Yasir Khan Faridi Blog space

Don’t Set Goals…Until You Read This

2013-09-06T08:05:00.001-07:00

Don’t set goals…… Without taking these 14 tips into consideration!

1. Make it specific and challenging

Telling yourself, “I’m going to do my best” leaves the door open to settle for sub-par effort. Make yourself accountable, be specific and raise the bar.

2. Remind yourself that it’s going to be difficult

Two reasons people throw in the towel on their goals is because they underestimate how long it’s going to take and how difficult it’s going to be. This isn't going to happen to you will it?

3. Make sure it’s your goal

Don’t pick a goal that you’re “supposed” to choose or a goal that someone gives you. Own your goal.

4. Just pick one

You’ll be amazed on what you can do when you lock-‐in on one thing.

5. Don’t let your goal consume you

Just because I told you to pick one, that doesn’t mean to forget everything else. Don’t let your goal blind you from other important things (i.e. family, sleep, health, school, work, etc.)

6. Celebrate your victories

If you’re not careful you’re going to miss those hard-‐to-‐notice successes, don’t let that happen. Those are going to fuel your confidence along the way.

7. Have your goal in your face every day

Have a poster, a saying, picture, or anything else to remind you of your goal every day.

8. Have a finish line

Could you imagine running in a race that doesn't end? Eventually your motivation would drop, your energy would give, and your enjoyment will whither. The same thing happens when you don’t have a finish line to your goal.

9. Know your obstacles

Think about and write down all the things you’re going to face that will get in the way of your goal achievement. Do you still want to climb this mountain?

10. Have plans to combat those obstacles

What are you going to do when adversity strikes?

11. Start BIG, work small

Don’t get caught into the minute details of achieving your goal before you start. For example, some people trying to get into shape don’t begin immediately because they’re so worried about having the perfect shoes, the right watch, and ideal meal plan, that it gets in the way of them actually doing something. Just go; take care of the details later.

12. Lock‐in on the present

Goal attainment is achieved by giving your attention to the only thing you can control – doing something today.

13. Process over results

Focus on the process and let the results follow.

14. Have fun

No explanation needed.

Think out of the Box

2013-07-20T06:44:00.002-07:00

Think out of the Box

These are few questions asked in HR interview! The answers are really stunning and inspiring. Thinking out of the box! A must read...

Question 1:
You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night, it’s raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a bus:

* An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
* An old friend who once saved your life.
* The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?

This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

He simply answered:
“I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.”

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to “Think Outside of the Box.”

Question 2:
What will you do if I run away with your sister?

The candidate who was selected answered ” I will not get a better match for my sister than you sir”

Question 3:
Interviewer (to a student girl candidate) – What is one morning you woke up & found that you were pregnant.

Girl - I will be very excited and take an off, to celebrate with my husband.

Normally an unmarried girl will be shocked to hear this, but she managed it well. Why I should think it in the wrong way, she said later when asked.

Question 4:
Interviewer: He ordered a cup of coffee for the candidate. Coffee arrived kept before the candidate, then he asked what is before you?

Candidate: Instantly replied “Tea”
He got selected.

You know how and why did he say “TEA” when he knows very well that coffee was kept before.
(Answer: The question was “What is before you (U – alphabet) Reply was “TEA” ( T – alphabet)
Alphabet “T” was before Alphabet “U”

Question5;
Interviewer said “I shall either ask you ten easy questions or one really difficult question.

Think well before you make up your mind!” The boy thought for a while and said, “my choice is one really difficult question.”

“Well, good luck to you, you have made your own choice! Now tell me this. “What comes first, Day or Night?”

The boy was jolted into reality as his admission depends on the correctness of his answer, but he thought for a while and said, “It’s the DAY sir!”

“How” the interviewer asked,

“Sorry sir, you promised me that you will not ask me a SECOND difficult question!”

___

Sometimes just thinking out of the box is all it takes!
Share with your friend and give them a special moment of thinking...!!
Its long but do read, its interesting

6 Qualities of a Successful Sales Pitch

2012-10-10T01:01:00.001-07:00

6 Qualities of a Successful Sales Pitch

Even if you don't think you're a salesperson, you should learn the following qualities of a successful sales pitch, because you will have to sell your brand to achieve your goals.If you go in with the idea that you are just going to talk, talk, talk, and make the sale, it’s going to be a struggle. But if you go in with the idea that you are going to have a conversation and build a relationship with the prospect, you’ll have a much better success rate. I have come up with six simple yet effective qualities of a successful Sales Pitch, which are:

1. Confidence.

The most important factor when engaging anyone, from influential executives to potential investors in your brand, is to have confidence in yourself and your abilities. You need to be confident in your personality, appearance, skills, and overall presentation and project this at all times.

2. Preparation. You should always be prepared to represent your brand; you never know when you will be placed in a situation that might be advantageous. To be prepared is to be ready for success at all times.

3. Research. Learn about your audience-whether it's a client, manager, or investor-before you even meet them. Google their name and try to learn who they are and how you should engage them. Your audience will be impressed if you can show you're aware of their achievements.

4. Delivery. To deliver a successful pitch, remember to say something concrete, important, and achievable.

5. Speed. Sometimes you are given very little time to deliver your pitch, so make the most of it. This means you have to be ready to unleash your best ideas quickly and get to the point.

6. Follow-up. Whether you succeed or fail with delivery, there is always opportunity for follow-up. Showing that you are interested in a person or the company is seen as positive.

Your audience has to embrace your brand for you to achieve your dreams. Think of an interview as you selling yourself (the product) to a hiring manager (audience)-if you've developed a convincing pitch, you will be a valuable and marketable brand.

2012-04-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Nine Easily Avoidable Selling Mistakes

Selling isn’t complicated. When quotas get missed, when opportunities are lost, and when careers go sour, most of the time it’s because the sales pro made a tiny mistake. A mistake that could have been easily avoided.

Here’s a list of the nine most common sales mistakes, and EXACTLY how to make sure you don’t make them.

Mistake #1: Failing to Keep Your Pipeline Primed

Definition: Not having enough prospects (i.e. fully qualified leads) at the beginning of the sales cycle.

Why It’s Easy to Make: Filling the pipeline often involves cold-calling (i.e. calling people you don’t already know personally) and often plenty of “rejection.”

Why It’s a Big Mistake: If you don’t have enough prospects at the beginning of your pipeline, you’ll probably not have enough coming out the other end as real live customers.

The Unintended Consequence: You may end up spending extra time on the accounts that you DO have in the pipeline and put unconscious pressure on those prospects to buy, thereby creating resistance and EVEN FEWER sales.

Why It’s Easy to Avoid: You can easily schedule quality time for cold-calling, asking for referrals and other lead generation activities.

Mistake #2: Failing to Research the Prospect

Definition: Going on a cold call or go to a face-to-face without knowing much about the prospective customer.

Why It’s Easy To Make: Your primary job is to sell, not to dig around and find out things, right?

Why It’s a Big Mistake: You have a limited amount of time with each prospect. If you spend it finding out things that you could find out elsewhere, that’s less time you have to actually move the sale forward.

The Unintended Consequence: The prospect will know you’re unprepared and (worse) take it as a sign of disrespect.

Why It’s Easy To Avoid: You can use the web to discover where your offering fits (business need, organizational structure, etc.) before contacting the prospect.

Mistake #3: Failing to Qualify the Lead

Definition: Putting a sales lead into your pipeline without being certain that they have a need for your offering or the money to buy it.

Why It’s Easy to Make: If you get some prospects in the pipeline, your manager will finally get off your back, right? And, who knows, maybe they’ll buy…

What It’s a Big Mistake: Every second that you spend on a prospect that won’t and can’t buy is time you could be spending on prospects that will and can.

The Unintended Consequence: You’ll make a few sales… but your numbers at the end of the quarter will look like crap compared to your peers who bothered to qualify their leads.

Why It’s Easy to Avoid: Have a list of qualification question and ask them early in the sales cycle.

Mistake #4: Failing to Discover the Buying Process

Definition: Going through the sales cycle assuming that your sales activities will drive the sale from inception to closing.

Why It’s Easy to Make: The illusion that you can control the sales through persuasion and manipulation is comforting in an essentially chaotic world.

Why It’s a Big Mistake: Every firm has its own way to make buying decisions, with its own timetable for making them. When your sales activities get out of sync, you end up working a cross-purposes.

The Unintended Consequence: Surprises at the end of the sales cycle… like contracts and P.O.s that get signed late, or never get signed at all.

Why It’s Easy to Avoid: During your initial conversations, you can work with your customer contact to define the buying process. You then adapt your sales activity to match.

Mistake #5: Giving a Generic Sales Pitch

Definition: Pulling out your slides and going through a list of canned list of features and benefits.

Why It’s Easy to Make: Marketing gave you this pitch and said it would WOW the customer. And rumor is that it does work sometimes. Or so you’ve heard.

Why It’s a Big Mistake: Canned presentations are not only boring, they’re vaguely insulting. And they that you’re force-fitting whatever you’ve got to sell into something that the customer should buy, whether or not he really wants or needs it.

The Unintended Consequence: Best case, this “spray and pray” behavior simple wastes the customer’s time, but the prospect will forgive you and move on and perhaps even buy. Worst case, you can antagonize the prospect to the point where he’s not going to buy from you, period.

Why It’s Easy to Avoid: Simple. Just remember that you should never fire up PowerPoint unless you’re presenting to a room full of people… and after you’ve customized the deck to match the prospect’s requirements.

Mistake #6: Trying to Close Too Soon

Definition: Asking for the business before the prospect is convinced there is a real need or that your firm and offering is right for them.

Why It’s Easy to Make: You’re already counting your commission in your imagination, so you misread the cues that the prospect is giving.

Why It’s a Big Mistake: You end up looking hungry and like you’re really only trying to cut a deal - for your own reasons, not because you want to help the customer.

The Unintended Consequence: The sale will take longer, because you’ll need to step back and work to re-establish trust. And if you flub it again, you can probably kiss the sale goodbye, because the prospect now sees you as a “used car salesman.”

Why It’s Easy to Avoid: You can ask confirming questions. Listen to the customer’s answers carefully. If there’s still resistance, it’s too soon to close.

Mistake #7: Waiting Too Long to Close

Definition: Letting the sales process go on and on, without ever asking for the business.

Why It’s Easy to Make: You’re afraid of getting a “NO!” and finding out that the customer doesn’t really like you, even though you’ve spent all this time on the account.

Why It’s a Big Mistake: The time you spend unnecessarily on one prospect is time that you’re not spending developing another. And that’s money out of your pocket.

The Unintended Consequence: You’ll end up hustling like crazy at the end of the quarter to close… and you probably won’t the close because you missed the window of opportunity.

Why It’s Easy to Avoid: You can ask confirming questions. Listen to the customer’s answers. When you’re getting all green lights, ask for the business.

Mistake #8: Failure to Follow-up

Definition: You make a commitment to a prospect, but don’t find the time to fulfill it; or you forget to check on a customer after you’ve made the sale.

Why It’s Easy To Make: Hey, you’re busy, right? You’ve got lots of things that need doing. And there are always other deals in the pipeline, eh?

Why It’s a Big Mistake: If it’s a prospect, you just proved that you’re unreliable and untrustworthy. If it’s a customer, you just proved that you were really just trying to make a sale and “so long, sucka…”

The Unintended Consequence: You’re clobbering your reputation and making it impossible to sell to those people. And you can forget about ever getting a referral.

Why It’s Easy to Avoid: With a little forethought, you can schedule follow-up activities immediately after the contact. And schedule a series of follow-up phone calls and email to check on each customer’s status. Then do it.

Mistake #9: Forgetting to Get a Referral

Definition: Not getting “warm leads” from your existing customers.

Why It’s Easy to Make: You were told that the best time to ask for a referral is when you close the deal. That seldom works, so you stopped bothering.

Why It’s a Big Mistake: Referrals are the easiest leads to qualify and the easiest prospects to convert to customers because you enter the sales cycle without having to work as hard to establish trust.

The Unintended Consequence: You end up starting from scratch on every sale, which takes time, which means that you’ll ultimately be making fewer sales than if you had some “warmer” prospects entering the pipeline.

Why It’s Easy to Avoid: You can make it part of your regular routine. At closing, you can obtain a promise of a referral if, after delivery, the customer is delighted. Then, after delivery, you follow up, and ask for the referral.

I will grant you three wishes.

2011-12-26T03:38:00.000-08:00

The woman once freed a frog, and the frog said, I will grant you three wishes but that there is a condition to your wishes. Whatever you wish for, your husband will get ten times!"

The woman said, "That's okay."

For her first wish, she wanted to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

The frog warned her, "You do realize that this wish will also make your husband the most handsome man in the world, an Adonis whom women will flock to."

The woman replied, "That's okay, because I will be the most beautiful woman and he will have eyes only for me."So, KAZAM- she' is the most beautiful woman in the world!

For her second wish, she wanted to be the richest woman in the world.

The frog said, "That will make your husband the richest man in the world. And he will be ten times richer than you."The woman said, "That's okay, because what's mine is his and what's his is mine."

So, KAZAM-she's the richest woman in the world!

The frog then inquired about her third wish, and she answered, "I'd like a mild heart attack.

"Moral of the story: Women are clever. Don't mess with them.

Attention female readers: This is the end of the joke for you. Stop here and continue feeling good.

Male readers continue reading.

Guess what: The man had a heart attack ten times milder than his wife.

Moral of the story: Female thinks that they are so very smart.

If you are a woman and still reading this, it only goes to show that women never listen:D

There is a way to improve Your Struggling Sales Team

2011-12-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

There is a way to improve Your Struggling Sales Team

What do you do with struggling salespeople? It's a problem that's vexed almost every business, assistant managers, presidents of boards and even new start-ups.

It's simply hard to know when to pull the trigger on removing underperforming team members when it could be that the staff just needs a little guidance, encouragement, or training to get back on track. A little professional nudge in the right direction is a more economical choice over the time-consuming and expensive process of hiring a replacement sales representative. Many sales professionals would rather give their struggling sales people a chance to improve and bring their results up to company standards.

When you're trying to figure out whether your sales team can get back on track, first try these strategies I gather through my personal experience on how to lift sales team out of the profit gutter. Since i do not have decades of experience, some might find it a childish approach, but I am trying my best to share some advice through my own niche of experience. For me, there are only four simple steps to overcome this challenge.

Step One: Install a Hardcore Sales Manager

You can't have someone overseeing your sales team who is nothing more than a glorified cheerleader, you need to employ a manager who is not only willing to engage the team, but to also identify weaknesses and work directly with sales staff to overcome their challenges.

It's not somebody who can just pat somebody on the back they do only team talks and team talks aren't enough for some salespeople.

Many companies make the mistake of promoting their top salespeople to manager positions, but often the most skilled salespeople don’t have the coaching expertise needed to effectively guide a whole team.

In fact, sales representatives strongly prefer leading to come from their direct supervisor. By far unless the direct supervisor is perceived as owning that, the coaching is likely to have relatively minimal impact, at the end of the day, people don't leave bad companies. They leave bad managers."

Step Two: Implement One-on-One Coaching

The first step to improving sales is talking directly to the team to find out what struggles they are facing. What makes their jobs difficult? What could they do better? What could they be provided with to do better?

Sometimes they're very open and they tell you a lot of things, other times you will have to try a little by asking how they're managing time, what an average day looks like and to describe how they run sales call.Then he picks one problem at a time to work on to get better results. That sometimes means removing technological distractions and giving additional management support.My personal recommendation is to pair low-performing sales representatives with successful ones. This strategy was a better learning experience at my first sales job before graduation in Granton Marketing Canada.In Granton they put a sales team on a strict schedule so they are making sales calls during dedicated blocks during the day, instead of sporadically throughout all work hours. Limiting the coaching to specific groups of employees is often more effective than spreading it around the company as a whole, one should also remember that coaching is not meant to be democratic, too many managers fall back on what he calls "spreadsheet coaching," where the focus is on whether the sales staff is hitting its numbers. Instead, you should be working closely with the individual sales representatives to understand the context of the problems.When it comes to coaching, they're so focused on that number and hitting that quota, ultimately they lose sight, the way that you do that is not focus on those outcomes but focus on behaviours. Furthermore, it is very essential to bring a battle plan to help the employee assault obstacles to productivity. Often times, the problem is a lack of follow through, which leads to fizzling sales momentum. Having an action plan helps keep track of things like that which might otherwise be overlooked.

Step Three: Put Your Team on a Sales DietJ

It is kind of funny but like anyone leading an unhealthy lifestyle, a sales staff sometimes needs a "sales diet" of sorts to get some perspective on challenges.Giving struggling employees a smaller stack of calls to work through, they can gain confidence and avoid the burnout of intense extended sales pitch efforts.Then, work with them to analyse the sales calls to note areas for improvement: Do they have good rapport and conversation skills? Are they moving through the pitch at a natural pace or steam rolling right to the point?

Setting individual benchmarks can help put people on the right track to success, especially if you are forced to put sales staff on probation until performance improves. But it's important to keep a balance between realistic goals and creating too much performance anxiety.

Step Four: Looking to the Future, Hire Smart:

The best way to handle lackluster sales representatives is to not have them in the first place, or to at least identify them early.It's really important for the management team to avoid this situation, stay on top of the rep's performance, and intervene before they become the worst sales person or significantly under performing.What I believe companies need to sit down and figure out a map of the behaviours that drive success before doing any hiring. If you've got a profile of the behaviours to drive success, you'll make sure people more likely to be aligned to great behaviours. Your company's expectations should be communicated during the job interview so candidates know what company’s vision is. You can test their skills by including in the interview exercises that force them to think on their feet; or may be sending them off with a homework assignment to see how they can prepare for a big task.

But when all else fails, you may have to come to grips with trimming the sales team of dead weight.

At the end we should remember one thing “For true under performers, no amount of good coaching is going to make them better at their job”.

The Characteristics of a Master Sales Closer:

2011-12-17T03:10:00.000-08:00

The Characteristics of a Master Sales Closer:

When you are in sales, closing is as important as your sales pitch. Without the closing spiel, you aren’t assured of a sale and you might even leave things hanging. If you’re in sales as your profession then you should have a very convincing closing to end your sales pitch and ensure that a sale does indeed happen and that you haven’t wasted your time and getting no results for it. After analysing closely, I have come up with some characteristic and ingredients must possess by a Master Sales Closer.

1. Shows no fear: Never ‘pushy’ and does not resolve to hard sell. No signs of weakness and vulnerability to rejection. The master sales closer is confident and relaxed, and lets the conversation take its own course and move at its own pace. He wants the prospect to buy but understands the pace that needs to be at.

2. Not selling just for the commission: Profound genuine belief in the value of what he is selling. Matching the right people to the right product /service.

3. Never gets down on herself/himself: Knows how to control his inner critic. May use errors to improve but never as a stick to beat himself with.

4. Very organized and straightforward in asking for action: “Here’s how we will get started”

5. Understands the prospect has doubts, fears and the temptation to avoid confrontation too: A Master Sales Closer understands their job is to close sales more than anything else. Knows the prospect wants him to be firm, convinced, and reassuring to help the prospect act rather than avoid/postpone a decision.

6. Immune to rejection: Never taking questions, objections or refusal personally.

7. Come across like a consultant: Make sure not to pretend yourself to be the one who just want to sell, rather be a consultant instead.

8. Avoid all negative influences and distractions: Committed and focused on the objective

9. Master closers are competitive yet remarkably stress free: A master sales closer competes with himself and his goals, records but rarely competes against others.

10. They celebrate success: Without guilt!

10 types of most crappy interviewees

2011-12-13T03:15:00.000-08:00

How to overcome 5 major Obstacles between you and employment.

2011-12-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

How to overcome 5 major obstacles between you and employment.

There’s a term for people who enjoy the thrill of the job search: happily employed. For the rest of us, looking for a job ranks right up there on the list of things to avoid alongside root canals, traffic jams, and the plague. If you’re stuck in a job you hate, or stuck on your couch watching soaps, it’s probably because you prefer your current state of misery to the pain of job hunting. Few things in life have the power to discourage you quite like being rejected or ignored by an employer you don’t really want to work for in the first place.

It’s that feeling of inferiority that makes the job search so dismal. So what is it about you that makes you look and feel inferior? The answers are all in your head. All the negative, depressing, defeating thoughts you entertain as you send out resumes and trudge through interviews . . . they’re all true. But you can use them to your advantage, and stand out of the crowd.

1. To the employer you are nobody.

Anonymity is safe. That’s why you apply online, email your resume, and post your job seeker profile with the millions of other strangers in line at the virtual employment office. You’d much rather be ignored by a computer than rejected by an old acquaintance. But anonymous, absent job hunting is a formula for safe unemployment. If you stay holed up at home in your pajamas in front of your computer, you will never stand out to an employer.

Employers, by the way, are people. To be somebody, you need to connect with somebody, not a Web site. Spend at least a couple of hours every day connecting with real people. Wasting away the hours on Facebook or Twitter isn’t a waste if you are socializing with purpose(use Linkedin). Let people know you’re looking for work and listen to people who are looking to hire. Make lunch appointments, make office visits, and discuss your industry with people you like. This will greatly increase the chances of working with people you like.

2. Employers don’t care about you.

In time, the people for whom you work might care about your problems. That time is not now. The only concern weighing on the minds of a hiring company is the need to fill job openings and accomplish business objectives. Most job candidates have one objective in mind (usually stated nebulously and needlessly atop their resumes): get a job. But if you focus solely on getting a job, you’re probably ignoring how you could succeed at that job. Shift your attention away from you. Think about the needs of the company and how you could help meet them if you had the job. If you can imagine yourself doing the job instead of just landing it, an employer will find it much easier to imagine themselves hiring you.

3. You’re not good enough for this job.

Do you know what happens when someone arrives at being perfect for a job? They get promoted to a tougher one. Having a successful career is all about improvement. You might not have every qualification the job listing asks for, you might not be the ideal candidate. But if you have the basic skills necessary to learn the job, you are a viable candidate. Most employers will expect new hires to go through some sort of training and develop along the way. They will see your potential if you do. And think about this: who is currently doing the work laid out in the job description? Probably no one. Could you do a better job than no one? That’s the spirit!

4. That job description doesn’t sound like you at all.

Ask some employed friends to tell you their current job descriptions. If even one of them can tell you what it is, he or she probably just completed an annual review. But most job descriptions are professional BS that fail to portray what you would actually be doing. Cut through the fancy HR crap and figure out what the job is really all about. Call someone at the company (or find someone with an online presence) and ask him or her to tell you about the position. No real person talks like a job listing. A human being will give you a clearer picture of what’s essential to the job.

The main reason most job descriptions are inaccurate is because most positions evolve according to the strengths of the people who fill them and the ever-changing shifts of the company. Don’t get discouraged if the fourteenth point in the list of job responsibilities is completely foreign to you. If you can handle the main essence of the job, you’ll be fine. Stay focused on the things you do well rather than getting tripped up by the things you can’t.

5. You are entirely uninteresting.

Nobody likes talking about themselves. The people who do are usually unlikable. But the only thing worse than listening to someone boast about how great they are is listening to some self-conscious twit stammer through a wandering stream of consciousness with no direction, meaning, or enthusiasm. We understand you know your weaknesses better than anyone, but don’t force a room of interviewers to live inside your head. It’s okay, no, it’s mandatory for you to put up a polished veneer of confidence and pride in your accomplishments and qualifications.

If you’re uncomfortable focusing entirely on yourself, good. On your cover letter or in your interview, link the things you say about yourself to attributes of the company you want to work for. Show the employer what you have in common. Excite them with the parts of who you are that are relevant to the company. But for the love of all that is holy for you, be enthusiastic about who you are. You are the only one who will promote yourself. And if being a tad too boastful doesn’t land you the perfect job, at least it will save everyone involved from an excruciating interview.

Will it work? What do you think? I Would love to hear your thoughts

Open Letter to all MBA's out there

2011-12-05T05:07:00.000-08:00

Letter To All MBA’s out there

MBA's are risk averse.

Business school students are among the smartest and hardest working, but they are some of the most risk averse people in the world. Many of us were driven by fear of not having, not succeeding, and not “making it”. We’re running as hard as we can, but we’re not necessarily sure where we’re running to. Sometimes it’s best to just stop, be still, and listen to your voice within. The greatest risk in the world is not taking any risk at all.

(Most MBAs wouldn’t do this with their career unless a lot of other MBAs were doing it too.)

MBAs are some of the most underemployed people in the world.

Underemployment is the biggest issue facing MBAs and the world. Underemployment is when you’re working below your full potential. Anyone who has said they hate their job is likely underemployed. Underemployment has nothing to do with income. It’s about how passionate you are about your daily work.

Imagine having a sample economy of 100 people where 10 are unemployed and the other 90 are only 50% engaged or underemployed. 90 x 50% = 45 people being unemployed which makes it 4.5 times bigger of an issue than unemployment. In addition to being some of the smartest and hardworking, MBAs are equipped with an amazing set of leadership and business skills that position them to building teams and solve the world’s greatest problems. The sad part is that most MBAs don’t seek professional paths that tackle the world’s greatest problem. If not us, then who? Underemployment has nothing to do with income. It’s about passion.)

(It’s says all)

MBAs make you money, not happy.

I even have classmates who are unemployed right now, but it is because they would rather be unemployed than underemployed. Their self-confidence gives them the strength to hold out so that they can find the perfect opportunity instead of potentially missing it because they are caught up somewhere else. Whenever someone is underemployed, not only are they unhappy, but what they produce is not top quality, therefore the customer is unhappy, and then the company is unhappy. Everybody loses. Full employment means the perfect alignment of your passions and purpose with your profession.

Your purpose and passion are too big to fit into a single profession or job title. Your career is just one avenue to exercise and fulfill them. Under employment, unemployment or full employment. You choose.

(This guy probably think his job is the $#!+)

MBAs should focus on creating value.

MBA programs, even on-line MBA programs, focus more on capturing value (business models) than creating value. Whereas leadership is the process of taking smart risk and creating value, management is the process of sucking risks out of a business and capturing value. Keep in mind that entrepreneurs don’t love risk—they actually hate risk. True entrepreneurs are just willing to take the risk necessary to achieve a larger purpose. The Masters in Business Administration (MBA) should be changed to a Masters in Business Leadership (MBL) or Masters in Value Creation (MVC). This would change the focus of the curriculum, students, and programming. Though most people go to business school to change careers, it has the power to change the world.

MBAs are taught to believe in the law of scarcity.

I think MBAs get it from economics which is based on the law of scarcity. Scarcity of natural resources. scarcity of jobs (Get in where you fit in). Scarcity of great talent (the whole premise of business school). Scarcity of idea (someone’s going to take my business idea). The perception that things that are scarce are more valuable (i.e. MBA admissions) is killing us…literally. Mother Earth produces more than enough food for everyone in the world to eat, yet there is still starvation. Why? If the world is abundant, but everyone believes that it isn’t, then people tend to hoard or capture what they can get. People take more than they need and others are left without.

(Scarcity of food or is it?

MBAs should learn to value time over money.

The only scarce resources that really exist is your time, thus making it your most valuable resource. You choose how to spend and invest it, not your company, not your parents, not your family or friends. Anyone not in control of their own time is a __________________ (I’ll let you fill in the blank). You probably know exactly what’s in your bank account right now, but nobody knows how much time is in their time account. Whoever said time is money was all wrong. Time IS LIKE money in that you can spend it, lose it, waste it, invest it, and run out of it, but Time IS NOT LIKE money in that you can’t get it back or make more of it, or measure how much you have left. Even Bill Gates can’t buy another second of time. Everything costs time (not money). An iPhone priced at Rs.50k cost the CEO who makes approximately Rs.900k/month, but it cost the entry level employee who makes Rs.30/month. The CEO and employee are paid based on other’s perceptions of their ability to create value. We should embrace the law of abundance given our capacity to innovate and create value.

(Time is NOT money?)

So how do I find my passions?

First and foremost, I don’t believe that you don’t know your passion. It’s an easy excuse. You’ve likely been using your passion all of your life whether you know it or not, but you’ve probably never thought about it in a professional context. For example, I think Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest cricket players ever, But what if cricket was only a manifestation of his true passion? Let’s say he didn’t want to become a professional cricket player. What else could he do with that passion? I think he would make one hell of a strategy consultant, sports coach, or military general. Why? Because the same mind set required being a great cricket genius is required to be great at those other things. If he could see those careers as one big cricket ground, the transition wouldn’t be that hard. In the same way, there is no difference between someone who is passionate about bargain shopping and someone who does mergers and acquisitions for a living. It’s the same game on a larger scale. List all of your favorite activities, projects, books, movies, TV shows, and discussion topics from childhood to now. After that, ask yourself what part of this thing I loved. For instance, let’s say that you used to want to be an archeologist when you were younger. That may indicate your passion for digging for information, studying history, or comparing cultures. Once you complete this list, you’ll be able start to see patterns and uncover your true passion because all of the things you engaged with.

(Sachin Tendulkar)

Can I make money with my passion?

You can monetize any passion if you’re passionate enough and (you get) other people (to) love it too. It’s more of marketing question than a money question. The deeper you delve into your passions, the more business opportunities you will see. Don’t expect to put your big toe in the kiddies’ pool and expect to find hidden treasure at the bottom of the sea. Immerse yourself in your passions.

(Passion is like fire inside you)

So if I follow my passions, the money will come?

Not quite. You’ve probably heard the saying “Follow your passion and the money will come.” They skipped a step. It’s follow your passion, get great at it (meaning crystallize it into a skill), and then the money will come. The only difference between a professional athlete and an amateur is that they are able to replicate success at a given activity more than an amateur. Do you realize that you be great at almost anything you want if you commit to it? Unfortunately, many millennial are non-committal and self-discipline is a scare resource. But, the worst thing you can do is get great at something you hate. Breaking out of that mold is 10 times harder than starting off on the right path.

(Murder mediocrity and sharp shoot for your dreams)

What about on-campus recruiting? Avoid it!

Avoid on-campus recruiting. It creates career tunnel vision and the time line is screwed up. Have you ever been in a crowd an experienced everyone just starts running? You’re not sure why people are running, but you figure that you better run too. That’s exactly what on-campus recruiting is. Just because the companies are ready to hire doesn’t mean you’re ready to be hired. A successful on-campus recruiting season is not measured by the number of offers you get. It’s actually measured by how FEW interviews if takes for you to find your fit. Since business schools like to golf, you understand that hole-in-ones are better than bogies. There are more jobs in the world where you could create (and capture) extreme value than the limited number of ones that come to campus. Get off campus and go find them.

Don’t be recruited by a company. They will never know you the way you know you. All they are really looking for is a huge ball of clay talent to mold. You can try to fit in, but you are who you are. Therefore, recruit the company you want. Find the company that will fit you by thoroughly researching opportunities (usually off-campus). I would recruit like an archer instead of machine gun. Rather than shooting everywhere hoping something hits, I would take my time, take aim, and release. You save a lot of rejection, inauthentic conversations and stress that way. When I went to business school, I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. When I failed to position myself as an entrepreneur post-MBA due to some poor leadership choices, product delays, and lack of funding, I knew myself so well that I interviewed with one company and got the job.

(Don’t be recruited. Recruit the company you want.)

Won’t business school help me find what I love?

Business school is simply a space for you find yourself and what you love if you choose. Most people come to business school or grad school in general to hide out for two years because they hated their previous job and don’t know what they want to do yet. Everyone is hoping that business school will help them find IT, but in reality, they must find IT using business as a time and tool. What sucks is that recruiting starts right after mid-terms as if the student has had time to do real self-discovery between the time they left their previous job and started school. The problem is that grad school buys you more time, but it doesn’t guarantee self-discovery. Most people graduate from grad with a master’s degree but no mastery of self. If you know who you are and what you have to offer, you will always be able to find a place to fit and a way to contribute and create value. If you simply know your options, but don’t know who you are, the likelihood of you finding a fit is a shot in the dark.

A master’s degree doesn’t mean self-mastery. You have to make time for that just like you would a class or else you’ll end up in the exact same situation you were in after undergrad in a new company and perhaps industry with a new title making more money. I repeat, school does not promise to help you discover your passions, purpose, or profession. Maybe you’re okay with that. How is that hundreds of the world’s best and brightest all want to do the exact same few jobs? Consulting, banking, and brand management. Do you really know that is what you want to be? Why? How do you know? How many people have you talked to that do that? Do any of your mentors do that? How did you decide on this? What other (non-traditional) career opportunities did you explore? What made this one the best? Don’t lead on an employer who wants to get married when you aren’t even “engaged”. They will find out. You can only fake love for so long.

(A master’s degree doesn’t mean self-mastery)

So what should I do in business school?

Do everything you couldn’t do if you weren’t in business school. Fail BIG. Travel EVERYWHERE. Create VALUE (from scratch). Be GREAT.

Finish unfinished business.

First and foremost, do what you didn’t do in undergrad. If you’re in a good business school, you likely did well in undergrad, but if you could do it all over again knowing what you know now, you might flip undergrad a little differently. Since I finished undergrad in 2 years, I didn’t get a chance to study abroad, so that’s one thing I regret. Fail BIG while trying to create extreme value.

Usually starting a company is the best way to fail. When I say fail big, I don’t mean fail intentionally. Try to succeed. But do something that you’re not sure you can do. Stretch yourself. Even if you fail and you don’t get the outcome or income you expected, you will still have stretched and expanded your idea of what’s possible. I failed at two businesses while in business school—an online green products store and a people-based search engine. These were the greatest leadership lessons I could ever have. The process of trying to create value from scratch and building a team challenged me in a way that a classroom couldn’t. Most people in the world, even MBAs haven’t made more than Rs.100k on their own outside of a company. Try to create value (innovation) and capture it (business model) whether you intend to be an entrepreneur or not. People who have an entrepreneurial mind will lead in the 21st century because they know how to identify problems, develop iterative solutions, and execute. The world is evolving too quickly for you to think you’re going to be able to hide inside a company and take an elevator to the C-level suite without solving a major problem. Any company not solving a major problem in the world will not last and likewise, any employee now solving a major problem for a company won’t last either.

Declare your greatness.

Like I said before, you can be great at anything so why not get great at the thing that you want to be great at. Declare what you are committed to being the world’s greatest at. As talented as MBAs are, if I asked everyone in this room the question, “What is the one thing you are committed to being the world’s greatest at?” many people wouldn’t have an answer. We’ve become comfortable with “good enough”. We were good enough to get into b-school. We were good enough to get that grade or GMAT score. We were good enough to get that job or internship. But what are you great enough to do?

Take a second. Think about it. If you had to choose one thing to be great at, what would it be? If it immediately comes to mind, then write it down. If not, then write the question down until you choose an answer that resonates with you. With the exception of biological feats like the world’s tallest person, nobody in the Guinness book of world records got there by luck. Everyone made a conscious choice as some point in their lives to be the best. And no matter how obscure the thing they chose, most of them are making a living doing what they love. Now keep in mind that I when I say best, I don’t mean better. This is not a competition with anyone else. It’s all about you. You can be your best without being the best and your can be the best without being your best.

Is entrepreneurship the only way to find the perfect career?

No. I’m confident that if I wasn’t an entrepreneur, I would be perfectly fit for a leadership position in HR at a company I cared about or student life and admissions at a major university. How many people MBAs do you know would even consider that as a career option? Too many people are looking for the sexy jobs when the ones they should marry are right around them. There are more companies than the 50+ that recruit on campus and there are more paths out of business school than 5.

I’m not saying that you have to be an entrepreneur. You can also be an entrepreneur. Instead of trying to fit into a job description on a company’s website, you can propose an entrepreneurial idea that will solve a huge problem in their company or industry. We do it in our case studies in class all the time. After railing on an entrepreneur for decisions in the past (even though their company is worth billions today) we come up with these great ideas for companies that we could actually propose as jobs, not just ideas. Dissect the company or industry you want to work for and make a proposal. As long as you can demonstrate that it will create more value than the cost of your salary, you’re a go. But again, most people haven’t gone through the process of creating value and capturing it on your own. That’s why I highly recommend taking on a project or entrepreneurial venture that will allow you to explore that during business school.

(Understanding how to create and capture value will make you forever rich)

What do you think about making money and then giving back?

I don’t believe in charity as a solution to the world’s greatest problems. I believe you are the solution to world’s greatest problems. Charity is nice-to-have, but how many charities or foundations do you know have obviated them because they solved the particular problem they were created to address? I’ve heard the quote “I can’t give back to the poor if I’m one of them.” That’s B.S. Has it every cross your mind that it’s not money that the poor need—it’s actually financing for all of the million dollar ideas they’ve thought of because they’ve been undercapitalized (not poor) for so long. Bill Gates proves that even with a lot of money impact isn’t guaranteed. The world needs you now! As stated earlier, your time is your most valuable asset, not your money. You can express your passion. But it isn’t just the desire to achieve some goal or payoff, and it’s not about quotas or bonuses or cashing out. It’s not about jumping through someone else’s hoops. That’s drive.”

My final thought.
In closing, I hope that I’ve created life changing value for you. Though you’re reading this online and accessing it for free, it cost me to create this. I’ve invested years of disciplined study, spiritual practice, self-evaluation and reflection to produce this insight for you. I believe that the wisdom I’ve shared with you will bring you abundance personally and professionally, otherwise I wouldn’t have written it.

Possibly the best answers to interviewer

2011-11-30T23:30:00.000-08:00

Why are you looking for another job?

When answering this question:

Do not say anything negative about past or present employers.

Keep your answer brief - don't go into a lot of detail (the briefer the response-the more

convincing the answer).

Do not volunteer any unnecessary information.

“Have you changed jobs frequently? (Are you a job hopper?)

Work out in advance a good rationale for your moves. People do change jobs and if your reasonsare sound, say so. Don't be defensive or you’ll trigger warning bells.

Some acceptable reasons include:

reorganization (a new Manager arrives and brings in his team),

the company was in difficulty and had a massive lay off,

a major contract or customer was lost resulting in loss of sales,

the company was sold, you were offered a re-location that would have meant no

apparent opportunity,

Reasons to avoid:

did not get along with employer, other staff or customers,

did not like the management policies,

passed over for an increase in salary,

too much pressure/work/overtime,

too many arguments,

health problems,

Personal problems interfering with work.

“You’ve moved around a lot, how long would you stay with us?”

This needs preparation. If you have moved around, something along the lines of 'I'm seeking a

long term opportunity, where I can learn and develop. Does this come with the position we are

discussing?' should set the interviewer’s mind at ease.

"What sort of job are you looking for?"

Every interviewer hopes that the next candidate to walk through that door will be the answer to

his search. So many candidates sabotage their own chances by answering the above question

from their own point of view rather than from that of the company's/interviewers. The company is

only interested in how you can satisfy its needs and match its job requirements, your needs are

secondary importance.

The best way to answer this question is to follow on from the "Tell me about yourself" answer and

transfer those abilities into discussing the job in question and the contribution you can make to it.

The word 'contribute' is the magic word to a prospective employer. He/she is looking for what you

can bring to the organization. If you have done your research properly and discovered what they

do need then it will be hardly surprising when your attributes match their requirements! If you are at all uncomfortable representing yourself as the perfect match - what are you doing at this

interview?

“What salary are you looking for?”

This can be a very dangerous question. At all costs you should try and avoid being the first to

mention a number. You could sell yourself short, and miss an opportunity for a higher package or

you could price yourself out of the running. Attempt to turn the question round. For instance: 'It's

hard to discuss salary without knowing more about the job responsibilities'.

If a salary range has been tabled, relate your experience to the range without being necessarily

precise: 'I think my experience would put me near the high end of the range, don't you?' (SAY IT -

ASK IT).

“What was your salary in your last job?”

You are under no obligation to reveal information about your past salary, however you will almost

certainly be asked.

If you are in front of a recruitment consultant, tell him your salary package range. If you are in an

interview, try to put the salary question to one side. A good reply is 'I was well compensated in my

previous company but really do not wish to prejudice myself here by being too high or low. Can

we delay this until after we've looked at all aspects of your current need? Or ‘What is your range

for this job?

“Have you been fired?”

Throughout this book we have advised you not to lie. If you have been fired, a lie can look very

tempting when faced with this question. However, lying is never a wise course of action; you

would be amazed how often people are caught out. The best course of action is to present the

truth in the most favorable (but honest) light possible. Have a good explanation worked out and

tested with friends.

For instance: 'We had a change in general managers and although I had been doing a great job,

as you can see from my achievements, I was replaced by one of his former associates'. Or: ‘The

company decided to close down its Edinburgh operation and offered me a job in Wales. We

would like to stay in the area so that's why I'm looking around’.

“Can you work under pressure?”

Indicate that you can, then counter: 'How much pressure is involved in this position?' Learn what

she means by pressure. If you excel at pressure jobs, give her a few examples.

“What is your opinion of the last company you worked for?”

Stay neutral or positive, no negatives. Try to focus on situations in which you learned and/or

contributed something. Running down or insulting your previous employer will make you look far

worse than them. “What did you think of your supervisors?”

As above, whatever your true feelings, be positive. 'He was the kind of person I could learn from'.Or: 'We were able to communicate well and things got done quickly'. Never insult or mock former supervisors, it paints a poor picture of you, not them.

“What is your greatest strength?”

Recall your list of strengths and identify one that you feel would be particularly appropriate for the

position in question. Tie it to an achievement and ask: 'Is that the kind of quality that would help

you? Remember ‘Say it – Ask it’ at every opportunity!

“What is your greatest weakness?”

Look at your list of weaknesses and relate the weakness (excess) back to your strengths 'I like to

get things done quickly.... sometimes I get impatient but I'm learning how to overcome this.' Don’t

think you can get away with announcing proudly that you have no weaknesses, the interviewer

will not be impressed. And don’t declare that you’re greatest weakness is that you like to work too

hard. The interviewer has heard them all before and won’t take you seriously.

“How much do you know about our company?”

This should present no problems to the smart candidate who did their research properly.

Confidently deliver the key points about the products, sales, profits, (or losses), news or

personnel? Don’t try and prove you know everything there is to know by rambling on for half an hour. The key elements will suffice.

“Are you willing to relocate?”

Do not pause - have your answer ready, you should already know whether you are prepared to

relocate or not. 'Yes, for a super opportunity. What did you have in mind?'

“What do you not like to do?”

A very loaded question. Under no circumstances list tasks and responsibilities that you dislike,

you’ll rule yourself out of the running at record speed. A positive reply might be; ‘I'm the kind of

person who does whatever is necessary to get the job done. When I do run into something

disagreeable, I try to do it first and get it behind me. I have no particular dislikes’.

“Do you know how to motivate people?”

This is a classic leadership question. Do you know what it takes to be a good leader? In

preparation, think of the best people you have worked for and identify their leadership attributes.

Recognition and helping the people who depend on you often weigh as heavily in motivation as

monetary reward. Recognize that management skills and leadership skills are often different.

“What are your short, medium and long term goals?”

Tie your answer to goals that could conceivably be realized in the interviewing company. For

instance, if your long-term goal is to set up your own company, this may not be the best forum to discuss it. Limit your goals to just the short and medium range. Be realistic. A good reply is

orientated toward growth and achievements.

“Why should we employ you?”

You know and understand the job requirements, match them with some of your significant

achievements. This demonstrates your ability to do the job. Round your answer off with another

Say it – Ask it phrase. For instance: 'If there are opportunities to do that and more here, then this

is a great fit. What do you think?

The section above suggested approaches to some of the most commonly asked interview

questions. The section was by no means exhaustive, there are thousands of questions you might

be asked, however they do tend to focus on the same areas.

You should also consider potential answers to the following questions and you will rarely be

caught out. Even though the precise question may not appear, your thorough preparation will

ensure you can cope with any “curve balls”. Do not attempt to memorize your answers, there are

far too many questions and “learn” answers often sound too practiced and are inflexible, just

think through how you would answer them and the impression that answer would make. Beware

of the ‘easy’ questions - “Tell me about yourself” looks easy, but it is one of the most important answers you’ll ever give.

Tips for successful Interview!

2011-11-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

No matter how you scored in your graduate school, no matter how experienced you are, no matter who you know, if you aren’t able to interview successfully, you won’t be able to get the job. Following are the questions which employers may ask from you on frequent basis.

· Tell us your career goals/objectives?

· Why do you think that you are the right person for this job?

· When you are able to join us?

· How will you handle decentralization of authority?

· Have you the ability to absorb organizational change?

· Can you tackle with the failures or weaknesses in others?

· Are you a risk taker or risk averse?

· Describe a time when you resolved a conflict between two of your subordinates.

· What kind of role do you think you play for our organization?

· How you are different from other candidates?

· Do you believe that you are self-motivated?

· Describe a situation when you initiated to accomplish something.

· Any incident when you had to deal with an irate customer.

· How do you usually deal with criticism and failure?

· Why have you changed so many jobs?

· If you will be supervising people, how will you encourage them?

· Any situation where you were creative in solving any dilemma.

· Were you ever unable to complete any assignment on time and what were the reasons?

· How will you persuade your team members to do things according to your approach?

· Is there anything that I have forgotten to ask you?

Why we should hire you:

· I am an effective team player and can add value to enhancing team performance

· I can manage time efficiently and can save company resources

· I can work under pressure and can meet deadlines

· I know how to work in diverse culture organization and can resolve conflicts by implementing problem solving strategies

All of the above mentioned statements show major attributes that mostly employers are looking for, like time management skills, work under pressure, conflict management skills and a team player who can work flexibly with other individuals in a diverse culture of any organization. Besides this, you can specify all those attributes which shows how you can help the company. You can also emphasize your personal qualities like adaptability, willingness to learn, punctuality and your communication skills etc. Avoid those qualities which you actually do not possess as the employer may check your competence with another tricky question and your contradictory answer will create a negative impression on the employer. Therefore, there is no hard and fast rule to reply such questions to avail Job Opportunities it’s simply how you advocate your strengths to get hired.

Yasir Khan Faridi Blog space

Don’t Set Goals…Until You Read This

Don’t set goals…… Without taking these 14 tips into consideration!

1. Make it specific and challenging

Telling yourself, “I’m going to do my best” leaves the door open to settle for sub-par effort. Make yourself accountable, be specific and raise the bar.

2. Remind yourself that it’s going to be difficult

Two reasons people throw in the towel on their goals is because they underestimate how long it’s going to take and how difficult it’s going to be. This isn't going to happen to you will it?

3. Make sure it’s your goal

Don’t pick a goal that you’re “supposed” to choose or a goal that someone gives you. Own your goal.

4. Just pick one

You’ll be amazed on what you can do when you lock-­‐in on one thing.

5. Don’t let your goal consume you

Just because I told you to pick one, that doesn’t mean to forget everything else. Don’t let your goal blind you from other important things (i.e. family, sleep, health, school, work, etc.)

6. Celebrate your victories

If you’re not careful you’re going to miss those hard-­‐to-­‐notice successes, don’t let that happen. Those are going to fuel your confidence along the way.

7. Have your goal in your face every day

Have a poster, a saying, picture, or anything else to remind you of your goal every day.

8. Have a finish line

Could you imagine running in a race that doesn't end? Eventually your motivation would drop, your energy would give, and your enjoyment will whither. The same thing happens when you don’t have a finish line to your goal.

9. Know your obstacles

Think about and write down all the things you’re going to face that will get in the way of your goal achievement. Do you still want to climb this mountain?

10. Have plans to combat those obstacles

What are you going to do when adversity strikes?

11. Start BIG, work small

12. Lock‐in on the present

Goal attainment is achieved by giving your attention to the only thing you can control – doing something today.

13. Process over results

Focus on the process and let the results follow.

14. Have fun

No explanation needed.

Think out of the Box

Think out of the Box

6 Qualities of a Successful Sales Pitch

Nine Easily Avoidable Selling Mistakes

I will grant you three wishes.

There is a way to improve Your Struggling Sales Team

There is a way to improve Your Struggling Sales Team

The Characteristics of a Master Sales Closer:

The Characteristics of a Master Sales Closer:

10 types of most crappy interviewees

How to overcome 5 major Obstacles between you and employment.

1. To the employer you are nobody.

2. Employers don’t care about you.

3. You’re not good enough for this job.

4. That job description doesn’t sound like you at all.

5. You are entirely uninteresting.

Open Letter to all MBA's out there

Letter To All MBA’s out there

Possibly the best answers to interviewer

Tips for successful Interview!

You’ll be amazed on what you can do when you lock-‐in on one thing.

If you’re not careful you’re going to miss those hard-‐to-‐notice successes, don’t let that happen. Those are going to fuel your confidence along the way.