Categories
How-To Guides

How To Attract Clients

attract%20clients.jpg
Mind Petals: Here are a few simple ways to apply the Law of Attraction to get the right clients:
You might ‘call’ your clients in innovative ways. Instead of reaching out to your customers and clients in traditional forms—e-mail, voice messages, or even IM—think of ways you can make an appearance in their daily life instead. This is the basis of branding, but can be used in creative ways. Try a hand-delivered thank you note for a recent lunch, or a unique gift after a presentation that you both attended. Making sure the client has you on ‘top of mind’ can help generate further business with very little effort.
It’s also advantageous to be genuine with your marketing efforts. Much of marketing yourself may seem like ‘schmoozing,’ but being genuine in your relationships and partnerships will help things flow with ease. When you both have a goal or intention in mind, the process is much simpler and much more natural.
You can also try predicting the response you want. If you have a ‘gut feeling’ that your client, or prospective clients, may be interested in something you can provide, find a way to highlight the value for them and send it their way. Sometimes simply spelling out how something can help them is all it takes to capture their interest.
Finally, look for ways to move towards a richer relationship. Attracting clients doesn’t always lead to a direct sale—maybe you can reach out to them for referrals, building your portfolio of other work, or simply as a resource. Knowing how to nurture and maintain relationships involves a positive, growth-oriented mindset and your intention can help guide you towards long-term clients with much less resistance.
The Law of Attraction for Snagging New Clients [Mind Petals]

Categories
Work Life

Game Break

gaming.jpg
Entrepreneur: A recent survey by PopCap Games shows it’s a trend employees say helps them alleviate stress and, as a result, become more productive. In fact, the survey found that 84 percent of white-collar workers surveyed felt “more relaxed and less stressed out” after taking a short game break at work. But perhaps the most surprising results represent the senior executives surveyed, including CEOs, CFOs and presidents. Compared to their colleagues, senior executives reported a much higher frequency of play at work. 70 percent said they play “during work, when I need a short break” versus 49 percent of other gamers. And the survey discovered 71 percent of senior executives play on average for about 15 minutes or longer during each game-playing session in the office.
CEOs Admit to Gaming at Work [Entrepreneur]

Categories
Online Business

Top Five Aspects For E-commerce

ecommerce.jpg
RajeshShakya: E-commerce web site design is nothing different than a traditional web design, but requires a few more extra functionalities and components to handle financial transactions. For those additional services, you will have to rely on third parties. Many startups are intimidated by the process and they do not build web sites that are capable of e-commerce transactions. I am trying to give you just a brief idea of what it takes to design e-commerce sites. I will write different aspects of online business in my future posts. Suggest you to study some of the these aspects of e-commerce site development before you start.
Transaction Security
One of the most important aspects of e-commerce web site design is security that creates confidence in consumers doing online transactions. You need to make sure that your visitors can safely and securely input their personal details, credit card information and shipping information into your online payment system.
Payment Gateway
To build web sites that accept online payments, you will need to incorporate payment gateway services for processing credit/debit cards into your ecommerce web site design. Payment Gateways are connected with your bank through your merchant accounts in those banks.
Look and feel
Aesthetics is another important aspect of e-commerce web site success. It helps to make your visitors spend their time in your site. Competition is so fierce on the Internet.
Software and Applications
There are many different software products and e-commerce applications that can be purchased and even available in the for of free and open source software to help you with your e-commerce web site design and run your online business.
Hire the professionals
If you want to build websites that are e-commerce ready, but don’t have the e-commerce web site design experience needed to accomplish the task, you can hire an e-commerce web site design professional to help you with the trickier portions of site development.
Five Important Aspects of Online Business [RajeshShakya]

Categories
People & Relationships

Widen Network Contacts

Network.jpg
BusinessKnowHow: Networking is about creating an extended family. It’s about developing connections, caring about people, increasing the size of your “tribe.” Most of all, networking is not the awkward social ritual many of us think it is–networking is actually FUN!
Practice “Palm Up” Networking. When you network, are you giving, or grasping? Palm up networking embodies the spirit of service, of giving and wanting nothing in return. The universe has a perfect accounting system. Give to others, it’ll all come back to you in time.
Do Daily Appreciation. Appreciate at least one person daily. Sometimes I do this via e-mail so I can be thorough. Simply tell someone how much you appreciate who they are, what they do, whatever about them moves you. They’ll be flattered and you’ll feel great.
Equalize Yourself with Others. We’re all equal. Practice equalizing yourself with others–this will enable you to more comfortably interact with others, and to reach out to people of all walks of life.
Rolodex Dip. Flip through your contact database and pick a name. Then think of all the things you like about them. Now call them up to see how they are doing. They’ll be surprised and delighted.
Pick a “Sensei of the Day”: Your sensei can be a person, a pet, a plant, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is to acknowledge that there is much to learn and you are being offered valuable lessons constantly.
Six Essentials for Networking [BusinessKnowHow]

Categories
Work Life

The New Work Revolution – Anticipate, Prep for & Profit

work-Anticipate%2C%20prepare%20for%20and%20profit.jpg
I have outlined the clash between Global Village and Balanced Life Style and how this may affect your job. There are several ways of coping with this Revolution. I now consider your present job and workplace.
If you are in a job, don’t quit. One in ten employed people are actively trying to move. Never quit until the new job is irrevocably tied up. If a new company wants you earlier than your agreed notice permits they can buy the time from your present employer.
I receive emails daily from people who say they ‘cannot stand it any more etc. etc’. I can help you with ways to improve the climate at work, but you won’t change it fundamentally in a short space of time. You can and must stand it. Your employer may be wanting you to quit without his having to pay any redundancy money. Don’t let him do it. Grin and bear it. If he really wants you out, he will pay.
Quite a number of those who ‘can’t stand it’ go on to win the hearts of their colleagues with their courage and perseverance. They can end up in better jobs within the company in an improved atmosphere.
Your assessment of the future of employment in your industry, to which I referred earlier, may throw up some interesting possibilities.
The numbers working in your field may be greatly reduced. That gives more responsibility to those who remain. It leads to greater profitability of the company – and better wages. You may be able to win one of those jobs if you are loyal, confident and steadfast. A willingness to learn, demonstrated by the number of courses and additional qualifications you have obtained, is always attractive to a potential employer.
There may be overseas supervisory opportunities, on a full-time or part-time basis. They might involve travel and could be very rewarding.
Even if you are ‘let go’ perhaps you can continue working part-time for the company. That is why you should always remain on good terms with your bosses and colleagues.
Sometimes a company needs those it lets go to help the business through a transition – or for an even longer period. Quite often they are found to have been less dispensable than the management thought.
The clue is ‘valuable’. Are you valuable to the business? What do you think? Only when you regard yourself as valuable can you sell that idea to others.
So the most important step you can take is to make yourself more valuable to the business. Help others, smile, be agreeable, don’t gossip, get the work done. Get to know the boss better. Seek his or her advice about how you can make a greater contribution. Be positive about the business, even if you have been negative in the past. Look on the bright side. Become an optimist.
What have you got to lose? Absolutely nothing. What might you gain? Promotion, better wages, continuity of employment, good references (when they are needed), greater knowledge of the job you are doing. It’s a long list. Use it to motivate yourself. It’s the first line of defence in The New Work Revolution.
There are several more stages in coping with The New Work Revolution – how it affects the home, working from home, multiple portfolios, preparing yourself for a change of industry, getting ready to shift jobs. I’ll deal with them in the next articles.
Meanwhile, smile. Disaster and Triumph are both impostors.

* * *

JohnBittlestonPhoto.jpgJohn Bittleston blogs at TerrificMentors.com, a site that provides mentoring for those who wish a change in career or job, wanting to start a business or looking to improve their handling of people (including themselves).