First Step Marketing

Focus upon your breathing

To start, close your eyes and focus your attention upon your breathing. Listen to the soft whistling sound as the air flows in and flows out. Be sure that you are belly breathing—your belly should be moving in and out as you breathe.

After about a minute or two of concentrating on your breathing, start counting sequentially from one to ten as you inhale and saying to yourself, RELAX as you exhale. For example, on the first inhalation, say ONE and see the number one being drawn in your mind. On exhalation, say RELAX and see the word RE–LA-X-X-X . . . in your mind. Continue the counting process until you feel quiet and your mind is focused and undisturbed by intruding thoughts. Read the rest of this entry »

Workplace listening skills can be important in many different ways. For example, listening and understanding your initial instructions about how to do your job is critical. Good listeners work actively at the listening process. Their eyes and ears are attending and receiving information and their minds are working at understanding what is being communicated. Questions such as, Is this important? If so, how? should be continually considered during important meetings and conferences. Workplace messages could be straightforward instructions, or they could be more complicated types of communication, such as an obtuse interaction between several people. No matter what the content, if you want to communicate well, you must master the listening process. Here are a few pointers about how to listen better. Read the rest of this entry »

Gone are the days when you could automatically pass on cost increases to your customers through your product selling price. So it is essential that all increases in wages and salaries are justifiable, properly controlled and if possible self- financing.

Account for the total increase in your wages and salaries bill from one year to another

Many companies find that the total wage bill can increase in a year by an amount far greater than the rate increase warrants. It would be wise to find out why there is such a discrepancy. Of course there are plenty of good reasons for wage drift but you should know what they are and then act to control the situation. The additional cost should be analysed into increases in rates, numbers employed, overtime worked, bonus earnings, changes in labour mix etc by age, grade and so on. Read the rest of this entry »

In the merchandised market, insurance as a product, insurance brokers weight their pocket more important than your consideration. We normally stay in two situations: over insured or under insured.

How to avoid such situations? We need to review our insurance carefully to avoid necessary tricks by referring the 9 Insurance Consumer Review Guides:

1. Insure adequately

The scope of your insurance cover is a matter of judgment which will be influenced by the insurance broker and the insurance companies. However, too much influence may result in over-caution and a higher premium cost than necessary. A well-balanced view of the degree of risk you to take is essential. Read the rest of this entry »

For convenience, imagine yourself starting your workday, then being at work, and finally leaving work at the end of the day. Read my suggestions and see if some of the points might apply to help you to become a more positive person, prior to, during and after work.

Before work:

• On waking each workday, think about the most interesting and exciting part of the forthcoming day. Do not accept the response, `Nothing!’.
• Before getting out of bed, say something to yourself like, ‘I will make the most of my abilities today!’.

• When dressing, consider wearing clothing which is different—something which may evoke positive remarks and compliments from workmates. A positive remark can put some brightness into a grey day. Read the rest of this entry »

For people like me at work, assertiveness has particularly important significance, as it is a quality which helps me to communicate more effectively and hopefully achieve my goals.

It is very important to be able to stand and be heard, whether the situation is a promotion interview or a refusal to an unfair request. To remain silent under these circumstances can create strong feelings of anger inside and erode the individual’s self-confidence. Some other situations which often require assertiveness at the workplace are:

• Communicating your thoughts and feelings directly and honestly.
• Saying, Yes to new work opportunities and possibilities which you wish to try.
• Giving compliments to others.
• Receiving compliments from others. Read the rest of this entry »