Open Culture brings together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. Web 2.0 has given us great amounts of intelligent audio and video. It’s all free. It’s all enriching. But it’s also scattered across the web, and not easy to find. Our whole mission is to centralize this content, curate it, and give you access to this high quality content whenever and wherever you want it. Some of our major resource collections include:
Josh Jones received his PhD in English at Fordham University and is a co-founder and former managing editor of Guernica / A Magazine of Arts and Politics.
Mike Springer, a journalist living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, writes daily for Open Culture.
Ayun Halliday is a writer and actor. She is best known as the author and illustrator of the long-running zine The East Village Inky.
Eric Oberle provides very generous technical support for the site. Without him, you would be getting 404s instead of regular doses of intelligent media.
How Can I Contact Open Culture?
Feel free to drop us a line at ma**@op*********.com.
Can I Advertise on Open Culture?
Yes. You can immediately place ads on Open Culture by using Google’s Adwords platform. This will give you the ability to target the whole site or specific pages. Find directions on how to target our site here.
Can I Recommend Materials to List on Open Culture?
Yes. If you would like us to add links to relevant parts of our site, you can suggest materials/links via email and we will be happy to review them. Please read over our editorial guidelines and then let us know where you think your material should be listed, and try to provide all of the information that will help us list your material. For example, if you want us to include a link in one of our podcast directories, please look at the appropriate directory and include all of the information that we typically include in our entries.
Do The Courses Featured Here Give University Credit?
First and foremost, the MOOCs/Online courses appearing on this page sometimes offer students “statements of accomplishment” or “certificates of completion” if they successfully complete a given course. However, most traditional universities won’t give students credit for taking theses online courses, and students typically can’t use these courses as a way to satisfy requirements for a degree. It’s conceivable that some schools will give credit for these classes, but you would really need to check with the registar’s office at your institution.
Second, we should point out (in case it’s not clear) that Open Culture is not the builder/creator of these courses. Our site simply highlights MOOCs/Online Courses created by other educational ventures. You can get more information by reading our MOOC FAQ.
Affiliate marketing is a popular and lucrative way to make money online, and it’s becoming increasingly popular with beginners who want to start their own business or earn extra income. If you’re new to affiliate marketing, you might be wondering what it is, how it works, and how you can get started. In this article, I will give you a beginner’s guide to affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is a popular and lucrative way to make money online, and it’s becoming increasingly popular with beginners who want to start their own business or earn extra income. If you’re new to affiliate marketing, you might be wondering what it is, how it works, and how you can get started. In this article, I will give you a beginner’s guide to affiliate marketing.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a type of online marketing where you earn a commission by promoting other people’s or company’s products. You become an affiliate partner by signing up for an affiliate program and then promoting the products or services to your audience. When someone clicks on your unique affiliate link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.
How Does Affiliate Marketing Work?
Affiliate marketing works by creating partnerships between businesses and affiliate marketers. The businesses provide the products or services, and the affiliate marketers promote them to their audience. The affiliate marketers earn a commission for each sale they generate through their unique affiliate link.
To get started with affiliate marketing, you need to:
1) Choose a niche – This is the area you want to focus on, such as health and wellness, personal finance, or beauty.
2) Find an affiliate program – There are many affiliate programs available. Choose a program that aligns with your niche and offers products that your audience would be interested in.
3) Sign up for the affiliate program – You’ll need to provide some information about yourself and your website or social media accounts.
4) Get your unique affiliate link – Once you’re approved, you’ll get a unique affiliate link that tracks any sales generated through it.
5) Promote the products – You can promote the products through your website, blog, social media, or email list.
6) Earn commissions – When someone clicks on your affiliate link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.
Below affiliate marketing platform is best for beginners:
1) Choose the right niche – Make sure you choose a niche that you’re passionate about and that has a large enough audience.
2) Build an audience – You need to have an audience to promote products to. You can build an audience through a website, blog, social media, or email list.
3) Create valuable content – Your content should be helpful, informative, and engaging. It should provide value to your audience and encourage them to take action.
4) Be honest and transparent – You should always disclose that you’re an affiliate and that you earn a commission for any sales generated through your link.
5) Choose the right products – Make sure the products you promote align with your niche and provide value to your audience.
6) Test and track – Test different products, promotions, and strategies to see what works best for your audience. Track your results and adjust your approach as needed.
Below affiliate marketing platform is best for beginners:
1) Low start-up costs – You don’t need to create your own products or inventory, which means you can start with minimal investment.
2) Passive income – Once you’ve set up your affiliate links, you can earn commissions on autopilot, even while you sleep.
3) Flexibility – You can work from anywhere and at any time that suits you.
4) No customer support – The businesses you promote handle customer support, so you don’t need to worry about it.
5) Unlimited earning potential – There’s no limit to how much you can earn with affiliate marketing. Your earning potential is only limited by the size of your audience and the products you promote.
As conclusion, affiliate marketing is a great way for beginners to start their own business or earn extra income. It’s a low-risk, high-reward opportunity.
Below affiliate marketing platform is best for beginners:
USDC is an ERC-20 token, which means that it is built on the Ethereum blockchain. This allows USDC to be easily integrated into other Ethereum-based projects and applications. Circle and Coinbase created USDC as a response to the volatility of other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. By pegging USDC to the US dollar, the creators of the stablecoin hoped to provide a more stable and reliab
What is USDC？
USDC is an ERC-20 token, which means that it is built on the Ethereum blockchain. This allows USDC to be easily integrated into other Ethereum-based projects and applications. Circle and Coinbase created USDC as a response to the volatility of other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. By pegging USDC to the US dollar, the creators of the stablecoin hoped to provide a more stable and reliable cryptocurrency that could be used for everyday transactions.
The USDC price has remained relatively stable since its launch in 2018. The price of USDC is determined by market forces, just like any other asset. When there is high demand for USDC, the price will go up; when there is low demand, the price will go down. However, because USDC is pegged to the US dollar, its price fluctuations are generally small and predictable.
USDC is issued by Circle, a financial technology company that specializes in digital payments and blockchain technology. Circle has partnered with Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, to promote the use of USDC. As a result, USDC is widely accepted by many cryptocurrency exchanges and merchants.
Advantages of USDC
One of the main advantages of using USDC is that it allows for fast and cheap transactions. Because USDC is built on the Ethereum blockchain, transactions can be processed quickly and at a low cost. This makes it an ideal currency for remittances and other international payments.
Another advantage of USDC is that it is transparent and audited. Circle provides regular attestation reports that detail the number of USDC tokens in circulation and the amount of US dollars held in reserve to back those tokens. This provides users with confidence that USDC is backed by real-world assets and is not subject to the same risks as other cryptocurrencies that are not backed by anything.
What about USDC Price Trend？
The price of USDC is typically very stable, as it is designed to be pegged to the US dollar. However, there can be small fluctuations in the price of USDC due to market forces. For example, if demand for USDC increases, the price may go up slightly. Conversely, if demand for USDC decreases, the price may go down slightly.
In recent news, Circle announced that it plans to go public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). This merger is expected to value Circle at $4.5 billion and will provide the company with the resources it needs to expand its services and continue growing USDC. This news has been seen as a positive sign for USDC and the broader cryptocurrency market, as it signals growing institutional interest in cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.
Where to buy USDC?
USDC has become increasingly popular in the cryptocurrency space. In addition to its use as a stable store of value and a currency for transactions, USDC is also used as collateral for borrowing and lending on various DeFi platforms. USDC is also commonly used as a trading pair on cryptocurrency exchanges, allowing users to quickly and easily trade other cryptocurrencies for USDC.
USDC can be purchased on various cryptocurrency exchanges, including Coinbase, Binance, and MEXC. Users can also earn USDC by providing liquidity to USDC-based decentralized exchanges (DEXs) like Uniswap and Sushiswap. USDC can be used to buy other cryptocurrencies or to make purchases from merchants who accept USDC as payment.
In conclusion, USDC is a stablecoin that has gained significant traction in the cryptocurrency space. Its price is stable and predictable, making it an ideal currency for transactions and as a store of value. USDC has become an important player in the cryptocurrency market and its recent milestones and news suggest that it will continue to grow and evolve in the future.
Growing a startup is not so easy. First, you need a viable idea to get your boat sailing. From there you need to find a profitable niche, determine the target demographic and have something valuable to sell.
Whether you are peddling goods, services, commodities or information, getting the word out to the world has become a tedious and burdensome task to accomplish. And without an apt marketing strategy to fuel your business and churn huge profits, keeping the boat afloat and moving is virtually impossible.
However, finding a marketing strategy that is the right fit is nearly impossible for many organizations. If you are facing the same issue, join the fray. The truth is that most entrepreneurs are so busy working “in” their businesses that they forget to work “on” their businesses. As a result, they fail to decide on a befitting marketing strategy for their organization.
So, what does it take to establish the right marketing scheme to save your ship from hitting the rock bottom? The secret to all this lies in our guide to 8 marketing tactics. Build a great action plan, become competitive, stay relevant and increase your customer base manifold by arming yourself with these 8 tactics!
Let us get started!
Tactics to develop a marketing strategy
1. Dissect Your Existing Strategy
Before jumping directly to creating a whole new marketing strategy, it is extremely important to dissect your previous ones. Identify the areas that need improvement and the areas which are worth investing time in. Take a good, hard look at your existing strategies to determine the things that are working and the things that are not working. Ponder on each area carefully and make a list of everything. Hopefully, your team has been tracking KPI’s, so this step won’t be too difficult to follow than usual.
2. Set S-M-A-R-T goals and define objectives
Businesses define and communicate their goals, vision, and mission by setting some objectives. These objectives should be nothing but specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-oriented that can help individuals evaluate the success of a particular marketing strategy.
They aid the marketers and managers to align their plans, coordinate marketing efforts and hold the teams accountable for achieving particular results.
Furthermore, these objectives should be re-evaluated at the duration of every six months, updated if necessary and used to measure success.
3. Figure out your Value Proposition
Your value proposition is arguably the most critical element of your overall marketing scheme. It tells the prospects as to why they should choose you over your competitors and it also makes the benefits offered by your goods and services crystal clear from the very onset. So a great marketing strategy is one that is derived from the company’s value proposition, encapsulating its primary strength analysis and differentiators against contenders, as opposed to being created from the very scratch.
Determining the value proposition is the step that should be most focused upon. Also, it is the step that requires most of your time, investment and resources as it is the most important conversion factor that decides whether the sale will be closed or lost altogether.
Get started with defining this conversion factor using pre-made value proposition PowerPoint templates that are available all through the internet.
4. Include Virtual Reality tactics to keep the ball rolling
Using Virtual Reality tactics can make a huge difference to your marketing efforts. It is the biggest trend in the business and marketing world. Being able to provide your consumers with an augmented reality experience helps them understand the usefulness and adaptability of a product. It also helps them understand the benefits of the product and how it can make their lives convenient. For Eg- Adidas: Delicatessen. When Adidas partnered with Somewhere Else to show the journey of two mountain climbers using a VR device. The viewers could actually scale the journey of the climbers from rock to rock. This VR campaign made TERREX far more appealing to the user than its onset. The 360-degree view of Delicatessen changed the fate of TERREX- the line of outdoor apparel and accessories.
5. Become Customer-Centric
To embed customer’s needs and seek their involvement in your product, you need to first understand them; their likes and dislikes.
In the marketing arena, there’s been a whole lot of buzz regarding customer-centricity- the importance of fundamentally aligning your goods and services to the needs of your most valuable customer.
In this quest of getting to know the customers, traditional marketing is getting a setback whereas social platforms are getting more popular owing to their user-friendliness. The organization can easily get information on customer demographics, conversations and online behavior which was not possible otherwise with traditional market research. The more personalized information the company can acquire, the more the trust of the customers. It also shows them that your company values their patronage.
6. Employ Big Data
Big data is critical to building an apt marketing strategy. It is vital to know how to employ it to return the information that you require to market properly as per the trend and industry tactics. It is also necessary to run complete analytics on the company’s biggest opponent and evaluate what they are doing differently to market their products. What you can learn from them and how it can help you improve your marketing efforts. Numbering and scouring profitable avenues for comparative data will yield you better results.
7. Analyze your Competitors
It is important to keep a tab on your direct competitors. It is also equally important to determine the marketing tactics they use and look for trends in their sales inclines and declines. Analyze the pattern of their sales and determine what they are doing differently that you can imitate to take your marketing efforts a notch higher. Learn what does not yield them positive results and create innovative strategies to make their weakness your brand’s strongest point.
Keep an eye on your competitor’s target audience and if they work for your product too, develop strategies to draw their attention with improving reputation, highlighting your brand’s USP and improving your customer service.
8. Market across social media channels
You can’t ignore social media when it comes to marketing. This is where all the so-called magic begins and spreads. In fact, some businesses owe their success to social media. They are built solely on the backs of social media channels such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc.
It might seem quite intimidating at first. But once you get a hang of it, there is no looking back! The key here is to be authentic, post “your” thoughts and post anything that is of relevance to your audience and your business. Keep the momentum going!
Dropshipping is an attractive retail business strategy for people looking to get high returns for minimal investment. With dropshipping, a middleman takes care of warehousing and storage for you. No need to rent a physical warehouse or set up expensive equipment to run a proper facility.
Dropshipping is an attractive retail business strategy for people looking to get high returns for minimal investment. With dropshipping, a middleman takes care of warehousing and storage for you. No need to rent a physical warehouse or set up expensive equipment to run a proper facility.
Running an online store takes a lot of time, effort, and money. Dropshipping store owners will need all the help they can to grow their business without bloating their expenses. Unfortunately, many beginners fall for costly mistakes that ruin their business. Avoid rookie mistakes with these helpful, risk-reducing tips.How to Reduce Risks for Your Dropshipping Store
1. Triple Check Orders Before Shipping
Customers often order items by mistake and sometimes, they forget to add more items to their basket before checking out. If a customer reaches out to update their order, you must coordinate these changes with your dropshipping partner immediately. You’re on the customer-facing side of the business, so you’re the one who gathers information on what customers need. And as the vendor’s main point of contact, you’re responsible for sharing information with the vendor. Such information includes order changes made outside the selling platform.
Ignoring order changes and cancellations, even by accident, can be costly. First, you may need to arrange the return of wrong items or shipment of missing items. Both scenarios can take up both your time and money. Second, when these concerns are not addressed properly, you’ll most likely get negative reviews and potentially lose repeat customers. A good way to avoid any of these scenarios is to have a solid tracking system for order amendments. And when there is an oversight in order fulfillment, you must have customer handling guidelines in place. Here’s an example of a step-by-step strategy for when a customer complains about an incorrectly fulfilled order:
Offer an apology.
Explain what must have happened that resulted in the wrong fulfillment.
Compensate customers by fulfilling the correct order. You can also consider offering a small token like a free sample or a small discount for their next purchase.
Track such incidents to monitor how often they happen and how much these mistakes cost you.
Review your customer complaint report regularly to find and close gaps in your operations.
2. Don’t Sell Too Many Products
An amateur move in dropshipping is offering too many things at once. The dropshipping industry is quite competitive; you may be tempted to offer as many products as possible to appeal to more people. While offering a wide selection may seem appealing to sellers, potential customers may find it off-putting. Browsing fatigue is real. It happens when customers scroll and scroll through endless products only to end up not finding anything that interests them. When thinking of what products to add to your portfolio, always remember the paradox of choice — when there are too many options, customers end up stressed, indecisive, and less likely to make a purchase decision.
You can easily avoid this problem by picking a niche and sticking to it. Focusing on a certain product category gives you more focus. You can target a smaller but more engaged and profitable audience. It’s also great for marketing. You’ll be able to learn more about who your target audience is and how to engage with them effectively. Make sure to pick a niche that is not just profitable but something you’re passionate about. Having background knowledge about the niche allows you to curate a list of more appealing products that your target customers will like.
3. Sell Multi-Use, Long-Lasting Products
Sustainability is something we can all contribute to. You can be environmentally responsible and still profit by selling long-lasting products. Many people, especially the eco-conscious crowd, are turning away from single-use products as they make an effort to reduce waste. Many consumers are willing to spend a bit more for something long-lasting rather than buying a cheaper, low-quality alternative. While the world still has a long way to go in banishing single-use items in the name of convenience, you can do your part by offering reusable and long-lasting products.
4. Don’t Fall For Shortcuts, a.k.a Black Hat SEO
There are no shortcuts to success, which also applies to dropshipping businesses. Every business owner wants clients to find their store on the first page of search results as soon as they open up. However, a reputable online presence takes time to build, and this is something that beginners should understand and accept. Search engine optimization (SEO) has been around for a while. Search engines have had more than enough time to recognize dodgy SEO tactics and penalize those who use them. Using Black Hat SEO, or the practice of increasing a site’s rank in search engines through underhanded tactics, can get your store noticed at first — but not for long.
Major search engines like Google have been cracking down on SEO violators, and the penalties are severe. You can either be blocked or suffer from lower search rankings. Common Black Hat SEO strategies include doorway pages, page swapping, keyword stuffing, and invisible text. Don’t fall prey to Black Hat SEO tactics and the promises of agencies that use them. You can build up your online presence slowly, surely, and honestly. There are plenty of skilled SEO specialists out there who can create a solid SEO strategy to help you steadily climb the search rankings.
5. Leverage Influencer Marketing at the Right Time
These days, partnering with social media influencers to market products is all the rage. Influencers are individuals with a lot of followers on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. Their followers highly regard their thoughts and opinions, which is why many brands collaborate with these influencers. Getting the right influencer to mention or highlight your product even in just one post can boost your sales.
While influencer marketing works, using this marketing tactic too early can mean using up your marketing budget with very little returns. For one thing, influencer collaboration is not cheap. The more followers and engagement an influencer has, the more money they will likely charge for every post. The return on investment is not balanced too early in the game, so it’s best to use your initial marketing budget for more cost-effective strategies. Once you’ve already solidified your brand’s identity and online presence, then influencer marketing may be a sensible strategy.
6. Use Quality Packaging
Many online shoppers have had the unfortunate experience due to low-quality packaging. Imagine being excited to unbox their order only to find it damaged in transit. While this is often out of the control of the retailer, there are some things you can do to minimize the risk of damage.
One way to do this is to require your vendor partner to use quality packaging. Make sure the boxes are sturdy, and your packing material is protective. If products are highly breakable, then there should be a “fragile” sticker on the packaging. Make sure that packaging requirements are part of your agreement with your vendor. It may seem costly, but it will save you a lot of trouble and complaints in the long run.
7. Offer a Variety of Payment Options
The way we pay for things has changed drastically in recent years. Various digital payment options are now available and sometimes favored over cash and check payments.
For example, some people prefer to use digital wallets like PayPal or Venmo. Others might want to use their credit or debit card. Some might even want to pay with cryptocurrency. Make sure to offer a variety of payment options for your customers. This way, they can easily checkout and pay in the method that’s most convenient for them.
8. Offer Good Return and Exchange Policies
Another way to keep your customers happy is to offer good return and exchange policies. This shows that you stand behind your products and are willing to make things right if something goes wrong. Your return policy should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. Don’t make your customers go through hoops to return or exchange products. Your policy should be generous enough to give your customers a hassle-free experience.
9. Support Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives
The world of dropshipping is a contributor to global carbon emissions. While you may not be able to avoid having a high carbon footprint, you can do your part in trying to offset them. Support environmental causes that are dedicated to promoting sustainability and offsetting carbon emissions. Plenty of charitable causes are dedicated to planting trees, waste management, food shelters, and other similar causes.
Consider involving your customers by allowing them to contribute to your supported charities at checkout. You can also integrate your corporate social responsibility efforts in your communications or on specific product pages. Let your customers know that a portion of the proceeds of a specific product will be donated to a good cause. Doing so will make customers feel good about their purchase and be more aware of your brand’s values.
Hopefully, these dropshipping tips can help you avoid the common risks of running this type of online business. Dropshipping may not be as tricky as other retail business structures, but it comes with its own challenges. The best way to succeed in this industry is to familiarize yourself with such risks and find ways to reduce or, even better, eliminate them. Doing so can help your dropshipping store get through the shaky first few years.9 Proven Ways to Reduce Risks for Your Dropshipping Store
Dropshipping is a retail business strategy that attracts a lot of people. There is an unlimited earning potential despite minimal investment cost. With dropshipping, a middleman takes care of warehousing and storage for you. There is no need to rent a physical warehouse or set up expensive equipment to run a proper facility.
Running an online store takes a lot of time, effort, and money. Dropshipping store owners will need all the help they can to grow their business. Unfortunately, many beginners fall for costly mistakes that ruin their business. Here are tips on avoiding rooking mistakes, mitigating losses, preventing risks, and scaling a dropshipping business effectively.
Triple Check Orders Before Shipping
Customers often order items by mistake and sometimes, they forget to add more items to their basket before checking out. If a customer reaches out to update their order, you need to coordinate these changes with your dropshipping partner to fulfill the request. Customers are more likely to be dissatisfied or angry if they discover that several goods are missing from their purchase or that some of the canceled items were still delivered. Ignoring order changes and cancellations, even by accident, can be costly. It may result in negative reviews and loss of loyalty from your customers.
Since you’re in charge of sales and marketing, you need to inform the vendor of any order changes made outside the selling platform. A good solution is to create a plan to turn your customer’s negative experience around when this happens and create a process that will allow you to avoid this scenario altogether. For instance, when a customer reaches out to you after an incorrectly fulfilled order, offer them an apology and compensation to make them feel heard and accommodated. To prevent this from happening in the future, make sure you have a solid tracking system for additional order requests.
Don’t Sell Too Many Products
An amateur move in dropshipping is offering too many things at once. With the vast selection of dropshipping suppliers out there, you may be tempted to offer as many products as possible to broaden your target market. While offering a wide variety of items for sale is appealing, potential customers may find it off-putting. Browsing fatigue is real, and it happens when customers scroll and scroll through endless products only to end up not finding anything that interests them. When you’re thinking of what products to sell, always remember the paradox of choice — when there are too many options, customers end up stressed, indecisive, and less likely to make a purchase decision.
To avoid this problem, pick a niche and stick to it. Focusing on a certain product category allows you to cater to a smaller but more engaged audience. It’s also great for marketing because you can target the right customers better. Lastly, pick a niche that you are passionate about. Having some background knowledge about the niche allows you to curate a list of more appealing products that your customers will like.
Sell Multi-Use, Long-Lasting Products
Sustainability is something we can all contribute to. You can be environmentally responsible and still profit by selling long-lasting products. Many people, especially the eco-conscious crowd, are turning away from single-use products as they make an effort to reduce waste. In fact, many people are willing to spend a little bit more for a sustainable product rather than buy a cheap one with poorer quality. While the world still has a long way to go in terms of banishing single-use items in the name of convenience, you can do your part by offering reusable alternatives.
Don’t Fall For Shortcuts, a.k.a Black Hat SEO
There are no shortcuts to success, which also applies to dropshipping businesses. Every business owner wants clients to find their store on the first page of search results as soon as they open up. However, a reputable online presence takes time to build, and this is something that beginners should understand and accept. Search engine optimization (SEO) has been around for a while. Search engines have had more than enough time to recognize dodgy SEO tactics and penalize those who use them. Using Black Hat SEO, or the practice of increasing a site’s rank in search engines through underhanded tactics, can get your store noticed at first — but not for long.
Major search engines like Google have been cracking down on SEO violators, and the penalties are severe: be blocked or have lower search rankings. Common Black Hat SEO strategies include doorway pages, page swapping, keyword stuffing, and invisible text. Instead of falling prey to Black Hat SEO or the incredible promises of agencies that use these tactics, build up your online presence slowly but surely instead. There are plenty of skilled but honest SEO specialists out there who can create a solid SEO strategy to keep your online store steadily climbing the search rankings.
Leverage Influencer Marketing at the Right Time
Partnering with social media influencers to market products is all the rage these days. Influencers are individuals with a lot of followers on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. Their followers highly regard their thoughts and opinions, which is why many brands collaborate with these influencers. A few seconds of video or even just one picture of the right influencer using, wearing, or buying your product can boost your sales substantially.
While influencer marketing definitely works, using this marketing tactic too early in your business’ lifecycle can lose you a lot of money. For one thing, influencer collaboration is not cheap. The more followers and engagement an influencer has, the more money they will likely charge for every post they make featuring your products. The return on investment is not balanced too early in the game, so use your initial marketing budget for other less costly strategies instead.
Use Quality Packaging
Many online shoppers have had the unfortunate experience of receiving their order only to find that it’s been damaged in transit. While this is often out of the control of the retailer, there are some things you can do to minimize the risk of damage.
One way to do this is to use quality packaging. Make sure your boxes are sturdy and your packing material is protective. You should also include a “fragile” sticker on packages that contain items that are more likely to be damaged.
Offer a Variety of Payment Options
The way we pay for things has changed drastically in recent years. Gone are the days when cash and checks were the only payment options available. Now, there are a variety of digital payment options that cater to different needs.
For example, some people prefer to use digital wallets like PayPal or Venmo. Others might want to use their credit or debit card. Some might even want to pay with cryptocurrency. No matter what your preferred payment method is, make sure you offer it to your customers. The more options they have, the more likely they will find a payment method that works for them.
Offer Good Return and Exchange Policies
Another way to keep your customers happy is to offer good return and exchange policies. This shows that you stand behind your products and are willing to make things right if something goes wrong. Your return policy should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. It should also be generous enough to give your customers a hassle-free experience.
Support Environmental Causes
In the world of dropshipping, there is a lot of carbon footprint involved when products are shipped to different parts of the world. While carbon footprint is inevitable, you can do your part to help offset its effects by supporting environmental causes. Plenty of charitable causes are dedicated to planting trees, waste management, food shelters, and other similar causes.
You can also involve your customers in the goodwill by offering them a chance to contribute to your supported charities at checkout. You can also integrate donations to your store and let your customers know about it by stating that a portion of the sales of a specific product will go to a certain charity.
Hopefully, the dropshipping tips mentioned above give you better insight into the common risks of running this kind of online business. While dropshipping might not be as tricky as other retail business structures, it’s not completely without risk. Familiarizing yourself with these risks and knowing how to prevent them can help your dropshipping store outlast the shaky first few years and reduce risks that could potentially end your business.About the Author: Catherine VanVonno, Ph.D.
Catherine describes herself as a Human Connector, which is quite fitting for the work she does as President and CEO of 20four7VA. She’s an expert in connecting growing businesses with the right remote talent from anywhere in the world. Aside from overseeing the daily business operations and managing the company’s finances, she also engages in resource speaking and writing articles on business growth solutions and impact hiring.
The sales profession is full of ups and downs. At one moment a person is at the top and the very next moment he is at the bottom.
In a blink of an eye, you lose everything you have gained. Also, new competitors emerge out of the blue, products similar to yours sometimes even better than yours conquer the market and before you even realize it, you become the participant of a rat race constantly striving to survive and build yourself in the marketplace.
No matter which industry you belong to, boosting sales performance is the primary motive of every organization and what might have worked a few years ago, might not work today. With new innovations, it is not easy to establish yourself using the traditional approach. You ought to adopt new and improved methods to grow. However, there is no time for trial and error, it is the time to sell and grow!
Here are 10 hidden secrets gathered from the most successful businesses out there which can boost your overall sales performance and help you grow like never before!
Define your vision and mission
The first hidden secret of skyrocketing your sales is to understand your business niche and define your vision and mission to function smoothly. Define what you do best and how it can help you expand. Conduct thorough research on your prospects, their likes, dislikes and how much are they willing to pay. Also, decide which strategy is the best to approach and attract these prospects towards your products.
Divide your mission into specific goals
Break your vision into several divisions each defining the specific goals that are to be attained. Write down all the activity goals that are under your control like proposals per month, referrals, etc. and set result goals to measure and keep a track of your overall progress. Mentioning specific goals focus your attention and energize your action.
Customer is the king when it comes to selling your product. So treat him like one!
Always assume that your customer will buy only those products which he needs, think has some utility and he won’t settle for something ordinary.
So, how will you convince them to buy your products and services? The answer is by highlighting and emphasizing the strengths of your product and how it will reduce the cost borne by him. Also, to bring your product into the limelight it is important to showcase the uses of your product and how it will help solve the problem of your client.
The crux is that be creative and experimental with your sales and marketing techniques.
Get “digital”
The most successful businesses don’t just “ digital”. In fact, they use their full arsenal of capabilities and their full force to conquer the digital world. They build an entire network of e-commerce to directly shape the customer experience.
This trend is becoming more and more popular as the stats of US retail shows. Almost two-third of the US retail sales involve some kind of digital platforms and conduct online research every once in a while.
This trend is especially harnessed by sales leaders who use readily available PowerPoint templates to support their organization in its growth and expansion. Unlike small organizations, this trend is very popular among some of the most renowned organizations to establish themselves in the marketplace.
Sell on purpose
Knowing your purpose to sell is extremely important. Know both what you do and the reason for doing it at every step. Find answers to questions like who are you targeting, the reason of selling to that particular target audience, what are you going to tell them, what are you going to say to them, what will be the look of your proposal and how you will propose yourself in front of the target audience. If you are not sure at every step of the selling process, get some guidance or training to help you out.
Inspire trust and be authoritative
Sales are much more easy to make when your prospects trust you and this is the principle that every top salesperson follows. This principle is the reason why he is referred to as a top salesperson. Therefore approach every prospect of yours as a consultant ready to serve your client and share your piece of knowledge with him rather than being a pushy salesman.
A top sales performer will also make use of his expertise to establish himself as an authority in his particular field. This can be done by commenting on a few relevant articles that your clients like to read and answering a few questionnaires as well as feedback forms to attract more and more prospects to your doorstep.
Overcome various objections in the sales
To a seasoned professional salesperson, having an objection is an opportunity goldmine since it shows that the customer is fully engaged and even considering his business proposal. However, overcoming various objections is the key to making sales. If there are a lot of objections on the part of the customer, he won’t purchase the product which will ultimately affect the overall sales of the organization.
To overcome objections the salesperson should find the root reason and should be tenacious enough to rebuild his strategy which might not be that successful.
Build strong connections
In order to increase sales, it is important to build strong relationships with the customers which in turn encourages them to buy from you. This all comes down to developing soft skills with the right training.
Therefore, hire right and competent people from the start who can build strong relationships with the prospects and keep them engaged. Direct communication is all necessary to strengthen these relationships and gain some loyal customers.
Harnessing advanced sales analytics
The trend of using advanced sales analytics is on the rise nowadays especially to bring in more profits. The value of harnessing advanced sales analytics is widespread as it helps in making better decisions, uncovering insights into sales, manage accounts and others that make it an important step to be taken. It also helps in deciding the best opportunities and mitigating various risks.
Push for a decision
The ultimate secret is to make a push at the right time to garner sales without being too pushy. The word “Maybe” is horrible and an awful place to be for everybody including both your customer and you. You’re left unsure and your customer is in turmoil whether to purchase the product or not.
In such a case, when you know the client has enough information to make their purchase decision, push them to make one there and then. Don’t keep waiting for their answer, rather just ask them to make a decision and regardless of their decision, find out ways to serve them.
Conclusion
Sales leaders face a dizzying number of issues, often at unimaginable speed while garnering more sales and prospects. However, by imbibing these 10 hidden secrets and focusing on what really matters, they can break and build their own place away from their competitors.
Learn the basics of a winning IT proposal, such as hardware, software, intranet, product or service sales. Anyone can slap a price quote together but that isn’t often a winning strategy. You need to show your potential client that you can be trusted to deliver on the services they need.
Like most businesses these days, your information technology (IT) business is no doubt looking for more clients or is tasked with internal projects. To land a new client or get a project accepted, you will need to write a business proposal.
Never written one? Don’t panic—writing a proposal doesn’t have to be a daunting process, and after you’ve written your first proposal, all others will come much easier.
That’s because the goals and structure for any business proposal are the same: 1) introduce yourself, 2) highlight the services you offer, 3) describe the costs, and 4) persuade your prospective client that you are the perfect choice for the project. You can also speed up the proposal writing process by using pre-designed templates and studying sample proposals.
The basic proposal structure is the same whether your business is network cabling, building and hosting websites, coding software, designing hardware, running a data center, optimizing internal processes, doing IT training, or even asking for funding to create or grow an IT business. Here’s the order your proposal sections should follow: 1) introduce yourself, 2) summarize the prospective client’s needs, 3) describe your products, services and costs, and finally, 4) provide information about your organization, your credentials, and your capabilities.
You will want to include details about your particular products, services and business experience that are relevant to your client’s specific project. For example, website designers might need to include information about templates, widgets, or shopping cart technologies; network specialists may want to include specifications for cables and routers they recommend; IT trainers might include lists of courses and certifications offered; and so forth.
The most important idea to keep in mind is that the goal of any proposal is to convince potential clients to award you their contracts, convince your boss to sign-off on your proposed project, or possibly secure funding for a new venture. To persuade them, you must demonstrate that you can deliver the products and services they want. It’s never a good idea to send your clients only a price list; that will not substitute for a real proposal.
Your proposal should be tailored to a specific client and that client’s needs. This means you need to gather information about that client so that you can create a customized proposal to meet that specific client’s requirements. Don’t make the mistake of sending all your prospective clients an identical sales proposal. A proposal targeted to a specific organization or person is much more likely to succeed.
Now, getting back to the basic order described above, begin your proposal with a Cover Letter and a Title Page. In the Cover Letter, write a brief personal introduction and provide all your relevant contact information so the client can easily contact you for more information. The Title Page is exactly what its name indicates: a page with the title of your specific proposal (for example, “Proposal for Website Services for the Birchwood Company”, “Building a Records Management System” or “Plan for Updating MWP Corporation’s Computer Network”).
Next, after this introduction, write the section that describes the needs of the prospective client. In a lengthy proposal for a complex project, you should provide a summary preceding the detailed pages. In proposals to corporations, this summary is usually called an Executive Summary. In complex but less corporate proposals, the summary is usually called a Client Summary. On this summary page and in the detailed pages of this section, describe your client’s needs and goals and discuss the limitations or restrictions that may be associated with the project. Don’t insert your own ideas yet; this section is where you demonstrate that you understand the client’s needs.
In the last section of the proposal, you get the chance to promote your project, products and services. In this section you will include pages that describe precisely what you have to offer and what it will cost. This section should contain some pages with general headings like Services Provided, Benefits, Features, and Cost Summary, but should also incorporate more detailed pages that fully describe your products and services, explain how you can fulfill the client’s needs, and list the associated costs. You might use topics such as Hardware and Software, Equipment, Options, Scalability and so on.
Your specific business will determine the specialized topics and pages you need to include in your proposal. The size and scope of the project will determine how many topics and how much detail will be required.
A website design and hosting company might need to include topics like Project Deliverables, Storyboard, Features, Technical Approach, Production Schedule, Hardware and Software as well as a development and hosting contract.
An IT training company might want pages such as Services Provided, Training Plan, Exercises, Curriculum, Prerequisites, Retraining, Materials and an Outline.
An IT consultant may use the Services Provided, Cost Summary, Project Summary, References, Certifications and Our Clients to start with.
IT sales proposals will use topics such as Products, Services Provided, Customer Service, Benefits, Features, Case Studies, Guarantee, Price List, Requirements and so on.
If you are proposing an internal company project, not only do you need to look good, you need to make sure your boss looks good too. You need them to trust that you will deliver in order to gain their support. Include topics that show you understand every aspect of the project. Make sure you have considered Assumptions, Risk Analysis, Contingency Planning, Accountability, SWOT Analysis and the Expected Results.
A networking cabling, infrastructure or data center project may require topics regarding the Facilities, Site Planning, Infrastructure, Security Plan, Expansion Plan, Storage, Location Analysis, Diagrams, Blueprints, Equipment, and so on.
Hardware and software designers might include Documentation Requirements, Specifications, Technical Approach, Project Management, Standards Compliance, System Requirements, Interface Requirements and Certifications. Hardware designers in particular may also need topics such as Manufacturing, Engineering, Production Plan, Capacity, Resources and Resource Allocation.
An IT project for the government can be even more complex as you will have an RFP with rules that must be adhered to. In this situation make sure to use the Compliance Matrix, RFP Cross Reference, government grant/contract Cover Sheet and any other topics that are specifically required by the RFP.
A business seeking funding will want to include pages such as a Competitive Analysis, Industry Trends, Market and Audience, Marketing Plan, Insurance, Liability, Disaster Recovery Plan, Time Line, Funding Request, Services Provided, Products, Company Operations, Income Projection, Sources of Funds, Uses of Funds, Personnel, Legal Structure and any other topics required by the lender. Funding or investment proposals also require a number of financials such as your Cash Flow Analysis, Balance Sheet, Revenue, Profit Margin, Profit and Loss Statement, Operating Costs, and so on.
In this final proposal section, be sure to provide pages describing your organization (About Us or Company History), as well as pages that explain your skills and experience or provide information from other clients. These pages are the Our Clients, Personnel, References, Testimonials, Qualifications and Capabilities – whatever you need to instill trust in the prospective client that you can deliver the goods and services they’re looking for.
So there you have it: all the basic steps for creating your proposal. Now for the finishing touches. After you have inserted all the words and data in your proposal, spend a bit of time making it visually appealing. Add your company logo, choose different fonts or use custom bullets, or consider using colored page borders. Don’t go overboard, though; you want to match the style of your proposal to the style of your business.
Don’t send your proposal out before you spell-check and proof every page. If possible, have someone outside of the project or organization do the final proofreading pass. It’s too easy to miss mistakes in familiar information.
You can see now how IT business proposals can vary widely in content because of the variety of IT businesses and the variety of projects for which the proposals are tailored. Your company’s proposal content will be different from anyone else’s. But you can also see that all IT proposals will have similar formats and follow the same basic structure.
To speed up the proposal writing process, you can use the pre-designed templates in a proposal kit. They contain easy-to-understand instructions and suggestions and examples that will guide you to provide appropriate content. It includes many sample business proposals for all sorts of IT businesses, too; these can give you a head start on creating your own winning proposals.
This article highlights the most effective steps to see your proposal to federal government agencies.
Today, we bring you an article by our Proposal Manager and writer, Erin Hoefer, who supports our clients on consulting engagements. She discusses her take on proposal editing, self-editing, and editing others’ work:
Proposal managers often get to wear different hats. I am stating the obvious, I know. We do not always get to stand back and orchestrate the overall effort of a winning proposal. Often we have to also get down in the trenches and perform last-minute capture management, fill out pricing and contractual forms, write the technical sections when the Subject Matter Experts are unavailable, and dare I say we even have to edit the proposal after we have written most of it ourselves.
Editing begins early in the proposal writing process and continues throughout the lifecycle, but no matter what stage you are pulled in to edit, it is a distinct task in a proposal’s lifecycle that requires a specific skill set. Editing includes cutting and strengthening text for readability and impact, bringing consistency to diverse materials, achieving a “single voice” in a proposal, and even making your writing sing.
At the very least, as a good proposal editor, you will:
Work to a proposal-specific or company style guide to ensure consistent use of words.
Strengthen messages and remove ambiguity missed by the proposal team through familiarity.
Reduce word count—we all tend to use unnecessary words and phrases.
Identify and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
It does not matter what you choose to edit first. It may make sense to one editor to review for punctuation and spelling first, and then dig deeper into the message, but there is no right order for editing. It is up to the individual.Editing your own proposal writing
If you are anything like me, you will repeatedly fall in love with your own writing (I am having a love fest with this piece right now). It is easy to fall into this trap, since writing is hard work. It does not matter what type of writing you are doing, it takes a serious effort to get the right words onto the screen in a coherent fashion. When we spend so much time learning about our clients with the final mission of winning business for them, we inevitably begin to feel passionate about the proposal and its potential outcome. We struggle for the right words, then struggle more to arrange them into the right messages, and finally, present a winning proposal that we know (or think we know) needs very little editing. Therefore, it is not surprising we love our writing more than Angelina Jolie loves to fill out adoption papers—so much time has been invested.
But snap out of it lovers! There is a reason the great proposal writers and editors use the various color reviews (and depending on the size and importance of the proposal, there may be a review for every color in the rainbow). You must be objective about your own work. How do you do that?
Here are a few ways to detach yourself or develop objectivity to your own writing:
Step away from the piece for at least one full day (that is 24 hours in proposal writer time). Having a fresh look at the writing will help you see what you could not see when you were buried in the words.
Do it in an alternative format: if you were working in Word, look at your text in PDF. You will see different things. Never skip a hard copy review of your proposal.
Read it aloud. You know how in your head you are a great singer, but when you actually sing out loud, it sounds surprisingly different? Or is that just me? This exercise can also work on your writing. No matter how great a writer you are, your ears are better at picking up things such as incomplete sentences, vague thoughts, or misplaced points when you read it out loud. This is also a key step in the Read Out Loud review prior to your Gold Team Review.
Record yourself. Read it out loud again, but this time, use your computer or smart phone to record it. You will hear yourself differently, but more importantly, any inconsistencies or structural errors will be noted sooner than if re-reading the piece in your head.
Editing Someone Else’s Writing
Make no mistake about it. As much as proposal writers love their own words, nothing trumps the opportunity to alter someone else’s work. It is not because the hard work has already been done. No, it is because it is easier for most of us to edit than to come up with the first draft, however bad it may be.
In reality, editing someone else’s work is a bit of a burden. I know how painstakingly difficult it can be to get all the right words in a proposal. How do I tell the writer to remove a whole paragraph? I do not want to make them upset enough to never want to work with me again. However, the opportunity to edit someone else’s work also brings a two-way street of education. I must be prepared to explain every edit, and at the same time, the writer must be able explain why a particular section or sentence must stay. This often requires team work—give and take.
Below is a simple editing checklist from OST Global Solutions that I use for all proposal pieces, whether my own or someone else’s:
Review content. Cover areas such as compliance, accuracy, consistency, missing information, redundancy, win_themes, and acronyms.
Review for length and structure. This includes proper paragraph order, flow, and paragraph and section length.
Edit and review every sentence and word. Look for passive and active voice, word use, tone, style, and a variety of other issues related to the piece.
Look over the basic mechanics such as spelling, typos, punctuation, capitalization, use of pronouns, subject-verb agreement, and verb tense throughout the document.
In conclusion, whether you edit your own beautiful masterpiece or someone else’s, you can never underestimate the power of making yourself detached and objective. Build the time into your proposal schedule if you are the writer. Estimate a proper amount of time if you are editing someone else’s writing. Cover the basics of editing and dig deep to ensure the proposal communicates the message intended, and that the proposal will sell.
With the desert as a backdrop, Dubai has become a buzz of a city. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go, you see the transformation – a desert backwater to a lively, vibrant and dynamic place, and all in such a short space of time. There are new shopping centres which have recently opened such as Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall, which offer tourists a unique and world-class shopping experience. Shopping if in fact one of the many reasons that travellers come to Dubai as there are many bargains and specials to be found, especially during the Dubai Shopping Festival.
Dubai has begun to specialise in the resort-shopping mall combination and there are a number of resorts and shopping centres that now showcase this marriage of two holiday essentials. Emirates Mall is also part of the Kempinski Resort, The Madinat Resort complex has an extensive shopping area as well as a range of restaurants and cafes.
Dubai is a city within an emirate (state or province) of the same name. It is a place of many faces, some call it a fairyland with its desert and mountains, rich greenery, long white sandy beaches, and brilliant blue and green ocean, the Arabian Sea. Dubai is a sprawling metropolis intertwined with major highways and the Metro train system which opened in September 2009. Underpasses, overpasses, bridges, this is a city that never sleeps, a 24/7 phenomena that is continuing to expand.
Dubai is not just a tourist destination, but a major financial centre, industrial hub, and regional headquarters for many corporations. The commercial activity in Dubai is another major contributor to the city and emirate’s tourist and travel industry – it helps to fill airline seats and hotel rooms. From the sparkling new Atlantis on Palm Jumeirah, to the iconic Burj al Arab on the Jumeirah Beach coastline, the region’s hotels are mushrooming. All the major hotel chains are here and the existing large number of hotels is being added to virtually by the week. A large number of hotels are under construction or planned for all parts of Dubai.
Aside from the modern attributes there are still the relics of a bygone era.
The central part of Dubai housing the CBD comprises Deira on the northern side of the Creek, and Bur Dubai on the southern side. There is a tunnel and two bridges linking the two areas. All over the city, in Deira and Bur Dubai, there are skyscrapers, major office towers, hotels, souks, banks, universities, colleges, schools, hospitals, mosques, and shopping malls. The city too is dotted with huge apartment towers and low-rise villas, as residential living has become popular in the city as well as in the suburbs.
To the north of the city is the adjoining emirate of Sharjah. To the south are the suburban areas of Satwa, Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim, Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach.
Dubai Creek
The Creek is a natural inlet/harbour that connects to the sea. It runs right through the centre of the city separating Deira and Bur Dubai. Life is busy on the creek and on both sides of it. Dhows on the water arriving or heading off to exoitc destinations in the Far East and Africa. They carry trade goods, and you can trading taking place as the dhows arrive and depart.
A popular treat for visitors is to take a water taxi, which is known as an abra, which provide regular water crossings from one side of the Creek to the other.
Tourists can also take trip from the abra embarkation points to the mouth of the Creek and inland to the Maktoum Bridge, passing on the way many of Dubai’s historic and more modern-day landmarks.
At the inland end of the Creek is a large, shallow lagoon, now a wildlife sanctuary which has become a haven for migrating shore birds. Some 27,000 birds have been counted here at one time during the autumn migration. The most spectacular are the many Greater Flamingos which have made the Creek their permanent home.
Dubai Archaeological Sites
There are three main excavation sites in Dubai, at Al Ghusais, Al Sufooh and Jumeirah. The first two are graveyards dating back more than 2,000 years. The Jumeirah site reveals artefacts from the seventh to 15th centuries. Though not yet open to the public, tourists or tour operators may obtain a permit from Dubai Museum to visit the digs.
Bastakiya
The old Bastakiya district with its narrow lanes and tall wind-towers gives a tantalising glimpse of old Dubai. Immediately to the east of Al Fahidi Fort is the largest concentration of traditional courtyard houses with windtowers.
In the past, the city was famous for a mass of windtowers which lined the Creek on either side. These were not merely decorative; they were the only means of cooling houses in the days before mains electricity.
Bastakiya is currently undergoing renovation and preservation and will eventually become a small “tourist village” with a museum, a cultural centre, restaurants and an art gallery.
Dubai Souks
The souks on both sides of the Creek are attractive not just for their shopping bargains but also as places for the sightseer and photographer.
A huddle of narrow alleyways has survived on the Deira side despite intensive building in recent years. In the tiny lanes of the spice souk, the atmosphere and the scents of the past can be savoured. Bags of spices, incense, rose petals and traditional medicinal products are stacked outside each stall.
Along the slightly larger lanes of the gold souk, each shop window is crammed with gold necklaces, rings, bangles, earrings and brooches. In the evening the area is a hive of activity. Gold prices are among the lowest in the world.
In other small streets, the visitor can find shops selling nargilehs (hookah or hubble-bubble pipes) and coffee pots, and nearby tea stalls where both of these items are in daily use.
There are traditional bakeries where large flat loaves of delicious unleavened bread are baked to order inside a domed oven called tandoor. Small textile shops sell veils with decorated edges, pantaloons with embroidered anklets, and dress lengths with similarly embroidered necklines reminiscent of The Arabian Nights. On the Bur Dubai side of the Creek are lanes full of textile shops, where a blaze of colourful raw silks and cottons hang in profusion in shop windows.
The fish souk in Deira is an attraction in itself. Early in the morning and late at night, local fishermen unload mountains of fresh fish which they sell in a frenzied bargaining session. Kingfish, red snapper, rock cod (the popular hammour), barracuda, tuna, lobster, crab, king prawn, sea bream, squid, pomfret, shark, mackerel, sardine and other species are available in abundance for most of the year.
Dubai Museum
Al Fahidi Fort, which houses the Dubai Museum, is another imposing building. It once guarded the city’s landward approaches. Built around 1799, it has served variously as palace, garrison and prison.
It was renovated in 1970 for use as a museum; further restoration and the addition of galleries was completed in 1995. Colourful and evocative dioramas, complete with life-size figures and sound and lighting effects, vividly depict everyday life in pre-oil days. Galleries rescenes from the Creek, traditional Arab houses, mosques, the souk, date gardens, desert and marine life.
One of the most spectacular exhibits portrays the underwater world of pearl-diving, and is accompanied by sets of pearl merchants’ weights, scales and sieves.
Also on display are artefacts such as fine copper, alabaster and pottery objects found in 3,000 to 4,000 year-old graves at Al Ghusais. The main fort is a fascinating military museum.
Dubai Heritage and Diving Villages
A traditional heritage village, located near the mouth of the Creek, has been created where potters and weavers display their crafts. Here the visitor can look back in time and experience some of Dubai’s heritage.
The Diving Village forms part of an ambitious plan to turn the entire Shindagha area into a cultural microcosm, recreating life in Dubai as it was in days gone by.
Dubai World Trade Centre
Rising 39 floors above the city, the Dubai World Trade Centre’s office tower houses the regional headquarters of many of the world’s largest corporations.
Alongside, a modern conference centre and seven exhibition halls host an active programme of international trade fairs that attract exhibitors and visitors from all over the world.
Sheikh Zayed Road
The Trade Centre is the focal point of a modern business district emerging along Sheikh Zayed Road. Ultra-modern towers of glass and steel that reflect Dubai’s international and cosmopolitan outlook line both sides of the main highway to Abu Dhabi.
Deira Creekside
A group of distinctive and remarkable modern buildings are ranged near the purpose-built dhow wharfage beside the Maktoum Bridge, including the Etisalat Tower, the Department of Economic Development, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The National Bank of Dubai headquarters and Dubai Creek Tower.
The Etisalat Tower is topped by a telecommunications dome resembling a giant golf ball – particularly striking when illuminated at night.
Situated around Dubai are numerous public parks and gardens offering a peaceful respite from urban life.
Particularly popular with families, they offer attractive picnic spots and childrens’ play areas with a variety of entertainment facilities.
The largest of the city’s parks are Jumeirah Beach Park, Dubai Creekside Park, Mushrif Park, Al Mamzar Park and Safa Park, while many smaller ones throughout the city provide pleasant green oases. Furthermore, In the event that you are as yet uncertain which prostitute you need to meet, feel free to visit lostdubai.com.
Dubai Golf Courses
Even for the non-golfer, Dubai’s golf clubs are worth a visit, both for the spectacular architecture of their clubhouses and as examples of the successful greening and landscaping of the desert. Full details of the courses are given in the Sporting sections.
A nine-hole “country” course is also available at the Hatta Fort Hotel where golfers have a unique fun experience of playing in craggy mountain scenery.
Dubai Shopping Festival
The annual Dubai Shopping Festival extravaganza has rapidly become an internationally-known event, with thousands of bargains, draws, shows, promotions and some of the world’s lowest prices. In addition, the hotels and furnished appartments complexes offer reduce accommodation rates, while Emirates offers great deals on tickets.
Dubai Summer Surprises
Dubai Summer Surprises is a government initiative begun in 1998 that attracted thousands of tourists during the summer months. Extremely competitive hotel rates, combined with lots of activities, especially for children, meant the first event was a big success.
Outside the Dubai City
From seashore to mountain peaks, Dubai is a land of great natural beauty and variety. The desert, that accounts for much of the emirate’s almost 4,000 sq km area, encompasses rocky plains, high dunes and, between these two extremes, countless combinations of sand, stone and sparse vegetation.
This seemingly barren expanse supports a surprising diversity of wildlife, both plant and animal, though much of the former is seasonal and the latter nocturnal. Once isolated and forbidding, the desert now offers a fascinating and accessible experience for visitors, with an array of recreational opportunities from safaris by four-wheel-drive vehicle to sand-skiing.
A number of roads now cross the wilderness, joining settlements and oases where, thanks to irrigation, ever-larger areas are turning green under the cultivation of vegetables and fodder crops.
Along the flanks of the Hajar Mountains, naturally watered date gardens flourish, their foliage a magnet for birds. In the mountain enclave of Hatta, restoration work has preserved the old falaj or irrigation canals. Nearby, water can be found year round in wadis, steep-sided valleys gouged from the mountains by torrents unleashed by winter rains. The wadis are popular with naturalists and explorers, tranquil in contrast to the clamour of the city.
The starkly beautiful exposed rock formations of the mountainsides provide a fascinating insight into the geological origins of the area and the forces which sculpted the rugged landscape.
Late News
Dubai is breaking new grounnd in promoting its tourism wares to India
As part of its continued plan to further strengthen its presence in India, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing embarked on a marketing blitz through several high profile marketing initiatives.
The DTCM participated at one of South Asia’s largest B2B Travel & Tourism Expos – South Asia Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in late April 2009.
The participation by DTCM Head Office and its representative office in Mumbai is the culmination of an aggressive four month campaign launched in January 2009. The campaign aimed to promote Dubai as multi faceted year round holiday destination that provides safety & security for the family in a world class cosmopolitan city.
With a large exhibit size of 121 square meters this year, Dubai showcased its potential as an up-market tourist destination targeting Indian and international travel trade professionals attending the event.
DTCM led a strong 14-member high-level delegation which networked with over 600 leading Travel Agents and Tour Operators from across India.
Mr. Talal Al Suwaidi, Head of Region India, Middle East & Southern / Eastern Africa, DTCM said, “India is a strategic market for Dubai and has been one of the top-five source markets for leisure and business visitors. We are hopeful that our new marketing initiatives and participation at key trade fairs like SATTE will further boost inward traffic into Dubai from India.”
Mr. Carl Vaz, Director, India Representative Office, DTCM added, “Over the past 4 months we have conducted high profile missions to Dubai such as the visit of the Managing Committee of India’s largest travel trade body – Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), joint promotions with top performing tour operators and embarked on new more cost effective mass media communication methods such as publishing special color feature supplements with leading publications in India and high visibility advertising through the outdoor mediums.”
Co-participating at SATTE 2019, with DTCM, were leading Destination Management Companies and Hoteliers from Dubai, including Accor Hospitality Middle East, Arabian Explorers, Arabianlink Tours, Destinations of the World, Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa, Dubai Trade Centre Hotel Apartments, Grand Hyatt Dubai, Intercontinental Hotels Dubai Festival City, Lama Desert Tourism & Cargo, Orient Tours, Sea View Hotel, Southern Sun Hotel, Travco Travel and White Sands Tours & Travel.
Local Customs and Laws
Be aware and respctful of local customs. During Ramadan, don’t eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours. Do not take photographs of military installations, or of national women, and never drink alcohol in public.
Illegal drugs are not tolerated at any level. If found in the possession of drugs (including poppy seeds from bagels and prescription and over-the-counter medicines such as codeine) in your property or in your bloodstream, even in quantities as small as 0.001g you will be subject to a minimum 4 years jail sentence.
Getting around in Dubai
Taxis
Taxis are the most common form of transport. Metered taxis from Dubai Transport Corporation, recognised by their cream colour, are efficient and have well-trained and courteous drivers. For fares you can visit the Road Transports Authority Web site www.rta.ae.
Dubai Transport taxis also operate a service from the airport. Most hotels operate transport for their guests. There are also several radio taxi companies which have cars on call, and whose telephone numbers are available at all hotels.
Car Rentals
Rental cars are available from car rental companies for visitors who have an international driving licence. Customers must produce their passport along with their current licence.
Visitors without an international driving licence may obtain a temporary local driving licence as long as they hold a valid national licence from one of the following countries: Germany, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Netherlands, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, UK, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Your passport, valid national licence, and two photographs are also required.
Roads and highways
Over the past two decades, Dubai has built an extensive network of first-class roads and highways connecting all parts of the city and surrounding areas.
Roads to all major towns and villages are excellent and a multi-lane highway heads southwards from the city to Abu Dhabi. Driving in the UAE is on the right-hand side of the road.
Water taxis
As mentioned above, an interesting way to make your way from Bur Dubai to Deira is to go by water taxi across the Creek. In 2007, the RTA launched fully Air Conditioned water buses to enhance Dubai’s water transport.
The Metro
The Metro is an elaborate train system which connects to many parts of the city and emirate.
What to wear
Lightweight summer clothing is suitable for most of the year, but sweaters or jackets may be needed for the winter months, especially in the evenings.
Compared with certain parts of the Middle East, Dubai has a very relaxed dress code. However, care should be taken not to give offence by wearing clothing which may be considered revealing.
At the pool or on the beaches, trunks, swim-suits and bikinis are quite acceptable.
Good quality sunglasses are advised, and photo- chromatic lenses for those who wear spectacles. Hats or some protection for the head are advisable when in direct sunlight.
History
A trip to Dubai transports you on a journey through time. Archaeological discoveries suggest that, as long as four thousand years ago, small fishing communities lived along the coast of the Arabian Gulf on the site of modern Dubai. It is also believed that the natural sheltered harbour afforded by the Dubai Creek was a busy port of call on the ancient trade route between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.
In recent years, archaeologists have unearthed hundreds of artifacts, including pottery, weapons and coinage, that point to civilised settlements dating back to the third millennium B.C.
These historic finds have been carefully preserved and are now permanently housed in the Archaeological Section of Dubai Museum. Modern Dubai, however, traces its origins to the 1830s. At that time, the small fishing village on the Shindagha peninsula at the mouth of the Creek was settled by a branch of the Bani Yas tribe, originally from the Liwa oasis to the south, led by the Maktoum family who still rule the emirate today.
By the late 1870s, Dubai was often referred to as the principal port on the Gulf coast and, by the turn of the century, was reputed to have had the largest souks in Arabia. Pearling, which was the mainstay of the city’s prosperity for many years, succumbed to the development of the cultured pearl in the 1940s.
But Dubai’s enterprising merchants bounced back, developing a thriving trade in gold and other commodities. Much of this history is carefully preserved in myriad forts, mosques, palaces and other historic monuments, which are on the itineraries of many organised tours.
Culture
Dubai’s culture is rooted in Islam, providing a strength and inspiration that touches all aspects of everyday life. Virtually every neighborhood has its own mosque, where the faithful congregate for prayer five times every day. One of the largest and most beautiful – Jumeirah Mosque – is a spectacular example of modern Islamic architecture. Built of stone in medieval Fatimid style, the mosque is particularly attractive at night when subtle lighting throws its artistry into sharp relief.
Ramadan, which commemorates the revelation of the Holy Koran, is the Holy Month of fasting when Muslims abstain from all food and drink from dawn to dusk. Courtesy and hospitality are among the most highly prized of virtues in the Arab world, and visitors will be charmed by the warmth and friendliness of the people.
Getting there
These days just about every major city in the world has either a direct, or an indirect, flight to Dubai. It is the world’s fastest growing destination. The number of airlines operating out of Dubai International Airport has passed 120. These airlines service more than 260 destinations.
Emirates airline, one of two national carriers (the other being Etihad Airways) uses the Dubair airport as its hub, from which it services around 100 destinations, and growing.
Weather
The city of Dubai is situated on a coastal strip bordered by desert and gets very hot. It is dry on the hottest days and humid during the cooler days in the summer. Cooler, more pleasant weather lasts from the end of September to beginning of May (although note that pleasant is relative, with daily temperatures from October to January and March to May still being in the lower twenties (68-77°F), but be prepared for cold night temperatures. In winter the temperature at night is usually from 10-16°C (50-60°F)). From May to September, the sun is intense and temperatures can touch 45°C in the city and even higher in the desert. The heat coupled with humidity of 60-70% near the coast effectively precludes most activity outdoors for the daylight hours during summer.
December to April generally produces the highest precipitation, which at 10 cm (5 in) still isn’t much. Some years yield no more than a few minutes of shower in Dubai. November 2006 brought record rains up to 50 cm of rain with temperatures going down to record lows.
Souks
Gold Souk — Not a mall, but a historic market that has been a part of Dubai since the origin of Dubai itself. Located at the mouth of the creek, it dazzles people by selling gold in large quantities and with little visible security. A must visit for shoppers and sightseers. Most of the gold is 22ct quality and quite expensive – although even here the shopkeepers are prepared to bargain – and the craftsmanship can be remarkably detailed. The gold items are sold by weight with a “making charge” added on top to cover the workmanship. It pays therefore, to go shopping armed with the current gold price and a knowledge of the making charges in order to hone the bargaining process. Many outlets are part of chains that also have branches in malls, so are generally reliable.
Spice Souk — Again, not a mall, but a historic market thSouksat has been a part of Dubai since the origin of Dubai itself. Located at the mouth of the creek, it is not far from the Gold Souk, but has sadly declined a bit in recent years as supermarkets take over the spice trade. If you’re actually shopping for spices, odds are you’ll get better prices and quality with much less hassle at Carrefour. Both the Spice Souk and the Gold Souq are a rather hot and sweaty experience with limited air-conditioning, so wear appropriately cool, loose clothing if visiting in mid summer. Individual shops are air conditioned. Although regularly visited by tourists, none of the souks are considered a tourist area and as such modest dress should be worn to avoid causing offense or attracting unwanted attention.
Shopping Malls
Mercato, +971 04 3444161, Jumeirah Beach Road Mercato, which is Italian for Market, is the only Renaissance-themed shopping mall in the Middle East. It captures Italian, French and Spanish flavors and artistic characteristics playing host to regular fairs and festivals from each country. Mercato provides a unique shopping experience, the best in international entertainment and popular brand names like Virgin Megastore, Top Shop, Mango and Hugo Boss; Mercato is simply The Good Life. Also, Mercato houses a big Spinneys Supermarket, a 7 screen Grand Cinema, a Starbucks, and mouth watering restaurants such as Bella Donna which has a balcony overlooking the sea
Town Centre Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 04 3440111. Shopping for an exclusive gift, unique fashion items, beauty and skin care products, then Town Centre Jumeirah is for you. Offering a stress-free shopping environment with a bright, open, and spacious atmosphere, Town Centre Jumeirah is a place to shop, relax and casually dine at a wide selection of eateries like Sumo Sushi, Cafe Ceramique, La Cafette by Carpe Diem and Simply Healthy. Also, Town Centre Jumeirah houses an extensive range of ladies beauty outlets like the Nail Station, Paris Gallery, Kaya Skin Care Clinic, Wax Lounge and SOS Salon.
Mall of the Emirates, near the 4th interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road, Outside Ramadan: Sun-Wed 10AM-10:00PM; Thu-Sat 10AM-12PM (midnight); Ramadan: Sun-Sat: 10AM-1AM. The largest shopping mall outside of North America. 200+ shops, cinemas, plus Dubai’s famous Ski Centre. Has many international high street chains as well as luxury brand stores, including Harvey Nichols. Many restaurants and cafes, though cafes tend to be much more crowded than at other malls. It’s attached to a Kempinski hotel, which has restaurants licensed to serve alcohol that are accessible from the mall. Very large Carrefour hypermarket attached. Arabian/Middle Eastern souvenir shops upstairs.
Ibn Battuta Mall, Jebel Ali [24] Daily 10AM-12AM (midnight). Areas themed around six countries (China, India, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia and the Andalusia). Wide range of shops, although fewer high class brands. Has various restaurants and cafes (including three Starbucks), and a multiplex cinema including an Imax. No restaurants serve alcohol. Also has extensive, permanent exhibition of Islamic science, invention and astronomy. Attached (access via outside) is one of Dubai’s few second-hand bookshops, House of Prose. Has a Geant supermarket attached.
Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Road. Includes 75 shops, numerous bars, restaurants and cafes, a nightclub, theatre. More expensive and targeted directly at tourists than other, general malls where residents go. Most bars and restaurants are licensed for alcohol. Nice to wander through as it has been designed to resemble a “traditional” souq, but with the modern comforts of air conditioning. Lots of souvenir-type shops.
Burjuman Centre, Khalifa Bin Zayed Road, Sat-Thu 10AM-10:00PM; Fri 2PM-10PM. Recently opened after expansion, focus is on premium brand stores and luxury boutiques, but high street stores are also available. No restaurants serve alcohol.
Deira City Centre. This is by far the most popular mall in Dubai and a visit to Dubai is not complete without a visit. Debenhams, Virgin Megastore, Zara and other international high street brands. A multiplex cinema, and many restaurants and cafes. Also has a large “Arabian Treasures” souvenir and traditional textiles area. A new extension includes many more high-end boutiques and upmarket mall restaurants. A big Carrefour hypermarket sell just about everything and is nearly always very busy. There is a Sofitel hotel at one end of the centre, where there are bars and restaurants serving alcohol.
Wafi Mall. Includes Marks & Spencer, Goodies. Focus is almost entirely on luxury brands, jewellery and expensive boutiques. Many upmarket restaurants and bars, many of which are licensed (have alcohol available). A luxury spa is attached to the complex. The Egypt-themed architecture, which includes quite beautiful stained-glass pyramids, is worth seeing. Emirates Towers Boulevard, Sheikh Zayed Road [29], Daily 10.00AM-10.00PM, Fri 4.00PM-10.00PM. Part of the Emirates Tower Hotel complex. The shops here match the hotel, very high class, plus a Starbucks. Lipton cafe has free wifi. Restaurants and bars all serve alcohol. Quite a popular nightlife spot, with bars and nightclubs and it is considered the most expensive mall in Dubai.
Gold & Diamond Park, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road (South side). Sells gold and diamond products. Has none of the character of the more historic gold souq, but is air-conditioned throughout, and easier to reach and park at than the historic souq (which is in the depths of downtown Deira). Can be better value, as it is less “touristy”.
Al Ain Plaza, (known locally as Computer Plaza), On Mankhool Road along from the Ramada Hotel, Bur Dubai heading towards the creek. A mall specializing in computers, laptops, computer parts and computer add ons like monitors, VoIP Phones, hard drives, etc. There is an internet cafe here. AED 10 per hour (minimum 1 hour). Also other malls in this area are good for computers and computer equipment.
Festival City. Has Dubai’s only Ikea, since it relocated from City Centre, and a huge Plug-Ins electronic store. Also an ACE Hardware and a amazing mall which has 550 shops.
Dubai Outlet Mall, on the road to Al Ain. A very large mall, with many “factory outlets”.
The latest statistics gives a figure that there are around 310 million active customers in Amazon and probably you may be one among them!!
We are quite acquainted with the boom of e-commerce and how massive impact it has made to our lifestyle. With the rise in ecommerce has also given a rise to the number of people who wants to start an online ecommerce business. I randomly asked my friends about what do they want to do in the future. And to my surprise, so many of them said they want to establish business of their own. Entrepreneurship is the gravitating career for most youngsters. But there is one constraint in starting a business all of a sudden. You need to have a good investment support. Capital is the most important investment for any business to start. What if you don’t need to spend any money for your business and still make profit?
DropShipping is not a new term or concept in ecommerce but seldom people know how to start a DropShipping business. More than being a business, it is a service. In a DropShipping business, you don’t need to do a lot of capital expenditure and even don’t need to setup a physical store. The internet does the job!
It is a retail fulfilment method where the seller doesn’t keep his products in a store or inventory. Basically, the seller sells his product from an online store and buyers simply buy them. But the main tasks of the business are actually done by a third party system. Among all the positive aspects of this model of ecommerce, the main perks of DropShipping are
Minimum capital investment required No hurdle in setting up a store Risk margin is lower You can set your own price for the products you sell Let us look at the essential steps you need to know before setting up a DropShipping store in 5 simple steps
The Drop-shipping Concept
Find out about your interest
This is the first thing you need to find out for starting your business. Figure out what exactly do you want your business to do for you, what are the products you want to sell Research on your customer base and see what are the products that can give you higher profits when invested upon Figure out who are your competitors in this run and how they are dealing with the business to make profit The first step is all your homework that you need to do before moving to the next step in the run.
Find a suitable Drop Shipping supplier
The drop shipping supplier is basically the hero behind the scene. Because the drop shipping supplier is the one who will deal with all the physical tasks of the business such as packing, shipping and delivering.
It is therefore essential to get in touch of a reliable supplier who can synchronise with the products you want to sell. Be sure to get the following things clear with the supplier…
How long it takes to ship the order ? What kind of tracking systems they prefer? If they offer a warranty on their products. If yes, for how long
Get a sales tax ID
We all know what sales tax means. It is the tax levied on all sales of physical goods to consumers. Though having a sales tax ID for an eBay seller is not mandatory, there are certain suppliers who prefer sellers with a sales tax ID.
Well, getting a sales tax id is easy as well as cheap!
Just Google your “Country name”+ “sales tax ID” and you would be sorted!
Sort your Platform
Once you are done with the prerequisites given in the above steps, you need to figure out which platforms do you want to use for selling your products.
eBay is the most used and easy ecommerce platform for beginners to start off. Amazon is the world’s largest ecommerce site for selling and buying products Bonanza and Ruby Lane are also ecommerce stores that help in hoisting your product If not any of these platforms, you can even design your own ecommerce store with platforms like Shopify Market and Promote!
Imagine you got an awesome business idea and even setup an online store but no one knows about it! Nothing can be saddening than this. You need to bring out the savvy marketing analyst and start marketing your product
Start various campaigning on social media platforms
Use the power of emails and promote by sending bulk emails to target customers Create discount coupons because discount fascinate people more than chocolates and ice creams With these few basic information on how to start a DropShipping store, you are ready to fly high into the ecommerce sky!!
In this age of online connections, live events continue to be an essential part of brand and business-building. Hosting a live event gives your brand and business the opportunity to stand out from your competitors. In this way you can have a deeper and more meaningful brand-building effect on your consumers that is more effective than indirect and media-centered marketing efforts.
Yet, with so many groundbreaking events happening all over the world, businesses and events professionals need to increase their efforts to make sure the event they stage will be engaging for their target audience and deliver their target objectives.
The live event industry is booming, so much so that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the event industry will grow by 44% from 2010 to 2020, exceeding most growth predictions for other industries. Even so, there continues to be a lot at stake when organizing a live event. They are very expensive to put on and necessitate a substantial amount of planning – even if they only last a weekend.
Here are the tried and tested best practices for staging a successful live event.
Audio
Audio is the number one component when it comes to staging a successful live event. No matter what size, or type of event, the top event companies know that you must always strive for great audio; otherwise, you will lose the interest and attention of your audience.
More often than not, microphones will be part of the setup, so plan to test each and every one of them early enough that your audio engineers have time to deal with any problems that may arise, paying special attention to wireless frequency interference.
Additionally, get in the habit of using fresh batteries for wireless microphones for every single event. If you are utilizing a webcast audio feed, make sure it is clean and audible.
If your event is going to include remote presenters, schedule a test round with each of them, as most won’t be using a high-tech setup and, instead will be using a basic headset microphone or even a telephone connection.
Video
In the past few years, live video has proven itself to be the dominant form of marketing, and when used correctly at events, increases audience engagement. Live video at events offers brands and businesses the opportunity to tap into this engaging tool, bringing you and your customers together.
Just like in a TED Talk video, plan to have multiple camera angles to create a cinematic experience. Capturing raw moments and different perspectives helps everyone feel closer to the action.
The power of video is elevated by the fact that you can stream your events to audiences around the world, enlarging the live audience and furthering the results of the event you are staging. Filming any speakers, panels, or performers can later be turned into content (such as webinars) to promote your next event.
Visuals
In addition to the power of audio, visuals add an extra component to the story you are telling. The level and intricacy of the visuals are going to vary based on your brand’s aesthetics and the nature of the event; however, in all cases, some form of visuals should be used.
Motion backgrounds are a fantastic way of adding an extra dimension, as the subtle movement lightly enhances everything else that is occurring on stage. For a more extreme visual experience, LED lighting rental is the way to go.
Another idea is to incorporate your brand or business’s logo into the look of the event. All in all, you want the space that your event occupies to turn into an immersive environment.
Processing Fees
When selling tickets for your event, you may encounter ticket or credit card processing fees. Depending on the company, these can vary from 2.5-3.5% and may have an additional flat per-ticket fee.
Make sure that you are building these extra charges into the price, instead of adding them on at the end. Psychologically, customers would rather see a slightly higher ticket price than have a load of additional fees added at the end.
Venue
Selecting a location and venue for your event is a question that may require a lot of brainstorming. First, take into consideration the niche your event falls under and what (if any) characteristics your venue should have for that niche.
Once you have selected a venue, don’t solely focus on the positives, but also consider its limitations. Ask about power capabilities, if certain things will set off the smoke alarms, the weight capacity of the ceiling, etc. – go over all the small things that could potentially turn into big problems.
In the days and weeks leading up to the event, make sure the core team members know their way around the venue. When everyone is running around trying to get everything in place, knowing the quickest routes from A to B will feel like a blessing.
Wherever you decide to host your event, make sure that there are plenty of charging stations. You want everyone to be tweeting your event #hashtag all day long!
Technicians
When dealing with product and service suppliers, the most important tip of all is to hire the right attitude. You want to ensure that the people you are going to be working with are the creme de la creme of the industry.
Organizing and hosting these events can get slightly messy and intensely stressful, which can only be made worse if the people who are in charge of your audio, lighting, stage and rigging have not been listening and can’t remember what to do. A good, energetic, motivated attitude goes a long way.
Don’t forget to make sure you are rewarding your crew with good food! It is amazing how much more motivated people can get when the reward for hard work is a tasty snack or meal.
Feedback
After your live event has wrapped up, make sure to ask attendees to provide you with post-conference feedback. This is the key to ensuring that the next event runs more smoothly and is more impressive than the last one. If you don’t ask, then you may never know that the chairs were uncomfortable, that too many panels overlapped, or that the coffee machine was never full.
Pro Tip:
As you will probably need to sleep for three days once the event is over, prep your post-event emails and surveys before the event even starts. Check that all the links are working and leave space for pictures that you can add from the event before you hit send.
By hosting a successful and engaging live event, potential customers can begin to develop a relationship with you, increasing the chances of them purchasing from you in the future.
We are dedicated to BIG TIPS to help you get things done more efficiently. You will master how to do everything in a bigger way and live smarter. Topics include Home, Health, Lifestyle, Travel, Technology, Entertainment, Business and Video.
Our eBook series will be a collection of Tips and Tricks from our website. If you are an Amazon KU (Kindle Unlimited) subscriber or Prime member, you are eligible to enjoy our eBook for free.
When you give a presentation, you need to remember that effective communication is tied up in the use of your voice and body language far more than in the content of what you are saying.
Some studies have found that body language accounts for 55% of what we take away with us when we have sat through a presentation.
Body language leaves a lasting impression, so you must get it right when giving a presentation.
Being under scrutiny and having everyone’s eyes on you can be an uncomfortable experience. The first lesson in body language is that you must not let that show on the outside no matter how you feel inside.
You can do this by “acting” as though you are a confident speaker who has spoken in front of large audiences many times. Visualise how a confident speaker looks on stage or in a boardroom. Now visualise yourself doing that.
You can also watch TED talks on YouTube and analyse what the best presenters do. If you can harness even a small amount of the persona and charisma these people have, you’ll be making giant steps in your presentation skills.
Preparation
Firstly you need to get the content right. Consider what needs to be included in the presentation and keep it simple. Work all the hot topics in and ensure that you have evidence and examples as required.
Before your presentation, you must practice, practice, practice! Not just once, but many times. The more practice you do, the more confident you will feel about the content. Once you know the content inside out, you can start to think about how you will present it.
You need it to look as natural as possible even though you have rehearsed to death when you present. It may not sound logical, but you will look more natural when you have taken the time to go over and over the presentation in rehearsal.
Energy
Throughout the presentation, you need to be dynamic and energetic. You must sound enthusiastic, like you care about what you’re saying and the product or service you are offering.
If you don’t care, why should anyone else? Your body language should reflect this energy. Your head should be up, your eyes shining, your gestures should be high, and perhaps your fist will be clenched when you talk about winning or victory, or you might gesture at your heart if something means a lot to you or your company. Don’t remain rooted to the spot; move around from time to time when you change slide or topic. Inject energy into the room. No movement will lead to the audience’s thoughts drifting off.
Standing
When you are in front of your audience, you need to be perfectly balanced and grounded if you are standing still. Plant both feet on the floor and pull up your spine. Tuck your pelvis in and pull your shoulders down and back.
Do not be tempted to put your weight through one hip as your audience will subconsciously perceive you as slovenly lacking in backbone. Do not fold your arms or cross your legs, as you will appear defensive. Try not to sway as the audience may think you’re a little unbalanced and not trust what you say! It’s difficult when you’re nervous but try to keep your body open and facing the audience as though you are upright and honest with nothing to hide. This will help project confidence.
Interacting with your Visuals
Turning your back on the audience is a no-no, and you need to avoid it as far as possible. If you have slides of some description, point at them from time to time, acknowledge the content or explain graphs and diagrams but do not read from them.
Your audience can read and have already read the slide within two seconds of it going on the screen. Instead, use visuals that will hold their attention while you present confidently, facing your audience and making eye contact. You have rehearsed so much you don’t need to read off the screen anyway, do you?
Movement
It’s a fact that the way you move, gesture and use facial expressions all help to convey meaning to your audience. If you say one thing, but your body language says something else, your audience will get confused. Their subconscious mind reads a presenter’s body language to understand what is being said. Precise gestures and facial expressions will aid the audience’s understanding.
Moving is good. It demonstrates confidence and can show that you are thoughtful and dynamic. Step closer to your audience from time to time but don’t get in their faces too much, or you’ll intimidate them.
Make sure your gestures are powerful; otherwise, there is no point in using them. If you keep your arms locked into your sides or only motion with your hands and wrists, you will appear uptight to your audience, so relax your shoulders and let the movement flow through your arms naturally.
As a rule of thumb, the larger the audience, the more expansive your gestures should be. In front of an intimate board meeting, you can keep your hands quite close to your body at chest height. In front of a large audience you need to move your shoulders and upper arms too. If you have to raise your voice, then raise your gestures.
Not sure you can pull it off? Of course, you can! You don’t have to make a windmill impression; you only need to gesture on certain words or phrases if you wish-practice in private. Try saying ‘increase’ or ‘increased profits’ with a gesture. Try saying ‘amazing’ or ‘we’ll get results this way. It isn’t about turning cartwheels; it’s about your audience perceiving you as engaging, interested and interesting.
First Impressions Count!
From the moment you appear in the room or on the stage, you need to take ownership and make a positive impression. Shuffling towards a lectern or fiddling with the equipment will not instil much confidence among the audience. Instead, walk-on in front of them, head held high, shoulders back, making eye contact, and smiling with your eyes as well as your face. Greet everyone. Take a moment to compose yourself, take a deep breath, and then launch in with your opening statement.
Own the stage and fake your confidence. Within no time at all, you won’t ever have to pretend again!
Pamela Wigglesworth, CSP is an international marketing consultant, speaker and the CEO of Experiential Hands-on Learning based in Asia. She is the author of The 50-60 Something Start-up Entrepreneur and works with organizations across multiple industries to help them increase brand awareness, increase leads and ultimately increase sales.
Scaling a business is not an easy task. Between keeping past clients happy, converting new leads and ensuring you have the right team on board, scaling a company involves focusing on many things. And, if you look away for a minute, your development can slip.
Scale your business the smart way by using technology. Using technology isn’t even optional these days. No matter the size of your company, how many clients you have or how much you want to grow, there’s someone looking to take your business.
And, if your competitors are using software, apps, and tools you’re ignoring, they’ll have an easy time getting ahead. By using the right tools, you can track where you are, where you’re going and the areas in your business that are lagging.
Technology improves customer experience
Customers are the main drivers of your company, so it’s crucial to do everything to offer them a positive experience when they interact with your firm. Consider offering Wi-Fi so that your customers can browse while they’re in your shop.
By using chatbots, you can improve customer-service response time. Chatbots can answer a big percentage of your clients’ queries. And, they can direct clients to customer service agents if the questions need human intervention. They can also help to keep your clients engaged. For instance, they can prompt customers to view or write a product review, and encourage them to view tutorials.
Automate daily tasks with machine learning
Machine learning can help your company to reduce the need for employees performing repetitive tasks such as purchasing and billing operations. You can use software and apps to handle most of these duties. Automation will do these tasks quickly and accurately, and this will free up your employees’ time to do jobs that demand critical and creative thinking.
Automation and integrating operational processes helps businesses achieve end-to-end visibility, and it enables teams to scale speed while delivering excellent service to customers.
Releasing data for future growth
Investing in the right technology and integrating business processes will make your company responsive enough to compete with bigger competitors and deliver sustainable growth.
By using a cloud-based business management system, you’ll have full oversight of your company operations and easy access to data to make insightful decisions on how and where to grow the firm.
Use technology to streamline onboarding
As your company grows, your human-resource department will use technology solutions to smooth the onboarding process. Software and apps enable new members to complete paperwork and make introductions before they arrive for their first day of work.
Also, onboarding apps provide new employees with detailed information of the company’s culture and they assist them to set goals for their first 90 days. This helps to ensure an employee is ready for their first day of work and it prepares them to help the company grow.
Putting automatic systems like streamlining, outsourcing and automation to work in your business can make it more efficient and productive. To discover more on how to effectively reduce the amount of time you work on your business, while simultaneously building your business reach and productivity, download the free checklist Work Smarter with Business Systems & Automation at https://jonallo.com/biz-systems
People often dream of getting a nice post and a banking job is one such exception. The banking sector is considered as the biggest occupation market on the global platform. You can look around for all types of short and long term jobs within banking sectors.
Position in the banking sector can be a rewarding and high paying job type.
One major advantage is that the banking sector offers jobs for multiple positions ranging from peon to managerial posts.
To get a nice position in banks, you may also need to appear for certain competitive exams.
Banking occupations are always long term job positions with regular promotions for employees.
There are certain steps that you may have to consider so you can get selected for any banking sector-job position.
The right set of qualifications
When coming to the selection process, candidates need to hold the right set of qualifications you have the benefit to apply for multiple job positions like cashier, managerial, teller, or peon. For each job position, you may need to hold a distinct set of qualifications.
High position banking jobs that are at management positions may also require candidates to appear for nation-wide competitive exams. In general, these exams are conducted at the national level.
Get relevant degree certificates
For most banking jobs candidates are also expected to hold the right set of degrees. The degrees have to be in selected subjects as not all subjects are important for banking jobs. You need expertise in maths and commerce related subjects.
For certain specific job positions, it is also important for the candidates to qualify for special courses. You can opt for a charted accounts course or management course in finance and banking.
Always opt for competitive exams first
The banking job industry is always considered as very much rewarding for candidates. If you wish to get a high position job within the banking sector then candidates should always select to opt for competitive banking exams.
This is one of the most crucial steps towards taking your high salaried good-job position in banks. Without competitive exams, you may not be able to move to a higher banking job position.
Prepare your best resume
Banking sector jobs are not like any regular sales jobs. Your resume preparation has to be specifically based on the job position you are applying for. You may have to focus on building your very powerful job resume.
All essential qualifications and degrees have to be highlighted for a specific job position. So if you are focusing on joining as a cashier position, then you will have to highlight your mathematical skills. For managerial positions, you may have to highlight your management skills.
Locate jobs at right place
Banking sector jobs may certainly be published only in selected places and media. Candidates need to look around for jobs in the right place. In most cases, the job requirements for banking sectors are regularly published online and in print media.
Searching the position in the right place and at the right time is more important for candidates. To get the best banking job you have to always be prepared in advance.
Get free job alert [http://www.onlyjob.in/] at only job site. We are providing all job alerts and ideas that how to get Sarkari Naukari [http://www.onlyjob.in/free-job-alert/] in India.
Every salesperson wants to have a relationship with a buyer that cannot be duplicated by their competitors. Salespeople try numerous strategies, few work effectively, until now. Research into neuroscience has provided great insight into how our brain functions. As salespeople we need to know what this means in a sales context. Sales will change the relationship between yourself and the buyer because it is based on biology and not psychology.
Our brains are most comfortable when operating in autopilot. We also feel relaxed when in this state. Repeated conscious thoughts and actions are not stored in our conscious mind but transferred to our subconscious where autopilot happens. Example, have you ended up at an address you normally go to, but on the day planned to be somewhere else? Your subconscious mind took you there whilst you were preoccupied with other conscious thoughts. To save energy our brain uses shortcuts to make decisions to solve problems quickly. If the buyer perceives you to be the same as your competitors they will switch to autopilot. If a buyer cannot see anything new, intriguing or different in you, or the product/service or the organisation their brain will go into the default mode. This means they will emotionally detach and will more than likely give you a price objection to create differentiation between you and your competitors. As salespeople we need to be aware of three components of the brain:
The Primal Brain
This is the most primitive part of the brain and is in control of our instinctive and automatic self-preserving behaviors. The thinking rational brain, the neocortex, shuts down when the primal brain is dominate. It is driven by the fight or flight or freeze response to a threat either perceived or real. In sales this could be disguised as an objection such as “I will think about it.”
The Mammalian Brain
Also known as the Limbic system it is the center of emotions and learning and where ‘gut’ feelings come from, trust and loyalty. The system evaluates everything as either pleasure or pain. Sales presentations need to focus on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ to connect to the mammalian brain.
The Neocortex
The neocortex is associated with high order brain functions such rational and conscious logical thinking and language. Salespeople who provide an overly structured features and benefits presentation focus on the ‘what.’ This triggers the neocortex resulting in an emotionally disengaged buyer.
What to do?
Do your homework to uncover information so your presentation disrupts the buyer’s pattern of thinking. Focus on the new, intriguing or different using ‘why’ and ‘how’ in your presentation. When you do you will have a fully engaged buyer who will feel closer to you and open up about a problem they want solved.
If you have any issues selling whether new of a sales veteran fell comfortable to contact me. Any discussion is confidential. Please to be of service.
ACCOUNT BASED MARKETING – WHY BUSINESSES SHOULD CONSIDER IT
Account-based marketing or ABM has been around for a very long time, but it is only now that people are really paying attention to it and implementing it closely and more consciously as part of their marketing campaign. It involves taking your resources and placing them all on a set of targeted accounts within the market. The business strategy uses campaigns that have been personalized to engage each account individually. These campaigns are developed by looking at the specific needs and wants of an account.
Many people across the industry consider account-based marketing revolutionary and cutting edge. This is because the strategy looks at marketing holistically, as a whole, whereas older techniques focus too heavily on lead generation. A key attribute within account-based marketing looks at wagering and taking advantage of larger accounts. This means that you’re looking at trying to up-sell and cross-sell your larger accounts to get more value out of them, rather than spending time in the seemingly endless and tiresome loop of lead generation.
Account based marketing offers benefits both for the business and its customers. This is also one of the reasons why people are drawn to it.
1. Personalized and customized marketing experience.
Understanding your customers better gives you a leg up on the competition and allows you to strengthen your business relationship with that customer. The personalized marketing campaign could lead to better and more sales. A large part of account-based marketing is the personalization of marketing techniques to larger accounts. By figuring out the customer’s expectations, wants, and needs, you can tailor the marketing campaign specifically to and for them.
2. More realistic ROI expectations
Account-based marketing is known for giving higher returns than any other marketing strategy. It offers the highest return on investment (ROI) than any other B2B marketing strategy. The new strategy gives more precise measurements of the ROI that a company can expect. In turn, it allows companies to get a better grip on how their customers are responding to certain advertising techniques. This means that they have more control over what tactics are working as well as those that aren’t working.
3. Strategic use of available, fewer or limited resources
The account-based marketing approach focuses on a smaller number of accounts at a given time. Because they’re working with fewer accounts, they are more likely to bring those accounts to the final sales process. You’re actually going to be bringing more with fewer resources. This also frees up resources that used to be spent on funneling numerous companies. So, companies who use account-based marketing tactics can use these now free resources to complete and focus on other tasks.
4. Shorten sales timeline significantly
With your sales and marketing teams are working together to align and move accounts through the sales pipeline, you’ll find that the sales cycle shortens significantly. Your teams don’t have to juggle multiple moving parts separately. Rather, you’re streamlining the process and making it easier for everyone to keep up with the leads and customers that your business currently has. This also makes it easier to cater to these specific customers, making sure their concerns are addressed appropriately and in a timely manner. They don’t get lost in the noise.
5. Better, more effective and efficient marketing and sales alignment
Marketing teams and sales teams are more likely to and should work together to accomplish goals and sales together. By bringing these entities together, they can work on important tasks as a team rather than individually:
Identify accounts that you want to target
Create customized/personalized marketing campaigns for those targeted accounts.
Aligning accounts and moving them along the sales cycle as a team
Having an account-based marketing approach will take your lead conversion method to a new level. If your marketing and sales teams are still separated, you likely run into a lot of issues when it comes to successfully converting leads into sales.
The phrase “starving artist” has become a cliché because it’s often true. Indeed, it can take a long time before an independent artist starts earning enough from their music to make a living. Musicians often find themselves in the proverbial “catch-22” of having to take a regular job to fund their music but then not having enough time or energy left at the end of the day to pursue their musical endeavors. The good news is, there is a way! There are music funding “secrets” any artist can use to start earning passive income to fund their music projects.
Secret #1:
You need a system that does the heavy lifting for you. Think of the word SYSTEM as an acronym for “Saves You Some Time, Energy, and Money“. That’s because a good system, once setup, will continue to do the work for you while you focus on your music. To succeed in making money online as a musician, you need to make use of a special type of system known as a “funnel“. You may have heard this term before and scratched your head wondering what it is. A funnel is simply a system that collects the contact information (an email and/or phone number) of someone interested in whatever you’re offering and then “funnels” them through a follow-up sequence. Funnels are always used by the top online marketing gurus because they are proven to work.
Secret #2:
Your funnel system should initially focus on affiliate programs where you don’t have to provide any product or services. You merely recommend certain tools to others like yourself who will benefit from them just as you have. In turn for your recommendation, you earn a commission. However, you can’t just pick any old’ affiliate program to plug into your funnel. This is one of the biggest secrets of all to make money online as a musician. You need to be selective and focus your efforts on promoting high quality tools that will pay you recurring monthly income. Did you catch that? It’s crucial and bears repeating: the secret to music funding is in recommending tools that will not only benefit other musicians, but also earn you recurring income month after month. You don’t want to be spending your time chasing new sales each month. You need to be able to keep earning from your funnel system’s referrals month after month, year after year. Recurring monthly income is the key!
Secret #3:
You need a funnel system that will automatically follow-up for you with those whom have entered your funnel system Again, you can simply use email or, for added punch, also utilize SMS text messaging which gets much higher open rates. Are you starting to see how, once setup, your system will be doing all the heavy lifting for you? That’s the magical leverage of having a funnel system!
Secret #4:
Your system should provide training on how to use the tools you promote. While setting up a funnel is something just about anybody can do, it can be helpful to have step-by-step training videos to make the process easier, especially for those who are less technically adept.
Secret #5:
You can then leverage your music funding funnel and the skills you’ve learned from it to create other funnels for promoting your own music, merchandise, virtual or live concerts, “pre-saves” on streaming platforms like Spotify, and on and on it goes! Just like with your music funding system, you can create a sequence of follow-up emails and SMS messages to engage your new potential fans and lead them back to your music, video, social media profile, merchandise offer, or whatever else you want them to check out.
Having a music funding system is the ideal way to support yourself as an indie artist and answer the question “How to fund my music without trading hours for checks?” It’s a great solution to generating income from home so you don’t have to take a job that drains you of the time and energy needed for your music projects. Then, when you’re ready to promote your next song or album, your system will be there for you to do that as well!
To get your own FREE ready-to-go funnel system that provides passive recurring income to fund your music, visit MusicFundingSecrets.net.
It is reported that the Bitcoin is rolling into forbidden grounds as it creates a spate of controversy among the “high” society and savvy digital investors. These digital marketers try to gain their share of the billion-dollar-a-day digital pie while corporate society seeks to curtail the spiral hike in the value of what seems to be a “monetary menace”. Some who strive on exploiting the poor and vulnerable are not having this as they try to inoculate the masses in an attempt to put down this growing “digital monster.”
These seemingly corporate crooks continue to put a choke-hold on how the less fortunate spend their money as they try to build financial cartels worldwide but thanks to digital technology, Bitcoins have revolutionized money control in the 21st!
The Cons
Despite the growth of digital currencies such as Bitcoins, it would be remiss of me to not disclose the cons of these virtual currencies. Due to the fact that their digital footprints are encrypted, they cannot be traced online. Although one has the pleasure of privacy and security when trading, it provides another gateway to hide and conduct illicit transactions.
When this happens, drug dealers, terrorist and other suspected culprits, will continue to conduct their illicit trade without detection when using Bitcoins.
The Pros
However, amidst the monetary mayhem, Bitcoins offer anyone tremendous investment opportunities and growth potential. No one controls virtual currency as it can be accessed by the public in cyberspace and the value continues to appreciate while the society stumbles on the debris of inflation.
An ordinary man on the streets can buy, save, trade, invest and increase his chances of becoming financially successful without the interference of government restrictions, controls, and fiduciary regulations; hence spiral inflations become things of the past.
Many truly believe the number 1 problem in our society is establishing financial monopolies. When one corporation decides to control foreign exchange, gold, and fuel, it uses its power to dictate how money should be spent.
Regulations set by large and wealthy multi-corporations are only geared to add more wealth and power to their portfolio rather than benefiting borrowers who seek financial help. In addition, the ones at the top try to drain the swamp so others can depend on them while they can become wealthier but they can’t control digital currency!
The Brighter Side of the Coin
Time has come to open the eyes of the world and that is what Bitcoin is all about. The ones who try to control the world are threatened by this Frankenstein but I doubt they can stop it or call the shots. Currently, 1 Bitcoin values $844099.07 Jamaican Dollar or $6895.80 US Dollar. The cost for 1 Bitcoin in 2009 was.05 USD!
Outsourcing is still widely regarded as important for achieving business goals and strategies, but many people now arrange outsourcing that does not achieve the expected benefits. This article examines the outsourcing aspect from the client’s perspective. These aspects are often overlooked or underestimated, but they are important to provide the value you need for the duration of your contract.
With outsourcing expert virtual assistant services, your business can reach the pinnacle of success. It’s like getting professional service at a lower price. Virtual assistants are people who have the ability to perform administrative tasks and perform client-specific tasks. You can perform a wide range of tasks, from simple management tasks to complex customer reports. Without a doubt, this is one of the most important factors that can improve your business productivity.
There are many benefits to having an online assistant. You can let them take care of your long work, so you can focus your time on more important business work. As with any business, revenue is always your primary concern as it keeps you in business. With the help of an online assistant, this is no longer a problem.
Here’s why you need to appreciate your virtual assistants and management services even more:
1. Improve your business productivity.
Business success depends on the revenue generated. Capital is the cause of running a business, and online assistants play an important role in business returns. By outsourcing some of your work to them, you have the talent to tackle income-generating tasks for your business. In this way, you can emphasize that you are improving the profits of your business with less stress..
2. Do Things in Less Time-Assistants are obedient to the outsourcing industry.
They have dedicated training pieces in the areas they have decided to undertake. From this point of view, they appeal to experts in various fields. You never trust their efficiency in performing the various tasks assigned to them. Providing instructions on a regular basis and performing tasks on a regular basis will definitely save you time.
3. Virtual assistants are a lucrative option-you can save a lot of money with virtual assistants.
You don’t have to worry about the office and tools to get it working, as it actually works for you. You can reduce costs because you are not responsible for the interests of your assistant employees.
Are you a small business provider who always quits your business because of so much luxury? Time to shout for help. Hire a virtual assistant now
What would happen to you if your home life was more organized than it is right now? Can work-life balance be achieved? What are the tools at our disposal? Could scheduling appointments and keeping them at home help us save time and prioritize?
What is the challenge we face?
I sometimes find that time spent at home can be the busiest time, especially in the times we live in. Imagine someone working from home, home-schooling children, and sometimes even doing a side hustle. Imagine also the full-time home-based entrepreneur. How do they manage to do all they need to do in a day?. We are living in a time when many entrepreneurs and even company employees have adopted work- at – home culture. This comes with its challenges as the lines become blurred between home and work. These blurred lines and constraints on the limited resource called time result in over-worked, under-rested, burnt-out individuals. Whilst good time management has been encouraged and indeed, embraced in the workplace, I believe more needs to be done in changing the mindset for the elusive work-life balance to be achieved.
What are the tools at our disposal?
To manage time effectively at home, there are many interventions one can employ including setting goals for the day, prioritizing wisely, setting a time limit for every task, organizing oneself, and instituting the discipline of appointments. Yes, an appointment at home! We can spend time pontificating on the pros and cons of each intervention, however, I believe we need to focus on appointments and see how this can powerfully change the course of one’s day regardless of whether it’s a workday or weekend. Life is busy as it is without any intrusions. The question is how do you handle the one who announces that they are at the gate. These can be friends, neighbors, a salesman of some product you do not even need. I am not promoting regimentation here but rather a culture of filling your day with what’s important. Everything that we succeed at is because we carefully plan and execute it. I am a firm believer that you cannot manage time if you do not manage yourself thus I implore you to incorporate planning and appointments into your repertoire. I am not talking about something I do not do. I have to achieve many things in a day therefore I set appointments with my work, others, and myself.
Could scheduling appointments and keeping them on the home front help us save time and prioritize?
Whereas we have established that it is a normal business practice to set appointments and keep them, we need to abandon the liberal open-door policy of allowing all and sundry to have access to us as and when they please on the home front. Please understand where I am coming from. We each have greatness within us but for us to achieve it we need to culture great habits. Employing the use of appointments at home and seeing only those people you had agreed to see removes non-essential encounters especially during the most productive hours. I know this will vary with culture, geographical region, or even level of affluence, whether you live in a low density or high-density residential area, but doesn’t negate the need to be organized and effective. Controlling access determines how organized you are and how well you will work and rest when the time for scheduled rest comes.
What do we need to do differently?
We need to be disciplined and diligent, learn to say no, now is not a good time, let’s make an appointment for next week. What are the benefits of this approach? You are not always fire-fighting to meet deadlines, You are not always tired because you have not taken time out to rest. You have set aside enough time to spend with your loved ones or a loved one. If you are a busy person, I am sure you appreciate what I am saying. Whether it’s time to work uninterrupted, family time, or “me-time”, it takes some kind of order to enjoy it.
I am not saying that those that come unannounced are bad people. No, not at all, they probably are people you enjoy spending time with. Nevertheless, there must be prior communication so that you can attend to your visitor(s) when it is convenient for both you and them. It can be quite disrupting and a whole day can just pass by without achieving anything that you had planned to do.
As we grow older we begin to appreciate that rest and recovery need to be scheduled. The fact that I am relaxing doesn’t mean that I don’t have anything to do. One therefore cannot assume that just because you are at home you are available. Maybe you have scheduled that time to rest. That is important. You need to make an appointment with yourself, spouses need to also set aside time for each other. Parents need to schedule a time to spend with their children. When you have some sort of order in your life you determine who sees you and who you see. It also means that your relationships will be healthy and that makes you a happier person.
In conclusion
I believe that the work-life balance can be achieved. There are many tools at our disposal just like it is in the workplace. I believe we could do more and be happier if we are disciplined enough to make only the commitments we can keep. I am certain that setting appointments and keeping them at home help us save time and prioritize.
Fitzgerald Mujuru, a fusion of Business Coach, Personal Effectiveness Coach, Business Consultant, Marketing Strategist, Sales Zealot, Speaker, brand builder, with over twenty years in marketing and sales for globally known brands. He has vast commercial experience at management level in various sectors. His strengths include marketing, brand building, sales, business development, business strategy, management, and equipping leaders and teams with strategies for personal and team effectiveness. He has handled various consultancy assignments for companies in professional services, media, communications, training and development, non-profit organizations. He has released 4 books and published more than 200 articles online.
