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	<title>themiddleshelf.com</title>
	
	<link>http://themiddleshelf.com</link>
	<description>Tips and Musings on Business, Career, Life</description>
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		<title>Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow – Or So They Say</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themiddleshelf/~3/mr5-8w5GjlM/</link>
		<comments>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/07/28/do-what-you-love-and-the-money-will-follow-or-so-they-say/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:32:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Do what you love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themiddleshelf.com/?p=681</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Do what you love and the money will follow.&#8221; ~ Marsha Sinetar
I love the optimism of this quotation, and for the most part, I believe it&#8217;s true.  If you&#8217;ve not read Marsha Sinetar&#8217;s book (by the same title), she can make a believer out of you as well.  Her book is a practical and inspirational [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Valuable Gifts for New Entrepreneurs, Part 2</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themiddleshelf/~3/N9VDWSRUK5s/</link>
		<comments>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/07/20/valuable-gifts-for-new-entrepreneurs-part-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:27:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gifts for entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holidays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small biz gifts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themiddleshelf.com/?p=661</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I posted Valuable Gifts For New Entrepreneurs just before the holidays last year.  Well, I&#8217;m posting a Part 2, just in case you&#8217;re already thinking of starting your holiday list early.   I know, we&#8217;re in the middle of summer and Christmas is not exactly what we think of especially if it&#8217;s 103 degrees outside.  [...]]]></description>
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		<feedburner:origLink>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/07/20/valuable-gifts-for-new-entrepreneurs-part-2/</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>7 Tips for Exceptional Customer Service</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themiddleshelf/~3/OsMvMOeFZyw/</link>
		<comments>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/07/14/7-tips-for-exceptional-customer-service/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:22:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Customer Service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Exceptional Customer Service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Exceptional Service]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themiddleshelf.com/?p=649</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the business world, good customer service often isn&#8217;t  					good enough anymore. Customers are becoming  increasingly  					disenchanted with the merely adequate. For them, exceptional service is the rule. Anything less, and they&#8217;re  					happy to vote with their feet and their wallets. That makes  					exceptional service necessary, not just desirable. And [...]]]></description>
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		<title>5 Steps to Convert Contacts Into Contracts</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themiddleshelf/~3/9A2g4LLP_jc/</link>
		<comments>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/07/06/5-steps-to-convert-contacts-into-contracts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:09:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brand]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[contacts to contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[landing contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pain points]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themiddleshelf.com/?p=636</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Following is a list of tips to help you, fellow entrepreneurs, best position your company to landing contracts and growing your business.
1.  Understand the company&#8217;s needs or pain point so you can ease, if not eliminate, their pain. So, who likes pain? No one.  Find out a company&#8217;s pain points externally through researching via the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Social Media Marketing Tips on How to Build Fans and Increase Followers</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themiddleshelf/~3/YUa9vJp8AiY/</link>
		<comments>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/06/30/social-media-marketing-tips-on-how-to-build-fans-and-increase-followers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:20:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Promotions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themiddleshelf.com/?p=625</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Most social media campaigns are focused on the amount of friends, fans or followers; however, oftentimes we forget that we need to increase the engagement levels of our friends, fans and followers. Surveys, contests, and promotions are all great ways to build your follower count and increase your engagement. Following are tips and ideas I [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Discovering What You’d Like to Do If you Ever Had the Time</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themiddleshelf/~3/Z4X3nUCQ5LI/</link>
		<comments>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/06/23/discovering-what-youd-like-to-do-if-you-ever-had-the-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time alone]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themiddleshelf.com/?p=615</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Spending regular time alone just to collect your thoughts seems like indulgence.  Spending time alone to nurture your vision, to express yourself creatively, to enjoy a personal pursuit that brings  you contentment and pleasure will seem &#8212; well , impossible.  Incredulous.  Impractical.  Inconceivable.  Out of the question.
&#8220;Right.  In another life,&#8221; is the usual response, along [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Marketing and Selling You!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themiddleshelf/~3/CFd-kJnMteA/</link>
		<comments>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/06/11/marketing-and-selling-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Features and Benefits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing You]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Skills]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themiddleshelf.com/?p=607</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The transition from losing a job to looking for a new one can be daunting.  It can also provide the opportunity to step back and reassess your skills, strengths and weaknesses as seen through the eyes of potential employers.  Taking a look through the marketing lens, here are valuable tips on how to market the [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>The Price Is Right</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themiddleshelf/~3/fIvt3-Bb5yA/</link>
		<comments>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/06/08/the-price-is-right/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:23:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Price]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pricing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pricing your products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small businesses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themiddleshelf.com/?p=598</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Small businesses tend to focus on marketing when launching new products or services.  But a sometimes overlooked strategy can play a key role in profit and success: pricing.
When pricing your products or services, consider these tips to set prices that say value to potential customers and help increase your profitability:
1.  Set prices that capture value.  [...]]]></description>
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		<title>4 Ways To Use Technology to Renovate Your Real Estate Business</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themiddleshelf/~3/W3RzoGVfnfU/</link>
		<comments>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/06/01/4-ways-to-use-technology-to-renovate-your-real-estate-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:30:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[real estate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real estate business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[renovate business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themiddleshelf.com/?p=585</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In 2009, it was just an ugly year for most businesses, particularly in real estate.  Real estate agents need more than connections and hard work to get back to revenues of the year past.  Here&#8217; s a number of newer technologies to improve productivity and save time.
1.  A great service to use is eFax, which [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Respond Rather Than React</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/themiddleshelf/~3/idMB1x-raj0/</link>
		<comments>http://themiddleshelf.com/2010/05/19/respond-rather-than-react/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 May 2010 05:06:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[maintain control]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[respond rather than react]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themiddleshelf.com/?p=579</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s amazing how quickly a positive attitude can be shut down by a few bad experiences and negative thoughts, isn&#8217;t it?  That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s so important to monitor your attitude and respond rather than react.
When you respond, you make a positive and constructive mental adjustment.  When you react, it&#8217;s purely emotional and rarely does anything [...]]]></description>
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