Despite the fact that people are living hectic lifestyles more than ever, they are following a more healthy diet and exercising on a regular basis. You might wonder if the recommendation by the health industry to take a multivitamin every day is still valid in light of the trend of people becoming healthier. If you are eating a variety of foods, there’s a good chance you are getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs to perform routine functions to keep your body healthy. However, you’re not completely out of the woods.

When you use heat to cook your food (grill, fry, bake), the heating process removes some of your food’s beneficial nutrients. In addition, if you are plagued with stress or you if you are taking medication there’s a chance that you are losing a significant amount of vitamins and minerals that you consume. Taking vitamins on a regular basis can increase your chances of getting all the nutrients your body needs.

The benefits of taking vitamins go beyond meeting the recommended dietary allowances. How healthy you are depends on more than just diet and the amount of exercise you obtain. There are other outside factors that can predispose you to develop certain health issues. For example, how much of a risk you have for developing cancer of heart disease is largely dependent upon whether or not others in your family developed these conditions. For some time it was believed that an individual had very little recourse in these situations. Studies conducted by Harvard University researchers revealed that taking a multivitamin every day can reduce an individual’s risk to develop these conditions.

To determine your specific needs, you should visit your doctor for a complete evaluation of your dietary needs. Your doctor will be able to recommend the type of vitamins that are best for you. It may very well be the case that a common multivitamin is all that you need. If this is the case, you can visit any nutrition center or grocery store and find aisles of multivitamins. While these preparations will contain the same basic set of vitamins, the amount of each will differ. You can determine which preparation is for you by considering which nutrients you lack. For example, if you’re not a fan of milk products, you may want to choose a multivitamin that contains more calcium.

John Collins manages www.nutrition-guides.info. A site dedicated to hosting nutrition articles from around the world.

He also helps out with www.curing-acne.info. Another health site giving advice for acne sufferers.

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Oil costs are soaring and this is making business budgets are squeezed to the limit more than even in the 1970s. As the economy sputters and credit stays rare, prudent businesses know unnecessary costs must cut. Company directors everywhere have to make more than a couple calculated priority judgments to lower unnecessary spending. One of the obvious plan to slash business costs is to make slashes in frivolous travel allocations, and the secret is web conference calls.

Internet conferencing calls allow you to speak with clients electronically in a meeting in another metropolis, in a far off state or most definitely in an overseas country. The usual Internet conference calling make use of new streaming technology. Due to the fact that they done through standard high-speed Internet connections, they just make additional use of sunk business overhead. By looking to web video conferencing, can anyone lead a distant presentation from almost any office with web access. Not only is it easy as a computer and an Internet connection, it can slash travel expenses by thousands.

Break throughs in telecommunications technology make Internet conferencing calls a good choice for participants to share presentations and information at the same time. Conference participants can see and hear as though they were really there, even if they are halfway around the earth. The detail of the video, audio, and presentation is very accurate through the best in streaming video.

Its hard to miss how almost any business will save money by making use of web conference calls instead of spending thousands dispatching a team on a expensive trip. A business shouldnt spend on hotels, meals or even transportation. These trimmings matter over a year. Any dollar saved translates to more flexibility for a company. Most everyone knows that some businesses are implementing online conference calls to slash overhead on low-priority business travel.

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Homosexuality…. Is it a matter of choice? Are some born that way? And if so, then how could God condemn it? Or does He? Does it make a difference? Who offered it as an “alternative lifestyle?” Are same-sex drives due to conditioning? Are gays and lesbians a quirk of nature? Something queer to jeer? Would it have been better to have never been born? All of these questions and more are only a few of the many that race through people’s minds; causing controversy, heated arguments and emotional wounds, as words fly back and forth carelessly.

It could be safe to say that homosexuality is the result of many factors. But who’s to blame? Must we even lay a guilt-trap at anyone’s door? Maybe mother, then again there’s the father who didn’t figure for too much. Society? Genes? The stars? Most people know their sexual orientation by their teens. They don’t just suddenly discover they’re “straight” and “come out” about it. Let’s get real.

Who’s to accept the responsibility for our actions? Some have felt “gay” ever since they were very young and therefore imagine that they were born gay. Others seem to pick up, adopt or assimilate homosexual tendencies through association. They must have already had an inclination towards it. It rubbed off on them. Then there are those who were bored and needed a change. They wanted to try it and see if they liked it. Sometimes, due to “force” of circumstances, men in prison, boy’s homes and/or monasteries, might resort to homosexual activities. Later, as soon as possible, some of them revert to heterosexual ways, while others continue to enjoy the “best of both world” as a bisexual. Are “bestiality is best” fans born that way? Or are incestuous relationships something innate? Do we have a predisposition chemically for incest? Are we set up for such a fall from birth? Would that justify or excuse us? Is promiscuity merely a part of man’s “animal instincts?” Is the challenge of the chase a primeval hang-over from the “days of the hunt?” Actually, ALL of the above are simply DISTRACTIONS! It’s not a question of who or what we’re most comfortable with, prefer, like or are attracted to; those are only attempts to sidestep the real issue!

God isn’t only the Creator, but the Sustainer of the entire universe. As such, his Majesty’s Government – headquartered in the highest heaven – has issued (at Mt. Sinai) various health rules and regulations (Malachi 4:4). The Creator-King has predetermined, in His infinite wisdom, which “food and drugs” are safe and sound for our consumption.

If we keep uppermost in mind the reason for our mortal existence, the SUPREME PURPOSE for our human-being; to establish contact with our Superior-Being and develop a relationship with Him – then we’ll know and understand that everything God does is for our benefit. God wants to help us, not hinder us. He enjoys encouraging us to attain our goals and fulfill our potential (Luke 12:31-32). Father does know what’s best: what He has in store for us is beyond our wildest dreams (Ephes. 3:20; 1 Cor. 2:9)!

The High Cost of Living

Whoever chooses to be a card-carrying member of the homosexual community is entitled to all of it’s privileges and persecutions; but you should first COUNT THE COST to see if it’s too high of a price for you to pay, like Christians are told to do (Luke 14:28).

If anyone decides to engage in illicit sex or become entangled in “foreign affairs,” they’re living a lie if they think that God could possibly approve of their improper conduct, and they’re compounding their problems if they lead others astray by attempts to endorse such flagrant sin (Rom. 1:32). Do what you want, but don’t misrepresent God and His clear-cut Biblical teachings. Don’t try and put words in His mouth or censor what He’s actually said (Rev. 22:18-19).

Yes, GOD IS LOVE! That’s why He hates certain practices with a passion. He frowns upon a dishonest life of stealing, an unfaithful habit of “cheating” on our spouse, a disrespectful attitude towards our parents or persons in authority, religious holidays that are hollow and don’t hallow His name, senseless killings and character assassination, idolatrous distractions that come between God and us, an endless trivial pursuit and preoccupation with ourselves and others, instead of putting God first. God loves us and wants us to love Him too, but He considers love more than a four-letter word: love is an attitude exemplified by actions, words that are backed up with deeds (Jas. 2:26). That’s why Jesus said that if we really loved Him, we’d show it and not just say it (John 14:15).

Safe-Sex

Since God is love, and Father knows best, He wants us to practice safe-sex. A safe-sex that’s good and wholesome, clean and pure, and only available within a marriage where both partners keep their vows and honor their commitments (Heb. 13:4). Sexual intimacy, cuddling and coitus, belongs in the bedroom (of the Biblically-bonded), and it’s to involve the union of both minds and bodies (Gen. 2:24). Married couples are challenged to become compatible in every sense of the word. A marriage certificate doesn’t have to be “just a piece of paper” or become another broken record! God does recognize the fact that marriage isn’t for everyone (Mat. 19:11), but expresses His will that singles remain celibate (1 Thes. 4:3).

God only promises to bless those foods (or relationships) that are sanctioned by His Word (1 Tim. 4:4-5). He’s not unsure of Himself or His ways, He’s not fickle or foolish, and His Word is reliable, dependable, and not subject to change. This hasn’t caused the scriptures to be too popular at times, but they refuse to succumb to peer pressure and remain true to themselves. They’re not what needs to change anyway. We do. God hasn’t lowered His moral standards or compromised with His food laws, but offers to help raise us to His God-Plane. Christ can cleanse us of our unclean lives (Acts 10:15, 28), because God hasn’t called us to remain in Egypt but to head for the Promised Land. Don’t just stand there, get a move on it! And leave your excess baggage (sin) behind.

Kosher Food

Although God created us with a hunger drive, an appetite, He doesn’t want us to become gluttonous pigs. Neither does He want us to act like horny dogs (1 Cor. 6:13). God’s also shown us that just because various food items have been mislabeled “delicacies,” we don’t have to shove them into our mouths (Lev. 11). We’re expected to be mature, not act childish. God warns us to guard the doors of our mind, don’t set ourselves up for a fall, and discern what we digest (Ephes. 4:27; Heb. 5:14). We’re instructed to scrutinize our food for thought and remember “we are what we eat” and “we become what we think” (Prov. 23:7). God doesn’t only want us to watch what we put into our mouths, but what we allow into our minds (Philip. 4:8). For a free list of “government approved” food for thought; what’s clean and unclean, pure and impure, kosher and non-kosher – check out Ga. 5:19-23; Ephes. 5:11 and Philip. 1:11.

We’re not supposed to remain raw material. God’s given us a brain to become refined and keep our baser “instincts” in line (2 Pet. 2:12). The Holy Spirit offers us the help we need to accomplish this job (John 1:12). We should refuse to be reduced to an animal level, simply sensual creatures, choosing a higher standard of living instead. The “if it feels good do it” and “if it looks good eat it” lack of mentality ought to be regarded as an insult to those striving for God’s higher intelligence.

Regardless of why you’re gay, bisexual or “trysexual” (you’ll try anything once), whether or not you’ve had any choice in the matter – you do have a choice to exercise proper self-control. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A SLAVE TO YOUR SENSES (John 8:34), or allow sexual temptations to dictate mindless reactions (Gen. 19:4-11).You’re not forced to act upon every thought that enters your mind. You can resist suggestions and reject impulses (2 Cor. 10:5). Every fleeting thought, random idea or stray notion doesn’t have to take root and grow if you don’t give it fertile ground (Jas. 1:13-15). You can consider its source and nip it in the bud. A “NO TRESPASSING!” frame of mind can be developed to defend you against intruders. Protection is possible. You can say NO! You can curb your appetite! YOU CAN CHANGE!

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Down through the centuries and all over the world, the battle for religious freedom has been a bitter one. The United States has been no exception. Although most of those who founded this country came here seeking religious freedom, it has been a source of contention from the beginning and remains so today. There are fanatics on both sides of this issue. On one side, we have those who think their religious freedom is being violated if they are not allowed to force their religion down everyone else’s throat. One the other side, we have those who believe it’s their inalienable right to never be exposed to any element of religious life. Both extremes are wrong. Government should be neither hostile to any religion nor an enforcer of it. Instead, those who possess common sense should be capable of assenting to a happy medium.

Contrary to popular belief, the phrase, “separation of church and state”, cannot be found in the U.S. Constitution. That phrase is misleading anyway as many people interpret it as “protection of the state from the church.” Most of our Founding Fathers frequently, and often publicly, expressed their faith in a Creator, so it should be obvious to anyone that they never intended to banish expressions of religious faith from the public square. Any separation of church and state that they had in mind was to serve only four major functions: (1) allow people to freely practice the religion of their choice (or no religion at all) without interference from the state, (2) forbid any religion or denomination from being set up as the “state church”, (3) prevent the state from having the church do its bidding, and (4) protect the church from being regulated and having its practices dictated to it by the state. From these principles, I think we can derive a common sense approach to religious freedom.

Our common sense approach should allow for verbal religious expression and for the display of religious symbols and materials in public and government venues. Although all religions should have equal access and rights regarding those expressions and displays, the majority religion would obviously have a major advantage here. But so be it. No one would be hurt or forced to practice any religion against his or her will. If anyone is offended, that’s their problem. No one has a right to not be offended, although many people think they have this right. Being offended once in a while is the price one has to pay for living in a free and open society. If someone has a major problem with that, they are free to leave this country any time they wish.

Our common sense approach should also allow for limited amounts of prayer and religious teaching in public schools. It should not be the focus of any public school, but it should be permitted and based on the religion favored by the majority of the parents in a given school district. The majority of parents could opt for no prayer or religious teaching at all in a given school district, if they so desired. All parents would have the option of not having their child (children) participate in or be present for the prayer and religious teaching. Although the teaching of evolution would still be mandatory, creationism could be taught as part of any religious curriculum.

Another tenet of our common sense approach would be to make sure that all religious speech, no matter how offensive or “hateful” some people might find it, is always safeguarded. We do not want to follow Canada’s lead of coding political correctness into law and banning some forms of religious speech. For example, in some parts of Canada, a person can be fined or jailed for proclaiming that homosexual activity is sinful. Too many people don’t want to hear sin called sin anymore, but we must make sure that people always have the right to condemn anything that their religion says is wrong. This even includes the right of a Muslim, for example, to denounce our culture. As long as someone doesn’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater, explicitly threaten anyone, or call for someone else to do harm, their speech should be protected.

Another element of our common sense approach to religious freedom would be to prohibit any laws (1) that are based solely on religious beliefs and (2) that punish those who do not follow them. For example, laws ordering that stores be closed on Sunday should be banned. Now, just because some law correlates with someone’s religious belief doesn’t mean it should be invalidated. Many valid laws, even those against murder, correspond to religious commandments. What I’m talking about are laws that exist expressly for furthering a religion. The state has no right to enforce anyone’s religious beliefs, even those of the majority religion. Besides, what’s the use of forcing someone to obey religious laws? Does it make them any more righteous? Does it make the community or the nation any more righteous? I don’t think so.

The final component to our common sense approach would be to ensure that we protect speech or entertainment that might be offensive to any particular religion or even religion in general. Once again, no one has a right to not be offended. Many fundamentalist Christians are so outraged by anti-Christian speech or entertainment that they would like to see it banned, censored, or at least driven from the airwaves. However, if we’re going to have unlimited freedom to promote our religion, then others should have unlimited freedom to demean it. If we don’t allow the free exercise of anti-religious speech, we are not much better than an Islamic theocracy and we are not practitioners of true religious freedom. Besides, if one’s religion can’t hold up in the face of criticism, it is evidently quite weak anyway.

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Hopewell, VA. He also serves as a political columnist for American Daily and operates his own website – http://www.commenterry.com – on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.

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Upon the death of the Pope, a monumental sequence of events unfolds, culminating in a process known as the conclave whereby a new Pope is elected to lead the Roman Catholic faith.

Beneath Michelangelo’s revered ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, the College of Cardinals, led by the Cardinal Camerlegno (Cardinal Chamberlain), Eduardo Martinez Somalo, begins the arduous process of selecting the pope’s successor. The Cardinalate currently consists of 117 cardinals from all over the world. In the conclave, an event enduring little change since the thirteenth century, the cardinals take an oath of secrecy, that if broken renders the offender automatically excommunicated from the church. There are no televisions, radios, or newspapers allowed inside the conclave.

The Cardinal Electors, almost all of whom were appointed by Pope John Paul II, will vote in a very thorough process of secret balloting where a two-thirds majority is needed to elect a new Pope. The College may vote up to four times a day, but if a new Pope has not been chosen by the third day, then the cardinals cease the voting process for a day of prayer and reflection. Following the day of prayer, the cardinals will commence for another seven votes, then another day of prayer. If after 12 days a pope has still not been elected, then the two-thirds majority vote is negated and a vote by simple majority is instated.

The first indication to the outside world that a new pope has been elected is the telling smoke signals. After each voting session a smoke signal is given by burning the ballots. If the voting session is inconclusive, straw is added to the burning ballots to produce black smoke. Conversely, white smoke signals that a new pope has been chosen.

In the past the College usually elects a cardinal that has been under consideration for some time. The two requirements for eligibility for the papacy are that the candidates must be a man and Catholic. Although any Catholic male is technically eligible, history shows that the candidates are always cardinals.

What is new in this upcoming papal election is the doctrine of Vatican II, which no longer requires cardinals to study Latin. Therefore, the issue of a language barrier is a potential problem that the College may face, since many of the cardinals for the first time in history, will not share a common language.

Pope John Paul II was elected in 1978 and has since been revered by Catholics as well as other Christian denominations, Jews, and Muslims for being a “Pope for the people.” More than any of his predecessors, Pope John Paul II traveled the world, visiting and praying with the people of the area. Many attribute the restoration of the Catholic Church to Pope John Paul II. Much speculation has occurred regarding the Pope’s successor. The outcome of the conclave is widely anticipated and only when we hear the Latin phrase “Habemus Papam” come from the dean of the cardinals will the world know who the next Pope will be.

Amanda Milewski is a contributing writer for the Pope Blog – Conclave Edition

http://thepopeblog.blogspot.com

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I said, “No.”

What is it about “no” that you don’t understand?

Generations of salespeople have been told that when a prospect tells you “no”… it’s really a request for more information.

You may have heard that the “sale” doesn’t really begin until your prospect tells you “no.”

I say, “Baloney.”

Sometimes a “no” means “no.”

Try this on. When your prospects tell you “no”, it’s a good thing… especially when you control the “no.”

You’ve heard of “Getting to Yes.”

I believe in getting to “No.”

Let me make an educated guess.

You don’t like hearing the word “no.”

Ever since you were very young you’ve done your best to avoid being told “No.” The word “no” seems so negative.

A “no” in the world of selling is looked upon as a negative.

If your sales process results in a “no”, it’s usually viewed as a setback.

Therefore, most salespeople hate the word “no.”

It doesn’t have to be that way.

I believe that there is a better way to look at a “no.”

I believe that you can shift the emotional response you have to this two letter, little devil.

Think of it this way—-

You don’t really hate to hear ‘No”—

You hate not knowing when a “no” is coming.

If a prospect is going to tell you “no”— when would you rather find out about it— early in the sales cycle, or late in the sales cycle?

Here’s the tip – Attempt to uncover a “no” from your prospect as soon as possible.

Please notice that my coaching instruction was to uncover a “no.”

Avoid creating a “no.”

One of your main objectives as a salesperson is to uncover a “no” that was going to happen anyway.

Let your prospect know that it’s OK if they come to the conclusion that your product or service is not what they’re specifically looking for.

Let them know that it’s OK for them to say, “No, thank you.”

Let them know that you’d prefer a “yes”, and— it’s OK if they tell you “no.”

When you set up this agreement there is a fascinating by-product.

You will stop hearing prospects say “maybe”, or “I need to think it over” as a substitute for… “No.”

This alone will help you reduce the length of your “sales cycle.”

You won’t be chasing after people who have no intention of doing business with you, but are afraid that if they tell you “no” you’ll start selling even harder.

This tip will reduce the stress levels experienced by both parties— guaranteed.

I urge you to find training programs like those provided through BusinessSuccessBuilder.com that will help you say the right things and ask the right questions …so you can uncover a “no” that was going to happen anyway.

To your success.

Copyright 2006 Ike Krieger

Ike Krieger is a business mentor, author and speaker. Ike helps businesspeople say the right thing, at the right time… all the time. Find out how to get more clients, more referrals and more sales, and do it with dignity. His “Yes Formula”® Success System will help you… Talk Less and Sell More. Learn all about Ike’s system and subscribe to his newsletter at http://www.BusinessSuccessBuilder.com

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A short observation on success…

Having the opportunity to speak to thousands of loan officers across the country has given me an opportunity to pull out my “magnifying glass” so to speak. One of the things I have noticed is that there is a certain quality, or intangible that separate those who are successful versus those who are not.

During my weekly calls, I will speak to 50-75 loan officers each week. Out of this number of lo’s I will typically find one loan officer who is either already experiencing a level of success,or has the necessary mindset and tools to begin improving.

Did you catch that? Only one person out of this group of 50-75 actually feels that he/she is experiencing success! This isn’t meant to scare you or discourage you, it is only meant to illustrate a point. The secret to success in the mortgage industry has very little to do with your marketplace, personality and the company you work for. While these things certainly can make the job easier, they will not help you one bit if you do not possess that elusive “something” that seems to catapult a rare group of men and women to new heights.

Are you ready to hear what this quality or “something” is? Ok then, here it is:

They work…..

You read this right. The main separation between those who are successful and those who are not is this group of individuals is willing to be proactive and MAKE things happen!

As “plain Jane” as this trait may seem, what did you expect? We all seem to constantly look for some glossy, super secret technique that will FORCE success into our laps, when the answer is floating in front of our faces all along.

See, I give away free materials, and campaigns, and techniques EVERY SINGLE DAY. Yet, when I conduct follow-up surveys, I find that the VAST majority of individuals who were so pumped up and excited about the information and techniques they learned, did absolutely nothing with what they learned.

We all know that this knowledge does us no good unless it is put into practice, so why do we do this? Why do we refuse to invest in ourselves? Why do we refuse to put the necessary time and energy into our business? Why do we fail to realize that sales and marketing is nothing more than communication; a form of processing and distributing information in an effective manner?

I ask these questions because each and every one of us needs to take a look at ourselves, and decide to work ON our business instead of just working IN our business.

The answers are out there staring us in the face. Whether you wish to be successful with refi’s, builders, Realtors, equity loans etc. Nothing happens until you decide to DO something. More energy is expended complaining about lack of success than actually doing something about it.

Please don’t read into this as a rant, but rather as a wake up call! There is so much talent out there that goes unrealized it blows my mind. Success CAN happen, and it can happen relatively quickly once we decide we want it bad enough to do something about it. Chances are you already possess a talent or potential that you have’nt even realized yet. Do you believe enough in yourself to uncover this talent? What is stopping you?

Chad Weber Average Joe L.O. www.averagejoelo.com

Average Joe L.O. provides unique, no-hype marketing solutions for loan officers determined to build their realtor referral business. Free training materials and educational conference calls are available on the site http://www.averagejoelo.com.

Average Joe L.O. will change the way you feel about realtors. Free training and articles are available at www.averagejoelo.com.

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Microsoft Dynamics GP is new name for Microsoft Great Plains Standard & Professional. Microsoft Dynamics GP will have its first release with Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0. which would be the next version of Great Plains. Funny enough – Great Plains Software pioneered with Great Plains Dynamics in 1994 as the first Graphical ERP for Windows.

In our opinion, traditional approach when you select ERP/MRP system for large or mid-size company by functionality, database and hardware platform should be revised. We are convinced that new generation of Windows servers plus the reliability of relatively inexpensive database platform, such as Microsoft SQL Server, enable large corporation to decrease the cost of hardware, database and ERM software, plus have good internal support by hiring Microsoft certified professionals, available on the market in your area. In this small article we’ll give you short review of what you should expect from Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, its implementation, customization, reporting, integration as well as web publishing and eCommerce or web ordering system for your existing customers.

• Hardware. PC Hardware and Windows server were considered as a solution for small and mid-size business, this opinion was wide spread in 1990th, when you needed to have scheduled rebooting of Windows server to deal with known issues, such as memory leaks, etc. Nowadays – Windows 2003 could be counted on.

• Database. Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, if you remember old good days required a lot of maintenance and support. When Microsoft introduced MS SQL Server 7.0 and later on 2000 – the problem of maintenance in our opinion was resolved and the database maintenance is now considered as part of data workflow side: application logic data fixes SQL queries, data feeding into SQL Server tables, data archiving and restoring.

• ERP System. In our opinion you should consider ERP as a platform for light or heavy customization to address your company unique business processes. The second approach would be purchasing the application, which would be very rich in its functionality: Oracle Financials, PeopleSoft, SAP. In this second case you “overpay” for the functionality you do not use and also pay for extended implementation and user training.

• Customization. You should consider balancing internal developers and external consultants. Internal development should be done by SQL programmers, web exposure – by VB.Net or C#.Net developers – you might need eConnect. Internal developers could also do light customization of Great Plains logic via Modifier with VBA. Consultants should help you with Great Plains business logic change, which requires Great Plains Dexterity programming and specification writing skills.

• Integration. In the past we saw a lot of Great Plains Integration Manager usage, today the trend is to deploy SQL scripts and stored procedures, including eConnect and its extensions (such as automatic transaction posting)

• User Training. In the case of large publicly traded company, you should probably dedicate internal Great Plains support person, who will be trained by consultant and then will provide training for end users. In this case you will avoid having consultant train the same common interface feature multiple time to different groups of users.

We encourage you to analyze your alternatives. You can always appeal to our help, give us a call: 1-866-528-0577 or 1-630-961-5918, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) – Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta MS CRM, Oracle Financials, SAP Business One and IBM Lotus Domino Partner, serving corporate customers in the following industries: Aerospace & Defense, Medical & Healthcare, Distribution & Logistics, Hospitality, Banking & Finance, Wholesale & Retail, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Placement & Recruiting, Advertising & Publishing, Textile, Pharmaceutical, Non-Profit, Beverages, Conglomerates, Apparels, Durables, Manufacturing and having locations in multiple states and internationally.
We are serving USA Nationwide: CA, IL, NY, FL, AZ, CO, TX, WI, WA, MI, MA, MO, LA, NM, MN, Europe: Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Middle East (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, OAE, Bahrain), Asia: China, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, South & Central America: Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Chili, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico

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Many of the implant recipients who had durom failure used in their hip replacement surgical operations are determining that there are difficulties that far exceed the natural expectations for recovery. These unfortunate people are feeling a lot of excess pain sensation for lengthier periods of time, expecting revision operations and increased medical expenses, and losing income by not physically being able to work at their regular jobs. Although Zimmer Holdings, Inc. is claiming that that their hip replacement implant is not conceivably imperfect and not to be held accountable for the faililng hip implants, several implant recipients are filing lawsuits against them and taking settlements.

Sometime during October, 2008 Zimmer declared that it had reserved $47.5 million to compensate for lawsuits that had been filed against them. Many docs are not 100% convinced that the implant is as good as the company says it is. As A Matter Of Fact, when Zimmer offered up on-line coaching to surgeons in order to teach them what was supposedly more precise methods for executing the implant surgical operation, half of the physicians declined to take part. Therefore, the whole situation remains to be trying for all doctors involved, but none more than the hundreds of implant recipients who are facing revision surgery because of the problems with their implant experiencing looseness from the socket.

These annoyed unfortunate people definitely deserve some help and restitution which is the reason product liability attorneys are telling them to file a lawsuit. Durom hip implants has been settling some of these claims, too. All The Same, even if the settlement they are being offered sounds like alot to them, in numerous cases poor people are settling too fast and with no provision being made for repeat issues if pain returns. Without waiting to find out what cases are actually going to be worth, individuals may find themselves incurring alot more expenses out of their own funds when further complications arise.

If your orthopedic physician informs you that you will need to undergo a revision operation to fix your Zimmer Durom hip replacement device, contact an attorney immediately.

As soon as attorney tells you that you have a case, be ready to wait in order to get the best settlement that you can get. Take the advice your lawyer gives to you and do not get impatient and demand a quick timeframe for restitution. You may end up losing a lot of money if you arent willing to be patient.

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Do you truly believe that your company’s products and services will help your prospects? Have you ever thought, “I KNOW I could find ways to help (company name) if I could just get (prospect name) to talk to me for 20 minutes!”

Why is it so difficult to convince prospects to schedule time to talk with us? There are two main answers to this question. First, dozens (or even hundreds) of salespeople may be asking for your prospects’ time. If prospects gave everyone who asked the time they ask for, they would never have time to get any work done! Second, chances are that your prospects are not just sitting around waiting for salespeople to contact them. They are focused on their own (business and personal) objectives, issues and concerns. When you contact them, you need to find some way to break through this “mental clutter”, grab their attention, and focus it on what you are saying.

This makes developing an effective “elevator pitch” the single most important step in sales prospecting. After all, what good is it to have fabulous solutions to problems if we can’t get the people who have the problems to talk to us? Plus, how many times a day are you asked, “What do you do for a living?” How many prospects (and referrals) might you uncover if you had a highly effective and intriguing answer that rolls right off your tongue?

The concept behind an elevator pitch is simple. Imagine you are riding in an elevator. The doors open and one of your top prospects steps into the elevator. You now have a very brief (thirty to sixty second) opportunity to introduce yourself and convince your prospect that they need to have a longer conversation with you. What are you going to say?

To be effective, your elevator pitch must 1) differentiate you from all the other salespeople who contact your prospects; and 2) break through your prospects’ mental clutter and grab their attention. The best way to begin to develop an effective elevator pitch is by considering the following questions:

1. Who are your target prospects? What do they do? What job titles do they hold? What vertical markets are they in?

2. How will your products and services help your prospects? How will their lives be different after they work with you?

3. What are the QUANTIFIED IMPACTS (dollars or percentages and time frames) that have been produced by your company’s products and services? How SPECIFICALLY has your company helped its customers?

Here are sample answers to these questions based upon my own company’s products and services:

Q1: Who are your target prospects? What do they do? What job titles do they hold? What vertical markets are they in?

A1: My target prospects are business owners, executives, and managers. Because I address sales performance issues, and these issues occur in all vertical markets, I do not focus on specific vertical markets.

Q2: How will your products and services help your prospects? How will their lives be different after they work with you?

A2: My products and services help my customers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance, where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales.

Q3: What are the QUANTIFIED IMPACTS (dollars or percentages and time frames) that have been produced by your company’s products and services? How SPECIFICALLY has your company helped its customers?

A3: Some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as EIGHT MONTHS.

Once you have answered all three questions, you can combine your answers to create an elevator pitch. Here is an example based upon the preceding information:

“I help business owners, executives, and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance (where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales). In fact, some of my customers have seen their sales double in as little as eight months!”

If you have never measured the quantified impacts of your company’s products and services, that’s OK – it is a new concept for many salespeople and companies. However, it is CRUCIAL that you collect some quantified impact information as soon as possible! Why? Because nothing breaks through a prospect’s mental clutter like quantified impacts!

Here are several questions you can ask yourself and your customers to define quantified impacts for your company’s products and services:

1. What BUSINESS PROBLEMS is your company especially good at solving? (Make a comprehensive list – it will provide a useful outline for your conversations with customers.)

2. How have you or your company helped a customer in a way that was unusual or especially valuable? In other words, when have you or your company really been “a hero” in a customer’s eyes?

3. What (specific dollar value or percentage) increase in revenue or reduction in expenses can the customer associate with each identified example of “unusual value”? Over what time frame was this value delivered?

In conclusion, if you want to pump up your sales prospecting success rate, develop a truly compelling elevator pitch. Make sure your elevator pitch identifies your TARGET PROSPECTS, how they will BENEFIT from using your company’s products and services, and one or more examples of QUANTIFIED IMPACTS that you (or your company) have actually produced for other customers.

A properly designed elevator pitch will help you stand out from other salespeople, break through your prospects’ mental clutter, and grab their attention. These are crucial first steps to convincing prospects to schedule time for more in- depth conversations.

Copyright — 2005 Alan Rigg

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