Pony Of Prey Blog

I have always had a big problem with my addiction to music. I tend to hear I song I like, then rush out to the local record store to buy the CD, without consideration for whether or not I would actually like the rest of the songs on the set. After years of this habit, I have amassed a huge CD collection, but I have been left with many one-hit-wonder discs that I no longer listen to and just gather dust while taking up space in my small apartment (anyone else fall for the infectiousness of Chumbawumba’s “Tubthumping” back in the ’90s only to find the rest of the CD less than appealing?). I know I am not the only one with this infliction I like to call ” Itchy Trigger Finger Music Purchasing,” and we all could use some help in weeding out the now-undesirables to make room for hopefully wiser purchases in the future.

I have an established this routine for tidying my overflowing CD collection:

Scan through your CD collection with this golden rule in mind - “If you haven’t listen to it two years, pull it out.” Make a pile of these discs that have not had a recent relationship with your stereo.

Scan through this pile of CDs and remove the ones you know you like, regardless of lack of play over the last two years (everyone has favorites, but they cannot possibly be listened to on a regular basis when you are constantly buying new music). Put these back in your collection for future blast-from-the-past urges.

Take the pile you have remaining and sort them in chronological order. The older CDs are the ones most likely to have been ignored over the years, and thus prime candidates for elimination.

Read through the track listings of these discs to see if you recognize more than one song by sight. If necessary, slip them into your stereo to refresh your memory. If you are familiar with three or more songs on the set, then you probably enjoyed that CD at one point, and you can use your discretion as to whether or not you want to keep it in your collection, or part ways with it since you haven’t listen to it in quite some time. Those discs with only one recognizable song need to go!

Now you should have a pile of discarded CDs and you are wondering what to do with them. Use them as coasters? Use them as Frisbees? Have a CD-burning partying (I’m talking about the pyromania version of burning, not the process of transferring to a blank CD). These options are fine and dandy, but I’d like to suggest a couple of other options. You could invite some friends over so they can take a gander at what you no longer want. What’s old and tired to you may be just the thing your pals have been searching for (not everyone can be blessed with good taste in music). The other option is to find folks to trade with online. There are plenty of audiophiles trading at SwapThing. There are many categories at SwapThing, so you don’t necessarily have to swap your music for more music; you can exchange your CDs for virtually anything that someone else is offering. Good luck and get cleaning!

SwapThing.com is a site focused on building a strong swap community online. The ShareThing program helps non-profits get access to item & cash donations as well as volunteers and professional services.

This article comes with reprint rights. You are free to reprint and distribute it as you like. All that we ask is that you do not make any changes, that this resource text is included, and that the link above is intact.

Did you know that with E-currency Exchange it’s completely possible to double your investment in the first month.

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Most people haven’t catched up that the principle of accelerated learning is in learning from others, and that’s what keeps them from succeeding.

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When you do this your knowledge of the system will grow and you’ll have results that may seem outstanding but it’s simply because you’re following a process that works.

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If you’re serious about making an income from the dxinone system, we recommend finding the top in this area and learning from them. One of the best ways to do this is by getting a training program from a Electronic Currency Exchange professional.

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No, this isn’t a question of should we men buy handbags for
ourselves.

It’s more a query of can we buy them for our wife or girlfriend?
(I suspect that in some cases it may well be a question of can
we buy them for our wife AND our girlfriend/mistress!)

Now — I’ll be the first to admit then when it comes to handbag
‘buyable’ wives, I’m very lucky.

I can ask my long suffering wife an obviously loaded question
such as “So what handbag would you most like to own?” and have
her forget the question and answer she gave within a matter of
hours.

Looking through a magazine or catalog, idly flicking the pages
and throwing in mild questions such as “Do you think that looks
nice?” or “Wow — wouldn’t that go with your suede skirt?” are
seen by her as nothing more than a passing question, asked in a
moment of idle curiosity.

The fact that the queried item then appears for her birthday or
mothers day or at Xmas is still a huge surprise to her, causing
her to question how I knew she’d like that particular
style/color etc.

I’ve also managed, after 23 years together and quite a few
coaching sessions that I’m sure I wasn’t even aware of, to be
able to see for myself exactly the type of thing she’d like. I
can even boast modestly that my wife will ask me what I think
about a particular piece of clothing and actually consider my
answer before buying or not buying, assured as she is that I
will reply honestly and with love and kindness. (Although the
joke question occasionally thrown in is always “Does my bum look
big in this” to which the standard joke answer is “Do I look
stupid?”)

So I can — within reason — look at something in the designer
handbag lines and think to myself “Yes, she’d like that” and
actually be right.

But apparently - some store assistants don’t agree with me on
that scale.

I recently went to the LV store in Selfridges, Bond Street of
London to buy my wife a Xmas present. I had gone in with a mind
to buy her a Papillon 26 but, as ever, was open to the power of
seeing and deciding as opposed to deciding before seeing.

It isn’t the largest store by far, being more of a concession
stand size, situated just inside the main doors at the west of
the main building. More than 15 people in there and the cat
knows it safe from being swung, you’d never get it over your
head to start with!

Being as how I was going in during a snatched lunch hour between
meetings, I was dressed in what would be described as City
Worker style, i.e. short hair, smart dark suit, shirt and tie.

Now I do fully understand that, in the pecking order of who gets
served in a designer handbag shop fastest, I rank fairly close
to the bottom of the ladder, if not being the one who actually
holds the ladder for others to climb!

I was quite prepared for the looks of curiosity from the female
customers and even the odd stiletto on the instep in the fight
to get to the counter. I wasn’t prepared, however, for a store
with only 7 people in it — me, two other customers, three
members of staff and a security guard.

Taking this surprising amount of space to be a good omen I
decided to have a little stroll round the store, left to right,
starting with the Damier items and finishing with the most
anticipated area, the Multicolore and the Suhali ranges.

The stroll and look went exactly according to plan, a few ideas
springing to mind as I took a leisurely wander past the shelves
of rich, leathery smelling prizes.

I would have half expected a member of staff to gently enquire
if they could help but wasn’t to phased to be left on my own. In
reality it was quite a treat not to be pounced on! (I have
terrible trouble when I go into any store and I’m leapt on by an
over eager staff member leaping out from behind their hiding
place, the war cry of “Can i help you?” finished before they
even land in front of me. All I ever want to say to them is a
disgruntled “yeah, you look round and I’ll wait here!”)

But you could have knocked me over with a feather when they
didn’t want to serve me at all!

Having finished my ramblings and with a couple of possibilities
firmly chosen, I came to a halt in the middle of the main
counter, looking over to the three staff members huddled
together, quietly talking. The security guard had by this time
finished his assessment, obviously deciding I was more of a
danger to myself than the stock and left.

It was me and two other customers, a mother and daughter on a
day out to London by the looks of things who were quietly in the
far corner, seemingly arguing over the merits of a scarf versus
a bag.

So I politely stood at the counter for a couple of minutes,
waiting quietly. I was fairly sure that both of the girls saw me
but chose to ignore me — but hey, I could be wrong.

But I wasn’t wrong that the male assistant saw me when he turned
round, looked right at me then turned back to his discussion.

So a polite cough was called for and duly given.

And just as duly ignored.

So a louder cough followed.

Which was followed by even more ignoring.

And that was when I coughed loudly and — please forgive me dear
reader — made that awful hawking sound at the back of the
throat that children make when they are about to do something
they really shouldn’t in polite company!

That got their attention. Three startled faces all looked at me
with what could well have been a look of respect but I suspect
was much more likely to be one of thinly veiled disgust!

Reluctantly the male assistant tore himself away from the safety
of the herd and ambled over.

“May I help you?” Did you notice the lack of a “sir” at the end
of that greeting?? I did!

“Well, I was looking for a handbag for my wife as a xmas
present” says I “something a little different and unusual”

“Everything in here is different. Did you have anything
particular in mind?” says he.

Ever had that urge to just be rude back to someone and say “grow
up!”? Difficult to resist, ain’t it!!

“Well, I was thinking of a Mono Papillon but I’d like to see a
Damier Ribera as well please. Oh, and if you have an Epi St.
Moritz I’d like to have a quick look at that as well please.”

That got him. You could see him almost rock back on his feet!

I knew the secret.

A man, a man knew the secret of the store.

I knew the names of the bags!

A thin sheen of perspiration glistened on his previously dry
forehead as he threw in a delaying tactic.

“I think you might prefer a Speedy instead?”

“No thank you, it’s a bit too samey samey. The Ribera will do
just fine thank you.”

He turned towards the shelves, shoulders tense and body ramrod
stiff.

“Make that the Ribera MM, not the GM please” I whispered, just
low enough for him to hear.

His shoulders slumped as the last vestiges of defiance ebbed
away.

Meek as a lamb he spent the next twenty minutes retrieving item
after item for me to review, paw and discard. He was asked
question after question about origins, materials care, style
variances, range histories and named designers contributions. He
failed badly on some and confessed to not even knowing the
basics of deciphering the date codes.

Finally, when he was just about all done in, I threw my ace on
the table.

“Actually, I’d like to look at the new Marelle please.”

“We don’t have that bag sir” says he “it’s not been released
yet!” A small smile of satisfaction flickered at the corners of
his mouth.

“So the bag on the top shelf, just….there, that would be what
then??” says I.

Game, set and match.

Can men buy handbags?

Some can - if the store staff will let them.

What’s a Targeted Selection Process? As related to prospecting, it is a process or system of defining whom you want to call on and performing the due diligence of data procurement to understand who you are calling on and why you have chosen them.
It can be as simple as choosing an industry, picking a company name out of the yellow pages, understanding the appropriate level of contact to call on, and investigating a name that goes with the title.
Or it can be as complex as an expensive CRM (customer relationship management) system for existing customers, defining market share of your product portfolio and routinely touching the existing base to broaden the revenue pond.

But here’s what’s important to understand. Your Targeted Selection Process is a separate component of your sales strategy. It stands by itself.
But it is directly allied with your other Sales performance indicators. The degree of success you’ll have in the business of sales is proportional to raising and maintaining these success indicators to a level more proficient than the industry norm.
And the direction you decide to travel is strategic to the outcome. I call it the ‘Playing Field’. Because that’s where it all starts… it’s where the game begins.

Here’s what I mean. There are basically (2) strategies in picking your ‘Playing Field’; a ‘Bottom-up’ approach or a ‘Top-down’ approach.
The following is an example of a Bottom-up approach. A Telecommunications rep initiates a telephone call into a company and asks the question “Who handles your telecommunications needs?” Guess where they are sent? If you said ‘office manager’ you guessed right. If you said ‘Head Janitor’ you weren’t far off.

Is there anything ‘wrong’ with that? Not really; it’s legal and a lot of folks out there do it.
But let’s think through this option as a ‘Business person’ would. Let’s study it as it relates to our sales process and individual Key Performance Indicators (KPI); Conversation-to-appointment ratio, 1st appointment to Proposal ratio, Closing ratio, sales cycle and average revenue per sale. Because these success indicators are gateways that directly affect the outcome of a sales process.

Do your KPI’s go up or down with a bottom-up approach? Historically, a bottom-up approach promotes a:

1.	1st appointment to Proposal ratio to decrease
 2.	Closing ratio to decrease
 3.	Sales cycle to increase
 4.	Average revenue per sale to decrease

Bottom line, you’ll be leaving time and money on the table if you choose this Target strategy.
We’ll revisit the Conversation-to-appointment KPI in a minute.

At the other end of the Target spectrum is the ‘Top-down’ strategy for securing a new Targeted business appointment. Let’s say that same telecommunications rep chose this approach in prospecting for new business. The first step in this process is ‘Homework’; some due diligence prior to picking up the telephone.

Activities like:

•	Gathering a list of appropriate industries
 •	Assigning the highest appropriate level of contact to each account; by company size and industry
 •	Researching contact name for each appropriate title and account
 •	Researching what each business does to exist and prosper

That sounds like a bit of work. But what historically happens with a ‘Top-down’ approach in line with sales performance KPI’s?

1.	1st appointment to Proposal ratio increases
 2.	Closing ratio increases
 3.	Sales cycle decreases
 4.	Average revenue per sale increases

OK. We agree that’s a no-brainer. So it all comes down to the 1st and foremost sales performance indicator, your Conversation-to-appointment ratio.
That’s simply how many times you conduct a conversation with a target prospect versus how many times you achieve one. And the national average on that KPI is between 4% and 18%; Top-down or Bottom up approach. So it takes 10, 12 or 20 conversations to achieve 1 or 2 appointments. And that’s a lot of work. In fact, JDH Group studies show sales individuals spend an average of 50% of their time on prospecting activities, or about 22 hours per week.

That leads a sensible person to the conclusion that one needs to focus on efficiencies in Prospecting. And to secure those ‘Competencies’ one must develop a communication ’system’ in line with your business solutions, your ‘Top-down’ Prospect perceptions and your competitive influences.
Not from a product/service angle, that’s ’selling’ over the telephone. But a communications methodology that lends itself to ‘Business acumen’; insight into what is strategic to your target prospect’s business objectives, what pains they are facing due to recent events or what changes are on the horizon that may effect their current status quo.

Next is figuring out how to communicate to your ‘Top-down’ target the prospective benefits of your product/service in terms relevant to their financial Key Performance Indicators; line items like ROI, IRR and Payback Period. Those are success indicators that organizations rely on to measure progress toward their organizational goals. It’s their ‘Scorecard’.

So lesson number one. When you’re addressing a target level that has Budget authority; a President/Owner of a small company or a CFO/Controller of a medium size one, you’d better be talking terms in line with what they need to accomplish, not in a ’sales language’ creating a prospect perception that you’re (1) don’t understand their business and (2) are simply trying to make a living.
From a 10,000 foot altitude, understand and communicate what’s on your ‘Top-down’ target prospect’s ‘Front Burner’ business objectives…not clear over in the freezer!

You can choose not to accept the standard ’sales 101 playing field’.
Identify your individual performance components (KPI’s) that are essential to your success and develop or seek systems to raise your competency ratios and performance efficiencies.
And start your process by picking a ‘Top-down Playing Field’ and educating yourself to their world.

Jeff Hardesty is President of JDH Group, Inc. and the Developer of the X2 Sales System, a blended training system that teaches sales professionals the competency of setting C-level business appointments.

Jeff’s sales performance improvement articles has been featured in numerous National publications such as Business First, Dartnell’s SELL!NG, Chief Learning Officer and Training Magazine with reference to ROI Blended Learning Systems and improving sales teams Key Performance Indicators. He travels the country conducting live X2 Appointment setting ‘Boot Camps’ and Train-the-trainer sessions helping sales organizations get more reps to Quota in less time, shorten new-hire ‘Ramp-to-Quota’, accelerate new product roll-outs and eliminate Turnover costs due to low sales activity. Jeff can be reached at jeff@convertmoresales.com.

To view a complimentary suite of sales training ROI calculators and determine your sales team’s Key Performance Indicators in line with your sales objectives visit http://convertmoresales.com/roi_calculators.php

Copies of paychecks can be obtained through software that is specific to accounting. This software is quite versatile and allows the user to enter the number of hours worked, for instance, before it makes the check. It allows the user to have a preview of the check, if it is the very first check being created for a particular employee. It also allows one to factor in vacation time, sick leave and other additions and omissions.

This software allows the user to print multiple copies of any given paycheck. The date of the check and the end of the pay period need to be updated, if and when necessary. The preview option presents a sample of every check being signed so that relevant changes can be implemented. One must use forms that include preprinted account numbers, check numbers, and other pertinent information concerning the financial institution where the account is held.

The software, in addition to all its other features, contains print forms and paychecks. Furthermore, the ’select-employee-to-pay’ option will print out the paychecks. This can be done by selecting the checking account for which the check has to be made.

The first thing to do is check if the number on the paycheck in the printer coincides with the number in the first-check-number field. If the user requires multiple copies of the same check, the number of copies needed will have to be entered in the number-of-copies field. The way to make additional copies of paychecks and not waste check stock is by alternating checks with plain paper.

One remarkable thing about the software is that in case of a number being wrongly printed on the paycheck, the user, on entering the number of the misprinted paycheck, can get the software to remove the misprinted numbers from the paycheck, allowing the user to reuse the same checks.

PDA stands for Personal Digital Assistant, a handheld device (small and light enough to be operated while it is held in the hands) that is typically used as a personal organizer. It has evolved into a more complicated computer-like gadget capable of performing a multiplicity of functions, such as serving as wireless communicators for sending and receiving data, faxes, and electronic-mail messages. The PDA concept was first introduced by Apple’s MessagePad in 1993, and was later revolutionized by the PalmPilot in 1996, created by Palm, Inc. The overall market for PDAs has now grown by 20.7% in the third quarter of 2005, compared to the third quarter of 2004.

A basic PDA features a date book, address book, task list, memo pad, clock, and calculator software. Today, PDAs are widely used as notepads, word processors, spreadsheets, and appointment schedulers and to synchronize data with a PC or home computer. They may also be integrated with cell phones to provide mobile communication and be used for accessing the Internet through technologies such as Wi-Fi, Wide-Area Networks (WANs), and Bluetooth.

Most PDA devices are not equipped with a keyboard like palmtop computers. Instead, they are pen based and rely on special hardware that recognizes handwritten inputs to tap selections on menus and enter printed characters. Some devices may also include an on-screen keyboard for better accessibility.

PDAs now depend largely on a number of Operating Systems to function. Some of the most widely used PDA Operating Systems include Palm OS (Palm, Inc); Windows Mobile (Microsoft); Blackberry (Research in Motion); Symbian OS; and those based on the Linux kernel available for free such as GPE, and OPIE/Qtopia.