entrepreneur. Practice and conceive of the sense of empowerment and the joy of having succeeded. The successful entrepreneur knows they have the power to live life the way they want, but to make it a reality, they know it has to be seen first.

    7) Successful Entrepreneurs Never Give Up

    Giving up is never in the vocabulary of the successful entrepreneur. Of course there may be days when a successful entrepreneur feels discouraged or disappointed, but giving up is not an option. Having faith, trust, confidence and determination are the qualities needed for the successful entrepreneur. To keep their focus on track, they seek out the support of those that know them, encourage them and bring out their natural enthusiasm. The smart and successful entrepreneur realizes that there will be good days and not so good days. Being a successful entrepreneur requires accepting the ebbs and flows of business for it is in fact what separates the exceptional and successful entrepreneur from the one who gives up far too soon.

    © 2004

    [ad_2]

    Source by Robert Moment

    Views: 0

  • Anal Sex: Here’s How To Make Your Woman BEG YOU For It – YES, Really – BEG YOU FOR IT

    [ad_1]

    You may think that the title of this article sounds too good to be true – but it’s 100% serious. You are about to discover exactly how to make your woman beg you for anal sex.

    If you want to do your woman ‘up the back door’ but she isn’t currently too happy about the idea, here is how to make her want anal sex.

    Most guys approach the issue of anal sex with their woman totally the wrong way. Here are a few examples of common methods that men use to try to get their woman to have anal sex with them.

    If you are currently using any of the following ideas, stop it straight away:

    Mistake #1: They try to persuade their woman to have anal sex with them by using logical arguments. For a woman sex is virtually 100% emotional. Therefore, logical arguments are a total waste of time.

    Mistake #2: Some men just try to ‘slip it in the back door’ when they are making love to them and hope their woman just lets them carry on with it. This is a terrible idea and one that you must avoid because it will probably hurt your woman and this could turn her off the idea of anal sex for a very long time.

    Worse still, it may break the sexual trust that you have with your woman. And when you lose that all important trust, you can say goodbye to your woman doing the really dirty, naughty stuff (like ‘back door action’) with you.

    So now that you know how not to try to get your woman to have anal sex with you, I can share the secret of how to make your woman beg you for anal sex.

    Pay attention, this is going to be fun…

    For starters, stop viewing anal sex as something that you need to ‘win’ from your woman and something that at best she’ll tolerate in order to allow you to have a good time. There isn’t a real man on the planet who thinks like that.

    Instead, adopt the belief that you are going to cause your woman to link massive amounts of pleasure to anal sex.

    That is the most important step, so I’ll repeat it – you are going to cause your woman to link massive amounts of pleasure to anal sex.

    And they way you do this is in very small steps.

    You cannot expect her to go from having never had anything up her butt, to taking your whole ‘tool’ all in one night.

    It ain’t gonna happen.

    No, no, no – your game plan for back door action has to be much cleverer than that. But don’t worry; I have already got the game plan for you, so all you have to do it put it into action…

    The 5 Step Plan To Make Your Woman Beg You For Anal Sex

    – Step 1: Use your tongue to give your woman oral pleasure, wait until she is just about to come and then gently rub her asshole with your finger. Keep rubbing it as she comes and you have started the process of getting her to link pleasure to her ass.

    – Step 2: Do the same as step one, but this time insert the tip of your finger into her butt as she is about to come and carry on doing it during her orgasm.

    – Step 3: Repeat the process again, this time inserting much more of your finger (all of it if possible), into her ‘back door’ as she gets on the verge of orgasm and during her orgasm

    – Step 4: Get a butt plug (start with a small one) and get her used to taking this up her ass. Be sure to insert the butt plug as she is about to come and during her orgasm. This way she links massive pleasure to her ass being touched by you

    – Step 5: Get your woman extremely turned on and wet. Give her a clitoral orgasm (with anal fingering) and then give her a deep spot orgasm. Next, bring out the lube and attempt to put your tool in her back door (use the doggy style position).

    Chances are that she’ll help you get inside her and totally enjoy the process. If she struggles to take you, repeat steps 3 and 4 and then retry step 5. Sooner or later she will beg you to take her in her butt.

    I’m the first to admit that this process is not set in stone.

    You have to be flexible in your approach. But this IS the way to do it if you want your woman to absolutely LOVE it when you take her in the butt.

    After-all, do you really want her to just oblige you because you begged for it, OR do you want to expertly and patiently make her crave back door action?

    If you want to make her crave it, use this 5 step process and be ready to repeat certain steps if need be. At the end of the day, it’s all good fun!

    Let me know how you get on.

    [ad_2]

    Source by Adam A Armstrong

    Views: 0

  • MLM Business Plan: How Can You Use One To Profit ASAP?

    [ad_1]

    Although getting a plan together is a genuine necessity, you’ll be pleased to know it’s actually rather simple to put one together or to make a few changes to your existing plan.

    Many online marketers understand that getting a plan together is a genuine necessity, you’ll be pleased to know it’s actually rather simple to put one together or to make a few changes to your existing plan.

    Although it is easy to create an MLM business plan when you know what your goals are, creating a profitable one is a different story altogether. To create these type of plans to actually turn a profit in your business, the main focus needs to be on how effective your marketing strategy is when it comes to generating commissions and sign ups in your downline.

    There are two main ways in which you can advertise online to turn a profit:

    1) Free marketing: social networking or content marketing are king here, basically any user generated content or anywhere in which you can interact one on one with another person within your circle of friends (or associates).

    This is a fun way to incorporate marketing into your MLM business plan, but it can be time consuming and without a large amount of people following your content, you have no real leverage and therefore no immediate profit.

    2) Paid marketing: this is an obvious one, but basically anywhere you pay to post an advert. For online marketing, adverts on other people’s blogs or sending solo ads to other marketer’s email lists are the most cost effective although there are more popular paid marketing methods such as Facebook advertising.

    These get immediate and targeted traffic, but without the proper education on paid methods you will certainly break the bank before you profit. With this option, you must also understand that this is an investment and there are times when you may even lose money, especially if you promote your offer to the wrong target market.

    Finally, you must analyse what you’re spending in your business. Is the product, service or event you’re about to invest in something that can be monetised, for example what will you learn in the training you purchase that will cover the cost of your investment? Or can you become an affiliate for what you’ve just purchased and sell copies of it to earn commissions?

    In conclusion, when you’re piecing together your MLM business plan you’re going to need to take a common sense approach. Forget cutting corners to save money, make sure the focus is on providing value to your potential customers in your marketing efforts whilst making your advertising cost effective.

    Lastly, ensure that the amount of advertising you will be implementing reflect on your goals e.g. number of sales a month so that you stay consistent with both your goals and marketing to avoid getting overwhelmed in your business, especially if you’re new to the MLM industry. Now that you have a basic understanding on how to profit quickly with an effective MLM business plan, what are you going to incorporate into your plan?

    [ad_2]

    Source by Seb Brantigan

    Views: 0

  • How to Build a Structured Sales Pipeline

    [ad_1]

    Following on from my earlier article “Developing a structured pipeline – The Issues” this article describes how to build the all too elusive, structured sales pipeline.

    So to recap: what should a structured pipeline report aim to achieve?

    Firstly, it should enable you to view each sale in a consistent manner.

    Second, it should clearly identify if a sales opportunity has progressed or stagnated.

    Thirdly, it should contained a factoring index which will more accurately reflect the true value of the pipeline

    Fourthly, it should provide sales and/or company management with a consistent and reliable prediction of business that should be closed in the forthcoming period.

    Fifth, it should be simple and relatively easy to complete (salespeople as a breed are poor at filling in reports).

    Sixth, it should be focused on numbers rather than opinion.

    To build a consistent view of each sales opportunity take the sales cycle in your business and break it down into discrete milestones.

    So for example,

    – Milestone 1 is a lead or an enquiry who has identified desire to purchase your product or service.

    – Milestone 2 to progress the sale you need to demonstrate the product

    – Milestone 3 they have the budget to pay for your product

    – Milestone 4 you have submitted a proposal

    – Milestone 5 you’re on the shortlist

    – Milestone 6 you have a verbal order

    – Milestone 7 you have a written order.

    The next step is to put percentages against these milestones for example,

    1) 5%,

    2) 10%,

    3) 20%,

    4) 25%,

    5) 50%,

    6) 90%,

    7) 100%.

    This approach allows you to build a factored pipeline i.e. the value of the opportunity time the percentage milestone. Don’t get hung up about whether the percentages should be this or that number what we are building is something that will give you a consistent view across all your sales opportunities and not something which reflects the precise chance of winning per opportunity. The progress of the sale can be shown in any way you like; this could be as a table, a graph, or a set of traffic light colours going from red to green as you move along the sales process. Other information you need is simple the prospect name, if it is a new or existing customer, the value of the opportunity and a projected win date.

    By constructing what I have described you’ve gone a long way to getting a grip on your sales performance, you’ve now turned sales reporting into a set of numbers which over time you can analyse. For example you’ll see which sales have stagnated because they wont have moved along the pipeline for a period of time, you’ll be able to identify how overoptimistic you sales force are by comparing the projected win date with the actual win date. Most commonly this is between 3-6 months.

    Now that you have a factored pipeline you can start to build up metrics on the relationship between the size of your pipeline and your monthly sales. It also now enables you to look forward because as your factored pipeline rises and falls to will your sales, thus you can act early as soon as you see your pipeline numbers dip.

    You’re now at last starting to get some sensible numbers to enable you to plan your business and you have moved from a jolly nice chat to a shorter focused and more effective sales meeting. As the Meerkat would say “simples.”

    [ad_2]

    Source by Laurence Ainsworth

    Views: 0

  • Shamanic or Reiki Healing

    [ad_1]

    Shamanic or Reiki Treatment

    Both shamanism and Reiki are methods of healing. Shamanism has been around for at least 40,000 years and had a presence in most world cultures. The origin of the word shaman and shamanism has its own levels of disagreement. Reiki came on the scene in the 1920s.

    Like shamanism, Reiki has its share of inconsistent origin stories. According to William Rand, Mikao Usui, while at a retreat, received Reiki. The word reiki is a Japanese word for universal energy. He used it on his family, friends and passed it on to others. Because of his own background as a student of qigong, medicine, psychology, religion, and the art of divination, he added those skills to his practice. He passed the learning and techniques to others, particularly to former naval officer and medical doctor, Chujiro Hayashi. He made some modifications to accommodate his own style. He trained Mrs. Takata who then introduced the form of Reiki healing called Usui to the West.

    Does the fact that one predates the other make it a superior approach to healing? Personal experience dicates an unequivocal no!

    A comparison will help. Both call upon the universe for healing energy and both use supplication in their efforts to connect with universal energy. Both function as conduits for healing energy. Shamanism viewed many of mankind’s ills to be caused by the loss of spirit/soul; (Life energy) while the Reiki healer recognizes energy drain and incorrect energy flow.

    The shaman uses an altered state of consciousness to travel to another realm where he or she seeks a solution to a patient’s health or emotional issues. A Reiki Master does not travel or journey as it is sometimes called. The Reiki Master uses sacred or secret symbols, each containing its specific healing purpose. The shaman uses sacred objects to surround a patient; whereas, the Reiki may draw the sacred symbols on the patient using a finger to do so.

    A Reiki Master will use incense as does the shamanic healer. Generally, this is used for cleansing the area around a patient. Soft music is the choice of sound for the Reiki Master; a monotonous drum beat serves the shaman’s purpose of driving out evil spirits, altering the state of consciousness of the patient, or changing the direction of the energy flow.

    The Reiki Master uses his or her hands to change the energy flow of a patient. The hands are allowed to choose the place where the physical issue is located. With patient permission, the Reiki healer will physically touch the patient. During a Reiki healing session, the healer remains quiet; whereas, a shamanic healer may be chanting, have a flute played, and depending on the location, may dance around the patient.

    Thanks to Michael Harner, many of the world’s best shamanic practices have been transferred to Western culture. We now have shamanic practitioners. They are different from a traditional shaman in that they are trained for the specific purpose of healing; a traditional shaman has other duties to perform.

    If you are inclined to use an alternative healing approach, be sure you check the credentials of the practitioner, ask for references, and remember, you are the one who decides.

    Norman W. Wilson, PhD

    [ad_2]

    Source by Norman W. Wilson, Ph.D

    Views: 0