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Friday, February 26, 2010

You Are in Control

Sometimes the truth eludes us because we ourselves complicate and make it hard to understand...keep it short and simple :)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Back to Work Tips - My First Day After the CNY Hols and Top 3 Tips

I am by nature an organised and focused person. I work well with action lists and I’m good at prioritising, but since it's the first day I'm back after my "extended" holiday - seriously I did think that I was due in today instead of yesterday - I shall give it a rest for today and just start simple planning for the rest of this week. Anyways here I am albeit a bit tired out from being on holiday and raring to get back into the daily grind.

Frankly there's one major project that I'm on at this moment. In fact my one and only ever since my "engineered" demise into corporate obscurity by some unscrupulous demons at work. Kudos and thank you.

Tip No # 1 - Close the Door

Do not worry about saying NO to unreasonable requests for your time and energy. Note that I used the word "unreasonable" - it becomes reasonable when the person asking you is either the person that employs you or is your immediate superior (or your significant other).

Tip No # 2 - Oral

No. Not of that particular kind. The oral here is actually in the spoken word-sense. When communication is getting prolonged because of endless e-mails or memos or anything in writing - cut it short by just settling it with the sweet sound of your voice. Sometimes, it's all that is needed.

Tip No # 3 - Space it Out

The most basic of all - do what you can in time and with the time you have. Now that's powerful. How else are we supposed to work? Break apart the tasks in hand into simpler portions of work. Delegate what you can and do the rest but in the time allocated.

Alright I think that’s enough for the moment, all the best and have yourself a great year ahead!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Top Business Success Secret

1st released ezinearticles.com

What is the secret or secrets of a successful business? Are there surefire success formulas that have somehow eluded us? Or are we in the wrong business to start with? Just what exactly do we need to improve? What is that missing component? Later when your business starts to grow from having an expanding base of customers, repeat sales, and money starts flooding in while expenses trickle down, I hope it dawns upon you the simplicity of it all because it surely ain't no rocket science as you will soon understand!

The secret of today's more successful businesses is no secret at all. All businesses have it - so just exactly, what do we all have but is not working in the way it is supposed to do and bring in the business that we so desire?

Starting to sound familiar?

Yes, my dear friend in business. The answer is in marketing. Marketing is used to bring the product and service to the consumer. It involves every aspect of your business and you either knowingly put it to use or not.

The difference between the Marketing you deploy in your business with that of your competitor is the level of EFFECTIVENESS their Marketing is against yours.

(Ivan Loh: Competitors Are So Categorized Because You Consider Them More Successful™)

Therefore, the answer is NOT JUST marketing but EFFECTIVE MARKETING.

Let's presume that you already have a well developed product or service that's a killer, well in demand and a breeze to sell. But sales are simply not forthcoming. No one is aware of your business existence. Few are noticing your ads and even less are responding - and out of those few that do respond, only a small percentage is actually buying.

Effective marketing is not about spending more on advertisements, promotions, and personal selling (components of the Marketing Communication Mix). If not what is? UNDERSTAND THIS WELL - IT IS NOT WHAT WE SPEND BUT THE QUALITY OF THE MESSAGE COMMUNICATED THAT MATTERS. How else are we to communicate what we have to offer to the consumer, if not through the components of the Marketing Communication Mix? You still use it but with better results from having a message that has clarity, is meaningful, and consistent.

Effective marketing is about having a consistent and quality message that shouts out clearly the benefits and choices you offer. Be prepared to lose the customer when they start failing to understand what your benefits and choices are to and for them. THEREFORE, SPEND ALL THE TIME YOU NEED IN CREATING THE RIGHT MARKETING AND SALES MATERIALS FOR YOUR BUSINESS - Rule Of Thumb: Don't pass it on to the customer until you are absolutely sure that the message is what you intend for them to receive. You don't want to confuse them from the beginning!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Malaysia Driving The 3 Evils

Getting to the office is becoming tougher day by day. First there's the IDIOT (Inconsiderate Drivers In Our Traffic). Second, motorcyclists who buzz around like mosquitoes, and last but not least that sweet young thing who crossed the road this morning at a road bend (when the pedestrian walk is only within 3 feet away in slow motion and without a care for on-coming traffic - didnt even flinch when blasted with the mighty horn!). What is the world coming to?

Friday, February 5, 2010

Kuala Lumpur's Grand Dang Wangi Station

KUALA LUMPUR (Opening Soon) - Located next to its old predecessor which resembled an old beat base, the new Police Headquarters and Quarters in Dang Wangi KUALA LUMPUR is set to open soon. Construction seems complete as I passed or should I say inched by as I made my way in the after work rush traffic. Never did understand why it's called rush traffic when traffic is so congested - nobody is rushing anywhere!

Anyways, once opened the 2 Block, 12 and 20 stories respectively for Administrative and Living Quarters development will improve the quality of life around Dang Wangi - better police presence = better safety. What really caught my eye was the Childrens Playground...

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Jackie Chan's Dream Travel Itinerary

First destination: Hong Kong

Hong Kong is my hometown and of course it’s on my list of places that people should visit in China. The first place you should go in Hong Kong is Victoria Peak so that you can look down and see how amazing the city looks from up above. Next, take a ride on the Star Ferry; it’s the best deal in Hong Kong. Other places I suggest you go are Nathan Road, the New Territories, and the outlying islands. Although Hong Kong is small in size, there is a lot to see, so make sure you stay for a long time!

Second destination: Beijing

Beijing has always been an interesting place to visit and in the past few years it has become even more attractive. To get a feeling for Chinese history and culture, I suggest visiting the Forbidden City, the ruins at Yuan Ming Yuan, and the Badaling Great Wall. To experience the new Beijing, you should visit some of the magnificent structures built for the 2008 Olympics.

Third destination: Wuyi Mountain, Wuyishan City, Fujian Province

Wuyi Mountain is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I found this place while filming The Forbidden Kingdom and I’ve encouraged many of my friends to visit. Wuyi Shan (’shan‘ is ‘mountain’ in Chinese) is famous for its River of Nine Bends, dense rainforests, and 36 mountain peaks. You can take a raft tour of the river and if you are lucky like I was, you will have an informed and humorous guide who will tell you great stories as she manoeuvres the raft down the river.


Fourth destination: Xi’an, Shaanxi Province

Xi’an is another place I discovered because I was making a film there. You must visit the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum and see the army of terracotta soldiers. Xi’an has so much history and there’s a lot to see. Don’t miss the museum where you can learn about the Silk Road (Xi’an is the easternmost part of the Silk Road). You should also see the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower and the beautiful pagodas.

Fifth destination: Harbin, Heilongjiang Province

When you visit Harbin, you get a feeling sometimes that you are in Russia or Europe because of the style of buildings there. The city is quite interesting because of the influences of so many different cultures. But the most wonderful thing about Harbin is the yearly Ice and Snow Festival which lasts for a month in January. Artists create ice sculptures and combine them with coloured lights to make a beautiful display that people come from all over the world to see.

Singapore Sun Festival 2010

The Singapore Sun Festival, the Leisure Event of the Year is Singapore’s leading music and lifestyle festival. The Singapore Sun Festival which was inaugurated by IMG Artists in October 2007 is an annual multi-arts and integrated lifestyle Festival that celebrates the ‘Art of Living Well’ through the 7 disciplines of Music, Visual Art, Literature, Film, Wine, Food and Wellness. The Singapore Sun Festival exposes both Singapore citizens and foreign visitors to many superb, high-quality and prestigious event. The Festival brings top international and regional artists to Singapore every year, including world premieres and exclusive performances by stars from all over the world. Singapore Sun Festival 2008 was recently awarded Leisure Event of the Year and is now firmly established as the leading leisure event for Singapore and the region.

The Festival is a global life-style brand owned by the global arts management group, IMG Artists. The Singapore Sun Festival is the 3rd installment and exclusive Asian continental home of this leading global festival which is already celebrated annually in Cortona, Tuscany (Italy) and the Napa Valley, California (USA).

Happening this 2010 from 29 October till 7 November!

Cut Your Credit in 7 Easy Steps

Help! My customers just won’t pay me on time – some don’t even bother to! Cash flow’s bad with money flowing out faster than money crawling in…
Are you to blame yourself? Yes and No. Yes because you allowed it to happen without pre-empting the possibility of the event happening. No because it is your right to be paid for products delivered and services rendered. But just how often do we come across good customers who pay when they are expected to or pay without being asked?
Here are just some ways to cut your credit risk in 7 easy steps and minimize your business from closing down:

1. Pull out your customer statement of accounts
Take a trip down memory lane to visit those customers who just love to see their account with you grow faster than a fixed deposit account. Hang on. That’s your money that’s being tied up here that we are talking about. Sure, it'll bring back memories of the excitement not so long ago when the orders flooded in and business was deemed good because sales figures were good. But without looking at your debtor records regularly, you won't know what hit you until it’s too late. So go find those files!

2. Make the most of your credit given
The easiest way to avoid giving credit is not to do business, but I'll assume that you don't find that a very viable strategy. You can, however, pick customers where you know that it is safe to give credit or reduce giving credit. Know your customers.

3. Use your business financing facilities -- wisely!
Business financing facilities gives those who are fortunate enough to qualify for them great means to fund their business and achieve important business goals. Using these facilities to finance credit given to customers is not practical.

4. Be smart about credit control
Millions of companies unwittingly into a credit crunch simply because they don't keep records or take the time to scrutinize the aging list. Missing out on proper systematic and consistent credit control is hazardous for your company’s financial health. And if you do it well, don't just assume that you will recover your money from the errant customer.

5. Give extra credit
No, I am not talking about the pat on the back. You can actually encourage customers who are good paymasters to spend more with you by upping the credit limited you give them. Customers love knowing that you give them extra credit that is available for them to take advantage whenever they want.

6. Think about next year
There's only so much you can do to cut your credit exposure and collect in a year. If you wait until the last minute to request for payment, you may never get your money at all. With some advance planning, you can get a head start on next year's business plan. Things like checking your credit exposure, withholding and monitoring helps put you in better shape next time around.

7. Celebrate!
With all this planning, your ability to do business is enhanced.