Mystic Toad Press Blog

DEFINITIONS

EQ - is a measure of your emotional intelligence, or your
ability to use both your emotions and cognitive skills in your
life. Emotional intelligence competencies include but are not
limited to empathy, intuition, creativity, flexibility,
resilience, coping, stress management, leadership, integrity,
authenticity, intrapersonal skills and interpersonal skills.

IQ - a number used to express the apparent relative intelligence
of a person that is the ratio multiplied by 100 of the mental
age as reported on a standardized test to the chronological age.
IQ is the measure of cognitive abilities, such as the ability to
learn or understand or to deal with new situations; the skilled
use of reason; the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate
one’s environment or to think abstractly as measured by
objective criteria (as tests); mental acuteness; logic and
analytical skills. COMPARISONS

EQ gets you through life vs. IQ gets you through school

Appealing to reason and emotions to convince someone vs. Trying
to convince someone by facts alone

Using your emotions as well as your cognitive abilities to
function more effectively vs. Relying solely on your cognitive
skills

EXAMPLE

Li Ying had a high IQ. She could reason, was analytical and
logical, and had a steel-trap focus on tasks. She learned new
things quickly. However, she ignored how he was feeling and how
others were feeling. If things didn’t do the way she expected
them to, she would lose her temper and lash out at others. She
was unable to relate to people who weren’t as smart as he was
and lacked empathy. This limited her ability to be effective in
team situations even though her IQ was very high. Jose had a
high EQ. He got along well with people, and managed his own
emotions well. This made him highly effective in his work, even
though there were others in the firm with higher IQs. Jose was
able to consider the emotional component of interactions, using
both his cognitive abilities and his understanding of emotions.
He was able to influence and motivate people because he
understood what mattered to them and was an excellent
communicator. His authenticity and integrity made him a natural
leader. He was flexible and creative when faced with a
challenge, and resilient in the face of temporary defeats. He
was well-liked and well-respected.

KEY POINT

Your EQ has more to do with your success and happiness in life
than your IQ and it can be learned.

RELATED DISTINCTIONS

Knowing how and why vs. Knowing what

Knowing how to motivate each person vs. Treating everying as if
they operated the same way which they don’t

Managing emotions and using them for good results vs. Being at
the mercy of emotions because you don’t understand them or know
how to work with them.

BENEFITS

When you recognize the difference between EQ and IQ, you can
work to develop your EQ. It can be learned but has often been
neglected in our education both at home and at school.

Viral Marketing is allowing people to giveaway and
use your free product or service in order to multiply
your marketing quickly over the internet. The idea
behind viral marketing is that you include your ad
with the freebie people giveaway or use. Below are
ten high impact viral marketing strategies:

1. Allow people to reprint your articles on their web
site, in their e-zine, newsletter, magazine or ebooks.
Include your resource box and the option for article
reprints at the bottom of each article.

2. Allow people to use any of your freebies as free
bonuses for products or services they sell. Include
your ad on all your freebies.

3. Allow people to use your online discussion board
for their own web site. Some people don’t have one.
Just include your banner ad at the top of the board.

4. Allow people to sign up for a free web site on
your server. Since you are giving away the space,
require them to include your banner ad at the top
of the site.

5. Allow people to add their link to your free web
site directory. Just require that they return a link
back to your web site, advertising your directory.

6. Allow people to provide your free online service
to their web site, visitors, or e-zine subscribers.
They could be free e-mail, e-mail consulting, search
engine submissions, etc.

7. Allow people to give away your free software.
Just include your business advertisement inside the
software program.

8. Allow people to give away your free web design
graphics, fonts, templates, etc. Just include your ad
on them or require people to link directly to your
web site.

9. Allow people to place an advertisement in your
free ebook if, in exchange, they give away the
ebook to their web visitors or e-zine subscribers.

10. Allow people to give away your free ebook to
their visitors. Then, their visitors will also give it
away. This will just continue to spread your ad all
over the internet.

About the author:

Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.

Certain medications can also cause adult acne. Anabolic steroids are one medication which is responsible. Many of these types of steroids are used to bulk up and are also illegal. There are other legal medications which can also cause adult acne. Anti-epileptic medications, Lithium, anti-Tuberculosis medications, and medications containing iodine can all cause adult acne. Some of these medications can be discontinued or changed to prevent the acne, however, some cannot.

When a person works with certain chemicals at work, it is possible to develop adult acne. This type of adult acne is called chloracne and is developed when someone comes in contact with chlorine. This type of adult acne is characterized by whiteheads and blackheads.

Metabolic disorders are one reason for adult acne. When a person has changes in their hormone balance changes, acne can develop. This usually occurs during pregnancy, menstruation, or during a time of hormone imbalance.

Adult acne can be treated in a number of ways. Over the counter medications and systems are the most common way. These forms of treatment are much more convenient and easy to get hold of. It is easier than going to a dermatologist. A dermatologist is another cure for adult acne. He can either prescribe a medication or he can perform “acne surgery.” This is just when the dermatologist uses a sterile tool to pop the pimples.

Adult acne is a problem for many adults, however, it does not have to be.

Part Two of Cash to Cash Cycle Series

Next: Sales

We’ve already found $250,000…so let’s find another $250,000…

Laying the Foundation

Last week, we raised the question: what would your business do with $1,000,000? To lay the foundation we introduced inventory as the first of four areas that will lead toward our million dollar goal. And you saw exactly how to achieve the first $250,000 in cash savings by avoiding delays with an increase in velocity, as well as an increase in discipline and competency. But how exactly? With time - as you saw with inventory and as you’ll see this week.

Tackling Accounting Procedures

Let’s continue that crucial theme of time with another major source on your balance sheet - specifically, accounts receivable (A/R). If you have $500,000 or more in accounts receivable then STOP! We have found it again.

Reducing Average Days Collection

Why? Because if we focus on reducing your average days collection by 50%, then your accounts receivable balance will fall to $250,000 and the result will be an extra $250,000 in your bank account. And just like that, we’re halfway to our $1,000,000 goal.

So now, let’s see how this actually works in a real-life business scenario.

Accounting Procedures Service Business Example

A service organization with $700,000 in average A/R balances needed assistance. So we examined their A/R function to understand and quantify the workflow and workload issues. Then we designed and implemented a process to improve the A/R performance.

The metrics we developed reduced their “over 60″ accounts receivables by 85% and their overall A/R balance by 50% within 90 days of implementing the new procedures. With these new processes and reports, the company now tracks Average Days Collection and past due rather than just Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) as the measure of their collection effectiveness.

The result: an extra $350,000 in cash. And, again, we explicitly see the crucial role of time and how an increase in velocity and discipline directly yields an increase in efficiency and cash savings. So how can you use time to your advantage?

Methods to Design the New Accounting Process

Decrease collection cycle. Examine customer accounts that go beyond your terms. Do not wait until twice the net terms to take action.

Tighten credit policy. Examine credit process for slippage. Do you have a credit approval process? Do you perform credit checks? What standards are used to extend credit?

Reduce credit terms. Change the credit terms you offer your customers. If you offer terms of net 45, reduce it to net 30. You might offer a discount of 1% if paid within 10 days else net due in 30 days. This is equivalent to 18 % annual interest and most businesses will take those terms.

Shorten the invoice process. Bill your customers immediately. This is a big one. Many service organizations wait until the end of the month to tally billable hours and determine customer charges. Do not wait until the end of the month. This could reduce your day’s receivable by as much as 15 days right there. Email or fax your invoices to save another day or two (e.g. QuickBooks accounting software contains this feature).

Reduce billing errors. Most customers delay payments because of invoice errors. Customers won’t recognize the invoice until it is corrected and may not even notify you, the vendor, of the error until you call for collection. Again, avoiding this delay in error and time will amount to cash savings.

Train Accounts Receivables personnel. Make sure that all personnel involved are training to understand the performance metrics for their jobs. For example, a company will manage $500,000 in monthly A/R balances (that’s $6 Million a year!) using an A/R clerk who makes $30,000. But then the supervisor uses nothing more than On-The-Job (OJT) training for the clerk. Then the CFO thinks that he or she (the CFO) is really managing the money. But, in reality, that’s not the case; the clerk is managing the money day-to-day. So shouldn’t the A/R clerk receive enough training to manage such a significant amount?

After all, it only takes a 6% change in A/R in one month to equal the A/R clerk’s entire annual salary. Isn’t the A/R savings worth a little extra time in training?

Maximizing the Accounting Process. With the Accounts Receivable department you should use each element of the process to gain the most benefit for your business. And with time-saving procedures set in place, you will let your efficiency work for you.

Grabbing Your Policy Goal

With well-defined processes and procedures in place, you will increase efficiency by reducing your Average Days Collection. And of course a reduction in Average Days Collection means your Accounts Receivable balance will also fall, creating more cash on hand. And just like that we’re halfway to our $1,000,000 goal. All you have to do is grab it.

Next week, we will look at finding still another $250,000 in the Sales function - which will give us $750,000 toward our goal of $1 million in cash savings. So, again, not only do you aim to reap the rewards of extra savings to your bottom line, but also see more cash in the bank - $1,000,000 cash to be exact.

Chris Anderson is currently the managing director of Bizmanualz, Inc. and co-author of policies and procedures manuals, producing the layout, process design and implementation to increase performance.
To learn how to increase your business performance, visit: Bizmanualz, Inc.

“Official Résumé Wrong”! That was the headline in the Sports section of a popular newspaper a few years ago, when it was discovered that the then manager of a major league baseball team had inaccuracies in his bio. He was not an “All-American basketball player” and he did not “play basketball at UCLA prior to signing with the Dodgers”. When asked by the sportswriter, the manager admitted the statements were incorrect, and said he should be judged by what he does on the field, not by what’s written about him.

Fast forward to 2005 where it was widely reported in newspapers and on the Internet that an individual who was planning to purchase a football team had to revise his Fact Sheet because it contained numerous errors. He did not play in the NFL nor the CFL, neither did he play in the Little League World Series when he was 11 years old. He has a degree in social work, not “a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Finance,” as his original bio claimed.

Are these occurrences confined to sports? No! There have been incidents where individuals were caught misrepresenting themselves as doctors, lawyers or professors. There was the man who practiced medicine in the US and Canada for 10 years before it was found out he never had a medical degree and the politician who had to quit his caucus when it was revealed he never attended law school as he claimed on his résumé.

The offenders are not always men, if you are beginning to wonder. In 1996, a former deputy minister of health in Alberta resigned from her position because she inflated her academic and professional credentials when she claimed to have been “working as a visiting professor at Princeton”. Why do people misrepresent themselves on their résumés? Could it be because of increased competition, a desire to stand out, or a longing for prestige?

A study conducted by Infocheck, a reference checking firm in Toronto, found that 27% of applicants embellished their educational backgrounds; 25% lacked job knowledge and 19% were dismissed or not eligible for rehire. The company randomly selected 1000 job applicants on whom they had conducted reference checks and education verifications, and found that 35% of these candidates presented “red flags”. These candidates were already successful in the interview process and their positions ranged from general office to senior executives.

“Résumé fraud takes the form of exaggerated skills or duties at a previous job or a concealed termination”, said one of Infocheck’s co-founders. The company suggests that organizations “check before they hire” as a way of protecting themselves from unexpected court costs, liability concerns and tarnished brand identity.

What should the regular Harry Hardworker do? Protect his brand identity as well. In such a competitive marketplace, it is tempting to twist facts, but think of the consequences when the truth is known. If you are currently pursuing a program at college or university, don’t state that you already have the degree or diploma. If you worked on a project as part of a team, be clear about it. Don’t give the employer the impression you did it all alone. It’s OK to highlight, and sometimes brag, about your achievements, because employers want to know what you have done with your talents, but exaggerating the facts to gain an edge over other candidates, is not OK.

______________________

Daisy Wright is President of The Wright Career Solution. She is a career/employment coach and professional resume writer who helps individuals improve their employability and enhance their self-esteem through effective career coaching strategies. She can be reached via email at info@thewrightcareer.com or by website - http://www.thewrightcareer.com.

©2005 - Daisy Wright. All rights reserved. This article from The Wright Career Solution may be distributed or reproduced as long as the copyright and website, http://www.thewrightcareer.com are included.

Use the checklist below to make sure your article, tip, or book excerpt will get published and make you a household name on the Internet.

1. Does the title grab you and include a benefit? Make sure it is clear, but clever and clear is great.

2. Does the opening grab your attention? How? You need a hook in your short 1-3 sentence introduction. A shocking fact, drama, or question about where your audience is, their challenge.

3. Avoid starting sentences with “This is, there is, She is/was.” Avoid passive construction such as: have, is, was, seems, appears. Replace “Judy is a book coach” with Book coach, Judy Cullins, digs her client’s buried treasure (their words) up to make their books saleable gems. Aim for only 2-4% passives. Use strong, action verbs instead.

4. Punch up those sentences. Instead of “people who are assertive are willing to stand up for themselves,” say, “Assertive people stand up for themselves.”

5. Reduce general words. Replace them with specifics that are more compelling to the reader. Instead of “saves you time,” use “saves you 10 hours a week, so you can finally take that vacation to that Caribbean island.”

6. Shorten all sentences for Online reading. Did you know that 15-17 words per sentence is standard? Over that number the sentence is “difficult?” We write differently for Online because we are busy people who want information fast!

7. Use the present or past tense instead of “would have” and other passive forms. These verb forms help your article’s clarity and give punch to it.

8. Show, don’t tell. Instead of saying this book helps you to a healthy life, say after you read my book, you will have “leap out of bed energy.”

9. Reduce the use of adjectives and adverbs. Avoid all -ly adverbs. Make your nouns and verbs describe. Use the senses of sight, sound, emotions, touch. Instead of “Suddenly, she yelled at Tom,” just say,” She opened the front door and yelled at Tom.”

10. Discuss only one point per article to help you write focused, compelling copy for the rest. Check out your article’s thesis. What question does your article answer?

Remember, for opt-in ezine publishers to take your article and spread the good word about you, you need to submit a quality, well-edited article that will wow them.

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including “Write your eBook Fast,” and “How to Market your Business on the Internet,” she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says…and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com

Nobody likes deadlines. Pressure! Stress! Anxiety! But we’ve all
dealt with them. If you’ve ever written a term paper the night
before it is due, raise your hand. (Mine is raised.) If you’ve
ever “crammed” for an exam the night before it was given, raise
your hand. (Mine is raised.)

It has been said that 75% of all modern technology was perfected
within 48 hours of a trade show. Why? The trade show is a
perfect example of a deadline; products simply must be ready
because the stakes are high.

Even though they tend to be unpleasant, they can be turned to
your advantage. How? By using them to motivate yourself to get
things accomplished! Here are some examples of how I have
purposely set deadlines for myself in order to insure that I get
things done.

As I learned about the speaking business, it became apparent
that it was critical that I write articles such as this one.
They can be used in a number of ways to further my career, but I
knew that they would never get written unless I had deadlines.
When John Patrick approached me to write this column in the
Alpenhorn, I was thrilled; not only because I would have the
opportunity to be printed in his paper, but because I knew that
the deadlines would get me to actually write these articles!

I offer several different speaking programs, one of which is “10
Simple Things You Can Do Right Now to Screw-up Your Small
Business”. Before the program was even developed, I made a
commitment to give it at a Chamber of Commerce off the mountain.
They scheduled a date, sent out notices, arranged a special
luncheon, etc. Do you think I was ready when the time came? You
bet I was! Do you think I would have developed that program
without the deadline? Probably not! Now I have a program that I
can offer; a product that was created by forcing myself into a
deadline situation.

Do you have an idea for a product or service that you’d like to
develop? Are you waiting for “just the right time” to get it off
the ground? Do you think you’ll really do it? Set a deadline for
yourself. Make a commitment to someone other than yourself; a
commitment that, if missed, will cause you great embarrassment
or loss of credibility. You’ll be amazed at how motivated you
get!

Somebody once asked me, “Why don’t you just set your own
deadline?”

My answer is this: for me, that isn’t a great enough motivator.
If I just post a note on my computer that I have to do
thus-and-such by a certain date, I don’t really take it
seriously. It doesn’t work, but that’s just me. If it works for
you, great! Do it! I need to make a commitment to someone else
to make this concept work for me. And I do. And it does.

Find out what works for you, and then do it. You’ll be amazed at
what you can accomplish.

An angry customer is one of the most dreaded moments in
business. Absolutely no business owner is immune to them no
matter how hard they try. No matter how much they do. Human
nature indicates that sooner or later a customer will get upset.
Even downright angry. So what do you do?

It’s one of the toughest moments in business and the urge is to
defend yourself. Fight back. However, one simple tool will show
you that fighting back is not the answer. Fighting back fuels
the emotion and makes matters worse. The tool is understanding
what lies underneath the anger. Any psychologist will tell you
that anger is a secondary emotion. Scratch that away and you
have only two choices. The real root of the problem. Fear or
hurt. That’s it. Under all that attack and all those abusive
words is the real root emotion of either fear or hurt.

Now if a friend came to you in tears, afraid or hurt, what
would you do? How would you handle it? Would you pour salt on
the wound? Would you fight back? Of course not. Compassion
dictates that you listen attentively to their feelings and
validate them. They might not be right, but at this point in
time they need to be heard, to be validated. If you can keep the
real emotion in mind, then you realize that it’s not a fight,
it’s a plea. In this way you can handle yourself professionally
and with a caring manner. This technique helps you understand
that it’s personal only to them, no matter what they say.
However, you may have to post the words Hurt Or Afraid on your
computer monitor to remember.

The strange thing about anger is that it’s rather like wolfing
your cookies. You tend to want to also. When someone comes in
for the attack, remember the underlying emotion and that all the
emotional outbursts are centered in the Limbic portion of the
brain. When a person is in the Limbic portion of their brain,
they are pure emotion, nothing else. Logical reasoning cannot
take place. This is why fighting back will not work. You must
take the higher, harder road.

Listen, talk quietly, validate, soothe. Once your customer has
calmed down, you can resolve the problem and thus the root
emotion. When you do this, your customer becomes bonded to you
in ways you won’t believe. Their confidence in you triples,
their trust in you solidifies, and your future with them is
secure. Furthermore, they will sing your praises forever. All it
takes is a little understanding and you can turn an angry client
into a customer forever.

A few years ago, before the bubble burst on internet stocks, the
chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan lost money on
his personal investments because he `didn’t understand this new
economy’.

Question: Are you coping on the internet and with all its
changes and challenges?

1. Balance is the key

If you find the internet stressful and feel like you are being
left behind, make sure that you have a `slow-change’ area of
your life. Golf, a book, gardening are ways to stabilise your
personal life which helps to integrate change without stress
overload.

2. Think of the Future

Set a goal in your head to where you want to be in five years.
This can put everything in perspective as you see your online
business over time growing and your knowledge expanding. Realize
that God wants everything you put your hand to, to succeed. So
walk on in the confidence that you can meet any challenge.

3. What to do now

Explore new partnerships and alliances with other similar minded
people. Most people would be happy and willing to swap ezine
articles, ad space, hints and tips. The marketing `guru’ may be
out of your reach but there are plenty of people that are just
starting out. Remember there tens of thousands of people joining
the Internet every day. Many of them are aware of, or have been
stung by, one of the numerous Internet scams. Most have been
disillusioned by hyped money-making schemes. The only way to
overcome this obstacle is to build credibility. This takes time
and effort, but it is the key to long-term success in Internet
business.