Social Networking Vs Face to Face Presentation

There is a lot of debate these days about the effectiveness of social media. Indeed what prompted me to write this article, was a question posed along the lines of – which was most effective social media or face to face presentation.

If you want to sell – you need to be in front of qualified prospects. This is where so many businesses fail.

Do not confuse activity and results. We all know Pareto’s Law 80 / 20, that is only 20 per cent of effort produces 80 per cent of the results. Dabbling away at social media may feel like an effective promotion of business, but when you read the rest of the banal comments about “don’t know whether to have pizza or Chinese tonight” you can’t help but wonder is that the best place to try and promote your business.

Would you wade through all the tweets to find a plumber if you had a burst pipe in the house. You may be well advised to go to a business networking site to satisfy the need, but a social networking site – I don’t think so!

Prospect – qualify – close. Yes you can use social networking to prospect, but you can also waste a lot of time. No matter how much people like you, if they don’t have a need for your service or product, then they aren’t going to give you their hard earned cash.

A lot of social networking is a bit like the business equivalent of, flirting – but never asking for a date.

Negotiating Real Estate? Avoid These Mistakes & Be a Winner

Negotiating a real estate or a business contract is not as simple as it normally appears.

It takes years to learn and master the art of negotiations

It requires a delicate balance of emotions, eagerness, enthusiasm, optimism, willingness, openness, strategic moves, knowledge of the subject being negotiated, hopes and fears of possible consequences of failure and success and the skillful use of all these factors to bring in a successful agreement..

Many inexperienced negotiators make serious errors and errors in judgment. These can be avoided by training and experience. Here below are some common mistakes:

Not Doing Home Work: Not knowing the value of the product being negotiated. Once the other party finds that out, it sets the tone for the unfavourable final outcome.

Overbidding: showing eagerness and overbidding right at the beginning. You stop being a negotiator and behave more like the one who is willing to write a blank cheque.

Unrealistic Underbidding; the greed takes over and the negotiator bids too low setting the stage for difficult negotiations and sometime making it impossible to successfully negotiate. The other party sometime gets insulted and refuses to negotiate or takes a much harder position.

Being Impatient: Some negotiators are too impatient. They get rattled too easily and become very uncomfortable with the silence and uncertainty from the other side. They get impatient and fearful of losing the deal and submit a higher offer without knowing the outcome of the earlier bid. The other side obviously takes advantage.

Dictating the terms: Negotiations are mostly a give and take process. It should not be considered as a surrender by the other side. The untimely use of words like ultimatum -final offer -take it or leave it offer at inappropriate time are harbinger of hostile atmosphere and failure.

Talking too much: Many negotiators listen less and talk too much. They get carried away and give away too much information which ultimately compromises their position. Very soon they are like a poker player who has shown all his cards.

Failure to Judge the situation: During the negotiations, there comes a time to be tough, time to appear flexible; time to compromise and time to walk away. Not knowing when to exercise these moves is another major factor of failure. Learning these negotiating moves takes years, nevertheless, experience and having a mentor can help and speed up the process of learning.

Want to be a Successful Negotiator? Have a Mentor, observe and Practice.

List of Persons Who Deserve a Present From the Newlywed Couple

The best way to thank those people who made everything possible is to give them presents. Since offering gifts to every attendee would be very costly, here are some of the important people who deserve to receive a token of gratitude namely:

Preparing for a wedding day is not as simple as you think. You need lots of help from the people around you to make it a success. In return, it is appropriate to offer gifts of thanks to the following who have helped you carry out your plan:

Parents

Since they are one of the most important people in your lives, they deserve to receive a special gift from the couples. They should be given honor because without them, your wedding day would have not come into realization. They have brought the two of you out of this world; therefore, for once they should be acknowledged.

Bridesmaids

For being there always since the start until the end, it is high time for you to show your appreciation by offering a simple token of appreciation. Depending on your budget, the presents may be customized and well-thought of. It could be something that she has been praying for to receive or it could be a piece that you think best represents her as a friend. Regardless of the kind of gift, what counts most is the thought that you consider her as a special part of your life.

Groomsmen

The groomsmen’s responsibilities include but not limited to the following: assist you through the entire wedding preparation up to the ceremony, act as ushers for those who don’t know the seating arrangements, and receive the gifts from the guests in your behalf. These are just few of the many things they do for you to make everything possible. Aside from being your assistant, they also pay for their suits and shoes just to look good on your special day. You are so lucky to have them by your side since your younger days up to the coming days in your life as a married man. As a way of thanking your buddies for their presence, hand them nice groomsmen gifts to make them feel significant and treasured. You can choose something according to their hobbies; something that they enjoy using. They don’t have to receive identical gifts, give something you is within your budget. They will surely appreciate it because you have given it out of sincerity.

Maid of Honor

As a personal assistant, it is not easy standing there to accommodate all your needs. Since the planning of the wedding, she has sacrificed her precious time to be with you even during rehearsals. She had a hard time looking for the best dress to don just to look gorgeous on your big day. All these things are made only for you because you are dear to her. To show your gratitude, allocating a budget for her presents is not a bad idea. Together with a small note, this is already a concrete way of conveying your message of thanks to her.

Best Man

As a counterpart of the maid of honor, the best man also deserves to be recognized. Since best man is almost always the closest friend or relative of the groom, try offering him a precious token that he will never forget. It might be something that he can use everyday in his office such as a customized pen, a water jug, a belt, or anything that you think will be useful for him. By knowing his personal preferences, you will find it easy to determine what his likes or needs are.

Children

It also a good practice to hand over some gifts to the children who are part of your entourage such as the flower girls, ring bearer, and bible bearer. Since they are children, receiving gifts always mean something to them. Pick cute little things that they may enjoy playing or using. You may even opt to give miniature cakes or bars of chocolates if you like. There is nothing much to worry when it comes to giving gifts to children since they consider it a treasure whenever something is given to them.