Sales & Marketing

How to Transfer your Retirement savings plan to Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers

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Your retirement plan is your future, do not whisk it away, Retirement Planning as an exercise the world over is fraught with many challenges. With insecurities over a lot of payment plans, and the volatile economic situation in Nigeria you need a partner you can trust. Your retirement from work should not mean retirement from … Read more

5 Ways Millionaires Approach Their Careers

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imagesHey, it’s 3:43am in Nigeria and I am excited because I just stumbled on this great piece written by Ken Sundheim on the entrepreneur webpage and I just know you will love it! Enjoy this read:

In the majority of cases, it’s not luck that makes people money, nor is it who they know. Rather, the people who make the most money in their careers are the ones who display discipline, and who have a definitive sense of purpose and heavy duty resiliency.

The positive news is that even if you don’t possess these skills now, it is very possible to obtain them. The first step in doing so is to analyze how millionaires approach their careers and begin to alter your thought processes, practices and overall professional approach.

To get you started, here are five ways the highly successful approach their careers:

Related: 5 Ways to Get More Respect at Work

1. Maintain an Open Mind and Active Imagination – Effective job seekers and entrepreneurs understand that tolerance and maintaining an open mind are necessities for anyone seeking wealth and prosperity from their job. They are not afraid of new ideas and understand that closed minds do not inspire faith, courage or belief.

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Crafting your Elevator Pitch.

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imagesWe had just gone to say hi to a neighbor who just moved into our area in Lekki Lagos. My wife and I went to say hi and welcome them to the Area with a cute basked of home made cheese cakes. After the Initial pleasantries and settling down to some of the snacks and a couple of drinks. The man of the house an avid investment Banker in his Mid 40’s threw the question

“…So what do you do?”

I was sure I muffled some words about being a Strategic Plan Consultant cum Management Trainer and whatever else came out…before handling over my Business card as if to say “figure it out yourself”. So the first question my wife asked when we got back home was;

“What was that about?” Before giving me a low-down of how unsure and unconvincing my statements were. I know it could be confusing when you are multi talented and can do a lot of things. How do you communicate such without sounding like a jerk or a confused person?

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Ten Questions Still Baffling Scientists

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ImageScience has done a terrific job of answering some of the world’s most difficult questions, but certain mysteries still elude researchers. How does gravity work? Can your pet fish really predict an earthquake? Why do we yawn so much? Here’s what we don’t know and how close we are to figuring it out.

1. Why Do We Yawn?

Theories about why we yawn are as common as grumpy toddlers at nap time, but two explanations seem plausible after experimental tests. One is that yawns help cool the brain and optimize its performance. Psychologists at the State University of New York at Albany say it explains why we yawn when we’re drowsy: Like the fan in a computer, the yawn kicks in when our performance starts lagging.

But if yawns are our brains’ way of kick-starting their efficiency, why is yawning contagious? The brain-cooling camp suggests that it’s a way to maintain group vigilance and safety. When a member of a pack yawns, signaling that he is not functioning at his best, the whole group may need to yawn for a collective cognitive boost.

That’s not the only theory floating around, though. Another explanation contends that contagious yawning builds and maintains empathy between yawners. A sympathetic yawn signals an appreciation and understanding of someone else’s condition and subconsciously says, “Me too, buddy.” So which story is the accurate one? Scientists aren’t ready to declare a winner yet—they need a little time to sleep on it.

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Four Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Every Morning

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imagesBy Bruce D. Johnson

When you start work in the morning, what’s your routine? Do you turn your computer on and start checking email? Do you review yesterday’s list of undone tasks? Do you go through your inbox? Do you check your voice mails? Do you walk the halls, grab a cup of coffee and talk with whomever is already at the office? Do you read the Wall Street Journal? What do you do? What’s your routine?

Chances are, it’s the same thing (or a very similar routine based on the day). Moreover, you probably don’t think about it a whole lot. It’s an autopilot option. It’s a habit. And unless something intentional is done to change it, you’ll probably keep doing the same thing week after week.

But the key question is, “Does it serve you well?” And the more important question is, “Is it the best way to start your day?” In other words, if you were to do something different, would it change the outcome of your business in a significant and positive way? Of course, the only way to know the answer to that is to try something different.

So, let me encourage you to try a different kind of routine to start your work day this week. Before you check your emails. Before you read the Wall Street Journal. Before you review yesterday’s undone tasks. Before you check your voice mails, etc. I want to encourage you to try starting your day by asking four simple and yet profound questions.

1. What are my top three projects for this month/quarter?

Now, this assumes that you’ve done your planning and know what they are. However, if you haven’t done your planning, then your first task is to get clarity on what they are.

Leadership is an advancing function, not a maintaining function. A leader is always engaged in changing something, not in maintaining what is. Which means that a leader should always have a series of projects on their “to do” list-a series of projects to advance the business/organization. In fact, I would argue that a “leader” without several big projects on their list each month isn’t really leading at all.

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50 Common Interview Questions and How to answer them

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ImageReview these typical interview questions and think about how you would
answer them. Read the questions listed; you will also find some
strategy suggestions with it.

(Excerpted from the book The Accelerated Job Search by Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D, published by The Management Advantage, Inc.)

1. Tell me about yourself:
The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short
statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound
rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise.
Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to
the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest
back and work up to the present.

2. Why did you leave your last job?Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major
problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers
or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep
smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an
opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking
reasons.
3. What experience do you have in this field?
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for.
If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.
4. Do you consider yourself successful?
You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good
explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are
on track to achieve the others.

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Kim Kardashian and Nigeria’s Visit- The Business end of things

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Seriously, I dove my hat like I have always done to Dare Art Alade for pulling this off! Kim was in Nigeria for a 45sec introduction of the show  Darey’s ‘Love Like a Movie’ concert. The laughable matter was in Ghanian actress Juliet Ibrahim Lashing out at Dare for making such a bold move to bring … Read more

Funny Sales Story

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I’m heading to a sales training session about 5 years ago.  It’s a major client in Victoria Island and I’ve been working with them for two years.  They know me as a high energy, enthusiastic and entertaining sales trainer.  In other words I stand up, I move around, I’m engaged, I role play, we learn … Read more

Focal Point – Essential Management Lesson

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By Brian Tracy

Once upon a time, there was a major technical problem at a nuclear power plant. This malfunction was slowing energy generation and reducing the efficiency of the entire operation.

As much as they tried, the plant’s engineers could not identify and solve the problem. So they brought in one of the nation’s top consultants on nuclear power plant construction and engineering to see whether he could determine what was wrong. The consultant arrived, put on a white coat, took his clipboard, and went to work. For the next two days, he walked around, studying the hundreds of dials and gauges in the control room, taking notes, and making calculations.

At the end of the second day, he took a black felt marker out of his pocket, climbed up on a ladder, and put a large black “X” on one of the gauges. “This is the problem,” he explained. “Repair and replace the apparatus connected to this meter, and the problem will be solved.” He then took off his white smock, drove back to the airport, and flew home.

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