The Five Myths That Slow Down Sales and How to Avoid Them

Time is money, yeah, yeah, we've heard that before. But if time really is money, why do so many professionals squander it chasing anyone with a pulse, including their most horrible prospects? Because they still embrace one of the great myths of selling, common mistakes that drain profit and energy from a sales organization:

Myth #1: Everybody is our customer.

Myth #2: Every sale is a good sale.

Myth #3: Never take no for an answer.

Myth #4: There's always time to make more sales calls.

Myth #5: Sales people pay for themselves.

Business people the world over know these statements are myths, but behave as if they aren't. Why? It's because the great selling myths are so familiar that they have become invisible. To uproot them, we must create effective ways to replace them with more adaptive, successful practices, and turn those practices into habits. Changing habits is hard.

In the case of the Five Selling Myths, these old habits are ingrained in decades of selling tradition, enshrined in company policy, and even taught by well-intentioned people who might be a little bit behind the times. Replace each of the Five Myths with the Five MythBusters, new approaches to the issues that create better outcomes. Selling is about money - making it, but also spending it. If you knew the real cost of one hour of selling time, you might invest those hours more carefully.

Studies have shown that the average sales person only has about 900 hours (about 100 days) of face-to-face selling time per year, once you take away weekends, holidays, vacations, sick time, and record-keeping. To reach a $1 million dollar quota, each of those 900 hours is worth a whopping $1,111. When the Five Myths rule the sales process, a lot of those expensive hours get wasted. Keep that opportunity cost in mind as you review the Five Myths.

Myth #1: Everybody is our customer. In spite of the thousands of words that have been written about this subject, we still find sales people and executives who don't define their target markets or prospects very well. The awful truth is that when you act as if "anybody" is your prospect, you are throwing money down the drain. You're spending $1,000 an hour to chase marginal prospects, because it feels better to be busy. But to what end?

Mythbuster #1: The right prospects seek the value you add. Selling is simple, really. Find out what you do well, and offer it to people who want it. Replacing the 'anybody who'll buy from me' practice requires some effort on your part. Analyze the things you do particularly well, including your product, service, and personal charm. Then go back over your list of existing customers, asking what you liked about them, and what they liked about you. Write down the pertinent information. And use it as your qualifying 'script' - learn to ask penetrating questions, early in the relationship, that reveal the potential for this prospect to become one of your best customers. At BSG, one of the tools we give clients is The SMART Way Prospect Scorecard(TM), a digital scoring matrix that grades your prospect based on how likely they are to become profitable, long-term customers.

Myth #2: Every sale is a good sale. As obvious as it may seem, this particular myth persists in many businesses. If business is slow, if you've got unused capacity or labor sitting around idle, it's all too tempting to accept any business that walks in the door. But is every sale worth it? Not if it's unprofitable or damaging to your reputation.

Mythbuster #2: Good sales bring profit to the seller and satisfaction to the buyer. Now that you have a definition of your ideal customer, add the definition of a 'good sale.' Write down the margin you have to earn to achieve basic profitability, and don't violate it. Add other characteristics that define the 'good' sale, such as evidence of customer satisfaction. Praise sales people when they decline business that is unprofitable or likely to disappoint the customer's expectations. A component of your Prospect Scorecard should be the likelihood that any given sale represents a tangible exchange of value between buyer and seller, and is just as good for you as it is for the customer.

Myth #3: Never take NO for an answer. This myth is one of the most difficult to identify and therefore to uproot. After all, our society prizes this attitude; we build monuments to it. But think about it. Refusing to take "No" goes hand in hand with 'everybody is our customer' and 'every sale is a good sale.' Always remember that a sale is not a one-way transaction. If it isn't right for one of the parties, then it is probably wrong for both.

Mythbuster #3: Don't beat a dead horse. Adopt an analytical attitude. Qualify each prospect, and each opportunity, carefully, to learn if the deal is in fact going to be (a) profitable and (b) satisfying to the customer. Assess the investment costs of continued sales effort, always remembering that your selling time is probably worth $1,000 an hour or more. At some point, the deal passes the point of diminishing returns. Guide your sales people to a more effective use of their time.

Myth #4: There's always time to make more sales calls. This myth comes into play when the sales team is focused on activity instead of results. But it's a dangerous practice. First of all, there isn't much more time left to make sales calls. If the average sales person has only 100 days (900 hours) of selling time in a year, or less, where is that time going to come from - sleep, sick time, vacations, administration? When sales people go after the wrong prospects, pursue unprofitable projects, or waste time on unproductive activities, then more sales calls may not equal more sales.

Mythbuster #4: Make scarce sales time count. The best way to dismantle this belief is to reinforce the investment value of sales time. Remember the investment value of one hour of selling time - $1,111? Now add up the cost of an hour of nose-to-nose time, plus travel time, gas, tolls, parking, literature, coffee, lunch. Now the cost of that sales call is somewhere north of $1200 and rising. What would happen if your sales people had to requisition that money in cash, every time they went out on a call? They would get very discriminating about the way they invested their time.

Myth #5: Sales people pay for themselves. It's true that plenty of sales people get paid on straight commission, so it seems as if they can pay their own way. But it's not so simple. Sales people may earn compensation from a share of the profits, but their true costs include impact on customer satisfaction, market presence and awareness, lost opportunity and perhaps other considerations.

Mythbuster #5: They pay for everybody. The Sales department funds the entire business operation. So sales people have to do much more than pay for themselves. They have to pay everybody's salaries, fund R&D, underwrite marketing expenditures, and put enough reserves on the books to justify investments in capital equipment. And they can't do that if they don't have the right support and guidance. Replace Myths with Best Practices Selling is probably the most important contributor to business health, even more important than products and services. It's a difficult art to master. So it pays to develop good mechanisms to support and guide the sales effort.

Here are five Best Practices that help sweep away the myths and make the Five Mythbusters come alive. They are:

1. Create an Ideal Customer Profile. Develop this profile on customers with whom you have had success in the past. Detail not only the facts (demographics, company size, annual revenues, SIC codes), but the qualitative characteristics as well, those elements that represent the value they seek when doing business with your company. If you really want a powerful profile, use the SMART Way Prospect Scorecard.

2. Set Clear Expectations. Give your sales people clear and quantifiable performance expectations for all stages of the sales process. Don't simply throw a quota and a territory map at them. Tell them you expect them to convert so many leads to suspects, suspects to prospects, prospects to contracts, contracts to repeat business. And follow up with them.

3. Track Performance and Share the Data. Stop managing your sales force by anecdote, those traditional sales meetings where each sales person fills up time telling about why this or that deal hasn't closed yet. Instead focus on collective performance against those expectations you laid out above. Build sales meetings around a review of the data. Now you're dealing with facts.

4. Work on the Process to Improve Results. If sales are down this month, don't panic. Instead, examine the underlying processes to see where the slowdown occurred and why. Maybe sales are down because there's an operational glitch, or an unexpected trend in the local market.

5. Give Great Support. Everybody likes nice bosses better than mean bosses, but great sales support means more than that. It means removing obstacles to performance wherever possible, smoothing the way, and leaving people alone when that's appropriate. Go over your selling process to see if you can spot any of the Five Myths at work. If you find them, replace them with better practices. Now you are on your way to achieving great sales performance, and sustaining it.

How to Get Working Capital with Invoice Financing

Do you have clients that pay your invoices in 30, 45 or even 60 days? If so, then you are aware of how their slow can drain your working capital. Unless your company has a nice cash cushion in the bank, paying suppliers or even employees can become a problem.

Asking your customers to pay your invoices quickly will not help either. Paying invoices in 30 to 60 days is an industry standard. And, if you work with large or midsize companies, you'll be expected to offer 30 days terms if you want to keep their business. There is no alternative.

So what can a business owner do? Going to the bank may help some, but not most. Before providing financing, banks will require that you provide them with three years of audited financials. They may also require that you have stellar personal credit. So if you cannot get a business loan, what other business financing options do you have?

Invoice financing, commonly known as factoring, is a option that is widely used by businesses, however it is virtually unknown to the general public. It gets your invoices paid in as little as 2 days, eliminating long payment periods. In the end, it provides you with predictable cash flow, enabling you to pay suppliers, employees and grow your business.

An invoice financing transaction works as follows:

1. You deliver goods or services and invoice for them

2. You send a copy of the invoice to the factoring company, who advances you up to 85% as a first installment

3. You get the funds to meet business expenses

4. Once your customer pays for the invoice, the transaction is settled

The cost of factoring invoices, varies based on the commercial quality of your customers and the length of time that you need the money for. Generally speaking, the monthly cost will be between 1.5% and 3.5% for most accounts.

The big benefit of invoice factoring is that it is easy to obtain and can be set up quickly. On average, it takes about 5 days to obtain factoring financing. And once you get it, qualifying for line increases is very easy. All you need to do is increase your sales. Factoring is one of the few products that grows with your business.

Warlock Leveling Guide and Warlock Leveling Spec

Starting a new WoW toon is always a bit difficult, especially when you're the type who likes to do everything right. Warlock is a fun and fairly easy class, though, and this Warlock leveling guide and its Warlock leveling spec will make things even less of a hassle in your quest to level eighty.

Warlock is one of the most powerful PvE classes if played correctly, and with the right spec you will be almost invincible while soloing, and experience zero downtime. The best soloing tree is Affliction, as it is incredibly powerful and mana efficient when leveling, resulting in a Warlock that never needs to eat or drink.

The basic Affliction Warlock Leveling Spec is as follows:

Improved Curse of Agony - Rank 2/2
Suppression - Rank 3/3
Improved Corruption - Rank 5/5
Improved Drain Soul - Rank 2/2
Improved Life Tap - Rank 2/2
Soul Siphon - Rank 2/2
Improved Fear - Rank 2/2
Fel Concentration - Rank 3/3
Nightfall - Rank 2/2
Empowered Corruption - Rank 2/3
Shadow Embrace - Rank 1/5
Siphon Life - Rank 1/1
Shadow Mastery - Rank 5/5
Contagion - Rank 5/5
Dark Pact - Rank 1/1
Improved Howl of Terror - Rank 2/2
Malediction - Rank 3/3
Unstable Affliction - Rank 1/1
Pandemic - Rank 1/1
Everlasting Affliction - Rank 5/5
Haunt - Rank 1/1

After you have these talents the rest of your choices are really up to you; I'd recommend finishing out talents like Empowered Corruption and grabbing other useful talents you passed up along the way.

With a good Warlock leveling spec, we're now ready for our Warlock leveling guide.

First, non-class-specific tips:

Use keybinds for abilities and the mouse for turning; if you're doing it the other way, you're going to react slow and be, to put it bluntly, a bad player.

Don't forget to log out at the inn, or in a major city; the extra experience from rest is pretty nice.

Use a good questing guide. Addons and the built-in quest-goal indicator are handy, but you'll move much quicker doing quests in a certain order as opposed to just wandering from goal to goal.

Warlocks don't usually need it, but keep Food and Water in handy anyways; if you end up low on health and mana it sucks to have to wait for passive regen to fill you back up.

Now, the actual Warlock leveling guide!

Early on, when using a Voidwalker, make sure it has it's agro abilities turned on!

Try to keep the Life Tap buff from the Life Tap Glyph up at all times, the extra damage is well worth it.

Learn to kite! When thing turn ugly kiting can let you burn down even the toughest opponents.

Go for Spellpower/Shadow Damage, Stamina, Int, and Spirit over other stats!

Now, warlock play varies a lot as you level, so let's go over each range.

You'll start with nothing but Shadow Bolt. Pretty soon, though, you'll have your Imp and a few spells. Your early rotation should be:

1: Send in Imp while immolating
2:Apply Curse of Agony, then Corruption
3:Wand the mob to death

After you get your Voidwalker and Drain Soul, things change again:

1:Send in Voidwalker
2:Apply CoA, Corruption, then Immolate
3:Wand mob below 25% then Drain Soul it dead
Once you get drain life, you can start using Life Tap aggressively as well, by changing to
3:Life Tap, Drain Life mob below 25% then Drain Soul

After a while, you'll have Fel Concentration. Now you can start drain tanking. Switch your pet to Succubus, and do this:

1:Send in Succubus while casting Immolate
2:Apply CoA, Corruption
3:Life Tap, Drain life until mob is close to dying, Drain Soul

Also, make sure to use any procs of Shadowbolt that you get from Nightfall or Glyphs when they come up! Things stay the same until you get Dark Pact; at this point, we're back to the Imp!

1:Immolate while sending in the Imp
2:Apply Corruption and CoA
3:Life Tap, then Drain Life (using Shadow Bolt when you get Procs)
4:Drain Soul to finish the mob, Dark Pact when mana is needed

Once you get Unstable Affliction, it will replace Immolate in your rotation. And once you get Haunt, make sure to start with it and keep it's buff up for maximum damage.

Chili Verde Recipes - Slow Cooker Chili Verde

Here's a quick and easy chili verde recipe that you can serve as a soup or over chimichangas.

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon garlic pepper

3 pounds pork picnic roast

1 large onion, diced

1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth

2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chilies, drained

3 (7 oz.) cans green salsa

2 (15.5 oz.) cans great Northern beans, drained (optional)

Directions

In a slow cooker, pour in half of the Worcestershire sauce and half of the garlic pepper. Place the roast inside of the pan and sprinkle the remaining Worcestershire sauce and garlic pepper over the top of the meat. Add in the onions and chilies. Pour the chicken broth over all. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours.


When the roast is fork tender (you can pull it apart with a fork), stir in the green salsa and beans. Continue cooking until heated completely.

=> Chili Verde Recipes: Chili Verde Stew

This spicy chili verde recipe features roasted pork, salsa, green chilies, spices and fresh jalapeno pepper. Remember to wear rubber or plastic gloves when handling fresh hot peppers, and don't touch your face or eyes while handling.

3/4 pound boneless pork roast, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped

1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/4 cup dry red wine or beef broth

1 cup canned diced tomatoes

1/2 cup salsa

2 tablespoons canned chopped green chilies, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 dash ground cloves

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook the pork in oil over medium heat until it no longer looks pink; remove the meat from the pan and set aside.


In the same pan, sauté the green pepper, onion and garlic for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they are tender. Stir in the pork, wine or broth, tomatoes, salsa, 1 tablespoon of the chilies, cumin, sugar and cloves. Cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes; stir occasionally.


Stir in the parsley, jalapeno and remaining chilies. Cover and cook for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the meat is tender.

=> Chili Verde Recipes: Basic Homemade Chili Verde

Here is a simple way to make homemade chili verde which uses fresh cilantro.

1 pound pork, cubed

5 tomatillos (green tomatoes)

3 serrano chili peppers

1 medium white onion

1/3 bunch fresh cilantro

4 cloves of garlic

Directions

In a pan, cook pork until nice and brown; drain off the fat.


Wrap the tomatillos, chilies and garlic in aluminum foil and place them inside a pot. Cover and heat on medum high until the tomatoes are nice and soft; stir occasionally.


Unwrap the vegetables and place in a food processor along with the onion and cilantro. Blend well. Pour sauce over the pork and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. You can add a little more fresh cilantro after about 5 minutes of cooking, if desired.

Preparing the Perfect Fig Preserves Recipe

The history of the fig dates back to around 9000 BC, when remnants were found in Neolithic villages. The Fig is widely grown for its edible fruit throughout Iran and also in the rest of the Mediterranean region and other areas of the world.

Figs have become an important staple in many consumers diet due to the health benefits. Figs are a prime source of fiber, calcium, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and Vitamin K. Additionally; they are high in antioxidants and maintain healthy digestion.

Taking into consideration figs can be eaten dried, fresh or even in compotes, they are a fantastic ingredient for preserve recipes. The hearty sweet flavors combined with the delicate flesh are a well accompanied ingredient to any fig preserves recipe.

The term Jam and Preserves is often interchangeable although the preparation of preserve recipes requires that the fruit be in larger chunks and for jams the fruit is typically chopped or mashed to produce a sort of hash or pulp. The preparation of fig preserves traditionally involves the use of pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used as well.

The proportion of sugar and fruit varies however; a good starting point is using equal amounts of figs to sugar.

Most cooks work by trial and error when it comes to the changing texture of the preserve however, if you plan on following a fig preserve recipe, when the temperature of the pulp reaches approximately 104 °C, the pectin and the acid in the fruit will react with the sugar resulting in the setting of the preserves.

Typically, when making a fig preserve recipe it is quite imperative to use the figs you purchased immediately. The shelf life is quite short so when planning to prepare a recipe, make sure you have an ample amount of time set aside to complete the entire process.

Although there are hundreds of recipes for preserves and jams, here is a basic preserve recipe to get you started:

INGREDIENTS

o 8 cups fresh figs
o 4 cups white sugar
o 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
o 2 cups water
o 6 cups hot water (boiling)
o 1/2 lemon, sliced

METHOD

1. In bowl place figs and dust with baking soda. Pour the hot water over the figs and soak for 1 hour.
2. Drain figs and rinse thoroughly with cold water. In a large Dutch oven combine the sugar and the 2
cups of water; bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add the figs and lemon slices to the syrup in the Dutch oven and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Spoon figs into hot, sterilized jars and spoon syrup over figs, leaving 1/2 inch of space. Place lids on top and screw tightly for a vacuum seal. Place in a hot water bath for up to 15 minutes.
Preparing preserves at home is a wonderfully crafty activity to partake with your family and friends. Give it as a delightful present for the holiday season.

Note: You can also enhance the flavors of a fig preserve recipe by adding other fruits such as raspberries or boysenberries.

Preparing preserves at home is a wonderfully crafty activity to partake with your family and friends. Give it as a delightful present for the holiday season.

8 Feng Shui Tips For Bathrooms

Bathrooms are a problem in feng shui. They are very heavy on the water element, which can lead to stagnation and dampness. The best way to handle bathrooms is to first block the flow of chi into them, and then to balance out whatever chi does get in with either wood or metal energy. Here are some basic tips to improve your bathroom's feng shui.

1) Keep the bathroom door closed

It is good feng shui to keep bathroom doors closed as often as possible. It is also good to keep the toilet cover on as often as possible, especially when the toilet is flushing.

2) Put a mirror on the outside door of the bathroom

This will further block energy from getting into the bathroom. You want a big, full-length mirror to really make any difference here. A tiny little six inch square mirror is not going to cut it.

3) Conceal the toilet

Because the toilet is the largest drain, and because the water does not just drain from it, but is forcefully sucked down all at once, it creates a pretty powerful energy vacuum that is very bad. To help reduce the damage it can do, try to block the view of the toilet as much as possible. Put up a physical barrier, like a silk curtain or a bookshelf, to block the view of the toilet from the bathroom door. And definitely do not put a mirror inside the bathroom in such a way that it reflects the toilet. You will just be doubling the damage.

4) Add light

Natural light is best. Sometimes there are no exterior walls for windows, so the best path for natural light is a skylight. The light will help a lot to energize the dampness of a bathroom, and it will generally just enliven the chi and get it moving. Bathrooms tend toward stagnation, so even if you have to put in an artificial light, do it to get that chi moving.

5) Add tree energy

This is particularly effective if the bathroom is to the East, South-East or the South of the center of the house. Tree energy can take the form of tall, upward growing plants (skip the vines in bathrooms), or it can be wood itself, whether that's a wooden floor, a wooden toilet seat or a wooden bathroom vanity. Even books, as wood, boost tree energy.

Another way to add tree energy is with colors and patterns. Tree energy is fundamentally any upward moving energy, so stripes are good, as are floral patterns that seem to grow up. The primary color is green. Frequently the shower curtain is a great opportunity for a big splash of green, upwardly mobile tree energy pattern.

6) Add metal energy

Metal energy balances out water-heavy bathrooms when the bathrooms are to the North, North-West, North-East, West and South-West. Metal energy can, of course, be anything metal, but anything white or round will also lend some metal power.

7) Keep the drains clear

Even though it sounds like the drains are bad, a blocked up or slow drain is even worse than a clear one. Blockages have big meaning in feng shui, whether it is a blocked toilet or a blocked front door. So get out the Draino or whatever will work on those clogs and get them clear.

8) Keep the surfaces ying and clean

By ying, I mean hard and impermeable surfaces like stone and tile. And they should be clean. Again, because bathrooms tend to have stagnant, damp energy, it is all the more important that the surfaces be as clean as possible so that chi does not get stuck in dust bunnies.

Dog Treadmill - Tips on Choosing and Using a Treadmill With Your Dog

Looking for a dog treadmill?

With the popularity of shows like the Dog Whisperer and people's hectic lifestyles, treadmills for dogs have surged in popularity.

Walking your dog on a treadmill is not a substitute for a good long outdoor walk. However it can help to drain some of your dog's extra energy.

It's a great tool on blizzard or rainstorm days when you can't get out. And for dogs that have weight problems, it can help them trim down and stave off other diseases that come with extra weight (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.).

While there are specialized treadmills built for dogs, most people want a treadmill that can do double duty - one that both you and your dog can use. Plus specialized dog treadmills can be just as expensive as a regular treadmill - sometimes more.

So most people decide to go with a regular treadmill and train their dogs to walk on it.

However there are several things to know so you don't waste money or run into problems. This article will tell you what to look for when choosing a treadmill for your pooch and tips for training your dog to walk on it:

#1 Get the Right Belt Length.

Treadmill belts range from 50" to 62". If you have a smaller dog like a poodle or terrier you probably don't need to choose a longer belt, since these breeds aren't very long.

However the larger (and longer) your dog, the longer your belt needs to be so your poor pooch won't feel like he's falling off the treadmill.

For example, I have a 120 lb very long rottweiler that measures about 44 inches from nose to bum. Given that he can get lazy sometimes and fall back a bit, he needs all of the 60" belt on my treadmill.

While treadmills with longer belts can be more expensive, you don't have to spend a lot if you look around and compare models. For example, you may not need a big flashy console (your dog certainly doesn't care). So you may be able to get a longer belt, but skip those extra options and save some money.

#2 Keep Your Treadmill Clean.

Unfortunately your dog will shed (and probably drool) over your treadmill while he's walking. Hair, dirt and dust are the number one enemies to treadmill maintenance.

Make sure you wipe down your treadmill and keep it clean on a regular basis, especially after your dog uses it. This will help keep it in proper running condition and save you unnecessary repair bills.

#3 Watch Those Paws!

Dogs, especially the larger ones, can really tear up a treadbelt if their claws are not properly clipped. If you want to save the integrity of your treadbelt, make sure to keep your dog's paws properly trimmed down.

#4 Start Slow and Make it a Positive Experience.

I recommend you talk to a professional trainer before you try to train your dog to walk on a treadmill. However from my experience, here are some tips.

We started out to make the treadmill a positive experience for our dog. At first we just trained him to get up and sit on the treadbelt (no walking yet). He then got a treat.

After a few days, he was running eagerly to sit on the treadmill and get his treat. Then I kept his leash on (so I could keep him in place) and started the treadmill very slowly (0.5 mph).

After a few minutes we stopped and he got another treat. This was repeated until he seemed comfortable with the experience

Then we increased the speed little by little - all the time reinforcing with treats and praise. Again, I'm not a dog trainer and this doesn't substitute for professional advice, but it worked for us.

So those are 4 tips when looking at a dog treadmill. Remember that treadmill walking is not a substitute for a good outdoor walk. However for those times you need to drain extra energy from your dog or you just can't make it outside, a treadmill is a great tool to have.

Please Note: This article contains tips on selecting and using a treadmill for your dog. It is in no way intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Before buying or using any treadmill with your dog, please consult a dog training expert.