{"id":17286,"date":"2013-01-18T09:08:54","date_gmt":"2013-01-18T14:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/?p=17286"},"modified":"2013-01-18T10:41:22","modified_gmt":"2013-01-18T15:41:22","slug":"on-being-a-great-salesperson-weekend-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/?p=17286","title":{"rendered":"On being a great salesperson. Weekend reading."},"content":{"rendered":"
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I closed my American Express “savings” account.<\/strong>It was paying 0.896%. That means for every $100,000 I had in the account I would receive $896 a year in interest. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To get my money back out of them will take me 10 days. During that time they will have the use of money for free. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Or don’t they already?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, if they tied the account to my American Express Platinum card and gave me some travel benefits, I might leave the money with them. But since when has a bank ever figured that simple marketing trick? I guess they’d rather gamble on derivatives.
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Interesting articles to read this weekend:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

+ Apps Aim to Detect Skin Cancer<\/strong> from the Wall Street Journal. A friend died of skin cancer he didn’t attend to in time. Melanoma is among the most aggressive of all cancers. Excerpt:<\/p>\n

In a traditional exam, physicians check the shape, color and edges of a mole. Melanoma signs include a mole that is asymmetrical, has changed shape, has jagged edges or has darkened. Lab tests confirm diagnoses.<\/p>\n

“If patients are using one of these [apps] to say ‘melanoma’ or ‘not melanoma,’ they’re going to get in trouble,” said Ken Beer, a West Palm Beach, Fla., dermatologist who wasn’t involved in the study. “This can’t be a person’s only dermatologist.”<\/p>\n

To read the piece, click here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

+ Is the Cure for Cancer Inside You?<\/strong> from the New York Times Magazine. A long piece headed “How one scientists losing battle against hie own cancer might save the rest of us.”<\/p>\n

To read the piece, click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

+ Aaron Swartz obiturary.<\/strong> Aaron Swartz, computer programmer and activist, committed suicide on January 11th, aged 26. From the Economist:<\/p>\n

His aim was to download as many pages as possible from an archive of academic journals called JSTOR, which was available by paid subscription only to libraries and institutions. That was morally wrong, he thought; the knowledge contained in it (often obtained with public funding, after all) had to be made available, free, to everyone. And it was absurdly simple to do that. He already had access to the library network; no need to hack into the system. He just ran a script, called keepgrabbing.py, which liberated 4.8m articles at almost dangerous speed. MIT tried to block him, but time after time he outwitted them; and then, as a last resort, he plugged in the laptop in the cupboard.<\/p>\n

+ I Went After Guns. Obama Can, Too<\/strong> by JOHN HOWARD, prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. Excerpt:<\/p>\n

IT is for Americans and their elected representatives to determine the right response to President Obama’s proposals on gun control. I wouldn’t presume to lecture Americans on the subject. I can, however, describe what I, as prime minister of Australia, did to curb gun violence following a horrific massacre 17 years ago in the hope that it will contribute constructively to the debate in the United States.<\/p>\n

To read the piece, click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0+\u00a0 The Tasmanian Devil<\/strong> by Richard Flanagan, latest New Yorker. A master gambler and his high-stakes museum. Excerpt:<\/p>\n

He built a private art museum in Tasmania dedicated to sex and death. The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA<\/small>) opened in January, 2011, and was immediately welcomed by some as a new beginning for museums and derided by others as the end of art. Walsh wanted an anti-museum that challenged every shibboleth. MONA<\/small> is a theatre of strange enchantments: from a wall of a hundred and fifty-one sculptures of women\u2019s vaginas to racks of rotting cow carcasses; the remains of a suicide bomber cast in chocolate; a lavatory in which you can view your own anus; a library of blank books. At MONA<\/small>\u2019s center is the largest modernist work ever made in Australia, the near Olympic-pool-size \u201cSnake,\u201d painted by Sidney Nolan in the early nineteen-seventies. In less than two years, the museum has become Tasmania\u2019s foremost tourist attraction and a significant driver of its languishing economy.<\/p>\n

To read the piece, click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n

+ Bad Dreams All Around<\/strong> from this weekend’s Economist.<\/p>\n

NEARLY a decade ago All Nippon Airways (ANA) brushed aside doubts about Boeing’s as-yet unbuilt 787 “Dreamliner” and placed the biggest launch order for a new jet in the planemaker’s history: 50 aircraft. Today, Japan is the world’s largest market for the 787. ANA and its domestic rival Japan Airlines (JAL) between them fly half of the 49 Dreamliners in service. As they have now discovered, that makes them the guinea-pigs in a complex aviation experiment.<\/p>\n

The decisions this week by regulators in Japan, America and elsewhere to ground the 787 follows a string of safety problems, including two fuel leaks and an electrical fire aboard a domestic flight that required an emergency landing. There is particular worry about the potential for the plane’s lithium-ion batteries to catch fire. The news hit Boeing’s shares and ANA’s. But their executives will not be the only ones losing sleep.<\/p>\n

To read the piece, click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

+ Matt Taibbi’s review of the movie Zero Dark Thirty <\/em><\/strong>from Rolling Stone:<\/p>\n

I went to see Zero Dark Thirty this weekend with great anticipation. I’ve always loved Kathryn Bigelow’s movies – I’m a fan to an almost embarrassing degree. Like most people I liked the Busey-Keanu surf-and-bromance film Point Break, but I also loved the The Weight of Water, as well as Strange Days, The Widowmaker. Bigelow’s movies are visually engrossing, innovative and smart, and I couldn’t wait to see what she did with a real-life subject matter that had the potential to be both the greatest detective story and the greatest action-movie plot of all time.<\/p>\n

So I went to see the movie and like most people I know who watched it, I was blown away. On a pure whodunit level, the bulk of the film was an unbelievably compelling thriller, and purely on the level of action cinematography, the final scene – with all its real-world drama and consequence, plus the unique fact the movie revealed secrets about one of the shadowiest, most highly-classified operations ever – was about as pulse-pounding and exciting as movies get.<\/p>\n

To read the review, click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

My best real estate agent: <\/strong>I just rented a vacation house from her for two weeks in March.<\/span> <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Bev Howard sells and leases home in California’s Coachella Valley. I asked her for five tips on becoming a successful realtor. I got twelve. What’s impressive is that she responded quickly and with thought. I’ve made this request to dozens of salespeople and no one has ever come through. There’s real thought in this small list. I wish they’d teach this stuff in schools. I wish they’d teach it to some of my contractors.<\/p>\n

1. Agency, A definition: <\/strong>Your client has entrusted you to act on their behalf. Take this as a compliment and represent them with your knowledge, honesty and integrity.<\/p>\n

2. Follow Through<\/strong> (When you say you are going to do something, DO IT<\/strong> and always keep your client in the loop)<\/p>\n

3. Return phone calls\/texts and emails<\/strong>. (Failure to return calls is the biggest complaint heard in the sales industry.) I could go on and on about this one, but bottom line, you return your clients calls and watch your business grow. Validate<\/strong>\u00a0 and respect<\/strong> our client.<\/p>\n

4. Client Confidentiality<\/strong> (DO NOT make your clients an \u201cover cocktails\u201d conversation.)<\/p>\n

5. Listen<\/strong> (Listen to their needs and help them achieve their goals. It will come back to you ten times over.)<\/p>\n

6. Go the extra mile<\/strong> (Trust me on this, your client will remember and tell all their friends about the part\u00a0 you played in making their transaction go smoothly;\u00a0 you will reap the rewards)<\/p>\n

7. Follow-up<\/strong> (At least 2x\u2019s a year, follow up with clients you have closed a transaction with. Let them know how important they are to you and how much you appreciated their business,<\/p>\n

8. Love what you<\/strong> do<\/strong> Begin your day with a smile, optimism and enthusiasm. For me, being a Realtor is not a job, it is a lifestyle. I love what I do.\u00a0 \u00a0On my way to the office, I think about what new adventure is about to happen today.<\/p>\n

9. Network<\/strong>: Use your data base, Farm your territory. Make 5 new phone calls a day. The rewards are immeasurable. If you don\u2019t do it, the agent around the corner will get the listing or the sale!<\/p>\n

10. Be appreciative<\/strong> of your clients, management team, your co-workers and the company that you work for.<\/p>\n

11. Become Involved<\/strong>. Lend a hand to the community in which you live.\u00a0 MAKE A DIFFERENCE!<\/p>\n

12. A Mistake! God forbid if we<\/strong> should make one, but if you do, don\u2019t try to cover it up. Apologize, fix it and move forward.<\/p>\n

The Australian Tennis Open is on.<\/strong> <\/span>The previous day’s matches\u00a0 are on The Tennis Channel<\/em> during the day. It’s playing live on ESPN2<\/em> beginning at 9 PM and going through the night. Australia is 16 hours ahead of EST in the U.S. and 13 hours ahead of the west coast.<\/p>\n

I watch the tennis, then go on the court and try to do what they do. Sometimes it works. Not often.<\/p>\n

Favorite recent New Yorker cartoon.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\nHarry Newton, who is mulling some Vanguard index funds for some of the money that’s been loosened up my several muni bonds being called. I’ve done so well with VWALX… Now I’m eyeing VTSMX and\u00a0 VGTSX. But there are zillions of others. Your suggestions? Drop me a line, please.<\/p>\n

Of course, I could buy Apple, or a typewriter company.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I closed my American Express “savings” account.It was paying 0.896%. That means for every $100,000 I had in the account I would receive $896 a year in interest. To get my money back out of them will take me 10 days. During that time they will have the use of money for free. Or don’t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17286\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}