Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Why You Should Stop Trying to Sell

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Why You Should Stop Trying to Sell When I took the Dale Carnegie class many moons ago, I remember the instructor saying that the worst thing a door-to-door salesperson could do is show up at a prospect’s house and launch into a speech like this: “I want to sell you a new vacuum cleaner. I saw this thing pick up dirt off my floor, and it had the best suction I’ve ever seen. I can give you a great deal on this baby.” I, I, I. This salesperson would be lucky if she didn’t have the door slammed in her face. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Here’s a cardinal rule of human nature:people don’t care what you want, they want to know what’s in it for them. If the salesperson wanted to sell a vacuum cleaner, she had to first find out why the prospect desperately needed one (e.g. he was feeling frustrated and inferior because his home was unkempt, and it was unkempt because he could never get his carpets completely clean). She had to first help him identify a problem. Then and only then could she present a solution (e.g. a vacuum cleaner with more powerful suction). Bestselling author John Jantsch has long been teaching how to be effective on a shoestring budget, reminding us of common sense that’s uncommonly used. In his book,Duct Tape Selling, he agrees with one of my favorite mantras that we’re all salespeople. And John suggests that in trying to get people to do anything for you â€" whether it’ssupporting a pet projector buying a vacuum cleaner â€" you have to be useful. The pitch transformed According to John, the traditional sales pitch is no more. Instead, listening carefully is the new prospecting. With so many online tools available, we have no excuse for approaching people with little or no knowledge about them. So if you want something from a colleague, manager, or client, find out where her head is at first. And think through a message that will directly align with that state of mind. For more advice from John, check out the full post at Intuits Fast Track blog.

Frequent Business Traveler Heres How I Stay Healthy

Frequent Business Traveler Heres How I Stay Healthy People often tell me how jealous they are that I get to travel the world for work. But the truth is, it’s not as glamorous as it sounds. What most people don’t realize is how challenging it is for business travelers like myself to stay healthy on the road. There’s the bad airport food, the extended hours on a plane, the hectic agendas, the different time zones… You get the idea. I recently learned about a report in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine that reflected my experiences as a business traveler. The report found that business travelers have a 92 percent higher chance of being overweight compared to non-business travelers. It also said that it only takes two weeks of business travel to gain weight. I was once a part of those business traveler statistics. But several years ago, I went through a life-changing health scare that put things into perspective. My doctor told me I had one of two choices: lose weight or die. At the time, I was like many other business travelers: unhealthy and overweight. But as the CEO of a health tech company with his life on the line, I couldn’t afford to be either anymore. I’m proud to say I now weigh a healthy 165 pounds on a 5’9” frame. At 37 years old, I’m in the best shape of my life. But it took a lot of work to get me where I am today. Along the way, I tried many things to lose weight, including diet trends and fitness fads. But at the end of the day, it all boiled down to five health hacks that I swear by.  Here’s how I stay healthy as a frequent business traveler. Take a walk after every meal. Most business travelers are on their phone 24/7. So what I like to practice is what I call a “walk talk meeting” after every meal. This “walk talk meeting” gives me time to exercise without it feeling like I’m  actually  exercising. It also helps me digest my food while I get the heart pumping. Adjust your sleeping patterns accordingly. Studies have that found that a lack of sleep is linked to overeating, which is why I always try to adjust my sleep schedule to my destination before I arrive.  For example, if I’m traveling from San Francisco to Seoul â€" and it’s nighttime in Seoul â€" I take melatonin (4 mg) to sleep through the flight and adjust my body’s internal clock. I also try to always travel on an empty stomach. I’ve found flying on a full stomach delays my body’s internal clock from adjusting to local time. Both of these hacks help me sleep  and  eat better when I’m in my future city. Exercise in the morning. Business travelers barely have time to relax, let alone  think  about exercise. But this won’t be the case if you wake up early when everyone else is asleep. By scheduling your workout in the morning, you’ll always have enough time to exercise. This hack isn’t easy to master, but after some time, your body will naturally adjust. What’s more, you’ll also quickly find out how good your body feels after a morning gym sesh. Also, when you do exercise, make sure you sweat. Interval training is a great way to do this because it helps you break a sweat in the shortest amount of time  without  overdoing it. I usually do a 25-minute running session around four times a week. And if I’m feeling up for it, I also do some basic weight lifting. Take additional vitamins and supplements and stay hydrated. Many business travelers don’t see the value of vitamins. But medical research has proven that Vitamin B, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D are crucial to our health. For this reason, I always take  additional  vitamins to keep my body healthy and energized on the road. They also give my digestive system some extra support. Also, it’s important to stay hydrated while on the road. It’s not really a hack, but staying hydrated is crucial for getting the energy needed for exercise. Monitor your eating habits. When it comes to staying in shape, monitoring your caloric intake is the most important health hack you can have.  I use Noom Coach to help me monitor my eating habits, including the calories I burn and consume. This hack makes me mindful of what I eat. By manually entering what I’m drinking and eating, I become aware of how it’s going to impact my body.With the help of coaches, Noom gives me a personalized plan when I’m traveling, making it easier to not gain weight and stay on track.  For instance, let’s say I had a meal with a business partner that exceeds my daily calorie budget. The next day, my coach will help me adjust my caloric intake so that I don’t over-do it two days in a row.  Noom  helps me become more mindful of my behavior, which is what ultimately leads to a healthier body  and  mind. The bottom line? Business travel is challenging, but staying in shape doesn’t have to be. By taking the time to properly prepare and make wise choices when you’re on the road, you’re fueling your body and getting the energy you need to power through. Plus, you’ll look  and  feel great. This guest post was authored by Saeju Jeong Saeju Jeong is the CEO/Co-founder of the world’s leading weight loss program,  Noom Coach. The mobile app has helped over 47 million users live healthier lives with the support of trained and certified health coaches. Since 2008, the app has been awarded multiple grants by the NIH, and is the first mobile diabetes prevention program certified by the CDC. Jeong also sits on South Korea’s Ministry of Science Technology’s steering committee and the board of Chonnam Hospital, South Korea’s largest private hospital.

Interview With Inspired Quill Founder - Sara Slack

Interview With Inspired Quill Founder - Sara Slack In this interview post I interview Sara Slack, founder of Inspired Quill. With an Entrepreneurial award and Business tuition, Sara decided that the best way to utilise her passion for the written word was to create a Social Enterprise, with the determination to not only publish and promote great literaturebut to aid both new authors and the local community in skills development. Sara Slack has taken Inspired Quill from a rarely-viewed blog to a registered, viable business in the space of a year and a halfso who knows what the future will bring. The ‘big 6’ had better watch out! Faizan: When did you come up with the idea of IQ, how did the idea come about â€" what were the motives, incidents, thoughts behind your idea? Sara:  Inspired Quill actually started off as a book review blog. Sara Slack I was a University undergrad studying English, and simply wanted somewhere to post reviews and thoughts about the books I was reading. After some time, I asked a few friends at Uni to also write for the blog, and started updating three times a week. After applying for the Enterprise Inc award (for young entrepreneurs) at the start of my MA, my idea for offering paid content developed. By the end of the course IQ had turned from just a blog into a publishing house. Faizan: How did you go about executing your idea? Did you manage university and work for IQ at the same time? Sara: As I said, I managed to get onto the Enteprise Inc programme, which offered 40 hours of (intensive) Business training. (I will never forget waking up at 8am on a Saturday morning to sit through 5 hours of Finance). It was a lot of hard work, trying to sort out IQ and my MA work at the same time. On top of that, I was also the Vice-President of my University’s Theatre Group, and performed on-stage during the year. The execution of IQ took a lot of planning, many documents of which are simply unrequired now, since the business has moved on so much. To be honest, it was arguably easier for me back then to what it is now â€" since now I’m working a full time ‘day job’ (which I love), then having to go home and essentially start my working day all over again. No completely free weekends for me! But I am incredibly fortunate to love what I do, so it doesn’t seem too much like ‘work’. Faizan: Who funded your idea and did you approach many? Considering you were at university, did your uni help you with your idea? Sara: The Enterprise Inc scheme at University gave me a bursary of just over two thousand pounds. As you can imagine, setting up a publishing house cost a lot more than that! I haven’t applied for any other funding thus far, and have been using my own money. IQ is, however, now getting to the stage where we need a better amount of working capital so that we can really hike up the quality of our products, so I shall be looking around for funding in the near future. I can honestly say that IQ would not exist if it weren’t for my University. The Enterprise Inc scheme was fundamental in giving me the knowledge I needed to feel confident about setting up my own business. In fact, I would have traded the financial gain for more intensive business training! Faizan: What do you think of Universities at the moment? Are they encouraging entrepreneurs or are students being put off by their academic burden? Do you think students are any interested in actually realising any idea they have while at uni? Sara: I think University is a place where you get as much out of it as you put in. No-one is going to hand you anything on a silver platter, which is exactly what separates entrepreneurs from people who just want to ‘have a go’. The University of Leicester was extremely central to the development of IQ â€" but I had to ask for help. I had to apply for the Enterprise Inc scheme, and go to meetings with the career development team. Having said that, I think a lot of students â€" certainly true amongst a lot of my friends â€" don’t really know what it is they really want to do after University, and I think that more could be done to reach out to these people and really get them pointed in the right direction. Faizan: Finally, you take on interns for IQ, how can other students get involved and are you looking at expanding IQ to spot more budding writers? How can one approach you and when do you think one should realise they have the potential to write and be published. Sara: At the moment, we’re not looking for any more interns. We are however, starting to look for a few regular writers for the IQ blog â€" which will be starting up again within the next couple of months. People can get involved with us simply by sending me an email and telling me exactly what sort of thing they’d like to write about (as long as it’s literature related!) Writing and publishing is incredibly difficult. As cliché as it is, everyone has the potential to write and publish…but I think a big part of that mind-set is in knowing that you will always be learning. Faizan: Thank you for the interview, Sara. We wish you best of luck with Inspired Quill. 0

7 Ways College Students Can Benefit from LinkedIn

7 Ways College Students Can Benefit from LinkedIn Considering the excellent benefits that connecting with professionals on LinkedIn brings, college students can never ignore this social networking platform. In fact, your networking on LinkedIn should begin as early as possible. LinkedIn can help you find jobs as soon as you graduate from college. However, it’s a regret that college students spend very little time on this professional social networking platform, as compared to the time spent on other popular social networking websites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Given below are some key tips on how college students should use LinkedIn and how they can reap maximum benefits by connecting with professionals on this social networking website. 1. Getting Job Email Alerts Once you have created your professional profile on LinkedIn, you can set email alerts to receive notifications of recommended jobs. Students and jobseekers will be able to see the notifications on their homepage as soon as they log into their LinkedIn accounts. 2. Connecting with Professionals If you have a look at LinkedIn, you’ll be surprised to find out the large number of professionals who choose to connect here. In fact, you can find your friends, co-workers, colleagues, classmates and family members on this platform. And it’s never a tough job connecting with them all. What’s more, you can even import your email list to find out who among your friends is present on LinkedIn. Related: How To Build a Brilliant Professional Network in College. 3. Conducting Company Research One of the biggest benefits LinkedIn offers college students and jobseekers is that they can check out the pages of their targeted employers. By visiting company, pages, you can conduct a research on the whereabouts of the company, the hiring process and what people have to say about that organization. This kind of company research on LinkedIn can always keep a stay ahead of your competition and increases your employability. 4. Getting Recommendations LinkedIn also offers a feature through which you can get other people to recommend you. People with a maximum number of recommendations have a great chance of attracting the employers’ attention. College students too can try to get as many recommendations as possible to increase their employability. Be sure to check out How to Get More LinkedIn Recommendations as well. 5. Letting Companies Find You Today, a large number of organizations look for talented candidates on social networking platforms like LinkedIn. If you have created a good and detailed professional profile, chances are you will attract employer’s attention. And it would really be nice to be invited by companies for your job position you always wanted to occupy. 6. Connecting with Other Students College students can also use LinkedIn to network with other students. This type of networking gives you a wonderful opportunity to find out how other college graduates found a job or got hired by an employer. 7. Landing International Jobs Well, LinkedIn is a global networking platform. If you are interested in landing jobs overseas, you can get a lot of benefits by networking on this social media website. You can connect with all the major international employers and find jobs in foreign countries. Conclusion It’s about time that college students too created their profiles on LinkedIn and started to use this social media platform for connecting with professionals. If you prepare yourself as early as possible, you can easily stay ahead of your competition when it comes to landing a job of your interest. Author: James Tomerson writes regularly on career, education and latest job trends. To read more from him, you can visit Jobdiagnosis.com, which also offers jobseekers a free career test to choose a career which is in tune with their career, aptitude and skills. Image: Shutterstock

Cracking the Office Dress Code

Cracking the Office Dress Code Your appearance says volumes about who you are. Research has shown how crucial the first 10 seconds to a minute of your initial introduction are in a social setting.90% of people form their opinion about you within this brief time. Passing the initial test with a positive appearance and attractive nonverbal cues are likable traits. Even more to the point, you’ll never be able to recover from a poor first impression especially when you’re in the face of an interview or career opportunity.After interview day dressing for success remains important. At your place of work everyone will notice the attire you turn up in, including your co-workers and of course the person who employed you. You are the face of that company when you are in their premises, looking sharp and polished is respected.evalThis isn’t to say a casual day or a pair of sneakers is unacceptable. Of course dress codes will differ across companies, cultures, positions, fields and locations. Remaining conscious of your appearance will give you the confidence to succeed and in turn that professional edge to grow.Deciding what to wear and when is becoming increasingly challenging. Beyond an employee handbook there are no uniform rules for what defines an office as business casual, formal, or creative. We see this growing trend of shared work places and hip office spaces and this continues to blur the line of what is acceptable professional attire.T.M.Lewin, British work-wear retailers have developed this handy guide below to help us navigate what to wear for interviewing and beyond. T.M.Lewin is a British heritage brand credited for the invention of the button-down shirt. These London tailors have been dressing the workforces of the times for well over a century. Today they are still most widely recognized for their selection of men’s dress shirts; formal to casual. T.M.Lewin also has an elegant range of tailored shirts for the office ready women of our working world.Infographic Source â€" http:/ /www.tmlewin.co.uk/

Use Social Media to Your Advantage When Job Hunting Successful Strategies - CareerEnlightenment.com

What Not to Post OnlineOf course, there are dangers to marketing yourself online as well. One slip of the tongue or quick, thoughtless post and your job search could be impacted significantly. Remember, once its on the Internet, it never really disappears. Avoid posting overly personal things on your professional social media pages. Good things to avoid talking about online include useless information like what you ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner, political opinions, religious commentary and personal, private matters that should stay at your kitchen table. Maintain a presence of professionalism at all times online. If you wouldnt talk about it to your boss at the office, dont post it online.Alternative Branding MethodsWhile much of our conversations, transactions and business meetings are conducted online, there is still a real world away from your screen. Be sure to develop a personal brand offline as well, but note that you will have to work extra hard to set yourself apart. Do your business cards printing online  and be clever about it â€" give your cards a leading-edge by incorporating a photograph or  QR code or make a die-cut version.The Houston Chronicle recommends learning the steps of the 60-second sell. Whenever you meet with a potential employer in person, always maintain a level of professionalism and speak articulately. Your first impression will make a lasting mark.Social media can be a valuable tool in helping you find a job, but if you approach it the wrong way, it can prevent you from landing that amazing gig. Take the time to create a social media strategy that will benefit you, allowing you to market yourself as the top person for the job as well as develop your own personal brand.Jason Harringtons forte is social media. He updates his tweets and status every hour at least and every update pertains to a new advance in social media.

What You Should Know About a Resume Writing Service

What You Should Know About a Resume Writing ServiceIf you have ever heard of a resume writing service, it's because you want to get a job. It may be that you are a writer who is just starting out and would like to work for a more permanent position. Some people in their early twenties are looking for their first real jobs and they need a place to find them. Resume writing services can make this job easier by providing it.A resume is the most important document you will ever have to create. This is because it will be displayed in front of a hiring manager who is going to be looking over hundreds of resumes. In addition, the person who reads your resume has already done extensive research on your background and knows what type of personality you possess. This is something you don't want to worry about during the interview process.In order to get a resume written by a professional resume writing service, you will need to meet with a company who specializes in writing these documents. Th ey will come to your home or office to do the job for you. This means that you won't have to wait around for a while to get an answer back from them.One of the most important things to keep in mind while meeting with a writing service is that you should know what you want. The goal of any resume is to let the hiring manager know how you can contribute to the company. This is true even if it doesn't say so on the document.You may be in the process of looking for a job and want to include information that is required of you. It doesn't mean that you have to take the position, but it does give you an idea of what is expected. You want to also mention when you will be coming in to see the writer, how long you want to expect to be there, and any other requirements you may have. This will help the writer to craft a resume that will best fit your needs.Most resume writing services will also be able to help you learn how to tweak your resume. This is something that is very important, becaus e most positions require that the applicant knows the proper way to make changes. This may be in regards to being put in the position that you are trying to get, as well as your resume showing up on the job posting. This is something you'll want to make sure that you know how to do.When the resume is all finished, you will want to review it. This is important for several reasons. You want to make sure that everything looks and reads exactly the way you want it to. You want to ensure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors and that the information in the document is accurate.A resume writing service is a good choice if you are looking for a job. You should also keep in mind that a good resume writing service will come to your home or office and help you customize your resume. You can find one in any area. You will be happy that you took the time to find a company that can help you.