Tips Archives - BOLLYWOOD SURKHIYAN

10 Day Trading Tips to Become a Better Trader

Warren Buffett once said, “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient”. This applies to both – traders and investors alike. However, if you are an absolute beginner, there is always some room for improvement. We have listed below the 10 best day trading tips that successful traders follow. Learn them mindfully and take note to level up your trading. Moreover, you can also check out the best day trading tips and make money from online trading in Indian stock markets.

This is why rookie traders often look for advice from experts who have carved their names in the industry. Read on to find out what you may require before venturing in this high-risk but ultimately-rewarding industry.

1. Learn from a Professional Trader – Day Trading Tips

It is always better to learn to trade from an expert before you jump directly into the ocean. Try and find out who has a good teaching methodology and carefully choose the one that suits your style. Most of the trainers or masters will definitely charge a fee for the time spared. Don’t you worry! It is no fee. It is called investment.

After all, you are a trader and one day when you have made it big, you may be approached by newbies and you likewise charge them. But most importantly, if you invest into education, you are saving on market tuition from learning the lessons the hard way, on the expense of your account balance.

2. Pay Attention to the Financial News

Want to be the best trader around? Keep a close eye on the world around you especially business news. Stay updated about firms entangled in IP issues, Failed FDA nod, Board reshuffle, International projects, and dismal earnings estimates of the quarter.

Every news related to the firm you are making an investment in makes sense. Back your decision with these inputs. For a smarter decision while trading, keep abreast of every piece of information on your preferred investment firm.

3. Found Your Niche? Ace It!

Nobody can guarantee you a blockbuster return. You make your own choices and decisions and learn from your mistakes. Only you know which strategies or niches worked for you and which don’t. If you really have the zeal to excel in day trading, you need to be right on top of your business.

Once you have found the niche to work upon, become really good at that. Master it and it will enhance your odds of success in the trading manifold.

4. Treat it like a Business!

Have a hobby? Pursue it somewhere else. Making money and day trading is a serious business. You don’t do it for fun so even before you start to trade, you need to settle with the fact that it is a serious, time-consuming business and it will take time to break even. If you want to gamble, Las Vegas might have better odds.

5. Follow the Pros

Julius Caesar once said, “Experience is the teacher of all things”. Trading experts, despite their level of training, have a lot to boast, thanks to experience.

Follow the moves of the pros and find out what are they investing in? When do they buy? When do they sell? For how long do they hold? Try and understand how profit is made. You can learn a great deal from the mistakes they once made and then harness them to your advantage.

6. Have Patience

Rome was not built in a day. It takes time to master any skill and the same goes with stock trading. It can give you the best returns only if you trade wisely. Researchers have shown that those who trade less tend to earn better than the one who trades very frequently.

This is just like stalking your prey and then striking when you have absolute chances of success. Always remember that when you trade in average and not-so-good setups, you lose on good deals and eventually your profits take a hit. Therefore, one crucial day trading tips are that quality matters over quantity.

7. Don’t be Emotional & Follow Day Trading Tips

The world of trading calls that you keep a level mind and remember that if you let your emotions get the better of you while trading, you will most likely lose out on your money. Emotions make you take irrational, impulsive decisions which should never happen.

Frequent errors like letting your losses get out of proportion, adding to a losing position, not making timely withdrawals et cetera are made time and again. People fall into the emotional trap and make unconsidered decisions. And while you cannot help having them, learning to control your emotions will go a long way in positioning you as a shrewd trader. Work on the emotional quotient and you’ll make wiser decisions.

8. Sharing is Caring

Now that you have learned from your mistakes and other’s as well, it is time to share. You must share the experience you had while trading. You can start a blog, a YouTube channel or other medium for reaching out. Furthermore, you can have a comment section for answering the questions of your visitors.

This will not only help others but will certainly keep you disciplined. This habit will make you more accountable and you might think twice before making a trade you know, you should not be making.

9. When There Are No Good Plays, Don’t Trade!

What? Do not be shocked as this is no less a practical tip than the rest. Sometimes it is good that you don’t trade. Trading just for the mere fact is not a smart choice.

Trade only when you see money lying on the floor or the offer is too lucrative to let it go. Take your chances and remember that this is a highly dynamic world so weigh all possible benefits of making a move against sitting back and speculating.

10. Have Confidence

As obvious as it may sound, this is a key component of a refined trader. Whichever trading style you choose, you got to believe in yourself as failure to believe in the efforts you are putting or the decisions you are taking will never make you a winner. I might sound strange but people do not get good returns just because they cannot believe they will. This negative thinking results in negative returns.

Remember! Successful traders were also amateurs and novices when they started out. Their success has come from the hard work and efforts they have put in. Make mistakes and learn from them to continue trading until you start making profits.

As mentioned in the beginning, these day trading tips shared will let you learn some important hacks to improve Your game. Apply these diligently and you are sure to advance in your endeavors.

Good luck with your trading ventures! Don’t forget to like and share this post on your social networks.

5 Tips to Avoid These Common Courier Errors

Courier companies nowadays are better equipped to adapt to the changing times – some have completely automated their services to cater to the highly digital world we are living in and some have innovative customer services that are truly dedicated to maximizing client experience. Courier companies like these are clearly at the top of their game when it comes to giving their customers the highest quality service possible. The good news is that many companies that offer courier service in Sydney have caught on to the trend of excellence and innovation like Couriers by Demand Express.

However, no matter how innovative a courier company might be, there are still some unforeseen circumstances that are simply out of the customer and the courier company’s control. These are things like bad weather conditions, heavy traffic, and others. These inevitable situations can lead to delivery mishaps like late deliveries and damaged goods.

There are times when mishaps happen due to some degree of negligence on the courier company’s part. As a customer, we understand how alarming and discouraging this can be. By following the right countermeasures, however, you can avoid these common courier errors and spare yourself from the inconvenience that they bring. This article lists 5 helpful tips on how to avoid the most common courier errors that still happen today. Read on to learn more about these precautionary measures:

Delayed Parcel Deliveries

A delayed delivery is a nightmare to both the receiver and the sender. The parcel might be an important item that both the receiver and sender value and not receiving it on time might harm their convenience. This is especially true when your business involves delivering products to customers. The customers who are expecting to receive your parcel on a certain time and date might be deterred to order again if the delivery is late or worse, if it never came to their doorstep.

The last thing you want is to be on both ends of a delayed parcel delivery. To avoid this, here is what you can do:

The Solution:

If the problem arose due to legitimately inevitable circumstances like weather or traffic, the best you can hope for is that your parcel gets delivered as soon as those hurdles are over. Most courier companies are bound to notify their customers once delivery delays become apparent.

On the other hand, you can also avoid experiencing this by doing a thorough research into the courier’s history. Read reviews online, ask friends about their experiences, and check out their relationship with customers before jumping into the decision to work with them. It is best to find a courier with consistent positive reviews from clients regarding their timeliness to guarantee that your delivery arrives on time.

Receiving Goods in Poor Condition

Another common courier error is delivering goods in poor condition. We have all felt the sinking feeling when all that pent up excitement upon receiving your parcel boil down to nothing as we discover that the goods are damaged, and worse, no longer usable. If you are the sender, this situation can be just as disappointing.

Running a business that relies on the safe delivery of products and goods should not feel like a risk. Having to send a replacement stock can affect your sales, so make sure that you do whatever you can to avoid finding yourself in this situation.

The Solution:

Work with a reputable company. Working with a reputable company might mean you have to shell out a little more than the average cost but it also guarantees that you would not lose a lot on replacing damaged goods. You are paying for the guarantee that your parcel gets to its destination safe and intact after all. The investment is worth it.

So, find the most reputable courier service Sydney has to offer. Ask around, read blogs, and scour the internet. Whatever you do, remember to do your own research.

Overpriced vs Bargain Prices

Courier companies that offer services that are too good to be true probably are, while companies that charge too much for subpar services are also the other side of the spectrum that you have to look out for. Services that are too cheap might give you poor services, but expensive ones are just not worth it as well. How can you strike a balance?

The Solution:

Find courier that offers personalized solutions. This means that they don’t charge for services that you don’t even need in the first place. Companies like Couriers by Demand Express design services based on a client’s specific requirements. This option allows you to tweak the service to your needs so you avoid wasting money and increase your efficiency in one go.

Questionable Customer Service

An excellent customer service is one of the factors that make or break the relationships of businesses and their client base. Rude, unhelpful, and unapproachable customer service staff are some of the traits that deter clients from continuing to build a relationship with a business. It is not surprising to hear stories about customers switching to a different company despite having adequate services purely because of poor customer service.

In the case of courier services, you need people who are level-headed and can maintain a level of composure in heated situations. A delivery service who handles their customers poorly can be disastrous to your business.

The Solution:

Be vigilant. During your initial contact with a courier, you can already gauge if they have good customer service or not. Do they use respectful language? Do they accommodate your requests and enquiries? Are they helpful and willing to assist? If you cannot find a review that says otherwise, the next best option is to experience it for yourself through a call or face-to-face interaction.

Inconvenient Service Issues

Inaccurate quotations, delivery being sent out to the wrong address, untimely pickup – these are just some of the things that can happen when a courier service company pays little attention to detail. If this happens frequently, this can disrupt your operations and may even hurt your reputation.

The Solution:

Find companies with courier service in Sydney that keep up with the latest technology in the industry. These include systems like intelligent route planning and drivers who have adequate training to smartly navigate through those routes.

Choose the Best Courier Service Has to Offer!

To avoid the common courier errors mentioned above, the best solution you can have is to work with a reputable company in your area. If you live in Sydney, then you are in luck since there are lots of courier service company in Sydney..

100 Tips to Market Your Music – Part 2

Even if an artist has an outstanding talent, record deals do not fall out of the sky and land in your lap without music marketing. In this Internet age, A&R at most record labels is not what it once was, so those reps are looking for artists that already have CD sales, a great fan base, and already have the look and feel of being made even more marketable.

We started a list of marketing tips in 100 Tips To Market Your Music and continue more great ideas here, so tweak any of them as you will!

Promo Tip #55 Tag your MP3s with your name or band name, not just the song name. They need to know WHO did this material when they happen across it months later.

Promo Tip #56 Know who you are! Get into an appropriate category so that you can be found. People have to be able to identify your sound into a category that they can identify with. You may want to portray a new edgy sound, which is fine, but there are still general categories that people search on in record stores or online and you have to be found in one of them.

Promo Tip #57 Throw a listen-in. Contact record stores, coffee shops, book stores, malls, recreational areas, galleries, cool clothing stores or nightclubs that are willing to support local music. The free listen-in could have talk session and discounted CDs with coupons.

Promo Tip #58 Keep it simple silly, web sites that take a long time to load, are not easy to navigate, and are not interesting will not keep the viewer’s attention long enough for them to get to know you. So don’t make your personal website or any site that can be customized, so frilly that it turns a potential opportunity away.

Promo Tip #59 Join local communities and organizations and go to meetings periodically and pay attention. Listen for opportunities in what they are saying and perhaps volunteer. Help them and they will help you. Nonprofit organizations are likely to have access to media outlets that may give your some exposure.

Promo Tip #60 Check your public and local radio stations that play your type of music and try to get some air time.

Promo Tip #61 You will hear a lot of no’s and negativity. That is to be expected as everyone’s taste is different. Hopefully someone will give you some constructive criticism. Learn from it what you can but keep moving forward.

Promo Tip #62 Develop yourself as a complete package. Record labels do not spend the money on A&R as in the day. Educate yourself as a well-rounded music artist and present yourself as such.

Promo Tip #63 Elevator Pitch – If you only have one shot to make an impression in 30 seconds or less, can you do it? You will need to, so practice it!

Promo Tip #64 Post your gigs on your website(s), class ads, Craigslist, Backpage and other sites for your location.

Promo Tip #65 Submit your music to songwriting competitions, musician competitions, singing contests – try out for American Idol, for gosh sakes!

Promo Tip #66 Do a free conference call to chat with fans using your website. Record the call and follow up by posting the MP3 on your site. Promote it for all its worth.

Promo Tip #67 Never release an inferior product, send out professional, and only your very best demos and new releases.

Promo Tip #68 Get testimonials and reviews from people that matter and start locally if you have to. Add them to your press kit.

Promo Tip #69 Make sure you make it easy for potentials sales to happen whether on your site or at a show. Make the payment process, safe, secure and EASY.

Promo Tip #70 Have a house concert. Invite the neighborhood to your backyard.

Promo Tip #71 Give your fans insider, behind the scenes, back stage with the band info and videos. This is great info to include in newsletters – people that signed up to learn more about you on purpose.

Promo Tip #72 Take the good with the bad, and take it all graciously. You must keep your image clean or at least maintain the aforementioned image.

Promo Tip #73 Don’t waste time, prioritize and go with the best bets. Put your energy into the correct market for YOUR music.

Promo Tip #74 If you can write well about a music subject, write and distribute articles. Always source the article back to your website. Let it be redistributed with the bottom author source info to spread your message and link.

Promo Tip #75 Gig swap with other bands from another area to widen your fan base.

Promo Tip #76 A music profile or bio, press kit and press releases should all be well written, free of misspellings, kept current, and to the point. Schedule updates of your various online activities.

Promo Tip #77 Find a business in your area that you can partner with for mutual benefit. If something about a song, style, or image would boost a local business, develop a cross promotional relationship.

Promo Tip #78 Respond to all your correspondence in a timely, businesslike, and correct manner – appropriate to the sender. Be considerate of your audience.

Promo Tip #79 Give people what they want. It’s all about the fans. If they come to your website, give them information that makes THEM feel good. If they come to your show, entertain them, thank them and thank the venue for the experience.

Promo Tip #80 Don’t disappear. Once you have started building your momentum, it is a continuous onslaught.

Promo Tip #81 Attend music conferences, indie showcases, music festivals. Gain exposure and network.

Promo Tip #82 Be easy to work with and be flexible. A good reputation carries a lot of weight. Flexibility can also mean possibly adjusting areas of your work or image so as to get your foot in the door if need be.

Promo Tip #83 Have a cause. Create an event to promote that cause. Team up with other like-minded bands and make a news worthy event out of that cause.

Promo Tip #84 Business Cards – When talking to anyone, hand one out. You must include the link to your website. Consider your link as your online business card.

Promo Tip #85 Rolodex your contact list (some sites have contact managers in their member consoles). Make a list and keep it current of all the places online and offline that you need to post to when you need to send out reoccurring press releases of news and events. Be aware that many sites have limits in number and/or time frames, be careful to not exceed them.

Promo Tip #86 Invoke your personality into your writings to make your invitations, announcements and introductions fun and effective.

Promo Tip #87 Clearly define what you are about – quickly, online or offline. People have short attention spans and are short on time – not just the music industry, but most people in general. This is very important! Don’t waste words. Make anything you have to say about yourself or band enough to give the important necessary information and cut out the nonsense.

Promo Tip #88 Create a band calendar with some humorous photos of the various band members at various events.

Promo Tip #89 You heard it through the grapevine. Share “some” inside knowledge with other bands and songwriters in your area. Start your own information highway.

Promo Tip #90 Create an automated template for emails. Take the time to add the person’s name with a personal tidbit, but save time with a ready made email guide. Respond to unsolicited emails with your own personalized marketing message and a link to your website.

Promo Tip #91 Play for free if you have to, any where, any time. Create an event, an event with a cause and donate the proceeds to a charity. This can open up some interesting contacts and opportunities. Sponsor an event.

Promo Tip #92 Reach out and touch your fans. Whether someone else is maintaining your online presence or not, occasionally touch base with fans personally.

Promo Tip #93 Include every ounce of contact info needed upon every available surface.

Promo Tip #94 Borrow an idea from other sources, even outside the music industry. If it works for that company, perhaps you can adapt the idea to market your music as well. Find a way to put a new twist or slant on a successful bands tactics.

Promo Tip #95 Send birthday cards to your fans…of course you need to get their birthday info when they sign up for mailing lists.

Promo Tip #96 Get involved in the music forums and message boards that target your music segment and ALWAYS include your signature URL (aka web link)!!

Promo Tip #97 Start a Music or Band Blog, well written and kept current. Submit it to music Blog directories.

Promo Tip #98 Create a novelty song that topics a holiday, a hot news item, your city or town, sports team, political event or other idea and gain exposure on promoting this song.

Promo Tip #99 Listen to your fans and learn what brought them to your show. This is very effective to giving you feedback on which promotional tool worked.

Promo Tip #100 Success does not happen to those that wait. A record label , music deal, stardom, just creating a website “and they will come” does not just land in your lap with you doing nothing. You have to make success come to you. Be persistent, be confident, roll up your sleeves, it is going to take some serious work.

But wait, there’s more! We could not stop at 100! Here are a few more great tips:

Promo Tip #101 Use the Internet to research and keep current on new ways and new sites to market your music.

Promo Tip #102 Strength in numbers. Build joint ventures, collaborations and/or online partners on a project and both of you market that project.

Promo Tip #103 Have a professional email address.

Promo Tip #104 Don’t burn your bridges. Even with the increasing number of music “want to-be’s” the music industry is a relatively small and close knit community. A wrong done to you by someone early in your career, may be that “someone” in a position of music power one day that you just might need to do business with.

Promo Tip #105 Join the party, even if not in the mood. Don’t respond to the inevitable “what do you do” question with your day job, but tell your potentially new fan you are a musician and hand them your business card.

Promo Tip #106 Keep a journal of your marketing efforts with what worked and what did not work. This can be used in many ways down the road besides tracking your efforts. A book or e-book maybe?

Promo Tip #107 If out partying, have a designated friend or band mate for image control. If you get into something that could potentially land you in trouble, that controller gets you out of the situation before it can hurt your image. Video can be on the Internet before you even get home, so protect your image at all costs if you happen to get out of control.

Promo Tip #108 Business is business. There is a time and place for slang/explicit language, behavior, and the like. Project yourself in a professional manner. Know when you are onstage and when you are not.

Promo Tip #109 Get your own competition going about your band or a new release. Give something away, have fans register at local record stores, find a way to get buzz going by asking a great question.

Promo Tip #110 Self promote everyday, in every way, one way or the other.

Some of these pointers may not be for you. That’s fine. Do what you need to do, just make sure we ALL hear about you. Very true that many artists do not have the funds to do some of these tips, well, with the Internet and some ingenuity it possible to get around this to an extent.

The difference between you and another band that made it may not be that their music was better. It might be that they found a way to get noticed better. The music industry needs music talent and is constantly on the look out for something that stands out. If you have the guts and perseverance, it can be you.

Top 10 Newspaper Advertising Tips

As much as the Internet dominates the world these days, it’s important to remember that a massive segment of the population still reads the newspaper every morning. Ignoring the continuing relevance of newspapers is a fatal error for any business, since you could be skipping over a potentially lucrative demographic of people who may not spend all that much time online. We all know that older people tend to be better off financially than younger ones; many of them continues to read the paper. Don’t you want to get your message out to them?

If you’ve decided to venture into the world of newspaper advertising, it’s important to get as much bang for your buck as possible. One of the biggest mistakes that business owners make when placing newspaper ads is that they don’t make the most of the experience. Since you’re paying to get your message out there, you should maximize its potential as much as possible. That may sound daunting, but there are several very simple, easy-to-follow tips that you can use to get the most out of your newspaper advertising investment. To help you get started, we’ve highlighted ten of the very best bits of advice below.

1. Hire A Professional To Write Your Ad For You

Most newspapers will offer to come up with an ad for you; don’t take them up on the offer. Newspaper-designed ads are generally bland and tend to blend in with all of the other ads. You want yours to stand out, so have a professional ad writer create one for you. In the long run, it will be well worth the extra cash that it takes.

2. Try Regional Or Larger Newspapers

Starting off with local newspapers is never a bad idea, but you may discover that you don’t get the kinds of responses you want when you go that way. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t terribly expensive to advertise in some of the larger, nationwide newspapers – especially if you place a relatively small ad. Give it a try and see for yourself – the response you get may surprise you.

3. Choose The Right Day Of The Week

Certain days of the week are better for placing certain ads in a newspaper. For example, Mondays are great days to place newspaper ads if your audience is primarily male; men tend to check the newspaper out a lot on Mondays, thanks to sports recaps and other features. Saturdays are also a cost effective option, since fewer people advertise on those days and rates tend to be lower.

4. Get A Good Spot

Whatever you do, don’t simply submit an order for your ad without ensuring that it’s going to appear in a prominent place. While you certainly don’t need to place a full page or even a half page ad, you should double check that your ad will show up near a popular feature or in another part of the paper that tends to get a decent amount of attention.

5. Use Color

The extra cost may turn you off, but using color in your newspaper ad is a spectacular idea. In a black and white newspaper, any spot of color is certain to stand out. In turn, your ad is more likely to grab the attention of more people – and you’re that much more likely to generate some decent leads. Never underestimate the power of color in newspaper advertising.

6. Try Several Different Newspapers

Determining what the readership of any given newspaper is can be a tricky endeavor; it’s even more difficult to figure out which paper will work best with your particular product or service. Be prepared to try your ad out in several different newspapers in order to increase your odds of success. Don’t limit yourself to just one or two papers, but spread your efforts around a little bit – it is well worth it.

7. Be Patient!

Newspaper ads don’t tend to generate hits immediately. Throwing in the towel after only a week or two is not a wise move. You have to bear in mind that some people need to see an ad several times before acting on it; place your ads then give them plenty of time before moving on to bigger and better things. Don’t try to rush the process if you want to get anything out of it.

8. Use Tracking Devices

How can you gauge whether or not your ad is getting you anywhere? By placing a tracking device on it. This usually takes the shape of a coupon, although you might ask the reader to “mention this ad” when ordering. Either way, you should come up with some way to track and see whether your ad is producing any noticeable results for you or not.

9. Come Up With A Catchy Headline

Many readers simply scan the ads in a newspaper and only look more closely at the ones that have catchy headlines. You need to put as much effort as possible into the wording that you use for your ad’s headline. Try several different configurations until you arrive at one that will be hard for virtually anyone to resist. Test it out on friends and colleagues to get their input on it, too.

10. Use The Space You Pay For!

There’s something to be said for decent amounts of blank space, but it has no place in a well designed newspaper ad. While you don’t want to cram your copy into an inappropriately-small amount of space, you don’t want to waste the space that you’re paying for, either. Make good use of the space you’ve purchased by filling it with informative and interesting information.

Tips To Improve Your Website’s SEO Ranking

Search Engine Optimization, better known as SEO, is the practice of generating genuine traffic to a website through natural and organic search engine results. A search engine optimization company in India uses smart keywords to optimize a website’s content to attract higher rankings from search engines. In this age of digital media, SEO rankings play an important role in driving business for a brand.

With the rise of digital media, consumers have become more aware of the market. Almost every purchase cycle starts with a product query on the search engine. Brand names which appear among the top search results have a higher chance of capturing the customer’s attention. Studies have said that the average digital user does not check further than the first 5 search result links. This is why all brands make efforts to improve their SEO ranking so that they can appear among the first 5 links. For example, if a person is thinking to buy a microwave. The home appliance brands which appear among the top search results, the consumer is more likely to buy the microwave from one of these top brands.

Majority of business organizations are hiring a search engine optimization company in India to avail the full benefits of higher SEO rankings. Some of the helpful tips to increase a website’s SEO rankings are:

Produce relevant content

The content of a website plays a vital role in its SEO ranking. Factors like website traffic, dwell time, and bounce rate is an important SEO factor. To be ranked higher, a website must always create fresh, unique and relevant content. When the target audience finds a website content useful for their purpose, they are more likely to visit the site regularly. This can help to increase website traffic and build brand authority. By posting relevant content, websites can also make sure that readers spend more amount of time browsing through their content. By engaging the audience for a longer duration, the website’s dwell time will increase and bounce rate will go down. These factors help to improve the SEO ranking.

Page loading speed

If your website has a slow loading speed, it can affect your SEO rank in two ways:

1. Popular search engines like Google and Bing take note of a site’s page loading speed. If the loading speed is too slow, search engines will give your website a lower ranking.

2. Studies have stated that if a site takes more than 5 seconds to load, 40% of visitors will abandon the page. This will increase your website’s bounce rate, which will have a negative impact on the SEO.

Therefore, brands should ensure that their website pages load smoothly and quickly. High loading speed will fetch you a higher SEO rank.

Mobile optimization

The growing popularity of mobile phones means that an increasing number of internet searches are being carried out by mobile users. Thanks to smartphone and high-speed internet, consumers are free to access the search engine anytime they want. Recognizing this, search engines have started ranking websites based on their mobile compatibility. If a site is not optimized for mobile viewing, its ranking can be bumped down. To achieve higher SEO, brands should optimize their websites for mobile use.

Additionally, there are many other steps that can improve SEO rankings. This includes optimizing images, using outbound links, to use more than text, and much more. By simply following these basic steps, brands can find it easy to improve their SEO rank.

Visit our Website: http://www.ursdigitally.com/SEO-services

Or http://www.ursdigitally.com/digital-marketing

Assertive Communication – 6 Tips For Effective Use

What IS assertive communication?

Assertive communication is the ability to express positive and negative ideas and feelings in an open, honest and direct way. It recognises our rights whilst still respecting the rights of others. It allows us to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions without judging or blaming other people. And it allows us to constructively confront and find a mutually satisfying solution where conflict exists.

So why use assertive communication?

All of us use assertive behaviour at times… quite often when we feel vulnerable or unsure of ourselves we may resort to submissive, manipulative or aggressive behaviour.

Yet being trained in assertive communication actually increases the appropriate use of this sort of behaviour. It enables us to swap old behaviour patterns for a more positive approach to life. I’ve found that changing my response to others (be they work colleagues, clients or even my own family) can be exciting and stimulating.

The advantages of assertive communication

There are many advantages of assertive communication, most notably these:

It helps us feel good about ourselves and others
It leads to the development of mutual respect with others
It increases our self-esteem
It helps us achieve our goals
It minimises hurting and alienating other people
It reduces anxiety
It protects us from being taken advantage of by others
It enables us to make decisions and free choices in life
It enables us to express, both verbally and non-verbally, a wide range of feelings and thoughts, both positive and negative

There are, of course, disadvantages…

Disadvantages of assertive communication

Others may not approve of this style of communication, or may not approve of the views you express. Also, having a healthy regard for another person’s rights means that you won’t always get what YOU want. You may also find out that you were wrong about a viewpoint that you held. But most importantly, as mentioned earlier, it involves the risk that others may not understand and therefore not accept this style of communication.

What assertive communication is not…

Assertive communication is definitely NOT a lifestyle! It’s NOT a guarantee that you will get what you want. It’s definitely NOT an acceptable style of communication with everyone, but at least it’s NOT being aggressive.

But it IS about choice

Four behavioural choices

There are, as I see it, four choices you can make about which style of communication you can employ. These types are:

direct aggression: bossy, arrogant, bulldozing, intolerant, opinionated, and overbearing

indirect aggression: sarcastic, deceiving, ambiguous, insinuating, manipulative, and guilt-inducing

submissive: wailing, moaning, helpless, passive, indecisive, and apologetic

assertive: direct, honest, accepting, responsible, and spontaneous

Characteristics of assertive communication

There are six main characteristics of assertive communication. These are:

eye contact: demonstrates interest, shows sincerity
body posture: congruent body language will improve the significance of the message
gestures: appropriate gestures help to add emphasis
voice: a level, well modulated tone is more convincing and acceptable, and is not intimidating
timing: use your judgement to maximise receptivity and impact
content: how, where and when you choose to comment is probably more important than WHAT you say

The importance of “I” statements

Part of being assertive involves the ability to appropriately express your needs and feelings. You can accomplish this by using “I” statements. These indicate ownership, do not attribute blame, focuses on behaviour, identifies the effect of behaviour, is direcdt and honest, and contributes to the growth of your relationship with each other.

Strong “I” statements have three specific elements:

Behaviour
Feeling
Tangible effect (consequence to you)

Example: “I feel frustrated when you are late for meetings. I don’t like having to repeat information.”

Six techniques for assertive communication

There are six assertive techniques – let’s look at each of them in turn.

1. Behaviour Rehearsal: which is literally practising how you want to look and sound. It is a very useful technique when you first want to use “I” statements, as it helps dissipate any emotion associated with an experience and allows you to accurately identify the behaviour you wish to confront.

2. Repeated Assertion (the ‘broken record’): this technique allows you to feel comfortable by ignoring manipulative verbal side traps, argumentative baiting and irrelevant logic while sticking to your point. To most effectively use this technique use calm repetition, and say what you want and stay focused on the issue. You’ll find that there is no need to rehearse this technique, and no need to ‘hype yourself up’ to deal with others.

Example:

“I would like to show you some of our products”

“No thank you, I’m not interested”

“I really have a great range to offer you”

“That may be true, but I’m not interested at the moment”

“Is there someone else here who would be interested?”

“I don’t want any of these products”

“Okay, would you take this brochure and think about it?”

“Yes, I will take a brochure”

“Thank you”

“You’re welcome”

3. Fogging: this technique allows you to receive criticism comfortably, without getting anxious or defensive, and without rewarding manipulative criticism. To do this you need to acknowledge the criticism, agree that there may be some truth to what they say, but remain the judge of your choice of action. An example of this could be, “I agree that there are probably times when I don’t give you answers to your questions.

4. Negative enquiry: this technique seeks out criticism about yourself in close relationships by prompting the expression of honest, negative feelings to improve communication. To use if effectively you need to listen for critical comments, clarify your understanding of those criticisms, use the information if it will be helpful or ignore the information if it is manipulative. An example of this technique would be, “So you think/believe that I am not interested?”

5. Negative assertion: this technique lets you look more comfortably at negatives in your own behaviour or personality without feeling defensive or anxious, this also reduces your critics’ hostility. You should accept your errors or faults, but not apologise. Instead, tentatively and sympathetically agree with hostile criticism of your negative qualities. An example would be, “Yes, you’re right. I don’t always listen closely to what you have to say.”

6. Workable compromise: when you feel that your self-respect is not in question, consider a workable compromise with the other person. You can always bargain for your material goals unless the compromise affects your personal feelings of self-respect. However, if the end goal involves a matter of your self-worth and self-respect, THERE CAN BE NO COMPROMISE. An example of this technique would be, “I understand that you have a need to talk and I need to finish what I’m doing. So what about meeting in half an hour?”

Conclusion

Assertiveness is a useful communication tool. It’s application is contextual and it’s not appropriate to be assertive in all situations. Remember, your sudden use of assertiveness may be perceived as an act of aggression by others.

There’s also no guarantee of success, even when you use assertive communication styles appropriately.

“Nothing on earth can stop the individual with the right mental attitude from achieving their goal; nothing on earth can help the individual with the wrong mental attitude” W.W. Ziege

3 Business Referral Marketing Tips

Finding the best referral marketing tips for your business will likely be a short series of hit-and-miss attempts before you find the perfect solution for your particular product or service offerings. To formulate your own referral marketing style you can check out the tips and ideas others have used in the past.

Networking

Networking may be the true key to referral marketing. Interacting with people in the local community as well as reaching out to those all over the globe through tools like social networks is all very vital elements for generating a network that can be an endless source of referrals for your business.

The point with all of the available networking options is not to badger any one of them needlessly. When utilizing all of the available networking opportunities such as conferences and events, word-of-mouth suggestive marketing and social network sharing, business owners should be able to bring in a healthy amount of consumers who are there because they are already looking for what that business has to offer.

Business Partnering for Referrals

Find businesses that offer products or services that are complimentary to your own. These partner options can benefit both parties, help reduce cost by sharing them, and be an endless source of personal branding and referral consumer growth. A business that washes cars may want to team up with the business that sells a product that cleans glass or upholstery to offer a sample version of the cleaner to those who visit the car wash.

The reciprocal option could be that the upholstery cleaning business can offer a free car wash to those who purchase the cleaning products. In this way, both businesses have a give and take relationship that can benefit all involved with fresh new referrals. Some cities have networks set up for this type of partnering benefits. Check your local chamber of commerce for referral marketing tips businesses or conferences.

Incentives

Incentives are the icing on the cake in all cases. You may always have consumers who so enjoy your product or services that they are willing to shout it from the roof tops for no benefit to themselves. However, although some of your consumers may thoroughly enjoy what you have to offer, they too, have busy lives, maybe their own businesses to run, and just may not be able to dedicate the time it takes to help you get even the most well-deserved referrals.

This is where incentives come in. When you offer incentives such as discounts or gifts you are buying a few moments of the consumer’s time. Once you have their time you have their attention. Once you have a consumer’s attention, you have only to impress them with your offering. The chance to impress a consumer with your offering sometimes only comes through offering to let them try it in some discounted or beneficial form that drives them to give it a moment of their time. Incentive referral marketing tips are very helpful to this type of plan.

Art Business Marketing and Branding Ideas – Tips to Marketing Your Art Via YouTube

YouTube is one of the top five visited sites in the world and has been a great resource for providing information, entertainment, and fun. Also it has become one of the most successful marketing tools on the web hemisphere. Yep, marketing. Can you believe? People along with major companies are using videos as part of their marketing campaign to rev-up sales or get the viewer to do some kind of action whether it be join their mailing list, visit their website, or purchase goods or service from the marketer.

Well, what does this have to do with artists, a lot. Just like major companies and independent companies are using YouTube as a way to market their products artist like you can too. Here’s how.

Videos are different from text and still images because videos allow viewers to get a glimpse of who the person really is on the video. Viewers can tell whether you are entertaining, funny, informative, or boring. So if you have a video of you, as an artist people can see you and maybe like you, resulting in them doing business with you in some way. If you do decide to go the YouTube route there are a few things you as an artist should consider.

First, post videos of you creating your artwork in your studio or class.

You want to allow people to see a taste of what it’s like to be in your world. While you are shooting the video you can talk a little about how your work is created from beginning to end. This type of video can serve as an artist statement to whom ever comes in contact with your video. You can post this type of video on your blog or site to serve as just that, an artist statement.

Second, create videos of you having an art show or art exhibition, especially if you have a lot of people at your show.

This gives the viewers a sense that you are professional and that you have some recognition from collectors and buyers. It’s also cool to see people socializing and mingling at one single location that’s devoted to you. So definitely post videos of yourself having an art show.

Third, use your videos to lead people to your site, blog, Facebook page, or what have you.

This is the most important thing you can do. You definitely want to have people to go to the main location where you sell and promote your art on the web. Again, whether it’s Facebook, a website, or blog you want to have the link or url somewhere in the video. It’s been said that it’s best to have it at the beginning of the video and at the end. Also you want to have a direct link to your site or fan page first thing in the description box next to your video. You can put this right after you upload your video.

If uploading video and making video is new to you don’t be too frightened by it, it’s very easy to get started. If you don’t know anything about video and YouTube just ask a family member especially a teenager or college student and I promise they can point you into the right direction. Also, don’t concern yourself about what kind of camera to use.

There are so many inexpensive cameras that you can purchase less than 100 bucks that will allow you to upload your video directly to YouTube. If you remember these few things I mentioned you can’t go wrong with getting a response from using videos to market your artwork.

Networking Tips – Share Knowledge

Successful networkers are constantly giving out ideas, resources and knowledge with others. They are aware that this type of exchange creates an environment for healthy social and business interactions. It can make individuals more comfortable offering leads or referrals. It can produce an increase in sales for business and opportunities with new or existing customers. Sharing knowledge can also establish common ground for developing long term relationships or ventures. It adds value and true meaning in networking.

Listed below are ways in which professionals, entrepreneurs and students can develop their networking through educational components.

Think Tanks

Join groups of like minded individuals on a weekly or monthly basis to brainstorm. Pick groups that are industry rather than interest based. Professionals should have similar backgrounds and experiences. The purpose of these sessions is to create ideas for better doing better business or sharing best practices. Learn from your business counterparts can be extremely instrumental in your networking endeavors.

During these Think Tank sessions, choose one individual to be the moderator. Before the session, create an agenda, so that the meeting is productive. Select the right amount of time for participants to share and express their ideas and thoughts. Thinks Tanks are just as effective face to face, online or by phone conference. Consider recording the meeting or posting notes to reinforce the ideas and suggestions from that meeting.

Forums

Forums are another platform for sharing and connecting with others. Although, they are not as focused as Think Tanks, they do offer many benefits. Forums are less structured and can provide a wide variety of knowledge and ideas. They are not necessarily industry based and can focus on business or social interests. They can also involve a larger group of people for more diverse and unique solutions and feedback. It can also create many levels of communication and interaction from the comments and ideas shared.

The most efficient forums are usually online or via email. Select questions or comments which are relevant to your networking objectives. Read through advice and suggestions and offer your expertise as well. Feel free to offer constructive criticism in a professional and respectful manner. Encourage continuous dialogue and interactions once you have gauged the interest level of the topic matter. Contribute to several forums and use that chance to expand your network. Stay connected to individuals who share similar thoughts.

Using these tactics and methods for sharing knowledge can be extremely beneficial. It can offer a platform for developing your social and business endeavors with like minded individuals.

Powerful Tips for Home Offices That Will Drastically Increase Work Flow

If you work from home then you will probably be familiar with what a struggle it is constantly to remain productive and to get work done when you’re surrounded by distractions. When your work environment is the same as your home environment either all the time or sometimes, it’s far too easy to make excuses to pop to the kitchen or to pick up that tempting book lying on the coffee table and these things can actually destroy our productivity.

Another problem is that home offices are designed and maintained by us. There’s no boss telling us to keep our desk tidy and no HR team to advise us on the best posture or the best point in the room for enhancing productivity. Below are some fixes that can help you stay on task.

Paper Trays

Having papers everywhere is a problem that affects not just home workers but pretty much everyone else too. The first solution to this issue is to get paper trays which allow you to quickly and easily ‘dump’ your papers out the way so they at least aren’t making mess.

Here you’re going to have two trays. One will be your ‘working memory’ and one will be your ‘short term memory’. Anything that you’re done with but not ready to get rid of will go in your ‘short term memory’, whereas anything that you’re currently still working with or that you’ll be able to throw away later will go in your ‘working memory’. At a predefined time every day/week/month you’ll then sort through the trays and move anything from the short-term memory tray into a filing cabinet – your ‘long term memory’. This mimics the way the human brain stores information and it makes it much easier to keep on top of everything.

Portable Scanners

Portable scanners are scanners that can take paper through a feed in a similar manner to a printer. Some of these can even take multiple sheets of paper at once and this actually makes it much easier to quickly scan reams of documents, while OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software will automatically catalogue and organize them. This allows you to get rid of an awful lot of paper and to thereby create far less paper for yourself. Likewise you should of course go paperless with your bills, statements and everything else you can.

Desk Toys

If you do struggle with procrastination then a desk toy can go a long way to help. This can include things like small rakes and sand pits, or like cat’s cradles. The reason these work well is that they provide work for idle thumbs but aren’t nearly as engaging as a mobile phone. In other words, you can play with these little toys while your computer loads and not risk getting ‘sucked in’. They also add to that business feel and make your home office feel more like a real place of work.