To your success - live today to its fullest...

Quote of the Day: On Giving

To give pleasure to a single heart by a single kind act is better than a thousand head-bowings in prayer.

- Sa’Di

A Quick Heads Up - Today (December 4th) is Extraordinary Work Team Recognition Day.

This day was created to recognize business teams that work extraordinarily well together, producing significant results/accomplishments for their company or organization. For more information, browse www.qpcteam.com.

Health & Fitness

Dieting doubles risk of smoking in girls.

A University of Florida study of 8,000 adolescents found that dieting seems to double the risk that teenage girls will start smoking. Researchers did not find the same link in boys, however. Boys were also less likely to start dieting in the first place.

Researchers wanted to see if dieting affected the initiation of smoking, and so they looked at teens who were beginning to diet, but were not yet smokers.

“Dieting was a significant predictor of initiation of regular smoking among females,” Mildred Maldonado-Molin, assistant professor of epidemiology and health policy research, said.

The percentage of girls who smoke as compared to boys in middle and high school is slightly larger, according to a 2006 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

The researchers noted that if your child starts dieting, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will also start smoking. However, parents should look for changes in their teens’ behavior. The findings were originally published in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Self Growth

Get rid of the fancy talk.

Often people use “fancy talk” because they want to be seen as smart or in charge.
But unfortunately, the smarter we try to sound, the more we end up with tired, bureaucratic speech or writing. According to Princeton Review’s Grammar Smart, below are a few words you should avoid using.

• Maximize
• Finalize
• Attain
• Impact (as a verb)
• Probabilistic
• Doable
• Utilize
• Prioritize
• Value-added
• Basically
• Facilitate

Wealth Building

A couple of hundred thousand will get you…

Want to hire a celebrity speaker or entertainer for your event?

According to the All American Speakers Web site, you’ll pay a pretty penny for some of the big names. All American is one of the largest buyers of celebrity talent and claims to have access to virtually any author, speaker, band, athlete or celebrity.

Below are some of their most popular, yet not-so-affordable speakers:

Anderson Cooper - $50,000 and above
Bill Maher - $50,000 and above
Bobby Flay - $50,000 and above
David Spade - $50,000 and above
Dr. Laura Schlessinger - $50,000 and above
Sarah Ferguson - $50,000 and above
Rachel Ray - $50,000 and above
William Shatner - $50,000 and above
Adam Sandler - $100,000 and above
Bill Cosby - $100,000 and above
Emeril Lagasse - $100,000 and above
Jessica Simpson - $100,000 and above
John Cleese - $100,000 and above
Billy Crystal  - $200,000 and above
Donald Trump - $200,000 and above
Phil McGraw - $200,000 and above
Ellen DeGeneres - $200,000 and above
Jerry Seinfeld - $200,000 and above

See complete list at www.allamericanspeakers.com.

Sales Skills

Try these tips to save time

Need to run a tighter ship so you can have a little more leisure time? These days that’s a pretty common problem and goal. People work more hours and are spread pretty thin.

But don’t despair.

Here are a few time management tips from Worklifebalance.com’s (www.worklifebalance.com) CEO Jim Bird:

• Use a daily planner. Electronic or paper, it doesn’t matter. Choose one that gives you at least on page per day, and then make sure you always keep it with you. Jot down your commitments as you go.

• Get rid of your to-do list. Why? To-do lists often end up being frustrating and futile, something you never quite get to. Instead, take your to-do list before you toss it out and transfer the items to a particular time and day in your daily planner. You’ll be amazed at how much your stress level goes down and how much you accomplish when you do this.

• Set aside a block of time to return phone calls and answer e-mails. Choosing early morning to do this is often best since the other person will have the rest of the day to respond. Of course, urgent messages and phone calls should be returned in a timely manner.

• When talking on the phone or in face-to-face conversations, give the other person your full attention. Don’t page through your e-mail in-box or fill out your daily planner when you’re talking to someone. Make sure that your communication is clear and focused, which will reduce the need for clarification and other time-wasters in the future. Don’t multitask when you deal with people. It never pays off.

Marketing

How To Increase Online Sales

Many exceptional sales professionals say there is one key success factor that distinguishes good marketers from others. That secret technique is to have a persistent and consistent follow-up.

This may sound obvious for any business, both online or offline, but still many people are not doing this. The ability to follow up with your customers and communicate with them on a regular basis is key. But how can you know who are the people who visit your website and how can you follow up with them? There are two small pieces of information that you need to collect from your visitors: first name and e-mail address.

There are different ways how to do this. You can give something of high perceived value away, like a free report or a free sample, or you can sell something at a low entry level price.

Once you have developed your customer list, the key to being able to send follow-ups to your customers is an autoresponder program. You can buy this program or subscribe to this service online. Using this tool, you can create a series of personalized emails which can be sent to your customers automatically, after they have subscribed to your newsletter of after they have bought from you.

For example, if you sell weight loss supplements, with an autoresponder tool you can automatically send an email to your customers 30 days after they bought from you in order to remind them to order refills. You can also build trust by sending them interesting articles on how to more effectively loose weight. If they trust you, they will be more willing to do more business with you. You may also send them a personalized mail to tell them about other products that could help with their weight loss objective.

Research shows that once a customer has already bought from you, he will be more willing to buy from you again than another new customer. You will also be able to send broadcasts to your customers with an autoresponder tool. For example if you sell chocolates and Christmas is close, you might remind them that you have the best chocolates for Christmas presents by sending them a broadcast.

These techniques are proven by advanced sales and marketing professionals as ways to increase sales. If you are serious about your business and you are committed to its success, you must use the tools that will give you the best possible chance to succeed.

Real Estate

Buying Real Estate Property in Today's World

Starting a home-based business of buying and selling houses for profit can be a huge success should you take the proper steps to get started. It is possible to start buying houses for just a little money and within a few days.

You do not need perfect credit and a lot of cash to get started in buying and selling real estate. You also do not need a real estate license in this business.

Here are the beginning methods behind almost all starting real estate investors who use little or no money to get started buying properties:

Join your local real estate investment organization or club for valuable help and resources you will need for long-term business success. Your education in real estate investing should be your largest cost in this business.

To succeed in a real estate investment atmosphere for a sustained time, a business marketing plan must be formed. A good business plan maps out activities that will lead to success. It lets you form clear paths for your business, and set goals with every step. A business plan allows you to own a business that is profitable on purpose, and not by accident.

Here is the foundation for almost all unconventional real estate transactions performed today:

Just about all mortgage loans used to be assumable, where the buyer and seller would come to an agreement. With a simple form filled out, the buyer agrees with the seller to take over payments on the existing mortgage.

Today most mortgage loans contain a "due on sale" clause, where the mortgage lender has the right to demand payment in full should the ownership of the property be transferred.

This clause is not a law, but a piece added to many of today's mortgage contracts. This clause is intended to limit the risks to the lender.

The costs associated with the exercise of this clause are substantial. Therefore, if payments are regularly made, lenders almost never take action to stop this type of transfer. Many times the lender will never even notice the transfer took place.

Today's current form of real estate transfer is what is called the "Agreement For Deed" and is the foundation for current property transfers today.

By forming a clear business plan and by properly using real estate contracts, an individual or small business can purchase virtually "unlimited" properties using little or no money down.

Business Strategies

Are You A Delegator?

Do you worry about protecting your own turf as a manager? According to James E. Neal Jr. in Job Survival Strategies: A Guide for Turbulent Times, you’re not alone.

Many managers fear upper management might realize that lower paid employees can handle at least some of what is entrusted to middle managers.

Neal provides more reasons managers don’t delegate:

• A lack of trust in their subordinates.
• A fear that they will lose control.
• Hanging on to the feeling that “doing” something is the only way to get things done the right way.
• Hanging on to the feeling that “doing” something is the only way to prove themselves.
• Clinging to the idea that “doing” something is the only way to get any personal satisfaction from work.

Neal also noted managers who don’t delegate can seriously weaken an organization by passing over capable subordinates. He feels that non delegators often put in long hours and try to do everything themselves while others in the office keep normal hours.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Related Resources and Websites

Business Entrepreneur