GATE Exam

Sandra P. Martini
http://www.SandraMartini.com



Are you taking a bandaid approach to a terminal disease?
In chatting with a new client recently, she described the
great teleclass series she hosted last month and how much
revenue she earned from it and the one she has coming next
month.

When going over her monthly revenue for the year-to- date,
she quickly realized that she'd been bandaiding a much more
serious problem in her business: the lack of consistent,
month-after-month revenue.

Whenever she needed cash, she'd host a teleclass series,
put on a webinar, offer a sale, etc.

The above was great for short-term, immediate cash flow,
but did nothing for the long term success of her business.
In fact, it hurt her business as she noticed that each
subsequent launch was bringing her less and less cash.

You see, in addition to earning less revenue, her friends
and followers were able to feel the desperation behind each
of her efforts.

This is what I refer to as taking a bandaid approach to a
terminal disease.

Terminal that is, until you decide to do something about
it. . .which we quickly did.

If you find yourself in the position of adding a quick
series, service, product or program whenever you need
revenue as opposed to having it consistently come in day
after day, week after week, you're suffering from the
Entrepreneurial Myth.

The Myth that you can whip out a few products, host a few
calls and become an instant millionaire and that the *next*
product will be *THE* product.

Fact is, building and growing a sustainable business takes
time and consistent effort.

Make It Real - My Request to You

Chances are, you've spent thousands of dollars buying
products and attending workshops looking for that *one
thing*, that one big idea which will catapult your business
into the next income level, only to find that after
finishing the product or returning home from the event,
very little changes.

So what are you to do?

1.  Write a business plan - I'm not talking about a 40-
page monstrosity, but rather a very simple 1-2 page
document which outlines your business focus, mission and
revenue goal

2.  Plot the revenue - so you want to earn $300,000 this
year in gross revenue? WHERE is it coming from? What
percentage of your revenue will come from product sales?
Coaching programs? Membership/continuity programs?
Speaking/hosting teleseminars? You want to start with 2-3
income streams (don't worry. . .you can add more once these
are up and consistently producing)

3.  Write a marketing action plan - now that you know the
"what" and the "how much", it's time to determine the "from
where". . .where will your clients come from? What specific
steps will you take to attract new clients?

4.  Determine your Extreme Client Care(tm) plan - GREAT!
You've got the clients, now how are you going to keep them
and have them referring everyone to you?

Ultimately, my request to you is to stop bandaiding you
business and start building a long term, sustainable
business which will exceed all of your revenue
expectations? Are you ready to go for it?


----------------------------------------------------
For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing
self-employed business owners how to get more clients
consistently by implementing processes and systems to put
their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at
http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client
testimonials and her free audio series "5 Simple and Easy
Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot".

Frank Patrick
http://www.asreos.com



REO Listing Trends: Record Foreclosures, Record Delinquincies
Copyright (c) 2009 Frank Patrick

Foreclosure Filings Rise 32% Year-to-Year

REO properties will continue to make up a large part of the
housing market for some time to come, judging by the latest
foreclosure and mortgage data.

In July, foreclosures were up 7% from June – and 32% from
July of 2008.  360,000 homes were in some stage of the
repossession process and on their way to becoming REO
listings.  That's one out of every 355 homes in America –
and it marked the third month out of the last five that a
new record was set.

While the usual states led the foreclosure numbers –
California, Nevada, Florida and Arizona – there were also
big jumps in states that hadn't been experiencing big
default rates – states like Oregon, Minnesota and Kansas.
Experts say that's because of the increasing effect of the
jobless numbers.

This brings us to mortgage delinquencies, which hit an
all-time high in the second quarter of this year.  The
number of mortgage holders who were behind 60 days or more
on their payments was up 65% from the second quarter of
2008.  Almost 6% of homeowners nationwide are having
trouble – with Nevada having an astounding 13% delinquency
rate.

The good news?  As we reported last month, REO home sales
are finally taking off – which means prices have hit the
point where investors are actually anxious to get in on the
available deals.   That trend really caught fire in July -
with California leading the way with REO sales, just as
they led the way nationwide with the initial housing crash.

To cite one dramatic example, Stockton, the city with the
highest foreclosure rate in the country, saw its home sales
double in the second quarter – and about 40% of those sales
were REO properties.  In some cases, there were actually
bidding wars on REO homes, according to DataQuick
Information Systems.

This is great news for REO agents and brokers – house
prices have finally fallen to a point where REO inventory
is beginning to move in a big way.  Ryan Ratcliff, an
economist at UCLA, believes that discounts of as much as 50
percent will continue well into 2010.

The other good news is that there's still plenty of REO
inventory to come.  Many foreclosure homes that haven't
been selling have actually been taken off the market and
put up for rent.  The result?  A lot of vacant rental
homes!  Those will undoubtedly be put back on the block –
and with buyers finally reentering the real estate market
in search of deals, they will finally have a shot at
selling.


----------------------------------------------------
ASREOS is the first REO trade association founded by REO
experts, and it features advice from top REO agents, access
to an exclusive database of over 130 REO sellers, and
profiles of its members in an online searchable directory
of REO vendors that banks, lenders and asset managers can
utilize when looking for local agents to list and sell
their REO properties.  Find out more at
http://www.ASREOS.com .

Rebecca Regan
http://www.ReganHR.com



The Single Most Important Tool You Need to Practice Sound HR Management
When I began my consulting practice, I had no idea just how
many organizations operate without the most critical tool
necessary to practice sound HR management; the lowly,
neglected and often unused job description. Wrongly
considered unimportant by many and non-essential by some, a
well-written job description is truly the cornerstone in
building your HR and compensation infrastructure. Let's
take a few minutes to review why they're so important in
managing HR and how they should be used every day in HR
departments.

1). Impacts Your Ability to Recruit Quality Candidates
While Minimizing Discriminatory Hiring Complaints.

When you have a quality job description that truly reflects
the knowledge, skills, abilities and minimum qualifications
of the job, you're able to develop job related questions
that help you and your managers effectively recruit for
open jobs. You'll use the job description to develop job
advertisements, postings, and interview questions for use
when recruiting. Through using the job description as a
recruiting tool, your managers will learn to ask applicants
objective job-related questions versus subjective questions
that are illegal or irrelevant (and can get your company in
trouble!).

2). ADA and Worker's Compensation Accommodation.

Because of the ADA, you are charged with writing job
descriptions that clearly identify the essential job
functions of each job in your company. As a part of the
mandated interactive process in returning an employee to
work while accommodating their disability and/or medical
restrictions, a well written job description is a critical
tool.

Having a well-written job description that identifies the
required essential job function, physical requirements, and
work environment is essential for participating in the
interactive process as required by law.

3). Measuring Employee Performance in Your Performance
Appraisal Process.

Your managers will use the job description as an objective
basis of measuring their employees' performance over the
past year and setting goals for the following year.

4). Answers the Critical Employee Question, "How Do I Fit
Into the Organization?"

This issue is HUGE!! How can an employee contribute to the
organization's goals and objectives if they don't
understand their role in the company? They can't!

Writing a quality job description creates linkage between
the employee and the company by identifying what's expected
of them in their job. Establishing an organizational
structure with well-written job descriptions builds
alignment within and between departments that's positively
leveraged to contribute to your organization's goals and
objectives.

5). Managing Performance Problems in Employees.

Unfortunately, in every company there are a few bad apples.
The job description again serves to map out performance
expectations and sets the stage for performance improvement
discussions and potential disciplinary action.

6). Establishes Career Paths for Employee Development.

One of the most frequently cited reasons departing
employees provide for leaving to join another employer in
exit interviews is that they didn't believe there were
promotional opportunities for them, i.e., "nowhere to go."
By building job families and career ladders to formalize
your organizational structure and internal promotion
system, you'll help to retain staff and lower your turnover
costs.

7). Market Pricing Your Jobs.

With the huge shift in the employment market during the
recession, you'll want to keep your eye on the market to
track the rebound and return of inflation in late 2010.
It's essential to base your market pricing project on job
content, not job titles. You'll need well-written job
descriptions to be able to produce sound market pricing
results.

8). Evaluate FLSA Job Status to Properly Classify Your Jobs
as Being Exempt or Non-Exempt.

Now more than ever, because of all of the class action wage
and hour litigation for misclassified jobs, you must know
how your jobs should be classified. These class action
lawsuits have cost many employers dearly, and could have
been completely prevented had the companies conducted their
own internal FLSA audits.

Job descriptions certainly can't be considered "sexy," are
misunderstood, unused and/or neglected by many, yet remain
the cornerstone of sound HR and compensation management for
every organization. Isn't it time for you to revisit
writing or updating them in your company? With the huge
shift in market pay practices that's occurred during the
recession, you'll need to track the marketplace to pay your
people right.  Now's the time to make sure you're ready....

copyright 2009 Regan HR, Inc.


----------------------------------------------------
Becky is passionate about designing Human Resources
programs and compensation plans that build organizations.
Her approach? Support individual HR professionals with
consulting and continuing education, delivered online at =>
http://www.ReganHR.com , via information products through
the teleseminar format, plus coaching and mentorship
programs. She can be reached at Becky@ReganHR.com.

Christian Fea
http://www.christianfea.com



Forming Your Joint Venture Business Plan
Like any business that expects to succeed, your joint
venture needs to have a plan - a business plan allows you
and your JV partner to form a blueprint of your success and
a strategy for achieving it. If you are forming a new JV,
or have an existing JV without a business plan, here's how
to get one started right away.

A business plan doesn't have to be a novel-length document.
It could simply be a few pages that describe you and your
JV partner, why you're in business, and how you expect to
achieve success. However, a more complicated JV that may
require outside financing may require a more detailed
business plan with professional biographies, marketing
strategies, and financial projections.

Whatever the length and detail of your joint venture, here
are the basic elements that all business plans need to have:

Executive Summary

Though this section is at the front, it should be written
last after all the details have been thoroughly completed.
The Executive Summary should be written meticulously and
concisely and serves as an intro to the business plan. It
should be about a few paragraphs, or no more than a few
pages long, and contain just the fundamental nuggets of the
rest of the document. Think of the summary as a "sneak
preview" that will tantalize the reader into the rest of
the document.

Company Description

This section should discuss your vision statement, the
people, and business profile. It should contain details
about you and your JV partner and include a bio your
experiences and expertise. You will also want to talk about
what why the JV is in business and what you plan to sell.

More detail in this section could include:

- Organization & Management

- Product or Service Line

- Management Details

Market Strategies

You need to identify who your market is and how you will
market to them.  Discuss why your product or service fills
an identified and unsaturated niche. Show details of market
research performed. And be specific about your marketing
strategies and goals, as well as how you and your JV
partner will work together to tap into potential customers.

Competitive Analysis

Your JV is not the only one doing business in your niche.
Include this section so you clearly identify who your
competition is and why your product or service offering
stands apart from the rest.

Financial Projections

This section is essential if your JV is looking for outside
financing, such as loans or investors. Even if you do not
show the plan to anyone else, it's a good idea for you and
your JV partner to formulate financial projections showing
your expected cash outflows and anticipated revenues. A
financial expert who can develop accurate projections based
on dependable research should complete a detailed financial
projection.

With a dependable business plan in hand, you and your JV
partner have a reliable blueprint for achieving success. If
you don't already have one, get together with your JV
partner and discuss forming a plan right away. It will help
lead you down the road to a thriving JV!


----------------------------------------------------
Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture
Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint
Venture relationships by creating profit centers with
minimal risk and maximum profitability.
Join his Joint Venture Marketing Wealth Report at
http://www.christianfea.com/joint-venture-wealth-report/?a=3

Steven Magill
http://www.buyspain.co.uk



Ten Reasons Why You Should Learn Violin Fast
Everybody is interested to learn how to play violin as this
could be a very interesting instrument to deal with.  You
have seen people playing it and you could not help but be
awed with how classy it sure looks like. Getting yourself a
tutor for taking up violin lessons could be quite pricey
but since the technology is a powerful tool these days, the
internet could help you out with your violin lessons that
would allow you to save both money and time. Online violin
lessons is a better, if not, the best solution to your
concern. Learn violin fast through the help of the internet.

Since the internet is known to have scams, one might get
worried if online violin lessons are the best choice. Of
course, you needed to get reviews and information from
people who already tried such option and they are your
basis whether or not you'll go for it. Online violin
lessons might not be that popular for now but you have to
realize that there will be a lower demand for new product
ideas that haven't been that exposed in the mainstream.
Second, it is cheap.

This article will help you come up with 10 reasons as to
why you need to go for an online violin lesson instead of
the usual, one-on-one tutorial. These ten reasons would
surely be your way of helping yourself to learn violin fast.

1. The price is of course, less expensive as it is less
than the price of the normal tutorial you'd get although
remember that it could be possible that the price would go
up as more and more people would get to recognize this
option in the near future.

2. You get to learn from the pros. High-caliber teachers
would be too expensive if you get to be taught the usual
way.

3. Lessons are designed to teach you from beginner to pro
and you won't have to hassle yourself in paying it per
lesson.

4. You will learn secret tricks too like how you could be
able to increase energy, hand strength in a matter of three
days and this is not being taught by violin teachers to
their students.

5. It teaches you how to read music.

6. Part of the course is music theory.

7. You get to play in different ways so it won't have to be
boring.

8. It will help you find the best violin, just in case you
don't have one.

9. It always has updates that would make you be informed at
all times.

10. It offers a money-back guarantee to its customers. If
you don't like the services, you could always get your
money back.

There are many more reasons why you should learn violin
fast. Bottom line is, learning to play violin is such an
amazing opportunity, and something this great should be
done with passion and commitment. Often, there is really no
difference if you learn violin fast or slow, as long as you
learn it by heart.


----------------------------------------------------
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