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6 Steps to a Successful Job Fair
Whether you are graduating from college, returning to the work force, or contemplating a career change, career fairs have lots to offer a job seeker. Following a few basic guidelines can help you make the most of the experience and maximize some great networking opportunities.Dress as you would for a job interview. The interactions you have with prospective employers at a job fair are likely to be brief, and first impressions count. Put your best foot forward with proper attire, a smile, and a confident hand shake. Also remember your own promotional materials, and a professional looking case to hold them as well as the information you collect.Come prepared. Bring copies of your up-to-date resume, and be ready to talk about yourself. What kind of positions are you interested in? How does your previous experience relate? Decide ahead of time what skills you are going to promote, and have the evidence to back them up.Do your homework. Spend some time browsing company websites ahead of time to get a better feel for their organizations, what they have to offer, and what they are looking for. Having a good basic understanding of a company will enable you to get right to the point when you have the opportunity to ask questions in person. This will allow you to ask more useful questions, as well as make a better impression than a person who has not prepared ahead.Figure out your target. When you arrive at the job fair, take a moment to figure out where your target employers are located and have a plan for organizing your time. Too much aimless wandering will decrease your energy and make it difficult to stay focused.Network, network and network. Take advantage of opportunities to network not just with potential employers, but with other job seekers. They may be able to offer valuable information that could save yo

Are there up-time requirements? Do you need 24x7 technical support? Do you expect the vendor to incur a penalty if they don't perform up to your service levels?

(Trades) What is most important to you: price, features, or service level? Force rank these in order of importance. Would you be willing to trade items between categories? For example, would you be willing to give up a certain service level for a lower price?

(Suppliers) Which vendors offer something that you think could meet your needs? How long have these companies been in business? Are you doing business with them already? Do you have a good business relationship with them?

(Gravy) If you had your druthers, what extras would you like the vendor to throw in for free? Would you like training or extra manuals? Would you like special reporting?

You will probably have more questions in addition to the ones listed above. Take the time to write them down and create the answers. Once you have established your position, you will save a great deal of time evaluating your potential vendors and negotiations will be less painful.

Lead The Dance

Are You Guilty Of Interruption Marketing?
You muted the commercials on the TV last night because you were fed up with interruption marketing. Ditto if you went through your mail to find most of it is junk. Ditto again, if a stranger phoned you (usually at dinner time) asking you to answer a survey, or give to yet another worthy cause.Interruption marketing does just that. It interrupts you, and steals your time.And it is the darling of mass marketing, which is the child of the mass media, which was born in the 19th century with large circulation newspapers, and thrived in the 20th with radio, TV, and the international media.Now, it's overkill. People ignore it (can you remember any of the TV ads you saw last night), or hate it, like that dinnertime phone call.Before mass marketing, product information was rarely thrust at you. You chose it. You initiated the whole process. It was your idea that you wanted a particular thing. So you'd stroll down the street seeking the store that sold it. Then you'd go into the store to ask a clerk about the quality, price, size, colour, etc. of its assortment of the thing you had in mind. If none suited you, off to another store.You had control of the whole process. Now, because we're all becoming immune to interruption marketing, this old-style of marketing is back in favour.But today it's called 'permission marketing', and you call all the shots. You permit a firm or individual to provide you with information about a service or product they offer. And it's done primarily through the Internet and e-mail.Why am I telling you all this? Because you're probably using both types. Your website exemplifies permission marketing, while your cold-canvassing interrupts.Interestingly, the most favored practice-building techniques of top-earning invol

Have you ever tried to negotiate a deal for software, computer equipment, or consulting services with a technology company? The task can be daunting. Unfortunately, the sales forces of most IT companies are armed to the hilt with techniques to get the best deal for them, and not necessarily the best deal for you. And even worse, most of us computer folk (like myself) have never been trained in the art of negotiation, so it can be difficult to spot a snake in the grass. Before you begin negotiating a technology deal, know what you're getting in to.

Solicit, Don't Be Solicited

I receive at least three calls each day from technology vendors interested in selling something: hardware equipment, software tools, consulting services, etc. Usually, these calls are "cold". My name somehow landed on a telemarketing list in the hands of some vendor who is calling me out of the clear blue sky hoping that what they sell somehow matches what I need. You can waste hours on the phone letting some non-technical, script-reading, telemarketer or sales representative chew your ear off about their latest and greatest gizmo. Very rarely do these types of calls ever translate into a real business opportunity.

The most popular cold call opening is "Good morning. This is Joe from the XYZ software company. We offer break through whatever solutions to help you reduce your total cost of ownership for whatever. Let me ask you, are your responsible for managing your companies whatever investment?" I get so many of these calls that I can answer them in my sleep. Years ago, I used to engage in some level of discussion with these people and it always went nowhere. Unless you really think they've got something you might want to buy, cut them off immediately. And just like any telemarketer, they have a scripted response for anything. If you answer the above question with "No. I am not". The immediate response will be "Could you direct me to someone in the company that is responsible for whatever". If you hand out a name and number, you're just passing the buck to some other poor soul in your organization. My favorite response is "No. We don't respond to phone solicitations." Nine times out of ten, they will give up.

Sometimes, the cold caller will make another run at it and re-state their purpose or as they close the call, sneak in another sales pitch. "Yes sir. I understand. We offer something really great for your company and would love to send you a free trial version at absolutely no cost. Its free to try." You could be tempted to say "Free? Tell me more." Again, this type of response will just open up the sales speech flood gates and you will be wasting your time trying to get a word in edge-wise. Stick to your guns: "As I said. We don't respond to phone solicitations." is the proper response. If they make yet one more run at it, the final blow would be "Not sure if you're deaf, but I said we don't respond to phone solicitations. Tell me your name and transfer me to your supervisor." You will either hear apologies or a dial tone. Either way, you've just gotten yourself off of a call list and will never be bothered again.

If you're interested in buying something, you do the calling, not the other way around.

Put The Horse Before The Cart

Never begin looking for technology solutions without knowing what you're looking for. Know the business problem you're trying to solve. If you know you need a software package that automates statistical analysis, flush out a more detailed set of statistics requirements (types of model, sample sizes, etc.) before you begin to shop around. Usually, software products have bells and whistles that, although look cool, are not absolutely needed. Before you begin comparison shopping, define your basic technology and business requirements. Knowing what you really need will give you confidence and leverage in a negotiation.

Always Comparison Shop

No matter what, always evaluate multiple options. If you're looking for software, don't get excited and latch on to the first package that looks good. And certainly don't give a sales rep. the impression that you're overly interested in their solution. They will be less likely to move during a negotiation. The IT market is over abundant with hardware, software and services solutions. Probably, you will have many options to choose from. Be picky!

Create Your Game Plan

Before you begin negotiating a deal with any technology vendor, plan your negotiation carefully. I have included some general planning questions that you should answer in preparation for a negotiation. The questions I have listed below may not make sense for your negotiation, so feel free to modify them for the occasion. The point here is to prepare in advance. You don't want to figure out the answers to these types of questions in the middle of a negotiation as it may give an inch to the sales person. I would even recommend writing the questions and answers on a sheet of paper for reference.

(Price) How much do you think you should pay for this software or service? What is the market rate or street price? What are you prepared to spend? What is the highest price you would be willing to pay?

(Features) What key features and capabilities are you looking for? Force rank the features. What does the prioritized list look like? Of the features you need, categorize them into two categories: "must have" and "nice to have".

(Service Levels) Do you expect some level of performance from the equipment, software, or service? Are there up-time requirements? Do you need 24x7 technical support? Do you expect the vendor to incur a penalty if they don't perform up to your service levels?

(Gravy) If you had your druthers, what extras would you like the vendor to throw in for free? Would you like training or extra manuals? Would you like special reporting?

Lead The Dance

How To Improve Your Club Flyers
Advertisement materials need an investment in efforts to make best use of. Improving publicity, enhancing revenues, improving company standards and many positive results may be achieved with proper usage of club flyers. They can be an invaluable asset for your business that can help you in limitless ways.Your potential clients will always have a good impression on your services if you maximize the use of your flyers, to events and promotions, they can get better attention, and a typical flyer can always be just thrown away if you don’t put catchy illustrations and content.Your needs can be achieved when you have a credible printing site to facilitate the production of your club flyers. Especially if you need bulk quantities, they can produce them with the shortest amount of time. But having to get these benefits does not apply to all printing stores, you need to carefully select them one after another to get the results you need.Customize everything as much as possible, this is your primary goal to achieve a wider advantage of your flyers, from the design stage to the printing site you select, all of them can of good factor for improvement. You only need to invest a little on them. Get the information suited and other related printing facts, your efforts will be paying off once you get the results of your project.Comparing them and evaluating your preferred site can take time, but this is the most rewarding investment you can achieve for your flyers. From the solutions they offer to the quality of service all counts from there, evaluate them carefully and you can get the best deals and get a hassle-free production phase on your project. Here are some of the factors you can improve to get better attention-grabbing potential of your club flyers.*The size of the flyer must be reconsidered for its purpose. The

ownership for whatever. Let me ask you, are your responsible for managing your companies whatever investment?" I get so many of these calls that I can answer them in my sleep. Years ago, I used to engage in some level of discussion with these people and it always went nowhere. Unless you really think they've got something you might want to buy, cut them off immediately. And just like any telemarketer, they have a scripted response for anything. If you answer the above question with "No. I am not". The immediate response will be "Could you direct me to someone in the company that is responsible for whatever". If you hand out a name and number, you're just passing the buck to some other poor soul in your organization. My favorite response is "No. We don't respond to phone solicitations." Nine times out of ten, they will give up.

If you're interested in buying something, you do the calling, not the other way around.

Put The Horse Before The Cart

Always Comparison Shop

Create Your Game Plan

(Gravy) If you had your druthers, what extras would you like the vendor to throw in for free? Would you like training or extra manuals? Would you like special reporting?

Lead The Dance

Illegal Aliens and the Illegal Businesses that Hire Them
It is against the law to knowingly hire an illegal alien, but some industries do it all the time. Most of us know which ones these are. But it is amazing that when we as Americans see this we do not say anything about it or even bother to make a simple phone call to turn them in and help turn down the inflows of illegal aliens to our nation.May I ask you why you allow illegal aliens to work in your neighborhood and say nothing about it, but complain to your friends about the illegal immigration situation in our nation? Why do you send emails back and forth on the subject to friends, yet allow it to go on right under your nose like this? Wouldn’t you say that you are being rather hypocritical on this issue? I mean consider what you are doing and saying and how they really do not match. What am I talking about you ask?Well simple really; Your local carwash. The car wash, which has been there for years and you often go to; the one, which has in fact been hiring illegal aliens in your neighborhood for over ten years. Not are they hiring illegal aliens and breaking the law, but they are also doing it to exploit people, so they can make more money. Yet, you sit there and watch these illegal aliens dry off your car and then you hand them a $2.00 tip and get in your clean car and drive way?Interesting that you are such a hypocrite? Ask yourself; “Do I suck or what?” then ask yourself when you are going to pick-up up that phone and use some of those 250 minutes per month to make that call and do the right thing and turn in this illegal business, which is hiring illegal aliens? Consider this and do it today.

ne solicitations." is the proper response. If they make yet one more run at it, the final blow would be "Not sure if you're deaf, but I said we don't respond to phone solicitations. Tell me your name and transfer me to your supervisor." You will either hear apologies or a dial tone. Either way, you've just gotten yourself off of a call list and will never be bothered again.

If you're interested in buying something, you do the calling, not the other way around.

Put The Horse Before The Cart

Always Comparison Shop

Create Your Game Plan

(Gravy) If you had your druthers, what extras would you like the vendor to throw in for free? Would you like training or extra manuals? Would you like special reporting?

Lead The Dance

Using Recruiters: How To Get A Step Ahead Of The Crowd
When there is an opening to fill, a company has four basic approaches at their disposal:• Advertise the position on Internet job sites• Network• Probe the Internet for viable candidates• Use recruitersWhen a company advertises an opening on an Internet job site, they receive hundreds of resumes. It simply is too long of a process and financially prohibitive to review every resume and move through each step of the interviewing and selection process to fill the opening.Since decision-makers know other decision-makers, a hiring manager’s network can be quite extensive. In time, good candidates can be located. The problem with this approach is that the hiring manager may simply be too busy to engage in the time and human interaction required to make this happen.Employers and recruiters utilizing keyword searches scour the job sites in search of candidates to fill job openings. A major segment of these openings are unadvertised. When you post your resumes to a job site, you gain visibility, indirectly, into the hidden job market, and have access to a greater number of jobs.On the downside, since most people searching will post their resume to a number of different sites, the number of potentially viable candidates for any one particular position is huge. Employers have also frequently found major discrepancies between candidates and their resumes. The fine line between reality and the realm of imagination becomes razor-thin for creative resume writers.Screening and reviewing hundreds of resumes for accuracy and position viability, is time-consuming. If the job also requires a certain type of personality which doesn’t materialize at the interview, more time is wasted. For this reason, more and more employers turn to recruiters for a more efficient hiring process. A recruiter

sted in their solution. They will be less likely to move during a negotiation. The IT market is over abundant with hardware, software and services solutions. Probably, you will have many options to choose from. Be picky!

Create Your Game Plan

(Gravy) If you had your druthers, what extras would you like the vendor to throw in for free? Would you like training or extra manuals? Would you like special reporting?

Lead The Dance

The Power of Positive Thinking and Your Business
You may not realize this but your thoughts and thought processes have an impact on how you run your business and its inherent success. The way you think has an effect on your business and thinking positively or negatively may make or break you. How does a person's thought processes affect a business? What is the correlation between the way your mind works and how successful your business is and will be?The way a person's mind works is so intricate that digging deep into it to figure it out may be a pretty tough call, however, there is evidence that proves how positive thinking often brings positive results. This positive thinking equals positive results phenomenon is brought about by the possible solutions one can come up with when faced with a problem.Every now and then, when a problem arises within your business organization, how you deal with the problem can either help your company move forward or backward. With the positive results that can be had with positive thinking, you will do well to make your mind run on that path. An example of such positive thinking would be when your business experiences temporary losses due to seasonal fluxes and instead of buckling under the pressure of such losses, you go with the flow and calmly assess the situation to come up with countermeasures to counteract such losses.Having the proper positive mindset when running a business not only helps you realize your company's potential but helps keep things in the proper perspective. If you keep thinking positive about your business in the proper context and within the boundaries of reality, you save yourself from a lot of headaches that needless negative thinking may generate. Looking at the brighter side of the situation will also help you come up with timely solutions for certain business problems you may not have been able to solve h

Are there up-time requirements? Do you need 24x7 technical support? Do you expect the vendor to incur a penalty if they don't perform up to your service levels?

(Gravy) If you had your druthers, what extras would you like the vendor to throw in for free? Would you like training or extra manuals? Would you like special reporting?

Lead The Dance

When you are ready to face off with a vendor, do your best to drive the discussion. Get as much information about the vendor and their product and service before price enters into the discussion. Just like car buying, pick out your car (or choice of cars) before you negotiate a price. If you find that the discussion is prematurely heading toward pricing, bring the conversation back to understanding the product or service itself. If you're not ready to talk price, say something like "Right now, I am just evaluating your product (or service). Unless I think there's a real opportunity, I'm not prepared to negotiate price right now."

Pricing for hardware, software, and services follow very different models. Hardware prices are fairly standard unless the product is new. Usually, the mark-up on hardware is very small (1-15%). On the flip- side, the mark-up for software is huge (100%+). Software is priced based on value, not the cost to the vendor so you can usually negotiate software prices down substantially. Services are usually based on labor rates and are marked up based on the demand for those skills (15-50%).

When you are ready to discuss pricing, take the lead in the dance. Here are the steps to follow (in this order):

Make the vendor throw out the first offer. Never be the first one to suggest a price. Although rare, you could hear the question "how much would you be willing to pay for our product?" A good response would be "As little as possible. What's your offer?" This response puts the ball firmly in the vendor's court. Remember, if you've done your planning, you really do have the answer to this question, but your job is get a price far below your maximum, so don't tell the vendor up front!
Express concern. Never get excited about the first offer no matter what. If you're considering other alternatives, you may be able to get a better price. My favorite tactic is to say nothing and simply make a non-verbal expression of concern. Usually, the vendor will come back with either "but I'm sure we could sharpen our pencil", or "we could probably come down lower if that price is too high", or the ever popular "but we're willing to work with you". You may also be prodded with "You don't seem to like that price. I seem to be out of the ball park. What price would you be comfortable with?" Here's where the dance gets interesting.
Make the vendor throw out the second offer. This can be difficult, but by making the vendor throw out more prices, you are lowering the ceiling of the negotiation going forward. If, in step 2, the vendor says "we could probably come down lower if that price is too high.", immediately respond with "How much could you come down?" or "It seems you didn't give me your best price to begin with. What's your best price?". Latch on to what a vendor is saying and keep asking questions. Stay on this step as long as possible and try and keep the vendor to continue to provide better pricing.
Counter offer. Propose a different price than what's on the table. Be reasonable. If you've done your homework and checked the going price for the product or service, you know what the range is. If you throw out a price that you know is ridiculous, it will look like you don't know what you're doing. However, if you counter with a price that demonstrates that you've done your homework, the vendor will know you are serious. Justify for your counter offer. For example, you may want to reveal that you've done some market analysis by saying "I've researched the market a little and think my offer is more in line with market prices." Obviously, the vendor may disagree, but at least you're backing up your counter price.
Trade. Unless you can land on a price outright, there will likely be gives and takes on both sides. Go back to your to plan and begin proposing trades. Always make trades that bring you little to no value but may be perceived as valuable by the vendor. This can be very difficult, but can pay huge dividends. Here is a perfect example. Let's say you want a service contract to outsource your help desk (technical support phone service). Let's say you really want the help desk to answer your calls within 1 minute (you've already figured out this requirement in your plan) but the vendor's first offer is to answer your calls within 30 seconds. Let's also assume that price is more important to you than having your calls answered 30 seconds faster (remember- the vendor doesn't know this). And let's say the offer on the table is $5 per call. A great trade proposal would be "Your price is too high for me. I can recognize that you need enough people to answer those calls within 30 seconds and that has value. I would be willing to sacrifice an extra 30 seconds on each call if you could bring your price down." If the vendor responds with a counter-offer, circle back to steps 4 and 5. Try and keep the counter offer / trade cycle going as long as possible.
Nibble. Just as you and the vendor are about to agree to terms and everyone starts smiling and shaking hands, start asking for the gravy. Let's say you've just negotiated a software deal and you would really like some training. Just when you think the vendor believes the negotiation is at its very end, you could say "I am really glad we could work this out. I'm looking forward to using your software. One more thing- would you mind spending a couple days showing me how to use your product. A little training could be useful. Is that ok with you?" You run the risk of opening up the negotiation, but you stand a better chance of getting a few extras free of charge.
Walk The Talk. If you've set your maximum price and you can't seem to negotiate what you want even with trades, walk away. Be firm and truly be prepare

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