How to Pitch Anything in 15 Seconds [video]

Marketing for the Extremely Shy - Dorie Clark Let’s face it: selling isn’t for everyone. Some people, including executives and entrepreneurs, panic at the thought of “putting themselves out there,” especially when that means asking colleagues for referrals or reaching out to past clients to drum up new business. In the past few weeks, I’ve been approached by several company leaders clamoring for help. I usually start by pushing back: being a leader means being a rainmaker — period. This can take some mental adjustment. So some shy leaders — through gritted teeth — recognize they have to step up. But for other executives and entrepreneurs, even if it means lost business, they’re not going to budge: they don’t want to do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or look (to their eyes) like a hawker. Recognize the difference between marketing and sales. If you’re less focused on sales, you need killer marketing. Hire the help you need. How does your company balance sales and marketing?

Propaganda Techniques Propaganda designers have been putting messages into television commercials, news programs, magazine ads, and other things we read and see for years. These messages have been carefully designed to influence our opinions, emotions, attitudes and behavior. Their purpose is to persuade us to believe in something or to do something that we would not normally believe or do. These messages have been designed to benefit someone, and that someone may not be you! It's not as easy as you might think to spot hidden messages. Propaganda designers know you are on your guard. Nothing says that you can't appreciate a good piece of propaganda, and still agree with the messages hidden within it. Is everything we see and hear propaganda? To protect yourself against the techniques of propaganda, three good questions to ask yourself are: Who does this benefit?

Student or Graduate Web-Developer Needed in London | Web Design & Web Developers Jobs New Arts Magazine forms a small team of professional and young people interested to work in publishing industry. We are looking for students and recent graduates to launch a really unusual art magazine. As the first step we need to create a website which will be supportive for the magazine. The website would need maintenance and improvement as project would grow. It's part-time and unpaid position before project really kicks off, but the magazine is aimed to make profit and financial aspect would be discussed on the interview. Three Myths about What Customers Want - Karen Freeman, Patrick Spenner and Anna Bird by Karen Freeman, Patrick Spenner and Anna Bird | 9:10 AM May 23, 2012 This post is the last in a three-part series. Most marketers think that the best way to hold onto customers is through “engagement” — interacting as much as possible with them and building relationships. It turns out that that’s rarely true. Myth #1: Most consumers want to have relationships with your brand. Actually, they don’t. How should you market differently? First, understand which of your consumers are in the 23% and which are in the 77%. Myth #2: Interactions build relationships. No, they don’t. Of the consumers in our study who said they have a brand relationship, 64% cited shared values as the primary reason. Many brands have a demonstrable higher purpose baked into their missions, whether it’s Patagonia’s commitment to the environment or Harley Davidson’s goal “to fulfill dreams through the experience of motorcycling.” Myth #3: The more interaction the better. Wrong.

Wikipedia: Critical Thinking Critical thinking is a type of clear, reasoned thinking. According to Beyer (1995) Critical thinking means making clear, reasoned judgements. While in the process of critical thinking, ideas should be reasoned and well thought out/judged.[1] The National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking defines critical thinking as the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.'[2] Etymology[edit] In the term critical thinking, the word critical, (Grk. κριτικός = kritikos = "critic") derives from the word critic, and identifies the intellectual capacity and the means "of judging", "of judgement", "for judging", and of being "able to discern".[3] Definitions[edit] According to the field of inquiry [weasel words], critical thinking is defined as: Skills[edit] In sum:

20 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Page Visibility There has been quite a lot of discontent among Facebook marketers of late due to the apparent decline in news feed visibility. The more cynical among us believe this is Facebook's way of coercing page admins to pay to promote their posts in order to get the same exposure they once enjoyed for free. Whether this is true or not, the Facebook news feed is becoming an increasingly competitive marketing space – meaning you need to fight to be seen. So, how do you become a prominent fixture in users' news feeds? First, you need to understand how Facebook decides which posts will show up and why: Gone are the good old days when most of your community would see your content. You've probably heard of EdgeRank before but may not fully understand exactly what it is. The EdgeRank algorithm is Facebook's key to determining who is going to see your post, and if you can understand how it works, you can try and optimize your posts to suit it. 1. This one is a common trap. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

How to build a great business (from a good one) | MathMarketing Standing out from the crowd is tough when your competitors are also working towards the same end. Occasionally, though, a business that has been doing 'fine' suddenly starts doing better than fine. In fact, it goes from being good to great. For some, this success is temporary and they soon slink back into the pack. How does a good business become a great one? Collins' team of researchers drew up a list of extraordinary companies that met three criteria - they had to have performed at or below the rest of the market for 15 years; then undergone a change; and then significantly outperformed the stock market for 15 years or more. Collins wanted to understand what these businesses had done to transform themselves into market leaders. Disciplined people Adopting level 5 leadership: build enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. Disciplined thought Disciplined action In our experience, the final idea needs further examination.

Leadership vs. Management Disciplines > Leadership > Leadership vs. Management Managers have subordinates | Leaders have followers | See also What is the difference between management and leadership? Many people, by the way, are both. Managers have subordinates By definition, managers have subordinates - unless their title is honorary and given as a mark of seniority, in which case the title is a misnomer and their power over others is other than formal authority. Authoritarian, transactional style Managers have a position of authority vested in them by the company, and their subordinates work for them and largely do as they are told. Work focus Managers are paid to get things done (they are subordinates too), often within tight constraints of time and money. Seek comfort An interesting research finding about managers is that they tend to come from stable home backgrounds and led relatively normal and comfortable lives. Leaders have followers Leaders do not have subordinates - at least not when they are leading.

How to align your sales process to your buyer's journey | MathMarketing The buyer's journey describes the process a typical business buyer takes as they move through the sales funnel. It's their process, not yours. The journey is not an administrative process, but a cognitive one. The buyer moves from being complacent to troubled, then becomes clear about needs and viable options, before deciding on preferences and opening the way for an acceptable contract. But the selling process does not - and cannot - precisely follow this path. They should follow parallel paths. Consider, too, that as the seller you must do things before the buyer's journey starts, and after it has ended. Your execution should focus on the stages of the seller's journey. Your choice of tactics for your business should be those best able to move your buyer through each stage of their journey. Consider the following tactical approach: Find new names in proven business lists and filter them to match an ideal customer profile.

Well-connected brains make you smarter in older age Brains that maintain healthy nerve connections as we age help keep us sharp in later life, new research funded by the charity Age UK has found. Older people with robust brain 'wiring' – that is, the nerve fibres that connect different, distant brain areas – can process information quickly and that this makes them generally smarter, the study suggests. According to the findings, joining distant parts of the brain together with better wiring improves mental performance, suggesting that intelligence is not found in a single part of the brain. However a loss of condition of this wiring or 'white matter' – the billions of nerve fibres that transmit signals around the brain – can negatively affect our intelligence by altering these networks and slowing down our processing speed. The research by the University of Edinburgh shows for the first time that the deterioration of white matter with age is likely to be a significant cause of age-related cognitive decline.

Be More Optimistic. Here's Why Whenever I post about the impact of beliefs on lives and careers, I tend to get at least one comment contrasting "optimism" and "realism." That's an odd comparison to make, because they're actually the exact same thing. Let me explain. Because you are human, you are not capable of discerning "reality." So your experience of reality is actually an experience of your interpretation of reality. Now, the world around you consists of a long list of things that you can't control and a short list of things that you can control. Defining Your Future Those actions emerge from your interpretation of reality--that is, the meaning you assign to events and their importance to you. If your interpretation of reality is basically pessimistic, you'll make decisions out of fear, be far less likely to take risks, and you'll miss opportunities that might change your life for the better. Why "Realism" Isn't Real The exact same thing, however, is true of pessimism. It's your choice.

Add Finding Happiness to a Personal Growth Plan: Learn to Cheer Up with Secrets of Happiness from Positive Psychology The secrets of happiness have been discovered in recent studies conducted by positive psychology researchers. Their findings have led to the development and validation of interventions everyone can use to include finding happiness in their personal growth plans. The Secrets of Happiness There are three components of happiness: Set point, Circumstances, and Intentional Activities. Positive psychologist's research indicates that most people attempt to find happiness by changing their circumstances, such as changing jobs or spouses, seeking to make more money, or buying status-symbol products. Unfortunately, there are problems associated with changing one's circumstances in order to find greater happiness. Circumstances contribute only ten-percent of a person's total happiness.Circumstances are not generally within an individual's control.The happiness deriving from changes in life circumstances tends to be short-lived. How to Find Happiness The Strategy of Counting Your Blessings

Positive Psychology Exercises Mental health is the true concern of psychology. But how can one's health be judged? If a person does not have any mental illnesses, but is still not happy, should he/she see a psychologist? And what technique should be used for treatment? Where and Why is Positive Psychology Used? Positivism can be used in clinical psychology, by encouraging focus on both positive and negative functioning, when understanding distress. Positive Psychology Exercises Keep a Treasure Chest: Store happy memories in a box or album. Be Unique and Show It: Revel in your individuality. How Social Are You: Do a pleasurable activity like gardening or writing, and do it alone to completion. Control Your Emotions: Nothing lasts forever, bad or good. Helping Others Helps You: Philanthropic and charity activities help increase your self-esteem. Write a Gratitude Letter: Thanking someone is a positive feeling for the recipient and you. Love and Listen More: Maintain your relationships with your loved ones.