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Showing posts with label Marketing Strategies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marketing Strategies. Show all posts

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Additional Regarding Focus@@

Additional resources about focus:
PODCASTS
VIDEOS
ARTICLES
Four basic moves to strengthen focus                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Share it enjoy!!





Strategies to enhance focus at work, school and home@@


The pace of modern life doesn't always lend itself well to focus or concentration - especially given all the things we try to get done in a day.
I recently hosted a live Q&A on Facebook about the importance of strengthening our attention in different areas in our lives: work, school and home. Below are simple, effective strategies that can help you move past distraction and enhance your concentration. Additional resources on ways to bolster your focus are available at the end of the post.
Q: I’m curious how to balance the three types of focus in the fast-paced high tech world. It seems there are fewer and fewer spaces for having a focused, connected conversation that embraces empathy and compassion.
A: Good question. The faster the pace, the bigger the challenge. It does take a bit of non-goal focused time to tune in and connect with the other person. You may not be able to do this on every phone call, but it’s worth doing at some point during the day or week, especially with people you work with continuously. A genuine connection, one with mutual empathy and interest creates a better container for communication when the pressure is high.
Q: I am currently working on a venture to help students focus on school work (through the use of mindfulness and creating focused environments for doing school work). I noticed you have several teen podcasts. How do you recommend teaching these to young students? I know that young adults are beginning to realize the importance of mindfulness for daily life, but what is the best way to approach this with elementary/ high-school students?
A: I’m thrilled to hear that you’re doing this. I think it’s important to understand that young people can learn to improve their focus, and that this also makes them more ready to learn. This seems a logical next step to add to curriculum in schools everywhere. I think it’s important to do this in an age-appropriate way. I’ve seen second graders in Spanish Harlem lie on the floor with their favorite stuffed animal on their stomach, and watch it rise on the in breath, counting 1, 2, 3…, and same on the out breath. Five minutes of this made the classroom calmer and more focused for the rest of the day. I know teens who have actually gone on retreats, and done this much of the day. The benefits are very real at the brain level, shifting moods toward the positive, enhancing concentration, and speeding recovery from stress arousal. Here’s an Edutopia video about “Breathing Buddies.”
Q: Why do we see so much variation in kids’ ability (or lack of) to manage those three types of focus? Nature vs. nurture?
A: Our ability to focus on ourselves, on other people, or on the world at large, is a combination of nature and nurture, but mostly nurture. For instance, kids with ADHD may get that label because adults don’t realize that the attention circuitry of the brain continues to develop from birth to the mid-20s. Adults think seven-year-old kids should act like 12-year-olds, and give them the diagnosis on ADHD. However, teaching kids to focus and getting them to practice focusing can help them concentrate when they need to. But schools don’t do this. They expect kids to have the skill. We should nurture these abilities in children by helping them along.
Q: What is the relationship between focus and grit?
A: Grit is the term psychologist Angela Duckworth uses for the ability to keep your focus on long term goals and strive for them despite setbacks. The ability to focus is the center this capacity. Cognitive control, being able to focus on one thing that’s important and ignore distractions, is essential to every step toward that larger goal. Both grit and cognitive control can be classified as self-regulation, which is a major part of emotional intelligence.
Q: (My Question to the group): Does anyone have a manager with empathy deficit disorder? (Participant response): I have had a few, very smart, but also very driven by his own needs. I survived being fired by focusing on what they did right, but staying silent when I didn’t agree. Not easy while trying to keep my sense of honor alive and well.
A: Sorry to hear about your bad bosses. The best ones pay attention to the feelings and needs of direct reports in a fashion that’s like good parenting. This lets people feel secure enough to take smart risks, to innovate, to be creative. This leadership style has great return for companies. Learn more about this in my discussion with George Kohlrieser.
Q: What is the main obstacle to focus?
A: There are two obstacles to focus. Both of which have to do with how we manage our inner world. First: emotional distractions. These are the things in our lives, often relationships, that trouble us, but we can’t stop thinking about. Rumination is the most powerful distraction. On the other hand, thinking them through, and let the worry go is a good thing. Second: mindlessness. Our mind wanders and loses focus. The good news, mindfulness can be strengthened like a muscle. We can develop a habit of monitoring our attention and bring it back to what’s most important. Read more about this concept here > The two biggest distractions – and how to avoid them
Q: What’s the connection between focus and discipline?
A: Another word for self-discipline is cognitive control, a term neuroscientists use for the ability to hold our attention on the one thing that’s important in the moment, and let our distractions go. For instance, do your homework before getting to the Xbox. This is sometimes called impulse control. This ability has been found to predict a child’s financial success and health in her 30s better than IQ, and better than wealth of the family she grew up in. This article might be helpful > How focus changed my thinking about emotional intelligence





Understanding the Science of Moods at Work@@


A growing body of research on the human brain proves that, for better or worse, leaders’ moods affect the emotions of the people around them. The reason for that lies in what scientists call the open-loop nature of the brain’s limbic system – our emotional center. A closed-loop system is self-regulating, whereas an open-loop system depends on external sources to manage itself. In other words, we rely on connections with other people to determine our moods. The open-loop limbic system was a winning design in evolution because it let people come to one another’s emotional rescue – enabling a mother, for example, to soothe her crying infant.
The open-loop design serves the same purpose today as it did thousands of years ago. Research in intensive care units has shown, for example, that the comforting presence of another person not only lowers the patient’s blood pressure but also slows the secretion of fatty acids that block arteries. Another study found that three or more incidents of intense stress within a year (for example, serious financial trouble, being fired, or a divorce) triples the death rate in socially isolated middle-aged men, but it has no impact on the death rate of men with many close relationships.
Scientists describe the open-loop as “interpersonal limbic regulation”; one person transmits signals that can alter hormone levels, cardiovascular functions, sleep rhythms, even immune functions, inside the body of another. That’s how couples are able to trigger surges of oxytocin in each other’s brains, creating a pleasant, affectionate feeling. But in all aspects of social life, our physiologies intermingle. Our limbic system’s open-loop design lets other people change our very physiology and hence, our emotions.
Even though the open-loop is so much a part of our lives, we usually don’t notice the process. Scientists have captured the attunement of emotions in the laboratory by measuring the physiology – such as heart rate – of two people sharing a good conversation. As the interaction begins, their bodies operate at different rhythms. But after 15 minutes, the physiological profiles of their bodies look remarkably similar.
Researchers have seen again and again how emotions spread irresistibly in this way whenever people are near one another. As far back as 1981, psychologists Howard Friedman and Ronald Riggio found that even completely nonverbal expressiveness can affect other people. For example, when three strangers sit facing one other in silence for a minute or two, the most emotionally expressive of the three transmits his or her mood to the other two – without a single word being spoken.
The same holds true in the office, boardroom, or shop floor; group members inevitably “catch” feelings from one another. In 2000, Caroline Bartel at New York University and Richard Saavedra at the University of Michigan found that in 70 work teams across diverse industries, people in meetings together ended up sharing moods – both good and bad – within two hours. One study asked teams of nurses and accountants to monitor their moods over weeks; researchers discovered that their emotions tracked together, and they were largely independent of each team’s shared hassles. Groups, therefore, like individuals, ride emotional rollercoasters, sharing everything from jealousy to angst to euphoria. A good mood, incidentally, spreads most swiftly by the judicious use of humor.




How to Confuse Your Customer and Lose a Sale@@




Paul Ehrmann has had a fascinating and fulfilling life as an actor/screenwriter. He’s not famous, but he’s worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Roles come in fits and starts, of course. When things were slow, he paid his rent by taking other jobs, including at one time, being a car salesman.
Paul being Paul, the cars that he sold were Rolls-Royces on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. That experience taught him an important negotiation lesson:
When you pull out the color chart, you’ve lost the sale.”
You’re not doing parties you negotiate with a favor by offering them a lot of choices. Research shows that people freeze up when they have too many options. Columbia psychologistSheen Iyengar did a famous experiment at a California gourmet shop. She had the proprietor set up a sample table where shoppers could test different kinds of jam. When there were 24 varieties to choose from, more customers stopped at the table—but fewer people actually bought anything than when only 6 were available.
It’s partly a problem of information overload. But as Iyengar explains, it’s also a matter of anticipated regret. The more paths people could take, the more reasons they have to second-guess whichever one they choose. If a restaurant offers only steak or salmon, for example, you pick one with little further thought. But if there are dozens of items, each with its pros and cons, choice becomes much harder. As Swarthmore psychologist Barry Schwarz says in his wonderful book The Paradox of Choice, it becomes a case of more being less.
For negotiators, this presents a real quandary. In theory, expanding the number of issues under discussion allows us to invent options and expand the pie. But in practice, DePaul University’s Charles Naquin has found that although having more issues to trade on does generate more value, people are more dissatisfied with their results. Apparently they brood about whether they overlooked even more creative solutions.
One approach is to keep our offers simple, so that we don’t distract our counterparts with too many bells and whistles. That may be okay if the items we exclude are of marginal value and don’t really increase other people’s willingness to say yes.
But in other cases, a creative solution that addresses a range of interests and priorities may be the only way of avoiding impasse. In those situations, it may be possible to simplify the decision making process by focusing on one cluster of issues at a time. For example, negotiating a service contract, zeroing in on the possible scope of the work before looking too deeply into costs and financing might make sense. Once the parties develop better understanding of the fine-grained issues, they could then step back and globally reconcile various ways to scale the project with different levels of cost.
The same principles apply we have to weigh a complex proposal that somebody else has put forth. If we feel overloaded by the possibilities, we can make a wiser decision by breaking its elements down into digestible chunks.
Of course, there are times in negotiation when you can do well just by behaving as if certain issues are already decided. That’s what my actor friend Paul learned when he was selling Rolls. Rather than confuse a customer with too many options, he’d describe an available car as a special order.
“Ming blue over silver, one of a kind,” he’d say. “You can drive this car forever—and you will, since they run forever—and you’ll never see another one like it. Now we currently offer some terrific leases, but some of my customers buy outright. Here, let’s sit down. Which will work best for you?”



20 Things Highly Successful People Don’t Do@@



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Success is defined as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” So it goes with saying that highly successful people are better at accomplishing their goals.
If you want to find success in your life it’s important to understand what successful people do … and the things they don’t do. Here are 20 things they avoid:                                                                                                              

They don’t define success with money.

Successful people aren’t necessarily wealthy … but they’re usually happy. Happiness defines their success more than money.

They don’t make important decisions on a whim.

Successful people think before they act, especially when it comes to important decisions.

They don’t underestimate the importance of planning.

People who are successful keep at least one journal to plan their schedule and track their progress. Many people even keep two journals: one for personal planning and one for scheduling/work.

They don’t go to sleep until their to-do list is done.

Highly successful people always finish what’s on their to-do list. And it makes them feel warm and fuzzy inside.

They don’t make their to-do list overwhelmingly large.

Keeping a to-do list is essential, but so is keeping your list of tasks manageable. Successful people don’t bite off more than they can chew. They keep their to-do list small and scalable.

They don’t set unrealistic goals.

People who accomplish great things in life set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-driven (SMART) goals. “I want to lose weight,” is not a good goal. “I will lose 10 pounds by the end of this year,” is.

They don’t work for hours on end.

Successful people work in small increments and take frequent breaks. This helps them get more done in less time.

They don’t sleep the day away.

Early risers get more done, plain and simple. The hours you have in each day are limited. Successful people go to bed at the same time every night and get up early, refreshed and ready to conquer their day.

They don’t put others before their family.

Successful folks put family first. Work is important, but never as important as experiencing life with the people you love most.

They don’t work harder, they work smarter.

Successful people don’t necessarily work harder. They do work smarter though. They focus 80 percent of their efforts on the 20 percent of work that will give them the greatest return (this is called the Pareto principle).

They don’t always get what they want.

Let’s face it: life doesn’t always give you what you want. The difference between people who find success and those who don’t is successful people are willing to make sacrifices for the greater good.

They don’t go a day without giving thanks.

Successful people make it a point to write down the things they’re thankful for every day.

They don’t walk past the homeless guy in the street without giving him some of their money or time.

“Success” is also defined by how much you give back. That’s why truly successful people will always stop to help someone in need and give their time or money freely.

They don’t drink too much.

Yes, successful folks like to unwind with a couple of drinks and socialize with friends. But they stay in control and don’t drink themselves into making bad decisions.

They don’t let themselves go.

You’ll also find that successful people are usually healthier. They take care of their bodies and minds and make the time to eat healthy and exercise frequently.

They don’t let bad habits control them.

Highly successful people find ways to turn bad habits into good ones.

They don’t know everything … and that’s okay with them.

Another measure of a successful person is this: they’re thirsty for knowledge. They know what they know, and more importantly, they know what they don’t know.

They don’t care what other people think about them.

Highly successful people ignore the naysayers and the pessimists. They surround themselves with people who are going to make them better.

They don’t back down from adversity.

Another trait of successful people is that they choose to see challenges and moments of adversity as opportunities to grow.

They don’t stop.

Highly successful people are relentless in their pursuit of a happier, healthier life. They go to great lengths to achieve success … but don’t stop there. Successful people constantly find ways to continue to improve themselves. They believe success is a choice, and they choose to focus their time and energy on the things that will lead them to that success.



10 Things High Achievers Do Differently@@



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Most of us wish we could get more out of our days, and our lives. We want to achieve more with our time, but we just don’t know how to do it.
By studying people who are already high achievers, it’s possible to learn what you can do differently to get more done in your days and to accomplish more with your life.
Here are some of the things high achievers do that you’ll want to implement in your life if you haven’t already.                                                                          

1. They know what they want.

That seems pretty obvious, but if you don’t have a clear goal, dream or desire in mind, how will you know when you’ve gotten where you wanted to be? Successful people have clear goals and a clear vision for how to get there.
High achievers often have really big goals, but they’re also realistic and have a solid plan for how to get where they want to go. They dream big but also have big plans.

2. They focus on their goals.

Once they know what they want, they are tenacious and focused on forward progress toward their goals. They don’t run over people or deliberately hurt people to get what they want, but they do stay focused on the end goal in all their interactions and daily tasks.
High achievers have clear minds and clear goals and are consistent in making progress toward those goals.

3. They don’t procrastinate.

Some of the things we have to do to meet our goals or achieve our dreams are not very fun, but successful people are able to focus on what needs to get done and do it even when it’s unpleasant. They have a planand they can follow it for as long as it takes without giving up.

4. They create their own opportunities.

High achievers know that nothing good comes without hard work. They understand that things aren’t going to be handed to them without hard work on their part, and they are willing to put in that work to get what they want.

5. They have positive attitudes.

Studies of high-performing students find that those who do the best in school are those who enjoy it most. The same holds true for adults in business and in life.
If you have a good attitude, enjoy what you’re doing and remember thatsetbacks are temporary, it’s a lot easier to be successful. Without negativity, there’s nothing to hold you back from achieving whatever it is you want to achieve.
They also think that what they are doing is important, which is a great way to stay motivated and working toward a goal.

6. They are passionate.

It’s very helpful when reaching for a big goal to not just get excited by it, but to truly be passionate about it. High achievers often talk about how much fun they are having, or say that they would do what they do even if they weren’t getting paid (and in the beginning, they probably weren’t). That’s the kind of passion and positive outlook you need to achieve your highest goals.

7. They have a team they can count on.

Successful people know they can’t do everything themselves. There’s a time very early on when you can go it alone, but even the smallest startups need help. It’s actually easier for a company‒or a dream‒to grow more quickly if there are more people engaged in making it work.
High achievers are able to foster great relationships and build teams that can help them achieve what they want even faster. They tend to have an eye for talent and are good at attracting the right people to their teams.

8. They take time for themselves.

Amid all this hard work, multitasking and big dreaming, successful people know they need to take care of themselves, too. Getting sick in the middle of a major launch isn’t good for anyone.
So a lot of stories you read about people who’ve had a lot of success will note that they eat well, exercise regularly, try to get enough sleep and even occasionally take time away from the office to refuel. They know that sacrifice is often required for success, but they understand what they need to do to keep their bodies and minds performing well.

9. They’re nice to other people.

Successful people know better than to burn bridges. They practice the advice that you shouldn’t say bad things about others, and they usually listen more than they speak.
They also tend not to compare themselves to others or get envious because they’re so focused on what they want to do that they don’t stop to look around at what other people are doing.

10. They never quit.

High achievers are tenacious, sticking to their plans and goals as long as they need to in order to get where they want to be. If they didn’t stick with it, they wouldn’t achieve anything.
Neither will you.



Saturday, February 8, 2014

Ad Resources (Free & Paid)@@



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Below are a selection of free (Note: the free sites almost always have PAID options, so keep your eyes open for what’s free and what’s not free) and paid advertising possibilities listed by type.  Be sure to keep a written record of where and what you advertise every day so you can track your results and decide what works best for you on what sites.
http://craigslist.com - The godfather of them all.
http://inetgiant.com - Fast, simple, results driven classified ads site. An account is required in order to post an ad.
http://www.classifiedsgiant.com - Free and easy. Account required, videos allowed in free ads.
http://www.bestwayclassifieds.com/ - Free classifieds, account required, and clean looking site
http://www.freeclassifieds.com/ - Free classifieds, no account required, and mobile posting via android app
http://www.zikbay.com/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.adpost.com/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://classified4u.biz/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.purchase.com/listings/ - Text ads, free and paid
http://www.snnap.com/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.cashconnection.com/adland.htm - Free classifieds, post to 7,000 websites
http://www.buckeyeads.com/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.the-classified-connection.com/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.adleaf.com/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.freeadsplanet.com/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.global-free-classified-ads.com/business_opportunities/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.freeadscity.com/ - Free classifieds, no account required
http://www.buysellcommunity.com/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.webclassifieds.us/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.epage.com - Free classifieds, no account required
http://www.glasyads.com/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://www.beatyourprice.com/ - Free classifieds, no account required
http://www.postaclassified.com/ - Free classifieds, account required
http://wantedwants.com/ - Free classifieds, no account required
http://www.adlandpro.com/ - Free classifieds, account required, premium upgrades available
http://www.50statesclassifieds.com/ - Free classifieds, ads are served by state, and account required
http://www.olx.com/ - Fee classifieds, account required
http://www.ileeg.com/ - Free classifieds, account requiredFree/Cheap Online Classified Advertising Venues (locations) – Mixed
http://www.citynews.com - Must purchase a premium ad for Business Opportunities 30 days for $3.98
http://www.theadnet.com - Must purchase a premium ad for Business Opportunities 90 days $4.99
http://www.isell.com – Free classifieds with images, and ad upgrades. Account required
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com - Daily free software downloads, plus adspace to boot!
http://www.domesticsale.com - Free classified text ads only
http://www.freeadscity.com - Free classifieds with images and video
http://www.adoos.com - Free classifieds with images
http://classified-ads-4-free.net - Free classifieds with Twitter and Facebook integration
http://www.1second.com/ - Account required, $10 deposit, pay per click campaigns.
http://www.Ad4Free.net - Account required, and premium ad required for business opportunites. $5.00 for 30 days.
http://www.beatyourprice.com – Free classifieds with images. No account required, ads have a 7 day life span
http://www.recycler.com - Free classifieds with one image, and video. Paid classifieds options as well
http://www.olx.com - Free classifieds with images, and videos.
http://www.salespider.com - Paid Classifieds starting at $5.00 a day
http://www.zamzata.com - Free classifieds with images
http://www.youtube.com - Paid sponsored video ads, min budget $10.00 a day
http://www.ebayclassifieds.com - Free classifieds with images, ads are served by city
http://www.ablewise.com - Free classifieds with images, and premium upgrades. Account required
http://www.myspace.com - Paid text and Image ads, min budget $5.00 a day
http://www.facebook.com - Paid text/image ads, min budget $10.00 a day

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