There are a number of issues to consider:

Blocks to creativity and organisational culture

What are the blocks to creativity and how can they be overcome? We can all be more creative, so what is stopping us? There are many blocks such as evaluation apprehension (in its many forms) and lack of adequate finance and resources. Separating creative from critical thinking, incremental productivity, tools that draw out tacit knowledge and using frameworks to trigger flow are some of the effective unblocking techniques. What is psychological safety and freedom? What properties of an organisational culture cultivate productivity?

Organisational structure

What properties of an organisational structure most foster creativity? There are many reasons why an entity has a particular organisational structure: history, logistics, market segmentation, product line, strategy and so forth. It is often unreasonable to ask a firm to change its organisational structure, so how do we get around this problem?

Group structure

What is the most effective team structure? Many people who are acknowledged to have made great contributions to society have worked alone, but it is very easy for individuals to go “off track” and feedback is required to some degree, as well as other things. It is also very difficult to separate the idea from its influences. Many others work in pairs or small teams, as this reduces the negative effects of large groups. Successful firms generally start off as very small, creative enterprises. Many people think that brainstorming in large groups enhances creativity, but large groups bring with them politics, status differentials, group think, dilution of ideas and conformity among other things.

Learn more…

The Complete MBA dissertation on Creativity Management and other tools can be found at http://managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://managing-creativity.com/

What is a troll? He is a hairy, ugly creature that lives under a
bridge. Yet, there is another kind of troll; this troll is a
forum group poster who makes a post that is controversial or an
outright lie to provoke readers into a flame war. Every time I
read a troll’s post I think “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”
Sometimes I just want to scream that from the top of my lungs.
What is it that makes people twist the truth to justify their
own needs? The story keeps changing or the trolls say things
that just don’t add up.

Why is it people can’t mind their own business. I swear that
some people just want disruption and chaos. I swear they live
for it. Why do they get enjoyment out of harassing people?
People like this have one sole purpose and that is to create a
“Flame War,” where a bunch of people are all having their say
about a person or a sensitive topic. This benefits only them, so
they post lies about good honest people.

They feel by baiting the topic, they will lure you in, where the
group of them can pounce on you as soon as you post. Soon your
name gets Googled and you are labeled a horrible person. Scam
sites are popping up all over the net and instead of them
posting actual statements about scams; they are posting anything
and everything that destroys the reputation of good, honest
people. Scam sites have quickly become a place to bash other
people to benefit the owner and in the end, hard working people
who are trying to make a life and career for themselves are
victimized.

If you are treating someone this way, I have to ask, are you
proud of yourself? Do you really think that this person deserves
to be humiliated and flamed on a message board and who are you
to decide? Do you really know the amount of damage you are
causing to this person?

Sorry but I guess I just do not understand. These people you are
flaming are nothing to you. Ewww, and ahhhh and laugh all you
want. I bet the one your flaming feels like this animal in a
cage. People come back because they want to see the blood, the
hurt, and the anger that you are causing to this person. Of
course you the baiter, flamer, troll has no problem providing
it. No matter how stupid it makes your victim look. It is always
the same bull, Innuendo, and baiting, followed by threats of
exposure. It is good for the ratings isn’t it? If this were a TV
show, you’d be a smash hit.

Trolls are nothing more than cruel people who enjoy hurting
others. I’m sorry Trolls but I see you as nothing more than
someone who likes to stir the pot and cause trouble by twisting
the story and filling it with lies to please yourself. I guess
what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Someone is sure to remind me after reading this article, “Rose
Desrochers don’t you feed the Trolls.” So now you know all about
trolls. I guess internet trolls are really not any different
than the ones that live under the bridge are they?

Looking for a new office without worrying about long term
leases, setting up utilities or phones? Consider an instant
executive office.

The instant office set up has been around for a number of years,
buy many people who own their own business are still unaware of
this attractive alternative to traditional office space. They
are perfect for a sole business owner who is looking for a turn
key set up, that is fully staffed and includes all the
necessities required to do business.

Issues with traditional office space

Working with real estate brokers and looking for office space
can be very frustrating and scary. You are making a major
commitment, because leasing of traditional office space is
usually 3-5 years and many require a personal guarantee from the
owner. If your company cannot pay the rent, the landlord can
come after you personally. You have other decisions to make. How
big of an office to get? Does it require build-outs? Parking? Am
I making the right decision here?

Phone lines, utilities, property insurance, furniture and
equipment, alarms, - It goes on and on.

Instant offices allow you to forget about all of that.

Benefits of virtual instant office lease programs

An instant office set up is made possible by companies who own
office buildings, staff them and then rent out individual
offices within their building. You are part of a network and are
supported in anything you need.

These set ups includes, phones, high speed internet access,
furniture, fully staffed receptionist area, mail pick up,
coffee, and other amenities.

These buildings are normally in good business areas of the
community where traditional office space would normally be
expensive. You get a professional address in a corporate area.
The lease flexibility is probably the best feature. Most of the
instant office set ups can be done for as short as 30 days.
However, it is advisable to commit a little longer so your rent
has a chance to be locked in. Either way, you are not making a
major commitment moving in.

Once you are signed up, your office is basically set up. You
will be given a phone number, which you can have your old number
“jump to”. A cable line is already set up for you to plug your
computer in to get on the internet.

The reception area has your company information and phone number
into their system. When anyone calls you, the receptionist will
know it is for you and will greet your callers with anything you
want them to say. They screen your calls, put them to you or
place him in your already set up voice mail.

You have 24/7 access to your office. Your instant office is
cleaned every night by the cleaning staff. Office rents vary
based on the size of the office and the area of the country you
are looking. These offices are best for someone who owns a
business with 2 or fewer employees or for a company who wants to
set up outside reps.

Most of these offices include a conference room that you can use
when it is available and access to other instant offices of the
company. If you are visiting a customer in another city, you can
reserve that facility for your meeting. This feature is very
good for CPA’s, Attorneys or any service profession where it may
be necessary to visit customers.

It is highly recommended to look into virtual office set-ups
before you commit to other office space. Focus on your business
and leave the rest up to your staff that is provided.

Happy Hunting!

More
on Virtual Offices

When giving Technology Talks, I realize that even though the basics of powerful presentation skills should be used, this type of presentation offers many different challenges to the speaker. In this article, I examine the various Ts — some helpful and necessary; some to be overcome and/or avoided.

Topic(s) — As with planning any type of presentation, we must remember that it is important to choose a topic that will interest the largest number of people who will attend. The majority of those in our audiences are interested in topics that provide solutions to their problems and affect them directly.

Trends — These help determine the topics that are hot. Every program I have attended where Microsoft products are being presented and explained is filled to capacity. Not only is Microsoft a hot trend topic, it is also performed by Microsoft employees with the best equipment, beautifully designed visuals and well rehearsed programs.

Techniques — Whether or not your topic is technical, you must have a passion for it, be enthusiastic, be prepared, have control, keep it lively and interesting, and speak to the level of the audience.

Trust — Make sure that your audience members know who you are, where you are coming from and why you are there. Once we have their trust and they know we are real people experiencing the same problems they face, the participants will listen and take note of what we are saying.

Triads — I feel that one of the biggest challenges faced by presenting a technology talk is the huge scope to cover. I suggest planning your presentation using three major points. Triads work because they narrow the topic; they are more readily remembered and will easily keep you on Track.

Time and Timing — Many of the technology talks I have attended have either gone over the time allotted and/or have not covered what was expected by attendees. Below are some Tips for ways to avoid this Trap:

• Tactics — These refer to the way you set up the structure of your presentation. When we are giving a technology talk, listeners often interrupt to ask a burning question. The primary tactic I use to reduce this diversion is to show that I have saved a slot for Questions and Answers.
• Takeover — Especially in the field of technology, there are those listeners who are even more knowledgeable than you, the speaker. They will jump in and try to takeover. Thank them for their interesting and helpful comments, however, point out that in the interest of time, you must move on.
• Tangents — Even with proper planning and preparation, it is the nature of the beast that when we are presenting a technology talk it is easy to go off on a tangent. Remind yourself to keep on topic. It might even be a good idea to ask a friend to sit up front and signal you if you start to wander.

Teacherly, Tedious and Tiresome — three descriptions that we don’t want to encounter as presenters. Our goal is to make our presentation lively and interesting enough that no one is bored. I find that during the Q & A session, there may be others in the audience who can answer a question better than I can and I welcome their feedback at that time in the talk.

As long as your audience members leave Thirsting for more, you have succeeded!

Chris King is a professional speaker, storyteller, writer, website creator / designer, free agent, and fitness instructor. Sign up for her eclectic E-newsletter, Portfolio Potpourri, at http://www.PowerfulPresentations.net You will find her information-packed E-book How to Leave Your Audiences Begging for MORE! at http://www.OutrageouslyPowerfulPresenter.com and her business website at http://www.CreativeKeys.biz

Most consumers give little thought to the recognized allergens,
probable carcinogens, hormone disrupters and synthetic
industrial chemicals that have been inadequately tested and yet,
can be found in the formulae of our skin and body care products,
shampoos, conditioners, cosmetics, perfumes, infant body care
products, etc. These products line the shelves of high-end
department stores, drug stores, specialty retailers, and natural
health retailers. With media reports warning of the toxic soup
most of us bathe in daily, the ugly side of the cosmetic and
personal care industry is on the radar of consumer groups such
as The Breast Cancer Fund, Think Before You Pink, Environmental
Working Group, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, as well as
concerned physicians and scientists.

The public believes that the industry is regulated by a federal
agency that insures toxic chemicals are not added to the
products we use many times daily. So, you might wonder, who is
responsible for regulating the personal care industry and
looking out for consumer health and safety?

The cosmetic industry will direct you to the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), the FDA will direct your query to the
Cosmetics Ingredient Review (CIR) panel, and the CIR will share
all the wonderful research they are conducting in the name of
safety for the consumer. The problem with this picture is the
CIR panel is funded by the giant mainstream personal care
products companies whose ingredients and products must pass
their review prior to entering the marketplace. These well
recognized companies continue to use known or suspected toxic
ingredients in their product formulae.

Of the FDA’s $800 million annual budget, less than 1% is
allocated toward regulating the cosmetic industry. Neither the
FDA nor any other government regulatory body actively assesses
the safety of cosmetics before they are placed in the
marketplace.

Testing for Safety?

According to Darin Stechman, Clinique’s brand representative,
“Product safety has always been a top priority at Clinique
Laboratories, and is ensured through state-of-the-art testing
methods.” However, this testing, according to Stechman, does not
include tests that establish long-term toxicity potential,
carcinogenic properties, systemic absorption properties or
chronic effects of daily use. Instead, large, mainstream
cosmetics companies focus their research and both human and
animal trial tests on assessing pre-marketed products for only
allergenic reactions and skin irritations. Beyond skin eruptions
and rashes, emerging science suggests that untold numbers of
cosmetics and personal care ingredients may be silently and
insidiously promoting cancer, disrupting women’s reproductive
functions and causing birth defects.

According to Susan Roll of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer
Coalition, “one third of personal care products contain
ingredients classified as possible human carcinogens.” Hence,
chemicals such as acrylamide (in foundation, face lotion and
hand cream) linked to mammary tumors in lab research;
formaldehyde (nail polish and blush) classified as a possible
human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency; and
dibutyl phthalate (industrial chemical commonly found in perfume
and hair spray) known to damage the liver, kidney and
reproductive systems, disrupt hormonal processes and increase
breast cancer risk, are widely used by mainstream skin care and
cosmetics manufacturers. Known by hundreds of long, intimidating
chemical names, these ingredients are in the products we use in
our daily personal care rituals.

It’s the daily grooming ritual that is of greatest concern.
These toxic ingredients are absorbed by our skin and into our
bodies. The cumulative exposure to a myriad of personal care
products containing carcinogens, mutagens and reproductive
toxins has not been assessed.

The Ugly Side to Pretty

Many believe that by purchasing products marketed as “natural”
and “organic” from health stores, high-end department stores and
other specialty retailers, they are guaranteed toxin-free
ingredients. Unfortunately, major loopholes in federal law allow
the $35 billion cosmetics industry to police itself, allowing
unlimited amounts of toxic chemicals into personal care products
with no required testing, no monitoring of health effects and
inadequate labeling requirements.

According to Janet Nudelman, coordinator for the Campaign for
Safe Cosmetics, “The U.S. government, in relation to the FDA,
has not been on the side of consumers and has not been on the
side of public health.” This is obvious since cosmetic industry
representatives serve on government panels that are looking into
the consumer safety issue they are supposed to be regulating.

How to make Healthy Choices.

Since the CIR is funded by the well known cosmetic manufacturers
and the FDA allocates so little funding toward regulating the
cosmetics industry, how can the consumer confidently make
healthy choices when purchasing personal care products?

Since 2000 The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a team of
scientists, engineers, policy experts and lawyers, have
dedicated countless hours examining data, scientific studies,
and performed their own laboratory tests to expose threats to
your health and the environment, and to offer solutions. Their
web site, www.ewg.org provides practical information you can use
to protect yourself and your loved ones.

The EWG analyzed the health and safety reviews of 10,000
ingredients in personal care products. They discovered that
there is very little research available to document the safety
or health risks of low dose repeated exposures to the chemical
mixtures in these products. According to the EWG, the absence of
this data should not be mistaken for proof of safety. The more
these low dose chemical exposures are studied, the more is
understood that they can cause adverse effects.

Based on their findings, the EWG has developed Skin Deep
www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep, a sophisticated online rating
system that ranks brand name products on their potential health
risks and the absence of basic safety evaluations.

Janet Nudelman, of The Safe Cosmetics Campaign, says she uses
Skin Deep regularly to look up ingredients in personal care
products to find the safety reading. Her decision to purchase a
product is based on the results.

In recent years, organic and 100% pure and natural products have
become available from such companies as suki’s, Farmaesthetics,
GratefulBody, Affusion, Monave, Earth’s Beauty, Simply Organic,
WildeWood Naturals, Munchskins and more.

The health and safety of you and your loved ones is your
responsibility. Read the labels of personal care products
closely. If there are ingredients that you are not certain
about, write them down and do a quick search to insure they are
safe for use by you and your loved ones.

References:

Breast Cancer Action www.bcaction.org

Breast Cancer Fund www.breastcancerfund.org

The Make-up Labyrinth. Shauna Dineen, E The Environment
Magazine, November-December 2005

Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org

www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep

Safe Cosmetics www.safecosmetics.org

Hypnosis in ancient times

The use of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool is as old as man himself. As far as can be traced back through time, we can find records of hypnosis being used to heal and to make change. Hypnosis has been used under many different names down through the centuries and the use of hypnosis for healing can be traced back to around 3000 BC in Egypt. Both the new and old testaments of the Bible speak of what could be deemed to be hypnosis, and the ancient Greeks and Romans had sleep temples where those seeking healing would be put into a trance like sleep. Their dreams, would be interpreted by the priests. By rhythmic drumming and monotonous chanting together with eye fixation, the Shaman of today can still produce catalepsy of the body and this helps to give the shaman the appearance of having magical powers just as they have done for centuries. Much of what has been done in the past by the village witchdoctor, shaman or wise woman, can be attributed to the fostering of a strong belief, conviction, expectation and imagination in the one being healed, and the chanting and singing often takes the form of what we would term as suggestion. After all, if the most powerful and magic person you know tells you will become well, you are very likely to do just that. Of course in many cases where such an individual administered to a sick person, they would have recovered eventually anyway, and this intervention just speeded up the healing process.

The mind - body connection

It has long been believed by many healers that body, thoughts and emotions can influence one another. Therefore it is possible to influence a physical sickness by working on and realizing particular emotions and by changing thoughts and behavioural patterns.

The Romans said “mens sana in corpore sano”, healthy mind in healthy body. This saying seems to confirm that for many centuries it has been believed that physical and emotional well-being have an effect on one another. To put this in perspective, only has to consider how our health declines after periods of stress or as a consequence of radical events.

The division between body and mind in medicine is something that only took place around 1750, with the scientific developments from Newton. Since then the mind and spirit have been considered to be under the jurisdiction of the church and the body under the jurisdiction of science. This is also the reason why non-Western kinds of medicine see the human being as a whole consisting of body, mind and soul.

Traumatic experiences are not only stored on an emotional level but also on the physical level. The emotional charge of the different traumas can influence our immune system and health conditions. Through processing old traumas and the emotional charges that are connected to a certain sickness it is possible to find resources inside of us that could help us start the healing process.

Modern hypnosis

Modern hypnosis began with Anton Mesmer (1734 - 1815) in the 18th Century. Mesmer was a medical graduate from the famed medical school of Vienna and after studying as a Jesuit priest, he became interested in magnetism. Mesmer became Europe’s foremost expert at magnetic healing, where magnets where passed over the body to effect a healing. His results where fabulous and so he became very famous. Mesmer believed all living things contained a kind of magnetic ‘fluid’ and if a person had enough of this fluid, they would be healthy. This is where the term “animal magnetism” comes from. Mesmer forgot his magnets one day and so just made passes over the patient with his hands and was surprised to find that they got better. From there on, he thought he had sufficient magnetic fluid in himself top effect the cures.

The early pioneers

James Braid (1795-1860) coined the terms hypnotism and hypnosis, in 1843. He was a Scottish surgeon working in Manchester. He found that some people could go into a trance if there eyes where fixated on a bright object like a pocket watch for instance. He believed that a neurological process was involved and that the process could be very useful when no organic origin could be found for a person’s disorder.

James Esdaile (1808-1859) another Scottish surgeon working in India would use eye fixation to prepare a patient for surgery and slow sweeping motions, putting them into a deep hypnotic sleep, causing full amnesia throughout the body.

James Braid and James Esdaile where among the first who could be called ’scientific’ in their research and use of hypnosis. These pioneers removed hypnosis from the realms of mysticism, and started experimenting with what could really be done with it to help people with their disorders. Other scientific pioneers include, Liebeault, Bernheim, Brewer and Freud. Unfortunately the great man himself, Freud, was responsible for hypnotherapy being shelved by many for some time when he abandoned it’s use for a while.

Acceptance of hypnosis as a healing art

Amongst those individuals who have been fundamental to the current view of hypnosis are: Milton Erikson, Ormond McGill, Charles Tebbetts and Dave Elman.

Ormond McGill was, it is true a stage hypnotist, but he preserved the public interest in hypnosis, but then the great Charles Tebbetts was involved in stage hypnosis in the early part of his career, but these were different times to those we live in today and stage hypnosis brought about a desire to know more about this curious art and therefore introduced many of the people who moved the therapeutic use of hypnotherapy forward through the last (20th) century.

Dave Elman brought some measure of acceptance to hypnosis from the medical profession in the USA when the Council on Medical health of the American Medical Association accepted the use of hypnotherapy in 1958.

Probably the most important contributor to the acceptance of hypnotherapy as both an art and a science, was the grandfather of hypnotherapy - Dr Milton Erikson. Dr Erikson was a psychiatrist and hypnotherapist with outstanding professional credentials and because of his solid medical background he had credibility within the medical profession. Other people worthy of note for their contribution to the advancement of hypnotherapy as a healing art and as a science in the 20th century are: Rosen, Abramson, Menninger, Shenek, Magonet, Wolberg, LeCron, Bordeaux, Wetzenhoffer, Erwin and Simonton, who continues to do amazing things with cancer patients using mental imagery and focusing on beliefs and belief systems amongst other things.

©2005 Alan Crisp. All rights reserved.

Alan Crisp DHP, has a busy Clinical Hypnotherapy practice in Beckenham, kent England. He specialises in stress and anxiety related conditions including panic-attacks, phobias, IBS, etc. Alan can be contacted to arrange a free of charge initial consultation on 020 8658 4290 or alancrisp@yourtruth.co.uk. http://www.yourtruth.co.uk

Individuals planning on purchasing a home spend weeks if not months picking the perfect neighborhood, floor plan, and then home before they even consider purchase. In a similar way, buyers will shop around and compare the interest rates offered them on mortgages. Yet, when it comes to homeowners insurance, the norm is to still simply to defer the decision-making to the agent. But just as you wouldn’t consider purchasing your home without first researching and planning, so also should homeowners insurance buyers consider the major options available when it comes to buying a homeowners policy.

In its simplest form, homeowners insurance is an agreement between you, the homeowner, and an insurance company, that in exchange for you making monthly payments, they will compensate you for any significant damage that affects your home. This at least was the form of original homeowner’s policies. Today’s policies are more complex, both covering, and excluding a wide range of situations.

Broadly, a homeowner’s policy covers four major areas of liability. These include:

1. Coverage for the structure of the home

2. Coverage for the contents of the home

3. Liability protection

4. Temporary displacement costs in the event of disaster

Coverage for the structure

This structural protection is what most people commonly conceive of when they think about homeowners insurance. Purchasing a home is a major investment in the lives of most individuals, and as a consequence, the threat of loss of that property, would be so devastating financially that it motivates individuals to seek out insurance as a means of protecting their financial interest. But despite common perceptions to the contrary, homeowners insurance does not cover any and all damages to the home. While each policy varies slightly, most commonly floods and earthquakes are excluded from coverage. That means that if you have a standard policy and your home floods, you will not be recompensed by your insurance company for your loss. On the other hand, other disasters such as hurricane, fire, and hail are typically covered under the standard policy. In addition, most standard policies cover other structures that are fixed or attached to the home, most commonly garages or porches. While these general guidelines hold true for most policies, the variance between insurance providers is significant enough that you should investigate the particulars of what is covered, and more importantly what is excluded regarding coverage for the structure of the home.

Coverage for Personal Belongings

Homeowner’s insurance policies cover not only the structure of a home, but much of its contents as well. Because the coverage to items within the home is not complete, however, it is important to know the limitations of your policy. The industry standard is between 50 and 70% of the value of the policy. That is, if you have the structure of your home insured for $100,000 that policy typically covers the value of your possessions up to $50,000 or $70,000 if they are stolen or damaged in non-excluded circumstances. But, just as with the structure of the home, this coverage is not all-inclusive. For example, there is typically a limit on the amount your insurer will pay out on high dollar items such as jewelry or expensive clothing. This limit can vary but typically maxes out at $2,000. An oft forgotten possession related to the home, is the landscaping. Under most standard policies insurance that will recompense the insured for up to $500 in landscaping damage is also covered. But once, again payment can only be attained if the causal factor (i.e. fire) was covered in the first place.

Liability Protection

Moving farther away from most common conceptions of a homeowner’s policy, it is important to note that policies also cover personal liability for you, your family members and pets. This means that by virtue of owning the homeowners policy you are covered in case, for example your dog tears up your neighbor’s lawn, or far worse, if your neighbor hurts himself while visiting your home. Even more in this aspect of the policy than in any others, the exceptions are vitally important to understand. The amount of liability coverage that comes with a basic policy is a rather standard $100,000. But depending on the exclusions, that similar number belies a world of difference when it comes to actual personal protection.

Temporary Displacement Compensation

If an accident befalls your home and you are unable to inhabit your home temporarily, your homeowners insurance provider will cover the costs of your housing and some additional costs during the interim. Included under this coverage, for most standard policies are things like food, and other basic living expenses. But some policies go farther by compensating you for slightly more extravagant costs like clothing purchases. The coverage for displacement costs varies here more than anywhere else. Some companies use a percentage calculation to determine how much in temporary displacement compensation you can receive to cover hotel bills, food, and the like. This number is most typically set at 20% of the value of the insurance on the structure of the home. Other companies take a different approach, however. They offer unlimited, or at least higher valued, temporary displacement compensation, however, these benefits are time-dependent. This means that once your coverage time expires, you receive no more benefits, no matter the costs you may still be incurring.

In all of these categories, insurers offer a wide variety of options dependant upon your willingness to pay. For example, you can up your protection for high-dollar possessions if you have a lot of jewelry. In the same way, if you are particularly concerned about liability you can pay extra for higher coverage and the same is also true of temporary displacement coverage. While what I have outlined here, provides you with a basic framework for understanding the various components of homeowners insurance and the general standards of the industry, the differences between individual policies can vary widely. Consequently, it is important for those considering the purchase of homeowners insurance that looking into the particulars of what has been covered here be made a priority. Only by understanding the precise offerings of competitors policies and understanding their functions, can you the customer come to find the policy that best suits your needs and those of your family.

Dan Johnson enjoys writing about homeowners insurance.

It can be difficult, at best, to do business on the Internet.

Okay, you and I LIVE out here. We have grown to rely and trust the Internet. We have friends. We shop, we bank, we do business.We order take out, we even fall in love. We have found ways to do almost all of our daily tasks out here in cyber space. We hear daily of all of the people signing on for the first time.

So how could it be so hard to sell our wares?

Well, it’s the trust factor. Jupiter Communications, one of the leading providers of research on Internet commerce, recently revealed studies that showed 64 percent of online consumers are unlikely to trust a website.

Our customers don’t have the advantage of seeing our trustworthy faces. Getting to know us. Developing a relationship with us.

Then how do we go about alleviating the fears of our potential customers? Here are a few suggestions bound to set you on the right path.

• BE HONEST.

  Don’t make promises that you can’t keep, or claims that you can’t back up.

• MAKE THEIR INFORMATION ACCESSIBLE AND UPDATABLE.

  Make sure that your customers know what information you gather at your website and what you do with it. If you store profiles at your site, make them accessible to your customers or give them away to update it or make changes.

• HONOR YOUR CUSTOMERS’ PRIVACY.

  If you sell directly from your site, it is important that you know, and adhere, to consumer privacy practices. Make sure that your customers understand your secure sales process and that they know what you do with their information (particularly credit card information) after the sale.

• COMMUNICATE!

  Publish an ezine or newsletter to help customers get to know you better. Host chats and/ or discussion boards and promptly and accurately answer your Email. (This means that you should actually READ your Email before replying!)

• EDUCATE YOUR CUSTOMER AND OFFER IMPECABLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

  Make sure that they know how to use your product. Offer quick and responsive support and guidance. If a customer has a problem, don’t try to sweep it under the rug! Take care of it as quickly and as graciously as possible. It is a fact that 98 percent of people will continue to use a business even AFTER they have had a problem, if their problem was resolved in a prompt and courteous manner.

• GUARD YOUR REPUTATION!

  Stress the benefits of your product over another without insulting the other product. Stay clear of the dirty politics tactics. It doesn’t do much for your reputation.

• OFFER MONEY BACK GUARANTEES,

  whenever possible, then honor them quickly.

• MAKE TESTIMONIALS AVAILABLE,

  and encourage visitors to check with other customers before they purchase products or services from you.

• BE CLEAR AND COMPLETE WITH YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION.

  Include your business name, address, and phone number. Adding names and pictures of yourself or your employees can help visitors feel more confident and comfortable.

How can we alleviate the fears of our potential customers? Trust is something that takes time to earn. But the more you concentrate on your customer service, and the more responsible you act with their information and concerns, the quicker you will build a loyal customer base.

Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are successful and worthwhile businesses! Give your customers a reason to trust you, and they will!

About The Author

© Mari Peckham

Mari Peckham is the President of Peckham Enterprises and webmistress of PowerPromoPlus, your online advertising solution at: http://www.powerpromoplus.com

To subscribe to her online advertising tips, tools and techniques ezine, Advertise_Online, send any Email to: advertise_online-subscribe@egroups.com or visit: http://www.powerpromoplus.com/advertise_online.htm

Web standards is the new buzz phrase on the web. What are web standards? Web standards are basically the use of correct web coding standards as laid out by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The web standards which are of most concern to modern business are XHTML and CSS coding practices. In the words of the W3C, “The XHTML family is the next step in the evolution of the internet.”

In order to achieve appealing presentation it used to be the case that various HTML hacks would have to be utilised by web designers to make a page look appealing. The most commonly know ‘hack’ (which is still in use today) is the use of tables to layout page structure. Thankfully these days are coming to an end, as web browsers have evolved and XHTML and CSS are now commonly supported standards. It is now possible to make sites which not only look great but are also constructed to the correct web standards.

This is all well and good, but should your business switch to a web standards based design? What are the business benefits of getting standards based re-designs?

One of the disadvantages of getting a web standards based design is that it can be difficult to find a designer who will make an attractive site which is also web standards compliant. A lot of very talented web designers do not create sites which are web standards compliant due to the time involved and the lack of appreciation received from the client for doing so.

The slow conversion to standards based designs is in part due to the ease in which a non-standards based site can be created. With the boom in ‘what you see is what you get’ (WYSIWYG) site creation tools like Dreamweaver it is now relatively straightforward for talented graphic artists to create professional looking sites with little code knowledge. Although the sites look great, the construction can leave a lot to be desired. Poor page coding, although not always visually apparent, can result in your business losing money as well as make your site inaccessible to a large audience, difficult to navigate and difficult to maintain.

A quality web standards based web site separates the look of your web pages from the written content of your site. This addresses the negative points about a non-standards based site mentioned above. By separating style from content, standards based sites allow people using screen readers, mobiles, PDA’s and other web browsing methods to be able to navigate your site. These devices have trouble displaying table based layouts and big images so non-standards based sites are largely unusable. In the second generation of the web there is a wider range of platforms than ever before. Using web standards is the only way to ensure a high degree of uniformity across multiple platforms with your site. If your site isn’t accessible then your message is restricted to certain customers, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this isn’t good in business.

A potential downside to a standards compliant website is some site add-ins such as certain bulletin boards, calendars and other dynamic content may not be written in a standards compliant manner. This becomes a problem when the add-in content is the only one that exactly fits your functional requirements. Sometimes in this scenario it may be necessary to forgo full standards compliance on pages where your non-standards compliant dynamic content is needed and migrate the page once the developers adopt standards.

A plus side of web-standards based sites is that maintenance is made easier, meaning your site can be more easily altered. As style is handled by an external (CSS) Style Sheet it is possible to change a sites whole colour scheme by changing a few key values. Also, as no styling information is in the HTML it is much tidier and greatly reduced in size making it easier to read and alter. Smaller file sizes mean that pages load quickly (providing a better experience for customers on slow connections), consume less bandwidth (reducing hosting costs to your business).

The final benefit of well constructed standards based websites is that as well as being accessible to your customers, often it will also be more accessible to search engines. Poorly structured inaccessible websites can often mean that some of the relevance of your text is misinterpreted by search engines. This means you could be losing out in search engine listings. By having a cleanly structured web standards website you are helping to ensure that your site (and its keywords) are correctly represented in search engines and is considered more relevant than non-standards based sites in your industry.

The obvious conclusion to this article is that web standards bring real tangible benefits to business. Although finding a design company that will construct a standards compliant site is more difficult than just finding a web designer, the benefits speak for themselves. By moving to a standards based web site businesses can ensure they have accessible sites which are maintainable and future proofed. Increased customer exposure and search engine prominence can all improve the level of business that comes to you via your website. Web standards are the future of the internet and to ignore it could leave your business trailing behind the online competition.

Thomas Ashworth
NuBlue Digital Web Solutions
http://www.nublue.co.uk

Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by salespeople is the problem of chasing prospects. In this article I’ll explain exactly why that happens, and how you can avoid it entirely and make prospects chase you instead.

I once heard Donald Trump say, “In selling, you must never appear desperate. As
soon as you look desperate, it’s over.”

A friend and I were talking about the dynamics of a cold call the other day. When
we make that call, we usually hope and expect that the prospect will be receptive to
hearing what we have to say. However, salespeople face increasing resistance to
cold calling, as well as increasing flakiness on the part of prospects who do meet
with them. Instead of thinking, “Ok, this may be interesting,” here’s what most
prospects actually think when they receive a cold call: “Great. You don’t know me
and I don’t know you. You have no idea what my goals are. You don’t even know if
we need what you’re selling, and in spite of all that, you’ve decided to waste my time
anyway with this call.”

What is increasingly becoming the norm is to be rejected by the good, solid
prospects everyone wants, and to get appointments with flakey time-wasters who
will never buy. Flakiness, in particular, is a growing problem thanks to the fact that
prospects are increasingly bombarded with endless advertising as well as endless
salespeople. When you consider the fact that few prospects actually have the
courage to say “no” and instead choose to blow us off and make excuses, it
becomes even more frustrating.

One of the main themes I try to teach salespeople is two-fold: 1) You must be
supremely confident. 2) You must get into the habit of qualifying prospects OUT
instead of merely qualifying them. It is the appropriate response to ever-increasing
flakiness and evasiveness on the part of prospects. It’s our way of communicating to
them, “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen” in a non-verbal way. The
idea of taking the lead and qualifying prospects out is scary at first, and as a result
most salespeople aren’t willing to do it, but it will save you lots of otherwise wasted
time with prospects who aren’t really serious, and will free that time up to be spent
with prospects who are going to buy.

It’s important to start all sales relationships from a position of power, and you do
this in two ways: 1) Through your outward presentation. This is easily accomplished
by acting very professional and dressing better than your prospects, rather than
taking the wrong advice of “dressing like your prospects.” It’s easy to say “no” to
someone with whom you’re comfortable, but much more difficult to say “no” to
someone who intimidates you. 2) Through your actions. A great example is
someone who is squirrely about agreeing to an appointment with you. In many
cases, these are the people who finally agree to meet with you but eventually blow
you off without buying. When I found myself in this situation,
I discovered a great way to overcome it. It goes back to the idea of confidence
bordering on mild arrogance, and puts you in the position of power. When you’re
getting the runaround, something like “Well, we’ll let you know when we have time
to pencil you in,” say something like, “Great, let me know. I’m very busy so I need to
know either way - NOW.” This will get rid of time-wasters, and with serious
prospects, will clearly communicate that you’re a serious businessperson, should be
taken seriously, and will not tolerate having your time wasted and otherwise being
disrespected. It will also set you apart from the competition and greatly increase
your chances of getting the sale.

As time goes on and I work with more salespeople, I’m realizing that this idea of
being powerful really overrides everything else, and once you can pull it off, it
overshadows everything. You can do a poor job of presenting and selling and yet
this can carry you all by itself. For anyone who is doubtful about this idea of
presenting yourself as overconfident and even a little bit arrogant, I’ll go back to
Donald Trump since he’s famous for his giant ego. I saw him on Larry King, and as
they were taking live calls, one of the callers openly confronted him about his
massive ego and Larry King jumped on and questioned him about it as well. Donald
Trump simply replied, “Have you EVER met a successful person who didn’t have a
big ego?” After some hemming and hawing from King, Trump repeated the
question to him, and King finally said, “No.”

Moving on from the idea of avoiding an appearance of desperation and creating an
appearance of power, there’s another very good reason as to why prospects who are
uncovered via cold calling are flakey. This one has nothing to do with us and
everything to do with a particular prospect’s mindset and level of sales vulnerability
to begin with.

Most of us have noticed, at some time or another, that prospects who absolutely
refuse to take cold calls and have giant “No Soliciting” signs plastered on their front
doors tend to be the easiest to sell to once you manage to get in front of them.
There are a few popular theories as to why this is so, the most common one being
the idea that since so few salespeople get through to begin with, there is little
competition and therefore a better chance of getting the sale. However, I know the
real reason behind this.

The reason those people are so defensive against sales pitches and have all those
“No Soliciting” signs is quite simple. They are AFRAID of salespeople. They know
very well that they have a very difficult time saying “no,” and as such they are highly
vulnerable to sales presentations and know very well that if a salesperson gets to
them, they’ll probably buy whether they need to or not.

(I never figured this out until I spoke with an expert on social dynamics who has
studied the subject of human social interaction in depth. He explained that the
people who act the coldest and most unapproachable in social settings do so
because they’re overly vulnerable to being seduced and falling in love and therefore
are afraid of what someone’s advances may lead to.)

Now that we’ve explained why those people are the easiest to sell to, let’s look at
the opposite type of prospect: those who willingly take your call and willingly agree
to set an appointment.

If those who are easily sold won’t take your call and won’t agree to meet with you,
why would someone be so agreeable to taking your call and meeting with you?
Exactly. It’s because they have no fear of salespeople. They know right from the
start that there’s little chance of them being sold. Their openness and receptiveness
to your call puts us off-guard. We think we have a great shot at a sale, but in reality
we’re meeting with someone who is 99% certain not to buy.

Since the people who willingly take cold calls usually don’t buy, and the people who
usually buy don’t take cold calls, what’s the solution? Since those who are easily
sold almost always meet with salespeople only when they’ve called the salesperson
first and not the other way around, you must get your message across to these
people in creative and effective ways other than cold calling.

To those highly desirable prospects who are easily sold, all salespeople seem the
same. The only way to win with them is to separate yourself from the rest of the
crowd.

The first way to accomplish this is to be that powerful businessperson who needs
nothing and deserves respect. I think most of us were taught and have gotten into
the habit of treating prospects as superiors and as a result we tend to do whatever
is convenient for prospects and otherwise kiss up to them. We are used to
rearranging our schedules just to meet with that one prospect. Stop this, and start
expecting your prospects to treat YOU with the respect and consideration you
deserve as someone who is not only a business equal, but who has the knowledge
and wisdom to help them and improve their businesses and their lives.

The second way to stand out is to stop cold calling. Nothing will stereotype you as
a typical salesperson faster than a cold call. The way to win with prime prospects is
to get your message across to them in ways that don’t use cold calling. You’ll get in
front of the easy sales, and you won’t have any competition once you get there.

Frank Rumbauskas is the author of Cold Calling Is a Waste of Time: Sales Success in
the Information Age. He is the founder of FJR Advisors LLC, which publishes training
materials on generating business without cold calling. For more information, please
visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com