Bad Grades Doesn’t Mean Bad Future
Most people let themselves down the moment they get a grade below what they expected. This is only natural. We most certainly react in a negative way once our expectations aren’t reached but the question is, what expectations should we set?
A Wrong Starting Point
Going to school is something that some people look at as a chore or something required of them without realizing the gravity of what it represents. Others have realized the importance of a good grade and have begun to compete for the best. Now, where do you put yourself in the situation? Our educational system mostly highlights people at the top and people at the bottom rather than people who are in the center.
Why is that? Because from the start, we have been built with a mind-set of comparison. What is good and bad? What is light and dark? What looks nice and what doesn’t? So many other comparisons have been made to rank people and sadly, most of us play by their rules. How about you? People at the top of the class are usually offered better opportunities compared to those below them but should this really stop you?
Simply Going to School is Already a Win
You see, not everyone is going through the same journey and though it seems like you are failing compared to your colleagues, you are still gaining for yourself especially because of the fact that you are in school! Why do bad grades happen? Could it be lack of motivation, lack of resources, lack of confidence, or any other reason out there?
The key to fixing the problem is to first find out what the problem actually is. Sometimes criticism is necessary and sometimes it is not, but it is also better to be aware of your mistakes earlier and fixing the problem before it becomes bigger and bigger. Admitting your weakness is the first sign of strength! Of course, you shouldn’t let your weakness remain your weakness forever. You have to learn how to move forward.
Grades Aren’t All That Matters in Life
One of the things in school that give people anxiety is their grades. This usually determines where they end up in life. But this doesn’t have to be the case! You determine where you want to end up in life. We weren’t born with equal circumstances which means we won’t finish equal either. But then again, even if your battle may be harder, this does not give you an excuse to stop trying and fighting for success.
Not everyone makes it at the top but that shouldn’t definitely stop you. Accept the fact that you are at a disadvantage with your grades but if you can change it, by all means do so! For those of you believe that you’ve blown all your chances, believe in something else. Only you can change your mind whether or not you want to succeed.
5 Ways to Cope from Lost Deals With CRM
Every business here in Singapore aims to boost their sales reports by converting leads into successful deals. However, it’s easier said than done. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t please everyone. And if you do not do your best to recover, it will surely affect your bottom line big time.
So, how do you recover from a lost deal? How can you ensure that your next prospect client won’t go cold on you? Here, we will discuss the ways on how to help your business cope from lost deals and how a reliable CRM software can help.
1. Understand Your Sales Processes
The sales are the bread and butter of any business. That is why it makes sense to start in the evaluation of your sales reports.
The key to making comprehensive analysis is to have detailed records of your sales opportunities, whether successful or not. When a potential deal fails, at least the necessary information relating to the sale is available at your disposal.
If you keep a record of sales processes and create notes in your CRM system, everything you need to review and evaluate your actions can be easily accessed. Moreover, when you have a cloud system like crystal dash singapore to track and save your activities, you can quickly search any deal to know where you lost it and what issues should have been taken care of right away to reverse the outcome. This way, you will know which part of the process is ineffective and have to be improved. Once you know where it all went down, you can make the necessary adjustments to make sure positive outcome of sales in the future.
2. Know why you lost the deal
Knowing and understanding why you lost a deal is a priceless information to take a hold of. The best answer to this question can be heard from your clients who said ‘no’.
To make sure that the next sales opportunity is a success, ask your lost customers for feedback. Feedback questions may include:
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• Why did you decide to stop partnering with us?
• Why did you choose to work with this competitor?
• Was there anything we missed that made you changed your mind?
Let the prospect client know that you are cool with the loss and that you are open to suggestions to improve your services. This way, you will put the person at ease, making them feel comfortable to talk to you again, and possibly transact with in the future. Make sure to listen to them and try your best not to be defensive, especially if the reason they backed out was you.
3. Keep the relationship going
If you lost the deal, it doesn’t mean that they do not want your product or services altogether. Many times, it only means that the prospect is not ready to buy yet. Therefore, it is important to keep in touch with them. So when they are ready to buy or invest, you will be the first one they will approach.
Make use of your CRM system to help you with customer relationship management. Implement marketing strategies that allows you to connect with consumers and provide them with relevant offerings when they need it. This will make a huge difference when trying to close a certain deal in the future.
You can also utilize the email marketing feature of your CRM software to advertise upcoming events, new products or other updates to prospect clients.
4. Reconnect with your lost deals
Winners never quit. It is always worth trying again to reach out to lost clients, allowing enough time to pass since the moment they turned you down. People evolve, as well as their needs, so always be on the lookout for this sale opportunity.
Since part of a great customer relationship management is to keep records of clients, it should be easy to follow up on lost prospects. For every lost deal, schedule a future check-up call. When to do a check-up call depends on the length of contract you were selling (but lost to a competitor).
For example, you were selling a one-year service but lost it, you would want to make your call within 10 months, when the contract is coming to an end. That is the best time you want to present yourself again. If you check up on them after 12 months, then you’re too late and probably lose the deal again.
So make sure to keep past clients’ information safely stored in your cloud CRM for future use.
5. Focus more on winning opportunities
The key to ensuring that your sales management is dealing with better sales opportunity is to find the right people to sell your products or services to.
Start by identifying your target market, your ideal client profile and ways to reach as many potential clients that fit your ideal profile. Once you know who your ideal clients are, be proactive with your sales management. Try to perceive the reasons why you might lose a sale before it actually happens.
If you find yourself doubting on the services you offer, whether it is going to fit a prospect client’s needs, make sure you can turn the table—or move on. When you think you cannot sell yourself to a customer, stop right there and redirect your attention on deals you know you can win instead.
Nobody wants to lose a deal. However, it’s inevitable in the world of business, especially here in Singapore. While losing a big client can be upsetting, it can also serve as an opportunity for growth. If you happen to experience this, do not just forget about a once-valuable customer. Take the time to identify and analyze what went wrong. Take advantage of the information you have in your CRM system to improve your processes, customer relationship management and overall productivity.
Food Storage Tips to Save Money
Food is a basic human need. We all need it to survive. However, at the same time, it’s one of the major expenses, too. We spend on it every day, every week, every month, every year.
However, more than almost any of our household expenses, smart strategies on how we buy, store and use food makes a huge difference in our everyday expenditure. Here, we give you some insider tricks to save money and make some of you kitchen staples last longer.
Flour
Keep wheat flour chilled. Yes, put your whole wheat flour in the chiller. The high oil content in wheat germ can make your flour go stale if kept in room temperature. If you’re using it frequently, store it in an airtight container inside the fridge, where it will last you up to six months. To check the freshness, sniff it. It should be completely odourless. If it smells bitter, toss it right away.
Olive Oil
Stick to buying smaller bottles of olive oil. Once the bottle is opened, this kitchen staple can go stale in three to four months (even if the bottle says it lasts longer). Fresh olive oil should smell like ripe olives with a kick of peppery aroma to it. Check it’s odour before every use—crayon-like odour indicates spoilage.
Butter
If you have multiple bars on hand, freeze the unopened ones to keep it fresh for up to four months. This prevents spoilage and absorption of smell of leftovers stored in the fridge. For opened carton of butter, notice the colour once in a while. Inconsistent colour could mean that you’re not using it fast enough. Freeze it to keep it fresh until next use.
Brown Sugar
Transfer your brown sugar in an airtight container, and throw in moist food items like a slice of bread, apple slices or marshmallows. The sugar granules will absorb the moisture of the food and remain soft for longer. You can also use this technique to soften hardened sugar in jars.
Maple Syrup
Once your bottle of maple syrup is opened, keep it inside the freezer. Don’t worry about thawing it, because of the high sugar content, it won’t freeze. Unopened pure maple syrup can last for a couple of years in the pantry. Once opened, it’s good up to a year as long as long as you keep it refrigerated.
Honey
Bring your crystallized jar of honey back to life by placing it in a pan with boiling water. Stir the honey until the crystals gets completely dissolved. You don’t have to keep your jar of honey in the fridge. Even when opened, it can last forever in the pantry—thanks to bees enzymes that fight growth of bacteria in honey.
Now that you know how to extend the life out of your food staples, it’s time to reorganize your kitchen. Remember that not all should be stored in the fridge, but not everything should be left out as well.
8 Smart Tips to Protect Yourself Against Cyberbullying
Social media has become a huge part of our lives, making us vulnerable to cyber bullies, especially the young. But there are things you can do to protect yourself from cyberbullying and save yourself from the depression, stress, anxiety, and even trauma, which can be brought by this experience. Here are eight tips to keep yourself safe from online bullies.
1. Educate Yourself
Protect yourself against cyberbullying by knowing what comprises it. Look it up in the internet and find out how it happens and when it usually happens.
2. Think Before You Click
Before clicking Post, ask yourself a couple of times how your post will affect your reputation. Remember that people online will judge you based on what you say and post on your social media, and like the previous point, it can be used against you.
3. Avoid Posting Racy Photos
Before posting or sending a photo to someone, think it through if this is something you want your family to see. Racy photos can be used against by cyber bullies to blackmail you into doing something you wouldn’t want to do.
4. “Google” Yourself Once in a While
Try searching yourself on major search engines in the web and see if any confidential photos and information about you come up. If you see something that cyberbullies can use against you, have it removed right away.
5. Delete Messages from Strangers
If you receive a message from an unknown source, don’t open it. Delete it right away without opening it as it could contain a virus or malware that can collect personal data from your computer. For the same reason, do not engage in conversations or reply to messages from strangers to avoid getting harassed.
6. Set Up Privacy Controls
The more you limit your audience, the safer you are to getting bullied. In all your social media accounts, it’s ideal to allow only your friends to read and comment on your posts. Also, restrict who can see your online profile and information; in particular, avoid displaying your personal contact number and e-mail address for all your online friends to see.
7. Protect Your Password
Guard your password and all personal information from inquisitive people. You do not want to give people the opportunity to open your account and post humiliating, false or private information or photos under your name or send them to your entire contact list.
8. Log Out of Your Accounts
As with the previous point, do not give anyone the opportunity to post anything as you by logging out your accounts when using public computers. Also, by logging out, you avoid the possibility of hackers changing your password and locking you out of your account.
By being a responsible social media user, you significantly reduce the chances of getting cyberbullied.
Common Herbs and Spices
We usually focus on the meat or vegetables in our meals. Take a look at some of the most commonly used herbs and spices that give flavors to our food.
Allspice is the harvested unripe berries of a tree. It’s also called myrtle or Jamaican pepper, newspice or yenibahar.
Anise or Aniseed is valued for its seed which is harvested fresh or ground. It’s also used for tea, liquor, and medicine.
Basil has many varieties but the most commonly used are sweet or Genovese, lemon, Thai, African blue, and holy basil. The seeds are also used in desserts and drinks.
Bay Leaves come from different aromatic plants such as bay laurel, West Indian, Indian, California, Indonesia and Mexican bay leaf.
Black Pepper is a dried and cooked unripe fruit of a flowering vine. The dried fruit is called peppercorn. Green peppers are the dried unripe fruit, while white peppers are the ripe fruit seeds.
Cardamom comes from the seeds of the Amomum and Elettaria. It’s also used in drinks and harvested for its essential oil.
Cayenne Pepper comes from the fruit of a plant related to paprika, bell pepper and jalapeno. The fruits are dried, ground, or used fresh or as flakes.
Cilantro or Coriander is an herb cultivated for its seeds, fruits and leaves, but the whole plant itself is edible.
Cinnamon may be ground or sold in sticks. They are taken from the bark of Cinnamomum trees. Common types of cinnamon are Indian, Malabar, Chinese, Vietnamese, Ceylon and Indonesian.
Cumin is valued for its seed which may be used as whole seeds or ground. It’s from a plant native to South Asia and the Mediterranean.
Salt is a mineral made up of sodium chloride. It’s taken from evaporated seawater, spring waters and salt mines.
Garlic may be used fresh or ground. The bulb of the garlic plant is divided into smaller sections called cloves. Its flowers and leaves are also edible.
Ginger has a rhizome used as spice and ground or used fresh. Similar plants such as the galangal or krachai and wild ginger also produce the same aroma.
Marjoram is an herb valued for its aromatic leaves which are harvested green or dried. They are also distilled for oils.
Onion has a part called the bulb. The plant, called spring onion or scallion, can be harvested while still young. Onions come in three colors; brown or yellow, white and red.
Oregano is a flowering plant. Its leaves are dried and sometimes extracted for its oil.
Paprika is a mix of red air-dried fruits of the bell pepper and sweet pepper. Other spices are also included.
Parsley is a flowering plant used as a vegetable, spice and herb. The most common types of parsley are leaf and root parsley.
Rosemary is an herb also used as a decoration. Its leaves are harvested fresh or dried for cooked dishes or tea.
Thyme is sold by sprigs (or a single stem with leaves and flowers) or dried. It is also harvested for its oil.
Turmeric is an herbaceous plant harvested for its rhizomes. They are used fresh, boiled and dried or ground.