Feb 17, 2009

3 Skills You Can Improve Right Now.

I wanted to share some useful advices that were contained in a Fortune Magazine pocket guide that one of my friends received, and kindly shared it with me.

Improving these business skills can have a big impact on your career:

1. Public Speaking: Conquer fear with a game plan

  • Podiums disconnect you from the audience. Grab the mike and wander the stage.
  • Eye contact is your friend. Looking at people one by one shrinks the room.
  • Questions If you're stumped, talk about your team: "We're lucky to have an expert on that. I'll get you in touch with him later.

2. Negotiating Skills: Using the right phrases matters

  • How did you come up with that number? Opens a window into the other side's thoughts.
  • Let me check with my wife. Or husband, or boss. Stops you from saying yes prematurely.
  • If things change, give me a call. Put the burden on them.

3. Memory Skills: Never confuse Mohammed with Hamed again

  • Introduce yourself first so you can focus on the other person.
  • Connect the name to your brain. When you meet a guy named Faisal, think of other Faisals you know.
  • Use the name three times. Once to confirm you have the name right, then in mid-conversation, and again when you say good-bye.

 

Warmest Regards,

Faisal F. Bin Zarah | فيصــل فهــد بــن زرعـــه

Marketing Manager | Samama Technologies

Rules for Making a Good Impression.

Among the seven suggestions: Respond to e-mails within 24 hours. And don't use business cards as cues to bombard new contacts with pitches.

cid:image001.png@01C96844.FD3789B0

 

Here are seven rules that will guarantee a strong first impression and a powerful, lasting one.

Rule #1: Respond within 24 Hours

During the course of researching my next book, I came across an interesting trend. The people who run the most successful companies are the most responsive. When I leave a voice message or send an e-mail these individuals get back to me immediately with information, whether they're at the office or traveling. One woman who oversees 5,000 employees makes it a policy to respond to e-mail within 24 hours. She says her responsiveness provides a model for her employees. If she responds quickly to employee questions or concerns, they in turn understand the importance of getting back to customers in a short amount of time.

Even if you don't have an immediate answer, acknowledge receiving an e-mail or voice message within 24 hours or less, and let the person know you're considering the request or taking action on it.

Rule #2: Greet People with Enthusiasm

When a customer or employee calls and you choose to answer, it implies that you have time to talk. Far too many people continue to multitask during phone conversations. Those of us on the other end of the line can sense it, especially when you give one-word answers to our questions and we hear typing in the background!

Give your customers and employees your full attention. Greet them like you're sincerely excited to hear from them. And if the time isn't right, be professional enough to set a later time to give them your full attention.

Rule #3: Make Eye Contact

In conversations with customers or employees, look them in the eye. I know you might love your Blackberry, but please refrain from checking your device during the conversation. Think about how it makes you feel when the person you're talking to continually takes her eyes off you to check out other people in the room. I'll tell you how I feel—like it's a waste of time to even finish the conversation.

Give customers and employees your full attention. It makes people feel as though their opinions and insights are valued. It will help you make a powerful and lasting impression.

Rule #4: Leave Smart Voice Messages

First of all, don't leave long, rambling messages with your phone number at the end. Keep the script concise. Leave your name, time you called, and phone number at the beginning. Repeat the phone number at the end, s-l-o-w-l-y. There's also nothing worse than a drawn out game of phone tag. It can't hurt to leave a specific time when you can be reached. Of course, if you leave a time, be there to answer the call!

Rule #5: Respect Contacts

A conference organizer recently told me attendees have started complaining about fellow participants who treat business cards they have picked up at booths as open invitations to cram in-boxes with solicitations. If someone gives you a card, it's an invitation to begin a conversation. It isn't permission to leave a constant bombardment of e-mail sales pitches under the guise of "newsletters." It's also not an invitation to send 10-MB files that explain what your business does.

Rule #6: Mind Your E-Mail

Speaking of e-mail, keep your correspondence concise. Time is limited. Use a subject line with no more than three to five words that grab your reader's attention. Give the pertinent information in the first line or two, and keep your correspondence to one or two short paragraphs (unless of course a detailed memorandum is expected). Also, don't forget to use proper punctuation and grammar. The spell-check function exists on your computer for a reason. Use it.

Rule #7: Remember Small Touches

When was the last time you received a handwritten note? I bet you remember it. I do. After a brief conversation with the chief executive officer of a well-known franchisor, I was surprised to receive an envelope in the mail with a short handwritten thank-you note along with several coupons for his product. The coupons were for small amounts, but the gesture left a big impression on me.

My insurance and financial planning adviser gets plenty of business from me because of numerous, small touches during the year. Several times a year I can expect to receive a handwritten note, a short voice message, or a copy of an article that I might find valuable given what he knows about my interests. None of these touches are accompanied by a hard sell, but I wouldn't consider bringing my business to anyone else.

Business is far too competitive to risk making a bad impression. But it's not that hard to make a positive one. Just think about the way you like to be treated as a client. Follow these seven rules to stand apart.

For more information about this article please visit http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/apr2007/sb20070425_158557.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories

 

 

Warmest Regards,

Faisal F. Bin Zarah | فيصــل فهــد بــن زرعـــه

Marketing Manager | Samama Technologies

Feb 13, 2009

RTM of Microsoft Dynamics Mobile - Better Than Ever

Dear all,

 

We are really proud and pleased to announce the RTM of the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics Mobile - made available on PartnerSource at 3.47pm local Danish Time today – right on schedule!

Picture1.png

This makes it the 4th time in just 18 months we finish off a version on time or prior to schedule! – an entirely unique accomplishment only made possible by a super passionate and committed team!

 

So a BIG THANK YOU and congratulations for an outstanding achievement!

 

The new version of Microsoft Dynamics Mobile is Better Than Ever by significantly raising the bar in a number of areas:

·         Tightly integrated and aligned with both the releases of Dynamics AX 2009 SP1 and Dynamics NAV 2009

·         Upgraded support for the latest Microsoft technologies (WM 6.1, Visual Studio 2008, SQL 2008, SQL CE 3.5, .NET CF 3.5, Windows Server 2008)

·         Significantly improved the quality and performance through rigorous end-2-end testing and code-optimization

·         Clearer and more appealing UI with the added support of VGA resolution devices

·         Improved implementation experience in one installer for Mobile Development Tools and Mobile Sales

 

On the 14th October 2008 we sent a Technical Preview of the new version of Dynamics Mobile to 10 ISVs. The feedback so far has been VERY positive. For the EMEA Convergence next week we expect at least 4-5 ISV solutions to be demoed using the new version – i.e. only one month after they received the bits. This is a great testimonial of the quality, technology and the committed partner base on Dynamics Mobile.

 

Today we have more than 500 partners signed up for Microsoft Dynamics Mobile and have 20+ ISV solutions. Our Mobile Sales application is available in 46 languages and we now support 5 versions of Microsoft Dynamics AX and Microsoft Dynamics NAV.  All this has happened in only 18 months!

 

Thank you to everyone who have been involved in making the new version come true!

 

Pls. download and demo our bits on your Windows Mobile Classic & Professional devices: https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/downloads/releases/DynamicsMobileVersion15.htm

 

From PAM of Microsoft

Feb 10, 2009

IIS 7.0 Features

IIS 7.0 New features

Wondering what the new features in IIS 7.0 going to be? Here you go! you can get a glimpse of IIS 7.0 in this article.


IIS7 will ship with both Windows Vista and Windows Longhorn Server. It's obvious that Microsoft has put a lot of time and effort into this release and you can expect IIS7 to be the platform of choice as soon as people can get their servers upgraded. It includes a several new functionalities with very rich integration with ASP.NET.

for details click on the link..