Forget About Saving Time
Myth: You can save time. There is no way you can bank unused hours. Each hour gets spent. Time is the most democratic of resources. Everyone is given the same amount every day. Since every minute is nonrenewable, all that matters is how you are using your time this minute.You might recognize these two colleagues who started work in the same department at the same time.Meet John:He is the last one to turn in work on a group project.He can take days to respond to messages.He surrounds himself with stacks of papers on every available surface.He stays late at least three days a week.His family has not had dinner with him in the last month.He complains about the amount of work he is expected to get done.He is too tired to do anything extra on weekends, so ends up watching TV.He is bitter about not being given a job with more responsibility.Meet Tom:He has never missed a deadline.He leaves his desk cleared at the end of each day.He holds board positions on 3 community associations.He coaches his son's baseball teamHe takes his full allotment of vacations each year.He has been promoted several times within th

A Lunchtime Lesson on Print Advertising
I promise you’ll be able to finish this article before you finish the first half of your PBJ. Are you sitting down? Good. Because I have some startling news for you.Print ads are here to stay. That’s right. Those dusty, musty, fusty old relics of the century past are still with us. And despite the ubiquity of commercials on radio and TV; despite the onslaught of banners, pop-ups and all manner of intrusive online ads; newspapers and magazines are, and always will be, a mainstay forum for mainstream advertising.There’s something about the readiness, the handiness, the heft and feel of a magazine or a newspaper that appeals to the nature of human beings. Yes, flat screens that glow with vivid colors are attractive. Especially when they’re displaying something we specifically asked to see.But as we page through a magazine or a newspaper while enjoying our lunch or riding a commuter train, we don’t mind at all if a surprising or intelligent or just plain appealing ad – even one in black and white – suddenly grabs our attention. We expect it. We secretly look for it. We even welcome it as a break from all the dull gray type we’ve been slogging through. Why? Because – let’s face it – a really good ad is a delight to behold.Is this the kind of ad your target audience is seeing? D

Creativity Isn't Just for Kids; It's for Salespeople, Too!
So it’s been a while since you’ve played house or made art out of macaroni noodles—that doesn’t mean that you aren’t creative! With effort and continued practice, ANYONE can be creative, and ANYONE can use this creativity to set their company and product apart from their competitors.“Why is creativity so important?”Being creative means continually presenting yourself and your company in new and interesting ways, and enticing customers in a way that your competition can’t duplicate (if you’re good, they’ll try).Creativity is one of the strongest and most valuable traits you can have as a salesperson, because it increases your value within your company and among your customers. It is that value that will change you from an average salesperson to a superb salesperson. That distinction will make it easy for customers to choose who to do business with—you!“How can I be creative?”There are countless venues in sales for you to display and expand your creativity:1.) Think of original questions to engage your prospects.2.) Discover innovative marketing strategies like cooperative marketing and guerrilla marketing to boost your sales and increase your source of leads.3.) Develop unique problem solving skills to effectively help your customers with product

Why Hire a Security Consultant
I have often been asked, “Why should I hire a security consultant to tell me what security measures my business needs?” I guess the biggest reason is if you know little to nothing about security, then you need to hire someone that does know the ins and outs to get the most benefit!There is a lot more than just looking at your doors, windows and locks or alarm systems to figuring out what security measures are need to protect your entire business. The main goal is to look at all your liabilities on security issues and reduce or eliminate them. This saves you time and money in the long run and keeps you out of a possible court situation in the future.To this end, you need to do a physical site security survey. This will identify the most pressing of your security issues that can get you in trouble. By looking at the entire company, those issues can be identified, measures to protect you implemented and your liabilities reduced!There are measures that only need to have policies and procedures changed or implemented that will reduce your liabilities. There are other measures that you will need to put in place to protect your hiring process that can save you from a lawsuit. Then there may be other measures that contain a security presence on site or after hours that will protect you.The thing with competent securit