The Info Treasure Trove

Assuming you haven’t got the picture on betting establishment card playing, do read on.

no deposit casino

For the sake of clarity, a gaming room is a house that organizes games. At such a place, guests are encouraged to enjoy themselves by challenging one-armed-bandits or trying out some other games. Gambling house games most likely have methodically determined percentages built in which make sure the gambling saloon secures dominion over the patrons. A legion of gaming hall games can incite you into being habituated very quickly. Consider the the standard one-armed-bandit, a cash operated contraption with 3, sometimes more reels which revolve if an arm coupled to it is yanked. The instrument customarily will pay up in alignment with a sequence of motifs perceptible on the panel of the instrument. Regrettably, betting saloon games encourage a mirage of supremacy, thus tricking the patron — the punter is provided with judgments, but in actual fact these don’t truly nix the customer’s long term handicap. That is induced by the betting saloon not refunding the full sum as hoped for. This theory will generally be noticeable in well-known casino games like five-card stud poker, dice games, roulette or blackjack.

Poker is indisputably a highly popular casino game. The gaming devotees, meticulously guarding their fully screened hands, place bets into a central pot that is ultimately given to the last player endowed with best set of cards. (And yes, the shameless bluffer can easily win ..) Just like stud poker, blackjack too is an incredibly fashionable casino game. A substantial chunk of its celebrity is thanks to the mix of chance and know-how and choice making, as well as a procedure called “card counting”. This is an approach by which gaming aficionados can switch the chances of the game to establish the upper hand both by wagering and strategy opetations corresponding with the hands shown. “Craps” is a acclaimed casino pastime where you bet money on the throw of two dice. Gamers wager on the result of one cycle, or on a sequence of rolls on 2 dice. Very much unlike blackjack, there’s absolutely no viable bona fide winner betting system punters can put to use to improve the odds. Roulette is another well-known casino based pastime. A croupier rotates a roulette wheel containing precisely thirtyseven (classical roulette) or thirtyeight (American roulette) separately tagged places in which the pellet must come to settle, which marks the winning number and the other connected odds. When our participant wagers on a single number and wins, in other words they’ve got a lucky hand, the set premium is thirty-five to 1, the initial pledge proper will be paid back. Therefore in total it’s increased by thirty six.

Please try to be very on the lookout as well as such betting room games are considered massively addictive. Plenty of lives may have been ruined by gambling & although it might be a lot of fun, do strive to balance your gambling.

Have you ever noticed how visible large corporations are? Take Coca-Cola®, Nike®
and McDonalds®. They are everywhere. Just ask anyone what comes to mind when
he/she hears the words soft drink, running shoes or quick burgers. More often than
not, you’ll hear these brand names immediately.

We’ve been exposed to these companies so much that it’s natural to think of them
immediately. We recognize them as experts in their specific industries.

What’s the lesson here? Visibility.

As a small business owner, you MUST be visible. If your business isn’t visible to
potential clients and customers, then you might as well close the doors.

Visibility is proactively marketing your business in order to effectively attract new
customers. Sure, you may have a somewhat consistent client base, but resting on
your laurels or just relying on your current client base as your only source of
revenue carries an incredibly high risk, one that has been the detriment to countless
small businesses.

Visibility is one of the MOST crucial determining factors in the success of your small
business. People can’t do business with you if they don’t know you exist.

How can you proactively be visible?

First, remember you are the number one asset of your small business. More than
just getting your name out there, you have to get your face out there in the
marketplace. Prospects can turn up in some of the unlikeliest places and when they
do, it’s your face they need to see in order to consider doing business with you.

For example, take Donald Trump. Whether you admire him or despise him, he’s
everywhere. A few years ago, who would have thought that he would be hosting one
of the most acclaimed network series on television? Who would have thought that he
would have a brand new bestselling book? Even while experiencing financial
uncertainty in his primary business enterprise, Trump is still going strong. Why?
Visibility?

I hear you say, “But, I’m just a small business…I don’t have the same endless
budgets to be as visible as all those corporate types.” As a small business owner,
you don’t have to have a big budget to be visible.

The secret to small business visibility lies in tapping into the solid gold value of
networking. Networking is the high performance vehicle by which small business
owners can drive their exposure towards a successful finish.

But the caveat is…it’s up to you to take advantage of the opportunities that you do
have for networking and to also create your own new opportunities.

Networking is all about people. It gives you the chance to meet new people, make
new contacts, exchange ideas and interact with others. This can seem particularly
challenging for small business owners who run their businesses from home. It can
also seem challenging for those who don’t live in larger cities, but rather in smaller
towns.

But, there are several ways of navigating these challenges. Consider the valuable
networking opportunities with each of these ideas.

One last thing about networking…its not net-sit, net-eat, net-drink or net-hide-in-
the-corner-and-don’t-talk-to-anyone. It is netWORK.

Chambers of Commerce:

Even the smallest of towns has a local chamber group. Membership fees are
typically based upon the annual revenue or number of employees of a business.

If you are a brand new business with limited funds, consider opting for an individual
membership at a minimal fee. This will still give you the opportunity to participate
in chamber events and meet other people in the business community. It will also
give you the opportunity to determine whether your area chamber offers the
networking opportunities for which you are looking.

Professional/Industry-Related Associations:

Do you belong to a group or organization relevant to your area of expertise? If so,
when was the last time you attended one of its meetings or functions? Do you even
know what it’s doing these days?

Sure, you may be a member of such a group, but are you an active member? Simply
paying your annual dues and not participating is not only a waste of money, but
also a waste of a valuable networking and visibility opportunity.

I hear you say, “I don’t have time. That’s like consorting with the enemy. They’re my
competition.” Rest assured that the time you don’t take to make the most of this
opportunity to network is time that your competition is taking to maximize its
networking opportunities.

Look at it this way. What potential value can you offer one of your competitors that
might result in a mutually beneficial situation? How can you benefit from working
together? One of your competitors may be able to provide you with a solution to a
problem while you can offer a solution to one of his/her problems.

Unless you network, you’ll never know. It would be a shame to miss such a valuable
opportunity simply because you decide that you don’t have time or don’t want to
face the competition.

The Internet:

Whether you run your business from a small town or even from home in an isolated
rural area, the Internet has made networking a worldwide possibility. If you don’t
have a business web site, then you are missing your absolute best potential for
visibility.

Maximize your marketing potential by investing in a business web site. The
exposure it generates for you will produce a valuable return of your investment.

However, it is vital that your web site presents your business in a professional light.

If you design your web site yourself, but are not a professional designer…if you
scrimp and try to develop a site on the cheap…and if your expertise is not in
knowing what content to include in a web site to attract clients…you are presenting
yourself to potential clients and customers as an amateur or fly-by-night operation.

This is the LAST thing that you want. Sure, you’d be visiblein a VERY bad way.

In addition to having your own web site, the Internet offers other opportunities for
increasing your visibility through networking. Search for professional and/or
industry-related web sites in your area of expertise. Post comments or suggestions
on industry-related discussion groups or blogs.

Dig a little and you will find valuable resources such as industry-specific forums
that offer countless networking opportunities.

Remember, if people don’t know you exist, they can’t consider doing business with
you. Although this sounds like simple common sense, I regularly see small business
owners who have no concept of the visibility factor.

You MUST be visible.

When it comes to being visible, they mistakenly think that they “don’t have time”,
“can’t make time”, “can’t afford the investment”, “can just hide in their offices and
expect the phone to ring” or any other flimsy excuses that gets them nowhere.

The time to drop that rock is now and increase your visibility.

Jeanna Pool is President of CATALYST creative, inc., an award-winning graphic design, web design and marketing firm located in Denver, Colorado. She helps small business owners who are really good at what they do, but struggle to market their services effectively to attract more clients on a consistent basis. She can be contacted at http://www.catalystcreativeinc.com, info@catalystcreativeinc.com or call 303.380.9100.

One of the most critical choices that an executive or entrepreneur can make is to determine which sales/revenue opportunities to pursue vs. which ones to pass on. How do you determine where you will allocate your time, your resources and your talent? Do you use a rational decisioning process to arrive at the right conclusion or are you the person that is often second guessed or proved wrong because your decision was made irrationally and you arrived at your conclusion by default, osmosis or some other unknown process?

For purposes of this posting I will exclude the greener pastures of new sales opportunities and focus on the most overlooked area of opportunity assessment which is prioritizing decisions surrounding sales of your existing product or services. It has been my observation that many sales plans simply evolve for no quantifiable, qualifiable or tangible reason other than just because…Following are the top 10 reasons not to pursue a particular sales opportunity:

#10: Because a strong sales or product manager flexed his muscles and pushed their bias;

#9: To seek static gains in a vacuum buy just looking for increases in quarter over quarter sequential revenue growth;

#8: To buy business in order to gain market share;

#7: Because more marketing budget exists for Product A vs. Product B;

#6: Because the sales force can’t seem to get traction with Product X;

#5: Because the sales force is getting traction with Product X;

#4: Because the ad agency made a good pitch;

#3: Because the market research said you had a competitive advantage;

#2: Because your competition does it, and;

#1: Because it’s always been done that way.

Some of the aforementioned reasons if encapsulated in an overarching strategy may not in and of themselves be bad reasons to pursue a sales opportunity. However in the absence of a plan and standing alone in a vacuum they will result in wrong choices being made more often than not. To avoid the common mistakes outlined above conduct a thorough comparative analysis of all product and service lines assessing the following key metrics:

• Cost of sales and profit margins;

• Length of selling cycle;

• Sales/revenue obstacles;

• Competitive analysis;

• Current market demand;

• Potential for future market growth;

• Ability to further brand recognition/growth;

• Quality and quantity of available talent and resources supporting a particular product or service line;

• Execution and delivery capabilities;

• Post sale costs of service;

• Ability to add to lifecycle value;

• Recurring revenue vs. one time revenue, and;

• Creation of additional revenue opportunities.

Take the above metrics and plug them into a grid ranking each category from highest to lowest for each product or service line. In addition to individual rankings also created a weighted rank based on the metrics that are most important to your business. Lastly create a blended score for each product or service line. Conducting this type of analysis will help you determine where you should be placing your emphasis for the purpose of moving you toward a best practices approach when creating a well engineered sales plan.

Mike Myatt is the Chief Strategy Officer at N2growth. N2growth is a leading venture growth consultancy providing a unique array of professional services to high growth companies on a venture based business model. The rare combination of branding and corporate identity services, capital formation assistance, market research and business intelligence, sales and product engineering, leadership development and talent management, as well as marketing, advertising and public relations services make N2growth the industry leader in strategic growth consulting. More information about the company can be found at http://www.N2growth.com

Do you have a well thought out reason for writing articles? That is most likely your article writing philosophy, but in case you don’t have one, let me make a few suggestions for developing one.

Thousands of articles about writing articles are bouncing all over the internet and the printed media at any given time. Most of these articles are tips and advice, a few are about grammar and clarity and yet others are about subject matter and how to find it. A philosophy for writing articles is none of the above.

Simply put an article writing philosophy is not about how you write but why. Although it is acceptable to write articles for publicity or hits to your website it is not the strongest motive. Then there are those who write by researching the most sought after keywords on the net and write articles that lead people to those words, thus to their sites. This also qualifies as a reason to write but only in the most strained sense of the word.

Writers are somewhat like preachers, they have a soap box called the printed page and they have a message just like the minister, even if the subject matter is not homiletically inclined. As a young preacher I overheard someone say that “young preachers just have to say something, but older preachers may actually have something to say.” The first step in developing a writing philosophy is to ask your self this question…do I have something to say?

Professional people can quickly answer yes to the question of whether they have something to say. Years of study, training and experience put them ahead of others and all they may lack is just a bit of priming to know how to convey their knowledge by the written word. For those who are not professionals the next question should be “how do you see.” Some people are naturally endowed with a good eye. They don’t need to be politicians to have a good grasp of politics. They can predict, criticize, evaluate and comment on the whole sphere with great clarity and in some cases may affect the outcome of politics in some way. They weigh in so to speak on the subject. In case you think that isn’t so check out the vast opportunities for op-eds (opinion editorials) on the internet today. Thousands of political right and left wing sites are looking for people with good political vision. In this “of the people” society John Q Public is still sought for his view of political figures and things done in the political theatre.

Having a good “minds eye” applies to any field of interest whatsoever. Technicians put together complex electronic and telemetering devices in spacecraft but some people are weighing the result of all that space hardware on people, the environment or the future of man and their insight may be just as needed as the tiniest circuit board any techie can produce.

The motivation for writing an article may only be to provide information; at other times it may be to provide inspiration. Even anger could qualify as a good motive if you are particularly incensed over some injustice or bad behavior. It may sound all to rudimentary or perhaps old fashioned to say that if you are seeking a higher good to be done through your writing then you will always succeed. Sound corny? Think again. No one will ever reject an article that attempts to right a wrong, lift people up or provide a little light and comfort in a troubled world. If that is your motive then that is your philosophy. Good writing.

Well here they are… 10 mortgage loan officer training tips to improve efficiency and increase revenue. These tips have made me hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years and I’m confident they will do the same for you:

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #1:
Only use a few lenders
Depending on your niche, all you really need is a few good lenders. With a portfolio of about five lenders, you can handle all credit grades and even special programs like stated, no doc and 100% financing.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #2:
Read your lender’s guidelines to build an intimate knowledge of their products and procedures - THIS IS A MUST!!! (And easy to do if you only use a few lenders.) Don’t rely on lender reps to tell you about their guidelines. They are human and can make mistakes just like the rest of us.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #3:
Send gifts to your appraiser, title agents, and underwriters to gain favor. This is a great way to build relationships with the people you rely on to do business. Look for a reason to send these people a thank you card along with a gift. This is another good reason to use only a few good lenders.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #4:
Define your market
What loans will you do and what loans will you not touch? You can and will cause yourself undue heartache if you agree to take a loan that is outside of your market. For instance, I refused to even look at a loan unless the borrowers had a credit score of 580 or higher. If an applicant has a credit score less than 580, I referred them to my loan officer partner and split the commissions.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #5:
Specialize
Find a niche. Specialists always make more than generalists. Everyone does purchase loans on single family houses. What if you became the expert in your area on financing investment properties, construction loans, or VA loans? With some work and dedication you could become the mortgage lending “guru” for your niche and monopolize your marketplace.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #6:
Location, location, location
If you can: Keep a frig in your office, place a copier close to your assistant’s desk, and have your computer printer right next to your desk. This will save loads of time walking around the office. It will also keep your assistants focused. Sometimes it’s hard to walk through an office without falling into several casual conversations that can lower your team’s production.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #7:
Get all documentation up front
I believe in getting every piece of documentation I could possibly need right up front. That way if a problem arises you have a greater chance of being able to fix the problem on your own without bothering the borrowers.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #8:
Only the necessities
Just because you collect extra documentation, doesn’t mean you have to use it. Don’t submit extra paperwork to your processor or to underwriting. It could open a can of worms you don’t want opened. Only turn in exactly what’s need to fund the loan - nothing more or less.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #9:
Sandwich technique
At some point you’ll need to contact a borrower during the loan process and ask for more information. When this situation arises, try using the sandwich technique:

Re-establish rapport
Make your request: “Oh by the way I need___. When can you fax it to me?”
Continue rapport building dialog.
Say goodbye and politely get off the phone.

If you have a difficult borrower, this works like a charm to diminish their anxiety level.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #10:
Testimonials
Get testimonials from everyone. They are great marketing tools for your business. Use them to target your client’s CPA, HR manager at work, real estate agent and financial planner to establish a referral relationship.

There you have it. Incorporate these ideas into your mortgage business and see how they impact your bottom line.

By the way, if you would like to get another 13 mortgage loan officer training tips that can instantly boost your income by $5,000 per month, visit:

www.Mortgage-Leads-Generator.com/a/13tips.htm

Please feel free to reprint this article as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.

Hartley Pinn has recently created the “Mortgage Leads Generator”
Training Course to teach mortgage loan officers 10 proven strategies
for generating more than 71 mortgage leads per day.

Why do people write long copy? It is not because their
readers read it all! People write long stories for the same
reason that restaurants that serve big portions get
customers lining up at their doors. They are creating the
illusion that their meal is cost effective. A long story
suggests that there is a lot to say.

The American society teaches that more is better and you are
not going to single handedly change that. Instead, go with
the flow — use the illusion and write long emails, long
articles, and long sales letters…BUT before you do, make
sure there are six questions that are answered in the first
ten seconds of your copy.

The questions are: What? Who? When? Where? How? Why?

“What” always needs to come first in every story. “What”
must also be part of the headline, subheadline or graphic
and needs to dominate your marketing piece. It needs to be
simple, fresh, and catchy (not tricky). It must convey what
the reader will get for continuing.

“Who” identifies your business. It must tell the reader who
is telling the story and it must do so at least twice in
your marketing piece. If you use your logo as your “who,” it
must fuse with the “what” element of the ad. “Who” means
more than a name or a logo. Some logos seem to speak to the
designer, but mean nothing to the reader.

If your logo doesn’t automatically deliver meaning, then
only use it to build your brand. Remember, however, that
branding is a time and dollar intensive effort.

“Who” can be conveyed through pictures. A good picture of
you, your employees, your office, or your events create a
personal connection with your reader. If you offer
workshops or seminars, use those pictures. People are more
likely to believe a photo than a piece of artwork.
If you have been in business for a while, say so “since
1982″ counts.

Longevity builds points in the trust category. Be sure to
identify with your name and weave that information
throughout the entire piece. By the time you are done, your
piece should be so closely identified with you that it would
be impossible for someone to pirate your words or logo and
put them into their marketing piece.

“When” is usually simple to add. It needs to go further down
in the marketing piece. Novices place “when” in the topic.
If the readers find your information important, they will
create the space to attend. If you say it too soon, before
it is important to your readers, they may say “no.” After
your prospects learn what is happening and who is doing it,
the next question is “when.” At that point, you give days,
dates and time. If it is a big event, use the year in the
date. All too often, retailers leave their hours out their
ads.

“Where” may seen easier than “when.” Maybe you are
thinking that you just add your address. Not so. Use your
imagination for a moment: you are having a party and want a
friend to come. You give directions, draw a map, and provide
him or her with all the right and left turns.

If your marketing piece requires your customers to find a
location, give them complete information. (If you are
sending an e-mail, give them a link to an on-line map). Add
helpful details like: “look for the blue awning” or “we’re
across from ‘x’ restaurant.” Be sure to include information
about parking. You do not want someone to get frustrated
about parking and go home.

“Why” is often overlooked from the prospect’s viewpoint. .
Many otherwise good marketing pieces fail at the “why.”
“Why” addresses the importance of the event or the
uniqueness of the product.

Don’t forget that your prospect is looking for a good reason
to toss your information. People have more information today
than they can handle. You need a persuasive “buy now” reason
in the “why” part. The answers need to tell them why they
need to hear/learn about this now.

There are only two powerful “buy now” elements that trigger
action: (1) scarcity, and/or, (2) a limited time to act.
Either you are going to run out of product or you are doing
something for a compressed time.

Before an event there needs to be two or three weeks with
limited (scarcity) offers along the way. Item pricing will
not pull an event along, but a good general selection story
will. A story like “further reductions” works, but only if
it is true. Your prospect will know if you are “fudging” the
truth, even if your customers don’t.

Your employees, who are your first line of contact with
customers, will certainly know. Remember the “going out of
business” signs that show up several times a year? Maintain
your integrity and your customers will stay your customers.

“How” are your payment or credit terms. Tell your customers
about them only after you have sold them on your product or
event. Don’t yell “one year interest free” or “no payments
until July of 2004″ until they are excited about what you
are offering. Present your special terms after they have
decided they want it.

In summary, long copy is a good choice after you fulfill the
10-second requirement of the six W’s. This way you allow
both “I want to know a lot” and “give it to me fast and
straight” to get what they need.

About the Author

Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Marketing &
Writing Coach, specializes in product development, Internet
writing and marketing, nonfiction, training. Newsletters
and articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com
blog: http://abundance.blogs.com

1. Spend money on targeted advertising instead of
mass media advertising. You don’t want to waste
your ad dollars on people who aren’t interested.

2. Increase your profits by concentrating on small
details. Improving small things like text size, color,
or graphics can really make a positive difference.

3. Keep your offers flexible. If you offer a set price
for your product, you could offer the people that
can’t afford it an optional payment plan.

4. Offer your knowledge or consulting as a bonus
product. You could offer a free 15 or 30 minute
consultation. This will add value to your product.

5. Personalize all your e-mail messages so they get
read. Include the recipient’s name in the subject line.
This will grab peoples attention quickly.

6. Keep your web site consistent. You don’t want
to keep things on your web site that are unrelated
to the theme of your web site.

7. Attract more subscribers to your free e-zine by
giving them free bonuses like e-books, software,
online services and other incentives.

8. Sell advertising space in your e-zine and on your
web site. This will create an extra income stream
for your business.

9. Make your web site ready for the public. Have
an “About Us” page and clear descriptions of what
actions you want your visitors to take.

10. Don’t just start advertising everywhere, plan out
your marketing. Locate places and publications that
your target audience would congregate around.

About the author:

Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.

I’ve spoken to hundreds of editors, employers, and project managers about how they choose a freelancer for a job. Whether they were reviewing job applications or considering project bids, they all had one thing in common. As every one of them started to look at the applications, they had their skeptic’s hat on.

How a Project Manager Thinks

Here are a few quotes from project managers and employers to show you exactly how they think.

1. Jaime, Editor - “The First Elimination”

My process of judging proposals is one of elimination. The first step is about a general impression. If it’s vague and unconvincing - eliminate. If it’s fluffed up but with no substance - eliminate. If it has real details and seems credibale - keep. Many times this process only leaves one person. That’s how easy it is to get a job - be credible and convincing.

2. Jacob, Project Manager - “I only believe what I see for myself.”

I read every proposal while questioning what I’m being told. Some people make things up. Most people exaggerate. Many people think they’re better than they really are. I’ve been working with contractors for a long time and I’ve found that the only way you can judge a person is by what they do.

3. Randy, Project Owner - “Don’t Tell Me, Show Me”

Don’t try and impress me with ramblings. Lots of positive words strung together does nothing for me. You know, “I am keen, reliable, prompt, easygoing, articulate, generous, kind, competitive, athletic…” I have no reason to believe you’re any of those things. If you want me to pick you for the project, you have to do more than just tell me. You have to prove it to me.

How to Beat the Skeptic

It’s not about what you say, it’s about how you say it. Three small changes will make all the difference to your credibility and will get you more work more often.

1. Use Real Evidence

It’s always better to sell yourself with a real example.

Not so good - “I am reliable.”

Much better - “You will never be left wondering how the project is going because I will provide timely updates to keep you informed.”

2. Use Your Results

Telling project managers about your past results is also a good way to sell yourself.

Not so good - “I write effective web site copy.”

Much better - “With my new and improved content, my last client increased their sales by 120% in the first month.”

The second statement clearly communicates the quality and effectiveness of the work. And at the same time, it’s likely to excite the project manager into thinking that the same result could occur for them.

3. Be Specific

If you can use facts and figures to make your point, do so.

Not so good - “Most of my business is repeat, showing that my clients are happy with the service I provide.”

Much better - “96% of new clients have returned to use my services again.”

Not so good - “I have completed various similar projects.”

Much better - “I have completed 19 similar projects in the last year.”

Make these three simple changes to your bids and job applications and you’ll win more clients, jobs, and projects.

I was in the car leasing business, a fresh college grad, but someone with four solid years of phone experience behind me, and I reached out to sell my first deal.

Within a few hours, I got my first hot prospect on the line. He said he’d like TWO new cars, both in Green, and both with very powerful engines.

“No problem!” I replied.

He said, “Well, I have to sell the car I’m in, first.”

“We’ll buy it!” I countered.

“You have yourself a deal.”

I sent out the leases, by mail, and sure enough, to the surprise but delight of my manager, he signed them, we bought his trade, and we were done.

That was my ready-fire-aim approach to breaking into the business, but compare this to an error I made, that I vowed I’ll never make again.

Another small business owner said he was shopping for TWO Cadillacs and I told him I’d jump on the case, and asked when he wanted me to follow-up.

“A week from now,” he said, and I wrote in into my calendar.

Sure enough, on the appointed date I called and he said:

“Gee, I just bought them yesterday at the dealership. Guess you’re a little late!”

So, from that moment forward, I have always shaved a day or two off the call back date, resolving that it’s always better to be a day early, than a day late!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

by Neal Walters. Chanukah 2008 is now here. The gift giving aspect of Chanukah is much more popular in the United States, than in other parts of the world. Or perhaps, you are starting to think about New Year’s resolutions? Learning Hebrew can be either a gift fo Chanukah, or a New Year’s goal. Hebrew..!? Yes, Hebrew! I have spoken to many people, men and women, who have become very rusty in their Hebrew. For some, the last time they read anything in Hebrew was for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah: in some cases, going back 40 or 50 years ” Oy! Its time for a refresher course ” AndI have the programs for you HebrewResources.com offers several products, which work well for adults and children. The first program in their series is “At Home with Hebrew”. It teaches how to read and recognize all the Hebrew letters and vowels, along some basic vocabulary (both modern and biblical). Hebrew Kindergarten is not just for kids. Its for anybody who wants to learn more advanced Hebrew grammar; this program assumes you know the basics, but it will make you comfortable reading Hebrew without vowel points and speaking and thinking in the language. Recently, HebrewResources released its newest product “Shirei Ha-Shabbat (Songs of the Sabbath). This set includes a hip audio-CD with professionally sung music accompanied by guitar and band that covers many of the basic prayers. Then, the software program in the package teaches the more traditional synagogue tunes for the same Sabbath prayers. This package is a great way to get a person back into the Hebrew of the Siddur. The cantor chosen for “Songs of the Sabbath” is really amazing. You can click buttons on the computer to hear the parts of the prayers, either word-by-word, or line-by-line, or you can hear the entire song at once. When we think of giving Hanukah gifts, we often think of children. Many adults want their children to learn the Jewish language, even if their skills aren’t so great. These products can be used by either children or adults, but how much better to do it together, and make it a family experience? Today, it’s amazing how many Christians are also learning the basics of Hebrew. Many find the Bible coming more alive with a simple knowledge of Hebrew and Jewish practices. Many times, the King James Version or modern translations hide some of the simple truths found there. Whether you celebrate Chanukah or Christmas, consider giving the “gift of Hebrew”. Any of the above tutorials can keep a student busy for months, so they are truly gifts that give all year round. Even if you miss the winter holidays, you can start Hebrew as a New Years resolution, or any time of the year. See video demonstrations of the above mentioned products at our Learn Hebrew website. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.