7 Things Highly Productive People Do

incmagazine:

You have more important things to focus on than, um, focusing. Get back on track with these tips.

  1. Work backwards from goals to milestones to tasks.
  2. Stop multi-tasking.
  3. Be militant about eliminating distractions.
  4. Schedule your email.
  5. Use the phone.
  6. Work on your own agenda.
  7. Work in 60 to 90 minute intervals.

Read full article

8 Ways to Build Customer Loyalty

incmagazine:

1. Have a sales philosophy that emphasizes relationship building.

2. Define a unique niche and become the customer’s expert on it.

3. Help the customer build the customer’s own business.

4. Translate what you offer into the customer’s business results.

5. Value the relationship more than making your quota.

6. Think end-of-time friendships, not end-of-month totals.

7. Achieve a perfect job of delivering what you’ve promised.

8. Provide absolutely impeccable service after the sale.

etsy: (via 50 Succulents Plant Rosettes Assortment by SucculentDESIGNS)

etsy:

(via 50 Succulents Plant Rosettes Assortment by SucculentDESIGNS)

etsy: (via Colorado Landscape Acrylic on Wood 12 X 16 by JohnKlineArtwork)

etsy:

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The Case for Social Media cont.

“Although influence and engagement is vitally important and of course we don’t want to build up large numbers of fans and followers and then push them away with uninteresting news and irregular posts, what we really want to know is ‘will this post lead to a sale?”

It is the question (and answer) we all have to come to as marketing communication managers. How do we prove the worth of our reach in social communications? How do you truly determine the worth of millions in reach when the ROI for a final sale is  fuzzy? When looking through endless amounts of google analytics, tweetdecks, hootsuites, tweeps, and various other tracking devices- it all becomes a little overwhelming. 

Malcolm Cowley writes the article With Social Media, Should We Settle for ‘Return on Influence’ When We Can Have ‘Return on Investment’? and ventures to answer this question. 

http://socialmediatoday.com/malcolmphg/409889/when-it-comes-social-media-should-we-really-settle-return-influence-when-we-could-

Steve Jobs: 20 Life Lessons

Steve Jobs: 20 Life Lessons

Furthering my decision to order his book (used of course) on amazon.


My feelings about Steve Jobs have always been a little mixed. I long admired his entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen and was in sheer awe of his natural instincts for what appeals to consumers. On the other hand I bristled at what I saw as his — and by extension Apple’s — occasionally …(cont. on Mashable)

http://mashable.com/2011/12/18/steve-jobs-20-life-lessons/

Halfway down the stairsis a stairwhere i sit.there isn’t anyother stairquite likeit.i’m not at the bottom,i’m not at the top;so this is the stairwhereI alwaysstop.Halfway up the stairsIsn’t upAnd it isn’t down.It isn’t in the nursery,It isn’t in town.And all sorts of funny thoughtsRun round my head.It isn’t reallyAnywhere!It’s somewhere elseInstead! When We Were Six, AA Milne


Halfway down the stairs
is a stair
where i sit.
there isn’t any
other stair
quite like
it.
i’m not at the bottom,
i’m not at the top;
so this is the stair
where
I always
stop.

Halfway up the stairs
Isn’t up
And it isn’t down.
It isn’t in the nursery,
It isn’t in town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head.
It isn’t really
Anywhere!
It’s somewhere else
Instead!

When We Were Six, AA Milne

(Source: 0utwiththeoldinwiththenew)

(Source: walkthepathsofconstellations)

(via springonthebreeze)

Gary and Henry Chasing Butterfly by Rodney Smith


Gary and Henry Chasing Butterfly

by Rodney Smith

(Source: arpeggia)

A Human Being, A Visionary, An Entrepreneur

I always consider those articles about being innovative a bit difficult to swallow. Apparently all you have to do is find a need and solve it. I think we all know it becomes endlessly more difficult than that. As I was reading through Inc.com’s website I came across yet another article about being an innovative entrepreneur- did I skip it? No, of course not.

Naveen Jain states the following in the article:

An entrepreneur is not a person who starts a company but he is the person who actually solves a problem. It’s all about execution and it is a state of mind. A person who sees a problem is a Human Being; a person who finds a solution is visionary; and the person who goes out and does something about it is an entrepreneur.

Naveen was able to take the old saying – ‘all you have to do is find a need and solve it’ and went one  step further to state that in order to be successful you must not only solve the problem, but you must go out and get it done.

There isn’t enough time in the day- But yes, Naveen, I would have to agree with you.

(Source: http)