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International Business Etiquette
"To have respect for ourselves guides our morals; and to have a deference for others governs our manners." Lawrence Sterne, Irish novelist & satirist (1713 - 1768)Etiquette, or good manners, is an important part of our day to day lives. Whether we realise it or not we are always subconsciously adhering to rules of etiquette. Much of the time these are unwritten; for example giving up your seat to a lady or elderly person, queuing for a bus in an orderly fashion according to who arrived first or simply saying “please” or “thank you”. All are examples of etiquette; complex unwritten rules that reflect a culture’s values.Etiquette accomplishes many tasks. However, the one noteworthy function that etiquette does perform is that it shows respect and deference to another. By doing so it maintains good interpersonal relationships. Ultimately, it could be argued, etiquette is about making sure that when people mix together there are rules of interaction in place that ensure their communication, transaction or whatever it may be goes smoothly.We all now how we or others feel when a lack of etiquette is shown. If someone jumps the queue, does not thank you for holding the door open for them or forgets to shake your hand, we naturally feel disrespected and pertu

front of everyone. It’s as though the trainer knows how we think and act in front of other people.

Starting to feel tired today as it is starting to catch up on me. Although the exam technique is now ok, the course content is getting a bit much but we are all in the same boat and it’s full mock exams all day tomorrow. Last day to learn about mortgages and things but I must admit that all the insurances are rather confusing. What with Full Endowments, Low cost, Unit linked, Decreasing term, Level term, it’s all a but confusing at the moment. Must stay behind tonight to go through these different policies to better understand them. More homework for tonight, last chance to get the preparation right for tomorrow. Must get a good night sleep tonight, no Stella Artois.

Friday 9.30 am
I don’t believe it, the week has gone so fast, yet I feel so tired. Full mock exams today on both CeMAP 2 and 3 papers. Hope that I do well but it should be a good test today to see if I’m ready or not to sit the proper exam next week. We are all tense and ready for the mocks but don’t know what to expect.

Here we go, start. Hey this is ok, some of the questions are easy and I don’t know what I was worried about. Whoops! There goes that low cost endowment question again. Don’t really understand why they ask questions about endowments as they are not arranged anymore. 85% in the CeMAP 2 mock exam that only took me 1.5 hours of a two-hour question makes me feel good this morning and I’m dying to discuss some of the questions with the others. Not looking forward to the CeMAP 3 exams this afternoon.

Just got through the CeMAP 3 mock exam with a score of 71%. Not good enough as it’s borderline and I need to do more work for next week before I take the proper exam. The good news is that I can take my Course Notes and Course Exams booklets home with me and test myself on a further three mock

R.O.I. -- O.K., Here's The Deal!
You can SO measure return-on-investment for a public relations program!Try this.Accept the fact that people act on their own perceptions of the facts, and that this leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done.When public relations creates, changes or reinforces those perceptions by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, the public relations effort is successful.This means you set a clearcut behavioral goal for a key target audience when you began the program, and you achieved it.This is pure success by any definition.It also means you received precisely the return-on-investment you contracted to pay for at the beginning of the program and, in my view, about as much R.O.I. as you're entitled to.So, you CAN measure return-on-investment for a public relations effort after all.Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

We all strive for success by studying for university degrees, attend courses and continuously look for a spark for direction in life and it’s not until we see a professional person in front of us that we realise that it’s a job that we would like to do. It seems easy watching that individual working at the height of their career without realising what price they have had to pay to achieve success.

Being in the Financial Services Industry for over 20 years, many people have asked me what it takes to become a successful mortgage broker. As the Marketing Director of Money Marketing Limited, a company that trains hundreds of budding UK mortgage advisers per month, I feel that I am well qualified to answer that question.

“ It takes dedication, focus, hard work and the ability to strive for success.”

So what criteria should you use when deciding on your future career direction? Well, try asking yourself a few of the following questions:

· Do you think that you would enjoy helping people with their finances?
· Would you prefer to be an employee?
· Would you like to be self-employed?
· Are you determined to become a high earner?
· Are you intent on being successful?
· Would you like to be in charge of your own destiny?

A ‘yes’ answer to most of these could mean that you should consider investigating how to become a mortgage broker but before you do, let’s look a little further. The start to becoming a mortgage advisor means is passing a mortgage advice qualification and in my opinion the most recognised one in the UK is the Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP)

Do you need to have a degree to pass the exams? You will not need academic qualifications to be able to pass the Cemap exams but one thing you will need is a strong desire to succeed in a highly competitive industry.

If you are looking to start a career in Financial Services as a mortgage advisor but are finding it hard to get your foot in the door, let our dedicated team of industry-experienced CeMAP training professionals lead the way. We have people travelling to our venues from all parts of the country including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We successfully help individuals to pass their mortgage advice qualifications in literally days of intensive, fast track cemap training. Having said that, it can be easy for the gifted people who are just natural at passing academic exams. I recently spent a week with a group of 10 delegates on a CEMAP 2 & 3 training course and the range of abilities on the course was extremely diverse. The challenge here for the cemap trainer was to get them all to the same standard by the end of the week and prepare them for their exams, the week after. Nine out of the ten passed their relevant exams.

The challenges of the CeMAP exams are that you need to learn the qualification content and pass the exams at 70% but that is not all. Many people coming into the mortgage industry have not sat exams for years and in some cases not since they left school. Our CeMAP training courses were built for individuals who are new to the mortgage industry and as a consequence, we teach the course content and mock examine you on a daily basis.

The advantage to this system is obvious, not only are you learning the course content but the exam techniques as well. With strengths and weaknesses identified on a daily basis, it is easy to identify the areas that require extra tuition during the week. This proven system allows us to help hundreds of people get through their Certificate in Mortgage Advice & Practice (CeMAP) exams per month.

Do take care, as the route to becoming a mortgage adviser could be fraught with dangers for the unprepared and under researched person, as the journey could be a long and arduous one. Care should be taken when choosing the company for the initial CeMAP training as many organisations are strictly in the business of offering either a two-day revision course or a self-study CeMAP examination course that in our opinion is not enough. Further to this there are unscrupulous organisations that may try to lure individuals into offering cheap CeMAP training courses and then taking ?5,000, ? 6,000 or even ?9,000 off them in an attempt to recruit them into their mortgage business as mortgage advisers or offering them an expensive mortgage franchise.

Have you ever wanted to know before hand how a CeMAP training course might run on a daily basis? Well here is a fly on the wall account of a recent CeMAP 2 & 3 combined training course that I attended in London run by Money Marketing Limited for 10 budding mortgage advisers.

Monday 9.00 am
We all reported to the conference centre of the Premier Travel Inn at Enfield, where the trainer greeted 10 very apprehensive and nervous delegates all looking for our allocated seats and nodding to each other in greetings. The most pleasing thing was the friendly atmosphere that was created by the welcoming trainer and quickly putting us at ease and introducing the week ahead. The most surprising thing was two large folders in front of each delegate, one labelled Course Notes and the other Course Exams.

Well away we go covering the first part of the course and hey, what’s this? Are we being tested so early? Yep, sure thing, mock multiple choice exam questions at the end of each covered section. Not used to this, not done any exams since my school days. Still, must attempt them and see how it goes.

The first day flew by. What? Homework? Not much chance for socialising in the bar tonight then. Still, I had better get my head down and focus.

Tuesday 9.30 am
Later start today, needed that extra half hour to pull myself together. Marked the homework first thing and got 72% not bad. Off we go following the course notes, delegates asking questions to the trainer who shows a high degree of knowledge. Quite liked being able to ask questions and clarify things, certainly couldn’t do that on a self-study course. I’m getting into this multi choice exams system now, usually there are two definitely wrong answers and that only leaves two left to think about.

Some of these questions are rather difficult and I haven’t done formulas and maths for ages. Hey, the trainer said that all us that are struggling with our maths could stay behind for some extra tuition. I like the trainer! Goes out of his way to help. Good sense of humour too. Homework again? Looks like it’s going to be a daily thing.

Two days gone, had five mock exams already and done ok so far.

Wednesday 9.30 am
Here we go mid week and I’m starting to get the hang of this course and really enjoying it at last. Although it’s not easy, people on the course are starting to make friends, forming groups and socialising. Enjoying today even more as it’s about mortgage products and that what the job’s all about anyway.

Stayed behind last night with a few of the others to get to grips with the formulas. It’s ok for some of the young people on the course as it’s not long since that they left school but me, I haven’t done any serious maths for twenty odd years.

More mock exams today and I think that I am coming to terms with the style of questions and the time allocated. Some of my mock examination marks are starting to improve, including the homework. Missing the family though, not long to go now!

Thursday 9.30 am
This trainer is incredible, cracking jokes and light conversation about some of the homework answers has certainly clarified one or two things that I was a bit shy to ask about, just in case I showed myself up in front of everyone. It’s as though the trainer knows how we think and act in front of other people.

Niches - The Path to More Profits
Hey, as business owners we CAN'T be all things for all customers. I mean it would be fantastic if we could, however, you just can't meet the needs and wants of everyone, you would run yourself ragged trying :o(BUT ... that doesn't mean you throw your hands up in dispair and give up ;o) Stick with me for a few minutes and we'll go over a few ideas that come to mind and see if they get your creative juices flowing.Firstly, what the heck is a "Niche" anyway?? I mean I am sure you have seen the word flying around the Internet and a lot more lately. You've seen newsletter articles and email letters from some of the top guru's now sprouting "Niche" as the new "catch" word of the time.The term is NOT NEW. Basically a "niche" is finding a specific target market and catering to their specific wants and needs.Ummm let me give you an example...As a marketing coach/consultant my business is providing a service "marketing" to businesses. Now obviously the business arena is too general so what I want to do is break it down into bite size sectors or smaller target markets. I may want to deal specifically to the needs and wants of Dental Offices and decide to specialize in Dental Office Marketing. I could take on the legal sector and s

l Services as a mortgage advisor but are finding it hard to get your foot in the door, let our dedicated team of industry-experienced CeMAP training professionals lead the way. We have people travelling to our venues from all parts of the country including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The first day flew by. What? Homework? Not much chance for socialising in the bar tonight then. Still, I had better get my head down and focus.

Two days gone, had five mock exams already and done ok so far.

Speak Now, Or Forever Be Deleted
With all the examples of modern technology surrounding us today – e-mail, iPods, toaster waffles, etc. – I have to say that the one I find most amazing, is the cell phone.It's incredible enough that you can make a call from any place at any time to anyone else in the world. But to me, what's most remarkable is that someone can dial your number, and no matter where you are, the system instantly finds you and puts the call through. (Unless of course, you're in the supermarket and your wife is calling, in which case it waits until just after you've gone through the checkout line.)Cell phones have also given those of us who are so inclined, the ability to talk freely while driving alone in a car. No longer do passing motorists and their good for nothing children smirk as we carry on our solo, animated discussions; today, they simply assume we are on the phone.I mention all this to you, because in my experience, rehearsing what you're going to write and then reading what you've written out loud, is a surefire way to craft simple, understandable, authentic text (the holy grail of E-Newsletter copy).I'm not talking about speaking your words into a tape recorder and transcribing them (although if that helps you get your thoughts down, that's perfectly

Care should be taken when choosing the company for the initial CeMAP training as many organisations are strictly in the business of offering either a two-day revision course or a self-study CeMAP examination course that in our opinion is not enough. Further to this there are unscrupulous organisations that may try to lure individuals into offering cheap CeMAP training courses and then taking ?5,000, ? 6,000 or even ?9,000 off them in an attempt to recruit them into their mortgage business as mortgage advisers or offering them an expensive mortgage franchise.

The first day flew by. What? Homework? Not much chance for socialising in the bar tonight then. Still, I had better get my head down and focus.

Two days gone, had five mock exams already and done ok so far.

Three Rules For Selling Success
In today’s online environment we all have our share of marketing nightmares we could relate. One that immediately pops into my mind is the store that uses pushy sales tactics. I don’t know about you but for me these stores tend to push me right out their proverbial door. I can not think of a better example than this to teach us how to avoid losing potential customers. Let’s compare this live shopping experience with our online counterpart to gain some valuable insight.The basic thing they do is attack you the minute you walk in the door. So how do you avoid making your customer feel pounced on? At your first contact do you enter the chat room or offer your first message in the “it’s all about me” frame of mind? Do you tend to share about what your do before you have barely even introduced yourself? Stop for a moment and consider how this could be perceived? How would you react if you were on the receiving end? How can you turn this around? How do you tell your shopper what you have to offer without causing them to want to turn and run?The first thing you should do is kick that old “me” out of the door. Keep pushing; sometimes “me” wants to hold onto the doorposts. If you listen to what you are saying and concentrate on correcting this attitude you w

lf together. Marked the homework first thing and got 72% not bad. Off we go following the course notes, delegates asking questions to the trainer who shows a high degree of knowledge. Quite liked being able to ask questions and clarify things, certainly couldn’t do that on a self-study course. I’m getting into this multi choice exams system now, usually there are two definitely wrong answers and that only leaves two left to think about.

Two days gone, had five mock exams already and done ok so far.

5 Ways To Improve Workplace Morale
Increased turnovers, costly decreases in productivity and overall employee dissatisfaction are all ramifications of low morale in the workplace. Moral is a vital component of any organization or business for it to thrive and achieve success.Here are five ways to improve workplace morale easily and inexpensively that will boost your team's performance and lower levels of tension and stress.Install a Humor Board Most every office has several memo boards for important work-related information, some pleasant, some not so pleasant. Install a memo board in a neutral location that is specifically for people to post jokes, cartoons, funny pictures or amusing anecdotes. This way everyone can get a little laugh after arriving for work on a dreary Monday morning.Adopt Flextime Schedules If possible, work out a way for employees to have more flexibility in their schedules. You may be surprised at the amount of stress that can be alleviated by this one thing. With daycares and households with two working parents, and possibly only one vehicle, this small move can be monumental to some people. Work out a schedule or system for employees to leave an hour early or come in an hour late on certain days. Alternate days and times so that everyone gets an opport

front of everyone. It’s as though the trainer knows how we think and act in front of other people.

This was a fly on the wall interpretation by Joe Kocsis the Marketing Director of Money Marketing Limited who attended a recent CeMAP 2 & 3 combined training course.

Money Marketing Limited is a training school, strictly in the business of training individuals to assist them with their CeMAP exams and then offering advanced mortgage training modules to individuals and companies alike, in their quest to become professional mortgage advisers or even self-employed mortgage brokers.

Visit our website at http://www.cemap-training.org.uk for further information on mortgage advisor courses

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Computer consulting business owners need to latch on to the right clients in order to get their computer consulting business profitable. Make sure you are not running a charitable computer consulting business.

Effortlessly Kill your opponents with humility- and transform them into the best of friends!

Tripod projection screens are best used when a person needs to be able to travel with their projection screen.

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