Thoughts to live by....

1. When something goes wrong, its no one's fault but yours.
2. You always have (and have had) a choice.
3. If you think its okay, then its okay.
4. Work on a worthwhile project, make a plan, do something to enhance your life.
5. Read only positive books and material.
6. Ignore people who tell you that "You can't"
7. Avoid "can't" and "won't"
8. Help others without expectation.
9. How long do you stay in a bad mood? If more than 5 mins, something's wrong.
10. Count your blessings everyday

$800m tourism budget allocation for the Canadian tourism industry

I just read this great news:

Ottawa, January 27, 2009 - The Tourism Industry Association of Canada welcomed the announcement in today's federal budget of a number of key funding initiatives worth more than $800 million to help support the competitiveness of Canada's tourism and travel sector.

This budget is a big welcome to all in the industry facing today's challenges. I have already heard of many losing jobs, restructuring, down sizing.... etc etc... I feel for those who are caught in this horrible state of affairs.

BUT I still think "the real question when faced with a recession is not how to change your marketing budget, but how to change your marketing focus...."

10.5 commandments of sales success

1. THINK: The sale is in your head
2. BELIEVE: Develop a 4-part belief system that can't be penetrated
3. ENGAGE: Develop rapport and personal engagement or don't start the selling dialog
4. DISCOVER: People buy for their reasons, not yours. Find out theirs.
5. ASK: As the wrong questions, get the wrong answers
6. OBSERVE: Your ability to observe must be as powerful as your ability to sell and listen.
7. DARE: Have the chutzpah to risk!
8. OWN: Know whose fault it is when the sale's not made.
9. EARN: Sell for relationship, not commission.
10. PROVE: One testimonial is worth 100 sales pitches.
10.5: BECOME: You don't get great at selling in a day. You get great at selling day by day.

--- My inspiration today is by Jeffrey Gitomer... sales guru....

It's only words....

All writers are confronted at some point with this: fear of the blank page! I love writing but sometimes I am confronted with this too.

I read a book that says "think of your copy as an onion, and keep peeling it off layers until you arrive at the essential message". Or if onions make you cry, think of your message as a diamond in the rough.... :)

Some interesting words that could be rephrased to make it more powerful in our presentations/business proposals:

attractive = striking
depressing = bleak
difficult = rigid
fabulous = captivating
first rate = outstanding
happy = ecstatic
honest = genuine
interesting = magnetic
solid = enduring
sweet = superb
thin = svelte

Hmmmmmm.... where is my Thesaurus???!!!

Recruiting.... who shall I hire?

***sigh***

Piles and piles of resumes! I am looking for my marketing team members in Vancouver. The sad thing is.... I have outlined my requirements in detail and yet 70% of the applications I received are $%^& ... Sad to say some people don't read and don't care who the employer is and what they want out of an employee. Since my posting has not ended yet, I have yet to face an overflowing inbox ... mostly wrong candidates who sent mass-mails for job applications.

***sigh*** I'm too tired staring at this laptop for the whole day. Over N out!

Have a good weekend y'all...

Use it or lose it!

I have made up my mind to use the skills I have in communications, marketing and sales to help others grow their businesses. So this year, 2009... I am going to set up my own consulting agency in Vancouver. :)

The idea came rather suddenly.... why... because someone asked for the service! So I thought... "yeah, why not! I can surely do it." So here I am... trying to write a business plan for him and submit a proposal. There is a demand for consultants, so I figured I might as well "supply" my services and enjoy more challenging work.

Gotta go now... Over-N-Out...