Using a countdown timer can benefit your time management and concentration skills. Next time you are finding it difficult to concentrate at work, set a countdown timer for 10 minutes and focus on doing as much work as possible before it rings.
If you get on well and maintain your concentration for the 10 minutes, set it for 12 minutes next time and keep increasing the duration by 2 minutes until you find your concentration waning. If you find it difficult to focus, during the allocated time reduce the duration by 2 minutes.
You will find a simple countdown timer on many watches and mobile phones. Alternatively, you can find a useful online countdown timer here.
In a previous business to business sales career, I always built room for negotiation into our price. In other words, I added a bit on to the price, to leave room for negotiation, before presenting a quote to our clients and prospects. To my continued surprise many clients accepted the quoted price without asking for a discount.
Always ask for a discount, don’t be shy. The worst that can happen is that the supplier will say no, they’ll still be happy to do business with you at their originally quoted price, so you won’t have lost anything by asking.
Getting a discount helps keep your costs down, after all you will put your business at a competitive disadvantage if you pay more for your supplies than your competitors are paying. So, always ask for a discount.
For new entrepreneurs, without an established credit record, getting a business start-up loan can be difficult, but not insurmountable. First option is to put-up collateral for the loan. But don’t despair if you don’t own property.
Another option is to start the traditional way: building up a good credit record first. Get a credit card from your local bank, use it and pay all dues on time to establish a trustworthy reputation. After sometime, you’ll have a good credit history you may use for loans.
