Category: Sales

Cross Country Running Shoes

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One of the greatest sports I can think of is cross country running. A popular sport in high school and college athletics, and also a popular activity among outdoor enthusiast and runners in general, cross country running offers the opportunity to get out into nature and experience it in a very personal and intense way. If you enjoy running, either for the health benefits or the runners high, you should try getting out to one of your favorite spots in nature, find a good trail, lace up a decent pair of trail running shoes and go running through the forest.

I remember when I first went to purchase a pair of cross country running sneakers as a high school freshman. The sales person told me about durability and ruggedness and other things he had no knowledge about and sold me a pair of low quality tennis shoes. Well, needless to say I paid for that mistake with injuries and terrible times, but I learned a valuable lesson. It is important to be informed before going to shop for an important item like a trail running shoe. Your health and well being may depend on it, and you cant always rely on the sales clerk to know what he is talking about.

If you are going to be running cross country, you will inevitably find yourself running on every kind of terrain imaginable, from pavement to track to grass to trails through the woods. You will often find yourself jumping over roots and rocks, making sudden inclines or declines and crossing drastically from one type of surface to the next. However, ultimately you are still running, and a running shoe is what you are looking for.

trail running footwear is a running shoe that is generally a little sturdier and focuses on delivering a lot of cushioning and lateral support. The often treacherous and unpredictable paths a cross country runner takes requires a shoe that can withstand a lot of abuse. Trail running shoes are often made to be a little more weather and element resistant, as you will often find yourself trekking through mud, wet grass and perhaps even snow.

One sacrifice trail runners will sometimes make is in weight, as the added protection and durability come at the cost of more material and therefore more overall weight in the mens or womens running shoe. However, as you go up in quality, the trail running footwear will get lighter and lighter, until you find a range of durable, supportive, quality running shoes with the appropriate tread on the bottom and support to survive the rugged sport of cross country running.

Fitting a trail running shoe is exactly like fitting any other athletic footwear. Trail running shoes come in all the varieties that other running shoes do, so choose an appropriate style of shoe for your particular needs. When you try the running shoes on, put on both pair and walk around the store a little bit. Crouch down and bend the toe to see how flexible and comfortable they are, and whether or not they rub around your ankles. Try them on with a pair of socks that are like to the ones you run in, as many cross country runners will have special socks that they wear. Move side to side, jump a little bit and run a short distance.

The shoe should fit snug but not pinch your foot. This is especially important in trail running shoes, because the terrain you will be moving across is so varied and uneven. If a shoe pinches your toes, the result can be anything from twisted ankles to bunions to stress fractures. The runners stride depends on a certain range of motion to operate properly during a step, and the trail running shoes you choose should enhance and support that range of motion, not inhibit it.

Home Decorating With Gas Fireplace And Feng Shui

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The modern trends of fireplaces have evolved but decorating homes are still based on the balance of the elements to successfully harmonize any living space. in feng shui, balancing of the five elements fire, water, wood, earth and metal, are important when you are remodeling or decorating your home. . If you are buying a stove for sale, obviously you are adding an element of fire into your home. Any space with a gas fireplace will certainly exude a fiery element that emits heat embracing an ambiance and the people within it with warmth and console. This is ideal to heighten an intimacy of couples that want to restore a broken relationship.

When you search for a stove for sale or any other gas fireplace, you should consider the space and your existing furniture at home that will sit next to it. According to the feng shui masters, the south wall of your home is the best place to locate a gas fireplace. You may also locate a gas fireplace to any other areas of the house but be certain not to place them on the Northwest or the middle left part of your home. This area represents family and health. Placing the fire in this area can risk your health and relationships. Clean the space where you want to locate the fireplace; this way you do not get in the way for the heat energy to flow around the house, hence, you are not obstructing the Chi.

If you are placing your gas fireplace at the center of your home, be certain to balance it with other elements such as water. Finding a stove for sale can also weaken your health if you place it on the center of your home since it also represents the center of your body. Being exhausted with too much heat can ultimately weaken the body. Try incorporating water, wood, earth and metal elements. It does not literary tells you place a swimming pool next to gas fireplace for a water element. A small fountain or an aquarium will do but you can also use paintings or photographs with rivers, falls and the like. Other water element includes black furniture and mirrors. Placing a mirror next or near your gas fireplace is good to harmoniously balance and prevents the depletion of energy around the house. If it is a wood element, photographs or paintings of trees can help or if you can add real plants to show something that is alive and growing. Adding a television near the gas fireplace may not be a good idea. But if you and the rest of the family are fond of watching either shows on TV or DVDs, be certain to keep it hidden after use. You may use a cabinet to seal them or a projector screen that you can roll over when youre done watching.

No matter how expensive or cheap a stove for sale can be, proper placement should always be considered. Ask a feng shui expert to help you deal with the movement of the Chi. At the end of the day whats more important is your health and your familys happiness beyond all the beautiful decors and furniture around the house.

Sales Training Books

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Books Sales Professionals might like to Read

While developing out new website for Sales Training Consultants, we thought it would be a good idea to provide a reading list for sales people wanting to develop their sales skills and knowledge. So, here it is, divided into various sub-categories for ease of use:

Selling Skills

* Getting Into Your Customer’s Head: 8 Secret Roles of Selling Your Competitors Don’t Know, Kevin Davis. New York: Random House, 1996. (ISBN 0-8129-2628-5)
* Stop Selling and Start Partnering, Larry Wilson
* Changing the Game, Larry Wilson. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987.
* SPIN Selling, Rackham, Neil. New York: McGraw Hill, 1988.
* Solution Selling by Michael T. Bosworth (Irwin Publishing, 1995).
* Samurai Selling: The Ancient Art of Service in Sales by Chuck Laughlin, Karen Sage and Marc Bockmon (St. Martin’s, 1993).
* The 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful Salespeople , by Stephan Schiffman (Adams Publishing, 1994).
* The AMA Handbook of Successful Selling, by Bob Kimball (NTC Publishing Group, 1993).
* The Selling Bible: For People in the Business of Selling, by John L. Lawton (Council Oaks Distribution, 1995)
* Closing Tactics, Andoni Lizardi
* Negotiate to Close, Gary Karass
* Ziglar on Selling, Zig Ziglar. Nashville, TN: Ziglar Corporation, 1991.
* The Sales Strategist: 6 Breakthrough Strategies to Win New Business, Warren Kurzrock. New York: Irwin Publishing, 1996. ISBN: 0-7863-0738-2.
* Selling to VITO: the Very Important Top Officer, Anthony Parinello, Massachusetts, Bob Adams, 1994.
* Selling to the Top, David A. Peoples. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1994.
* Sales Reengineering From the Outside In, Mark Blessington and Bill O’Connell (McGraw Hill, 1995).
* Strategic Selling, Stephen Heiman and Robert Miller.
* Conceptual Selling, Stephan Heiman and Robert Miller. Berkeley, CA: Miller Heiman, 1987.
* Selling the invisible, Harry Beckworth
* Cracking New Accounts: Tips and Techniques for Opening and Closing the Sales in Half the Time, Terry L. Booton (Probus, 1994).
* Guerilla Selling: Unconventional Weapons and Tactics for Increasing Your Sales, Jay Conrad Levinson, Orvel Ray Wilson and Bill Gallagher (Houghton Mifflin, 1992).

Business Acumen

* The One to One Future: Building Relationships One Customer at a Time, by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers (Doubleday, 1993).
* The Monster Under the Bed by Stan Davis & Jim Bodkin. (Simon and Schuster, 1994).
* Corporate Life Cycles: How and Why Corporations Grow and Die and What to Do about It by Izak Adiches. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990).
* The Little Black Book of Business Math, by Michael C. Thomsett. (New York: Anacom, 1988).
* The Art of War, by Sun-Tzu (Delacorte, 1989).
* The Goal, by Eliyahu M. Goldratt (North River Press, 1992).
* The E Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber (Harper-Business, 1990).
* The Popcorn Report: The Future of Your Company, Your World, Your Life by Faith Popcorn (Harper-Business, 1992).
* Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers by William G. Droms, (Reading MA: Addison Wesley, 1990).
* The Vital Difference: Unleashing the Powers of Sustained Corporate Success, by Frederick G. Harmon and Garry Jacobs, (AMACOM, 1985).
* What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School, Mark H. McCormack, (Bantam Books, 1984).
* Zap, the Power of Empowerment by Jeff Cox.
* Marketing, by Robert D. Hisrich (Barron’s Educational Series, 1990).
* Multi-Level Marketing: The Definitive Guide to America’s Top MLM Companies (Summit Group, 1993).
* Relationship Marketing: Successful Strategies for the Age of the Customer, by Regis McKenna (Addison Wesley, 1993).
* How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Guy Kawasaki.
* The Ten-Day MBA : A Step-By-Step Guide to Mastering the Skills Taught in America’s Top Business Schools @amazon.com
* The Complete MBA For Dummies @amazon.com
* Financial Statements : A Step-By-Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports @amazon.com
* Business Planning : 25 Keys to a Sound Business Plan (The New York Times Pocket MBA Series) @amazon.com
* Tracking & Controlling Costs : 25 Keys to Cost Management (The New York Times Pocket MBA Series) @amazon.com
* Forecasting Budgets @amazon.com

Strategic Sales Planning

* The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals, Keith Ellis, Three Rivers Pr., 1998, ISBN: 060980166X.
* Achieving Individual and Team Goals, Terry R. Bacon, Thomas Doggett, International Learningwork, 1996, ISBN: 1577400135.
* The Agile Manager’s Guide to Goal-Setting and Achievement (The Agile Manager Series), Walter Wadsworth, Velocity Pub., 1998, ISBN: 0965919323.
* All About Goals and How to Achieve Them, Jack Ensign Addington, Devorss and Co (Txp), 1977, ISBN: 0875162371.
* 10 Minute Guide To Planning (10 Minute Guides), Edwin E. Bobrow, IDG Books Worldwide, 1997, ISBN: 0028618181.
* The Sales Strategist: 6 Breakthrough Strategies to Win New Business, Warren Kurzrock. New York: Irwin Publishing, 1996. (ISBN 0-7863-0738-2)
* Sales Reengineering From the Outside In, by Mark Blessington and Bill O’Connell (McGraw Hill, 1995).
* First Things First, Steven Covey, Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill (Simon & Schuster, 1994)
* Winning the Fight between You and Your Desk by Jeffrey J. Mayer (Harper Business, 1994)
* Strategic Selling, Heiman, Stephen and Miller, Robert.
* Conceptual Selling, Heiman, Stephen and Miller, Robert. Berkeley, CA: Miller Heiman, 1987.
* Successful Large Account Management, by Robert Miller
* Major Account Sales Strategies, by Neil Rackham. New York: McGraw Hill, 1989.
* Managing Major Accounts, Neil Rackham
* Stop Selling and Start Partnering, Larry Wilson
* Power of Consultative Selling, Bryce Webster
* Organizational Capability: Competing from the Inside Out, by Dave Ulrich and Dale Lake, (John Wiley and Sons, 1990).
* Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In, Fisher and Uri.
* Cracking New Accounts: Tips and Techniques for Opening and Closing the Sales in Half the Time, by Terry L. Booton (Probus, 1994).
* Guerilla Selling: Unconventional Weapons and Tactics for Increasing Your Sales, by Jay Conrad Levinson, Orvel Ray Wilson, and Bill Gallagher (Houghton Mifflin, 1992).

Customer Focus

* Discipline of Market Leaders, Treachy, Michael and Wiersema, (Addison Wesley, 1995)
* Brain Power: Learn to Improve Your Thinking Skills , Karl Albrecht. Prentice Hall, 1987.
* Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Stephen R. Covey. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
* Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service , Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. New York, William Morrow & Co., 1993. ISBN 0-688-12316-3.
* Stop Selling and Start Partnering, Larry Wilson & Hersch Wilson.
* One-to-One Marketing, Martha Rodgers and Don Peppers.
* The Customer Driven Company: Moving from Talk to Action , Richard C. Whiteley. Addison Wesley, Reading, MA, 1991. ISBN 0-201-57090-4.
* Customer Centered Growth: 5 Strategies for Building Competitive Advantage, Dianne Hessen and Richard Whitely. Addison Wesley, Reading, MA, 1996. ISBN: 0-201-47967-2.
* Getting Into Your Customer’s Head: 8 Secret Roles of Selling Your Competitors Don’t Know , Kevin Davis. New York, Random House, 1996. ISBN 0-8129-2628-5.
* Changing the Game, Larry Wilson, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1987.
* Solution Selling, Michael T. Bosworth. Irwin Publishing, 1995.
* Customer Visits: Building a Better Market Focus , Edward F. McQuarrie, Sage Pubns., 1998, ISBN: 0761908838.
* Customer Focus: A Strategy for Success, Roger Langevin, Bill Christopher, Crisp Pubns., 1998, ISBN: 1560524855.
* The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market , Michael Treacy, Frederik D. Wiersema, Perseus Pr., 1997, ISBN: 0201407191.
* Implementing Quality With a Customer Focus , David N. Griffiths, Quality Resources, 1991, ISBN: 0873891104.

End User Effectiveness

* All Consumers Are Not Created Equal, Garth Hallberg. John Wiley & Sons, 1996. 320 pages.
* Real Time, Regis McKenna. Harvard Business School Press, 1998.
* Enterprise One to One, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Ph.D. Currency Doubleday, 1997.
* Keeping the Edge, Dick Schaaf. Dutton, 1995.
* Customer-Centered Growth, Richard Whiteley and Diane Hessan. Addison-Wesley, 1996.
* Strategic Customer Alliances : How to Win, Manage, and Develop Key Accounts @amazon.com
* Key Accounts Are Different : Sales Solutions for Key Account Managers @amazon.com
* Account Management (Building Service Management Program) @amazon.com
* Successful Large Account Management by Tad Tuleja(Contributor), et al @amazon.com
* Key Account Management: The Route to Key Supplier Status by Peter Cheverton @amazon.com
* Key Account Management: Maximizing Profitability from Major Customers by John Rock @amazon.com

Negotiation Skills

* Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and Bill Ury (Viking Penguin, 1991).
* Getting Past No, Bill Ury (Viking Penguin, 1993)
* The Tao of Negotiation by Joel Edelman and Mary Beth Crain (Harper Business, 1993).
* How to Out-Negotiate Anyone (Even a Car Dealer) by Leo Reilly (Adams Publishing, 1993).
* Major Account Sales Strategies, by Neil Rackham (McGraw Hill, 1989).
* The Complete Negotiator, Gerard Nierenberger, (Berley Books, 1986).
* The Negotiation Toolkit: How to Get Exactly What You Want in Any Business or Personal Situation @amazon.com
* Deal Power: 6 Foolproof Steps to Making Deals of Any Size by Marc Diener @amazon.com
* The Power of Negotiating: Strategies for Success by Mike R. Stark @amazon.com
* The Shadow Negotiation: How Women Can Master the Hidden Agendas That Determine Bargaining Success by Deborah M. Kolb, Judith Williams @amazon.com

Channel Partner Effectiveness

* The channel advantage, Lawrence Friedman and Timothy Furey
* Market-Based Management: Strategies for Growing Customer Value and Profitability, 2nd edition, (Prentice Hall, 2000) – Roger Best – Part III Tactical Marketing Strategies Chapter 9
* Make Your Dealers Your Partners Harvard Business Review, March-April 1996, pp. 89-96.
* Rethinking Distribution: Adaptive Channels Harvard Business Review, July-August 1996, pp. 112-120. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990).
* The Sales Rep Navigator: How to Find the Perfect Sales Rep or Distributor for Your Business, @amazon.com
* How to Market Your Product Through Distributor sales Networks, @amazon.com
* Planning Telephone Sales: Handbook for Distributor Management, @amazon.com
* The Channel Advantage : Going to Market With Multiple Sales Channels to Reach More Customers, Sell More Products, Make More Profit @amazon.com
* Channel Champions: How leading companies build new strategies to serve customers @amazon.com

Computer Skills

* Lotus Notes for Dummies, @amazon.com
* PowerPoint for Dummies, @amazon.com
* Excel for Dummies, @amazon.com
* Word for Dummies @amazon.com

F32 Trojan Boat Legacy

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The buyer arrives at his preferred choice by one of several methods.

But once a choice is made, they are usually immutable, as with most product loyal customers. This seed may have been planted years back during a memorable afternoon on an uncle’s boat . Or perhaps it was a good boat review that made such an impression that the buyer looks for just one particular make in the boating classifieds.

Trojan certainly has its loyal owners. The F32 series, in particular, broke all sales records. Over a period of nearly 20 years, some 2,700 rolled off a line at that Lancaster, P.A., plant – more than any other production boat in its size range. And the F32 has maintained that desirability.

They were certainly popular because of their space and price, says broker Joan Kelly of McMichael Yacht Sales in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

When one comes on the market now, if it’s in good shape and has low hours, it will not last long. There arent too many flybridges in a certain price range – such as the Trojan F32 or the Silverton 34. They had a nice traditional look, good space, and you can still buy them reasonably.

Dollars & Cents

When introduced in 1973, the F32 Sedan sold for $29,000. Five years later, the base price of the F32 sadan was up to $40,600. Equipped with the standard 225 Chryslers and later the F32 was equipped with 350 Crusaders V-8s, the F32 had a cruising speed between 15 and 22 mph (2500-3000 rpm), with a top speed of 32.3 mph (4,ooo rpm).

After 1983, standard tankage was increased to 220 gallons. Today’s buyer considering a used to Trojan may find a range of $44,800 to $51,500 for a 1988 F32 Sedan. A 1974 recently appeared on the Web for $29,500 – roughly its original price. In Massachusetts, a 1977 with 250s was
offered at $39,500.

History 101

The F32 was among Trojans first ventures into fiberglass construction. From 1949 to 1964, Trojan built exclusively in wood, developing a momentum and reputation for affordable craftsmanship.

But with the 1960 introduction of fiberglass as a building material, Trojan would not be the only boat-builder to make the switch to fiberglass. Trojan president James R. McQueen wanted to make sure fiberglass construction was going to hold up under marine conditions before committing to what would be a major capital transition costs for molds, methods and tooling, recalls Jim Ressler, Trojan’s chief engineer from 1970 to 1977.

Jim McLean was very much a wood advocate and reluctant to make the switch, says Ressler. But he was cognizant that much of the industry was going to fiberglass, whether he liked it or not.

The F-series was introduced in 1970 – with the F denoting fiberglass construction. The F32s that you see today first appeared in the summer of 1972 with teak on the foredecks and cockpit – a short-lived design feature . The last F32 was built in 1992.

Of the three models offered, the F32 Sedan (model # 321) was by far the most popular than the F32 Express (model #320) or the F32 Sports Fisherman ( model #322). Only about 20 percent were ordered with the long cockpit and diminished house area of the Express. And only two-or three dozen of the F32 Sports fishermen (model #322) were sold, according to Ressler.

Right Time, Right Place

The birthplace of the Trojan F32s was just east of Lancaster, P.A., about 70 miles west of Philadelphia. Built in the 1960s on about 55 acres, the Trojan plant
had around 300 employees working two shifts on three assembly lines – at one point all of them building F32s, recalls Ressler.

At its peak, production volume was between 8 and 10 boats a week, he says – more than 400 a year. Although today’s literature says 2,700 were built Ressler estimates the total number of F32s at closer to 3,000. The ride eventually ended with the late 80s implosion of the boat building industry: bankruptcy and asset buyout. The molds for the F32’s were cut into pieces with a chainsaw, but not the F32 legacy. Jay Crumlish of Chester, Md., sold Trojan’s for almost 18 years. His father, the late John Joseph J. J. Crumlisch Jr., was Trojan’s regional sales manager for the mid-Atlantic and influenced his son in the direction of yacht sales. Crumlisch, too, remembers the Lancaster plant. At its peak, they were flying off a line he says. But the fit and cabinetry werent rushed.

Why was the F32 such popular boat? This was wider than most boats, says Crumlish. It had a good reputation and was economical to run. That was certainly the heyday of boat production, though.

They hit the market at the right time. The F32 layout remained largely unchanged throughout its long production run. Sedan models have a 60 square-foot cockpit, and enclosed family space of about 73 sq. ft. that includes the standard lower helm to starboard, and is simply appointed yet bright and spacious interior. Forward, a wide V- berth is flanked port and starboard by ample shelving with hanging lockers providing the privacy bulkhead. On port, the head is forward of the galley, which abuts the aft bulkhead. On the starboard, a large dinette converts to double berth.
The Express version answered a different equation: With no family room, there is more space available for the cockpit and interior.

Dennis Killian

Direct Sales Is One Of The Best Ways To Make Big Money

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There are many ways to make big money on the Internet. I personally have found direct sales to be one of the best ways to make money online and make alot of it. Why do I say that?

1. Higher commissions. Companies are willing to compensate you for your efforts at a higher commission rate than you can make in other ways.

For example, Primo Vacations is a big ticket direct sale opportunity. You earn $500 on every $697 sale you make. This works out to over a %70 commission rate.

Some companies will cut checks directly to you. In the Primo Vacations example you are your own business owner and the money is paid directly to you on a completed sale.

There are examples of high commission rates in other business models such as affiliate marketing. In many ways selling other people’s products as an affiliate marketer is a direct sales approach.

ClickBank is an example of an affiliate program where you can earn up to 75% commissions selling ebooks. The downside to this is these are not really big ticket items, so you have to make more sales to really make big money.

2. You are in control. People who want to have control over their income love direct sales opportunities.

When you go to work your boss tells you how much are going to make. Generally every Friday you get a paycheck and you know exactly what it is going to be.

In direct sales the more you sell the more you are going to earn. For people who are self-motivated this is an excellent way to make a lot of money.

Unlike other business models such as network marketing, you are not relying on a downline to earn you money. This is why so many people fail in network marketing.

Unless you are in an MLM program that offers products that pay a high commission, many times people never make enough money to justify staying in business. Therefore they quit.

3. Easy to focus. This is one of my favorite things about direct sales.

Your focus is strictly on selling your product. You may need to do marketing on the Internet to drive traffic to your website.

You might need to follow up with people via phone or email to answer questions. However, your focus is on generating leads and selling your product.

You are not worried about blogging every day. You are not worried about adding new web pages. If you can get focused on selling direct sales is the way to go.

There is no doubt the direct sales is one of the best ways to make big money if you promote the right product. Look for big ticket items that will pay you commissions of $500 or more and you can make a lot of money.