Effective Opening Sales Conversations - Episode 2

Review of Action Items from Episode 1

Your assignment two weeks ago was to think about what you are saying in your opening sales statement or conversation now. Do your words/tone/body language/delivery/sincerity help people, and remember-they are people, to think

1. He/She is telling me the truth? 2. He/She cares about me? 3. He/She can and will help me?

How did you do?

In this episode you will learn additional steps in perfecting an effective opening sales conversation.

Remember back when you were in English class? You wrote a short story and were told in no uncertain terms "Show don't tell!" In your opening sales conversations are you telling people that you are telling the truth as in:

"...our corporate mission statement is based on trust and integrity..." "...we pride ourselves on open communication with our customers..." or do you show you are telling the truth like Tom did when he said: "Hello, my name Tom Smith and I would love to sell you our product!"

Your next mission, after having shown that you are telling the truth, like Tom did, is to show you care. In Episode one of Effective Opening Sales Conversations we ended by saying that you would be able to use this: "Thank you for calling XYZ investment corporation, where your financial future is our life. This is Mary. How may I direct your call?"

to help you show that you care.

Before we say

"Hello, my name Tom Smith and I would love to sell you our product!

We might want to say,

"Well thanks for answering Mary of XYZ Investment Corporation, where my financial future is your life" (pause here for amused chuckle, we hope!) and I don't know if you need to direct my call or to who. You see, my name Tom Smith and I would love to sell you our product!"

How do you demonstrate that you care about someone? You use the other person's name. You actively listen to what the other person has to say well enough to paraphrase it back to them. And maybe, if you are good at it, you use a little Dorky humor.

How many of you have been the screener or gatekeeper? In days of yore, a huge brokerage firm that shall remain nameless, and has as its symbol a male bovine, used to have its rookie brokers, before they were licensed, cover the switchboard. This was a wonderful practice cutting a few huge egos down to size and it very quickly taught the rookies how the place worked.

What have you demonstrated to your sales coach (the receptionist/gatekeeper) who knows more about your possible future customer than the CFO? That you care about her, somewhat, and she (usually a her) That you are listening You are telling the truth You don't take yourself too seriously. You did all of this by showing, not telling, and you did it in about sixteen seconds.

Now "My name Tom Smith and I would love to sell you our product!" probably won't end up being what we say-it's a little raw. What about something like.

"My name is Tom Smith, from Super Genius Computers, and I am calling to sell you our wonderful computer system designed especially for retail brokerage companies, So your computer never crashes again, and I become so rich I actually need your services."

A word of caution. You might actually make calls for a business, a good business or you wouldn't be calling for them, that has a bad rap. Or your business type might be bombarding your market with calls. In that case your opening statement would be

"My name is Tom Smith and I am calling to sell you our wonderful computer system designed especially for retail brokerage companies, So your computer never crashes again, and I become so rich I actually need your services."

We coach a lot of people who sell financial services and insurance products as part of helping their customers. Sometimes their potential customers are so inundated with calls that if they hear the word "financial" or the word "insurance" they hang up mentally and many times physically.

Would we always identify ourselves? Yes. If you are not on the do not call list, think about the calls you get at home from dodgy businesses.

Don't they all start something like. "I'd like to speak to Mr. Smith." Why? Because if they said "This is Joe the bad sales person from cdf sleazy marketing company," you would immediately say no thanks "adios!"

If you are not so proud of yourself and your company that you won't shout who you are and why you are calling from the rooftops, you should change who you are and get a different line of work.

Next episode will cover a few more openings-those parts of the opening sales conversation that gain interest, especially a few in heavily regulated industries like stocks and bonds. Why? Because in those industries you want to make sure you are not trying to sell anything on your initial call, or even give the appearance of selling something.

And we will teach you how to show that you can and will help your future customer.

Action Items: Perfecting an effective opening sales conversation

1. Prove to yourself that you show your customers you tell the truth in your first few words. 2. Prove to yourself that you show your customers you care about them through your first few words-hint: Have you said something to them or responded to them in a way that told them that you were paying attention to what they said either on the phone or over the desk or on their website, advertising, or collateral material?

Until next time, thanks for reading and happy selling!

Smart Leaders Encourage And Thank

No leader is a world unto himself. In order to be successful, he needs to get others involved, by motivating them, making them feel comfortable, encouraging them in a positive proactive manner, and overtly showing his appreciation for whatever assistance or involvements others partake in. Great leaders realize that they can't do everything themselves, and that only through a concerted effort to get others involved, can they get their desired results. Andrew Carnegie put this phenomenon this way, "No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit."

1. True leaders must be superb trainers and teachers, and patiently take others by the hand, and show them how to lead, why to lead, and what the commitment of leadership is really all about. While this may sound like a humanitarian and caring gesture by the leader, which it most assuredly generally is, leaders must perform these functions for fulfillment of their personal goals for their organization, and to assure a continuum for a prolonged period of able leadership, that is capable of guiding an organization into the future. After more than thirty years of involvement in nearly all aspects of leadership, leadership training, and leadership consulting, to well over a thousand leaders and potential leaders, I have witnessed most of the pitfalls leaders stumble upon, and derived methods to overcome these obstacles, and achieve leadership greatness. There is nothing as essential than for a leader to utilize the assistance of others, and to make sure these people are trained, able, skilled, proficient, and comfortable with authority. It is equally important that a leader differentiate the difference between counting someone who merely says he is ready, as opposed to someone who is actually both ready and willing to act and perform productively and efficiently.

2. Far too many people who ascend to leadership positions do so for the wrong reasons. Perhaps the most damaging trait for someone in leadership is to permit himself to be ego- driven, and require constant appreciating and compliments. Great leaders must never prioritize or consider their need to be given credit, but rather are the first ones to always share the credit, by thanking others for their participation and assistance. Great leaders invariable refer to their supporting cast as their team, and always accept compliments and credit for their team's efforts, rather than trying to make it appear like it was only them.

Leaders must always emphasize gratitude to others, and overtly show thanks and appreciation. Grateful leaders are always the greatest ones.

Selecting the Right Hedge Trimmer

If homeowners want their yards to look very professional, only a single option comes to mind. The yard must be very trimmed and primped. Mowing the yard is an obvious task to complete, but there is a lesser known trick that also works beautifully. If the bushes in a yard have leaves going out in all directions, in no way is that a professional, clean-looking yard. A person would need to get out their hedge trimmer and groom the bushes.

There are three main types of hedge trimmers, human-powered, electric, and tractor mounted. A human-powered hedge trimmer is the most primitive form of this tool The user must use all their strength to move this giant pair of scissors. It is very difficult to do fine-tuning with these shears.

The next kind is the electric version, which is the most popular by far. They can be powered either by electricity or gasoline. They are less environmentally-friendly, but they require a lot less work than the manual types. They are also a lot more powerful.

The third kind of hedge trimmer is the tractor mounted. The tractor mounted hedge trimmers are used more on large-scale agriculture. A common application of tractor mounted trimmers are in the wine making business. These are used on small tractors that cut down the grape vines. The grapes can then be harvested for wine.

The use of hedge trimmers is not very difficult; however, there are tips that can make using them a lot easier. With manual ones, the user cannot try to cut a branch too large for the shears. If the branch is too big, the shears will just dig into the branch and get stuck. This may cause frustration on the user's part.

With electric trimmers, safety is a concern. These trimmers are very strong and could easily rip through a limb. Also, with leaves and branches being cut off, appropriate eye protection is required. The last thing the user needs is to get parts of a hedge in their eyes. The user should check the cord before operating the trimmer to make sure it is not frayed or damaged. A frayed cord could lead to electric shock.

The tractor mounted trimmers are the most complicated to use of the types of hedge trimmers. A user should be certified before using a tractor mounted trimmer.

Amaryllis of Hawaii Loves To Cook "Recipes for Life"

Amaryllis of Hawaii loves to cook and prepare parties and entertain for others. It can be dinner for two or a party for fifty. She can handle. Her adventures in the kitchen began at about age twelve. She was asked to peel an onion once at a friend's house. She didn't know how, but she learned fast.

Over the years she has been very receptive to learning about the culinary arts. She loves the joy of cooking and the beautiful presentation of food. Amaryllis enjoys reading cookbooks & browsing through magazines for recipes & ideas. She saves them in her dream books of future possibilities. It's so important to visualize and believe in the possibilities. If you can imagine and believe something possible, you can achieve it.

So dream it up, whatever you wish, and find images or recipes to make it happen. Look at them often to surround yourself with stimulating ideas and beauty in your subconscious mind. When people tell Amaryllis they don't know how to cook, she thinks, my God, all you have to know is the basics of cooking to make wonderful meals creatively and easily. What we eat defines so much about us. Our culture and lifestyle are expressed by the way we prepare our food. People are so busy taking care of business that many seem to lose the joy of cooking, opting for fast foods when homemade is so much better. There are so many ways to learn, we can all become chefs at home.

http://www.amaryllisofhawaii.com

The Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby

The Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby, Petrogale xanthopus, is probably the prettiest of all the Wallabies. It has a coat of yellow, brown, white and black. This animal's colouring is good camouflage when it is at home on its rocks in the arid interior of Australia. Unfortunately, it was also in demand for fur coats, and many of these inoffensive animals were killed.

Size

Wallabies are smaller than Kangaroos. (This is leaving out such animals as the Tree Kangaroos and the Rat Kangaroos). The Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby is generally between 6 and 12 Kilograms (13 - 26 pounds) in weight. It can be about 60 centimetres (2 feet) high.

Diet

The Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby eats grasses and other plants. It will also eat some tree and shrub leaves. The feet have excellent grip on the rocks and the animal can even climb trees with sloping trunks. This allows it to get some of the higher branches. It will also eat bark if nothing better is available.

Water

This Wallaby needs to drink, but its water requirements are fairly low. Generally, a colony needs to be within about 5 Kilometres of a water source.

Heat Tolerant

The areas it comes from are hot in the daytime, especially in the summer. At the hottest time of the year. This Wallaby becomes nocturnal. It spends the day in shade on its rocky outcrop and goes onto the plain to eat during the day. When the weather is cooler, it will eat at the going down of the sun and in the morning, and only avoid the hottest part of the day.

Predators

The main native predator of the Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby was the Wedge Tailed Eagle, but evidence seems to suggest that Wallabies have never been an important part of their diet. Goannas may also eat the occasional Wallaby. The other predators are introduced animals. The first one was the Dingo. This was introduced as a domestic Dog several thousand years ago; it became feral. More recently, the Europeans have introduced Foxes for recreational hunting. Cats are also a problem.

The Biggest Threat

The Biggest threat to this animal is the feral Goats. These eat the food of the Wallabies. In areas where the Goats are controlled the Wallabies are doing reasonable well.

Vulnerable

Although this animal is only listed as vulnerable, in fact the numbers in the wild are declining. Without the active intervention of Humans, this species would probably become extinct quite soon. Before we came, it was a very successful animal in its own habitat.

Crater Lake National Park - The Gem Of The Pacific Northwest

Crater Lake National Park is a gem of the Pacific Northwest. It is located in south central Oregon in a sparsely populated area and it truly is in the middle of nowhere.

That's what makes visiting Crater Lake all the more an adventure. You are not going to get to Crater Lake unless you make it your purpose to get here. The closest airports are in Klamath Falls (60 miles from the park) and Medford (80 miles from the park).

But getting there is well worth your effort!

Few places on earth create such an overwhelming awe from observers, however Crater Lake National Park certainly does. Even in a region that boasts many natural and volcanic vistas, the only description for Crater Lake is incredible.

You may have heard about the deep blue color of the lake, but words can never prepare you for the first breathtaking look from the edge of this 6 mile wide crater or caldera which was caused by the eruption and subsequent cave in of Mt. Mazama a few thousand years ago.

My most vivid memory of Crater Lake is finding various overlooks along Rim Road that encircles the park. One spot in particular has an incredible overlook that you can walk out on that isn't much wider than 3 or 4 feet. The thing that makes this spot so awesome is that the 3 foot wide path out to the overlook drops off steeply more than 1,200' in some places.

Sorry I won't tell you where this secret spot is, I'm going to let you find it all on your own. However, you will certainly know it when you get there!

Much of the year Crater Lake is snowed in. The area around Crater Lake receives some of the heaviest snowfall in the country, averaging an astonishing 533 inches per year.

For a brief time each year, Crater Lake National Park emerges from this winter freeze to bask in the summertime sun. If you visit early in the season you may be surprised by the amount of snow which remains long into months which are considered early to mid-summer in most parts of the nation. Because of these harsh and often unpredictable weather patterns, most park roads are closed even through the late spring.

Crater Lake is host to a vast array of activities. While enjoying the natural scenic wonders, park visitors may hike in old growth forests, participate in a variety of interpretive activities, camp out or stay in an historic hotel, or even cross-country ski during the very long eight month winters which are experienced here in the Cascade mountains.

If you are planning to visit Crater Lake there are only two campgrounds in the park that have a total of 216 tent sites. Spaces are available on a first come first serve basis as reservations are not taken in the park.

If you love the outdoors and are especially fond of our nation's National Parks, you don't want to miss the incredible beauty that awaits you in Crater Lake National Park.

Chamber of Commerce Business Directories Online

Most Chambers of Commerce offer online business directories for their members as an added benefit of the membership. Chamber of Commerce membership fees currently average about $200 for smaller cities and $350 for larger ones. Membership to your local Chamber of Commerce is important for so many reasons.

Unfortunately I also believe that many Chambers of Commerce's do a poor job in directories for their members. They are poorly designed and hard to use for the public and they should be easy to use for maximum benefit of the small businesses who pay these membership fees. I believe that someone should build a website to help these Chamber of Commerce Groups do it better. Instead of only business directories Chambers should make catalogs, via an outsourced E-commerce cooperative type website, for the local businesses to sell their wares.

The E-commerce Website would be run by another company and charge 2% of whatever is sold and the Chamber Collects 5%, while the merchant account is managed through a local bank, the chamber itself or an Oil Company, Insurance Company, Investment Bank or Large Online Retail Bank. The financial partner would therefore have cash to lend for 3% fee, just like a credit card company. Everyone wins.

Also merchants who buy locally can get credit (like credit cards) but better rates as long as they buy through the system. It keeps money rolling locally, but uses the existing monetary system without upsetting natural money flows. I have thought here before and the chambers make a good partner because they want to help members and promote local spending, this means larger membership and more support for small businesses and thus fewer loans going south with SBA and fewer small business failures. Think on this in 2006.

Latest Studies Give A New Hope To Eczema Suffers

Eczema is a disease of the skin (your natural barrier between the inner body and the environment); it reacts to outside stimuli through irritation and inflammation. Due to this concept, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have a new insight after reviewing the findings of a genetic study.

Researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Eye Institute, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (all of which are part of the National Institutes of Health) report that overproduction of a specific protein disrupts the protective properties of the skin barrier.

Once the skin barrier is compromised, immune system stimulating chemicals can enter the body and cause an inflammatory reaction that, in turn, stimulates skin cells to grow too rapidly. The skin becomes more porous, allowing even more impurities to enter, creating a vicious cycle leading to eczema.

By creating a temporary, artificial barrier that blocks allergens (impurities), it may be possible to halt this cycle, allowing the skin to recuperate. The solution could be as simple as developing a lotion that effectively blocks allergens from getting through damaged skin.

These defects in the skin may be as important to eczema as the immune system is. Doctors have also found that individuals with eczema are also likely to develop hay fever and asthma, suggesting a common culprit for both disorders.

The focus of the study was a gene called connexin 26 which makes a protein that forms the connection between skin cells. In unbroken skin, the protein is not made once there is enough to hold the cells together. Cuts or scrapes trigger the protein production again while the new skin cells heal the wound. This protein production is active in psoriatic skin tissues, but further study was needed to see what part it had in eczema.

A line of transgenic mice that overproduce connexin 26 was created to determine the protein connection with eczema. These are mice whose gene structure has been altered by adding genes from another species, in this case, human genes. The resulting mice developed psoriatic type skin sores, just like humans with eczema.

Previous genetic studies have focused on the genes that regulate immune response. We are now examining the effect of genes that are involved in both regulating the growth of skin cells and signaling to the immune cells.

The problem causing eczema may simply be the body over reacting to impurities getting through the skin. The skin goes into a stress response and overcompensates by trying to rebuild the barrier too fast, actually becoming less effective. The skin cells grow so fast that they fail to make a normal barrier, and the body is stimulating the immune response because of material (chemicals and allergens) coming through the barrier.

Understanding the genetics of skin disorders like eczema and eczema may well have important implications for more serious illnesses, such as asthma. It is not uncommon for a family doctor to face the dilemma of a child who has eczema and then have to decide how aggressively to treat the disease.

Eczema is not particularly dangerous, but children presenting with eczema commonly go on to develop asthma, which severely compromises quality of life and in rare cases can be lethal. Treating eczema with immune suppressing drugs, which may also prevent asthma from developing, may cause undesirable side effects.

If the barrier theory is correct, both disorders as well as eczema would be corrected simply though barrier application at the first signs of the skin disorder.

The genetic studies suggest that researchers now need to focus on both turning down the immune response and therefore the production of connexin 26 protein, as well as restoring a normal skin barrier to keep the outside world out of the body. An artificial, temporary barrier (such as a specifically developed lotion) may be just the thing to accomplish this feat.

Information on Ykap Issue Management

The Ykap Issue Management was on the headlines in the recent past. The main quality for which this soft ware has created enough momentum is its cost effectiveness. Undoubtedly it is the multipurpose software that is used to help the software manager to a great extent. The Bug Tracking Software is powerful and has the capacity to access different projects and attachments email alerts along with perfect data analyses.

The Issue Tracking Software not only contains a suitable interface, it is capable of being learnt at a very small amount of time. The main feature that it has, it can transfer data into any text format whether it is HTML or XLS. It is Auto complete to contain the names of the users, and the extra specialty of role based security. Again The Ykap offers the user the facilities custom values for such parameters status, cause of the defect and the type of the defect. With perfect help documentation the Ykap is used in an elegant manner.

The language that the Ykap software supports is explicitly English, can be supported by windows2000, XP and 2003.The creator of the software is careful in offering different facilities to the customers and can be available at its personal website. There are guidelines forwarded by the software company the software is mentioned as a product that is specifically single. The parts that the software has may at any cost be separated for the use one computer. The customer has no right to lease the software to any one. If the customer fails to abide by all the rules the software is liable to be out of service.

If the software is used with caution it offers so may conveniences beyond imagination. The tracking system helps the customer to locate any problem at ease; furthermore there is enough scope of having the customer care facility. Once the customer faces any acute problem he has the sole right to contact the customer care center who without making any delay take up the charge at their discretion and within a short while try to solve it.

If the Issue Tracking system fails to come to a definite conclusion the IT professionals take active initiative to find out the root cause and with uninterrupted effort try their level best to wipe out the problem that actually harasses the client. It is the utmost effort of the customer care to cater complete satisfaction to the customers at any cost.

Where to Sell Silver

There are many places that you can sell silver at to make a few extra dollars. One place that many people choose to sell their silver at is a pawn shop. How a pawn shop works is they will look at your silver, check for its authenticity and give you a price. If you accept they will pay you for this and turn around and sell it to someone who is looking for that type of silver.

Another excellent place that you can sell is online. Many websites are offering to buy silver and offering reasonable prices. When looking for a place to sell you should always compare several websites to see who is giving you the best offer. You also should take into account how long the payouts on each website will take. Some sites may pay out as soon as they get your silver, however some may have a scheduled payout that pays everyone once every so often. Be sure when you are looking to sell your silver online that you check to assure the company you are using is a legitimate company who will not scam you. Check feedback of what others are saying about the company, and if possible contact those who have left feedback for the company.

Some people may be looking to purchase silver and wonder where the best places to buy silver are located. This will all depend on your location, however most areas have the local silver stores where they can purchase silver. By purchasing at an authentic silver store you will assure that you are purchasing real silver. If there are no silver stores that are near you, another place to buy your silver is at a local flea market. Many vendors set up booths at flea markets with their designated silver area. You should always know how to check to make sure that your silver is authentic. If neither of these is an option for you, then your best bet is to purchase silver from an online company. Be sure when dealing with any online company who claims to have the real silver that you check to make sure they are legit. If you are able to call their customer service department and ask them questions about the item you are considering for your purchase. By avoiding any online frauds you will be able to save yourself time and money when making an online purchase of silver.

Power Vs Pump Training Philosophies

The bodybuilding training pendulum seems to swing, every few years, from "power" training to "pump" training. For a few years, you'll have the classical, Zane-like physiques winning top bodybuilding shows, and everyone in every gym in America will be training with isolation exercises, completing high-rep sets, and trying to "pump" their way to a symmetrical physique. Then, a few years later when most people have tired of the swimmer look, powerful physiques will return to the forefront of magazine covers and bodybuilding stages. Soon, you'll have every kid in America squatting, benching, and dead lifting their way through 3-rep sets in attempts to be the biggest guy in the gym. Though the pendulum swings every few years, it appears we are certainly currently entrenched in a "power" phase, where the bigger man is considered better, and the better man wins, of course.

Professional bodybuilders used to train using the compound movements to attain a certain level of muscle mass, then "cruise" much of the time they were a pro, attempting to hold the size they had, but more importantly focusing upon finishing movements to refine the mass they already had to emphasize their strongest attributes. However, as the weight of the athletes onstage has increased over the last decade (mostly due to changes in sports pharmacology) many bodybuilders have found it imperative to keep training for power, even after winning the pro card with what used to be considered adequate size.

The result of this power phase is that many of the top physiques in the world have a near-identical look to them. You have the top guys using the same power exercises, following the same diets and drug regimens, and ending up looking the same when they take the stage. Those finishing movements, which bring out the spectacular unique aspects of bodybuilders, are being bypassed, as the guys complete the same mass-building exercises to keep up in this size game. Also, injuries are more rampant than ever before. Despite the improvements in surgical technology, 2 or 3 Top Ten bodybuilders seem to incur a career-threatening injury each year as a result of a torn lat, pectoral, biceps, or triceps, muscle groups which do tend to be vulnerable to heavy training after 10 or 15 years of continual mass training.

Given time, the trend will swing the other way. Bodybuilding fans will tire of seeing the same identical monsters onstage, and marketing efforts (and therefore trophies and covers) will return to the smaller yet more symmetrical arms of the "pump" bodybuilders. All we can do in the meantime is realizing that no one bodybuilding physique is most pleasing to all groups, as bodybuilders come in every shape and size.

Kit Home Designs For Sloping Blocks

One of the exciting things about kit homes is that you can use experts for advice and professional opinions to get a home design adapted to the slope of the building block.

Blocks can slope in various ways and are very common and yet some builders can shy away from these builds. A wonderful home can be achieved and take advantage of the land's natural shape at the same time. There is no need to be spending extra money digging and filling to level a block completely.

These land types may not be without their challenges but they are very rewarding projects if you get the planning stage right.

What About Leveling The Block?

In many cases these days how much leveling you can do is guided by local government. Many areas are restricted in carrying out major digging and filling and it is preferred that you try to work in with the natural lay of the land as possible.

This partially for environmental impact reasons and partially for how the water will then flow off the block onto neighbouring land. Much of the extra building costs associated with building on a slope can be generated by the leveling and retaining process.

Choices In Design

Split level homes are a perfect choice for a sloping block. These would normally consist of two or three levels built into the fall of the block. Because land can slope in many ways there are quite a few design choices you can have.

You can also look at Building a home on posts or steel poles that the foundations are then built level on. A classic example of this is the Queenslander home that is built for maximum airflow through and under the house. How steep the slope is will make a big difference.

Left Sideways slope Right sideways slope Backward slope Forward slope Things to Think About

As previously mentioned, sloping blocks can have some tricky areas to navigate. As far a budget goes these will often come cheaper, depending on the view, but there are major considerations to how stormwater drains off the block. This might cost you a lot more than you bargained for so do ask the right questions before purchase. If the land is falling away to a neighbouring home there will need to be regulations followed as to how you deal with the drainage and this is a cost that could blow out.

Get an expert to look it over for you before you buy.

If you are considering buying or building on a sloping block because of the view you will probably have either a sloping backyard or a steep driveway leading either up or down to the home. This can present a few challenges but before you make any solid decisions talk to your chosen kit home company about what designs would work.

Split Level Homes

Split level homes generally come in two and three level designs. They might also be known and tri-level homes. These work by having the house step up a level as the home rises with the lay of the land. For instance, you may have a ground floor garage with internal stairs to the living area and outdoors steps to the next level. Then you may have the bedrooms on the top level.

In some instances you may have a living area beside and only slightly above a garage. These can get to be quite high but there are some magnificent home designs in split level.

Get Plenty Of Information

Buying land is an exciting prospect but be sure to do your homework and have all the information needed when you go to builders and kit home companies about the fall of the block and what regulations in the area might be. This will cut down on time and enable quotes and designs offered to be accurate.

Bearded Dragons - Preparing to Bring Your New Dragon Home

Bearded Dragons have been on the rise in popularity as pets because of their docile demeanor and people friendly personalities. What is often not talked too much about by the pet stores is how much work goes into taking care of these reptiles. Before going out and buying one of these cute hatchlings it is a good idea to do some research on what it takes to care for a bearded dragon.

First thing we will look at is the vivarium also known as a terrarium. A vivarium is usually an enclosed area for keeping and raising animals or plants. Often, a portion of the ecosystem for a particular species is simulated on a smaller scale, with controls for environmental conditions. Proper set up for a bearded dragon is simple a heat lamp to replicate the sun and a UVB bulb which is vital to healthy growth. I have done a lot of research on proper UV lamps and there are quite a few out there that emit erratic wavelengths of light which is very unhealthy for your dragon, my personal favorite is the reptisun 10.0 by ZooMed. In larger vivariums it is not uncommon for two heat lamps to be used giving the dragon a choice on where they will bask. But before I get ahead of myself, for a baby dragon a starter tank either twenty or forty gallons wide will suffice. Tanks with more height than width are not ideal because less floor space for your dragon to move around and they are much harder to regulate with heat and UV because the light has a longer distance to travel. Once your dragon is ten inches long it is a good time to upgrade to a permanent enclosure. A 65 gallon tank or bigger is a healthy space for your dragon to live the rest of his/her happy years.

Dragons live in the desert and need low humidity and high temps to be healthy in their habitat. On the basking side of your tank where your heat lamp is the temperature range should be anywhere from the mid nineties to the mid hundreds, on the cool side lower to upper eighties is a stable temp to let your dragon cool off after basking. Your tanks humidity should never be more than 30% less is fine but never more, this being said you should never leave open water or a water dish in your dragons vivarium it makes it almost impossible to correctly regulate humidity and can give your dragon respiratory problems. Replicating a healthy environment for your dragon is very important in your dragons overall well being. In order to keep an accurate account of your tanks environment I recommend buying a digital thermometer with humidity gauge preferably one with a probe. There are many misconceptions about proper conditions that can be very harmful and potentially deadly for your dragon. One misconception being that sand is an acceptable substrate for your young dragon. This is most defiantly wrong. As a young dragon they should have nothing on the floor of their enclosure but a layer of paper towels. Using sand or other popular substrate like crushed walnut shells is potentially harmful and can harbor bacteria. Bearded dragons smell with their tongues so it is very possible for them to consume large amounts of their substrate which can build up in their intestines causing impaction which is extremely fatal for bearded dragons. Something convenient about paper towels is the ease in which dragon mess or poop can be cleaned up by pulling up the towel and replacing it with a new square it is by far the healthiest way to go. Sand should only be used with adult dragons 18 inches long or bigger and only regular washed play sand for sandboxes NOT calcisand. A popular alternative to substrate is tile which is easily cleaned and sanitized.

Along with a healthy diet of crickets, roaches, and or worms daily it is also important to feed your dragon a well balanced diet of fruits and veggies.

Skateboards and Hover Boards at Work

Anyone who has ever ridden a skateboard knows that they make excellent and efficient transportation to get to one place or another. It is a lot faster than walking and a lot less tiring than running. In the future skateboards will become hover boards and they will ride along on a cushion of air. This will make them excellent for use at work. What sorts of jobs might skateboard-hover boards be good for?

Well how about for Security Guards who have to move around large facilities, aircraft hangers, military installations or important infrastructures? They will need to get around fast. What about US Border Patrol in areas they need to be on foot? Speaking of National Security and the use of hover boards or skateboards, what about Soldiers and the Future Fighting Force? It sure makes a lot of sense to be on a hover board rather than walking and if you need to move fast you can!

Indeed aid workers might also value the use of a hover board. They would be excellent for Golfers and Referees at Sporting Competitions or how about soccer coaches so they could follow the game of play in scrimmages? Perhaps new sporting events will be invented using hover boards? What about Polo on hover boards rather than horses?

Rescue Workers could use a lift from hover boards and it makes sense for lifeguards at the beach to hover across the sand to the waves and surf out on top of the water to save someone drowning. Then turn it off and let it float, put the person on and hover again back to the shoreline. You can see how important the skateboards of the future will be, as they fly into our work place.

How a Person Can Use Social Media to Enhance Their SEO

Social media and SEO work perfectly together. Sometimes in ways that people do not understand. Social media and SEO make each other much more effective. This is especially true when a business person or regular person is strategic with their use of SEO or social media.

Social media is a place of instant news. This means that social media could be the best place to go to look for topical news or news that is hot. In fact, this is the best way to use the social media systems. A blogger can pick up a trend and write about it. If the search engines index them fast enough then they can pick up traffic quickly just by watching the social media systems.

The ability of a person to be fast on the internet is the ability of a person to pick up traffic on demand. This means that a person can beat their competitors by watching the social media programs and giving their expertise or opinion on a subject as soon as it becomes an issue. A person can go from watching the social networks to writing about a new topic within minutes, which is much faster than most people who watch the television for news.

This also teaches the search engines that the user is topical and their news is always fresh. This is a plus because the search engines are more likely to go to a website and index the information than a site that has information that is static and never changes. This means that website has an advantage because their keywords are picked up much faster than their competitors and they will have more pages ranked on the search engines than any other competitor who does not use this strategy.

Every word on a web page becomes a keyword. Therefore, if a person or business can get their pages indexed by keeping their website updated with this topical information is a business that has an advantage over their competitors. A business or a person that can gain the eyes of the search engines while gaining authority is a business that is poised to give their competitors massive problems.

This gives a website a unique selling proposition that most other businesses or web sites cannot compete with at all. This is because most people are not strategic enough to use social media and SEO in the way we are talking about in this article. This means that a business person or regular person who can follow this advice will again a massive advantage.

Therefore, a person who wants to be more relevant to the search engines needs to post articles and web pages about topical information that is relevant to their niche. A person who does this teaches the search engines that they have relevant content on their website and that they are an authority on a topic that people are interested in learning about at that moment. This means that a person will get more traffic and will make more sales in the future.