Valentine’s Present Ideas

Some find it so easy to pick out the perfect Valentines present while other really struggle. Should you spend a lot of money? Should you stick with flowers and candy? It all depends on your relationship and how tight your budget is. There are many great gift ideas out there, some classics and some new things that you should consider.

Classic gifts include flowers, candy, cards, and jewelry. Flowers have been a gift from men on February 14th since as early as the 1700s. These gifts you can use if you want to slide by. Women love and expect them, and they are a safe bet.

A newer version of these classics is singing cards, edible arrangements, and personalized jewelry. No longer do you have to pay $5 for a card that will be read and tossed. For $5 to $10 you can find a card that sings songs such as “Wild Thing”, “I’m Too Sexy”, and many more of your favorite lovey dovey and funny songs.

Skip the roses and send her an arrangement of chocolate dipped strawberries. The cost is the same, but she can eat the fruit instead of throwing away the flowers after a few days. If she’s not a fan of fruit get her cookie or candy bouquet.

Ten years ago you would get your wife or girlfriend a locket, bracelet, or necklace and expect her to be impressed. Now days girls want your gifts to come from the heart, your heart in particular. It’s easy to find rings, bracelets, and necklaces that can be inscribed with a personal message. If you can’t afford jewelry, why not get her a personalized charm or keychain. A simple silver circle inscribed with “I Love You” can be found at the mall for around $12.

A t-shirt with a photo of the two of you is also a great idea. Have one made at your local photo center or online for less than twenty dollars. Order early, as it can take three days to two weeks for your shirt to come in.

Now you should have plenty of great Valentines present ideas. While you don’t have to spend a lot of money, or buy the expected roses, your gift should come from your heart and be personalized.

Time Management and Preparing Presentations As a Soft Skills Trainer

All of us have 24 hrs in a day. It is all upon us how we manage them wisely. A working professional who does something other than his hard core job has to take judicious decisions to make things work for him. Time which is not properly managed will never come back. It is very correctly said “when money is lost nothing is lost but when time is lost everything is lost “. A person who is not a full time trainer and manages his business and job has to do a lot of planning to be successful in both spheres. As a trainer a person needs to make power point presentations, plan the whole speech, choose examples and other icebreaking and role play activities. It really demands a lot of time. It is not a joke. A successful trainer is one who has planned things earlier. If you take things lightly you will not get desired results. We have to surf the net for all stuffs and really do a lot of reading to be ahead of the rest of the masses. While surfing the net for reading or making presentations make it a point to first check all the mails. When you have finished checking and replying all mails. Go through the schedule which you have prepared for training so that you have an idea of how to prioritize things.

Do not chat with anyone while making your power point presentations as it distracts you. If it is really necessary talk to the concerned person and get back to work. Receive only important calls. When you are making your presentation follow a proper symmetry so that things don’t fall out of place. Following a symmetry means knowing which slide should come next. There should be a particular order. Slides should not be placed haphazardly as this shows lack of professionalism. If its a 3hrs training don’t make more than 20 to 25 slides as they are more than enough. You really don’t need to make 40 slides for 3 hrs training program. You have to plan activities and role play too, so 20 – 25 slides are much more than enough. Don’t make lengthy points, keep them short and simple and add appropriate pictures to validate your point further. Once done check your presentation and add custom animation. Keep the custom animation a little professional by choosing the appropriate ones. Once done start revising your presentation and prepare a body by writing down all important points and examples to be discussed during the actual training program. When surfing the net you will find lots and lots of data, don’t get lost in the ocean but find a shore and take what you need and leave the rest. Read what is needed and leave the rest. Don’t waste your time pondering over unnecessary stuffs that will only be wastage of time.

Now your skeleton and body of training program is ready. If you are planning role plays, plan something relevant to the topic. Please avoid deviating from the main topic. Write down all the points which you have decided for role play. Note down all activities which needs to be taken on the training day. Once done you can revise them again and again. Now more than half of your work is done for the training program. Please prepare things in advance don’t wait for the final day to come closer and then start panicking and doing a mess of everything. All training programs we take reflects our professionalism and commitment to our work. Don’t send wrong signals by delivering a messy training program. Remember people will not forget, their memory is sharp and they will never call you again.

We sometimes run short of words. This will not happen if we devote a considerable amount of time reading newspaper and magazines. When ever you get free time make it a habit of catching hold of a magazine and reading through it. Read something. For becoming a successful trainer you should be a voracious reader. Forget who are successful and why. You need to walk your own path and carve a niche in your own sphere. People should remember you and your training program such should be the impact. If you are planning to use video in your presentation choose them wisely. Please don’t cut paste anything. Video should be relevant and thought provoking.

If you want to be recognized try new activities. Don’t repeat things because a person who has attended something before, he is aware of it. You should have new content to enrich every person in the audience. Do not use the same presentation again and again. Either change the pictures or few points so that it looks absolutely new. Impart differently and see the magic happening.

Two Tips to Start Promoting Your Business Online

Everyone is trying to promote their business online – from the mom-and-pop retailer to the big-name brands like Macy’s and Sony. Don’t be discouraged by the deluge of promotions and options out there. This article is not a do-it-all guide, but it will offer you some key points on how to get started.

1. Identify Your Market- Do They Use Facebook or Craigslist?

The above is not an either/or, but it’s an example of the way you should be thinking as a business owner. Identifying your market is always difficult, but if you’ve already done this, you’ll know where on the internet you’re going to want to spend a majority of your time and money. One of the rages in today’s digital world is “social media”. While it’s necessary for you (yes, necessary!) to have a Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, don’t go overboard. Keep in mind that the majority of Facebook users are savvy youths who are keenly aware that they are being advertised to. If your services and products are for 15-28 year old’s, Facebook ads and promotions are a good place to explore. If your services and products are for those in their 30s-60s, Craigslist is a cheaper alternative. Online advertising is expensive, and in order to use this money wisely, it’s going to be best for you to target where you will get the most bang for your buck.

2. Learn Basic HTML

This is, believe it or not, easier than it seems. Take a tutorial. The reason for this is that you’re going to want to start generating landing pages for your sales and services. What is a landing page? Go to Craigslist, look in financial services, and click on one of the links. Generally, these pages will show up in the ad or pop-up when you click it. A landing page is basically a sales page that is looking to entice your audience to learn more. Design your landing page according to your target market. For teens, something flashier is necessary. For adults, something more streamlined will do the trick. Again, you don’t have to go overboard with HTML. There are plenty of free tutorials online. Most landing pages simply need a few images, color, and a title to pique interest.

These two tips go hand in hand. You’re going to start marketing. And good marketing is going to start with landing pages that are directly targeted to your audience. Unlike the luxury of a TV commercial or print ad, you’re going to have to be extremely specific. There are millions of people marketing online. Get started with these two tips and you will be ahead of the game.