Weiss Report Blog

Goals are critically important for the success of a meeting. You must know what you want so you can ask for it. And the participants need to know what you want so they can help you get it. Without goals, a meeting becomes a journey without a destination.

Unfortunately, many meetings are called without goals. So, you hear people start meetings by saying, “Well, what do you want to talk about?” This is similar to walking into a factory and asking, “Well, what do you want to make?” You could end up with anything from ant farms to xylophones.

Thus, your first step is to write out a statement of the results that you want to have by the end of the meeting. I want to emphasize that you must write out the goals for the meeting. This forces you to define exactly what you want. Certainly, if you’re unable to express your goals on paper, you can expect to have difficultly explaining what you want to the attendees.

Writing goals also provides important benefits. It allows you to consider, explore, and discard possibilities. And then you can show the goals to others to obtain their comments and suggestions.

Asking for help preparing goals is especially useful when working on complex or controversial issues. Now you can 1) use their comments to refine the goals, 2) win support for your goals by including others in their development, 3) gain information on issues related to the goals, 4) uncover issues that may conflict with the goals, and 5) develop strategies for achieving the goals.

Once you complete the goals for your meeting, put them on the agenda. That helps everyone focus on your purpose for the meeting. And it significantly increases your chances of ending with the results that you wanted.

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Steve Kaye helps leaders hold effective meetings. He is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator, author, and speaker. His meeting facilitation and leadership workshops create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for details. Visit www.stevekaye.com for a free report.

So you want to grow roses? They are a beautiful choice for your garden and not nearly as difficult to grow as you might think.

1. Choose a rose that is easy to grow. Some choices might be ‘Sunsprite’, ‘Baby Love’, ‘The Fairy’, ‘Iceberg’, or ‘Flower Carpet’. Also check to see which roses do well in your climate. When choosing a rose think about the colors and fragrance that appeals to you.

2. Understand the soil type and provide good drainage. Use organic matter to make your soil better for the roses. Plant your roses correctly and in the best place in your garden for the rose’s success.
3. Know how often to water and how much water to give the roses. Too much water is not good so develop a watering schedule and stick to it.
   
   
   
4. Understand how the different types of water systems work. You can choose from sprinklers, an underground watering system or a drip irrigation system. It is usually good to keep the water off the leaves if you live in an area where rose diseases are a problem.

5. Mulching keeps the water in and the weeds away. Mulching is a very good idea when growing roses. Mulch in the early spring when you remove the protective coverings from winter. If you live in a warmer climate spread the mulch just before the roses start to leaf out.
6. Learn the kinds of nutrients your roses need and follow a specific fertilizing program. When growing roses it is important to test the pH of your soil. If the pH is right the roots can interact with the enzymes and bacteria in the soil and do well with the natural nutrients and the ones you add. The pH can be between 5.6 and 7.2 however 6 to 6.5 is best. By testing the soil you will know which nutrients to add.
7. Learn how to prune your roses. Pruning keeps the roses healthy and looking good.
8. Prevent pest and disease problems before they happen. Learn how to control pests and choose safe pest control products.

Growing roses is a delightful hobby and not nearly as complicated as you might have heard.

About the Author

Ken Austin
http://www.1stinroses.com
http://www.1stdiscountshopping.com

Last Christmas, Uncle Albert promised his neighbor, Wilson, to
find a way to keep the Christmas spirit alive all year. You
know, just like Wilson and everybody else wishes people each
year.

Yesterday I was checking my calendar. “Holy smokes! It’s almost
Christmas. I better check to see if Uncle Albert found a way to
keep the Christmas spirit alive all year.”

So I put on my boots and buttoned up my jacket. I dashed out the
door.

I came back into the house to put on a scarf. And some gloves.
And a hat. And my long-johns. I filled up the thermos with hot
chocolate and dug out a pair of ear muffs. “Yup. That’s the
Christmas spirit,” I thought as I headed out once more, trying
to keep my head above the snow.

When I reached Uncle Albert’s, I could tell something was
different. I wasn’t sure quite what, but I suspect it had
something to do with the large red and gold sleigh parked in his
driveway.

“Say, Uncle Albert. What’s with the sleigh?”

“You like it, Happy Guy? That’s part of my Christmas spirit,” he
enthused.

“It is?”

“Of course. Riding in a one-horse open sleigh. Sleigh bells
ring, are you listening? All that shtick.” he smiled.

“You think that’s how to keep the Christmas spirit alive all
year?”

“That’s just the beginning,” he said as he lit up a candle.
“I’ve cancelled my electricity.”

“But why?”

“Have you ever heard of a Christmas carol with electricity?”
Uncle Albert asked. “No. You hear about Christmas carols by
candlelight, about silver bells, boughs of holly, all sorts of
nostalgic stuff from the days when General Electric hired mice
to turn the wheels of power.”

I looked around for a Christmas tree. “So why no Christmas tree?
Is that too modern for you?”

“Only the plastic kind,” he said. “They keep dying on me. I was
probably feeding them too much sheep manure. Anyway, I decorated
the one out front.”

“But you don’t have a tree out front, Uncle Albert.”

“Right there,” he pointed. “Across the street. Hey Wilson! Stop
blowing out my candles!”

“You lit candles on your neighbor’s tree?”

“Ha! A lot of good that will do me,” Uncle Albert sighed. “You
would think the ingrate would appreciate a little Christmas
spirit now and then. Hey Wilson! Get some Christmas spirit, you
overgrown porcupine pimple!”

“Maybe some people don’t want the Christmas spirit all year
’round?”

“Don’t be silly, Happy Guy. Everybody wishes it to each other,”
he replied. “May the Christmas spirit last all year. But it
never does. You know why?” “I’m afraid I am about to find out.”

“Because nobody wants to do all those things they sing so
nostalgically about,” he harrumphed.

“Maybe we just need some new Christmas carols. Instead of trying
to make reality fit the songs, why not sing songs that fit
reality?”

“Funny you should mention that,” Uncle Albert exclaimed. “I
wrote one just the other day. Want to hear it?”

“Uh…sure.”

“Here comes another Yule, let’s spend like a fool. Push ‘n’
shove at the store, to buy even more. Light up the lights,
there’ll be no star in sight. Turn up the furnace, this world we
will burn it. Chop down a tree, chop another down with glee.
Wilson is a grump, such a whiny chump. (Like the personal
touch?) This year let’s all cheer it, Whoo! I love this
Christmas spirit. ”

“That’s very original,” I observed. “I am sure there must be a
market for just such a song…somewhere.”

“That’s what I thought,” Uncle Albert beamed. “Heh, heh. This
could even make me rich, rich rich! Ha! Take that, Wilson.”

“That’s the Christmas spirit, Uncle Albert.”

Strawberry wine is one of those delicious treats that can be used in so many different ways. Strawberry wine is not simply any old wine, it is like the nectar of the gods. You can drink strawberry wine on its own or you can use it in a smoothie, or you can even use strawberry wine the next time you make a party punch. The uses for strawberry wine are endless and they only add to the universal appeal of it.

The vast majority of people love the taste and the smell of fresh strawberries right? There is nothing that smells so much like summer than strawberries and that is just what strawberry wine smells like, fresh strawberries. Everyone can enjoy a wonderfully chilled glass of strawberry wine on a hot afternoon, or a cold one for that matter.

Strawberry wine is not made with grapes like many other wines, it is made only from strawberries. In most cases you will find that strawberry wine is made from whole strawberries. This gives the wine a more full bodies flavor that is not too sweet and that has tons of flavor.

My favorite strawberry wine recipe is for a strawberry wine ice. This is one of the simplest recipes that was ever created and one of the most delicious.

All you have to do to make the strawberry wine ice is pour a bottle of strawberry wine into a big saucepan along with a cup or so of sugar, just how much sugar is dependent upon how sweet you like your things to be. You will then heat the strawberry wine mixture until the sugar has melted completely. Then freeze this mixture. Leave it in the freezer until it is frozen straight through.

When it comes time to serve this frozen strawberry wine drink all you have to do is take it out of the freezer and pop it into the blender. Blend until smooth and pour into drink glasses and serve. If you are having a party you can add a little sprig of mint to each glass as a garnish. This is a great way to show off your culinary skills without straining yourself at all.

This strawberry wine drink is a great crowd pleaser but you can make it for yourself if you would like to just make a smaller portion of it to freeze. Any time of year this strawberry wine ice will add some fun and flavor to your day.

What was started as an online store, has turned into a growing collection of internet resources on subjects ranging from Network Marketing, Investing, Health, Travel and even Wine. Visit http://www.mjesales.com for our store or http://www.mjesales.com/articles.htm for more articles. This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

77% of Americans enjoy the time they spend away from their jobs
more than the hours they spend working, according to a recent
Gallup study. Do you experience any of these conflicts while at
work?

While working on a task do you feel mentally “pulled” in
opposite directions? For example, part of you says “hurry up –
get it done”, while another part says “slow down, this has to be
done accurately”. Is your way of doing things different from
someone else’s way of doing things? You may feel comfortable
planning as you go, without writing things down, while a
co-worker prefers to create detailed, written action plans and
to-do lists. Are you are asked to complete tasks you do not
enjoy because they do not come naturally to you? You may find it
easy to work on projects that have a lot of interaction with
people, but not compiling the statistics for the quarterly
report.

All three of these conflicts are related to a person’s
behavioral design. Simply put, your behavioral design describes
how you prefer to naturally behave. Everyone has a combination
of the following four styles. However, one style is usually more
prominent.

*Some people focus on the bottom-line, are very results-oriented
and prefer to work at a rapid pace. *Others enjoy interacting
with people and being in the spotlight. They like a high degree
of people contact. *Some individuals prefer to work “behind the
scenes” and enjoy the planning process while working in a slow,
deliberate manner. *Others are attracted to detailed work such
as data analysis and copy-editing.

When you can do what comes naturally to you and interact with
people who behave in a similar way as you do, all is well. You
feel happy, energized and rewarded. However, when conflict
develops, whatever its form, you become miserable. As misery
increases, so does stress, tardiness, absenteeism, errors,
physical complaints, and turnover.

One of the main reasons so many people are unhappy at work is
because they are experiencing one or more of the three types of
conflict mentioned above.

Here are some suggestions to help you resolve these behavioral
conflicts.

When you find yourself being mentally “pulled”, ask yourself
this: “How do I need to behave in order for the project that I
am CURRENTLY working on to be successful?” Do you need to “have
it done yesterday” or is precision and attention to detail more
important? Whichever is more important, let yourself be “pulled”
in that direction. Acknowledging this internal dialogue and
making a conscious decision how to behave will help reduce the
conflict. When interacting with someone who does things
differently than you, first realize that this person probably
does not intend to give you a hard time. Their behaviors stem
from their preferred behavioral style. Just as you have your way
of doing things, so do they. The goal is for both of you to
discuss how you each prefer to approach your work and reach some
type of compromise. When projects are assigned to you that do
not match your behavioral design, you have several options. You
can enlist the help of people whose natural behavior matches the
demands of the project. You can also speak with your
manager/supervisor about the type of tasks that energize you and
request that in the future, those tasks be assigned to you. The
most drastic measure (and sometimes the most appropriate) is to
remove yourself from the environment — yes, quit! If you are a
person who does not like the spotlight and prefers to work
behind the scenes and your position constantly requires you to
make presentations and public appearances, you will continuously
be unhappy. The single most important factor related to job
satisfaction is having a job that closely matches your
behavioral design.

Years ago I had a very rude awakening as a new sales
representative. I was so wet behind the ears, if I stood in
place for any length of time, I’d be standing in a puddle of my
own perspiration.

I was young and had energy to burn. I knew all the answers so I
didn’t need to ask any questions.

You could say I was full of myself. I loved my new job. I was
selling laboratory supplies, chemicals, and equipment to people
who wore white lab coats.

I also had to deal with purchasing agents, who seemed to enjoy
making sales representatives, especially new ones like me, very
uncomfortable.

I was in my sales territory for about 3 1/2 weeks. I was in
training for two of those weeks, where I got to watch different
people do different jobs.

As soon as my boss cut me loose from the training program - I
headed straight for my largest accounts, the ones who were
currently doing the most business with us.

Then, I started calling our largest potential prospects. Up
first was the General Foods R&D Center, located in Tarrytown New
York.

I remember walking confidently into the rather large lobby and
walking over to the receptionist. Her name was Felicia.

I introduced myself and asked to see Brian N. who was the senior
buyer, at that time, for laboratory supplies.

She called him and a few minutes he came out of his office. He
was the size of a walrus.

He motioned for me to sit down with him in one of the not so
private seating areas in the main lobby. I barely said my name
before he interrupted and jumped in with, “We don’t buy from
your company and we never will.” He added, “I guess if we
desperately needed something and no one else had the product, we
might order it from you.”

With that he got up turned his back to me and walked back to his
office.

Well - I sure showed him.

Now, I had him exactly where I wanted him.

In sales, sometimes you have to be patient and I mean very
patient. In fact you may have to wait until somebody retires or
dies before you can get your foot in the door. Brian did both
and I did get a sizable chunk of the business.

It wasn’t so many years later that I realized I didn’t know what
I didn’t know.

Because I had so little experience and even less sales training,
I believed wrongly, that my options were limited.

Today I realize my options were limited only by my imagination,
determination, and other outside resources available to me.

I coulda put together a written plan.

I coulda got my management team involved.

I coulda wore Brian down with handwritten notes, cards, and
helpful business articles relating to his business.

I coulda sent him a gigantic coffee mug from
www.greatbigstuff.com with a note asking him to talk business
with me over a cup of coffee.

I coulda sent him a dozen roses with an appropriate note. Maybe
this wouldn’t work with Brian - but you get the picture.

I coulda sent him a six-foot ruler with a note asking him what
we would need to do to measure up to his expectations?
(www.greatbigstuff.com)

I coulda sent him a special card for every conceivable holiday
on the calendar.

I coulda, woulda, shoulda done a whole lot more than I did.

That was then this is now. Today I’m different. I rely on new
information and get an abundance of new ideas from my collection
of books, e-books, eCourses, single CDs, and even audio books. I
have convinced myself there are no problems I can’t solve if I
look in the right places for the right resources for the answers
I need.

It took some time for me to finally wake up after my first rude
awakening.

Imagine if I could go back in time and make that first sales
call to Brian N. again.

I probably would listen to the CD titled, “How To Avoid Sounding
Pathetic During A Sales Call.”
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/netcart.asp?MerchantID=39581&off
erid=16002&q=2

I coulda called a sales coach and probably gotten some good
ideas to help me get my foot in that door. There are still (3)
slots available.
http://www.meisenheimer.com/sales_coaching/oneonone.htm

Today, in my business, I seek out awakenings, the positive ones,
to help me grow my business. I do however prefer to take a pass
on the rude ones.

Let’s go sell something . . .

Favorite icon appears to the left of your link in either address bar or in favorites menu of your browser. It gives your website more personality, better visibility in favorites menu and is easy to create.

You’ll need:

• Image editor software
• Icon Editor Software.

If you need icon editor, I recommend you PixelToolbox, which you can download for free. http://www.axiomx.com/PixelToolbox/

Using your favorite image editor create 256 color, 16×16 pixels image and save it as a .gif, or if you are using PixelToolBox .png or .bmp file.

Open your Icon editor software and import the image you just created.
If you are using PixelToolbox, on the start screen select Windows Icon; 16×16; 8 bit 256 color pallet; click start.

In the new window click Import and navigate to the image you created.
Edit image if needed and save it as favicon.ico on your hard drive.

Upload the icon to the root folder of your web site.

Browser will automatically look for and display the icon you created. However, if you want to help browser find the icon put following between head tags of your web page:

To test your icon, delete all temporary internet files from you machine, go to your web site and add it to your favorites folder. See how your icon looks between other links. You want your icon to stick out, so you may want to change some colors or shapes. Just make sure to clear your browser cache before you test new icons.

Emir Plicanic
http://www.bewebmaster.com

A debt consolidation loan pays for multiple other loans or lines of credit. If you find yourself swimming in debt, this might be a good option. Debt consolidation loan is the best option when you have maxed out your credit cards and are yet paying for your car and house.

A debt consolidator will help you in making a single payment instead of making multiple payments. Managing your finances gets much easier. Also the interest rates on a debt consolidation loan are less since most of the debt consolidation loans are nothing but a home equity loan. Another good part is that since the interest rates are low, your payment is significantly reduced. If you have any issues or come up with questions, you have to make a single call to your credit counsellor instead of making several calls. One more advantage lies in the fact that the interest paid to a mortgage can be used as a tax write-off. This benefits you from a tax perspective.

Before you run out to get a debt consolidation loan, you also need to factor in the cons associated with this loan. For one, it is very easy to fall further into the debt trap. Since you will be left with more money at the end of the month, you will consider blowing it away rather than paying up for your debt. With the current economic situation, most mortgages are 30 year mortgages and this means you will end up paying your loan for the next 30 years. In terms of dollar amounts and over the lifetime of the loan, you will be spending much more than if you were to pay off the individual loans. The debt consolidation loan is against your home. This makes a debt consolidation loan a secured loan. Your creditors will take away whatever secured your loan and in this case it is your home.

As you can clearly see, debt consolidation loan are not for everyone. You have to look at the advantages and the disadvantages and make the correct decision for yourself.

Bill Smith is a debt counsolidator for Ameri debt consolidation company. Visit us at www.americreditservices.com/

The method know as 3d ultrasound scanning is used in early pregnancy, it can provide 3d pictures of the unborn child. Most times these pictures are quickly collected and combined to produce a “4d ultrasound scan”.

Three dimensional scans works in a similar manner to the normal scanning methods except that the ultrasound scanning waves can be sent from multiple directions. The ultrasound waves can be reflected back then captured to provide info to construct a 3d image in very much the same way as 3d movies. 3d ultrasound was started by stephen smith and olaf von ramm.

It is important to understand that sonologists worldwide have always pictured three-dimensional images of anatomy or pathology in their minds while doing their 2d scans. However, until recently it was almost impossibel to do this kind of reconstruction on on info using ultrasound. The advent of baby scans for the first time allowed us a peek into the mechanics of thinking of a sonologist and hence letting us view the images on the ultrasound machine.

3d imaging should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. While there is no information of harm due to 3d ultasound scanning, its use in none essential situations needs to be undertaken with the understanding of the risks.

Please remember to collect your babies umbilical stem cells by using people such as babycells.

(Continued from Blogging Your Way To Success Part 1)

By now, you have already configured your blog name, description, personal profile, and the page template. As soon as you set up your blogging account with Blogger, you will need to do this next:

Post At Least 20 Articles

=====================

While this may sound like hard work, there is no short cut around it. This, you have to do. It is mandatory. Why?

Before you start whining, let me remind you that you are in business. If you are serious enough about making your money then this should not bother you much. Now, the reason I ask of you to post at least 20 articles is because you need to have a REAL website to be in the game of Internet Business.

In the later part of this series, you will find out why this is important for setting up your AdSense account.

Anyway, post at least 20 articles. I recommend you post 25 or 30 articles to start with. Your articles need not be long. At least 200-500 words would do. Post them all in a day, if possible.

Be sure that your articles are relevant to your topic or niche. For example, if you are authoring a blog on Internet Marketing so let all your articles be related to Internet Marketing.

If 20 articles sound very hectic for you, you can source for other people’s articles from article submission web sites such as www.ezinearticles.com and www.articlecity.com as long as they have reprint rights and you include the authors byline. This can give you a good start but be sure not to keep using other people’s articles too often as this can damage your own reputation in a long run. Very soon, you will need to write your own articles. This is your blog.

Keep A Daily Archive

=====================

If you would browse your Blogger settings, you will want to set your archive to “archive daily”. So now, you have at least 20 articles which mean 20 posts. And since you have set “archive daily”, you have at least 20 pages of REAL content now.

Awesome!

Get A Feedback Form

===================

This is the next important thing to do on the list. You want people give you their feedbacks, comments, suggestions and also constructive criticism. This involves more technical knowledge. If you are not familiar with scripting, I have two great sources where you can get the scripts for free and does not require a lot of technical knowledge.

http://www.freedback.com

http://www.bignosebird.com

Set up the forms on your blog for your visitor’s convenience. You want to know what they think of your web site and at the same time, find out what their demands are so you can cater to them accordingly.

In the next part of the series, we will get you an account with AdSense.

(To be continued in Blogging Your Way To Success Part 3)

Copyright © Edmund Loh

About the Author:
Edmund Loh is the author of the E-Biz Wiz Blog and Starting An Internet Business Special Report. Visit E-Biz Wiz Blog for proven ideas, tips and information on starting your own Internet Business and subscribe to the 12 Day Internet Marketing Success Course. http://ebizmodelsyoucancopy.blogspot.com