Selling Is Part And Parcel Of Life!

According to Rich Dad series, one of the important skills to learn is selling. I decided that I wanted to learn selling. This is because I realized the fact that I am always selling my ideas and information to someone everyday whether I like it or not. Selling is part and parcel of life!

For examples, if I were to do a presentation, I would be selling the presented information to the audience. If I were to be in a discussion, I would be selling my views and ideas to the rest of people in the meeting. If I were to go for job interview, I would be selling to my prospective employer that I am capable of doing the job. If I were to negotiate for more time, I would be selling to the party that this assignment need more time.

How should I go about learning selling skill? Of course the best option is to have a coach to guide me. If I cannot get any, then this is my own learning formula. My idea on learning any skill is a three steps process. Firstly, I will read and listen to the theories on the skill that I will like to master. Secondly, I will experiment or practice the skill based on theories that I have learned. Thirdly, I will reflect on the practical experiences gained so as to learn from mistakes. I will make adjustments if necessary until I get a satisfactory result.

As I could not find a coach, I took actions based on my own learning formula. I bought a few books on how to do sales. In addition, I enrolled myself in a few courses and seminars. The information in the courses and seminars completely blow me away. I wished that I had learned all these things in school.

One of interesting things that I have learned is the part on building rapport with your prospect. To build a rapport with a new acquaintance, there are a few things that I can do so that I have a higher chance of success.

Firstly, I have to observe how fast or how slow or how loud or how soft that person speaks. I may start the conversation by introducing myself first and then politely ask him to do an introduction of himself. Then I will observe his speech. If he speaks fast, I will follow suit and speak fast. If he speaks slowly, I will follow suit and speak slowly. If he speaks softly, I will follow suit and speak slowly. If he speaks loudly, I will follow suit and speak loudly. Basically, the idea here is to let him feel that I am like him since we have a common tone of speech.

Secondly, I will observe the language that he uses as he goes along. Alternatively, I will ask him whether he prefer to speak another language that we both know. If he speaks English, then I will speak English. If he prefers Mandarin, then I will speak Mandarin. The idea here is to let him feel that I am like him since we both prefer the same language

Thirdly, I will observe his body language. If he stands comfortably while talking to me, then I will stand comfortably too. If he stands straight in full attention while talking to me, then I will do the same. If he sits back and relax while talking to me, then I will do the same. If he sits up straight while talking to me, then I will do the same. Again, the idea here is to let him feel that I am like him. This idea will form the basis for a good rapport.

Another interesting thing that I have learned is the power of cold call. Basically for every ten cold calls that I have made, one prospect will likely to become my customer. The ratio may various from person to person. Some people have better ratio. Maybe out of every 10 strangers that they cold called, they get will get about 2 customers. Some people have poorer ratio. Maybe out of every 20 strangers that they had approached, they will only get 1 customer.

In conclusion, I realized that selling skills is not just about selling something to someone. It is all about networking and relationship building. If I apply these ideas one-step further in my life, I am basically enhancing my rapport with colleagues, friends and loved ones. If I apply the power of cold calls to get to know people during seminars and events, I will gain more friends eventually.

Understanding Bonds To Avoid Risk

With a plethora of ways to analyze bonds, it might make your head spin. Even so, evaluating the potential risk before you buy and calculating your potential returns is an essential step in the process of acquiring bonds.

1. Evaluate All Potential Risks

You should pay attention to all the details - interest rates, inflation, how easy it is to sell that particular bond, you name it.

2. Credit Risks

It doesn't matter what kind of bond you choose to invest in, there is always a credit risk. In 1995, U.S. Treasuries, considered the gold standard of bonds were close to default for the first time in history. For corporate and municipals the risks are even greater, running everywhere from the AAAAaa to B and below. These are often called junk bonds.

3. Bond Evaluation Checklist

- What is your earning potential?

- What is the current earnings per share?

- What is a typical dividend payment?

- What is the outstanding debt?

- What foreseeable technological changes might affect this bond?

- What is the track record of management?

4. Dividends

As debt loads grow, the amount of interest paid increases, reducing the amount for such investments as well as bringing a company closer to default on existing debt, since only so much can be sustained by current revenues.

5. Interest Rates

A large number of bond issues have maturities with 5-30 year periods. Any change in the prevailing interest rates affects unmatured bonds in two ways. A rise in rates depresses the price for those considering selling prior to maturity, since investors can get a better rate with a new instrument. Also, the pressure to sell rises, since the bondholder can himself get a higher rate with a new instrument. The longer he holds the older one, the more opportunity costs he incurs.

6. Dealing With Inflation

Inflation is the enemy of bonds. It will significantly reduce your return on any bond. Even ignoring tax issues, an 8% bond in a 4% inflation environment is worth half its coupon value. Historically, inflation tends to increase more than it decreases. When it does decrease the general economy tends to suffer, worsening returns for all investments. Know the rate of inflation and the market conditions before you invest.

If you do decide to to go with a bond, first of all, expect to pay a minimum of $5,000. You will definitely want to invest in a bond that is rated AA or higher, and stick to a well known, major brokerage to handle your investment. Even with inflation you can expect to make only 4% profit per year. Of course, 4% of $5,000 is only $200, but over a period of 10 years that turns into $2,000. Of course, in today's economy $2,000 won't even last a month for rent, food, utilities, etc. Even so, bonds have many advantages. Since they have a set interest rate and maturity date, their behavior is much more readily predictable, given plausible assumptions about interest rate changes and other economic factors. You can't attribute this kind of reliability to stocks, for example.

How to Choose High-Performance Mutual Fund

Most people who invest in mutual funds don't know what they are doing. They take advice from someone at a bank or perhaps a friend and plunk down money into a fund. Sometimes this strategy works, but most of the time, it doesn't. 

When you invest your money in a mutual fund, you are trusting someone to invest in the stock market for you. Because of this, you want to be sure this person knows what he or she is doing. Also, you want to make sure that this person is not charging you too much to manage your money for you. Mutual funds fees are "hidden," in the sense that they do not charge you an upfront fee but rather a percentage of the amount of money in your account. If this percentage is too high, you would do better just blindly picking stocks yourself.

 Here are five helpful tips for choosing the right mutual funds.

1. Keep the fees low. Generally, expense fees should not be much higher than 1% if it is just a basic domestic equity fund. You should never invest money in a fund that also charges a "load," which is an additional fee that is ridiculous to pay. Never invest in funds that charge loads; those funds are for suckers.

2. Check the asset base. Mutual fund managers only know of so many good investments. When they have too much money to manage, they begin investing in stocks they don't like much but need to invest in anyway or else they'll just have money laying around. There's little reason to invest in a fund with over $5 billion in assets. It's best if it's under $2 billion generally.

3. Consider an index fund. This is a fund that tracks a stock index, such as the S&P 500. For these funds, the manager just buys whatever stocks happen to be in the index. Since this is not much work, the fees are much lower. Even though this method is simple, it has proven to perform better than most mutual funds. Some high performance index funds include FSMKX (Fidelity S&P 500) and VIMSX (Vanguard S&P 400 Midcap.

4.  Evaluate the fund's strategy. If you have a long term outlook, look for a more aggressive fund that invests in small-cap stocks, international stocks, and riskier stocks in general. High risk tends to result in high performance in the long run. If you are more risk-averse, consider an S&P 500 index fund.

5. Keep the fees low. Did I mention this already? Well, I'll mention it again. This is where most people mess up. Make sure you are not paying a load or paying too much in fees to the mutual fund.

Should You Invest In Mutual Funds Or Stocks?

With so many options out there for the individual investor, it is sometimes difficult to determine that investments are right for you. The key to having a long-term, stable and profitable portfolio is to diversify your investments. For many investors the process of diversification includes investing in both mutual funds and stocks. The best course is to learn all you can about both types of investments and find your ideal balance between the two.

Mutual funds are open-end funds that are not listed for trading on a stock exchange. They are created by companies who use their capital to invest in other companies. Mutual funds will sell their own new shares to investors. Capitalization is not fixed and normally shares are issued as people want them.

1. Mutual funds have great characteristics for investors

Mutual funds are professionally managed. The mutual funds employ professional managers to operate all investing. These professional managers bring with them many years of experience. They are experts in selecting and evaluating investments for the fund. The managers make all of the buying decisions and selling decisions that relieves the individual investors from that responsibility.

2. Mutual Funds Are Diversified

Another advantage of mutual funds is that most of their portfolios are highly diversified. This means that the mutual fund is invested in a wide variety of stocks. The advantage of diversification is that if a few stocks drop in price the entire fund won (TM)t be dramatically affected. Diversification occurs by investing in many different companies. It can also be accomplished by investing in several different industries. The advantage of diversifying through mutual funds is that the funds can reach a wider diversification than can be reached by individual investors.

3. There are thousands of mutual funds to choose from

Depending on your preferences, you can choose to invest with a mutual fund that covers the whole market or with a fund that focuses on one or two industries. There are even mutual funds available that invest only in foreign markets. Mutual funds can be very convenient for the investor since the fund does all the record keeping. Your mutual fund will provide you with all the forms you need to file your taxes. Additionally, many may offer perks such as the ability to write checks against the money market fund.

4. Stocks Have Greater Returns (Potentially)

On the other hand, purchasing individual stocks has attractive features as well. After the brokerage fee is paid, there is no ongoing fee associate with owning individual stocks. This is in contrast to mutual funds that charge a participation fee. Mutual fund fees can totally negate the mutual fund return that you are expecting.

With investing in individual stocks, an investor has the ability to be very flexible with their investing and move with market if they so desire. Mutual funds are very stable but this also keeps them slow. Individual stock investments can be traded quickly if need be, and purchased just as quickly if the investor finds an undervalued stock.

5. More Control

With individual stock investing, an investor has a greater level of control over their investing. Although brokerage firms are involved there is the opportunity to be more hands on with the stock purchases. This level of involvement is impossible with mutual funds. Many investors like to know exactly where their money is going and this can be hard with a mutual fund that holds shares in 50 or more companies. Investing in individual stocks allows the investor to have a larger relationship with the company they are investing in. This can create a sense of comfort for the investor because they know where their money is being used. They can track the activities of the company they have invested in and feel like a true part of that company.

6. The Verdict

Investing a mixture of mutual funds and individual stocks seems to the best method for a majority of investors. Those who do not want to take the time to research their stocks and would rather let an expert handle things are more comfortable with mutual funds. On the other end of the spectrum, those who want a greater level of participation with their investments will find individual stock investing attractive. As part of a long-term diversification strategy it may be best to look into both in the ratio that you are comfortable with.

6 Little Spending Mistakes That Can Cost You Your Financial Freedom

Can't seem to get ahead financially? Debts piling up? Maybe you're making some of these mistake unknowingly. These mistakes listed below will help you understand where you may be going wrong and how to get back on track quickly. You can be debt free.

Mistake 1. Living Beyond Your Means

This is the real cause of your worry and stress. If you are spending more than you are earning, whose money are you spending? It's the credit card provider's or the bank's. The cost of this money is interest.

The way out - Make a Commitment to yourself only to spend within your income limits. Maybe you could increase your income (or cash in) by applying for more skilled positions, selling some of your unused articles or assets. Is the second car really a necessity? What about working out ways to make your hobby pay for itself?

Why not find ways to reduce your spending? How much would you save each year if you decided not to have the daily coffee shop coffee? Why not make your work lunch each day rather than buying it? Commit to only buying the necessities.

Mistake 2. Paying Off Less Than the Full Credit Card Balance Each Month

Get this debt under control and your life will be much easier. If you are like many others and only pay the minimum balance each month, the interest on the interest makes those purchases oh so expensive.

The way out - Find ways to put aside more money to apply to the credit cards. It will take time to reach this goal. However, if you don't make a start now you may never pay them off. This situation did not occur overnight and neither will the solution. But, by diligence and commitment you'll get there.

Mistake 3. Not Really Knowing Your Financial Situation

Before you can set meaningful goals and develop savings strategies you need to know your financial situation now. The best, proven and tested method by far, is by developing your own personal budget. This is not hard to do. Please don't give up now. Just follow these simple steps:

The way out -
a)Find your latest credit card statements. Write down all the unpaid balances.
b)Are there any other unpaid debts (not home or car) then include these balances as well.
c)List out your (or family) monthly income. Only the amounts "brought home". Include all types of income.
d) Work out your monthly spending. List out where all the money goes. Don't leave anything out.
e) Minus the monthly spending total from the monthly income total and review the answer.
This will give you an initial idea as to whether you are living within your means or on borrowed money.

Mistake 4. Continually Adding to Your Debt

If debt has got you into this situation it is critically important not to add to the state of affairs and thus make it worse.

The way out - cut up the credit cards, keeping only 1 for emergencies. Don't buy on impulse. Ask yourself twice or three times before you buy anything "Do I really need this?" before you hand over your hard-earned money. Don't buy at the height of the fashion or fad. Commit to never paying full retail for anything. Get it on sale or negotiate a lower price.

Mistake 5. Spending All Your Income

It may sound OK to spend any money you earn but there are risks attached to this strategy. How are you going to pay for emergency items? What about major car repairs. What about major electrical appliance replacement? Are you going to pay for these on credit? Bad idea! How are you going to save for a substantial deposit on the next car?

The way out - Once you've prepared your budget you will clearly see what you need to do to put some income aside for other needs such are emergencies and repairs.

Mistake 6. Spending Without Caring About Your Future

Unless you are planning for your future and financial security, you cannot be really happy. There are always worries lurking in your mind about how you would survive in a financial emergency if you have no savings. It can be very rewarding to see how quickly your savings multiply over time with only a small investment each payday.

The way out - Take stock of your life and realize that tomorrow won't look after itself. It needs your attention. Keep some funds aside to put away for your retirement, children's college costs, emergencies, holidays and major purchases.

Avoid these 6 spending mistakes and you'll be well on your way to financial freedom. Guaranteed.

How to Live Debt Free

Do you dream about being debt free some day? This can be a reality if you follow some basic rules and do what it takes. To start down the road to financial freedom you need to do a few things first. Are you ready? Let's go.

Tip #1. You need to admit there is a problem.

Is there not enough cash coming in or is it spent too quickly, or both? Is the money being spent on non-essentials? Is the income being spent unwisely on luxury items that you cannot really afford? Do you know how much you really have to spend? Do you know how much you owe and to whom?

You need to honestly answer these questions and be prepared to take some action.

Tip #2. You need a make a plan and stick to it.

First of all, you need to know your financial situation. Take out all your credit cards' statements and add up the outstanding balances. Make a plan to reduce the debt to a certain level within a fixed period of time. Once this is done there are tools you can use from the Internet to track your spending and your debt reduction.

Imagine what you will be able to do with the money you currently use to pay off debt.

Tip #3. Never add to your debt. Cut up the credit cards and live within your means.

Work out ways to cut down on your expenses so that you can live within your means. Start to put some funds aside for emergencies. You can cut down your expenses easily if you just think creatively. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

a) Anything you need (not just want) can usually be bought at a sale. Commit to not buying at retail prices again. Look in newspapers, wait for sales and be patient.

b) Cook at home a lot more often. Freeze leftovers. Plan you food needs for the week. Make your lunch for work instead of buying it each day.

c) Read magazines, get DVDs and Videos for free from your local library.

d) Take up a hobby. Get busy - shop less. Maybe your hobby can create some income?

e) Give up the coffee bought while shopping or at work.

f) Maybe if you tried you could get away with only 1 car. Travel by bus or train if possible.

Tip #4. Don't compare yourself with others.

If you spend to keep up with others, think whether they may be in a similar position to you. Work out and understand how much you can spend and how much needs to be put aside for saving or emergencies.

Tip #5. Pay off one small debt completely.

This will give you a boost and help you keep on track more easily and you'll be more motivated to pay off all the debts.

Tip #6. Keep some fun money.

This process needs to be fun, not a misery. If it becomes a chore you will be tempted not to meet your goals. Keep some money aside that allows you the freedom to spend on things you want, occasionally. You'll feel so much better about spending on items that you can afford.

To truly solve your debt problems you need to keep yourself under control. There's no one else who can do this for you. Ask for God's help also. You'll be so glad you did, once the debt burden has been lifted and you can become your own person.

Pros And Cons of Different Types Of Investments

Pros And Cons of Different Types Of Investments

When deciding where to invest your money, you need to always take into account your investment goals and objectives. Different types of investments carry varying degrees of risks and potential return.

CD

A bank CD is a very safe investment. The CD is FDIC insured up to $100,000, so there truly is minimal risk. The only downside is that you cannot withdraw that money in the CD for a specific amount of time or else you'll receive a penalty. Bank CDs generally only pay up to 5% interest.

Bonds

A bond is essentially a loan you make to a company or a government. Bonds have varying degrees of risk, from essentially risk-free treasuries to junk bonds. The higher the risk of the bond, the higher the return will generally be.

Stocks

Stocks are investments in companies. Depending on the company, the risk of the investment can be high or low. Obviously, buying stock in Johnson and Johnson is a lot less risky than a new internet startup company. In general, the stock market returns on average about 10% a year, though the actual return of any given stock will vary significantly.

 Mutual Funds

A mutual fund typically invests in over 100 stocks, so it's an instant way to diversify your portfolio. However, the mutual fund generally charges a fee, which is about 1% of your assets per year. Because of this fee, most mutual funds do not outperform the market; a monkey blindly picking 100 stocks but not charging you a fee could easily outperform most mutual funds.

Real Estate

Real estate is a popular investment. The most obvious real estate investment you'll make is when you purchase your home. Your home can go up or down in value when you sell it; it depends on the housing market in your area.