Cool Ways to Boost Your Profits
Building a large and growing customer base is simple but not easy. It requires finding, enrolling and training at least ten serious business builders.The better you get at using viral and attraction marketing and applying excellent service, the faster and more effectively you will build a customer base.Building a leveraged residual income that will last requires building a large customer base of people who order and use real products of real value. month after month even if they do not get a check.You do not need to personally enroll hundreds of customers. You will need at least ten serious business builders in your organization who you can teach to practice and teach most if not all of these ways to build a large, stable, growing customer base that will last for years.Joining and participating in groups and associations, communicating with clarity and honesty, leading by example and constantly prospecting setting appointments, doing presentations and follow up will be seen and duplicated.Here are some ways you can boost orders and your profits.1.Sign-up to win web site award

Employee Performance Appraisal — 5 Steps for the Ideal Assessment Form
Conventional wisdom says that there’s no such thing as a perfect employee performance appraisal form. And with so many sorry examples of appraisal forms around, conventional wisdom might almost seem correct.It’s not. There is an ideal model for the employee performance appraisal form. And getting the form right is essential to effective employee performance management, since the appraisal form is the lightning rod that not only attracts everyone’s attention, but also focuses organizational energy on the issues of highest priority. An ideal form has five key components that cover 1.) organizational competencies, 2.) job competencies, 3.)key responsibilities, 4.) goals and major projects and 5.) individual achievements and accomplishments.Organizational & Job CompetenciesThe first two sections of the employee performance appraisal form focus on the “how” of the job, the way the individual goes about accomplishing his results. Here we identify and assess competencies – the behavioral elements of the job. To start, top management should identify a small number, usually about a half-dozen or so,

5 Simple Rules for A Great Job Interview
Many years ago, when I was a young job-searching greenhorn, I ventured to New York City to take a bite out of the big apple of opportunity.When it came to finding a job in a crowded city of millions, I quickly learned that it’s much easier on one’s sanity to sign up with one of the many employment agencies which helps job seekers looking for work.I scoured the newspaper and found a large ad for one such well-known employment agency. True to their word, they promptly sent me off on several interviews – none of which I felt particularly comfortable at. Needless to say, I didn’t get any job offers.While nursing a cold, I decided I needed a change. So, I contacted a much smaller agency and decided to see if my luck would be different.These people rocked! They were down-to-earth friendly and genuinely concerned about helping me find a job. Before they sent me out on any interviews, they put me through a mock interview session and evaluated my performance (something the larger fancy-pants agency didn’t do). Afterwards, an advisor sat me down and we chatted about the results of my mock interview.y hats and wind up toys have a positive effect on your emotions and those of the people you come in contact with. Some of the items I have collected and currently display in my office include a plastic shovel attached to a neck lanyard (for boring meetings), a skeleton and a crown (my emergency Hamlet kit for pontificating), various hats (Mounty for finding someone, Viking for going on adventures and Outback for taking walk-abouts) and a Far Side daily cartoon calendar. I do it because they help me think funny. Surrounding yourself with these kinds of items will place you in a humorous mood and create an aura of funny about you that makes it easier for other people to accept you as humorous.

Tip 2. Look for the absurdity in daily life.
Fortunately for funny people, the business and academic worlds abound with endless absurdity. There are the inane policies, bureaucracies and inarticulate memos to enjoy. There’s also the unintentional statements of life: you have to hit “delete” to start Windows; you land at a “terminal” when flying; and you park on “driveways” and drive on “parkways.” It’s everywhere, if you look for it. If you cannot find it yourself, read Dilbert. If you can laugh at the daily absurdities, you will be less stressed when the bizarre happens and more in touch with the grand adventure that life is.

Tip 3. Listen to comedians.
The late night comedians provide a daily lesson in being funny. Pay attention to them, not as an audience member, but as a technician. Focus on the structure of the jokes they tell. In this way, you can analyze the joke formulas without being distracted by the delivery. Once you know the basic structures they use, focus on their delivery techniques. Soon you will begin to notice the cadences they use, the pauses they take and the little ticks and quirks they have that bring their humor to life.

Tip 4. Read books about being funny.
Many comedians are more than willing to share their secrets. By simply searching through a book store web site, you can discover that being comedic is a simple combination of state of mind and solid technique.

Tip 5. Join “Joke-of-the-Day” lists.
Joke-of-the-day lists are a part of my strategy for finding funny stuff. Although I switch lists from time to time, I’m currently on two. I am not suggesting that you “lift” the jokes you read there. That would be, well, stealing. I am however suggesting that you can use those jokes to learn how jokes are constructed and to place yourself in a humorous frame of mind. Once you become adept at spotting the joke telling formulas, you can use the jokes you read at these sites to write your own jokes.

Tip 6. Build a collection of all-purpose funnies.
Start a funny file and whenever you read, hear or see something you consider funny, print it out or write it down and file it. Soon, you will have built a collection of jokes and cartoons you can refer to whenever you need to create a line. The material you have collected will help you brainstorm creating your own.

Tip 7. Develop some standard lines you can use over and over.
Steve Allen once commented as follows.

“Comics with this ability (to ad-lib) are extremely rare. There may be fewer than fifty professional comedians on the planet that are skilled at doing it. (Most) comedians are indeed working without a script, but there is the crucial distinction that what they are doing is recalling jokes that already exist, which they apply to the situation of the moment. This is no small feat either, since one has to think rapidly and also have a remarkable memory -- a memory car file through which the comic’s brain can riffle at lightning speed. But again, as impressive as this feat is, it is more a matter of craftsmanship and professionalism than art.”

You can reach a degree of this professionalism by learning the craft. When you notice that learners have laughed at a comment you made, make a mental note of what happened and try to replicate it with another audience. If your get the same laugh in front of three audiences, keep it; play with it; expand it. If it stops working, revert to the original line and lock it in. Then begin searching for another line. Continue in this manner over a period of time and you will develop your own comedic library of “ad-libs” to draw upon as the situation warrants.

Tip 8. Have fun.
This is perhaps the biggest secret of being funny. The audience will not laugh if you are not having fun. Your demeanor sets the expectation. If you exude enjoyment of the world around you, and of the events and learnings that occurs within your classroom, your trainees will join you. They will also join you if you choose to regard what you are doing as drudgery. The banana is in your hands. Having fun and you will be instantly likeable, and thus more likely to gain laughs.

Joke Killers to watch out for
There are some additional factors that will prevent you from being funny. As you put on your new humor hat, make sure you do the following.

Caution 1. Make your humor self-deprecating
The best humor is self-directed. I find it preferable to point out my faults before others do. In that way, I admit my fallibility while indicating that I can take a joke. It sets a benchmark for the training environment. In addition, humor that is self- deprecating is less likely to offend others.

Caution 2. Be yourself.
Humor will not work if i

edians.
The late night comedians provide a daily lesson in being funny. Pay attention to them, not as an audience member, but as a technician. Focus on the structure of the jokes they tell. In this way, you can analyze the joke formulas without being distracted by the delivery. Once you know the basic structures they use, focus on their delivery techniques. Soon you will begin to notice the cadences they use, the pauses they take and the little ticks and quirks they have that bring their humor to life.

Tip 4. Read books about being funny.
Many comedians are more than willing to share their secrets. By simply searching through a book store web site, you can discover that being comedic is a simple combination of state of mind and solid technique.

Tip 5. Join “Joke-of-the-Day” lists.
Joke-of-the-day lists are a part of my strategy for finding funny stuff. Although I switch lists from time to time, I’m currently on two. I am not suggesting that you “lift” the jokes you read there. That would be, well, stealing. I am however suggesting that you can use those jokes to learn how jokes are constructed and to place yourself in a humorous frame of mind. Once you become adept at spotting the joke telling formulas, you can use the jokes you read at these sites to write your own jokes.

Tip 6. Build a collection of all-purpose funnies.
Start a funny file and whenever you read, hear or see something you consider funny, print it out or write it down and file it. Soon, you will have built a collection of jokes and cartoons you can refer to whenever you need to create a line. The material you have collected will help you brainstorm creating your own.

Tip 7. Develop some standard lines you can use over and over.
Steve Allen once commented as follows.

“Comics with this ability (to ad-lib) are extremely rare. There may be fewer than fifty professional comedians on the planet that are skilled at doing it. (Most) comedians are indeed working without a script, but there is the crucial distinction that what they are doing is recalling jokes that already exist, which they apply to the situation of the moment. This is no small feat either, since one has to think rapidly and also have a remarkable memory -- a memory car file through which the comic’s brain can riffle at lightning speed. But again, as impressive as this feat is, it is more a matter of craftsmanship and professionalism than art.”

You can reach a degree of this professionalism by learning the craft. When you notice that learners have laughed at a comment you made, make a mental note of what happened and try to replicate it with another audience. If your get the same laugh in front of three audiences, keep it; play with it; expand it. If it stops working, revert to the original line and lock it in. Then begin searching for another line. Continue in this manner over a period of time and you will develop your own comedic library of “ad-libs” to draw upon as the situation warrants.

Tip 8. Have fun.
This is perhaps the biggest secret of being funny. The audience will not laugh if you are not having fun. Your demeanor sets the expectation. If you exude enjoyment of the world around you, and of the events and learnings that occurs within your classroom, your trainees will join you. They will also join you if you choose to regard what you are doing as drudgery. The banana is in your hands. Having fun and you will be instantly likeable, and thus more likely to gain laughs.

Joke Killers to watch out for
There are some additional factors that will prevent you from being funny. As you put on your new humor hat, make sure you do the following.

Caution 1. Make your humor self-deprecating
The best humor is self-directed. I find it preferable to point out my faults before others do. In that way, I admit my fallibility while indicating that I can take a joke. It sets a benchmark for the training environment. In addition, humor that is self- deprecating is less likely to offend others.

Caution 2. Be yourself.
Humor will not work if i

Start a funny file and whenever you read, hear or see something you consider funny, print it out or write it down and file it. Soon, you will have built a collection of jokes and cartoons you can refer to whenever you need to create a line. The material you have collected will help you brainstorm creating your own.

Tip 7. Develop some standard lines you can use over and over.
Steve Allen once commented as follows.

“Comics with this ability (to ad-lib) are extremely rare. There may be fewer than fifty professional comedians on the planet that are skilled at doing it. (Most) comedians are indeed working without a script, but there is the crucial distinction that what they are doing is recalling jokes that already exist, which they apply to the situation of the moment. This is no small feat either, since one has to think rapidly and also have a remarkable memory -- a memory car file through which the comic’s brain can riffle at lightning speed. But again, as impressive as this feat is, it is more a matter of craftsmanship and professionalism than art.”

You can reach a degree of this professionalism by learning the craft. When you notice that learners have laughed at a comment you made, make a mental note of what happened and try to replicate it with another audience. If your get the same laugh in front of three audiences, keep it; play with it; expand it. If it stops working, revert to the original line and lock it in. Then begin searching for another line. Continue in this manner over a period of time and you will develop your own comedic library of “ad-libs” to draw upon as the situation warrants.

Tip 8. Have fun.
This is perhaps the biggest secret of being funny. The audience will not laugh if you are not having fun. Your demeanor sets the expectation. If you exude enjoyment of the world around you, and of the events and learnings that occurs within your classroom, your trainees will join you. They will also join you if you choose to regard what you are doing as drudgery. The banana is in your hands. Having fun and you will be instantly likeable, and thus more likely to gain laughs.

Joke Killers to watch out for
There are some additional factors that will prevent you from being funny. As you put on your new humor hat, make sure you do the following.

Caution 1. Make your humor self-deprecating
The best humor is self-directed. I find it preferable to point out my faults before others do. In that way, I admit my fallibility while indicating that I can take a joke. It sets a benchmark for the training environment. In addition, humor that is self- deprecating is less likely to offend others.

Caution 2. Be yourself.
Humor will not work if i

; play with it; expand it. If it stops working, revert to the original line and lock it in. Then begin searching for another line. Continue in this manner over a period of time and you will develop your own comedic library of “ad-libs” to draw upon as the situation warrants.

Tip 8. Have fun.
This is perhaps the biggest secret of being funny. The audience will not laugh if you are not having fun. Your demeanor sets the expectation. If you exude enjoyment of the world around you, and of the events and learnings that occurs within your classroom, your trainees will join you. They will also join you if you choose to regard what you are doing as drudgery. The banana is in your hands. Having fun and you will be instantly likeable, and thus more likely to gain laughs.

Joke Killers to watch out for
There are some additional factors that will prevent you from being funny. As you put on your new humor hat, make sure you do the following.

Caution 1. Make your humor self-deprecating
The best humor is self-directed. I find it preferable to point out my faults before others do. In that way, I admit my fallibility while indicating that I can take a joke. It sets a benchmark for the training environment. In addition, humor that is self- deprecating is less likely to offend others.

Caution 2. Be yourself.
Humor will not work if it is forced. When people laugh with you during your everyday life, it is not because you have taken on a persona, it is because they enjoy who you are and the humor that naturally emanates from your humanity. Be who you are. Allow that naturalness to create your humor for you. I can offer an example by picking on myself. It has been said that I look stiff and formal. I cannot help it: it just is. That continence could have prevented me from being funny. Instead, I have learned to use it. Because of my look, I dress and act slightly pompous. That pomposity allows me to say and do fairly absurd things. The disconnect between how I look and the craziness of what I say or do creates surprise and allows natural humor emerges.

Caution 3. Avoid offensive material.
Political, religious or ethnic jokes are all not worth the telling. Even if some members of your audience respond with laughter, other members will become so offended that they will shut down (or shut your training down) and make learning difficult if not impossible. In addition, blue material should be avoided at all costs. Risqu? lines often obtain their laughs from the unease and discomfort of the audience. In a nightclub setting, that may be appropriate. But in a learning environment, where comfort is directly tied to positive results, creating discomfort for a cheap laugh is worse than insulting, it’s stupid.

Caution 4. Never say you are going to tell a joke.
The best way to insure that your joke won’t work is to telegraph it in advance. Remember, in previous months we discovered that much of the laughter results from learner surprise that you have told a joke. The very act of announcing your intentions in advance almost guarantees a failure of the joke.

So, you are funny. You just didn't know it. Take the actions steps listed above and you too can find your funny.

Visit Lenn on line at www.www.offbeattraining.com
lennmillbower@offbeattraining.com