Ten Top Sales Tips for Sales Success

The following tips are tried and true … proven to be effective for companies across a wide diversity of industries and in many different geographic areas. Often, the key to success is being flexible and open-minded about trying something new. If you already have these tips in your arsenal of tricks, then consider this a refresher, akin to spring training in which the baseball pros reinforce and perfect already existing skills. Here goes:

1. Don’t do the bulk of your business prospecting during prime business hours. Often the call that is placed at 8AM or 6PM will be received by a decision-maker that has more time to talk. And don’t under-estimate the value of leaving voice mail messages at night. These will be the very first messages that your prospect will hear in the morning, thereby increasing the odds of them placing a returned call.
   
2. If you want to present products and services that are of value to the prospect and that meet their needs, you have to ASK questions. Ask the right questions and the prospect will tell you what they want and how they need to be sold.
   
3. Too many sales reps launch into a conversation by discussing the features of their products and services. Features never sold anyone. The only thing that a prospect cares about is what these features will do for them. In other words, speak in terms of benefits and your prospect will be more pre-disposed to listening to your presentation.
   
4. There’s no magic bullet. Prospecting takes time and if your sales pipeline isn’t always filled with prospects in various stages of being worked, then you are in for a future sales slump.
   
5. Don’t underestimate the power of faxes. In these days of email, faxes have taken a back seat. Because of that, faxes get noticed. Carefully position faxes as part of your prospecting efforts.
   
6. Follow-up and follow-through are keys to prospecting success. Just like gardening, if you don’t water the seeds, the garden will languish. And so it is with prospecting… if you don’t remain in contact, you will never break through.
   
7. Give a prospect something for nothing. An article that would be of interest and value, information that you received online etc. and transferred to the prospect with a note "just thought you might be interested in this" indicates that you are thinking of them and wish to be a resource.
   
8. Periodically tape-record a random sampling of your cold calls. Listen to the tape and assess your tone and voice. How did you sound? Would you want to speak with a person who sounds like you? What about your words? Were they clear and benefits oriented. Taping gives you the opportunity to self-correct your presentation.
   
9. Pace yourself. Prospecting is a very time-consuming and arduous task. Allocate a specific amount of time each day (week?) and keep to the schedule. It is always easy to put something ahead of the prospecting activity but make an appointment with yourself and don’t break it.
   
10. Last but definitely not least, maintain a good sense of humor. Make the prospect smile and you’re halfway there!

Secrets of the wealth of Jews

For a while I have been reading the writings of Dag Haward-Mils on how tithing can make you rich...giving 10 percent of all your income for holy use, into the works of God. I have also read some local publications on how Batswana have continued on a downward spiral to poverty whilst Pastors are swimming in abundance.

Whilst I cannot dispute such observations, I wish to bring you to the facts on Tithing, what does the Bible say: "Malachi 3: 8 - 10: Can a man rob God yes you have robbed me on tithes and offerings; as such u are under a curse;......bring all tithes and offerings and test if I will not open the flood gates of Heaven and pour such a blessing you will not have room enough to receive it (expansion);

I will ward off the attacks of your enemy, your harvest shall be made certain, those who fight you shall fall for your sake, the works of your hands shall be blessed; the nations shall call you blessed"...isn't this the testimony of the Jews today:

Traditional Jewish law and practice has included various forms of tithing since ancient times. Traditional Jews commonly practice ma'aser kesafim (tithing 10 percent of their income to charity) and take challah.

In modern Israel, Jews continue to follow the laws of agricultural tithing, e.g., terumah, ma'aser rishon, terumat ma'aser, and ma'aser sheni. Farmers had to offer a tenth of their harvest, while craftsmen had to offer a tenth of their production;

King Solomon paid tithes; Abraham paid tithes, Nehemiah paid tithes, Moses paid tithes and this is what Jesus Christ planted the seeds of the New Testament while acting and speaking in harmony with the law of the Old Covenant. It is for this reason that He also commanded a cleansed leper to obey the Law of Moses.

The Israelites of the Bible and the Israelites of today are solid on one thing; they paid tithes; they give and they give big; What makes the Jews different from most people is that they allowed the Bible (the Old Testament of course) to dictate their culture. It has shaped their values and beliefs and thousands of years have not eroded the fundamentals of what they believe about God. They have followed the principles of giving to the dot and the results speak for themselves. To this date they are the richest people in the world whilst they comprise less than 1 percent of the world population.

Jewish giving (a few examples)
There are, perhaps, 13,000,000 to 15,000,000 Jews in a world of six billion people. Jews are so few in number that in a room of 1,000 people representing the world's population, only two would be Jewish
In the USA 2010 Mega-donors gave a total of $29,308,756,000. Of the 502 mega-givers, 123 (24.5 percent) were Jewish. These Jewish donors made 188 (21.7 percent) of the 865 total gifts, contributing $5,260,700,000 (18 percent) of the megagift dollars

Giving to education totaled $16.7 billion. There were 425 general gifts totaling over $13.58 billion, representing 63 percent of all gifts and 56 percent of all monies. Jews gave 137 gifts for a total of $3 billion.

Among Jewish mega-givers, the Soros family (George, Paul and Daisy) dominated giving to public society benefit.

Of the $722.5 million given to public society benefit, which represents 14percent of Jewish mega-gift dollars, $645 million (89 percent) came from a Soros. Two of the gifts went to immigrant issues, $50 million to fight discrimination against immigrants, and another $50 million to assist immigrants seeking graduate education in America. More than anything else, these gifts reflect the empathy that they undoubtedly feel for new Americans, having themselves emigrated from Hungary, and thus appear not to be indicative of an interest among Jewish philanthropists in immigrant causes.

What Jews believe about giving
In his book, Dag Heward- Mills observed this about the Jews: Jews believe that charitable giving benefits the giver They give money away because on some deep level they recognise that doing so benefits the giver more than it does the recipient. Jews do not give away money because it's always rational to do so; but in spite of the fact that it is often irrational. Jews give away money not because it is irrational but because it is right.

One of the most important habits that anyone interested in increasing wealth should acquire is giving away money. This appears paradoxical.

You must not live beyond your means but give beyond your means. Dag Heward-Mills further observes that people are suspicious of doing business with desperate people. "Desperate people make others uncomfortable...apart from anything else their pathetic eagerness makes others doubt the value of the prospective purchase. One of the best ways of overcoming that appearance of desperate eagerness is to make yourself feel rich.

If you feel rich another deal would be nice but not critical. The best way to accomplish this is through giving". Most countries and people who constantly receive aid rarely rise up and prosper. In fact receiving gifts and donations have been known to kill business initiative.

Jews believe that donating money is like investing; it increases what comes back to you; it also trains you to become an effective investor. If you have generosity of spirit to give money away, you also have the courage to seek profit by placing it at risk; Jews believe that people are creators not consumers; givers not takers; that people tend to be gracious givers rather than takers.

Jews principles on giving
The Talmud...you are only as wealthy as the amount you are able to give; The Torah..."You are forbidden to reap the whole harvest - a remnant (tithe) must be given to the poor.

The Tzedakah: a portion of our income (Tithe) is granted to us by God to distribute to the poor. In that way the Almighty gives each of us the privilege of participating with him as a junior partner in sustaining life...allowing mortals to share in the divine process of sustaining life is a kindness of cosmic proportions.

Jewish tradition encourages each of us to set aside a 10th (or as much as a fifth) of our income for tzedakah .

This is known as a monetary tithe, or ma'aser kesofim . As the Chofetz Chaim notes, the process of tithing tightens the partnership bonds between the donor and the Almighty. The donor is a partner with the Almighty in sustaining the world. At the same time by tithing, the donor brings God in as a partner, so to speak, in his business affairs.

We must be grateful to the poor who provide the opportunity to give tzedakah and who should therefore be treated with honor and respect.

Jewish dominance - facts are facts
15 percent of the world's richest are Jews
85 percent College age Jews in college
23 percent Top 100 wealthy Canadians
17 percent Nobel Physiology and Medicine
40 percent of Forbes Richest People are Jews

You can fast and pray and cry, when it comes to finances; its only through giving that you can break through from poverty; you give not because you are in abundance but because you want to break into abundance.
Yes some Pastors have mishandled the tithe and it can't be encouraged at all and cannot go unchecked...but it does not in any way affect your covenant with God, do your part and let those who steal from God face the full wrath of God's power.

The Effects of Natural Disasters on the Economy

· Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts and other natural disasters affect infrastructure and physical capital, employment, farm production, energy and other

aspects of an economy. The severity of these effects on the larger economy depends on

various factors, including the disaster itself, the affected area and the capacity of national

and regional institutions to provide relief and begin efforts to rebuild.

Physical Capital Effects

· Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters devastate physical capital, such as homes, business properties and transportation infrastructure, including roads and airports. This often disrupts economic activity in the affected region. However, as government disaster aid reaches the affected areas and rebuilding begins, the aftermath of a natural disaster often presents an opportunity for improved infrastructure. Michigan State University economist Mark Skidmore told The New York Times: "When something is destroyed you don't necessarily rebuild the same thing that you had. You might use updated technology. You might do things more efficiently."

Higher Employment Levels

· many times, an area hit by a natural disaster will experience a jump in employment levels. An increase in construction jobs, as residents and business owners in affected areas rebuild their properties, accounts for much of the increase in jobs. The New York Times reported that a year after Hurricane Andrew struck southern Florida in 1992, that area experienced a jump in the number of people working, largely because of new construction jobs as rebuilding began.

Reduced Agricultural Production

· Floods, droughts and other natural disasters can affect agricultural production, leading to higher food prices for consumers. The extent of the economic impact depends in part on the type of disaster and its severity. Hurricanes and floods, for example, can wash away rich soil, affecting crop yields in the short run. A long-term drought, meanwhile, can destroy an entire harvest and lead to livestock deaths, affecting produce and meat prices.

Higher Energy Prices

· Natural disasters that affect important energy production centers can lead to sudden increases in energy, such as higher oil prices. An example is a hurricane or other natural disaster affecting the U.S. Gulf Coast, a major producer of oil for much of the nation. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 shut down major oil refineries and pipelines along the Gulf Coast, resulting in higher oil prices. High energy costs affect the entire economy because energy

represents a key element in production of goods and services. The Congressional Research Service points out that the long-term impact of higher energy costs depends on how quickly refineries, pipelines and other energy facilities undergo repairs and resume production.

Reduced Trade

· Disasters affecting key trade centers, such as coastal areas that host major ports, can impact the level of imports and exports. The Congressional Research Service notes that Hurricane Katrina affected several of the nation's major ports. The effects may be only short-term, depending on how soon affected ports resume operations, receiving and shipping goods.

10 Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

1. Think success. To attain the kind of success that you want, you need to dream big. Every success story starts with big dreams. You need to have big dreams for yourself - which you want to be somebody rich, famous or fulfilled. You need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. But it doesn't stop in dreaming alone. You should actively visualize success in your mind that you can almost feel it, touch it or it is within your reach. Play this image back at every opportunity. What does it feel to triple your current income? How will your life change? What will your business look like if you achieved the million-dollar mark?

Successful entrepreneurs possess an attitude of openness and faith that you can have what you want if you can simply envision it as the first step on the path of action to acquiring it. Management gurus have taught us the power of visualization - seeing yourself in your mind as having accomplished your dreams. If you want to be a successful writer, envision yourself signing books for a throng of people who have lined up to have your autograph. If you want to be rich, picture yourself in luxurious surroundings holding a fat bank account. And the process of envisioning success for you should be a constant activity! You need to think that you are successful (or will be one) every single waking hour. A personal development coach shared me her secret to help her continuously visualize her goals for the moment: when climbing stairs, recite your goal with every step you take. So if you want more money, say "I will have money" in every step of the stairs. This technique will reinforce your goal and keep it fresh in your consciousness.

2. Be passionate with what you do. You start a business to change any or all part of your life. To attain this change, you need to develop or uncover an intense, personal passion to change the way things are and to live life to the fullest. Success comes easily if you love what you do. Why? Because we are more relentless in our pursuit of goals about things that we love. If you hate your job right now, do you think you will ever be successful at it? Not in a million years! You may plod along, even become competent at the tasks, but you will never be a great success at it. You will achieve peak performance and do what you have to do to succeed only if you are doing something that interests you or something that you care about. Entrepreneurs who succeed do not mind the fact that they are putting in 15 or 18 hours a day to their business because they absolutely love what they do. Success in business is all about patience and hard work, which can only be attained if you are passionate and crazy with your tasks and activities.

3. Focus on your strengths. Let's face it; you cannot be everything to everybody. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses. To be effective, you need to identify your strengths and concentrate on it. You will become more successful if you are able to channel your efforts to areas that you do best. In business, for example, if you know you have good marketing instincts, then harness this strength and make full use of it. Seek help or assistance in areas that you may be poor at, such as accounting or bookkeeping. To transform your weakness to strength, consider taking hands-on learning or formal training.

4. Never consider the possibility of failure. Ayn Rand, in her novel The Fountainhead, wrote, "It is not in the nature of man - nor of any living entity, to start out by giving up." As an entrepreneur, you need to fully believe in your goals, and that you can do it. Think that what you are doing will contribute to the betterment of your environment and your personal self. You should have a strong faith in your idea, your capabilities and yourself. You must believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have the ability to recognize and fulfill them. The more you can develop faith in your ability to achieve your goals, the more rapidly you can attain it. However, your confidence should be balanced with calculated risks that you need to take to achieve greater rewards. Successful entrepreneurs are those who analyze and minimize risk in the pursuit of profit. As they always say, "no guts, no glory."

5. Plan accordingly. You have a vision, and you have enough faith in yourself to believe that you can achieve your vision. But do you know how to get to your vision? To achieve your vision, you need to have concrete goals that will provide the stepping-stone towards your ultimate vision. Put your goals in writing; not doing so just makes them as intangible fantasies. You need to plan each day in such a way that your every action contributes to the attainment of your vision. Do you foresee yourself as the next Martha Stewart of hand-made home furnishings? Perhaps today, you need to see an artist to help you conceptualize the new line of hand-made linens that you hope to launch. Intense goal orientation is the characteristic of every successful entrepreneur. They have a vision, and they know how to get there. Your ability to set goals and make plans for your accomplishment is the skill required to succeed. Plan, plan and plan - because without which failure is guaranteed.

6. Work hard! Every successful entrepreneur works hard, hard and hard. No one achieves success just by sitting and staring at the wall every single day. Brian Tracy puts it out this way, "You work eight hours per day for survival; everything over eight hours per day is for success." Ask any successful businessperson and they will tell you immediately that they had to work more than 60 hours per week at the start of their businesses. Be prepared to say goodbye to after-office drinks every day, or a regular weekend get-away trip. If you are in a start-up phase, you will have to breathe, eat and drink your business until it can stand on its own. Working hard will be easy if you have a vision, clear goals, and are passionate with what you do.

7. Constantly Look for Ways to Network. In business, you are judged by the company you keep - from your management team, board of directors, and strategic partners. Businesses always need assistance, more so small businesses. Maybe the lady you met in a trade association meeting can help you secure funding, or the gentleman at a conference can provide you with management advise. It is important to form alliances with people who can help you, and whom you can help in return. To succeed in business, you need to possess good networking skills and always be alert to opportunities to expand your contacts.

8. Willingness to Learn. You do not need to be a MBA degree holder or PhD graduate to succeed in your own business. In fact, there are a lot of entrepreneurs who did not even finish secondary education. Studies show that most self-made millionaires have average intelligence. Nonetheless, these people reached their full potentials achieved their financial and personal goals in business because they are willing to learn. To succeed, you must be willing to ask questions, remain curious, interested and open to new knowledge. This willingness to learn becomes more crucial given the rapid changes in technologies and ways of doing business.

9. Persevere and have faith. No one said that the road to success is easy. Despite your good intentions and hard work, sometimes you will fail. Some successful entrepreneurs suffered setbacks and resounding defeats, even bankruptcy, yet managed to quickly stand up to make it big in their fields. Your courage to persist in the face of adversity and ability to bounce back after a temporary disappointment will assure your success. You must learn to pick yourself up and start all over again. Your persistence is the measure of the belief in yourself. Remember, if you persevere, nothing can stop you.

10. Discipline yourself. Thomas Huxley once said, "Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you like it or not." Self-discipline is the key to success. The strength of will to force yourself to pay the price of success - doing what others don't like to do, going the extra mile, fighting and winning the lonely battle with yourself.

Eight Tips to Boost Your Business' Bottom Line

Bankruptcy rates may be down in many of the nation's cities, but the companies that have stuck around are still getting hit where it hurts: their bottom lines.

Nearly two thirds of small businesses either watched their profits stay flat in 2010, or they didn't register a profit at all, according to a year-end economic report from the National Small Business Association. That's in spite of nearly half of owners saying they saw revenue growth.

The numbers represented an improvement from 2009, when three-quarters of businesses saw no growth in profit. But the picture still isn't good.

A thriving business should be throwing off more cash as it matures and entrepreneurs learn more about how to manage their business. Growth shouldn't come at the expense of profits, either.

What can you do to get profits growing again? Profit-management expert Patricia Sigmon, author of Six Steps to Creating Profit, offers her six tips below, and I've added a couple of my own:

1. Change the rules. In today's marketplace, Sigmon says, you'll need to generate more sales while at the same time reducing expenses, especially administrative fat. To grow sales without adding costs, try cross-selling -- offer new services or goods that complement your current offerings, such as a chiropractor selling vitamins. To cut costs, see what processes you can automate or outsource.
   
2. Stay visible and connected. Whether it's getting the most up-to-date certifications or taking your brand online with a social-media campaign, face competitors head-on. Extend your visibility and keep costs down by partnering with complementary businesses for advertising.
   
3. Maximize your cash flow. Smooth out the peaks and valleys of income by offering prepaid payment discounts or monthly subscriptions. On the accounts payable end, make sure your payments are on time to avoid fees and late charges.
   
4. Streamline management costs. Sigmon advises automating accounts receivable, customer-lead management, and employee-productivity tracking. Coordinate real-time tracking of these figures so you know who's pulling their weight -- and who is dead weight.
   
5. Market smart. Use the Internet to maximize your marketing, whether it's an attention-getting social media campaign or a Webinar. Advanced customer relationship management software can help you measure return on investment for your online marketing campaigns.
   
6. Make everyone a salesperson. Anyone in your company who has any customer contact should know your offerings -- and how to treat customers.
   
7. Tighten your credit terms. If you have too many late-paying customers, revise your credit terms and offer less credit. Consider using a collections agency to get stragglers in, or charge a late fee.
   
8. Lose the lease. There are so many flexible work options now -- from co-working spaces you share with other companies to letting workers telecommute part time or just plain stay home. Explore how your company could lighten its fixed costs by lowering its real-estate commitments.

How to Overcome Your Employment Gap

Ten Tips for the Stay-at-Home Parent and More

Concerned about getting back in the workforce after a gap in your employment? You should be when you consider the bad experiences some employers have had when they take a chance on people with a gap in their employment history. Additionally, the job market appears to have qualified candidates for most positions. How will your resume, with a one, five, or ten year employment gap, stack up against those of people who have been racking up career achievements and accomplishments for the same ten years?

Stay-at-home moms and dads who raise their children, rather than their expertise and visibility in a workplace, are the largest group to sport these resume gaps. Even a couple of years out of the workforce

can devastate your career if you’re not careful. In worse case scenarios, you can become unemployable in your field. Even in best case scenarios, you will undoubtedly take a salary cut and find yourself reporting to someone who would formerly have reported to you.

This is not to say that returning to work is hopeless. There are plenty of people who have walked back into an executive job, developed their dream job or created a career change following chosen unemployment. It’s just that it’s harder for you with an employment gap. These tips will help you stay ready for employment while you raise the kids or take a few years for a non-work activity. It’s much better to spend that time preparing to be employable than to hit the job market cold after years at home. You'll be better prepared if you heed these tips.

Tips for Staying

Employable During an Employment Gap

• Work With Your Current Employer: Your current employer, assuming you are still working, may value you and your experience. Talk with your employer to identify potential part-time or consulting work or periodic assignments you can do during the years you plan to

  

  work less than full time. If you work in marketing, for example, perhaps you can do freelance work on brochures, the website or press releases. If you work in Human Resources, you may contract to update the employee handbook annually or teach a class periodically. This is the easiest way to stay grounded in the workplace during an extended leave. Make your best pitch before you leave your job. Don't hesitate to call, however, even if you have been off work for a period of time.

• Build and Keep Your Network Before You Need It: It is easier to maintain current professional contacts than to build a new group a few years down the road. Professional contacts become dispersed to new positions; mentors retire; valued coworkers move on to new jobs. It is up to you to maintain relationships, sometimes for years, with people who will remember your talents when you decide to return to full-time employment. It is also imperative that you relate to friends and associates in your off-work life as an educated professional who has chosen to take time away from her career to raise a family. Talk about more than the children; make sure your friends know what you do professionally as well.

• Stay Active in Professional Associations: Most career fields have professional associations that sponsor meetings, conferences, committees, training sessions and more for members. Stay active in your local association by attending meetings, writing for the newsletter, acting as a good will ambassador and attending national conferences. Volunteer for the activities that most closely match your career field and interests. Choose activities in which you’ll interact with many members to expand your network at the same time.

• Volunteer in Community, School and Civic Organizations: Challenging volunteer work can help to fill the gaps in your resume whether you return to your original career or create a career change in the future. Do invest thinking time in determining what kinds of volunteer work will be the most strategic for your longer term goals. Serving as president of the school board is likely worth more, when you return to work, than sewing costumes for the school play. Do both if you have the time and energy – they fulfill different aspects of your spirit. Do think about how the volunteer work will appear on the resume and stress contributing in volunteerism related to your future employment.

• Keep Your Resume File Updated: Keep track of new skills and activities you have developed and experienced during your time away from the workforce. Keep the resume file filled with notes about your volunteer work and other contributions. When you want to return to work, you’ll be happy you kept good records of the time you were unemployed.

• Create a Small Business and Work Even a Few Hours a Week: Think creatively. A mom I know just left the workforce to spend time with her eleven-year-old daughter. She is launching an Internet home baked doggie treat business. Active for years in Greyhound associations, she has identified her initial customer base and plans to expand from there. Write for newspapers, magazines and businesses; write and edit an About site; develop marketing materials for organizations; sell your professional expertise as a consultant; make candles or other crafts; design and maintain gardens; operate a daycare center or a home-based school; design and build websites; paint, wallpaper and decorate homes and businesses; cater special events; and provide virtual office assistant services over the web. Check Scott Allen’s Entrepreneur’s site for even more ideas.

• Keep Your Skills Current: Can you imagine a computer programmer finding a new position after five years outside of the workforce? Neither can I. Not unless she can demonstrate current skills. Fields such as banking, employment law, securities and financial planning change quickly. Attend school, take graduate seminars, participate in online learning and read to stay current in your field. Your local college may have classes you can audit if you can't pay tuition. No, a quick refresher class won’t help you out in most fields when you decide to return to work or change careers. Keeping abreast of your field every year is the best way to stay employable at something you’d like to do.

• Use the Time at Home to Change Careers: Maybe it’s time to try something new. A time away from work is perfect for pursuing career options and learning more about yourself and your interests. You may want to Create the Life You Want With a Mid-Career Crisis. If you decide to change careers, you can invest the time to earn a needed degree. Or, you can spend your volunteer or home-based business time on skills needed for the new career.

• Consider Part-time Work: Work part-time in your field, your career change field or just to keep your work record fresh. The money may also come in handy for the family or to fund your future goals.

• Consider Job Sharing: Many people have chosen to leave the workforce for periods of time. According to the Wall Street Journal, the percentage of mothers with a child under one-year-old who are working, dropped to 55 percent in 2002 from 59 percent in 1998. This reverses a thirty year trend according to the Census Bureau. Employers may have to consider creative ways to keep valued people working or to fill hard-to-fill positions. Job sharing, either half days, or splitting the week can work for both the employees and the employer if lines of communication remain open. And, the shared work may work best for all concerned when two talented people invest their energy in the same job.

With a consistent investment in yourslf and retaining your job and career relevance, you can overcome an employment gap. Choose to be prepared for the day when the hiring manager asks, "What have you been doing for the past ten years." You can respond, "A lot. I'd like to tell you about that time."

How To Make Good Career Choices

When making a new career choice people often fail to consider things such as transportation, schedule, and job duties which often account for job dissatisfaction.

When making a new career choice people often fail to consider things such as transportation, schedule, and job duties which often account for job dissatisfaction.

When looking to make a career change you may be nervous about making a bad choice. You probably know wh

at type of job you are looking for and how much you'd li

ke to get paid, b

ut you may not have considered other important issues that could make or break your decision. Besides the industry and type of career you are looking for other factors help in determining if you will succeed or fail in your new position. Many times jobs are lost due to people b

eing unhappy with three things: travel time, schedule, and dislike of certain job duties. In order to ensure that your new career is something you will stick with you should first take into consi

d

eration these three important issues.

With ga

s p

rices soaring and transportation becoming harder to find you should have an idea of how far you are willing to travel for

your new job. If you live in a larger city where public transportation is an option you may also want to think about how far you will have to walk from the bus or subway stop to your new job. If you are driving yourself consider the roads you must take, rush hour traffic jams and even weather issues. Also look at how much transportation will cost you. Is the cost wor

th the salary or are you going to be better off taking something that pays less, but is closer t

o home? For some people this may not seem big issue, but the worst thing that could happen is getting your d

ream job only to find o

ut you can't tolerate the twenty minute walk from the bus stop to the office or the expense of bi-weekly fill ups at the pump.

Are you a night owl or an early bird? it helps to know the answer when looking for a new job. Many companies offer a wide variety of schedule choices. Besides the normal first, second or third shifts you may also find split-shifts, varied hours or jobs where you work three 12 hour days then have four days off. Having a clear idea of what will work best for you will ensure you won't end up hating that your new job cuts into your social plans or worse that you end up getting fired because you can't seem to get the hang of third shift life.