How to Make Lead Generation using Social Media

This will allow you to track why and how people are generating interest in you and your product and how you will track them through your sales funnel. Its really simple – it will tell you why your potential customers came to your site, what they were looking for, how they act on your site. And who you actually did make a sale too.

Make a plan

So put first thing first. Make a plan. Go and write down on a piece of paper the process you want people to do. If you are selling a high complex expensive product, you can’t just make a Google Adwords ad and lead them to your basket right? They will proberly wanna know something about the offer, something about you, why they should buy from you and not your competitor. So make a written plan and review it on a regular basis.

In a lot of companies there is a sales department and a marketing department. So after marketing has done its job and made some leads they are loosing track of the potential customer. So its important that the sales department and the marketing department sit down and discuss what a good lead is. Which criteria should be fulfilled before a sales lead is passed on to the sales department. And its important that the marketing department get a feedback from sale. Which of the sales lead did make a buy and which of the sales lead didn’t make it. So marketing and deliver better and better leads along the way.

Online and offline

Online and offline are not so different. So if you are attending a trade show and get a lot of potential sales lead. You also want the sale department to start with the most important ones right? Let say you have got 200 sales lead in a trade show. And you only have 2 sales people. So also here you will need some criteria.

If you are gathering leads from internet – your website. You also want know how you got people to your site. And from which source. Lets say you are using Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and sending emails to a email club. Then you wanna know you might send 12 hours a week on Twitter and only 30 min on LinkedIn but you discover that 99 percent of the sale comes from LinkedIn. So be sure to check what is working and what is not working for your company. If its not working don’t just leave the social network. Do some tests. If your Facebook is not working for you, maybe change your strategy, use another landingpage, user other sales arguments and so on.

Qualifiable leads is the new black

Remember its not always important to measure how many leads you will get from your social media, but your should rather me measure how many are leads are qualifiable.

In the next couple of weeks I will do more posts about how companies should use social media so come back and check it out.

Prospecting and Mining Gold

The pharaohs of ancient Egypt believed gold to be the “flesh of the gods” and insisted on being buried in it. While it isn’t commonly used for coffins these days, gold still remains a valuable asset. Gold is still used as an investment, possessing actual, physical value, much like a piece of property.

Of course, even those of us who don’t invest in gold are familiar with it in the form of jewelry. Wedding bands, necklaces, bracelets—you name it. What most people don’t realize is all the work that goes into extracting, processing, and refining that gold to turn it into your favorite pieces of jewelry. Gold starts out like any other hunk of rock. It takes an experienced mining company, like Graystone Mining, to properly obtain the gold from that rock.

Prospecting

In the old days, discovering gold relied entirely on blind luck and happenstance. An old prospector might stumble upon a bit of gold in a stream or in a crack between rocks. These days, the process of finding gold is a little more systematic as geologists now know how gold forms.

The precious metal is actually present in almost all rocks and soil, but the grains are so tiny that they are practically invisible to the naked eye. It’s the job of scientists, known as prospectors or explorationists, to find the areas where gold is concentrated enough to be mined profitably. In most of these deposits, the gold is combined with silver or another metal. Scientists have to drill to obtain samples to analyze for gold content. With enough gold, the mining company can set up a large scale operation to extract the gold.

Mining Gold

The process of mining gold is dependent upon the type of deposits. Lode deposits are those found in solid rock. If the rock is above ground, the mining company will use open-pit techniques. Miners will drill holes in the rock and fill those holes with explosives. The explosives break up the rock and grind them into smaller chunks, making for easier transport to the extraction facilities.

If the lode deposits are located deep underground, miners have to drill a deep shaft, called an adit, into the ground to access the deposits. They then dig long vertical tunnels, called stopes, extending from the top of the block of ore to the bottom. Miners then drill and insert explosives into the ore block. The explosives break the ore into pieces, which fall to the bottom of the stope, where they can be loaded into trucks.

What to look for in a Contractor

-Reputation

 Ask friends, neighbors, coworkers etc. if they can refer you. A recommendation from a trusted friend or family member is a good sign that they do good work. Referrals are even better if they come from somebody in the trade industry. Ask the staff at the lumber yard or plumbing supply store if they know of any great contractors.

-Location

A tradesman who provides a local address on his card or stationary is less likely to pull one over on you. Having a permanent address shows that he is committed, responsible, and serious about his work. He doesn’t need to hide behind a PO Box and can be located easily.

-References

Check on their references, even if a friend referred them. With internet reviews becoming more popular, it’s easy to search for contractor reviews. Look for references and reviews on sites like Angie’s List, Guild Quality, and your local BBB chapter. Don’t be turned off if you see a few negative reviews, even the best contractors have dissatisfied clients sometimes. Because no contractor can satisfy every single client they’ve ever worked with, don’t be fooled by a contractor who has only positively glowing reviews and no complaints.

-Payment

Be wary of any contractor wanting to deal strictly in cash. He could be skipping out on licensing fees, insurances and an experienced work crew. You can check out your contractor’s finances with an online service called Contractor Check. You can find everything you need to know about your potential contractor for around $13.00.

-Communication

If your contractor won’t give you his cell phone number, it’s a sure sign that he’s going to be running the show on his schedule. If he can’t provide you with a cell phone number where he can be reached, then he probably doesn’t want to be reached. If this is the case, don’t bother looking into the matter any further and just move on.

-Responsibility

A good contractor will always apply for the building permit himself. A contractor who skips out on this step is not the kind you want to work with. It’s illegal to start large remodeling project without first obtaining a permit and then having the work professionally inspected. If you’re found renovating without a permit you could face some fines, halted construction or even demolition. If your contractor asks you to apply for the permit, it could mean that he doesn’t have the required licensure from the state. If this is the situation, you’ll have to work as the middleman between the contractor and the inspector.It’s not worth the headache; hire contractors who will take apply for the permits, and do it himself.

-Professionalism

Professionalism really comes into play when selecting a contractor. You will be working closely this man for the duration of your project. You should feel comfortable having him in your home and around your family. "

This article was written by Erie Construction. For more tips on home improvement, follow Erie Construction on Twitter.

How to Save Hundreds of Dollars on Your College Textbooks

College is expensive. Really expensive. As the cost of a higher education continues to increase, students around the country are struggling to make ends meet. The unfortunate fact of the matter, however, is that there are only so many places that students can cut costs. Sure, ramen noodles are considerably cheaper than most other dinner options, but what if someone is already eating ramen for every meal? Then what? The price of tuition is set in stone, as is the cost of student’s fees. There is one category of spending that can be greatly reduced, though; college textbooks.

So what is the best strategy for saving a lot of money of your textbooks? Brace yourself, because this might blow your mind; SHOP AROUND. How crazy is it that students are always on the hunt for cheap food and cheap apartments, but they will walk into their campus bookstore, without thinking, and repeatedly overpay for their textbooks? The internet has made comparison shopping easier than ever, and this means that a little effort can pay off in a big way.

There are some a few specific websites that allow you to enter to title or ISBN of a textbook you are looking for, and immediately see a list of all the websites that offer that book, and for what price. These comparison websites can greatly reduce the amount of time that it takes to find the cheapest price, and most of these websites feature the most prominent and reliable textbook websites. Some websites, such as TextbookStop.com (among others), offer several different textbook options on a single website. TextbookStop.com offers both the option to rent textbooks as well as buy used textbooks, making the choice to buy or rent easier than ever. When the semester is over, you can even sell your textbooks online. Pretty sweet huh?

So the next time you need some textbooks, don’t just accept the first high price you see.  Spending a little bit of time shopping around for the best textbook deals can really pay off, to the tune of hundreds of dollars. That’s worth quite a few non-ramen means.

Physical education Lesson Plans

Health has become a very important issue in recent years. There have been all kinds of diet crazes and workout trends. Strangely enough, even with this focus on staying healthy, children have been suffering significantly in the health department. About a third of the children in the nation are overweight or obese.

Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for numerous health problems, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Overweight children also tend to lead sedentary lives in their adulthood and suffer from low self-esteem and behavioral issues.

A Possible Solution

Physical education at school could be one of the key ingredients to solving children’s predominant health issues. Although underfunding has led to some subpar PE equipment, PE lesson plansstill remain valuable frameworks over which instructors can structure their classes.

Originally, physical education curriculum focused on reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease in kids. The curriculum later expanded and is now designed to stress living an active life and incorporates valuable social skills necessary for any developing youth.

Lesson Plans and Curriculum

The ever-valuable lesson plans and curriculum are based around standards set by the state. The physical education class should align to those standards and initialize appropriate activities. Here is a sample set of standards for second graders in California.

·        Standard 1: Demonstrate motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform an array of physical activities.

·        Standard 2: Demonstrate knowledge of movement concepts, principles, and strategies as they apply to learning and performance of physical activities.

·        Standard 3: Assess and maintain a level of physical fitness to improve health and performance.

·        Standard 4: Demonstrate knowledge of physical fitness concepts, principles, and strategies to improve health and performance.

·    Standard 5: Demonstrate and utilize knowledge of psychological and sociological concepts, principles, and strategies as applied to learning and performance of physical activities.

While some of these standards sound a little complex for the average second grader, the activities associated with each standard are fairly simple, ranging from a game of catch to balancing and tumbling.

Nutrition

Although it’s not inherently a part of the curriculum, many schools have been including lesson plans based around nutrition. Staying active is important, but getting the right nutrition will help kids when they’re out playing or participating in sports. Food is our source of energy and teaching kids what to eat and how to eat right is a large part of keeping them energized and battling childhood obesity.

A potted history of the fire brigade

Firefighters have played a crucial role in keeping so many of our ancestors alive and are quite rightly respected for putting their bodies on the line day after day, but how has the discipline developed over time?

While fire detection techniques have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, the task of controlling the spread of flames was not always so well thought out.

People may talk of Nimbies and jobsworths when they see lengthy fire safety guidelines, but it goes without saying that regulations accumulate over time as fire services have dealt with different cases; from the minor kitchen fire to the city-destroying blaze.

Early troubles

The origins of firefighting go back to Ancient times, with the Egyptians forming groups who would deal with such problems and a Machiavellian Roman named Marcus Licinius Crassus making a pretty penny out of charging for his fire brigade's services.

It was not until around the first century AD that London got around to organising such a force and even then it was not especially effective. Naturally, a lot of buildings were made of wood back then, so a blaze could easily take out rows of houses at a time.

The Great Fire of London

While the capital suffered a number of horrific fires in the ensuing years, it was not until the Great Fire of London in 1666 that there was a public outcry over the lack of available protection.

From then until the 1800s, a number of entrepreneurial souls set up private fire brigades that would check the building for a firemark - meaning they had paid - before helping to fight the flames. Elsewhere, voluntary and paid positions were set up around the country depending on the funds available.

The Modern Force

In many ways the modern fire brigade was born in 1938 when the Fire Brigades Act was passed, which compelled cities and boroughs to provide fire protection. This legislation has since been repealed and replaced by The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 after several updates.

The UK currently has 63 fire brigades including independent fire authorities and forces under the control of local authorities. With advances in communication, water provision and tactical decisions, they have never been more effective in the way they watch over the UK public.

Sexual Abuse and Recovery

Childhood was a fun time for many of us. We rode our bikes up steep hills and rode them back down at dizzying speeds. We enjoyed sweets and hated school. Childhood was underlined by a sense of innocence and naivety that allowed us to view the world in a fairly optimistic light.

Unfortunately, sexual abuse is all too real, damaging that innocence and turning it against children. While sexual abuse attorneys are well-known and have been utilized throughout history, child abuse lawyers have become all too necessary.

Types of Sexual Abuse

There are actually numerous types of sexual abuse, including:

1. Unwanted touching
2. Exposing a child to pornography
3. Non-consensual, forced physical sexual behavior (rape and sexual assault)
4. Saying sexually suggestive statements towards a child
5. Incest

One of the most common forms of sexual abuse involves using a position of trust to compel unwanted sexual activity without physical force, though this can lead to attempted rape or sexual assault. This has become a growing issue recently in the Catholic Church and other religious denominations, making priest abuse lawyers very common.

Recovering from Sexual Abuse

Recovery tends to be a long process. Those who have experienced sexual abuse are considered “survivors” instead of “victims.” Sexual abuse is both physically and emotionally damaging. Even years after the experience, there’s no guarantee that a survivor will ever feel the same. Many survivors experience feelings of guilt, depression, confusion, and shame.

The first step to recovery is acceptance. Survivors often find it difficult to admit what they have been through. A survivor has to admit to others and, most importantly, to himself or herself. The revelation and disclosure of sexual abuse can take whole years. Remember that the human mind is a very powerful thing. In times of intense emotional strain or trauma, the mind will often suppress the memory as a certain preservation mechanism. Repression can be one of the biggest obstacles.

Recovery should also be accompanied by some form of personal counsel. This gives the survivor an opportunity to speak openly about everything that happened. This will help the healing process, especially if the survivor is a child. While a survivor may turn to a trusted friend or family member, a professional therapist or counselor is recommended.

When talking to a survivor of sexual abuse, it’s important to:

-     Relieve and reassure, never blame. The survivor will probably feel some       amount of shame. There’s no need to add to that.

-Listen to what the survivor has to say.

Respect privacy. There’s no need to spread information or talk casually about what happened with other people.