Lapsing into a rut and then finding that we are stuck is, unfortunately, not so much an exception as it is common for the great majority of people. People are always getting stuck in some aspect of their lives, be it hating their current job but being too afraid to leave it, being stuck in an unhealthy or unfulfilling relationship, or being too afraid to take the next step in a healthy one.

The good news is that there are ways to get out of these ruts, perhaps one of the most important being to view any setback you receive in life as nothing more than a temporary inconvenience. One good tip to get back on track is to picture yourself being cheered on by a hero of yours. It doesn’t matter whether this person is male or female, living or dead, real or fictional — just imagine what they would say to you to inspire you or picture what they might do if in the same situation.

Some people seem unable to see issues from any point of view but their own. Whether they work for you or you work for them, their inflexibility can be a roadblock to your success. Here’s how to work together in harmony:

• Listen. Give your complete attention to the other person, and show you understand by paraphrasing what he or she says.
• Focus on the other person’s position, not your own. Resist the urge to argue. Instead, build some good will by showing how you’re trying to understand his or her perspective.
• Agree when you can. Most of the time you should be able to find common ground. Use this to build the basis for a reasonable discussion.
• Disagree with tact. Stand your ground when necessary, but try to disagree without creating more tension. Explain your own point of view in positive language.
• Show some flexibility yourself. Don’t adopt an inflexible stance of your own in response to someone else’s tough attitude. Remind yourself to stay open-minded at all times.

Do you need help to generate more leads, referrals and clients from your networking activities?

Are you looking for easy ways to find more time for networking?

If have a responsibility for business development for your employer or your own business you need to get out there and network. But no one ever tells you HOW to network. And, no one tells you HOW to fit networking into your already crammed business routine.

Networking will build your sales revenue, your business, your clientele and your career. Done the right way, networking will help you create a rich network of profitable relationships that bring you a steady flow of new business and referrals, even in a slow economy.

Networking for Business …and finding the time to do it

Public seminar, Tuesday 27^th November 2012. Subiaco WA

This business building seminar is a collaboration between business networking expert Ron Gibson and time management specialist Angie Spiteri giving you clear direction on how to generate more business from your networking efforts.

For more information or to register click here: http://networkingforbusinessseminar.eventbrite.com.au/

The relationship between your personal life and professional life can be a difficult one, and trying to maintain a work/life balance is even more so. If you feel you are becoming overwhelmed and that the equilibrium between the two is seriously out of whack, there are a number of tips you can follow to help.

The first tip is very simple — don’t let yourself panic. There are modest, recoverable steps that you can take to address the situation. Now is not the time to fire an employee, get a divorce or purchase a new computer system. Perhaps you could talk to a therapist, coach or even a close friend to try and get perspective.

Another good tip is just to tell the truth. We often get into a pattern of trying to please others or live by standards which are not ours. If you can see the areas where you have been less than forthright, then clean them up and become clear about your motives.

Everyone seems to be living such busy lives these days that healthy living often seems to be just one thing to do too many. The good news however is that it healthy living while on the go is not as difficult as it may seem and that just a few alterations to your routine can result in real benefits to your health.

Whether at work or at home, everyone loves a tea of coffee break. You can still enjoy a drink but make it a healthier alternative instead by opting to drink a cup of warm herbal tea. There is an absolutely enormous selection of such teas available nowadays, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find at least one which you really enjoy.

Eating just a small handful of nuts can also be of great benefit to people on the go. A selection of nuts such as the likes of almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts, together with raisins, and eat a large handful at around three o’clock in the afternoon, as this has been shown to increase your energy and productivity level at this time of the day.

One question faced by many B2B companies is when they have created enough content to be able to answer all the questions that a prospect might conceivably have at each and every stage of the buying cycle. The question therefore is, how can a company go about determining that?

It begins with understanding who their ideal buyers really are and the kinds of concerns and issues they will have. Creating buyer personas can actually assist with this, as they are used quite commonly in order to create an ideal customer archetype based upon what you already know in regard to your current prospects and customer base.

You need to be able to get inside your buyers’ heads and have a solid understanding of what it is that makes them tick. To do this, talk to your customers and to the personnel at your company who regularly engage with them.

Working in the world of B2B communications there are a lot of rules and regulations to follow, and it is often all very serious indeed, but that doesn’t mean that all your communications have to be boring. There are a few guidelines to remember that can give potential customers important information without putting them to sleep in the process.

The first tip is to keep the message as brief as possible and just get to the point. A short, powerful idea that has been cleverly packaged will always be better than an inordinate amount of waffle. The more efficient you can make the message, the more likely it is to be read and to have the effect you want it to have.

It is also important to make your content valuable and one of a kind. While your topic of choice may have already been the subject of countless articles, you need to provide a different angle that will make yours stand out from the crowd and draw in consumers.

There are a number of tips that can be followed for the purpose of building an effective senior management team.

One good tip is to begin with part-time workers. The simple fact is that you might not be able to afford to pay for a full-time chief financial officer in the beginning, but there is a very strong likelihood that you will be able to find one who is more than happy to work on a part-time basis. Volunteers can also be helpful.

You might even want to think about the possibility of outsourcing your management team. Look in the Yellow Pages under such categories as Employment Agencies, Executive Search Consultants, Employee Leasing and Management Consultants.

You should make certain that any prospective members of your senior management team will be a good fit for your company, so be sure to check out their backgrounds and references.

Selling is and always has been first and foremost about relationships. When it comes to B2B sales, people buy from individuals first and the companies that they represent second. The advent of social media has given people in the B2B industry amazing opportunities when it comes to discovering possible new relationships, creating rapport and developing relationships and then expanding, maintaining and nurturing those relationships.

 You have more opportunities at your fingertips than any generation of B2B salespeople that has ever gone before, and you need to make the most of these opportunities that you have been given.

A good tip when it comes to developing relationships via social media is to make sure you are worthy of getting someone’s business. If you want their business, you have to earn it. Show them that you are a professional who knows how to both follow up and follow through. In other words, you have to work for it – but the rewards are plentiful when you do.

Everyone has one of those days – particularly on Mondays, when you have yet to get back into the swing after the weekend, and Fridays, when you just wish the weekend would hurry up and arrive – when work just seems to be getting you down. The good news is that when one of “those days” strikes, there are a few tips to help you get through and make the day happier.

One tip is to not react to the “urgent” requests of other people with the speed they might be hoping for. If someone asks needs your help, either with a project or some other form of “urgent” need, make sure you ask what their deadline actually is. Then schedule it for that day. The great majority of people upon being asked realise that it is not as urgent as they thought it was and will be happy to set it for a future date. Then you can get back to dealing with your top activities instead.