7 ways to get more out of your creative

What do you do if a campaign's creative budget gets cut by 20 percent? Do you say the creative will be 20 percent less impactful and call it a day?
Hardly.

Sadly, falling budgets, especially in the area of production, are a challenge a lot of companies in this business are facing.
Complicating that challenge is the push for more integrated campaigns. That means more assets spread across a broader range of media environments -- not exactly the route to lower creative costs.

But the best way to maintain quality with a smaller budget may not be by producing assets in less quantity, but rather by doing things differently. As campaign planning becomes more integrated, the increased awareness of how all media are interconnected can open up new opportunities for improved efficiencies.

Here are seven ways that an integrated approach to campaign development can help you accomplish better results with the creative assets you develop.

Simplicity has always been a good approach for effective marketing and branding communications. Logos like Bass Ale (Britain's first registered trademark), fonts like Helvetica, and the classic Volkswagen ads are examples of simplicity that revolutionized the advertising industry.

And if anything, the distinction that simplicity can bring is more important in today's cluttered, over-saturated media environment than ever before. Consumers see an estimated 3,500-5,000 marketing messages a day. They literally don't have the hours in the day to digest all the ads marketers push at them. So if you want consumers to consider reading your message, make it at least appear to be a quick read.

Of all the things you can do to make virtually any form of communication better, this is the most important.
Strong yet simple concepts also tend to work much better across multiple media. And the more a big idea transcends different media, the more efficiently that campaign can be developed, which leads into the next point.

When I was looking for that elusive first copywriting job in advertising, a creative director told me that I could probably get a gig with a portfolio of nothing but good billboard concepts because billboards have the most foundational elements of what good marketing communication is about -- strong graphic images and brief text that pops.

Today, the banner represents that same format. It's highly limited, both textually and graphically. So ideas developed for that format will likely work across a much wider media scape. It's much easier to add production value to a simple concept than it is to take an idea that relies on high production value and boil it down to a stark version of its former self.
When you start with banner development, you'll force yourself to think high concept, yet low production cost. And if you're dealing with budget constraints, that's a good place to be.

It also sets us up well for the next section -- testing.

One of the online medium's most overlooked capabilities is testing strategies and display ad concepts in the most natural environment possible -- a real ad in an actual media placement.
I've talked to numerous researchers and statisticians and have never found anyone who has said this wasn't a legit test, assuming you apply standard controls for messaging and media variables.
You can test messages across strategic directions or creative tactics. And don't rely on production techniques or gimmicks. You're looking for foundational insights that will drive creative development across a range of media. So if what you've developed is specific to online production, you'll skew the results.

Use a single format -- ideally a rectangular format, like the 300x250s, because they have a more universal shape that won't demonstrate a bias toward a specific message type. The results will almost always be relevant and insightful.

It doesn't take a large ad budget to make this process pay off, either. A test can be done for a small percentage of most campaign budgets, and the increased performance across the entire campaign should more than compensate for the testing round.
Early adopters of technology often suffer a lot of headaches while trying out the latest insanely great thing.

In contrast, marketing is where first movers often have significant advantages. The first banners pulled unreal results by today's metrics -- because they were new and web pages weren't so flooded with them. When Flash ads first came out, they almost always drove campaign performance up in large increments because they were the only thing with fluid motion on the web at that time.

Today's new technologies can generate the same effect.
These can be both rich media production technologies and media placement technologies. The reason new marketing technologies work is simple: Almost all of them focus on one of two things. They either focus on improving the odds that your message will get to the right person, or they focus on improving the impact of that message when it reaches that person.
Assuming your message is relevant, there isn't much else that matters outside of those two factors, until the viewer arrives at the destination or conversion point.

So give new technologies a shot. Again, you don't have to spend a lot to get a sense for whether or not they're going to pay off across the larger media spend.
Search and display shouldn't conflict, but rather work like tag team partners -- the more seamless the transition between them, the better. In fact, the more successful your entire campaign is, the greater role search will play.

How?
People hear about products in different ways. Sometimes it's in an ad. Sometimes it's in a news article. Sometimes it's a personal recommendation. And when they hear about said product or brand, they typically don't drop everything they're doing and run straight to the point of purchase (if only). That means they go searching for it at a more convenient time.
So make sure that you factor "searchability" into your campaign. If you look at your banner, print, or video ad, can you imagine what the viewer might be searching for after seeing it? If not, you may need to be a little more specific if you want consumers to ever find your product. Clear brand or product names are essential, as are any other key parts of the message, like the name of a special promotion.

This "searchability" is even more important for companies that don't have a lot of brand awareness. After all, if you know the brand well and can recall it, you can always go search its site. And that idea sets up the next point nicely.
If your advertising campaign has worked, it will likely lead the viewer to a search engine. And from there, the consumer hopefully ends up at a page on your website. If that search results link isn't dead on, they'll often jump over to your homepage.

Unless you have the customer loyalty of Apple, don't bet on customers knowing your product's name when they arrive at your site. More likely, they'll only remember your brand name, maybe part of the product name, and have a vague idea of what the ad said.
This is more problematic for companies with a lot of products because they tend to have more marketing messages out there for their various products, all creating noise and confusion. And even if the consumer remembers your product's name, it's going to be harder to find that product among the many featured on your website.

If consumers arrive at your homepage, you want to get them to their point of interest as quickly as possible. Consumers typically spend only seconds on a web page before clicking or leaving. Every second that passes in which they can't find what they want, you're increasing the odds they'll split. If you're spending big money on a campaign, support it with navigational aids on your homepage.

The multipliers of social media simply offer too much potential to ignore. The average Facebook user has 120 friends. With the new Facebook design, it's more likely than ever that if any of their friends are interacting with your brand on Facebook, it will end up within their view.
So at the very least, post product and campaign information on your Facebook page as part of a routine content updating schedule. Offer social media "share" options on key website pages, and consider adding such options to creative assets if there is room, as in an expandable banner.
As was recently pointed out, we're already seeing Twitter and Facebook driving traffic at levels that compete with Google. And whatever other formats emerge in the future, social media seems to be here to stay.

Conclusion The need to get more out of less isn't a recent phenomenon, but rather a continual trend in the marketing world. So while these tactics may seem like ways to deal with current economic problems, they're actually practices that can simply help you improve performance of your campaigns.
And no matter how creative your shop is, if you're not taking ROI issues into consideration, however you define them, it's likely your clients are. So now might be a very good time to start thinking about them.

Dont you just love him

Developing a kind heart and awakening the mind is not just a sentimental or religious goal.

It is for everyone, irrespective of race, religion or political affiliation. It is for anybody who considers themselves a member of the human family.

The Gregory Stone Story

The Gregory Stone Story
Gregory Stone is a Sydney based business developer specializing in online digital media and website development, with a mix clientele of international blue chips and top end local players, I providing end-to-end online marketing and communications solutions.

My strength? The right combination of business and marketing experience with digital media expertise, topped with a dash of creativity.

What make me difference? Well, i really like what we do, and have fun along the way. And it's catchy. Work with me, and you'll see what we mean!

Who is this guy? I am an independent, highly skilled and experienced online business developer who has delivered countless innovative and exciting projects ranging from complete online businesses to “left field” viral campaigns.

My services:
• Online Strategy consulting
• Online Brand Development and integration
• Internet / Intranet Design and Development
• Integrated Digital Marketing Campaigns, including:
– Display Advertising
– Games and Other Interactives
– Viral Campaigns
– Electronic Direct Mail Campaigns
– Affiliate Partnerships
– Search Engine Optimisation / Search Engine Marketing
– Digital Touch Point Marketing
• Media Services, including:
– Media strategy
– Planning / buying / execution
– Analysis and reporting
• E-commerce / Online Application Development
• Content Management System (CMS) / Client Relationship Management (CRM)Solutions
• CD-ROM / Multimedia


Regards
Gregory C.S. Stone Business Development
m: +61 411 787 565
p: +61 2 9544 4826
e: greg@emerchant.com.au
w: http://www.emerchant.com.au/

Please consider the environment before printing this email


”Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

Banh Mi

Sales plan

Sales Plan

Your Objectives:
Setting broad statements about what you wish to achieve is often a great starting point. Broad
objectives could be along the lines of these statements:
· • Position yourself as a credible service provider,
· • Exploit a range of new business strategies,
· • Generate revenue from existing networks,
· • Automate as much as possible, and
· • Achieve the above with minimum cost.


Your Goals:
It is important to set goals that give meaning to your objectives. They should also allow you to plan
for resource allocation. They are your score card and essentially drive your income.
Below is a sales plan example. The marketing activity is designed to generate consistent enquiry. The
other metrics are based on the sales teams past performance and 10 contacts per day.

Extended Sales Cycle
The initial contact strategy is a numbers game and while quick results will occur the long tail will also
bare significant fruit.
An extended sales cycle (long tail) for Digital Marketing services could look like this:
1. Lead Generation
2. Telephone Fact Find and Understand Pain
3. Possibly Meet Client
4. Understand exactly the Clients Needs
5. Expand their Vision
6. Dollarise their Potential Benefits
7. Integrate their Needs with your Offer
8. Partner and gain an initial Small Commitment (a database build program, small website, an
email campaign etc)
9. Satisfy this quickly and professionally,
10. Place the client on a sequential education program
11. Penetrate by generating a staged development plan
12. Develop and produce on the stated outcomes
13. Build success, confidence and trust
14. Expand the plan and dollar benefits
15. Continually build an empowering eStrategy
It is rarely about one job. It is about the relationship. A small business relationship should generate
between $10,000 to $30,000 in revenue per year.

Unlocking Knowledge, Empowering Minds.

Free lecture notes, exams, and videos from MIT.
No registration required.
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

God could be as simple as this

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can”

iPhone apps take centre stage

Apple iPhone 3G
The mobile phone can be a powerful tool, writes Garry Barker.
One of the most extraordinary success stories on the internet is Apple's iTunes App Store, in which, for a small fee or nothing at all, any iPhone or iPod touch user can get a bit of software to do, well, almost anything.
It is a phenomenon based on the solid foundation that a mobile phone is now a powerful computer-communications device with the immense reach and power of the internet.

It also honours that powerful principle of technology, KIS (Keep It Simple).
Successful iPhone applications are invariably simple to use, small (because iPhones and iPods have limited storage), responsive to human needs and cheap, ranging from free to seldom more than $10.

A good app is one that you use. In other words, it must appeal because it provides a useful service - a function, entertainment or a service using the connectedness and facility of the iPhone.

A successful application might be as crass as a fart generator to startle people in lifts, or it might monitor a diabetic's blood-sugar level, assess the effect of a meal and calculate the insulin required. Both are available, along with an extraordinary array of more than 28,000 other applications in the iTunes App Store.
Open an iTunes account with a credit card, find an app you like, download it to your Macintosh or PC or directly to the iPhone, and install it - done in a matter of seconds.

More than 500 million downloads have been taken from the App Store since it opened last year, and the flow is increasing, making money for developers and for Apple, and driving sales of iPhones and iPod touch units.
Hundreds of new apps are offered every week to be tested and vetted by Apple for design, taste, reliability and viability. A bit of mild scatology is OK, but indecency is right out. The App Store is open to all, but you must be properly dressed.

With more than 18 million iPhones in use around the globe (700,000 or more in Australia), plus a similar number of iPod touches, it is a market of about 40 million devices and growing.
And, just as the World Wide Web became a marketplace, so are iPhone apps developing a commercial species. The champion so far, with 900,000 downloads, is a free app not yet available in Australia, a game that's actually a marketing tool for Volkswagen.
The user drives a virtual car over a course on the iPhone's screen and checks details of its performance and features.
Many companies see an entertaining iPhone application as a good way to reinforce a brand.

So, the iPhone is changing the face of advertising.
But the apps must be good.
"Apple won't accept rubbish, anything crude or that doesn't work properly," says Daniel Kagan, of LookOut Mobile, the Melbourne company that produced Aussie Rules Live, an app backed by the AFL.
It brings to footy fanatics live scores, text commentary, goal kickers, ladder updates and other information. And because the footy fan's other hand is probably holding a beer or a meat pie, it uses the iPhone's accelerometer - just shake the iPhone and all onscreen details are updated.
Marc Edwards, a Melbourne software developer, has five apps in the shop under his Bjango brand and more on the way. They range from an adaptation of his iStat computer performance monitor, to Jobs, a scheduling app for tradesmen; Cities and Darkness, both world clocks; and Phases, a cute moon phase monitor.
The Plasq group, also of Melbourne, which built Comic Life and other applications popular on the Macintosh, has Comic Touch and a "galactic" game, Pharos IV: Assault, in the iTunes Store.

Graham Dawson, a Sydney developer whose main interests are astrology and spirituality, built the popular OzWeather app that set a minor record for longevity in the top-10 list on the Australian iTunes Store. It went up last November and wiped the floor with an earlier weather app.

"The key is to present information clearly and quickly in an appealing way. If you do that you will do well, even if someone else has a similar app," says Mr Dawson.
With so many apps in the store, competition is fierce.

New apps enjoy brief prominence and are then rated according to downloads and user reviews. Good results there, even a top-10 listing, boost visibility and traffic.
The idea behind the app is everything. It must be simple and, says Marc Edwards, something you would like to have yourself. It might be a function, a game or a cute and ingenious toy, such as the SMULE Ocarina, developed by Ge Wang, professor of music at Stanford University's technology school. He sold more than 400,000 downloads at US90cents in the first month, and the flow of sales, while now slower, continues.

The ocarina is the world's oldest flute. Its 21st-century digital version makes music when the user blows into the iPhone's microphone. You can also listen to other ocarina players around the world in real time, because you're connected to the mobile phone network.

Grant Hull, of Adelaide outfit Enabled Solutions, which works with, among others, advertising agencies, put Newton's Cradle on the iPhone. More than a million have been downloaded. The free version held second place in global popularity for a near-record period. Mr Hull says it was the loss leader that built traffic. A "pro" version is now making him money at $A2.49 a download.

Further, traffic to his company website soared an astonishing 2500 per cent (at peak it was 11,500 per cent). "That shows the huge potential the App Store has to increase brand awareness," he says. He finds advertising agencies are increasingly aware of how apps create brand experiences.
Business applications are proliferating, as are those for doctors, engineers, electricians, and psychologists - name the profession, trade or diversion and there will be an app for it.

US business magazine Forbes recently noted that to cut costs in the dire economic environment, companies are giving travellers iPhones filled with applications to help them book flights, organise their time and deliver presentations.
Forbes reporter Bonnie Ruberg wrote: "The iPhone isn't just a fancy toy for making calls, listening to music and sending emails. It's a powerful business tool with hundreds of applications, GPS and communication."

NovaMind, of Brisbane, one of the world's leading mind-mapping software companies, now has an iPhone app - a portable note-taker that interacts with the main desktop-based application to update or produce a full-scale mind map.
And then there are games - a huge sector in the App Store - coming from individuals as well as well-known companies such as Electronic Arts, which has adapted Monopoly and Sim City, and other games such as Yahtzee, Spore and Sudoku.

Business applications include FileAid, developed by a Swiss-Australian team of Jerome Bedat and Michael Fuhrman. Mr Bedat is in Melbourne brushing up his English and responding to customers on his MacBook in a St Kilda cafe.
FileAid allows users to read on their iPhones almost any kind of file - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, jpegs, MP3 files and much more. It costs $6 and is being heavily downloaded daily (Apple does not permit disclosure of downloads for paid apps).

Apple takes a 30 per cent cut of the revenue earned by paid apps, but hosts free apps at no cost. It declines to say how much money is changing hands, but that is not the main point - this is about the race to become the dominant mobile computing platform. Apple's competitors are Google's Android - although the two companies have close alliances - Nokia's Symbian, Research in Motion (the BlackBerry) and Palm. Microsoft has Windows Mobile but, like Symbian, it appears to be struggling.
"This is a 100-yard sprint," says Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney, "and right now Apple is 75 yards down the track while the other guys are trying to get out of the blocks."
All apps on deck for cities' guiding player
Bon vivants and strolling players around Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, New York, London and Barcelona (a great place for bars and international mobile-phone conferences) will know of the Deck of Secrets guides - $10 packs of cards offering guidance on good places to eat, drink, shop and generally be merry.
The Melbourne-based company is run by Michelle Matthews (pictured below), who we hope will forgive us for describing her as an iPhone app tragic. She's filled all nine app screens on her iPhone: a total of 148.

"I don't go in for games but love photography, social networking and utilities," Ms Matthews says. She also, of course, includes the nine Deck of Secrets apps so far built for her by Melbourne software developer Shaun Ervine.
The first app, called Drink, a guide to good bars in Melbourne, was quickly followed by Eat, Shop and Go. The app provides a profile of each bar, and the GPS facility in the 3G iPhone allows users to check the proximity of the nearest watering hole and get a Google map to guide their steps.

Onscreen buttons allow phoning the establishment to make a reservation, emailing a friend to organise a meeting, and putting the address and a picture of the bar into the iPhone's address book.
Ms Matthews says plenty more apps are on the way, mirroring her card-based publications. To find them, search in iTunes App Store for "Deck of Secrets".

Word index and link index = referetial intergity

 

Free porn

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just got the flick - here's my pitch

I am writing to you regarding a BDM role.

I'd be grateful if you could spare 30 minutes of your time to meet with me to discuss your business needs and how my experience may be of benefit. Here are the top five reasons why we should meet...

1) World's top brands:
I've worked on the world's top brand for the past 10 years. I’d love to talk about what experience and expertise means for my clients...

2) Digital diversification:
The digital space is forever growing and ever evolving. I've diversified my cross-channel experience to embrace the world of digital: eCommerce, microsite, CMS, eDM, banners, Branded iPhone application, digital content creation, WOM campaigns (forums, blogging, viral, social media), SEO/SEM, SMS campaigns. I'd love to talk about all things digital with you...

3) Digital integration:
I've thread digital strategy into all areas of the integrated patchwork: online, DM, retail, experiential, mobile, digital PR, sales promotion, branded content. I'd love to talk integrated digital strategy with you...

4) Love byte (what I love about digital):
The endless possibilities of the digital space excites me and blows me away. It intrigues me. It inspires me. It captures me. It challenges me. It motivates me. I'd love to talk about the endless possibilities of the digital space with you...

5) I love to hunt:
I love the chase, the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of rocking my clients boat. New business and spreading ideas that excite, motivate and inspire is what I?m about. I’d love to talk about new business opportunities with you...

Lets Chat
Gregory Stone

10 reasons

1. If you don’t have passion for the place, you’ll fail.
Our history has frequently been defined by heroic efforts. And, let’s face it, what we do is demanding. It’s not that the days are too long here, it’s that they’re too short. To succeed you have to thrive on taxing challenges and internalize your work as a connected part of your life. We don’t offer jobs, we offer careers.

2. Extreme Service means busting your butt for the client. Every day.
We do whatever it takes to be fast, accurate, responsive and proactive with the people who pay our bills and cement our future. Even when it hurts.

3. We’re addicted to momentum. Without it, we wither.
From the very start, this company was founded by people who leaned into the wind and kept going. Momentum takes you places; it’s powerful and provides cultural energy--energy that we each feed on. Grab an oar or get off the boat.

4. If it won’t sell, don’t do it.
A source for our momentum is the understanding that what we create has to be purchased by someone. If we’re not adding value to what we do, we are wasting our talent. It’s as simple as that.

5. You’re allowed to laugh your way through a problem.
Never in our history have we forgotten to laugh--no matter how hard the work, how high the stress, or how rough the day. Constantly. Humor is at the core of who we are, and when we work hard, we laugh harder.

6. Opportunity exists here. Find it.
You could say we are entrepreneurial, but we’re more than that. We believe to our core that talent has no limits, and we’re driven by taking on challenges, trying new things and learning from our mistakes. Rewards come to those who recognize opportunities and are willing to take risks and grab them.

7. Take initiative. Period.
People who succeed here take powerful ownership of their own roles and learning opportunities, and don’t wait for information to come to them. Find your own answers and push for better ways to do things. Lead on the fly, learn from your mistakes and ask for forgiveness later.

8. Making friends replaces our organizational hierarchy.
We’re not big on structure—never have been and probably never will be. To get things done, we make personal connections to our teammates at all levels of the organization, and we help each other because we want to. This is why you’ll see leadership from every nook and cranny of our organization, not just from the top.

9. Integrity is more than a word to us. It’s in our DNA.
Every relationship we enjoy is built upon trust. We trust each other, and we work hard to earn the trust of our customers. It’s a very powerful bond that we don’t take for granted.

10. Our calling is improving lives by what we do.
No matter who they are, or what part of the world they live in, people define themselves by the work that they do. It’s unavoidable. Work can make us feel appreciated or ignored, connected or isolated, competent or foolish; and have a profound effect on every part of our lives. At Kenexa, we believe that when people are in jobs they love, they are not only more productive employees, they are also better parents, friends, partners and neighbors. Our work is to make this happen for everyone. It’s our passion—our purpose—and it’s how we serve humanity worldwide every day.

Webling Sales Pipeline management process

Webling successful Account professionals strategically manage their long-term sales cycle from start to finish. We resist the temptation to focus too much on one stage, such as closing sales.

Instead identifying each stage of the process and allocate time and resources so we can reach our sales goals consistently.

“Management of the long-term sales cycle is called "pipeline management" and involves identifying sales stages and what needs to be accomplished in each stage. Good pipeline management continually invests in activities that generate sales opportunities and follows each opportunity from the front end through completion and follow-up.”

Our focus is to effectively discover and develop sales opportunities within existing accounts and to develop new business (the front of the sales pipeline).

Benefits of good pipeline management
A mismanaged sales pipeline won't produce the results you want, whether you are a sales manager or an account executive. Good sales pipeline management, on the other hand, can give you the following benefits:

Long-term focus In many sales organizations, the pressure to produce revenue now — today, this week, this quarter — is so strong that it puts too much pressure and attention on the back end of the pipeline: closing the sale. By using good pipeline management techniques, you don't lose focus on the front end: prospecting for and developing opportunities.

Elimination of peaks and valleys A well-managed pipeline improves your sales forecasting and helps you reach sales goals more consistently.
Allocation of resources to strategic, profitable opportunities Instead of taking the "shoot anything that moves" approach, sales professionals plan their approach to keep qualified opportunities moving along the sales pipeline.

Better follow-through on sales opportunities Not following through in a timely manner is a pipeline leak — and a waste of precious resources. Managing the pipeline from start to finish seals those leaks.

The message is clear: You can't afford to neglect either end of the pipeline or to have leaks along the way.

Improving pipeline management
Good pipeline management conserves your selling resources and pays off in higher realized sales. Here are some ways you can improve pipeline management.

Balance your focus
Whether you are an account executive or a sales manager, you must balance your focus between long-term and short-term sales results. The pressure to make current daily, weekly, or monthly goals must not take undue attention away from seeking new opportunities and attending to every stage of the sales pipeline.

Apply discipline
Account/Sales professionals and their managers must keep an eye on the sales pipeline by establishing review points — points at which they review activities, probabilities, desired outcomes, and forecasting guidelines. Managers must establish clear standards for reviewing and evaluating the sales pipeline, and create plans for follow-up meetings and reviews.

Clarify expectations
The "management" part of sales pipeline management requires accountability, activity, and measurement of results. Sales professionals and sales managers need to know what to expect from each other. They must agree on how often and how detailed pipeline reviews must be and on how important these reviews are to the organization.
The following table shows a generic summary of possible pipeline stages with probabilities and desired outcomes.

Sales stage - Possible activities - Closing probability index - Goal

Creating interest
Customer research
Customer qualification
Prospecting calls
Database development
Message creation
Sales call planning
Goal = Customer agreeing to listen
Questioning
Exploring
Defining buying process
Listening
Goal = Qualified opportunity "Is there a compelling reason to move ahead?"
Qualifying Opportunity
Validating needs and issues
Assessing competition
Deciding bid/no-bid
Goal =Verbally agreeing to discuss solution
Needs-based selling
Preparing a "mutual" value proposition
Sales presentations
Sales proposals
Persuading
Goal =Clear reason (value) to buy from me/us "If I ... will you?"
Closing
Answering/addressing objections
Removing barriers
Establishing statement of work
Goal= Agreeing on solution Signed agreement/contract
Follow-up
Building on the relationship
Goal = Contracted/scheduled delivery plan

Manage risk
Sales managers will create bid/no-bid guidelines to help sales teams assess sales opportunities and minimize the risk of pursuing unprofitable opportunities.


Sales Process with in CRM
We use a sales pipeline rating technique called "Solution Selling" where we identify and qualify our prospects thru to Customers..
Leads
1. New
2. Identified Prospect (this is a good prospect for our business)
3. Qualified Prospect (we have identified they possibly have a need)
4. Sales Call Planning and execution (here we work out how we can “create value” for the prospect and help them see they have a need)
5. Qualified Lead (we have explored and defined a need exists)
6. Marketing & Presentation (preparing a mutual value proposition sales presentation)
7. Verbal agreement to discuss (possible opportunity decided bid /no bid)
8. On Hold
9. No Value
10. Lost

Opportunity (0% to 100%)

1. Qualifying Needs (Validating needs and issues Assessing competition)
2. Preparing Value proposition (preparing a mutual value proposition sales presentation)
3. Sales Presentation (needs qualified and Agreed to discuss solution)
4. Requirement Gathering
5. Generate ideas, strategies
6. BDM and PM develops proposal (Proposal delivered)
7. Refining Solution
8. Verbal approval
9. Formal approval
10. Job won
11. On Hold
12. Lost

Good management leads to success
Applying sound sales pipeline management techniques improves the accuracy of your sales forecasts and revenue projections. A sales pipeline that is well managed from beginning to end is critical to the success of any organization.


:)

48 years

 

How NOT to use Social media

How NOT to use Social media

Social media as a marketing tool is a vast and often difficult area to venture into. While most people have a vague idea of how to use social media it isn’t necessarily easy to find out where and how to get started. Luckily there are plenty of resources out there talking about the great possibilities posed by social media for marketing purposes and how to do it. What we haven’t been able to find is an article that explains how NOT to use social media, so here it is. Social media is a great concept that advertising and media agencies are eagerly trying to take advantage of – and with good reason. However, in their eagerness to engage with consumers they sometimes do not spend enough time getting familiar with the dynamics of social media and the characteristics of its users. This list of don’t dos is not generally ordered by importance, but the first point in the list does hold a special place of importance based on our experiences with not too web savvy marketing planners.

1) Don’t try to invent your own version of something that already exists.

There is little reason to offer social networking facilities on your corporate or product website. Actually there is plenty of reason not to do it. Social sites like Facebook are already doing it, they’re doing it great, and they have millions of users. People who use social networking sites to connect with their friends are not going to ditch Facebook for your site. And fact is that generally people do not use social networking sites to find new friends – they use them to connect with the friends they already have, which means they are going to use the social networking site that their friends use.

2) Don’t try to take advantage of every possible social media site out there.

There are too many of them, and your efforts are much more likely to pay off if you put some real effort into the ones you feel are the best ones for your purpose, instead of targeting too many and not putting the effort needed into any of them. Our suggestion would be to select a few of the larger social media sites and a number of smaller and more specialized ones that match your field of interest.

3) Don’t try to sell your product on social media sites.

Social media users are notorious for being wary of advertising and marketing. Some social media communities are more marketing hostile than others, but as a general rule of thumb it is a good idea to refrain from trying to push anything onto social media users. Take your time getting to know the community and find out what is appreciated and what isn’t. Use social media primarily for product awareness, branding, and interaction with interested consumers.

4) Don’t use social media if you want clear editorial control over your brand and message.

But let’s face it. Chances are you don’t have that anyway. The internet is largely unregulated and anyone can say what they want about your brand and your products. You could try to use social media and SEO to gain more control about your brand by pushing bad PR down in the search listings. Do however be prepared for anything when you engage in social media, you never know how your audience is going to respond.

5) Don’t use social media solely as a link strategy.

While social media can certainly be part of a link strategy, it would be a shame to use additional incoming links as the only measure of success. The “side effects” to a successful social media link building campaign are too good to be ignored and could include branding, traffic, loyalty, trust, credibility, love, etc. One of the big changes to traditional online marketing, brought on by social media, is the need for companies to shift focus from their corporate or product websites towards “satellite” outlets in the different social media communities. After all, it is a lot easier to get consumers to engage with you if you come to them instead of waiting for them to come to you.

6) Don’t engage in social media if your company is perceived as an unfriendly, arrogant, cynical, and uncaring company and you prefer to keep it that way.


Social media optimisation is a unique opportunity to engage with consumers and show them that you are in fact a human, trustworthy, listening, and responsible company that cares about its consumers.

The very last word of advice also comes from our experience with advertising and media people, but this is exactly what they are so good at! They may have a thing or two to learn about the more technical “how”s, but they certainly know their “what”s and the importance of connecting with consumers is one of the things that has stuck with us the most. For a quick (and funny) lesson on the relationship between advertiser and consumer, watch this short video

Did you know

Did You Know

Did you know?






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY

Can’t live without your Tic Tac?

Can’t live without your Tic Tac? Now you can take them anywhere on your iPhone or iPod Touch!

Introducing the official Tic Tac application - choose your favorite flavour, shake them around, hear them rattle, pour them out, play jokes on your friends!

* Realistic Tic Tac physics - watch them turn, spin & shake
* Four favorite flavours - Spearmint, Orange, Peppermint and Extra Strong
* Play tricks on your friends - flick the pack open, pretend you’re eating them, hide a real pack behind your iPhone and pretend you’re pouring them out… the possibilities are endless.

Shake it up and keep it fresh with Tic Tac for your iPhone/iPod Touch available NOW on the iTunes App Store!

More Info:
http://tictac.com.au/iphone/support/

Download Link:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=308919272&mt=8

Thanks in advance for considering the app for review.

Masterbrand Blueprint:

Masterbrand Blueprint:

1. What we are trying to achieve

a. Positioning statement (A statement used internally to articulate the market in which we compete, how we compete, and our unique point of difference)
b. Customer Proposition (The unique selling proposition that gives customers a compelling reason to choose the brand)

2. Competitive set

3. The way we do things

a. Brand Values (What the brand stands for and can’t be compromised)
b. Brand Personality (the human characteristics that can be attributed to the brand. Our style) Traits, reflects, avoids

4. What we deliver

a. Functional benefits (the tangible supports which provide the reason for the customer to believe in the proposition)
b. Emotional benefits (The emotional reward derived from the experience of the brand. How customers feel when buying or experiencing the brand)

5. How we deliver to

a. Target audience (Who the brand is targeting for profitable business generation)
b. Target markets (The geographical regions targeted for significant penetration)

6. Tagline

joshua Australia day 2009

greggy 19 +

melbourne

the method by which one moves into the flow

Steiner built upon Goethe's conception of an imaginative power capable of synthesizing the sense-perceptible form of a thing (an image of its outer appearance) and the concept we have of that thing (an image of its inner structure or nature). Steiner added to this the conception that a further step in the development of thinking is possible when the thinker observes his or her own thought processes.



"The organ of observation and the observed thought process are then identical, so that the condition thus arrived at is simultaneously one of perception through thinking and one of thought through perception"

Baclofen for withdrawal form xyz

Baclofen has been shown to be as effective as diazepam in uncomplicated alcohol withdrawal syndrome.[5] An Italian study showed that it was effective in promoting alcohol abstinence in patients with severe liver cirrhosis.[6]

[edit] As a Treatment for Addictions
Dr. Olivier Ameisen, a French-American associate professor of medicine and a cardiologist at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, reported in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism that he successfully used Baclofen to completely suppress his own alcohol addiction. In his paper, he urged for randomized trials of high-dose baclofen to be conducted to test the therapeutic model he had proposed. He renewed his call for clinical trials in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). His therapeutic model was reproduced by Dr. William Bucknam who published a case report in Alcohol and Alcoholism and by Roberta Agabio et al. who published another case in Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.Dr Ameisen believes based on his own experience and other anecdotal evidence, that Baclofen acts on some mechanism within the brains of addicts to suppress cravings brought on by addiction to various substances such as alcohol, cocaine and heroin etc. Clinical trials have not yet been conducted.
Ameisen, who currently is a visiting professor of medicine at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, authored Le Dernier Verre (The Last Glass, retitled The End of My Addiction in English) to inform public opinion and physicians. [7][8]

[edit] Mechanism of action
Baclofen produces its effect via modulating the GABAB receptor, similar to the drug GHB which also has the same mechanism of action and also similar effects. However, there are some pharmacological differences in that baclofen appears to have reduced abuse and dependence potential.[9][10] The modulation of the GABAB receptor is what produces baclofen's range of therapeutic properties.

[edit] History
Historically baclofen was designed to be a drug for epilepsy in the 1920s. The effect on epilepsy was disappointing but it was found that in certain patients spasticity decreased. Baclofen was and is still given orally with variable effects. In severely affected children, the oral dose is so high that side effects appear and the treatment loses its benefit. How and when baclofen came to be used in the spinal sac is not really clear but this is now an established method for the treatment of spasticity in many conditions.
Recently, based on Ameisen's therapeutic model, some trials have been conducted in using Baclofen to treat cocaine addiction. While no final study has been released, people have said once they took Baclofen they felt their desire for cocaine plummet almost overnight. There is a report that baclofen has beneficial role in the management of reflux disease.[11]

joshua

charlie M

Love Affairs

The ultimate aim of all love affairs ... is more important than all other aims in man's life; and therefore it is quite worthy of the profound seriousness with which everyone pursues it.
What is decided by it is nothing less than the composition of the next generation ...

The Flourishing

Below I have outlined the principles and practices to evolve a humans soul. I call it the flourishing. A platonic approach

The flourishing
The principals
I propose seven exercises (or stages) to be practiced. The participant should always start at the first stage, but should not remain there for long. The later stages can solve the problems encountered at the first stage.
1. Fault control
During the first stage a list is drawn up. This list should include bad habits, behavioral faults and character flaws that the participant has been trying to change without success for a long period of time. These may include smoking, laziness, overeating, talking nonsense, watching too much TV, driving over the speed limit (breaking the law), swearing, lying or an addiction to drugs/pornography etc..... Then the participant attempts to completely eliminate these bad habits.
Correct behavior expands and maintains itself, and correct actions support and amplify each other. Likewise with errors and character flaws. Therefore, seeds of excellence should be cultivated and helped to grow.
2. Developing Focus
A calm, focused and centered way of doing things in everyday life should be developed. One should be poised and yet relaxed. It is not easy to describe this state of mind, but it is quite easy to attain - at least the first time, when it is initially attempted.
The difficulty lies in maintaining this state of mind throughout daily life, even when tired or weary, when things do not turn out as expected, or when distractions occur, preventing concentration.
Developing control of one's body includes maintaining good posture, with balance and poise. Furthermore, your actions, your words and your work should be focused and efficient.
Good focus maintains and expands itself. On the other hand, lack of focus and concentration also maintain and prolong themselves. These should be broken as soon as they are recognized.
3. Physical training
The Flourishing does not have its own system of physical exercise. The participant choose to partake in any sport that they deem suitable. This sport should involve real physical training. Examples of typically sports include yoga, weight training, running, swimming, martial arts, rock climbing and horse riding.
4. Reading
Reading is like a sport in that it can be performed at many different levels, from beginner to expert. Reading at the highest level requires a broad knowledge, a high level of perseverance, and even a type of courage.
Plan your journey of reading with careful ambition. Obtain rare and highly valued literary and scientific works. Preferably, read them in their original language. Do not be deterred by difficulties like mathematical equations or chemical compound names – regard them as riddles to be solved. By solving these riddles, you gain access to faraway lands of knowledge where few can ever enter.
5. Immediate action
This is an interesting exercise that makes it apparent just how much ‘strength’ and ‘weakness’ are illusions created by your attitude and way of thinking.
When doing something that is difficult, skip all the hesitation, procrastination and preparation, and do it immediately.
In The Flourishing, the concept of immediate action is also extended to passive qualities, including calmness, patience and avoidance of bad habits. These qualities should be attained immediately, without prepondering or preparation, without any method and without being overly conscious of them.
6. Silence
There should be a deep silence behind all actions. This silence should be silence in mind and heart. Time should be spent thinking of The Flourishing and the qualities and excellence that have been achieved through practicing The Flourishing. In actual fact, The Flourishing should not be thought of at all.
We all know that it is difficult to control our actions and habits. However, it is much more difficult to control our thoughts. For true shining to occur, we need to control our thoughts. Too many of the thoughts that we have are not only irrelevant and stupid, but also disrupt our concentration, our work, and even destroy our happiness.
It is not easy to replace the constant tumult of these worrisome thoughts with calmness and silence. It is impossible to do away with them once and for all. But you can diminish their influence, attenuating their loudness and removing them into the soft background of your mind where they mingle with forgotten, nonsensical dreams and irrelevant impressions.
This practice of the calming of your mind should be done during your daily chores, during work, during your conversation with other people. It should not be done whilst sitting and meditating. The inner silence attained in meditation is irrelevant for The Flourishing.
The Second Fault Control: The Shining
The final exercise in The Flourishing ladder of drills leads full circle to Fault Control. This time Fault Control should be implemented at another level - not by struggling against faults and bad habits, but by letting them slip away as thoughts slip away and sink into silence. Then Shining within will intensify and fill the empty space of this silence.

The Flourishing is not a rigid system of dogmas. Anyone can create their own version of The Flourishing: their own set of drills and methods; their own understanding of Shining and Silence.

In the pursuit of happiness

Happiness

Plato Held that happiness involved the cultivation of moral and intellectual virtues

Kant rejects this rational result, stating if happiness was the ultimate aim of human life, nature would have given us instincts alone and not rationality.

Stating we tend to “reason” that the securing of some good, will make us happy – say a big house, pretty partner or better job. But once we have these things, we tend to find they have not made us completely happy . in fact they have not removed our desire for more goods more pleasure or more security at all. The happiness effect wanes quite quickly.

Thus happiness is not something we can permanently secure and worst yet the desire for happiness often leads us morally astray, setting kitten of fire because its fun.
For Kant it was doing one duty would bring the greatest happiness

Now the ultilarians (David Hume) posed that happiness was the goal of all moral action.
If happiness is the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain as stated then how should/would we increase every ones happiness.
Could we make the majority happy by exterminating a few?
It all seem to end in a moral question.

Should i give my spare money to UNICEF or buy a Wii which will make me happy?

The Greeks come back to the rescue with a way out.

Greeks concern themselves with the cultivating of virtue (Human Flourishing) not only does this put happiness at the centre of our heart for a quest to live to the full and also connects morality with every day concerns.

Further to this rambling thought .....

Humans are essentially reasonable, reasoning beings, and the individuals reason will tend to lead each of us to live properly.

The problem with this assumption is that it presupposes that reason is in control.
One may argue it ought to be but it often find itself the slave of passion.
Reason is like a rider on top of an elephant, he may be able to steer the elephant around, but when the elephant decides to do something else, all the ride can do is hang on for dear life.

The Greeks recognized that it take more that good argument to get people to be happy. It seem people need to be trained to desire the right acts that will bring about a fruitful life.

Aristotle’s basic insight regarding moral education is that people don’t learn how to live virtuously (happy) in the classroom or week end seminars, because virtue requires practice.

A good argument might help but it will not be enough to transform us.Striving for virtue is in itself the pursuit of happiness.

And one important point is happiness is by virtue subjective, and as such very hard to dictate. (ones subjective well being)

Greeks would recommend excellence as possibly the most useful endeavour when one wishes to pursue a happy and fulfilled life.

The question is not what should we do
The question is how should we live.
Greg :o)

Portrait of an ENTP - Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving(Extraverted Intuition with Introverted Thinking)

The Visionary
As an ENTP, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you take things in primarily via your intuition. Your secondary mode is internal, where you deal with things rationally and logically.
With Extraverted Intuition dominating their personality, the ENTP's primary interest in life is understanding the world that they live in. They are constantly absorbing ideas and images about the situations they are presented in their lives. Using their intuition to process this information, they are usually extremely quick and accurate in their ability to size up a situation. With the exception of their ENFP cousin, the ENTP has a deeper understanding of their environment than any of the other types.

This ability to intuitively understand people and situations puts the ENTP at a distinct advantage in their lives. They generally understand things quickly and with great depth. Accordingly, they are quite flexible and adapt well to a wide range of tasks. They are good at most anything that interests them. As they grow and further develop their intuitive abilities and insights, they become very aware of possibilities, and this makes them quite resourceful when solving problems.

ENTPs are idea people. Their perceptive abilities cause them to see possibilities everywhere. They get excited and enthusiastic about their ideas, and are able to spread their enthusiasm to others. In this way, they get the support that they need to fulfill their visions.

ENTPs are less interested in developing plans of actions or making decisions than they are in generating possibilities and ideas. Following through on the implementation of an idea is usually a chore to the ENTP. For some ENTPs, this results in the habit of never finishing what they start. The ENTP who has not developed their Thinking process will have problems with jumping enthusiastically from idea to idea, without following through on their plans. The ENTP needs to take care to think through their ideas fully in order to take advantage of them.

The ENTP's auxiliary process of Introverted Thinking drives their decision making process. Although the ENTP is more interested in absorbing information than in making decisions, they are quite rational and logical in reaching conclusions. When they apply Thinking to their Intuitive perceptions, the outcome can be very powerful indeed. A well-developed ENTP is extremely visionary, inventive, and enterprising.

ENTPs are fluent conversationalists, mentally quick, and enjoy verbal sparring with others. They love to debate issues, and may even switch sides sometimes just for the love of the debate. When they express their underlying principles, however, they may feel awkward and speak abruptly and intensely.

The ENTP personality type is sometimes referred to the "Lawyer" type. The ENTP "lawyer" quickly and accurately understands a situation, and objectively and logically acts upon the situation. Their Thinking side makes their actions and decisions based on an objective list of rules or laws. If the ENTP was defending someone who had actually committed a crime, they are likely to take advantage of quirks in the law that will get their client off the hook. If they were to actually win the case, they would see their actions as completely fair and proper to the situation, because their actions were lawful. The guilt or innocence of their client would not be as relevant. If this type of reasoning goes uncompletely unchecked by the ENTP, it could result in a character that is perceived by others as unethical or even dishonest. The ENTP, who does not naturally consider the more personal or human element in decision making, should take care to notice the subjective, personal side of situations. This is a potential problem are for ENTPs. Although their logical abilities lend strength and purpose to the ENTP, they may also isolate them from their feelings and from other people.

The least developed area for the ENTP is the Sensing-Feeling arena. If the Sensing areas are neglected, the ENTP may tend to not take care of details in their life. If the Feeling part of themself is neglected, the ENTP may not value other people's input enough, or may become overly harsh and aggressive.

Under stress, the ENTP may lose their ability to generate possibilities, and become obsessed with minor details. These details may seem to be extremely important to the ENTP, but in reality are usually not important to the big picture.

In general, ENTPs are upbeat visionaries. They highly value knowledge, and spend much of their lives seeking a higher understanding. They live in the world of possibilities, and become excited about concepts, challenges and difficulties. When presented with a problem, they're good at improvising and quickly come up with a creative solution. Creative, clever, curious, and theoretical, ENTPs have a broad range of possibilities in their lives.

Jungian functional preference ordering for ENTP:
Dominant: Extraverted IntuitionAuxiliary: Introverted ThinkingTertiary: Extraverted FeelingInferior: Introverted Sensing


ENTP Relationships

Typically good-natured, upbeat and laid-back, ENTPs can be delightful people to be around. They get a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction from interacting with others, and especially enjoy discussing and debating theories and concepts which interest them. They may be prone to initiate arguments because they so enjoy the debate. They are generally fun-loving and gregarious, and can be quite charming. They have a problem with sometimes neglecting their close relationships when they become involved in the pursuit of a new idea or plan.

ENTP Strengths
Enthusiastic, upbeat, and popular
Can be very charming
Excellent communication skills
Extremely interested in self-improvement and growth in their relationships
Laid-back and flexible, usually easy to get along with
Big idea-people, always working on a grand scheme or idea
Usually good at making money, although not so good at managing it
Take their commitments and relationships very seriously
Able to move on with their lives after leaving a relationship
ENTP Weaknesses
Always excited by anything new, they may change partners frequently
Tendency to not follow through on their plans and ideas
Their love of debate may cause them to provoke arguments
Big risk-takers and big spenders, not usually good at managing money
Although they take their commitments seriously, they tend to abandon their relationships which no longer offer opportunity for growth

ENTPs as Lovers
"To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before." -- Rollo May
ENTP's goals for their intimate relationships are similar to their other personal goals: improvement and growth. They constantly ask themselves questions such as: How can the relationship be improved? Where is the relationship headed? Am I growing in the relationship? They are likely to enthusiastically embrace new ideas and projects for themselves and their mates which they feel will propel them along their goal for growth and knowledge discovery. The ENTP's general enthusiasiam and good intentions are usually quite positive and healthful in a relationship.

A problem area for ENTP's is their tendency to not follow through on their schemes. This can be frustrating to their mates. It may also create a "boy who called wolf" syndrome in their relationships, with their partner never believing that the ENTP will actually do what they say they'll do.

Another potential problem area is the ENTP's general tendency towards "wildness" and willingness to take risks. They may lead the family into uncomfortable financial situations, which can be quite stressful on intimate relationships.

Sexually, the ENTP is enthusiastic and interested in positive, constant growth for both partners. They're likely to be very attentive, involved, and questioning. They enjoy spontaneity rather than fixed schedules, and fully embrace new ideas and adventures. They're likely to approach intimacy as more of a physical act which conveys affection, rather than as an opportunity to explicitly express affection.

In general, ENTP's childlike enthusiasm and genuine interest in the health and direction of the relationship makes them willing and able to promote healthy, growing relationships with their significant others. They need to watch out for their tendency to be unaware of what others are feeling, and to inadvertantly neglect their relationships when faced with exciting possibilities that are external to their personal life.
Although two well-developed individuals of any type can enjoy a healthy relationship, ENTP's natural partner is the INFJ, or the INTJ. The ENTP's dominant function of Extraverted Intuition is best matched with a personality that is dominated by Introverted Intuition. How did we arrive at this?

ENTPs as Parents
"You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth...Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable." -- Kahlil Gibran

With their fun and upbeat natures, there's a little bit of kid inside all ENTPs. They approach parenthood with a fun-loving attitude which has a serious underlying goal: to make everything a learning exercise (for themselves as well as for their children) which promotes the child's growth into an independent, logical thinker.

The ENTP is likely to be somewhat inconsistent about spending quality time with their children. One minute they will exhibit a lot of interest and enthusiasm towards being around their kids, and will display a great deal of affection for them. However, as soon as they get caught-up in one of their grand schemes for improving a system somewhere, they're likely to inadvertantly neglect their kids.

ENTPs as Friends
ENTPs can get along with almost all other types of people. They are intuitive about what makes others tick, although they generally lack the ability to sympathize or relate to others who do not see things the same way as the ENTP. They are flexible and easy-going, and genuinely enjoy interacting with others.

Although the ENTP is able to get along with a wide variety of people, they are likely to choose to surround themselves with people who are intelligent, capable, and idea-oriented. They love nothing better than engaging in a good debate with someone who can hold their end of the conversation. This will stimulate and energize the ENTP, who is highly competitive and loves to discuss theories.

Sometimes the ENTP falls into the habit of practicing "one-upmanship". If this goes unchecked, it may cause a problem with friendships and close interpersonal relationships.

Careers for ENTP Personality Types
Whether you're a young adult trying to find your place in the world, or a not-so-young adult trying to find out if you're moving along the right path, it's important to understand yourself and the personality traits which will impact your likeliness to succeed or fail at various careers. It's equally important to understand what is really important to you. When armed with an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and an awareness of what you truly value, you are in an excellent position to pick a career which you will find rewarding.

ENTPs generally have the following traits:
Project-oriented
Enjoy generating ideas and theories
Creative and ingenius
Bright and capable
Flexible and Diverse
Excellent communication skills
Enjoy debating issues with other people
Excellent people skills
Natural leaders, but do not like to control people
Resist being controlled by people
Lively and energetic; able to motivate others
Highly value knowledge and competence
Logical, rational thinkers
Able to grasp difficult concepts and theories
Enjoy solving difficult problems
Dislike confining schedules and environments
Dislike routine, detailed tasks

ENTPs are fortunate in that they have a wide range of capabilities. They are generally good at anything which has captured their interest. ENTPs are likely to be successful in many different careers. Since they have a lot of options open to them, ENTPs will do well to choose professions which allow them a lot of personal freedom where they can use their creativity to generate new ideas and solve problems. They will not be completely happy in positions which are regimented or confining.

The following list of professions is built on our impressions of careers which would be especially suitable for an ENTP. It is meant to be a starting place, rather than an exhaustive list. There are no guarantees that any or all of the careers listed here would be appropriate for you, or that your best career match is among those listed.

Possible Career Paths for the ENTP:
Lawyers
Psychologists
Entrepreneurs
Photographers
Consultants
Engineers
Scientists
Actors
Sales Representatives
Marketing Personnel
Computer Programmer, Systems Analyst, or Computer Specialist

ENTP Personal Growth
written by contributing author Robert G. Heyward
What does Success mean to an ENTP?
ENTP personalities are motivated by possibilities. They love the outside chances; the new or unusual combinations lurking within the ordinary everyday world of things and ideas. For them, something is always on the up, something is always tantalizing their desire to re-orchestrate life into new patterns and shapes; new ways of fulfilling what can be as strong as a never ending desire to beat the odds and win at every game in town, or as mild as a quirky personal need for constant variety and change. With their thinking tied to the myriad possibilities they see in the world, they act swiftly and decisively upon those angles, choices and combinations scarcely noticed by other types, but through which they can build whole new frameworks or completely redefine an existing external situation in such a way that it appears new, revitalized and once again full of promise. Sameness, stasis, conservatism - even daily routine - can be loathsome to fervent ENTPs, whose drive is always to be into something new, different and full of fresh possibilities, and who, given the opportunity, will always be the first to show others a new path to success in a venture, or to find a way of doing something that no-one has done before.

ENTP people measure their success by their “aha” moments, by the sense of satisfaction which comes as they spread their newly written maps before them and contemplate the new adventure, design, investigation or conquest which has now become their road ahead. What has gone before, previous achievements, ways of living - even people met along the way - are often now forgotten or considered passé, mere steps along a path which has now brought a new frontier to be exploited for its gifts. Whether it is the search for knowledge, money, power, fame or pleasure, the ENTP will be found at the frontline, gazing into the distance and discovering new avenues toward, bigger, better or more satisfying outcomes.

ENTPs are the great problem solvers, discoverers and re-inventors of the world. Their insights into the world around them, their ability to see new ways of putting things together and making them work can bring them great success in virtually any industry or human pursuit that interests them. For this reason the ENTP is happiest in situations where they can use their intuitive powers freely and have the space in which to think upon the aspects and angles which come to them. Without fulfilling work and the freedom to use their mind most productively, ENTPs can quickly tire of a limiting situation. For this reason an open road toward success is an extremely important factor in the ENTPs life. Some, given a little opportunity, will clear one for themselves, but of all the types, it is the ENTP who has most need to be aware of the life and career situations they might commit to without sufficient thought for the future.
Allowing Your ENTP Strengths to Flourish

As an ENTP, you have gifts that are specific to your personality type that aren't natural strengths for other types. By recognizing your special gifts and encouraging their growth and development, you will more readily see your place in the world, and be more content with your role.

Nearly all ENTPs will recognize the following characteristics in themselves. They should embrace and nourish these strengths:
· The ability to hold many points of view in mind and see their differing merits.
· Seeing ways to do things others have not thought of.
· Able to give quick and diverse answers to any question of interest.
· Seeing the other side of a situation and making it known.
· Being able to juggle many differing jobs or processes at the one time.
· Easily capable of holding your own in any argument or discussion.
· The ability to quickly find the best or most useful side of others.
· Seeing the many connections between events and things which are not immediately obvious to others.

ENTPs who have developed their Introverted Thinking to the extent that they regularly and carefully interpret the information their Extraverted Intuition brings to them will enjoy these very special gifts:
· The ability to solve puzzles and problems that have no obvious way to resolution.
· The ability to define schematically a new structure or design and know it will work.
· Knowing and giving to others the very thing they need when they are not sure themselves.
· A talent for innovative creation in writing, music or the visual arts.
· The gift of knowing which new ideas or changes will enhance rather than detract from their relationships with others

Potential Problem Areas
With any gift of strength, there is an associated weakness. Without "bad", there would be no "good". Without "difficult", there would be no "easy". We value our strengths, but we often curse and ignore our weaknesses. To grow as a person and get what we want out of life, we must not only capitalize upon our strengths, but also face our weaknesses and deal with them. That means taking a hard look at our personality type's potential problem areas.

Most of the weaker characteristics that are found in ENTPs are due to their dominant function of Extraverted Intuition overtaking the personality to the point that the other functions exist merely to serve its purposes. In such cases, an ENTP may show some or all of the following weaknesses in varying degrees:
· The inability to maintain a comfortable situation or relationship once its possibilities have been realized or exhausted.
· A tendency to consider careful or meticulous thinkers as unworthy plodders or time wasters.
· Blindness to the needs and feelings of others not directly involved in the ENTP’s current area of interest.
· A lack of sensitivity to the feelings and ways of those who might need reassurance, security or commitment.
· The inability to deal carefully and calmly with the finer details of a situation or work in progress.
· Becoming overly annoyed by minor setbacks or small things that have to be set right before the goal can be realized.
· A tendency to be arrogant or boastful, or to demean those who cannot see the same answers.
· Can often find themselves in bad situations by too quickly taking a big step forward or by being “too smart for their own good”.

Explanation of Problems
Nearly all of the problematic characteristics described above can be attributed in various degrees to the common ENTP problem of being so fascinated with their Extroverted Intuitions that they fail to develop a careful thinking process sufficient to balance it. Leaps of perception, new ideas and strange but fascinating juxtapositions are wonderful for the potential freshness and possible success they might bring. But if not carefully appraised and chosen wisely they can also take us far from the right path in life, take us from our friends, spoil our relationships and even bring personal or financial disaster. Without a well developed thinking function, the ENTP is always in danger of leaping over social, financial and personal constraints for the sake of following a new vision. This might be as simple as arousing the wrath of ones partner by suddenly deciding to by an expensive gadget or change something around the house without being concerned for their input or feelings, or as complex as allowing an ill considered entrepreneurial idea lead them into financial and social disaster, simply because the one sided vision of Extroverted Intuition does not recognize or count the amount of small but important details which need to be right before such ideas can be realized.

Without a solid thinking function, the ENTP can easily discount or fail to notice the essential ethics of social and interpersonal relationship, often considering themselves “above” or untouched by such limiting values and often discounting the possibility that their actions might be or hurtful or seen as unethical by others. It is not that the one sided ENTP is deliberately hurtful, but simply ignorant of the effects which can flow from their often compulsive need for change or need to show how clever or individual they are. In the ENTP, the lack of a well developed Feeling Function means that they must learn to “understand” feeling in both themselves and others and come to terms with its affects. This understanding can only come from thinking carefully about the ways feeling affects not only themselves, but others, and the importance others place on this function. The ENTP has a feeling function more or less global in character and one which does not judge fine differences. This inability to discriminate feelings can allow the ENTP to say and do much that leaves others in the cold, so an effort to think about the feeling process can be essential. Without the understanding this brings, the ENTP can separate themselves from the ground of their life, from the constancy of their friends and family and, without even realizing it, they can easily find themselves in untenable positions where, without support, they wonder why they are suddenly alone and lost.
Another significant problem arises where the ENTP has grown within or is locked by circumstances to an environment which limits their freedom or their ability to utilize their specific abilities. This forces the ENTP to narrow down their intuitive process to the point where it retains at least some freedom to operate within their life. Under such conditions however, the intuition is free only to range over a small and limited field of vision, a field which usually consists only of the very things the ENTP is normally unconcerned about: the small details of life and its familiar objects. Without the ability to take stock and apply careful thought to the ways they might expand their horizons, the ENTP in such situations can become morose, niggardly and obsessed with the most minor or intangible details – to the point where such minutiae fill their life and each day becomes a frustrating process of eliminating again and again the little problems which ever seem to stand in the way of the “big” picture – a picture which, as those around them know only too well, will never be realized.

Solutions
To grow as an individual, the ENTP needs to focus on carefully analyzing the information they receive via their Extraverted Intuition. They need to allow themselves sufficient time and space to relax with the ideas and possibilities they can see. It is all too easy for the ENTP to assume that what they see is what they need. Careful thinking can allow the ENTP to “suss out” the best possible ways to proceed out of all the possibilities that come to them. At the same time, even if they are not able to share them, ENTP’s need at least to understand the joys and satisfactions that others derive within those situations the ENTP would not normally choose in life. Awareness of the ways and needs of others can be the key to understanding the most life affirming way ahead for the ENTP, for there is always a danger that they might choose paths without regard to the feelings and needs of others close to them. The ENTP learns from analyzing his experience, so the best way for the ENTP to grow as a person is to develop his thinking capacity. Thus, that while the desire to run out and do something "new" is an ENTP pattern of need, this need must be integrated into a whole way of life in which the rest of our human needs and those of others who rely upon our presence are also satisfied. Your task, as a person interested in personal growth, is to understand yourself in a truly objective fashion, and how you can best give to the world, rather than just exploit the possibilities it bring to you.
The ENTP should always pay close attention to why they are acting upon new information. Are they acting out of a carefully considered motive to realize something truly worthwhile for themselves and others? Are they really seeking to improve life, or concerned with just making the next play, proving the point, showing others the moves or climbing the mountain just because it is there to climb, regardless of the consequences?

Living Happily in our World as an ENTP
The problems ENTPs might have fitting into the world are not usually directly related to friends or relationships. Rather, the ENTP has trouble maintaining a stable and consistent lifestyle. While this can affect love relationships, the ENTP usually has such an endearing and capable “way” about them that others tend to follow their lead, even in the most trying of situations. The problems the ENTP generates in life are those associated with their constant need for individuality, excellence and new experiences which test their talents. While this can place great demand upon relationships, tensions are usually only apparent where the ENTP has made a love match with a person whose security needs are greater than their ability to allow their ENTP partner the freedom they need. The self aware ENTP must therefore not only be careful in considering their career choices, but also in choosing a life situation with a partner. Of all the types, the ENTP is most uncomfortable with compromise and ought not to place themselves in situations which demand it. Most importantly the ENTP must become aware, through careful analysis of experience, just what kind of changes for the good or bad have been the direct result of their need for constant refreshment of life. Only through this awareness will the ENTP be able to focus on those perceptions which promise a better and more fruitful life.
Most ENTPs will experience career/life frustration and some relationship difficulties through their lives. The ENTP with well-developed Introverted Thinking will find these times easier to deal with. Accordingly, we offer some general suggestions for dealing with these difficulties, as well as some advice that will help the ENTP develop their Introverted Thinking.

Specific suggestions:
Take time to really listen to the thoughts of others and try to see how they understand the world. Think about the ways in which your view of the world and your needs can mesh with theirs.
Don't expect others to simply follow you or expect that they should see what you can see as a worthy goal. A good exercise is to imagine yourself as a blind or severely disabled person. Try to get the feel of what it would be like to have to organize your life from such a different perspective. Would your goals still be valid? Would they need re-thinking? Consider the possibility that while your way of thinking leads you to see other types as having limited vision or ability, the truth is that they are no more limited than yourself, but simply have a differing focus in life and differing needs.

Realize and accept that for you a satisfying relationship will require you to attend to the small details of life and show an awareness of your partner’s feelings. You might find this difficult, but it will pay the biggest dividends in return for your effort.
Expanding your appreciation of the differences between people will expand your understanding of human expectations. Try to figure out the personality type of people that you know and encounter in your life.

Take care to listen to what people express within different social and work situations. Notice the different ways they go about their dealings with others or solving their problems. Do not try to compare or judge their ways against your own, simply try to recognize the many ways it is possible to be at peace in the world.

When having a conversation with a friend or relative, spend at least half of the time talking about them. Concentrate on really understanding where the person is coming from with their concerns.

Ask questions.
Think of the people who are closest to you. Remember that they have their own passions, satisfactions and needs. Try to visualize what that person is doing, and narrow down to how they are feeling at this moment; to one thing they might be thinking about. Don't pass judgment, just consider and reflect on why they might think or feel in just such a way.

Ten Rules to Live By to Achieve ENTP Success
1. Feed Your Strengths! Realize your gift of seeing past the obvious brings you a great capacity to reward yourself and others through your cleverness. Make sure you engage in activities and which can expose this potential at its most valuable level.
2. Face Your Weaknesses! We all have weaknesses. Recognizing your weaknesses for what they are (without beating yourself up) will give you the power to change your life for the better.
3. Talk Through Your Perceptions. Discussing what you see with others will them understand where you are coming from, and offer you the chance to discover the ways in which their input can balance your ideas.
4. Relax and Enjoy the View. Take the time to consider what you have, the gifts life has already brought to you. Try and discover the value and importance of those constant day to day things which support and nourish you.
5. Be Aware of Others Understand that everyone has their own lives and their own perspectives. Everyone has something to offer. Try to identify people's personality type.
6. Recognize Norms and Structures Are Necessary. Remember that without the support and constancy of others, no-one can follow their dreams. The path you walk was laid by others, each of its stepping stones created to fulfill a different part of the human need for constancy and security. Without this support structure, you cannot go far.
7. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone Understand that the only way to grow is to get outside of your comfort zone. If you're feeling uncomfortable in situation because it seems to be going nowhere, that's good! That's an opportunity for growth.
8. Identify and Express Your Feelings You may have a hard time understanding your feelings. It's important that you try to figure this out. Don't let people down. If you determine that you value a person, tell them so every time you think of it. This is the best way to make them feel secure in your affections, and so to promote a long-lasting relationship.
9. Be Accountable for Yourself Remember that no one has more control over your life than you have. Don't be a victim.
10. Assume the Best, But Be Wary. Your positive attitude nearly always creates positive situations. Just remember: to make them lasting and worthwhile you must build them on solid, carefully planned foundations.