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It is commonly recognized that breast milk is the best possible nutrition for an infant and more and more women are choosing to breastfeed their babies. But what happens if breastfeeding is not possible? Many people would suggest that the only alternative is to bottle feed formula. But, due to the improvement in breast pumps over the past decade or so, an increasing number of women are making the decision to exclusively pump breast milk for their babies.
Exclusively pumping, or exclusively expressing, is exactly as the term suggests. A woman exclusively uses a breast pump to induce and maintain lactation as opposed to breastfeeding. Some women begin to exclusively pump after initially starting to breastfeed, however, due to various problems or concerns switch to exclusively pumping.
The reasons for exclusively pumping are extremely varied: latching difficulties, illness of the mother or baby, prematurity, separation, and, for some women, the decision to exclusively pump is made prior to the birth of their babies. The reasons women make the choice to exclusively pump prior to delivery are also very diverse.
There is a wide range of normal when it comes to exclusively pumping. The range of experience can extend from constantly struggling to maintain a supply that is sufficient for the needs of your baby to producing far in excess of what your baby requires on a daily basis. Most women can at least meet the needs of their babies and can do so for several months. Many women exclusively pump for up to twelve months or even longer.
One of the most difficult aspects of exclusively pumping is maintaining a frequent pumping schedule. However, most women are able to drop pumping sessions and, by adding time to their remaining sessions, continue to produce similar volumes of milk. Many women are able to eventually pump as little as four times a day, and some as few as two or three, without losing significant volume.
Regardless of the reason a woman comes to exclusively pump, all women who choose to fed their babies by this method have one important thing in common: a strong belief that breast milk is the best possible nutrition for their baby and a willingness to provide breast milk by any means possible.
Stephanie Casemore is the author of Exclusively Pumping Breast Milk: A Guide to Providing Expressed Breast Milk for Your Baby. She exclusively pumped for one year for her son who was born nine weeks premature. Casemore also maintains her website, ExclusivelyPumping.com, which is a resource site dedicated solely to the needs of women who are exclusively expressing breast milk. She is working to educate women on the option of exclusively pumping to ensure women know there is an alternative to formula feeding when breastfeeding is not possible or does not work out.
Hampton Court Palace can be found to the south-west of the Capital, on the edge of the River Thames, encircled by land and dazzling estates. Hampton Court Palace, Henry 8s astounding water shore palace is set in over six-hundred acres of parkland & grounds.
Awaken the ambience of well over four-hundred & fifty years of rituals, fancy dressed interpreters can be witnessed all over Henry 8th’s and King William 3rds magnificent own estates. The scenes, noise & smells of the stunning Tudor kitchens where royal dinners were set up for Henry?s court of well over one-thousand visitors can also be viewed.
Hampton Court Palace has been divided into six distinct routes or excursions. The Maze at Hampton Court Palace which is sited on the Thames to the west of the City is in all likelihood the most cherished hedge maze on this earth.
Hampton Court palace has a scandalous tradition and is apparently inhabited by more than a few ghosts, including 2 of Henry 8’s late wives & a nurse to his children. Hampton Court Palace owners and staff will be on hand to assist people to their designated state home for a cava & canap?s greeting. Uniformed employees will declare supper and guests will be requested to take their designated seats for a great 2 course meal with chosen fine white wines. For a great day out, why not visit Hampton Court Palace with Enjoy England.
Hampton Court Palace has 60 acres of ceremonial private gardens on top of the six hundred acres of royal wood. The royal gardens go back to the sixteenth Century, when the first Privy Garden was laid out between 1530 and fifteen-thirty eight for King Henry the 8th.
Fly fishing, in all it’s variations and sub-areas (casting, fly tying, etc), centres around a single goal - To successfully tempt a fish (Most commonly a trout) to take an artificial fly as a food item. Sighting, hooking, playing and landing the fish are also important parts of the successful fishing experience, not to mention being able to get the fly to the fish in the first place, by the unique casting methods utilized solely in fly fishing.
However, along with all that work, and the practice of the skills involved in bringing it all together at that crucial moment, comes that pivotal element of convincing the fish that what they are considering is indeed food-like in nature. Without this key element, we can forget the rest, and this is the one step of the exercise which is dependant upon the decision of the fish, rather than ourselves.
In this, fly fishermen spend untold amounts of time researching, studying, and imitating countless insect types in aid of presenting a believable decoy to their quarry. We tie our flies, the fish takes it, our efforts paid off, right?
But is everything as it seems? Did we deceive the fish for exactly the reasons we thought?
Although there are many factors involved in getting that fly to a timid fish, and fly fishing itself was obviously designed around overcoming all of those obstacles, considering it’s significance, understanding the ‘Feeding behaviour’ of the trout has probably taken somewhat of a back seat, compared to some of the other areas or skills of fly fishing, we fishermen often seem to focus our efforts on.
The feeding behaviour of trout is the sum of two main factors:
Firstly, through the fry and fingerling stages of development, the identification of specific ‘Food Recognition Keys’ are ingrained resulting from the repetitive feeding pattern of their natural survival instincts.
Secondly, as they get larger, they can manage larger diet articles. Supplementary behaviour is then learned out of a reactive response to the local fauna they find in the area where they are hatched or released. Local knowledge is naturally beneficial here and this is normally what we focus on when fly fishing.
The behavioural patterns of trout vary significantly between the species, the size and the circumstances in which they are found. Trout habits also change through different times of the day, and again depending on weather conditions. Feeding habits and behaviours also change between faster and slower waters, and so on.
As in most types of fishing, there is not just one single or simple answer. If there was, it would have been made common knowledge, a long time ago. What this does tell us, is that to increase our odds of convincing the trout of the validity of our fly, it’s going to be far more beneficial to concentrate on presenting specific ‘Recognition keys’, which remain consistent, rather than the far more subjective; ‘Circumstance-specific learned behaviour’ which will often vary greatly from fish to fish, and particularly from place to place.
There are many pieces to this puzzle. The more pieces you can find, understand and put together, the more it multiplies your fly fishing results. What this methodology does do for us especially, is simplify and sharpen our learning curve by quite an incredible degree.
Therefore, instead of studying dozens, even hundreds or more, of insects and the flies designed to imitate them, I’ve found that in nearly all circumstances, you need only a few fly patterns, each designed to do a specific job in the varying circumstances found on the stretch of water you’re fishing.
Trout Flies then induce fish ‘Takes’ by the use of food ‘Recognition Keys,’ rather than by intended imitation. For this method then, local knowledge becomes relatively irrelevant.
This means flies do not need to imitate anything to catch trout. What!?! Say that again.- Flies do not need to imitate anything to catch trout. Certainly nothing specific anyway.
Flies can then be tied to counter stream or water conditions, or to counter, and or take advantage of, various aspects of trout behaviour. This, then (Not being restricted by specific imitation), opens up possibilities for us to incorporate the use of innovative strategies, tactics and trout fly construction, to give ourselves a far greater edge than previously thought possible.
The more time we have spent fishing with incorrect or insufficient knowledge, the more time you have spent developing the mindset that the trout is a vastly superior, cunning and unpredictable adversary, and results like mine become seemingly unattainable, and without such knowledge becoming available, the practical reality remains precisely that.
Normally it takes years of studying these fish, trial and error with different fly patterns, different fishing techniques, different innovative designs and methods with the right focus to get to a place where you understand these creatures adequately for the outstanding results we normally only see the Pro’s achieving.
Fortunately, with the right focus, we can now be achieving much greater success in much shorter time frames by understanding and taking advantage of these ‘Recognition keys’, combined with other behavioural patterns of the trout species we are targeting and just some basic skills of fly fishing.
Wayne Smith, author of the acclaimed ‘Fly Fishing For Trout - A Quiet Revolution’ which can be found here:
Fly Fishing
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Recently, while visiting a friend’s office, he began to tell me his business was a mess. It wasn’t fun anymore. “The problem with this business,” he said, “is that the manager (ME) is the worst person for the job. I have no training in management. My partner just wants to come to work, do his job and leave the management chores to me. Frankly, I don’t have any great desire to be the boss, either. Personnel problems, cash problems, meeting sales quotas - I do it all. It’s everyday and it’s a drag.”
Sound familiar? You have a lot of company. In every business, however, “somebody” has to be the boss. You may not have the training, the desire or the patience but you have the job. Is there any way to make it less painful?
YES! First recognize that every business is in two businesses. You do what you do — plumb, build, sell, manufacture, etc. — that’s your first business. Your customers ultimately decide how well you practice this business by the sales they give you. If you serve their needs, you continue to get their support. If you don’t give them what they want, they won’t support you, you won’t long have a business to worry about.
Your second business is the business of staying in business. You may be great at what you do, but if you fail to run your business properly, you can run yourself out of business — FAST. This is my friend’s problem. He feels overwhelmed by “being in business.”
Being in business, though, doesn’t have to be a stressful and draining. Here are three strategies you can use to help you be a better manager of your business:
1. Start by thinking through why you are in business. If you haven’t already, write down your clear business goals with a deadline for their attainment and write them in terms of results. Write down what you have to do to meet your goals. (For example: Use PostIt(TM) Notes to list each step of how your work flows, starting with getting prospects and ending with getting paid. What paperwork do you have to generate? How many sales calls have to be made? What are your production quotas? What controls are needed? Etc.)
2. Let your people know (in writing) what is expected of them in terms of results and deadlines. Agree with your partner, if you have one, what you can expect from one another. Don’t leave any gaps in your expectations. Measure every action and person in the business against those goals. Do not tolerate any action inconsistent with the goals.
3. In terms of day-to-day management skills, rely on good old common sense. If an action doesn’t meet a common sense test, it is probably bad management theory, as well. Always keep in mind that when the work flow flows and your policies and procedures are working and when people know what they are supposed to do and are allowed to do it, there is very little need for additional management. You will still need to be the manager — when things don’t work. But if your company’s goals are clearly stated, and everybody is pulling in one direction, that won’t happen often. And isn’t that the kind of management you for that matter, can live with.
Copyright 2006 John J Reddish
John Reddish works with and speaks to entrepreneurs and top executives who want to master growth, transition and succession, helping them to get results faster, less painfully and in ways that work for them. Author, speaker, consultant and mentor, John is a member of the National Speakers Assn. For booking and product information: http://www.getresults.com. Or call 800.726.7985 in the US, 01.610.388.9335 internationally, or at johnr@getresults.com.
Hampton Court Palace is located to the south west of the Capital, on the edge of the River Thames, enclosed by park and splendid private grounds. Hampton Court Palace, King Henry eights superb riverside apartment is placed in over 400 acres of parkland & gardens. For a great day out, why not visit Hampton Court Palace with Enjoy England.
Inciting the ambience of well over four hundred and fifty years of rituals, fancy dressed actors can be observed all through Henry eights and King William third’s inspiring own houses. The pictures, noise & stink of the blossoming Tudor kitchens where dinners were arrange for Henry?s courtyard of well over one thousand individuals can also be viewed.
Hampton Court Palace has been separated into 6 distinct routes or journeys. The Maze at Hampton Court Palace which is sited on the River Thames to the west of London City is almost certainly the most famous hedge maze in the world.
Hampton Court palace has a dreadful custom and is supposed to be possessed by some poltergeists, including two of Henry 8ths departed wives & a nursemaid to his offspring. Hampton Court Palace wardens and personnel will be close at hand to help guests to their selected state accommodation for a sparkling wine & canap?s function. Fancy dress workers will broadcast the evening dinner and visitors will be asked to take their places for a fabulous two course dinner with hand picked fine red and white wines.
Hampton Court Palace has 60 acres of official grounds as well as the 500 acres of royal park. The royal private grounds date back to the 16th Century, when the 1st Privy Garden was put down between fifteen-thirty and fifteen thirty eight for King Henry the 8th.
Last few months have witnessed phenomenal returns on real estate in Delhi and NCR and whole of India. Though currently Gurgaon is slowing down, with prices having come down by 20% in certain cases … still there is bullishness with caution. However, seemingly money is moving to Dwarka from Gurgaon.
With opening of Delhi metro line to Secretariat and Connaught Place almost a certainty, Connaught place has seen jump of 20 to 40% in capital and rental values. Inner circle showroom space rents at unheard Rs. 450 to 500/- per Sq. Ft., with showrooms space is in scarce supply. This positive sentiment due to Metro opening is pushing up demand in Dwarka and prices.
Where does one invest? Put in his money?
Answer to this is not easy. But it is still possible to find investment opportunities. Read on to know more.
To identify parameters for safe investment were difficult. Finally it boiled down to the question… if I invest my money in Real Estate anywhere, will a possible crash or bearish sentiment in Real Estate erode my real estate investment?
This meant, buying property at prices which in equity market parlance is called “value buy”. Rock bottom prices. Choice was between a developed property or land. Developed property has the advantage of finding a tenant so as some return on investment is there. But then, in developed property, you pay for the developer’s profit. Bearish sentiment can erode values in such investments considerably.
Land seemed to be safer. But what about a recurring return - monthly or annual from the land? This set me on to the exercise that if I had 1 (one) Crore rupees, then what shall I do?
This quest led me out of of Delhi and finally, in Rajasthan, within 100 Kms from International airport, I located large tracts of fertile agricultural land with sweet water in the range of Rs. 2 to 3 Lakhs per acre (including acquisition cost of stamp duty plus brokerage). Undulating land, with few hills around, lake etc.
It is possible that the land prices will not appreciate so quickly and the holding may exceed few years. Could I then earn recurring revenues? Answer was a simple and emphatic Yes. Investigation showed that multiple sources of revenue are possible.
Simplest is leasing the land for one year to the local farmer who pays you either in kind or cash. About 6-8 % annual return on the investment is possible. Fear here is that such lease creates a right for the farmer. But this is not true. Each third year, a new farmer can be found and land leased to. This is not difficult, and is done quite often.
Even better returns are possible, if herbal farming is done. Safed Muesli shows tremendous potential though there are negative reports that it did not work for the few who tried. But there are many, for whom it has worked. When properly done and marketed, it can generate upto Rs. 2 Lakhs per acre of profit in one year. Profits from first year itself possible.
Another possibility is growing the bio-diesel plantation. As per Govt. notification, in few years time it will become mandatory for a 5% mix of bio-diesel with diesel. Yes … the bio-diesel is in short supply. Consistent revenues of Rs. 15 to Rs. 35 thousand per acre per year with minimal caretaking.
Then many other possibilities … growing carnations, poultry, exotic vegetables, open a resort, conference center etc. Rajasthan govt. fairly co-operative on this.
Finally, the big bang is possible. Expansion of urban areas can push up dramatically the land valuations. In any case, large tracts of land give a high level of well being factor to oneself and the family.
http://www.swagatamindia.com
Sheikh Pervez Hameed is a realtor since 1989, has ground knowledge of the real estate market of Delhi and its surroundings.
In order to succeed in your dissertation project, you should establish steadfast relationship with your advisor. This is especially important if you are a PhD. One should never forget tat there are two steps in the advising process, the first stage is when a student takes course and the second one is a dissertation process. In order to succeed however, one should have the advisor at each stage of this process. Te student in this case has more possibilities to make acquaintance with his advisors, and thus understand better which one of them will suit his needs.
This important process is very important for the students and advisors alike. But advisor should act like a mature and responsible person who, unlike the student, has had much more experience in advising of the completion of dissertation. Te advisor should give special attention to all requests of the student as well as his comments or observations. If an advisor is requested to read the draft of the dissertation, he should read it and evaluate it, providing specific comments to the work submitted.
On another hand a student should prepare thoroughly for each meeting with his advisor (it might advisable to prepare a detailed plan of the meeting as well). One should remember that an advisor can not allocate unlimited period of time to the student, so a student should be succinct and provide his advisor wit as much detailed information as possible. If a student has some proposals to resolve some controversial issues of the dissertation that is being prepared or some new ides on the subject that is being researched, he should prepare them in advance and write them down. It is a prerequisite, because your advisor would more likely provide you with the feedbacks on the particular piece of writing.
How to contact with your advisor.
Usually, it should not be a greet problem, especially in this era of mass communications. Sometimes, it more useful to communicate via email or leave voice messages, however your advisor will be able to indicate the best way of communication with him.
One should not be shy, it is especially important for foreign students, who sometimes experience difficulties with their English, and do not want to sound awkward. One should understand that your communication with your tutor and advisor is one of the most important parts of your dissertation writing process, and one that should be prepared thoroughly in order to make all process successful.
Learn more about it here Dissertation and Thesis Writing Service
Country decorating ideas can help you create a home that is warm, inviting and the perfect home to live in. Country style decorating ideas help you capture the spirit of country living during modern times. If you are restoring a country home, try to keep the original woodwork, windows, floors, fixtures and cabinetry unless they are beyond salvaging. For decorating a new or existing home, there are choices you can make that will provide you with the charm and comfort of life in the countryside.
Consider these country decorating ideas and country style decorating ideas:
1. Country Dining Rooms - use a large rectangular table made of pine, oak, walnut or mahogany with wooden chairs or old benches that are similar in style and material. A corner cupboard, plate racks, dresser or sideboard will provide perfect storage and serving area for the dining room as long as they match the style and the materials of the table and chairs.
2. Country Bathroom Decorating - country bathroom floors are made of wood, ceramic tile, linoleum, vinyl or natural cork. Carpeting used in the country bathroom is not appropriate. Wood and brass accessories are perfect materials to use in a country bathroom. Plain white towels instead of patterned or bright modern patterns are better. Wicker or wire baskets keep your sponges, loofas and shampoos handy near the tub or shower besides looking great.
3. Country Kitchen Decorating Ideas - use country decorating ideas in your kitchen. Give your kitchen a calm, elegant country atmosphere with soft colored walls, antique-looking lighting (chandeliers with wrought iron arms), wooden antiques or antique reproduction cabinets, plate racks and stone or wood fireplaces. Kitchen cabinets made of wood, aged surfaces, natural materials, rough finishes and round knobs provide a country style. Cabinets or kitchen furniture made of pine, even painted, can be beautiful key elements in the country kitchen. Country kitchen countertops use ceramic tiles or even hand painted tiles, slate or marble. If you want to use laminate materials, go for plain colors for coverings. Terracotta tiles, brick, stone and wood are very popular materials for country kitchen floors.
4. Kids Rooms - use wicker baskets, wooden chests and wooden bookshelves for storing books, toys and stuffed animals. When using tall bookshelves in your kid’s rooms, anchor them to the ceiling or walls so they cannot tip over. Bright colored plastic boxes are not good country style decorating ideas.
5. Furniture - furniture with simple lines, perhaps made of lacquered pine wood works great. Give furniture a rustic look by finishing it in a distressed, aged way. For example, brush on a coat of paint, then rub most of the paint off with a sponge or cloth. When dried, apply wood stain sealer unevenly. It will be perfect! Or use two paint colors and sandpaper to create a distressed look for unpainted or previously painted surfaces. Get free country decorating ideas by visiting your local home decorating or paint store for help with materials and techniques. Have fun looking for antiques, reproductions and handmade products when buying furniture for your country home.
6. Sofas or Love Seats - country decorating ideas can transform your love seat or sofa. Add a beautiful loose floral print “slipcover” for a romantic country look. Include padded stools and ottomen for comfort and as a place to set your drinks or newspaper. Add one or more rocking chairs. Traditional country chairs and sofas have high backs. And if the living room has a bay window, consider building a window seat with several cushions, a perfect place for reading and relaxing. High tripod side tables are appropriate next to the sofa or love seat for country home decor.
7. Antique Cupboards or White Cabinets - use a white cabinet or antique cupboard to show your ceramics, pottery, yellowware bowls, glass jars, or a collection of enamelware from the 30’s or 40’s to give your home a beautiful country style. Open shelving not only provides storage, it gives the room a country look, especially when earthware, stoneware and rustic items are displayed.
Country decorating ideas and country style decorating ideas remind us of the way life was lived many years ago. Everyday country life was often difficult, filled with physical demands and long hours. Even so, country life was simpler and closer to nature without the stress of modern city life.
Use country decorating ideas to help recreate the ambience, peacefulness and pleasures of closeness to nature without having to endure the hardships. Read all you can find about country style decorating ideas. From using old furniture to the colors and fabrics you choose to how your things are arranged, create the country atmosphere in your home that celebrates the lifestyle that used to be.
Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing
David Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.yourdreamloghome.com - visit the website for more on country home decorating and design, kitchen and bathroom design and decor tips, home storage, fireplaces and more.
I have always said that if I were to write a book on effective management principles, the first chapter in that book would be about the importance of pinpointing responsibility among an owner’s or a general manager’s reporting units. After all, one of the most popular definitions of management is getting work done through others.
#1 Management Pitfall: An unwillingness to delegate.
Many times the owner or general manager is the most knowledgeable and the most capable person in the company; he or she can perform many tasks better than anyone else. The problem arises when managers decide that they are the only people in an organization who can really perform a task “right.”
While this may be true, when managers feel a strong need to be in total control by personally taking charge of the company’s most critical tasks, they have made a very personally limiting decision. Why? Because any single person has just so many hours in a day. So managers who are poor at delegating are limited by their own personal mental and physical stamina.
A manager friend of mine recently told me a great story that I believe illustrates this point extremely well. This particular owner had founded his business almost 40 years ago and had designed the company’s first product catalog about 25 years ago. The catalog was highly successful, so he continued to hold on tightly to this task himself. No one else in the organization was as capable at selecting products for the catalog or laying out the product selection.
As the business grew, however, the owner became busier and busier with involvement in other critical management functions: Banking relations, negotiating insurance programs, strategic planning, estate planning, acquiring new locations, etc. So the most current catalog was neglected and pretty soon began to look outdated.
A key employee who had worked with the owner in implementing previous catalogues came to him and offered to assume responsibility for the project. However, the owner continued to sincerely believe that only he could do this job and do it “right.” But nothing happened.
Realizing that she was taking a risk, the subordinate took it upon herself to take a stab at laying out the catalog. Conscientiously working at home, she burned the midnight oil so the project didn’t interfere with her normal duties at work. Finally the project was finished and she presented the rough layout to her boss.
“Wow,” he exclaimed. “What a great job!”
The owner finally realized that while the catalog she had designed was not laid out as artfully as perhaps he could have done it himself, the project had gotten done.
What duties and tasks are you holding onto because you perform them better than anyone else? Are you assigning responsibilities to your people and holding them accountable for measurable results?
So ask yourself: Is the success of your business limited by your own personal physical and mental stamina? There’s just so much that any one person — no matter how talented — can do and do well.
#2 Management Mistake: Failure to hold your people accountable for measurable results.
Have you ever told a manager that the next time you walk into the area of the business he or she is responsible for that you want that area to be neat and organized? Most owners and managers certainly have. Well, how about this question: Have you ever returned to inspect the manager’s progress and been disappointed in what you observed?
The reason many times is because the owner’s or manager’s idea of C-L-E-A-N is substantially different from that of the subornate.
Try this: Prepare an inspection checklist. Describe clearly what your definition of clean is so that the person you’re holding accountable will know in no uncertain terms what is expected of him or her.
So often managers are guilty of saying to a subordinate manager: “I want you to reduce expenses out here.” But they never suggest how much or expressing the request in measurable terms.
I suggest to my clients that they hold their managers accountable for controlling operating expenses to a specified percentage of sales and pay the manager on his ability to meet this goal.
Management mistake #3: Failure to establish minimum conditions of employment.
In other words, make sure all employees understand in measurable terms what they have to do — at a minimum — to keep their job.
Examples:
How many new customers and how much sales volume must a salesperson attract to the business in a given period of time?
What inventory turnover must the buyer achieve at a minimum?
What collection days must the credit manager achieve at a minimum?
How much net margin must the general manager achieve at a minimum?
Bill Lee is a sought after business consultant and seminar leader. He is author of Gross Margin: 26 Factors Affecting Your Bottom Line ($29.95 Plus $6 S&H) and 30 Ways Managers Shoot Themselves in the Foot ($21.95 plus $6 S&H) http://www.BillLeeOnLine.com Email: blee@BillLeeOnLine.com
Ballet is an art form that began in the 1400’s and became more standardized in the 1600’s in the court of Louis XIV. Louis was known as the “Sun King.,” Tthe name came from a role he danced in a ballet. In 1661 Louis XIV established the Acadmie Royale de Danse to train dancers and dance teachers. By the 1800’s the technique was pretty much solidified into a form very close to what we see today.
Ballet, the art and the training of a dancer, has a tradition that is now handed down from generation to generation. The training a dancer receives today is similar to the training a dancer would have received in the 1800’s. Yes, there are differences, stylistic and technical. Certainly better nutrition, better health care, and the ability to start training at a young age has also had an impact on what a dancer today can physically achieve. The engineering of the pointe shoe has also changed significantly, allowing the ballerina to dance en pointe for longer periods of time. The framework for all of this, however, was set in the 1800’s.
Today, if you take a ballet class any place in the world, the structure of the class is the same, the steps are the same and the approach is the same. The timing, the position and the execution of any given step is not open to discussion. Neither is the posture or the alignment or the classical line. Why? For one reasonit works.
Now let’s talk about introductory calling. (You knew I’d get here eventually, didn’t you?) In many of the workshops I conduct, participants are generally opposed to the idea of working with a script. They tell me they feel uncomfortable, canned, phony and insincere. They also tell me that every conversation is different.
Hmmm…..
When you make introductory calls, the only thing that really counts is results. Here are the numbers: If you are calling to schedule meetings, in a given time frame how many times do you dial the telephone? How many decision-makers do you reach during that time? And how many appointments do you schedule? Your feelings don’t count.
Some words are stronger than other words, some phrases are more persuasive. Some words or phrases are more powerful, more evocative, better selling words than others. If you say something to a prospect that works to get the result that you wantwhy would you ever want to say anything else? If what you are doing does not get the result you want then you have to tweak your approach until you get a better result.
It’s easy to recognize what works and what doesn’tcount and keep records. Keep records of the number of times you dial the phone, the number of decision-makers you reach and the number of appointments you schedule. If you are scheduling one meeting without of every three or four decision-makers with whom you speak, you are doing fine. Keep doing exactly what you are doing. If you are not scheduling that number of meetings, find better words and phrases with which to entice your prospects. Track your results. You will quickly be able to figure out what works and what does not. Once you know what workskeep doing the same thingit works!
Every conversation is not different. The reality is that most conversations with most prospects are very much the same. When asking for a meeting, most prospects respond: “I have a vendor,” “Send a brochure,” “I’m too busy” or “I’m not interested.” You need a response to each of these objections and you need a response that works. Once you find a response that worksnote it down and keep using it. It works. (For a complete listing of objections and effective answers see “Cold Calling for Women: Opening Doors & Closing Sales,” Chapter 12, page 121, “Specific Answers to Specific Objections” or “Cold Calling College,” Module 3. To order visit: http://www.wendyweiss.com.)
Great actors have the ability to work with scripts and make them lifelike every time. You can do this too. It takes some concentration. Part of what makes great dancers great is the discipline and concentration to start at the beginning, follow through and continue to do what works. Great sales people are great because they have the ability to plan, think strategically, discover what works and then they have the concentration and discipline to follow through and continue doing what works.
Where do you fit in? Only you can decide.
© 2005 Wendy Weiss
Wendy Weiss, “The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success,” is a sales trainer, author, and sales coach. Her recently released program, “Cold Calling College”, and/or her book, “Cold Calling for Women”, can be ordered by visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com. Get Wendy’s free e-zine at www.wendyweiss.com