Archive for December, 2007

Law Firm Marketing And The “I Hate Selling” Syndrome

Monday, December 31st, 2007

By Henry Harlow Law firm marketing and the hating part in the title depends on what you mean by selling dont you think? After all many people think the word sell is a four-letter word. If you mean the kind of traditional selling we find prevalent in the selling of new or used cars or if you think of selling as getting someone to purchase what you have to sell regardless of the means used - then I would say I hate selling myself! In law firm marketing if you mean facilitating a persons unique process in deciding what is in their highest and best interest (while suspending ones own needs and supporting their decision making process) - then I love selling. I assert, in law firm marketing, selling is not something to hate given how I define selling. In fact selling, given my definition, is a required skill set in serving people well and is critical in lawyer marketing. Given my definition what do you do? Read on. What does this law firm marketing coach recommend you do in building sales skills? First, I would suggest you think through your responsibility to your prospective clients to deliver buyer facilitation (more on this a bit later). Second, I would suggest you become familiar with some of the consultative sales models that have been developed that are applicable to lawyer marketing. Few attorneys have ever had any training in sales or even read a book on the subject (or so I have found in my work with over 500 attorneys). What are these sales models that can work with lawyer marketing? Read on. One model that works with law firm marketing and has a 30-year track record is the Sandler Sales Institutes 7-Step System For Successful Selling. The book I found that is best for understanding this approach is David H. Sandlers You Cant Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar. There are around 175 Sandler franchisees around the country that have multiyear sales training programs you dont need, however, you can find the book at Amazon.com. Even though I dont agree with all that is said in this book it is one of the top three I recommend for law firm marketing. The next model is Integrity Selling For The 21st Century by Ron Willingham. One of its big strengths is talking about different buyer types so you dont speak the same way to everyone, instead you speak to their type if you can. Finally, my top recommendation for lawyer marketing is Selling with Integrity by Sharon Drew Morgan. She has a website at http://www.buyingfacilitation.com/advantage.html where you can get her latest e-book (which is an update of her hard copy book). Sharons model is the one I use in my work since it is third generation and a win/win situation. First came traditional selling, and then came the consultative sales model, and now the buyer facilitation model. One does not throw out consultative sales (represented in the first two books I mention) totally with buyer facilitation but consultative sales skills comes AFTER buyer facilitation. Also, it goes without saying traditional sales is out in law firm marketing. Why would sales distinctions (more on that in my client development e-course) be important to learn in law firm marketing? First, you want everyone you talk with to have a good experience. Whether they hire you or not they have been profoundly served and will remember your unique connection with them as well as tell others. Second, you want your prospective client to be an educated consumer in making a decision since an educated consumer is more likely to say yes and say it sooner than later. Third, as a law firm marketing coach I am interested in your conversion ratio or how many of the people you talk with actually turn into clients. If I can help you improve your conversion ratio or please forgive me closing ratio then I will increase your income while you serve your clients better than ever. What is wrong with that? Henry Harlow has individually coached well over 500 attorneys on how to increase their revenues while they reduce their work hours. Henry has over 40 years of marketing experience, business and psychology degrees as well as being a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach. Henry has been there and done that having built a multi-site professional service firm and successfully sold that firm. Henrys website is a content rich site where you can get now free and objective information on mastering all aspects of law firm marketing. To learn more please visit: http://www.law-firm-marketing-coach.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Henry_Harlow http://EzineArticles.com/?Law-Firm-Marketing-And-The-I-Hate-Selling-Syndrome&id=242231 cheapest phentermine online without a prescription paradise pharmacy phentermine phentermine online doctor buy prescription phentermine

The Importance of Mass Exposure in Online Business

Sunday, December 30th, 2007

By Steven Lanier Massive exposure is a must in online business. Too many would be successful entrepreneurs and home based business owners focus on the age old saying quality before quantity. This does not hold true in the home based business industry. When dealing with online marketing and advertising, QUANTITY comes before QUALITY. Let me give you an example. You go to a lead source with the intent on buying leads, and are given a choice. You can order 20 highly targeted surveyed phone verified leads for $30, or you can order 15,000 30 day old auto responder leads for $30. On the surface the 20 highly targeted leads seems to be a better deal. Because you got 20 people who appear to already be waiting to buy, and they are just waiting for your phone call or email. In online business this simply isnt true. The fact of the matter is each of these lead lists have been sold and resold countless times. It doesnt matter who your lead provider is, chances are the list of leads you ordered have been sold at least 5 or 6 times. Some companies will claim that this isnt the case with their particular brand of leads, that they only sell their lists two or three times to separate companies, and this may be true. THEY might not have resold the lists multiple times, but the provider they used did for sure. And for this reason alone, quantity is more important then quality when dealing with these types of contacts. A $3, 10 question phone verified surveyed lead will perform just as well as a 3 cent auto responder bulk lead under these circumstances, and the results will only become evident by using a massive amount of contacts and playing the numbers game. Your goal in this industry should always be mass exposure. Trying to get the most promotional bang for your buck to a targeted audience. Any advertising means you decide to use, whether its purchasing bulk leads or paying for PPC advertising, you want your product to be put in front of a targeted audience. So make sure any leads you buy, and any PPC provider you choose to take advantage of, helps you in terms of MASS EXPOSURE. Most successful online marketers will use a wide range of mass exposure tools. Including email, traffic exchanges, PPC, Podcasting, articles etc. Anything that will bring the MOST traffic to their websites. Not necessarily the MOST targeted. Now dont get me wrong, targeted traffic is great. But getting guaranteed targeted traffic can be both time consuming and expensive. At the end of the day with highly targeted traffic you could see a conversion improvement of only .5% - 1%, for a price increase of a couple thousand dollars. So unless you have huge investment capital, going for the highly targeted variety of traffic isnt always worth it. What about PPC (pay per click) traffic vs. Traffic Exchange traffic for home based business? In all honestly I believe traffic exchange traffic is superior to PPC traffic when you utilize the PPCs correctly for a number of reasons. First and foremost traffic exchange traffic is free, you can direct thousands of targeted hits to your website daily at NO cost. If you were using a PPC, the cost can be astronomical. Lead capture on the traffic exchanges is highly effective, you can pretty much count on 1 opt-in for every 700 visitors you send to your site. In a PPC, the same could hold true, but you are paying anywhere from .5 cents to 25 cents per visitor, sometimes even more. Which can make PPC advertising impractical. PPC advertising doesnt fulfill the requirement of mass exposure, again your sacrificing quantity for quality and that idea never works very well online. Can a good inexpensive PPC campaign help your business? Sure. But it should be one tool in your arsenal, and a minor tool. If you plan on getting ALL your website sales through PPC advertising, the costs can quickly outweigh the profits.In closing, always go for quantity over quality in online advertising and marketing. Steven Lanier is an online marketer, and professional list builder. Steven has grown large downlines in several MLM’s and is a top affiliate in many companies and opportunities. Visit his website here http://www.maxprofit.ws Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Lanier http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Importance-of-Mass-Exposure-in-Online-Business&id=575344 cheap phentermine online consultation buy phentermine pay cod purchase phentermine 37.5 low cost phentermine no prescription

Five Keys to Creating A Dynamic and Enjoyable Relationship

Saturday, December 29th, 2007

By Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD Jewelers would like to convince us that giving your partner diamonds or an expensive watch is the best way to give a message of love, but it is the little things that make a huge difference in keeping your relationship vibrant and enjoyable. Everyone wants to feel good about him/herself? Everyone wants attention and reassurance that they are loved. Everyday remember to include these in your relationship: Self-Esteem Boost. tell your partner how proud you are of him/her, give specific examples to boost their self-confidence. Whether it is about their work, how they handled a certain situation or even for how great they are doing sticking to their commitments, fitness plan, etc. tell your husband/wife how sexy he is in that plaid shirt or tell your wife how sexy she is when shes not wearing any makeup. Boosting each other’s self-confidence not only adds security to your relationship, it will allow each person to blossom into the successful person they were meant to be. Touching: Everyone needs touch that soothes and nurtures. Hugs are a great way to touch. Virginia Satir, family therapist, through her research has concluded: We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth. Many spiritual gurus, such as Mata Amritanandmayi, hug their disciples a lot, perhaps to pass on the divine energy. a brush of the hand against her/his cheek rubbing his/her shoulders touching your partners hand or arm while having a conversation touching can send shivers up your spine or help to bridge an emotional gap during an argument, so do not forget to hug, squeeze, kiss, and hold each other every day Laughing: It is not necessary to be a practical joker to have a little fun with your partner, and in fact, practical jokes are not usually funny for the person on whom it is being played. Sharing healthy humor with your partner is indeed a very important part of a healthy relationship. It is what gives color, flair and entertainment to the day-to-day flow of communication. Without humor, a relationship becomes boring, colorless and routine. Spontaneous quips, double entendres, telling a funny story, inside jokes between you, teasing (provided it is not a put-down) can be the mainstay of humor. If being funny does not come naturally to you, learn a funny joke and tell your partner. Even if you mess up the delivery, you will create a good laugh. Buy a telescopic fork and find a clever moment to reach over in the middle of dinner and steal some of his/her food. (This is also hilarious at family gatherings, especially if you sneak food from someone’s plate while everyone else is watching.) Play board games together. Point out interesting people walking by and share a giggle. Whatever it is that makes your partner laugh, do it often. Disagree When it Counts: Being in a committed relationship does not mean you need to change your personality. You both came into the relationship as unique people and your individual uniqueness needs to become an integral part of the whole. Looking for a workable solution with each other can create the unique relationship you both can enjoy. If either of you bottle up your disagreements, you are headed straight for an angry explosion. Avoid letting things build up, tell your partner exactly what is bothering you and encourage them to do the same. There is no rule that says couples have to agree on everything. Be honest about how you feel, know when to create a workable solution on a situation and never give up your personal identity or expect your partner to give up his/her identity. Dream/Plan Together: You both need to have individual dreams and aspirations, both for your relationship and yourselves. Dreams are the momentum upon which the impossible becomes possible, where fear of failure is obsolete and success is inevitable. When you dream, you put all the restrictions of preconceived notions behind you and are filled with a sense of exhilaration and wonder that can actually lead you to make positive changes in your life. Nurture your dreams both for yourself and for your partner, and plan for adventure. Having something grand to look forward to, whether it is a world cruise or a day spent at the beach, give yourself a break from everyday routines and put the thrill back into the journey you are both taking together. Fostering a healthy and dynamic partnership reminds me of the story of twin preemies, who were being kept alive in separate incubators, the smaller of whom was fighting a very difficult battle for survival. It was not until a nurse broke the hospital rules and put the infants in the same incubator that the smaller twins health improved so much that he became well enough to go home with his brother. Having spent nine months in the womb together the smallest of the two needed the others energy to help him thrive. The same can be said about developing a strong relationship between two people who have come togetheras near strangersalbeit they may have dated for some time. People sometimes slack off the bonding process after the deal to be long term partners has been sealed. The opposite is true once the deal is sealed the bonding process needs to be nurtured as much as during the dating period. Look your partner in the eye every day and hold him/her tight while telling him/her how much you love him/her. Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, author, “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life,” and Life Coach specializes in: Mind, Body, Spirit healing. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life’s challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dorothy_M._Neddermeyer,_PhD http://EzineArticles.com/?Five-Keys-to-Creating-A-Dynamic-and-Enjoyable-Relationship&id=423803 phentermine buy phentermine phentermine online without perscription kenwood pharmacy phentermine phentermine online

Diet Preparaton — The Impact of Sleep and Stress

Saturday, December 29th, 2007

By Mark Fuqua When you have started a diet in the past, how much sincere and attentive focus did you give to preparing for your diet? Isn’t it true that usually you are getting the food together a particular diet requires, buying yet another tread mill (or hauling out the old one covered in dust from the last diet), getting another gym membership, planning that last big blowout gluttonous meal you’re going to eat because you are going to have to starve for the next eight weeks. The above really isn’t an exaggeration. People spend a lot of time preparing everything else for their new diet program except the body! If you are to succeed in keeping weight off, you must take seriously the preparation of the whole person–body, mind, and soul, right? Of course you do! In the next few articles, I will focus on two very important and related components of preparing your body for weight loss programs: sleep and stress. Think about these two questions. Question 1: “What are your chances of actually losing the weight you want to lose? Question 2: What are the chances you’ll keep that weight off for at least five years? If you have been on the fad diet band wagon even once in your life, you already look at those two questions warily and with some doubt about your success. I would venture a guess and say that most of us have tried more than one diet that promised fast results with very little if any hunger and no exercise, right? Take a look at most fad diets or weight loss programs, and you will find missing two very important components. These fad diets and online diet programs fail to give enough, if any, importance to an important key that could more than double your chances of losing weight and keeping it off. What am I talking about? How getting a good night’s sleep can make all the difference in your weight loss success. Actually, we can place stress alongside sleep as the two are so very important to each other. If you are under a lot stress, most likely you aren’t getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep can lead to more stress. Now try to take seriously any diet program when you have that kind of stress/sleeplessness cycle, and you are asking for failure. Evaluating and, perhaps, changing our sleep patterns or lack thereof is not a short term fad diet fix. Remember: It’s not about a diet; it’s about a way of life. If you are going to lose the weight you want to lose and keep it off, you must stop thinking in terms of another “diet,” and start thinking in terms of a way of life. You need to establish a pattern of life where YOU are in control instead of being at the mercy of what goes on at your office or what is going on in your family. Having counseled countless couples, singles, married, divorced and you name it people during nearly 20 years as a spiritual leader and guide, I am not suggesting that we don’t have to deal with life’s issues and challenges. Quite the contrary. I am suggesting that you deal with those issues by taking the necessary steps to take control of your daily patterns and habits which will lead to a healthy psychological and physical wellbeing. In other words, if you are eating right, exercising regularly, and getting a good night’s sleep each night, you will be better equipped emotionally and physcally to take on stress. Here are some thoughts on why sleep and stress are so important. If you consistently deprive yourself of sleep it can lead to a state of sleep deprivation. Typically, everyone goes through periods of sleep deprivation in their life. Remember staying up all night, maybe more than one, when you were in finals week in college? Or if you have a child, you definitely have experienced, or are experiencing now, periods where you deprive your body of sleep. But there is a great difference in intermittent times of going without sleep because we choose to and patterns of sleep deprivation brought on by illness or, most common, stress. Be sure to look for my next article in this series which deals with what happens to the body when it doesn’t get enough sleep. These articles will lead to a thourough understanding of why the body needs rest and relief from stress and I will show you concrete steps you can take to make sure you are getting the best night’s sleep possible. For more information on diet preparations and other aspects of how to make your diet the most health and productive, visit Diet Preparation Cheers to your weight loss success! Mark A. Fuqua Chief Editor and Consultant Diet Basics With 3 earned degrees and more than 16 years of experience as spiritual leader, pastor, director of marketing and investment banker, Mark Fuqua brings to the discussion table a breadth and depth of unique experience coupled with academic acumen. He is Consultant and Chief Editor of Diet Basics, a website dedicated to healthy weight loss success. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Fuqua http://EzineArticles.com/?Diet-Preparaton—-The-Impact-of-Sleep-and-Stress&id=67840 pharmacy no rx phentermine online pharmacy phentermine no prescription buy phentermine free consultation buy phentermine free shipping

Understanding the Marketplace

Friday, December 28th, 2007

By Graham S Nicoll So how on earth can we be expected to stay abreast of the changes in our marketplace. Well the simple answer is: continually adapt to the changes you facelisten to your staffask your customersread magazines / newspapers / blogs / e-newsletterslisten to people in the pub / on the train / in the supermarket / etcBut all that can sometimes simply lead you down the wrong pathway! But then again without all of these sources of information it is near impossible to make an informed decision about where to direct your businesses focus. One thing I learnt about business while running Grazies, a corporate health and wellbeing management company, was know your marketplace better than your competitors and they will value your business far more highly. In addition to this, you can second guess their next move, your can target their clients with a more appropriate solution and you can tailor your PR messages to hit their weak spots. Businesses need to constantly evolve - adapting to the changing face of business as we know it today. Some people businesses believe they know better than clients, some businesses believe they need to simply serve the clients wants, others just fee they have a product to sell and they are going to sell it to anyone who will listen. In my experience successful businesses adopt a multi-pronged approach. They listen to clients, they come up with new ideas and share them with current and potential clients, they innovate based on the requests of clients and they also look to push the boundaries to fulfil needs as well as wants. Therefore I would encourage you to ensure that your business aims to innovate, while maintaining a close eye on what your competitors are doing and what your customers and looking and asking for. You can never know enough about your competitors, your clients, trends or what is happening in your specific or closely aligned marketplaces. Enjoy business, serve your clients well and make plenty of money along the way! Written by Graham Nicoll, who is a renowned speaker and business growth coach. Visit http://www.achievebusinessgrowth.com or Grahams Blog at http://graham-nicoll.blogspot.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Graham_S_Nicoll http://EzineArticles.com/?Understanding-the-Marketplace&id=397693 cheap phentermine online pharmacy ordering phentermine online phentermine online physician order phentermine with no prescription

Discount Nursing Scrubs

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

By Dennis Driscoll Where to find Discount Nursing Scrubs With the increase of nurses nationwide, the need for nursing scrubs is also on the rise. But a lot of these new nurses are looking to save money. Discount nursing scrubs can be found in a number of places. Buying discount nursing scrubs is a great way to save money. There is no need to buy a brand new uniform every time you are in need. Look in the places below to find discount nursing scrubs. You may be able to save hundreds of dollars a year if you frequent these stores. First off, check with the hospital or doctors office that you are affiliated with. Often these organizations will know the best companies that offer discount nursing scrubs. They may have a list of companies that sell the cheapest uniforms. They may also know of a company that offers a discount to employees of certain hospitals. If your employer participates in a program such as this, discount nursing scrubs will surely be available to you. You may also want to check at your local department store for discount nursing scrubs. Uniforms that do not get sold immediately will sometimes go on sale. If you keep your eyes open for these sales, you will surely find what you are looking for at a discounted price. You should also ask the store employees when these uniforms generally go on sale. Sometimes you will find that they have a sale on these items at the same time every year. Finally, do not forget to check online for discount nursing scrubs. Search for discount nursing scrubs on Google, Froogle, Ebay, Amazon, or a comparative sales site. You will have the option of choosing from hundreds of online sellers. Each of them will offer their own special deals. Discount nursing scrubs are a great way to save a little bit of extra money throughout the year. Check the three outlets above if you are interested in saving yourself some money on uniforms. Marketing News World byDennis Driscoll Tummy Tuck Resources and News Nursing Resources Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dennis_Driscoll http://EzineArticles.com/?Discount-Nursing-Scrubs&id=149847 order phentermine with no prescription buy phentermine us order phentermine without doctor phentermine to order

The 10-Step Resume Critique

Tuesday, December 25th, 2007

By Peter Hill Your resume will generally receive a 15- to 30-second scan upon first review by an employer. With that in mind, it is critical that your resume — your “paper handshake” — makes a positive first impression and compels the reader to put your resume in the “yes” pile and possibly call you in for an interview. Before you circulate your resume, you will want to ensure it incorporates the basic characteristics of a powerful, interview-generating resume. When evaluating your resume you can follow the same basic steps as professional resume writers. This will increase the chances not only of having it placed into that “yes” pile, but also of helping it rise to the top of the stack. STEP 1: Ask yourself, “Is my resume in the correct format to best showcase my career history?” Is your resume the appropriate length, format, and formality for the position you are targeting? Length: For someone with five or more years of experience, a resume will typically be one to two pages. It isn’t at all uncommon for executive-level resumes to be as long as three or four pages. If you are a recent college graduate one page may suffice, but don’t be afraid to go two pages, particularly if you have some work, internship, or volunteer experience under your belt. Format: There are three common types of resumes: chronological, functional, and combination. A chronological resume calls attention to your employment history in reverse chronological order. It is most effective when your job listings are notable (position titles and/or company names) and are directly relevant to the job target. A functional resume de-emphasizes positions, job descriptions, and employment dates. It organizes qualifications by related skills or experience. Job seekers who have gaps in employment or who are making a career change commonly use functional resumes. Think carefully before using this format as feedback from hiring authorities suggests that they don’t like them — they know that functional resumes can be used to minimize, or even hide, periods of unemployment and other flaws in your history. A typical combination resume is just that — a blend of the other two formats. It begins with a powerful Qualifications Summary or Professional Profile that clearly communicates your functional skills. This allows your resume to be focused toward particular positions and/or industries, and provides a platform to communicate the your best qualifications. A reverse-chronological listing of employment experience (including responsibilities and, more importantly, relevant accomplishments) follows. The combination format is a popular choice among professional resume writers as it is particularly effective in selling their clients to employers. A fourth type of resume, which won’t be discussed at length here, is the Curriculum Vita. A “CV” is a conservatively written and designed document that emphasizes educational credentials, academic research and projects, publications, presentations, awards, and honors. This format is typically used in scholastic, medical, and scientific fields. Formality: A good rule of thumb is to write using the same level of language that you would be expected to use in the job you are targeting. An entry-level resume can include brief sentences. If you are a manager or executive your resume will be more narrative — to draw a complete picture of your career successes and contributions — and include vernacular expected at your level of accountability. STEP 2: Ask yourself, “Is my resume visually appealing and easy to read?” Have you incorporated appropriate font type and size selections throughout your resume? Depending on the font choice, the size should fall somewhere between 9 and 11 point, 12 point at most. Section headings can be larger, of course. As for font type, the higher your level of responsibility, the more likely it is that you will use a serif font (such as Times New Roman, Garamond, or Palatino). It is acceptable to combine fonts, but never more than two (for example, Times for the section titles and Arial for the content). Does your resume contain sufficient white space? Your challenge is to draw the reader’s attention to essential information. Using white space effectively can help you do just that. You’ll need to become familiar with some features of your word processing software that you might not normally access (such as the paragraph, line-spacing, and tab settings). Does your resume implement appropriate design elements? Conservative use of lines, bolding, italics, and bullets can be very effective. When used consistently, they will help the reader along in your thought process and crystallize the organization of your resume. For great ideas on contemporary formats, check out one or more of the recently released resume resource books at your local bookstore. One of the best out there is Resume Magic–Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer by Susan Britton Whitcomb (JIST Works). For executive-level ideas, Wendy Enelow’s Best Resumes for $100,000+ Jobs (Impact Publications) or Donald Asher’s Bible of Executive Resumes (Ten Speed Press) are both outstanding. STEP 3: Ask yourself, “Does my resume contain a powerful opening section that draws the reader in?” Is the most relevant information you want to communicate showcased in a powerful Qualifications Summary or Professional Profile in the top 1/3 of your resume? At a minimum, you’ll want to include your total years of experience and encapsulate your core competencies and related hard and soft skills. Keep in mind that the remainder of your resume must substantiate what you include in this section. Does your resume make clear what position, industry, or career you are targeting? Employers don’t have time to guess what you want to be when you grow up. Step 4: Ask yourself, “Does my resume effectively communicate my value to the prospective employer in one or more of the following ways?” Does your resume demonstrate how you can help an employer make money? Save money or time? Solve a specific problem? Make work easier? Build relationships? Be more competitive? Attract new customers? Retain existing customers? Regardless of your level of accountability or industry these are things that all organizations want their employees to help them accomplish. Communicate your abilities to contribute in one or more of the areas mentioned and employers will want to talk with you. Step 5: Ask yourself, “Does my resume contain powerful, concise, accomplishment-oriented writing designed to increase the reader’s interest and stimulate a request for a job interview?” Is your entire resume targeted? Does it support your job or career goal? Does it speak the reader’s language with relevant industry-specific keywords? Did you use persuasive, high-impact statements that sell your qualifications as a superior candidate? Does your resume include specific accomplishments that highlight challenges, action taken, and results (quantifiable, if possible)? Most importantly, do the accomplishments support your target? In other words, do they represent observable behaviors that are associated with the best in your field? Step 6: Ask yourself, “Is irrelevant information excluded?” There is no need to include any of the following: personal information (e.g. marital status and age), full address of employers (city and state is sufficient), personal pronouns (”I”, “He” or “She”), reasons for leaving jobs, reference information, and unrelated hobbies or interests. Step 7: Ask yourself, “Does my resume present relevant content in an organized fashion?” As a general rule, you’ll only need to cover the last 10 years of employment in detail, 15 years at the most. Anything prior can be summarized, but do attempt to keep the information relevant and accomplishment oriented. Are your employment dates presented appropriately? There is no need to get specific — months and years are sufficient in most cases. Did you include more than one source of contact information? At a minimum, list your home phone number and e-mail address. By the way, if you don’t have an e-mail address, get one…now! Listing it on your resume tells employers that you are technologically savvy. Is your experience arranged in reverse chronological order? Are all other sections of your resume applicable to the types of positions you are pursuing? STEP 8: Ask yourself, “Is my resume free of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammatical, and syntax errors?” Feedback from hiring authorities is unanimous — a resume with errors is likely to be immediately discounted. They assume that your performance on the job will be sloppy and that you don’t pay attention to details. Proofread your resume. Ask a friend or colleague to proofread your resume. Ask your mother to proofread your resume. Step 9: Repeat step 8. Step 10: Repeat step 8 again! Your resume is a material representation of you. It is a marketing document — not a simple work history — that tells organizations how you can contribute to their success. Ask yourself the questions above as you review your self-written resume. If you’ve covered everything, you are well on your way to getting companies interested in you. Copyright 2004 Peter Hill, CPRW — Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. About The Author Peter Hill is a Certified Professional Resume Writer. He owns and operates Distincitive Resumes, a Honolulu-based consultancy for managers and executives. Peter can be contacted via his website, www.peterhill.biz. distinctiveresumes@yahoo.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Hill http://EzineArticles.com/?The-10-Step-Resume-Critique&id=12347 buy discount tramadol buy ultram prescription no prescription saturdaydelivery tramadol tramadol thai pharmacy

Big Fat John Diet: Rules To Follow

Monday, December 24th, 2007

By John T Jones, Ph.D. I decided to formulate a few rules for those who decide to try the BFJ Diet. Losing weight is no fun but the results can be satisfying to those who overcome their own desires about eating and succumb to the facts of the matter which are these: Obesity is not good for your health. Obesity is not good for your appearance. Obesity is not good for your reputation. Obesity is not good for you PERIOD. Actually, I dont like the word obesity. It sounds like a disease. We should have known it would happen; some professionals are now saying that obesity is a disease. I say that is not so. It is a condition brought on, not by the desires of the sufferer, but by others. Yes, by others. Its not your fault! Never place the blame for being overweight on yourself. Do you hear me? You are overweight because: Your mother always said, Now clean your plate or there will be no dessert for you. You are overweight because: McDonalds built a hamburger joint next door. You dont even have to go in the place. You just walk up to the takeout window and say, Give me three Big Macs, Sarah! Two are for my dogs. You are overweight because: When you were a kid, Billy Brainbreak said, Youre as fat as a pig, Mary! When you roll over in your bed at night, you shake the ground so hard that our hens wont lay eggs and our cows wont give milk. You are overweight because: George Simpleton married Sally Druthers after saying he loved you that night under the big oak treejust to get his way with you. Its not your fault! I know that you want to lose weight. Who doesnt in this day and age? So here are some rules that I formulated for the Big Fat John Diet: 1. Decide that you are going to lose weight come hell or high water. Not only that, set a MINIMUM GOAL WEIGHT that you CAN reach. When you reach that weight, consider it a victory. Then, if you want to lose still more weight, set a new REACHABLE goal weight. For example, I started out at 222.5 pounds in April. I set a goal weight of 187 pounds because my cardiologist in Arizona monitored me for 6 years and he said that at that weight, I had the best medical test results for my heart condition. So I had a reason for setting that weight. You MUST have a reason too. Dont take this as a trivial step. If you do, you will fail. Go to the doctor if you want to and ask him to help you set a goal weight. Okay, ask your barber or hair dresser! 2. Set the approximate maximum calories you will intake each day. I set mine at 1100-1300 per day. You may be able to lose weight eating 1500 calories a day. It depends on your metabolism and on your daily activity. If you live here in Idaho and are putting up hay, you can probably lose weight by ingesting 2000 calories or more a day. Take a multivitamin every day. 3. Make a chart for each week you will be on your diet. I suggest that you make a minimum of 16 charts. When I started the BFJ Diet, I made a chart for every day. It gave me more space to record the type of food I ate, the amount, the calories, the fat content, and whether I liked it or not. I learned that the foods I ate daily were not all that different and that I could get the information in seven columns on a weekly chart. Then I found that I didnt need to record what I ate after about two weeks. (If you stop recording and find yourself getting of your regimen, then IMMEDIATELY start recording again.) I jot my weight down on the chart a few times a week but not everyday. BUT ALWAYS PUT UP THE CHART. I put my chart up Sunday morning. I have a spread sheet where I record my weight at weeks end. I then can make a graph of the chart by simply selecting the data. Have a teenage family member or a friend tell you how to do this. He or she can make up your charts too. Oh, you know how to make a chart and a graph? Sorry! 4. IF you are capable of walking, start walking in the morning and in the evening. Walk at least one mile in the morning and mile at night. Okay, do it all in the evening. You will sleep better. But walk! Stretch your tendons before, during, and after walking. You dont want shin splints do you! You dont have to jog but if you can, why not. There will come a time in your diet where you just stay at the same weight. This will occur after a couple of months. That is the time to increase the distance you walk every day. Add mile at a time until you are walking 2-3 miles a day in one session. Can you walk a little faster? As you lose weight, you will find walking much easier. 5. Do not eat sweets on a daily basis or any other basis. Dont drink more than one glass of juice everyday. Drink glass of milk at a time or just put it on your cereal. If you must have a sweet snack, make it a graham cracker with less than a teaspoon of peanut butter. When you go out for dinner, stay away from desserts. To do this, eat a lot of salad and protein so that you are not hungry for dessert. I eat only one meal each day. I dont eat in the evening unless Im dying for something. Thats when I eat the graham cracker. Yum! Yum! Remember that Marlene Dietrich ate only one meal every three days. She was a snake! I can go all day without eating. That comes from not eating. However, there will come a time when your body will say, EAT SOMETHING OR YOU WILL DIE! Its best to eat at that time. Do you like pickled herring, and such? It makes a great snack. Easy on the crackers! 6. Eat out and pig out at least once a week, but no sweets. Okay, a one-inch square of a brownie is okaybut can you stop from taking another piece of brownie. I say, STAY AWAY FROM SWEETS! When you go out to dinner, start at the salad bar. Easy on the dressing! You dont need that much. Eat fruit. Then go for the meat! Stay away from bread and starchy vegetables. However, you can eat vegetables. Just take a small amount of each. Now, that was easy, wasnt it? I hope that is water or a diet drink you have in your hand. 7. TELL EVERYBODY IN SIGHT that you are on a diet, the BFJ Diet, and that you have lost BLANK pounds. Tell them often. This is called by my wife, an expert in dieting, being gauche. Incidentally, my wife had a horrible weight problem when she was young. She became an instructor at weight watchers and on our 20th wedding anniversary she put on her wedding dress and we had a family picture taken. IF you look at what she does everyday to keep her weight down, you would swear that she is on the BFJ Diet! Well, the fact of the matter is that she taught me a few things about losing weight. 8. Say these words often, I know I can Can My Can! I know I can Can My Can! I know I can Can My Can! 9. As you lose weight, your clothes will no longer fit properly. See if you can get some of those old clothes on. If you can, a thrill will come up on you saying, GOOD GIRL! If you are not a girl it will say, GOOD BOY! Be hesitant about buying new clothing too soon. Lose clothes will make it obvious that you are losing weight. When someone says, Are you losing weight, Mary? say, Dont be gauche! 10. When you get up in the morning and when you go to bed say this over and over again, I know that Taylor Jones, the hack writer, loves me! This is a great thing to say while you are walking, staring at the dessert bar, or eyeing that candy bar at the supper market. I’m down from 222.5 pounds to 196.0 pounds. Good Boy, John! John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine. He is Executive Representative of IWS sellers of Tyler Hicks wealth-success books and kits. He also sells TopFlight flagpoles. He calls himself “Taylor Jones, the hack writer.” More info: http://www.tjbooks.com Business web site: http://www.aaaflagpoles.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_T_Jones,_Ph.D. http://EzineArticles.com/?Big-Fat-John-Diet:-Rules-To-Follow&id=231567 order tramadol online buy ultram with out a prescription cheap prescription tramadol without order pharmacy tramadol

Helpful Hints for Corporate Holiday Gift Giving

Saturday, December 22nd, 2007

By Andre Nehme With the hot summer just barely behind us, experienced corporate gift buyers have already begun to search the internet looking for holiday gift ideas for their employers, employees and clients. Each year corporate gift givers look for gift ideas that are unique and meaningful. Below you will find a list of great gift ideas that will help you shop for the holidays.One way to show your clients and employees that you have taken the time to pick a gift exclusively for them is through personalization. Personalized gifts are meaningful to the recipient, warmly received and will be remembered for years. Here are some ideas to consider when personalizing gifts: 1. Personalize each gift by name. Include each recipients name, your holiday greeting and holiday design on the gift item. For example: Jennifer May the Holidays Make you Smile Acme Dental 2006. Individualized personalization may cost a little more, but the recipients will deeply appreciate your thoughtfulness. 2. Personalize the gifts by department. Season Greetings to ACME Mutual Accounting! This is less personal, but you can add something specific for a small group of people. 3. Include your company logo in the holiday design. Happy Holidays from ACME Homes, 2006 with snowflakes falling around the company logo. Employees are proud of their company and seeing the logo dressed up for the holidays will put a smile on their face. This is also a great way to keep your logo and company in front of your clients. 4. Include your clients logo and name on their gift. Happy Holidays to Jim Smith at ACMEs Gym (ACMEs Gym Logo) from your friends at ABC. Giving your client their logo with their name on it is always well received because people love to see their name and company logo together. 5. Engrave a meaningful symbol on the gift. For example a caduceus symbol for a doctor, scales of justice for a lawyer or just an item you know will be appreciated, such as sailboats, cars, or travel destinations. Include the recipients name and youll have a memorable gift. No matter which personalized gift you choose, it will be received with appreciation and has the potential to boost company morale and make your employees and clients feel appreciated. Andre Nehme is the owner of A.N.E. Designs, Personalized Engraved Gifts. ANE Designs has been engraving Wine Bottles, Crystal, Glassware and Awards for Companies and Individuals throughout the United States since 1999. A.N.E. has an excellent reputation for high quality engraving and is one of the few companies in the Eastern U.S. that specializes in Engraved and Hand painted Wine Bottles. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andre_Nehme http://EzineArticles.com/?Helpful-Hints-for-Corporate-Holiday-Gift-Giving&id=370958 prescription medications ultram check delivery online prescription saturday tramadol buy tramadol online 150 pills cheap online pharmacy tramadol

Surviving a Long Distance Relationship

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

By Sandra Grauschopf One of the advantages of using an online dating site is that you can meet a large number of singles who share your interests and passions. The disadvantage is that there is a good chance that when you do fall in love, your new flame will hail from another city, state, or even another country. Although loving someone who lives hundreds or thousands of miles away can present unique challenges for a couple, surviving a long distance relationship can form a stronger and more secure bond. Here are five tips for creating a romantic atmosphere, even when you cannot physically be together. 1. Have a Date Night One of the hardest things about being apart is not being able to do normal couple things. However, with a bit of creativity, you can still go on dates. For example, rent the same movie and watch simultaneously, while you talk together on the telephone or through instant messenger. Create a romantic mood by dimming the lights and lighting candles. 2. Play a Game Together Couples that play together, stay together. Luckily, the internet provides a wide variety of games that you can play with each other. Fantasy games like Everquest, board games like Chess or Scrabble, and card games like Canasta or Poker are just a few of the choices available. 3. Fill a Calendar with Reminders Let your sweetie know that youre always together in your thoughts by buying a day calendar and filling it with reminders. Mark special occasions like your anniversary, the next time youll see each other, and romantic holidays on it. On days in between, leave love notes and reminders of wonderful times youve had together. Have a calendar custom-made with pictures of you to make it even more romantic. 4. Give a Kiss for Each Day Youre Apart To help make it easier to bear the time apart, send your lover a treat for each day that youre separated. A Hersheys Kiss, for example, or a box of love letters and poems, with a new note to open each morning will brighten your beloveds day. Surprise kisses are good, too tuck little notes in your sweethearts luggage or hide some in unexpected places around the house after a visit. 5. Dream Together If you cant be together, dreaming about the time when you will be is a good substitute. Send your love an email each morning with a picture of a place where you would like to vacation together, or describe the date that you would like to have that night in detail. Compile a list together of the things that you would like to do, so that you can check them off when you are no longer separated. Surviving a long distance relationship requires love, patience, and creativity. These tips will help you to spark your own ideas for ways to bring you and your sweetheart closer together, even when your bodies are far apart. Sandra Grauschopf is a full-time author and a believer in the power of true love. She recommends DemocraticMatch.com, the internet’s top meeting place for progressive thinkers, liberals, and democratic singles. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Grauschopf http://EzineArticles.com/?Surviving-a-Long-Distance-Relationship&id=203699 bupropion buy tramadol online bupropion antidepressant anti where to buy cheap ultram buy ultram online cheap buy tramadol without a prescription