The City of Peace - Jerusalem
Jerusalem is one of the oldest continuously populated cities on earth. The Canaanite Phoenician “city of peace”, Urushalim, became Jerusalem after it was conquered by King David around the year 1000 BCE.
trying to live in Jerusalem has always been a bit of a risk. The ancient Babylonians, Egyptians and Persians all cast lusty eyes on Jerusalem’s riches. In the seventh century, Moslems invaded the “Holy Land” along with its city sacred to three faiths.
During the Crusades, Jerusalem changed hands frequently. After the knights of the First Crusade succeeded in breaking through Jerusalem’s walls, they massacred nearly everyone within them, regardless of religion, wiping out as many as 40,000.
Today, the Israeli and Palestinian states covet to parts of the city and Jerusalem’s bloody, violent history continues.
Since 1980, Jerusalem has been the seat of the Israeli government, although all foreign diplomatic missions are based in Tel Aviv in accordance with a UN mandate.
Three major religions coexist in Jerusalem, which naturally leads to a multiplicity of opinions. Each religious group is split and subdivided into factions and sects. There are as many as a dozen different Christian splinter groups, the largest of which is the Greek Orthodox community. This diversity of belief should contribute to Jerusalem’s attraction, but, in reality, it too often leads to conflict and violence. The incredible concentration of sacred sites draw visitors, religious or not, from all over the world.
For Jews and Christians alike, Jerusalem is the Holy City and the centre of their faiths. For Moslems, Jerusalem is the third holiest city after Mecca and Medina. It was the destination of Mohammed’s miraculous vouyage to and from Mecca in a single night. Its Temple Mount is the place from which Mohammed ascended to, and returned from, heaven.
Three architectural styles
The Old City of Jerusalem was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. It is divided into four districts. The Armenian Quarter occupies the south-west, the Christian Quarter, the north-west, the Jewish Quarter, the south-east and the Moslem Quarter, the north-east.
The wall around the Old City was built on the order of the Ottoman sultan Suleyman the Magnificent in the sixteenth century.
Jerusalem’s treasures are so numerous that only a few can be mentioned here. The most visited site is probably the Wailing Wall, a 400-metre-long section of the retaining wall of the terrace on top of the Temple Mount where Herod the Great built his great Jewish temple.
This temple was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 CE. Important pilgrimage sites for Christians include the Via Dolorosa, the name of the path Christ walked on his way to the crucifixion, and the fourth-century Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
One of the most beautiful Islamic monuments is the Dome of the Rock. Erected on the Temple Mount over the place from which the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven, the Dome of the Rock is not a mosque. The remarkable Al-Aqsa Congregational Mosque, one of the largest and oldest in the world, is located nearby, also on top of the terrace of the destroyed Jewish temple.
More than a lookout
The Mount of Olives (Hebrew: Har Ha-Zetim) is a historical hill on the eastern outskirts of Jerusalem. The ridge of hills is within sight of the Old City. The Temple Mount is actually higher than the Mount of Olives, which is just 809 metres above sea level. The Mount of Olives has great significance for all three major religions.
According to the Jewish faith, the Messiah will cross the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem before the Last Judgment takes place in the Kidron Valley. Moslems also believe the Final Judgment will take place there. For Christians, the Mount of Olives is inextricably tied to the life and death of Jesus. Today it plays a more practical role for many visitors, because its observation deck affords a stunning view of Old Jerusalem.
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Sphere: Related ContentSelling Skills
“I can’t sell”, I hear you say. Rubbish, everybody can sell. If you ever got a job, sold your car or sold yourself to another person (ie. got married or formed a relationship), you have proven your ability to sell. We sell ideas to other people all the time, we just don’t see it as selling.
The role of a sales person is to find out what the prospective client wants rather than whether the customer wants something at all. Once this is done, a sales person should then help the customer fill that need to the customers’ satisfaction. The principle skills a successful salesperson needs are:
* Putting your customers in a acceptance state of mind, making them feel at ease and unpressured.
* Showing interest in their questions or problems.
* Using opinions as selling points (both yours and theirs).
* Supplying facts and helpful information.
* Answering objections in a positive way and never becoming defensive or aggressive.
* Seeing things from the customer’s point of view.
* Suggesting additional merchandise or services.(Value adding)
* Building repeat business.
It’s important that you learn to apply these techniques, although if you apply courtesy, friendliness, honesty and you know what you’re talking about, you’re 90% there. Not very hard when you consider it.
I know of quite a few small business people who would never consider themselves sales people but have remarkable success at selling their products and services by just being themselves. Is this being a good sales person? Probably.
An old friend of mine, Ross owns a pet business in one of Perth’s trendier suburbs. He spent many years of his life working for Australia Post. It never ceases to amaze me, and his business partner, how this “untrained” person can sell products by just being himself. He is a natural salesman.
On the days he looks after the shop instead of his partner, the numbers are always up compared to when he’s not there. If you were to ask him if he thought he was a good salesman he would probably say no, but the sales figures speak for themselves.
He does it by being a friendly, nice person that loves a joke and a talk with his customers. Most of his customers would never go elsewhere because they like him. I’m sure even if he put his prices up, he would still attract the same customers because they have a relationship with him. They feel good about shopping at his store; he makes sure they do. Everybody can sell, simply use your own personality and be friendly and courteous. Treat customers the way you would like to be treated.
Top sales people make a point of remembering regular customers’ names, ensuring each time they come to the store they receive a small discount or offering other little extras like helping them to the car with their parcels. As I mentioned before with my friend, he fosters friendships with his regular customers. This fosters loyalty to the business by the customer, quite often regardless of price, because they get preferential treatment. You’ve probably had the feeling yourself when you constantly use a particular business and each time you walk in the people don’t just ask for the order.
Generally, sales people feel awkward about asking the customer for the order. These sales people will never be really successful in sales. A lot of sales are lost simply because the sales person doesn’t put the onus back on the customer to make a decision, they simply leave the whole matter up in the air which allows the potential customer to quietly drift out the door without having to commit themselves to a decision. How many times do you do this? I do it all the time and think to myself, “I’m glad nobody put me under pressure, I probably would have spent money”.
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Sphere: Related ContentTrue Laser Hair Removal
The laser we use at our presmises for laser hair removal is a genuine Polylase Alexandrite medical grade laser not an IPL, SPL, SIPL (Intense Pulsed Light). Since lasers deliver light at one specific wavelength, that which is most specific for hair, the energy that can be used is much more effective in preventing growth from the hair follicle.
You will be more effectively treated per session with a laser and will therefore need fewer sessions than with other light based systems.
Our Polylase laser uses a special cooling system that reduces the temperature of the skin during, and after laser {use|exposure}. Therefore, the laser hair treatment is usually not painful and is well tolerated.
Be sure the laser hair removal treatment you choose is with a true laser and not intense pulsed light. Most clinics cannot use a true laser, and try to claim that intense pulsed light machine is similar in results.
This treatment is suitable for both men and women and great for people that suffer with ingrown hairs.
The requirements to own and operate lasers in Australia is highly regulated this is why we are one of a few clinics who are fully licensed. At Image by Laser our safety net to our clients is that all our Laser operators for hair removal are fully licensed and accredited through Queensland Health.
Consultations are Free…..Results Priceless. To make a booking for a free consultation, and more information including video’s on our laser hair removal website.
Sphere: Related ContentThe City of Seoul - South Korean Capital
Over 20 million Koreans live in and around Seoul, yet it is one of few a cities that has successfully preserved its buildings from the past and integrated them into the skyline of a growing global city.
Seoul is loud and bustling, as befits one of the most densely populated metropolises on Earth. Lines of cars and throngs of people press their way through the cavernous streets. Oversized illuminated advertising marks the way, selling products in a foreign script. The subway system is Seoul’s new and perfectly organized underworld. In the midst of all this chaos, visitors may suddenly come upon an oasis of stillness in one of the country’s numerous temples, parks and pavilions.
City on the river
Seoul was founded in 1394, following the demise of the Koryo Kingdom (1392). Its progress was long associated with the rise and success of the Choson dynasty (1392-1910). After searching for a suitable location for his city, King Taejo, better known as Yi Seonggye, decided on the north bank of the Han River. A small village named Hanyang was the only settlement in the area at that time. The name of the renowned Hanyang University, one of over 300 institutions of higher learning in Seoul, recalls that small village.
A modern sports city.
Contemporary Seoul came into existence during the first half of the twentieth century, and largely through the influence of the Japanese. The old city wall gave way to modern buildings, with only the ancient city gates preserved. After the catastrophic Korean War (1950-1953), nearly all of Seoul had to be rebuilt.
From that point onward, Seoul grew at a very rapid pace. The city underwent massive changes, at times with little planning and consideration of their long-term impact. Trams ran until 1968, only to disappear almost overnight. They were quickly replaced by an underground subway system. The economic upswing of 1988 that followed in the wake of the Seoul Summer Olympic Games was a boon to the cultural, financial and sporting life of the city, and the sports world again turned its eyes to Seoul in 2002, when the FIFA World Cup football championship was held here.
Kings’ palaces with curious names.
But Seoul is much more than a showcase for sporting events. it is the cultural heart of South Korea, where universities, theatres, museums and more abound.
When Seoul was founded in 1394, the Gyeongbokgung (Palace of Shining Happiness) was the first royal residence built. Happiness did not, unfortunately, shine on the palace and its inhabitants forever.
Serfs burned the palace to the ground in 1592, and the death of Queen Min in 1895 led to the relocation of the royal family to Deoksugung (Palace of Virtuous Longevity). In 1997, the Changdeokgung (Palace of Prospering Virtue) was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It was built as an addition to Gyeongbokgung, and was the only structure destroyed in the 1592 uprising that was immediately rebuilt. Until 1872 and again from 1907 to 1910, it served as the seat of government of the Korean kings. The Secret Garden of Biwon is also especially worth seeing. The impressive burial cairns of King Sejo and his wife Yun Chon-hi are located there, just 30 km north of the city.
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Should you outsource sales management – the key considerations
No matter how great your product or service is, if you don’t have people using and buying what you produce, you go out of business. So how do you set up an efficient sales and marketing machine, on a limited budget? Do you have experience in sales management? Would you know how to maximize the potential of a good sales person?
So why is it important to have someone with sales management experience in a company? Those of you with sales experience will know the answers, however, if you do not have experience in sales, let me ask you the following questions; Low risk – low cost – high return!
Would you know the characteristics of a good sales person?
Can you easily spot when someone is telling you a lie?
If a sale was dragging on, would you know what questions to ask to find out why?
Have you ever been paid commission, do you think sales people are overpaid?
If a sales person was not performing, would you fire them and get a new sales person?
How would you define not performing, in the previous question?
Have you ever used and do you understand the value of a sales process?
The answers to questions like these come as second nature to an experienced Sales Director or Manager. Over 90% of the most successful companies in the world have experienced sales directors on their management board.
But what if you don’t have global ambitions, or just can’t afford to hire a full time sales manager? And even if you did want to hire one, how could you be sure that the person you hired would be worth the money?
How do you make the case for sales management outsourcing?
Like any purchasing decision, you need to ensure that you get value for money. If you bear in mind that the reason you would even consider investing in sales or marketing in the first place, is to increase revenue and profit, then do these calculations first.
How much additional revenue do you wish to generate, and by when. What is your margin on that? How much profit does that put in your pocket?
Now how much of that are you willing to spend? One of the issues apart from the loss of time and cash flow in making a mistake in hiring is the actual cost of hiring fees and monthly base salary. This is a cost even before a single additional sales is generated.
If you could get the sales execution focus of a sales director for a fraction of the monthly cost of a full time hire, paid them on performance and have the ability to part company on a month’s notice, without any employer liability – would that not be attractive.
If you said yes – than that is the beauty of outsourcing your sales management function.
Low risk – low cost – high return!
What do you get when you outsource sales management?
On a weekly basis, the sales manager will speak with the sales team, to determine the status of your sales opportunities. Everything in that meeting will be focused on closing sales, or ensuring opportunities are moving along the pipeline. The key advantages of this are as follows:
Identification of strengths and weaknesses amongst your sales team, whatever the size, ensuring you are maximising return for your spend
Shorten sales cycles, thus increasing revenue and cash flow
Optimise the time your sales team spend on given opportunities, so that they can spend more time closing profitable opportunities
Accurate information, based on sales both won and lost, which can be used by product planning and service teams.
Ongoing coaching and training based on your real opportunities, which makes your team the envy of the industry, and thus enables you to attract the best.
Identification of a team member who can take over the role of sales manager, so that you promote from within, which is fantastic for morale and motivation.
Several companies are already outsourcing their sales management function to 3R Sales and Marketing, for further information, take a look at sales management outsourcing.
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This article was written by Peter Lawless, founder of 3R Sales and Marketing. For previous articles like this, visit 3R’s Articles. Alternatively, subscribe to Success our free monthly Information Bulletin with sales and marketing articles.
Source: http://www.articletrader.com
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