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We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although most of us don’t even realize that. The full study of this issue would take many books, and years of experience to grasp all the factors. Since we can’t do that here, we can still focus on applying these skills to making informed business decisions. Those of us making constant business choices, effecting staff, ethics , health, and the botton line ,need all the data we can get our hands on. So these tidbits are designed to help you use your natural abitities, and to improve your business situation!

First of all, there are many, many management styles. It is in your best interest to honestly evaluate your personality and your personal approach to making choices and running your business. This gives you a baseline to start from when adding ESP into your operating formula.The ancient Greeks said ” Know Thyself”.

Some of us are very mental in perspective, some emotional, and others more physical. These basic personality factors often don’t change much during our lifetime. We tend to keep processing life from the same angle. When we pick up psychic data from outside this base personality, we tend to ignore it. It’s not comming from our comfort zone.

In the business world, what we ignore can create lost potentials or major problems. What we tune out doesn’t really go away, it just stays out of our awareness. So our business is effected but we never get to know it, it stays in our blind spots.

When working in a group situation this blindness is compensated by others around us, often with different main personality types. They can pick up what we miss. This works fairly well, but……

Frankly, at the executive level you often must make choices by yourself. This leaves you open to your limitations.

Sure you can get data, but still the final choice is usually yours. Remember that both your strong and weak functions tend to stay that way for life. So you will tend to always focus on some things while ignoring others.

Opening your natural ESP abilities can present a personal challange. As you pick up data from your comfort zone, well…no problem. But when you get psychic information from your weaker traits, again you will want to tune it out……you will tend to feel it as a stress.

So, if you want to include data from a broad range of psychic information..even beyond your comfort zone, there are many techniques you can use……

Realize that stress can be a sign that you are aware of something that you would rather ignore.Then use stress busters to help you handle that. Try to meditate each day, in a quiet place… and see what happens. If stress kicks up try to breathe through it, so you can stay focused on what you are processing.

It takes great courage to trust your whole self, and all your awareness. Don’t push yourself beyond your limits, but try to broaden your scope, little by little.

The real test is to see if you are willing to apply your ESP gained data into your daily business planning.

Good Luck!

About the Author: Jerry is a professional shaman. He publishes a free online magazine and newsletter dealing with shamanism and holism as they apply to life and business. You can reach the publication at this address: http://www.jeremiahhuck.workzsites.com

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=907&ca=Leadership

Early humanity lived in small villages, often isolated from outside human contact. This phase of our development helped to create unique cultures and languages. Of course, each group had their strengths and weaknesses. By modern standards, each group also had their good points and bad points.

Later, humanity traveled to distant lands [ often in war ]. This meeting of cultures , both in conflict or peace, created the beginning of a [ melting pot ]. Today with mass air travel, and instant communication by phone or computer, we must now realize that we are all living on the same small planet. That melting pot effect is now called globalization.

I need not remind you that we are still meeting other cultures both in peace and war! Maybe some day we will resolve that, but that is not the point of this article.

As we realize that the melting pot / globalization is still going on, and at a faster pace then before, where do we go from here? If the human race is heading towards a oneness, what will that be like?

I suggest that the best way to go is by the process of intergration. That is, taking the very best from each culture and melting that into our lifestyle and lives.

The East and West often have opposite approaches to life. The East has a wonderful, mystical spirituality but often lives in poverty. The West has a great sense of science and economics but is often starved for spirit.

So as we continue to meet each other in both war and peace, and as the planet moves further into globalization, let us not just kill each other, but also borrow and take the best of each culture into the future!

About the Author: Jerry is a professional shaman. He publishes a free online magazine and newsletter dealing with shamanism and holism as they apply to life and business. You can reach the publication at this address: http://www.jeremiahhuck.workzsites.com

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=905&ca=Society

Note: This article was written for a internet business site. It is a promo for my work with the business world. I published it here for anyone who is interested in a shamanic perspective on creating success, in both business and life. If you read between the lines, it will offer you some help when dealing with any challange.

The sound of the drum is strong and steady. It’s cold and damp in the large cave, except near the central fire. There are 40 naked, hairy, human-like creatures in deep celebration. Yet there is fear in the air. The clan is preparing for the next hunt.

The shaman enters and speaks to the group of his dreams, explaining all the dangers the tribe will face tomorrow. The hunters begin to prepare themselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The shaman leaves, going into his small,sacred cave to begin the magic ceremony. He must do this to help bring about a successful hunt, and to protect the tribe from what he knows lay ahead. He has seen it all in his visions, he’s an intuitive.

That was a long time ago, or was it? You still need a place to live in, perhaps a cave, but more likely an apartment or house. You still need food to eat, but most likely from the grocery store. So, things have not really changed but just updated.

Today we don’t trade shells for our supplies and services, but money [ and lot of it ]. So we need success in our economic and business life.

But like the primal hunter, we need more then just survival, we need a mental, emotional, physical and spiritual approach to help us be fully successful. We also need a good source of intuitive information to guide us through the challanging times.

So things have come full circle as more and more people are living a holistic lifestyle. The health and mental health fields have been shifting towards holism, and for many years I was deeply involved with that. Today, the business world is also changing, you only have to read the newspaper to know that. I have spent the last ten years exploring and testing new, more holistic business approaches that can be applied to day to day operations or towards reaching long term goals. I’ve hosted television programs on these matters, and publish an online magazine dealing with shamanism and holism as it applies to life and business.

Oh yes, I am a real shaman. I bring to my work a strong male intuitive function and all the trimmings of the ancient shamans but with a modern perspective. I am known as the business shaman. I went on line to offer my services to the global business community. I work with all levels and aspects of business and deal with any issue through training, coaching, consulting and intuitive guidance. Generally I work in a partnership with you and your business to create, reorganize or transform.

About the Author: Jerry is a professional shaman. He publishes a free online magazine and newsletter dealing with shamanism and holism as they apply to life and business. You can reach the publication at this address: http://www.jeremiahhuck.workzsites.com

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=904&ca=Finances

Shamanism is an ancient form of mysticism. Although there are many localized variations, the basic tenet is that all things are sacred and alive. Shamans are experts in this perspective and act as priests, holy persons, guides, researchers, explorers or professionals. Most have the ability to enter trance or altered states to access information related to their work.

The shaman acts as a bridge. While in contact with life in other dimensions of the universe, they also use what is available in the local environment as an aid in returning a person, place or situation back into balance.

The historical paths to becomming a shaman are many and varied. Before we had instant mass communication, and global travel, a would be shaman lived in a small village like all our ancestors. These small tribal settings were located in different ecosystems, some tropical, some cold, mountainous, valley, desert, forest, etc. Each place had it’s own unique energy, with different plants and animals. You won’t find a whale in the desert, so each potential shaman had very different life experiences and local resources to work with. Also, mythological systems vary a great deal.

Individuals were called to become shamans for varied reasons. Some were simply born sensitive. Some individuals had a near-death experience, mental break, disease or accident which caused them to search for a method for their personal recovery.

Through trial and error they found a mineral, plant, location, ceremony or something to help cure them. Apon their recovery, them became shamans specialized to that problem. People came to them for their secret knowledge when in a similiar situation. Thus, a new shaman was born into the community.

Still others had a big dream, went on a vision quest or entered an apprenticeship with another shaman. Some became shamans because it was a family tradition, much like doctors tend to run in families. Some were forced to become shamans because of a need in the community. Sometimes the shamans and village elders watched the children, searching for a distinguishing sign or omen; they looked for the troublemaker, the curious one, the adventurer, the leader or the shy one. When they found what they felt was the right personality, they often placed that child in training…even against their wishes, since the needs of the tribe were considered more important.

Today, there are still traditional shamans in every culture, but there are also modern shamans. There are people today who have reawakened an interest in this ancient profession and are in training.

About the Author: Jerry is a professional shaman. He publishes a free online magazine and newsletter dealing with shamanism and holism as they apply to life and business. You can reach the publication at this address: http://www.jeremiahhuck.workzsites.com

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=903&ca=Culture

We’re surrounded by advertisements that desperately compete for our attention. Everywhere we look, we find ourselves inevitably drawn to images of scantily clad attractive men and women that are supposed to somehow inspire us to purchase products they endorse. Sure, this attention-getting strategy is popular. But, is it effective?

Sex appeal can increase the effectiveness of an ad or commercial because it attracts the customer’s attention. It’s human nature to be curious about sex. A pair of long legs on a billboard is more likely to catch (and hold) a guy’s attention than a puppy, regardless of how cute it may be. Even women are drawn to them, perhaps with the desire of having goddess-like legs.

However, misuse of sex appeal can be costly. Many campaigns deemed offensive have started brand boycotts that affect sales and damage brand reputation. Abercrombie & Fitch has been involved in several scandals, the latest from their most recent catalog entitled “XXX Wet, Hot Summer Fun.” On April 18, 2002, only a week after the catalog hit the stores, the Illinois State Senate passed a resolution condemning A&F’s advertising tactics. This resolution, backed by several nonprofit organizations, suggests citizens and shareholders boycott Abercrombie’s products and to take a stand against the company’s marketing strategies. Although sexy images in catalogs are not at all uncommon, “XXX Wet, Hot Summer Fun” featured naked boys and girls frolicking in natural settings. Not quite appropriate for an apparel catalog targeted at teenagers.

Sex in advertising has stirred controversy for many years, an advertiser must be careful when incorporating it in a campaign. Great advertisers consider not only the attention-getting power of an advertisement or commercial, but also what kind of emotional response it provokes in customers. Studies show that the attractiveness of the endorsing model provokes positive responses.

Nudity and graphic erotic content, while still increasing consumer’s attention, doesn’t really generate positive feelings among viewers. In other words, advertisers must be careful to avoid the “cheap shot,” which may negatively affect a brand’s image.

To avoid that, the sexual content in advertising must be appropriate to the product category and have a proper underlying message. In 2000, Heineken launched the “It’s All About the Beer” campaign. One spot, called “The Premature Pour,” shows a beautiful seductive woman pouring Heineken into a glass. When a guy across the bar responds by pouring his own, he nervously pours too fast and spills foam all over the table and himself. The sexual content is implicit, yet direct. The sexual reference in this and other spots in the campaign worked, causing sales to rise 13% in the first two quarters of 2002. However, Steve Davis (VP of marketing in Heineken USA), claims that, “Provocative is a very good place to be, as long as we’re not inflammatory. But the spots also work for a different reason. From the tag line to the plot, they are about a desire for Heineken. Our ads make the beer the hero.”

Sex sells, yes, but only when used “in good taste.” As marketers we must think not only in getting customers’ attention for the short term, but also in building a brand reputation that will yield long-term results.

About the Author: Mark Levit is managing partner of Partners & Levit Advertising and a professor of marketing at New York University. Partners & Levit’s clients include Procter & Gamble, UnitedHealth Group, and GE Commercial Finance. For more information call 212-696-1200 or visit http://www.partnerslevit.com.

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=902&ca=Marketing

For many of us, the idea of getting free publicity can be aconfusing and daunting task. So why do it? Because freepublicity really works and if you are looking for ways toattract new customers to your internet business, freepublicity is by far one of the best ways to do it. I amgoing to share with you five key steps to getting freepublicity for your products. They go as follows:

1) Website Focus: Make sure your site is focused on aspecific category of products. I cannot stress this enough.The editors will often check to see if your site featuresproducts that are in the same category as your productpress release. This is one of the key ways you can get freepublicity for your products. Because when you send out apress release on a new product, the editors will check yoursite to make sure that you offer similar products. Oncethey see that you offer a wide range of products in thissame category, you will greatly improve your chances forgetting free publicity for your products and website.

2) Target the right magazines for your products: I havetalked to many people who are tempted to send out theirpress releases to every magazine available. I stronglyadvise against doing this. It is simply not effective andcan even upset the editors when you send them informationnot related to their audience. It also reduces your chancesof getting in the magazines if you are sending out pressreleases to every magazine category. The key is to stickwith the most targeted magazines for your products and onlyemail them with your product announcements.

3) Be consistent and patient while emailing the editors: itis very important to be consistent when you email theeditors. Try to introduce a new product on a monthly tobi-monthly basis to the editors of the magazines. If you doit on a consistent basis before you know it, one of yourproducts could be picked up in one of the magazines. It isalso important to be patient with the process.

You may nothere anything for a few months and then all of a sudden youwill find out that a magazine picked up your press releaseand is running it. On average it takes print magazines amonth to three months to print your press release. Foronline magazines you could have your press release pickedup within days or weeks. That is why it is important totarget both.

4) Be prompt to an editor’s request:Be prepared when the editors contact you. Many times aneditor will want to contact you and ask some basicquestions about your company. Another reason they mightcontact you would be to include your product in their nextissue.

When this happens the editor will ask you for a 300 dpiphoto of your product to be e-mailed to them so they canput it in the magazine. Through the years of doing e-mailpress releases, I have learned to contact my suppliersbefore I send out a press release and ask them for a 300dpi photo. I keep the photo(s) on file in a computer filefolder marked “editor’s photos.” They are easy to retrieve,and since I already requested the picture ahead of time, Ican just retrieve it from my file and send it to the editorwithin minutes of the request.

5) Personalize the Press Release

Whenever possible find ways to personalize the press release. Here is a simple technique you can use: Address the e-mail to the specific editor of the magazine. Instead of writing: “To the editors of the magazine” Take the extra step of searching the magazine’s website for the name of the editor and address them accordingly. To find out more about getting free publicity for your products and site visit http://www.productpressrelease.com

About the Author: Dianne Beiermann is a results-driven internet marketer and online business owner. Dianne Beiermann is one of the leading experts in press release marketing for online businesses. Productpressrelease.com specializes in assisting individuals and businesses with obtaining free publicity for their products and website. You can visit their site at http://www.productpressrelease.com or call 1-800-371-3945.

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=901&ca=Marketing

If your commitment to eat right, exercise, and lose weight always seems to lose its steam, you are not alone! Weight problems are not just about what you are eating, but why you are eating in the first place.

To see what I mean, ask yourself these questions. Do you think about food and eating more than you think you should? Do you feel guilty when you eat certain foods? Do you have trouble passing up tempting food even if you aren’t hungry? Do you often eat when you are bored, stressed, lonely, or angry? Do you eat differently in private than you do in public? Do you fluctuate between dieting and eating too much?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, you have probably discovered that dieting hasn’t really solved the problem. To help you understand why, lets take a look at three different eating styles: Over Eating, Restrictive Eating, and Instinctive Eating.

In “Over Eating” people eat because it is mealtime or because something looks good - whether they are hungry or not. They may also eat to distract themselves or cope with stress and emotions. They may reward, comfort, or entertain themselves with food. Their weight tends to go up and down depending on whether they are off or on their diet.

In “Restrictive Eating,” a person controls his or her weight by dieting. They decide when, what, and how much to eat based on the rules of the latest diet they are following. Since diet rules are always changing, they sometimes feel confused about what they should eat. They think of food as either “good” or “bad”—and they think of themselves as good or bad, depending on what they ate.

Now think about someone who doesn’t struggle with his or her weight. If you are having trouble thinking of someone like that, think of a baby or a young child. I call this “Instinctive Eating.” These people just seem to know when, what, and how much food they need. When their body needs fuel, they get hungry, triggering an urge to eat. They simply stop eating when their hunger is satisfied. Most of them really like to eat and seem to be able to eat whatever they want.

However they will turn down even delicious food if they aren’t hungry.

You might believe that a person who eats instinctively has been blessed with willpower and a great metabolism. But the truth is, we were all born Instinctive Eaters. Its just that many of us “unlearned” our natural ability to know how much to eat. The good news is that you can relearn those skills if you are willing. I did! Here are some important steps to get you started.

1.Let go of the idea that there is a perfect diet that will finally solve your problems. The answer lies within you.

2.Whenever you have an urge to eat, instead of focusing on the food, first ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” Remember that hunger is a physical feeling. It is not the same thing as appetite, cravings, or the desire to eat.

3.If you are hungry, remember that there are no “good” or “bad” foods. You are less likely to overeat certain foods if you know that you can have them again when you really want them.

4.Stop eating when the hunger is gone but before you feel full, even if there is food left. Give up your membership to the Clean Plate Club!

5.If you are not hungry, ask yourself if something in your environment triggered your urge to eat and what you could do to reduce the trigger or distract yourself from it. For instance, could you put the candy dish out of sight or do something else for a while until you are actually hungry?

6.If there was an emotional trigger, ask yourself what you could do to better cope with that emotion. For instance, if stress triggered your urge to eat, could you try a relaxation exercise instead?

7.Don’t expect yourself to be perfect—it is not possible or even necessary.

By relearning to eat instinctively, you will see that eating to satisfy hunger is pleasurable and that it is good to eat foods that you enjoy. You will find that meeting your other needs in appropriate ways will bring balance and joy to your life. By learning these important skills, you will reach a healthier weight and a healthier lifestyle—without dieting!

About the Author: Michelle May, M.D. is a practicing Board Certified Family Physician with expertise in the cognitive-behavioral aspects of weight management. She is the author of Am I Hungry? What To Do When Diets Don’t Work in collaboration with a Registered Dietitian and Psychologist. Visit her website http://www.AmIHungry.com for more ideas on managing weight without dieting.

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Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=899&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

Part Two of Creating Well-Defined Processes
Series

Part One: http://www.bizmanualz.com/articles/02-08-05_Process_Improvement.html?src=ART83

Next Week: Implementation

Last week, we raised the question: how do you know where to begin? How can you identify a gap in one of your company’s core processes?

The answer: follow the money trail…

But how do you follow the money trail, and what will that mean for your business? To answer this, let’s look at five steps to identify your core processes and any needs for change.

Step 1: Define Your Business Model

The following question might sound very basic, but you should first ask yourself: what business am I in? You’ll ask this because you want to follow the money trail: to identify how exactly you earn revenue and from where that revenue comes. And this also defines your business model, which sets how you make money. By examining your business model (including mission and vision statements), you see not only how you can make money but also how you should make money. In other words, what should be happening in your business to increase revenue – but isn’t and why?

Step 2: Create a Process Map

Once you’ve looked at your business model, continue to follow the money trail and identify your company’s core processes in the cash to cash cycle. By doing this you can see which processes are most critical to the overall success of your business.

Next, connect the core processes in a process map. Link suppliers, inputs, outputs and customers together to see the overall cash conversion cycle. Let’s examine a high level process map.

Here we have the complete business cycle of a typical company using the SIPOC method, which connects Suppliers to Inputs to Processes to Outputs to Customers. To illustrate, a typical process map flows like the following from left to right: a Supplier connects the input purchasing with the Process of inventory and to the Output sales, which is then connected to the Customer. From there, the cycle also flows back from right to left: the Customer connects the Output accounts receivable to the Process of manufacturing to the Input accounts payable and finally to the Supplier.

With this you can see the departments through which cash flows. And once you identify and break down your company’s core processes, you are closer to answering the question: which process do I start to improve?

Step 3: Examine Financial Statements

Now continue along the money trail by looking at your financial statements, including the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement. Your financial statements indicate where your money is piling up, sort of like a snap shot of what your velocity is currently.

For example, in a manufacturing company, you can determine if there are long wait times between sales or long delivery times – both of which are evident in inventory. And inventory (as seen in your financial statements) also show the effects of time – and whether your process velocity (i.e. a slow process in the conversion cycle that causes long lead and wait times) is causing a pile up in your financial statements. Ask yourself: “are my processes fast enough to make my customers happy?”

Step 4: Set Velocity

Velocity is the speed at which your system is operating currently e.g. goods delivered on time and responsiveness to orders. To design an effective process, you will need to know the set velocity that the organization needs to maintain good customer satisfaction. If your inventory process has a long cycle time, beginning with raw materials and ending with the customer, then this could be an indication of a low velocity. Customers set the pace, and they will tell you if the velocity of product turnaround is sufficient. And so companies need to calculate what that pace is to make customers happy.

Step 5: Determine Leverage

The last element in following the money trail is to review leverage – which process improvement will create the strongest return on investment (ROI)? Keep in mind both time and money, and determine what process inefficiency is consuming all of your cash. Why is that process eating away your money, and should it be? But keep in mind, too, the element of risk: what will happen if I make a change, and what will happen if I make no change?

For gauging your ROI needs, examine the five parts we’ve discussed so far: your business model, process map, your financial statements, velocity and the leverage to make your customers happy.

Answer these five questions, and you should know where to start.

Let’s look at an example in play…

Review a Case Study of Core Business Processes

A manufacturing company interested in ISO 9001 quality was experiencing poor customer service and very low inventory turns, and needed help. The company’s perceived problem was not that they carried too much inventory but, instead, that they had poor customer service and employee performance in processing and fulfilling orders in a timely manner. Because of this, they wanted us to focus on those areas. But with such a pile up of inventory we saw a red flag. And we asked the company: where is the root cause of the problem?

As we took a further look, we immediately saw a connection between poor customer sales service and a large stock of inventory. The company’s manufacturing cycle efficiency was so low that it created a perceived need for higher inventory. And customers weren’t happy because of long wait times to receive the products that they ordered. In other words, customers weren’t getting the velocity that they had expected and wanted.

The company insisted that it needs more inventory to keep customers happy. But this is just another bandage to fix the symptom of the problem and not the root cause.

Inventory is a result of the purchasing, manufacturing and sales cycles. And so we examined the financials, business model and system velocity of the company. From there we created a process map of these three core processes, as well as defined the company’s leverage points that would ensure a healthy ROI for any process changes made. We calculated an improvement of five times in velocity. By removing the inefficiencies out of the system, inventory decreased significantly, turns increased greatly, and customers were happy. We helped reduce the total amount of inventory. And we also helped increase the speed of the inventory cycle by focusing on purchasing, manufacturing and sales.

Create a Gap Analysis

And so with this example, we can now answer our original question: where do you start? As we’ve discussed, follow the money trail through the five key steps: define your business model, create a process map, examine financial statements, set velocity and determine leverage. But what pulls it all together?

We pull all of this together with a Gap Analysis. An operations assessment (also called an audit) results in a Gap Analysis and this report of gaps, or inefficiencies, found in the system shows you where to start to achieve your target. A Gap Analysis helps you identify your core processes and performance metrics in order for you to achieve your objectives.

Look Ahead

Next time, we will look at a process map more in-depth. We’ve identified where to start, but we will learn how to create a process map - one of the most important documents you need for your organization’s success.

About the Author: Chris Anderson is 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: http://www.bizmanualz.com?src=ART84

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=898&ca=Business+Management

Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions in SEO is that ranking at Google and Yahoo is all that counts in search engine optimization. Potential clients come to me with a single goal: “Get me a top-ten ranking at Google.” Some will also mention MSN, and a few will rhyme off a list of search engines and want to rank well at the top 200 of them.

It is time to separate fact from fiction.

Yes, your SEO consultant can get you a top-ten placement at Google. But…

1. If the placement is for “dirty brown shoes”, it probably won’t help your shoe store one bit, even if I get you the first place ranking. Few people are actually searching for that term.

2. Being number ten might not help much either, depending on the term. People searching for “Essential Nectar liquid vitamins”, will probably click on the first result they see, or at least on one of the “above-the-fold” results that do not require scrolling. On the other hand, someone searching for “liquid vitamins” might check through two pages of results to familiarize herself with the options available.
3. If your title tag reads like a cheap list of search terms, it will not be enticing. For instance, if it reads: “vitamins, liquid vitamins, multivitamins, multi-vitamins”, you might skip over it in favor of the next result that reads “Liquid vitamins from the Liquid Vitamin Supplements Store”.
4. If your description tag is a mess, people will more likely skip over your listing, even if it does rank number one, in favor of one that sounds like what they are looking for. Google and others use the description tag usually when the term searched for is found in it, so make sure to include your key search terms in a description tag that actually reads well.

I recently responded to a forum question, which went something like this: My site ranks number one for this term at this engine.

The term is searched this many times per day, and the engine has this percentage marketshare. Can I expect this many visitors?

That’s not an SEO challenge; that’s a math problem: searches x marketshare = visitors

I responded with a few factors that override mathematics in the SEO game, including the site’s title tag and description tag, as well as whether the term lends itself to scrolling. I also pointed out that it depends on the title tags and description tags of the competition, too.

Another factor that makes predicting traffic difficult is the abandonment factor – how many people click on none of the results because they get interrupted or confused, or abandon the search for a new one because they find themselves off-topic or searching too broadly.

It also depends on how many sponsored links there are and how they are marked. Often at Yahoo and Lycos, for example, there are so many ads that the average searcher might never scroll a screen or two to see the organic (natural) results.

And, of course, it also depends on the color of the walls in the room the searcher is clicking from, the weather outside and how well they slept last night. But there is little you can do about that.

What you can do is to work with your SEO consultant to choose the most effective search terms for your business and make sure he develops a title tag and description tag that sell to both humans and the search engines. Then make sure he is monitoring not just the rankings for your key search terms, but also the description used by each of the search engines.

A good ranking at Google and Yahoo is just one measure of your SEO consultant’s success. A more complete evaluation is that he is your partner in building long-term, targeted traffic.

About the Author: David Leonhardt is a Montreal-area seo consultant and a website marketing consultant.. Pick up a copy of his SEO e-book.

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=897&ca=Marketing

Once upon a time, head hunters were no more than common cannibals. Some people still view them that way, but executive recruiters are a vital link in a chain that keeps major enterprises functioning well.

The top positions at any organization dictate the fortunes of the company, the shareholders and the employees … and often the communities in which they are located. A good executive head hunter can ensure that new company executives have the skills required for the position and the challenges ahead. He can also ensure that the right executive is chosen, one whose style will flourish in the specific environment of that company.

However, modern executive recruiters face challenges to be effective. I caught up with Esther Barzel, co-owner of the Online Recruiters Directory.

Q: What are the main challenges of executive head hunters in today’s business climate?

A: To start with, the geographic net has become much wider. A head hunter in , say, New York City or Toronto, can no longer rely on finding the right candidate right in town. In fact, the ideal candidate might be just minutes away by Internet, but he might be located in another country or even on another continent. We are looking at a new breed of executive recruiter.

Q: The Internet should make his job easier, right?

A: Yes…and no. He has to post requirements in more places and sift through more potential candidates to find the jewel he seeks. So his workload has actually increased.

Q: Plus, I presume, he still faces the challenges of yesteryear?

A: That’s right.

He still has to make contact with potential candidates, conduct preliminary interviews, set up meetings with the company, attend to minute details, brief the interviewer, etc.

Q: What about follow-up?

A: Yes, there is, of course, follow-up required after every interview, both with the client and with the prospect. It’s a busy job.

Q: So how does the Internet make life easier for an executive recruiter?

A: Now you have online communities and bulletin boards, such as Monster.com, where you can place ads for positions. This makes it somewhat easier to cast one’s net. Directories like ours help head hunters attract clients, so they can spend more recruiting and less time on business development.

Q: Don’t online bulletin boards and directories just mean the head hunter has to spend more time in more places?

A: Yes and no. Online resources are more easily searched than, say, paper. Our recruiter directory gives employers the chance to search by geography or by vocation, or by the type of position. This means they can find a recruiter that specializes in pharmaceutical sales, or who specializes in accounting, or whatever field. The head hunter spends less time answering questions from people who will never be their clients.

Q: And I assume it works both ways?

A: Yes, the recruiter gets resumes from only those people who are likely candidates for the types of positions he works on. The pharmaceutical recruiter, for example will not get a resume from someone whose background is in aeronautical engineering.

Q: Wow, that’s a mouthful. I don’t know if I could even repeat that.

A: Many executive recruiters could not repeat it, either. So the Internet is making it easier for them to receive resumes targeted to their field of expertise, saving them time…not to mention overexertion of their tongues.

On that humorous note, we thank Esther for taking the time to explain how the Internet is making life both more complex and easier for executive recruiters and head hunters.

About the Author: David Leonhardt is an freelance writer near Montreal. Read more about current challenges of executive recruiters and head hunters . Find out more about Esther Barzel’s directory of online recruiting services.

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=896&ca=Career