Thursday, July 12, 2012

To See Ourselves

A well known Scottish poet of the 18th Century, Robert Burns once wrote:
"O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!"
(O would that some power gave us the ability to see ourselves as others do)
Admittedly he was writing rather unkindly about an insect seen on a Lady's bonnet at church but the truism is stated very clearly. Very few of us actually have 20:20 vision when it comes to ourselves. In fact self deception and illusion often appears to be the order of the day.
A question often asked is how does one rate oneself. For many people there are a whole host of criteria that contribute to one's own assessment of oneself. These may include some or all of the following and more:
Looks
- Am I good looking / beautiful
- Am I slim / muscular / fat
Intellect
- Am I bright / dim
- Are my grades A or F
- Do I grasp concepts easily/ have difficulty
Sports
- Am I sporty / not sporty
- Can I run fast/ not fast
- How well do I do Swimming, Football, Hockey, Basket Ball etc.
Personality
- Am I interesting / Dull 
- Do I have many friends / Few friends
Am I
- Energetic
- Trustworthy
- Chatty
- Honest
And so on.
The simple fact is that most people will not confront all these facts about themselves. Either they cannot truly assess the situation, or they deceive themselves or do not really want don't want to know.
But now there is an opportunity for your friends and acquaintances to tell you truly what they really think of you. They will be asked to rate you on 6 scales so none is too personally threatening and yet gives a true picture of how others see us.
Most of the Social media sites could have the ability to deliver this information albeit not very clearly. The other thing is that most of the "friends" one has on Facebook, for example, cannot even be rated as acquaintances. The chances are good that 80% or more of these people one has either never met or are likely to meet, or haven't seen or actually spoken to in ages. So rating one's self esteem by the number of Facebook friends or Twitter followers or visitors to one's Myspace page is not a true assessment at all.
Here's a place you can go where there is no pressure, you can meet as many or as little people as you want.  a place where everyone is striving for the same goal, SUCCESS.   To find out more about this place take a look Here.http://bit.ly/My6pva 

Michael Stanley

The Agony Of Being Double-Minded With God

Double-mindedness is cause for agony in any arena:
  • Who wants an employee who has never decided to kick it in 100% with the company?
  • Or someone on the athletic team who is half-hearted?
Having our affections divided between God and the world is like a guy standing on two chunks of ice that are floating in opposite directions. Disaster is imminent!

Here's how Francois Fenelon addresses this business of double-mindedness:

"Woe unto those weak and timid souls who are divided between God and their love for the world!

"They want and they do not want.

"They are torn by passion and remorse at the same time.

"They fear the judgments of God and those of others.

"They have a horror of evil and a shame of good.

"They have the pains of virtue without tasting its sweet consolations.

"O how wretched they are! Ah, if they had a little courage to despise the empty talk, the cold mockings, and the rash criticism of others, what peace they would enjoy in the bosom of God."

"There is only one way to love God: to take not a single step without Him, and to follow with a brave heart wherever He leads."

James cautions us that a double-minded man "cannot hope to receive anything from the Lord, and the life of a man of divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn." (James 1:7, 8; Phillips)

So, if you are struggling with a divided heart, you may want to pray this prayer:

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." (Psalm 86:11)

Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotionals.

Be sure an visit The Corner Market-ing Blog.

Michael Stanley

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Looking To God

"Looking unto Jesus." Hebrews 12:2
It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus." All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all." Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "looking unto Jesus." Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.

"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name."
Morning and Evening.
"Enjoy Your Coffee"

Michael Stanley, The Corner Market-ing Blog

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Tips To Create a Strong Online Presence

Just as technology is advancing, our means of communications are also making way with others & the public. The television and radio have been the two technological mediums that were used by the companies to market their products and services to their targeted audience. But, since the Internet has been brought to selves, the way of information sharing has dramatically changed and is reaching every nook & corner of this world. It has helped businesses to advertise their products and services directly to their targeted audience. Today, the web world is resplendent with lots of online platforms like social media platforms & websites that have been helping many companies increase their ROI and business.
According to some recently conducted research, it is divulged that over half of all U.S. residents and more that 3/4 of all U.S. adults love being online and cater to their different needs. A recent study claims to have found that 92 percent of online adults utilize search engines with a view to finding information on the Internet, including 59 percent doing so on a typical day. Out of these every day searches, 46 percent relates to products, or services information searches. 89 percent Internet users in the U.S. do research online ahead of making any purchase, whether they buy it from a local business. With an astonishing number of potential customers and people online, it's crucial for companies to possess a profound web presence so that they cannot fail to benefit from business and opportunities available on Internet today. Below are given top five ways to create strong online presence.
  1. Website - It helps companies to post essential information with regards to their products and services. Through this, users can learn what a company offers.

  2. Blogging - Blogging today has become one of the best platforms. Around 65 percent of daily users of Internet are the blog readers. The constant and frequent update of a blog means growing traffic and business.

  3. Facebook - Facebook allows companies to easily offer updates to followers and get interacted with users through comments.

  4. Twitter - Twitter accounts let companies share fast industry or company news, as well as blog posts to followers.

  5. LinkedIn - A company's LinkedIn profiles allow businesses to get connected and linked with other professionals and set themselves up in a professional way. They also offer status updates on company or industry blog & news and Twitter updates to its followers.
Setting your company up on the Internet let your business develop its online existence and get to potential customers. Websites provide users with information that helps them make an informed decision with regards to purchasing products and availing of services.  That's all for now, "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog 

Michael Stanley

Jesus Found Him

"Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?"                                       John 9:35
 
JOHN 9:35

It is one thing to seek God; it is quite another thing to have God seek you. Jesus sought this man out when others had forsaken him. The acceptance of Jesus is worth more than everything this world has to offer This is what enables the believer to endure and even leap for joy amidst persecution.

When our sufferings in Christ abound, then the consolation of Christ abounds much more. Notice that this man's parents, who knew the truth, but refused to share it for fear of persecution, did not have Jesus seeking them out (Jn. 9:22). They chose the company of the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, which is exactly what they got.

Even though the believer is redeemed and delivered from many afflictions that were a result of sin and its power, we are still called to partake in what the scriptures call the "sufferings or afflictions of Christ" (2 Cor. 1:5; Col. 1:24). However, these afflictions are not sickness and poverty as some religious teachings suggest. These afflictions are described as the "fellowship of sufferings" that the believer will encounter for doing the will of God, or the sufferings brought on by one's allegiance to Christ.

Persecution for righteousness' sake is not something that we can rebuke (2 Tim. 3:12). We must remember that as we live godly lives, suffering will follow. The Apostle Peter reminds us that these trials of our faith will result in praise, honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:7). Jesus' comfort, strength, help, and love are ready to "overflow" into every "trial" that we face if we will only look to Him (Heb. 12:2).
"Enjoy Your Coffee"     by Andrew Wommack 

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog 

Michael Stanley

Friday, June 22, 2012

He Shall Build The Temple Of The Lord

"He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory." Zechariah 6:13
Christ Himself is the builder of His spiritual temple, and He has built it on the mountains of His unchangeable affection, His omnipotent grace, and His infallible truthfulness. But as it was in Solomon's temple, so in this; the materials need making ready. There are the "Cedars of Lebanon," but they are not framed for the building; they are not cut down, and shaped, and made into those planks of cedar, whose odoriferous beauty shall make glad the courts of the Lord's house in Paradise. There are also the rough stones still in the quarry, they must be hewn thence, and squared. All this is Christ's own work. Each individual believer is being prepared, and polished, and made ready for his place in the temple; but Christ's own hand performs the preparation-work. Afflictions cannot sanctify, excepting as they are used by Him to this end. Our prayers and efforts cannot make us ready for heaven, apart from the hand of Jesus, who fashioneth our hearts aright.
As in the building of Solomon's temple, "there was neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron, heard in the house," because all was brought perfectly ready for the exact spot it was to occupy—so is it with the temple which Jesus builds; the making ready is all done on earth. When we reach heaven, there will be no sanctifying us there, no squaring us with affliction, no planing us with suffering. No, we must be made meet here—all that Christ will do beforehand; and when He has done it, we shall be ferried by a loving hand across the stream of death, and brought to the heavenly Jerusalem, to abide as eternal pillars in the temple of our Lord.

"Beneath His eye and care,
The edifice shall rise,
Majestic, strong, and fair,
And shine above the skies."
Morning and Evening.

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog  

Michael Stanley

Building An Email List With Free Keyword Sources

When seeking the answers for how to build an email list one of the first tasks that requires to be addressed is the need to attract targeted traffic to your website and blog. You can then offer a free inducement in return for the prospect to sign up to your email list. So it is very important to find the most suitable keywords that will attract a targeted group of online searchers.
Remember, an email list is at the heart of a successful niche online business and it is where the value is found. Build a responsive list and you will have a well to tap into when you want to boost your online income. So what keyword tools are freely available to help you help find the best targeted keywords to build your email list?
Google should be your first place to look and it offers several different means to search and locate the keywords that will best work for the niche that you are targeting. The Keyword Tool is simple to use where you can find the exact search terms people are using to find information, how many are using these per month, how competitive the term is with advertisers and also the ability to get exact or broad matches of the keyword. You don't need a Google account to use this facility and this should be used on a regular basis to check that you are only using keywords and phrases that are regularly used by the niche itself.
The next free service offered by Google to find keywords to help build your email list is called Google Trends. Once you have some keywords you can check out their search history. This facility provides data for the last five years giving you an idea if the search term is consistent and whether it is seasonal and in which countries it is most used. This is a valuable tool to check the potential fluctuations in demand for information and products and to ensure that the interest is not slowly dying but showing consistent search statistics.
Whilst you are using these two facilities, don't forget to sign up to Google Alerts. This is a very convenient method to stay in touch with what is hot in your niche market. All you have to do is enter the most popular keywords and phrases and Google will send you links via email to new content, stories etc. You can select the different formats such as news, web, blogs, video and groups. From this you can keep abreast of what is happening and which niche keywords and phrases are presently being used to undertake searches for information.
As you can hopefully see, with a little effort yet no expense, you can source an incredible amount of free research information about your niche and really target your audience with the exact keywords and phrases that are most popular, and also the ones that have a reasonable amount of traffic but are not being targeted so much by other information marketers. This then offers an opportunity to create unique content based around keywords and phrases that match the exact searches terms being used. By regularly creating such content, you will be able to enjoy a constant stream of targeted traffic to your website and blog, and thus steadily building an email list.  "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog  

Michael Stanley

Monday, June 18, 2012

Be A Smart Suscriber

So how many times have you seen someone offer you a
free trial of something or other, but to get started
you need to provide a credit card number, or use your
PayPal account to sign up.

A lot of services or products even ask that you pay
ONLY $1 to start any sort of trial and act as if you
are getting an incredible value.

But what they are really doing is getting your credit
card number or PayPal account locked into their auto
re-billing feature and hiding behind their real motive
simply by telling you that it is for your convenience.

It is a well known fact that many people who offer
products or services are making more money due simply
to people forgetting to cancel these auto re-bills.

Now I'm not in any way speaking for all marketers.
Many do in fact provide great value and are trying to
make things easier, but it is also an overly abused
marketing tactic to make the product or service owner
a lot of extra recurring income.

You see a lot of unethical marketers know that most
of the time you will forget about the trial and a few
months later you will finally notice that you have been
charged XX dollars every month.  Guess who makes a pile
of money that way.  That's not cool man.

So it is something to watch out for when signing up
to any free trials of anything.

On a total flip side, here's an example of a guy who
has an insanely good free trial offer, but you don't
have to give your credit card or PayPal account up
front.  It's just a free trial, because he believe it
works and is not hiding behind anything!

  Go Here For Your Trial
 
It's a no obligations 90 Day Free Trial of what's
called the Smart Subscriber marketing system. His name
is Ian and he's been an online marketer for over a
decade and claims he will make you money through
affiliate commissions just to prove his service is
worth paying for!

With no credit cards or PayPal account stuff upfront,
I'd say that's a pretty rock solid and safe free trial.
"Enjoy Your Coffee"

Go Here For Your Free Trial

Michael Stanley 

How To Make Money Everyday

There are many ways to make money, most require that you work for it, some may inherit wealth, and on rare occasions it is the result of an unexpected windfall. However the development of the internet has changed all the rules and what was possible in a lifetime is now possible in a very short time. The idea of working smart, physically hard, and building an empire over a lifetime is a thing of past generations, and it is becoming more common for huge wealth to be generated by peoples of all nations and all ages, in fact there are more and more instances of teenage millionaires making their fortunes from their bedroom before graduating from secondary school using the power of the internet.
In economic terms the world is described as being flat purely because every body now has the same access to the same playing field. Any body can access goods from any part of the world and market those goods to the rest of the world. For example a business in Australia can source goods in Pakistan and on sell those goods to Sweden or any combination of any sales events to or from any place on the planet, the corner store is truly only a mouse click away.
The reason the majority of people who aspire to make their fortunes is not because of the lack of desire, the ability to work hard in their chosen profession, or the commitment, it is simply because they cannot identify opportunity or a niche in the market place, or do not have the knowledge, or the access to a mentor to guide them. The internet has changed all of this. Access to information has never been better, the ability to be educated on any subject or hobby, is now at your fingertips, for the aspiring online home money maker the world is your oyster and it is their for the searching.
The beauty of the internet is that any body can participate and still be relatively anonymous and afford the privilege of a private life, the internet never stops and opportunity continues every day of the week, 24 hours a day every day of the year. This brings us back to the position of recognising opportunity, sometimes when it is obvious to all who are looking, or any that may stumble in the right direction.The purpose of this short essay is to encourage all who aspire to better themselves and their lot in life is to take action and recognise a purpose in life, for to do nothing is committing to doing the same and achieving the same results.  
"Enjoy Your Coffee" 

Learn How I Instantly Tripled My Traffic!

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing

Michael Stanley

Abraham's Children



"I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you."
                                                                                                      John 8:37
JOHN 8:33-38
The Jewish people were direct descendants of Abraham. However, as with so many biblical truths, there was much more to the Abrahamic covenant than what a casual glimpse would reveal. In truth, these Jews were not actually a part of the spiritual children of Abraham.

The Holy Spirit revealed through the Apostle Paul in Galatians 3:16 and 29 that God's covenant was to Abraham and his singular "seed" or descendant, which was Christ. No one ever became an heir of God's promises through his natural birth. Before Jesus gave Himself as an offering for our sin, the Old Testament saints were justified by faith in God's promises concerning the Messiah who was yet to come. After Jesus' death and resurrection, New Testament saints are justified by faith in what Jesus has already accomplished. No one has ever been saved because of who his parents are.

Those who have been born again through faith in Jesus have been circumcised in their heart (Col. 2:11-12) and are the true Jews. They aren't Jews in nationality or religion, but they are the true people of God. Gentiles who are united with Christ in the new birth are now God's people. Anyone who is saved through faith in Jesus is now Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:16, 22, 26-29). This leaves no doubt that the Church is now God's chosen people on earth. This does not mean that God has forsaken the Jews. There are still prophesies which apply to the physical nation of Israel which will be fulfilled. However, the New Testament Church, composed of Jews and Gentiles, is now God's kingdom on earth. We are all His.  "Enjoy Your Coffee"   by Andrew Wommack

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing

Michael Stanley

Blog Success: Syndicate Your Content In Seconds!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Time Management Is The Key To Affiliate Marketing Success

If you are new to the affiliate marketing business, you will be searching around the internet for information on how you can get your business started. The problem is that there is too much information on the internet and you do not have the luxury of time to go through all these information.
There is too much junk and inaccurate information on the internet and you will want to make sure that you are getting access to the right information so that you will know the right action to take. The first thing that you want to do is to make sure that you are following a system that is proven to work for many people.
Once you have decided on the system that you plan to follow, you will want to make sure that you have the discipline to follow the system and do all the required work in a systematic order. Almost all the proven system will provide you with the step by step instructions on how you can get your business started in the right direction.
Thus, you will need to ensure you manage your time properly. Most of the people who started this new business have a full time job and they have other commitments. Before you even start this business, you will need to decide on the amount of time that you are willing to commit to your business on a daily basis.
If you are still looking for business that does not required any commitment of time and effort, then this business is definitely not suitable for you. However, once you have decided on the amount of time each day that you are willing to commit to grow your business, you will need to make sure that you are using the time productively.
For example, if you are willing to commit one hour per day to grow your business, you will need to make sure that you are using that one hour wisely that will help you to grow your business to the next level. Spending the time on reading eBooks, watching videos and reading forums is not being productive at all as you have not taken any action to grow your business to the next level.
If you only have 1 hour daily, you will need to plan in advance the list of activities that you need to do daily so that your business will be progressing daily. Here are the following activities that you should be focusing:
- Learning and taking action on how to set up your own website live
- Learning and taking action on how to use the autoresponder
- Writing useful content that will drive more traffic back to website
- Starting and managing your marketing campaign
- Focusing the majority of time on marketing activities once website is live
- And much more
One of the most important things you need to take note is that you are not in a race with anyone. You need to understand that everyone progress at a different pace and if you are completely new to this business, you will need to be more patient. The most important thing is that you are committing the time daily to grow your business.
Thus, it is very important that you manage your time wisely and the correct activities so that you will get results. Remember this quote:
"Today's Results/Progress Should Be Better Than Yesterday's Results/Progress"  "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog  

Michael Stanley

Amazing Grace

"They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?"              John 8:4-5
 
JOHN 8:1-11
This was possibly the most potentially damaging temptation the scribes and Pharisees ever presented to Jesus. Much of Jesus' widespread popularity with the people was because of His examples of and teachings about God's mercy and forgiveness towards sinners. This was received with great enthusiasm by the people who, before this time had been presented with only a harsh, legalistic, judgmental picture of God.

The scribes and Pharisees had often tried to portray Jesus as condoning or practicing sin because of His association with sinners and His ministry to them when it violated Jewish traditions, such as the Sabbath. However, Jesus had successfully turned every attack into a victory for the side of grace and mercy.

This time, the Jews felt that they had Him "cornered." If Jesus held to His teachings of forgiveness and refused to stone this woman, He would be in direct rebellion to the law of Moses. This would give these Jews legal grounds to kill Jesus. On the other hand, if He stoned the woman as the law declared, the people would forsake Him. It looked like they had Him trapped either way He went.

As always, the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and Jesus rose to the occasion. He did not condone the sin nor disregard the law of Moses. He simply told the one who was without sin to cast the first stone. As the Holy Ghost began to convict them of their own sin, they all had to leave. They, therefore, could not fault Jesus for not stoning the woman. Jesus was justified in His forgiveness of this woman because He was operating under the dispensation of grace. Think about God's grace today.   "Enjoy Your Coffee"   
by Andrew Wommack  

Michael Stanley 

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

5 Affiliate Marketing Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes

Affiliate marketing can be highly profitable and the best thing about it is that you don't need a product or advanced shopping cart system to make money online. Affiliate marketing is all about recommending someone else's product and receiving the commissions.
While the concept is simple, people usually make some mistakes that rob them of affiliate success. Let's see what the most popular mistakes are and how to avoid them:
1. Lack of solid strategy
Most people just run from opportunity to opportunity looking for some kind of magic button that will make them rich in an instance. Sorry, that's not going to happen. You need to develop a strategy and then focus on it. Does a word persistence tell you anything? Find a good course, develop a plan, make sure that it is aimed for long-term results and then stick to it. I know, it sounds like work. But who said affiliate marketing isn't work?
2. Not having a website and opt-in list
Your website is your property. Setting it up is not hard with technology we have today. Use WordPress. Get your own domain. Stick to one niche, of course. And then set up an optin form. Website SEO should be an important part of your strategy. Yes, setting up a website won't guarantee you 1000s of daily visitors on autopilot. You'll have to work on that. But imagine having a list that is growing daily and brings you steady monthly income. It's definitely worth an effort.
3. Promoting everything under the sun
Ok, don't be shocked. Have you thought of buying the product you're promoting? You should. Get it, read it, use it. See if it's good. If it's good - recommend it. You won't have to sell it, just write your own review and results. If it's bad - get a refund and move on.
Develop a collection of high-quality golden products. There should be no more than 5-7. It would be perfect if they would be complimentary and not in direct competition. Then just promote them on the constant basis on your website and to your list.
4. Failing to track
How do you know if you are successful or not if you don't track your results? Track everything you can. Use Google Analytics for your website and study your visitors pattern. Track your clicks. Track ads. Definitely track your affiliate program performance. Based on your finding you will be able to improve your strategy and get more profit.
5. Failure to invest
Affiliate marketing is a business. And it requires investment. You need to invest in domain, hosting, good autoresponder, but most important - invest in knowledge. Find solid programs and study them. Learn from others. Study different strategies, combine them, and apply them! Treat it like a serious business. Only in this case it will bring you serious income.  "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog

Michael Stanley

Monday, June 11, 2012

Rebirth

"Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?"
                                                                                                    John 7:19
JOHN 7:16-19

These Jews prided themselves on their observance of the law, but they were keeping the letter of the law and missing its true intent. The greatest of all the Old Testament laws was to love God and then to love your neighbor as yourself. The Jews were violating these laws by having hatred in their hearts toward Jesus and wanting to kill Him. They denied that they desired to kill Him, but the scriptures declare that they had already plotted or tried to kill Him three times.

They also knew much about God. It was required of the Jewish men to memorize large portions of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Their whole society revolved around God's moral standards and countless religious observances. However, they did not know God.

There is a difference between knowing about someone and really knowing them. Likewise today, millions of people are acquainted with knowledge about Jesus. They may even be moral and observe religious ceremonies, but if they don't personally experience knowing Jesus, they are not saved and will not make it to heaven. Even the devils believe and tremble but they aren't saved.

Our spiritual man became dead unto (separated from) God through sin. Just as we didn't accomplish our physical birth, we cannot produce this spiritual rebirth. We are totally incapable of saving ourselves, therefore, we need a Savior. We simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and we are saved.

Salvation is not a reformation, but rather a regeneration, a new birth, a new creation, that can only be accomplished by a creative miracle of the Holy Spirit. You must be born again.  "Enjoy Your Coffee"
by Andrew Wommack 

Michael Stanley


Team Building Activities Need Not Be Boring

Hear the phrase "team building" and immediately your mind conjures up an image of a conference room where executives are gathering employees to conduct a boring meeting or telling them about the importance of building coordination within team.
As a manager, you have a tough job of balancing roles between a captain, part psychologist, cheerleader, friend, coach and visionary. You may need to go for team building activities to rekindle their inspiration and get them going.
But do you see your employees groaning when you say the word team building? That is because it has been boring till now! Don't limit your activities to just the bored, oops, the board room! Venture out with your employees with these fun activities to see the wonders they can do for your team!
Helium stick
This is a simple looking game but it really isn't so. Line up your employees in two rows facing each other. Tell them to extend their arms and point out their index fingers. Place a long, lightweight rod on their index fingers. Ask the group to keep the stick horizontally balanced.
The team has the challenge of lowering the stick. At all times, all the group member's fingers should be touching it. However, mysteriously, the stick will instead go up because of the upward pressure of the index fingers! The team has to communicate to gradually bring the stick down.
Mine field
Objects are put in random places in an outdoor or indoor setting. Objects such as bowling pins, balls, bags and even furniture in an indoor setting, act as mines. The person has to guide his/her blindfolded partner so they can avoid mines and reach the other end of the 'field' safely.
Zoom
Participants are handed out random pictures. They have to arrange them in a sequence to create a story. However, the game involves a twist. They have to do it without looking at others' pictures. Participants must talk to each other and sort out the sequence of pictures. It requires people to develop perspective talking and communication skills.
Survival scenarios
Ever saw shows like "Lost" and wondered how you would behave in such a situation? Well, this game lets you do that to an extent. Two situations can be created. In the first 'pen and pencil' situation participants have to make a list of survival equipment needed if they are lost at sea or in a desert.
In the second situation, participants have to decide who has to be saved in case a plane crash, nuclear war or oxygen dwindling takes place. These situations allow members to consider all options and make rational decisions.  Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog  "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Michael Stanley

Thursday, June 7, 2012

How Improving Content Can Make Your Web Site Popular

Marketing a web site or blog is important if you want it to be a success. Content value is very important and knowing what you can do to make it better is critical. With the amount of competition you will face you need to know what to look at in terms of content. Here are some pointers on getting good content in the pages you put together on your site.
  • Fit your content to your reader's needs. You will need a mechanism for feedback and doing surveys and interactive items like allowing comments can help.

  • Write with a natural tone and format. Use humor and personal style when writing and talk to your readers, not over or around them. Sometimes telling a story is better than technical jargon but you must consider the audience and the topic being discussed.

  • Keywords are not the whole story, but it's what the search engines look for in the flavor of an article. Know which ones reach the type of traffic you are seeking and do target them in your writing.

  • Contextual cues such as color, font and space can make a difference. You should look at these cues and study to see what can make your site easier on the eyes. Ads that are adjacent to your writing should be looked at as well. Are the ads you are running distracting your readers from your message?

  • Study images you place on pages to make sure they are relevant. Often these are eye catchers and you need them to support what you are trying to tell the reader. When you write paragraphs, think of the term 'front load'. Get the most important information out first in your paragraphs as people usually read what they see first. This also true for the document - hit your audience with the important bits of you message first. Less important information should follow this and even less important info (or a summary of the document) should come at the end.

  • Lastly, have a 'call to action' for the reader to follow. What do you want you readers to do or how do you want them to respond? It can be as simple as clicking a link to writing a letter or email. Make it clear to the reader what you are requesting them to do.
Grammar and spelling does make a difference so use a good software tool to help you correct errors in your writing. Practice writing something every day and keep resources like a thesaurus and dictionary around. Keep your audience in mind and try to tailor concise and simple language to get your point across. If you follow these rules, improving content on your web site should be easy to accomplish.  "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Be sure and visit The Corner Marketing Blog  

Michael Stanley

God Likes Us

 "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."
                                                                                                    Matthew 18:14
MATTHEW 18:12-14

One of the greatest truths of the Bible and also one of the hardest to comprehend, is that we are the objects of God's love. God didn't just pity us or feel some sense of moral obligation to save us. He saved us because of His infinite love for us (Jn. 3:16).

God loves people. He even loves those who have gone astray. As Jesus said in a similar parable (Lk. 15:7), "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

Once we experience the life-changing power of Christ, there is a tendency to become harsh and impatient with others who continue to live their lives without Him. We sometimes forget that it was the love and goodness of God that brought us to repentance (Rom. 2:4), and we become condemning and judgmental toward the lost. This is not the attitude that Jesus had, nor the attitude He wants us to have.

"Even when we were spiritually dead because of our sins, God's forbearance was working on our behalf. He was tolerant, patient and kind towards us. God abounded in excessive proportion with good will, compassion, and desire to help us. His disposition was kind, compassionate, and forgiving in His treatment of us. He wanted in abundant supply to alleviate our distress and bring relief from our sins. He did this by giving us life in place of death.

It was with Christ that this salvation was secured. By grace, kindness, and favor we are saved. All of this was the result of God's extremely large degree of love wherewith He loved us, always seeking the welfare and betterment of us. God likes us" (Eph. 2:4-5 paraphrased by Don Krow). God loves YOU!  "Enjoy Your Coffee"   by Andrew Wommack 

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog  
Michael Stanley

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Why Does It Often Take A Crisis Before We Totally Surrender Our Lives To God?

  • A disintegrating marriage
  • One of our kids on drugs
  • A failed business venture
  • Cancer
My guess is that total surrender to God is not something that comes easily for you, especially if you are the kind of person who can "make things happen" rather easily.

After all, why bother trusting God when you can pull things off so effortlessly on your own?

St. Paul, a man of no meager ability, also struggled with total dependence upon God. The fact that he was the product of an enviable pedigree, possessed the equivalent of two or three Ph.D's, and had political connections that would be the envy of any power broker, made dependency upon God just that much more difficult.

After all, if anyone could pull things off on their own, it was Paul.

SO… GOD BROUGHT HIM TO THE BRINK…

"We do not want you to be uninformedabout the hardship we sufferedWe were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of lifeIndeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death "

TO TEACH HIM THE IMPORTANCE OF DEPENDENCY UPON GOD:

"But this happened that we might not rely upon ourselves but on God… " (2 Corinthians 1:8, 9)

So… if you tend toward cool-headed self-reliance that pushes God to the edges of your daily life, hold on to your hat:

Your loving Father is committed to arranging the circumstances in your world
  • to get your attention, or
  • to take you to the brink, if necessary:
IN ORDER TO TEACH YOU "NOT TO RELY ON YOURSELF BUT ON GOD."
Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotionals.   "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Michael Stanley

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog

Are You Making These Email Marketing Mistakes?

 Good Morning Everyone,
As most of you have heard, "The money is in the list." As small business owners, we know that and we continue our focus on building an email list, and promoting our content, products, and services via email marketing.

What's changing at a very rapid rate, however, are the number of our email subscribers who are using mobile and smartphones to read their email and access the Internet. This brings to mind a couple email marketing mistakes that may be impacting the effectiveness of your email communications. But first, consider these statistics from the 2011 Pew Internet Project and its first standalone measure of smartphone ownership:

=> 83% of American adults own a cell phone
=> 37% of cell phone users use their phone to send or receive email
=> 35% of cell phone owners are using a smartphone
=> 87% of smartphone owners access the Internet or email on their handheld
=> 66% access the Internet or email on their handheld in a typical day
=> 25% of smartphone owners say they go online using their phone as opposed to their computer

I can back this up by saying that my own website analytics show a 60% increase in visitors accessing my site via mobile devices. I see a consistent increase in my clients' mobile traffic as well.
This increased mobile access has many implications for our marketing, but for right now I want to focus on two areas that specifically impact your email marketing. These are problems you may not even be aware of, but they're also simple things to fix.

Mistake #1: You're not sending in both HTML and text.

Many small business owners I speak with are only sending their newsletters, ezines, and general communications in HTML. (These are the beautifully formatted emails with graphics and other images.)
The problem with this is that many cell phones only accept emails in text format. When they attempt to view your HTML email on their cell phone, they simply get a link to read the email online. That doesn't make a great impression in my book, and it may annoy your reader. Plus, you get other issues if the web page they're sent to isn't optimized for viewing on a cell phone. But that's another article.
Be sure that you or the person preparing your HTML email communications creates a version in text only. All email publishing services (1ShoppingCart, Aweber, Constant Contact, etc) will allow you to do both.
When I say "properly formatted," I mean make sure that the text message is narrow enough to be read in a cell phone window without annoying your readers by having to scroll to the right to read it.
I find that a width of 30 characters will fit in just about any cell or smartphone window. A great tool that I like to use to format my email at this width is at www.formatit.com.
You don't have to worry that your subscribers will receive two emails. They will receive one appropriate version (HTML or text) depending on how they are accessing the message. They'll probably get the HTML version on their laptop, but they may get the text version on their cell phone.

Mistake #2: You're not staying "above the fold."

We often talk about keeping our most important information on our websites "above the fold" so that visitors don't have to scroll down to see it. The same holds true for email communications.
You want to keep the most important information (enticing copy that keeps them reading; a call to action; or what's included in your ezine) in the top third of your email. Why?
A 2007 study by Jupiter Research (now Forrester) discovered that 66% of email recipients that have preview panes use them to determine whether they're going to continue reading a sender's message.
Mobile devices have an area "above the fold" too. Your reader sees only a portion of the message, and then they see a link to read the rest of the email. You want to be sure that they click and keep reading!
Your Action Step
Get busy and make these changes to your email marketing this week! They're very easy to implement, and they may increase how often your content is read and the number of click-through's to your website. When you're done, let us know and tell us your thoughts in the comments below, or on The Corner Marketing Network on Facebook.  "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Michael Stanley  

Be sure and visit The Corner Market-ing Blog

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Humility Before Honor

http://www.andrewwommack.org"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
                                                                                                   Matthew 18:4
MATTHEW 18:1-5; MARK 9:30-37; LUKE 9:46-48

It is interesting that Jesus used a little child to illustrate humility. Although it is true that little children have a purity and humility that is many times missing in adults, they certainly are not selfless. A child comes into the world totally self-centered, wanting what he wants when he wants it. Parents are to train children out of this self-centeredness.

One of humility's dominant characteristics is a God-dependency and not a self-sufficiency. The truth of humility being the key to greatness or success was not new. Jesus gave this truth new meaning by walking in humility as no one ever had before.

This path of self-denial to greatness is exactly opposite to the world's path of exalting self at everyone else's expense. The path of humility could not possibly work if there was no God. We would simply be trampled underfoot.

Humility is a step of faith - faith that God is the judge and that promotion comes from Him (Ps. 75:6-7), and faith that God will resist the proud but give grace unto the humble (1 Pet. 5:5). Humility is trusting in God and not in ourselves. This is why it is easy to be humble when we've failed, and conversely, hard to be humble when we've achieved great success. This is precisely why Paul commanded Timothy not to put a novice into a position of leadership in the church. Pride is self-sufficiency and self-exaltation while humility is self-denial and dependence upon God.

God's kingdom is founded upon this principle of humility before honor. God's kind of love is selfless as can be seen by Jesus' own actions. Pride is the only reason that strife comes (Prov. 13:10); so remember, humility is the key to walking in love with our brothers and sisters in the Lord.  "Enjoy Your Coffee"   
by Andrew Wommack 

Be sure and check out The Corner Market-ing Blog

Monday, June 4, 2012

One Hundred Times Zero


"Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money; that take, and give unto them for me and thee."            Matthew 17:27
 
MATTHEW 17:24-27
This was quite a miracle. Not only was the money supplied for their taxes, but it was the exact amount needed, and it was from the first fish that was caught.

Although this sets the precedent that God can supply our needs in a miraculous way, it's important to remember that God doesn't counterfeit money. He didn't create money in the fish, but rather he had the fish miraculously find and swallow the exact Roman coin that Peter needed. It's a mistake to just pray and then wait on God to rain the money down from heaven.

As Luke 6:38 says, God uses men (and sometimes fish) to give finances to us. He can do it in a very unexpected, supernatural way but it will involve people and existing currency. We need to believe the Lord hears and answers our prayers and then pray for the people He's going to use to deliver the answer. This could be our employer, the person who buys our goods, or any number of people.

The Lord also blesses what we set our hands to do. When in need, we should seek God's direction for something to set our hands to and then trust Him to bless it and multiply the results of our work. But one hundred times zero is zero. Many people have missed their miracle because they never took that first step of faith and used what they had. God can give you a creative idea today that will bless you and make you a blessing to others. Seek and you will find.  "Enjoy Your Coffee"        by Andrew Wommack 

Michael Stanley

Email Alone Just Won't Cut It

 Good Morning,
I hope everyone's weekend went according to plan.  Let's talk a little about email marketing this morning.

No businesses can rely on just one marketing mechanism. As a matter of fact the number 'one' is a pretty dangerous number in business:
  • one major supplier
  • one vital employee
  • one main customer
If your business uses the Yellow Pages as its only promotional mechanism, a 'Not happy Jan!'* moment is a severe blow. The newer equivalent is reliance on high rankings in Google - one algorithm update or a decision that you are breaching the rules (the 'Google slap') can remove you from the rankings entirely.
The same is true of Facebook - all pages and information on Facebook belong to Facebook and they've been known to shut a page down with no notice whatsoever and without giving a reason.
Similarly, email should only be one tool in the marketing arsenal. A vital tool, of course, but one that works much better in conjunction with a range of other marketing and promotion techniques.
With the current focus on online and social media, conventional marketing methods are being ignored. Direct mail for example.
Although postage and printing costs make direct mail more expensive than email marketing, here are some of the reasons it's worth including direct mail in your marketing mix:
  • direct mail is not subject to same strict anti spam rules as email, so you can rent a targeted list and send direct mail to it (we strongly advise against renting email lists - see below)
  • you can be more creative in print
  • designed correctly, your mailing piece has (possibly) a longer 'life' than email (people often keep mailing pieces they're interested in)
  • can be read anywhere
  • can be used to target non-computer/internet using people
The most successful companies have cracked the code of getting online and offline campaigns to work together - with direct mail driving traffic to the website and the website asking for mailing addresses from online visitors.
Several years ago, when I set up a site for fans of Italian cars, the original focus was on promoting it exclusively online, but I soon found that offline promotion worked really well to drive people to the site.
I got some smart looking fridge magnets made and would give them away instead of business cards, often leaving them under the windscreen wipers of Italian cars I spotted (or throwing them on the seats of the open top Ferraris etc - normally when parked!). The magnets were a talking point and a simple and non-intrusive way of promoting the site.
*'Not happy Jan!' - catchcry of a business owner left out of the Yellow Pages by a forgetful employee (Jan) in the ad campaign (in Australia) for the company several years ago
**I strongly recommend against using any list of email addresses you have not collected correctly yourself, even if you have bought the list from a reputable broker.  "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Michael Stanley

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Disciplining Someone? Consider These Areas Of Concentration


One: Engage him in the Scriptures to discover Christ and apply His truth.

Teaching him to meditate upon and apply God's Word is generic to knowing Christ.

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him." (John 14:21)

Two: Disciple him life-on-life.

Both Jesus and Paul believed in the worth of the individual, and so should we:

Jesus: "The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, 'Follow me'." (John 1:43)

Paul: "We dealt with you one by one, as a father deals with his children " (1 Thessalonians 2:11b neb)

Three: Equip him to multiply his life:
  • By helping him develop consistency in (1) Daily time with God, (2) Scripture memory, and (3) Bible study.
"The Scriptures are the comprehensive equipment of the man of God, and fit him fully for all branches of his work." (2 Timothy 3:17 – J.B. Phillips Translation)
Four: Maintain the centrality of Christ.

At the very core of the discipling effort must be the emphasis on developing intimacy with Christ.

"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:10, 11)

QUESTION: Since example is the most powerful teacher, developing intimacy with Christ is better "caught" than taught. Is your disciple picking up the fact that knowing Christ is your primary passion?

"Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1).  "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Michael Stanley

Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotionals.

Four Simple Reasons Your Product Is Not Selling

You've done your homework. You've looked into the best ways to market your small business' new product and present it to your customers. You've spent hours coming up with a strategy for how to set yourself and your product apart from what your competitors have to offer. So, where are the new customers, and why aren't your sales through the roof? Sometimes it can be hard to take a step back and see the larger picture, especially after having been so focused on the minor details for so long. Here are four simple reasons your product might not be going over well with consumers:
1. Your Audience Doesn't Care
Even if your market research, marketing, advertising and promotion techniques have all been spot on, there is one vital flaw that will prevent any small business from striking it rich with its new product: your audience simply doesn't care. Maybe you're trying to sell them something they don't need. Maybe you're attempting to convince them to move away from a product they are comfortable purchasing, or from a brand they already trust. Maybe the thing you are proposing they buy is too radical, uncertain, or not practical for their daily life. Whatever the case may be, before you spend your time and money investing in presenting a new product to the public, make sure they are going to want it in the first place.
2. You're Targeting the Wrong Audience Altogether
If you're sure that someone out there really, truly will want your product - but you are still hitting a wall when it comes to actually selling it - there could be another problem at work: you are promoting yourself to the wrong people. Although all the resources out there that provide advice to small business owners claim that there are general, blanket rules for the marketing strategies small business owners should practice, not every small business is the same. Make sure that the places you choose to place your ads are places your audience will actually see. Furthermore, make sure you aren't missing out entirely on other potential marketing locations where your audience can actually be found.
3. You're Trying too Hard
Sometimes, heavy advertising campaigns intended to reign customers in to buying a new product can work to have the opposite effect: they can turn your customers off from your product as well as your brand. Why is this? It's one of the fundamental rules of life: instead of trying hard to convince someone they need you, sometimes it's best to sit back and let people come to their own conclusions that you have something to offer them. Don't try too hard to persuade your customers that your product would be of use to them. If it really is that useful, just trust that their own word of mouth will help spread your reputation and bring in more money for your business.
4. You Aren't Using Marketing Tools Effectively
Maybe you've set out to implement a social media marketing campaign to show off your new product. Maybe you've chosen to stick with billboard or magazine advertisements. Maybe you've bought into the QR Code craze, and have stuck your business' code on fliers and posters everywhere. Whatever the case may be, remember that there are proper ways to use these marketing techniques, and there are ways to use them incorrectly. Make sure your artwork is well done, your spelling and grammar is correct, and there is nothing offensive or otherwise odd about your ad copy. If you're using Facebook and Twitter, don't overuse them; focus more on writing quality posts that are informative and fun. Your customers are already inundated with ads during their day to day; make sure your ad is something that will make them smile, or at least make them think.   "Enjoy Your Coffee"  

Michael Stanley

Monday, May 28, 2012

Using Banner Ads To Attract Traffic- They Still Work

There are many different ways on the internet to gain online traffic and sometimes it can be a daunting and confusing and you just aren't sure where to start. The internet is continually evolving and so too are the ways and methods for advertising a website.
Banner ads are one of the most effective ways to advertise your blog. Have a look around and you will see banner ads everywhere, on personal websites, on blogs as well as on the search engines.
The reason they are everywhere is they work and people are making the most of them and using them regularly to advertise their products or website. Banner ads are amazing and can be quite low cost if you set them up properly.
Banners ads were created specifically to promote certain products or services and are generally based on brand recognition. The ad uses its small space to describe the product or service with plenty of information to make it attractive to people that see the ad. They will have an appointment to action to persuade folks to click on the banner and visit their webpage.
When using banner advertising you should aim the banners toward targeted prospects so that you don't have hundreds of people exploring your ad when they really aren't thinking about the product or service you will be promoting. If you are paying per click that can get quite expensive so if you target specific people you will only pay for people that really have an interest in what you have to offer.
Targeted traffic = higher sales and better profits!
There are many different methods for using banner ad campaigns so there is no fixed campaign type. Google AdWords and Overture have many tools that you can use to enhance your strategy and your website.
Google and Overture can give you more insight on the type of campaign that will be most effective in your business. They can help to locate the most effective phrases and terms to use in your banner advertising campaign. They really are the best phrases, keywords and terms that you can use to get the most targeted traffic to your website. If about the catch using targeted keywords and phrases then you aren't wasting your time and efforts and you will not be paying considerably more than you should be.
Here are some tips that may increase the effectiveness of your banners efforts:
1. Banners have got a limited amount of space so you need to use that space wisely. You are require to use attention grabbing content so that the tiny amount of text will say a something that is going to grab the attention of those who see it.
2. Add a picture for the banner so visitors may have a visual of the product. Most people respond better when they see a picture of what's being offered.
3. Don't use over-sized banners. Large banners may fit read more about them but they won't enable you to get any more traffic. Large banners just manage to clutter the site where they are posted and for that reason they may actually get less clicks than just a smaller banner.
4. Help make your banner look professional. To have a professional looking banner you want it to be subtle but to bring the point across. Don't fill the banner with lots of colors and fonts, it just needs to appears like something a child created but not something professional. Keep it simple!
5. A banner must have a 'call to action' for your website visitors to be more inclined to select the ad. Although we know your ad is for clicking on, if one carries a 'call to action' like a 'Click Here' button you happen to be taking charge and directing the website visitors to click on the ad.
6. Ensure that your content is readable but not too cluttered. You want content that is definitely motivational to peak the visitors interest and entice these phones click on the ad.
7. Always test the links of the banner to make sure that and also go through to your site. It could be terrible to be paying for advertising and your visitors not being directed to the linking website.   
 "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Be sure and check out The Corner Market-ing

Michael Stanley

Symptoms Of A Hard Heart

"And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?"        Mark 8:17
MATTHEW 16:1-12; MARK 8:11-21

Just a few days before this instance, hardened hearts caused Jesus' disciples to be amazed when they saw Jesus walk on the water to them. Here, Jesus' statements reveal some of the characteristics of someone with a hardened heart.

First, a hard heart keeps us from perceiving spiritual truths. This is why everyone in a church service hears exactly the same message yet, some will receive while others won't. It's not the Word that is the variable, but rather the condition of the hearts. A hard heart stops spiritual perception.

Second, a hardened heart stops us from understanding spiritual truth. When a person doesn't understand God's Word, Satan finds no resistance when he comes to steal it away.

Third, a hard heart keeps us from remembering. This isn't to say that we can't recall facts or scriptures. As related in Mark 8:19-20, the disciples remembered the facts of the two miraculous feedings, but they had forgotten any spiritual lessons they might have learned. Likewise, some people can quote scripture or remember what the sermon was about, but they can't perceive the spiritual life in the message or retain what they did perceive.

A hardened heart blinds us to any spiritual perception and keeps us thinking only in the natural realm. Small faith and a hardened heart are the same. Hebrews 3:12-13 parallels an evil heart of unbelief to a hardened heart. It takes great faith to keep our heart sensitive to God. Seek Him with your whole heart today.
"Enjoy Your Coffee"       by Andrew Wommack
 Don't forget to visit The Corner Market-ing

Michael Stanley

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Ephesians 4:30 The Holy Spirit Of Promise

Good Morning All,
As I go through this mornings devotion I am reminded of the promises of God.  With that in mind I will share this with you.  My prayers are that you and yours be Blessed to capacity, with the Love of God.

Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

The love of the Spirit. — The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost. — In all their affliction he was 

afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he 

bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he 

turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. — After   
that 

ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of the inheritance until 

the redemption of the purchased possession. — This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil 

the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are 

contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

The Spirit helpeth our infirmities.

"Enjoy Your Coffee"

Be sure and check out The Corner Market-ing Blog

Michael Stanley

Finding The Right Team Member

Sometimes companies and small business owners wonder whether it is wise to spend money for a consultant to come in and help them establish benchmarks when their own internal people can do the same thing and there won't be any consulting fees.
Keeping things simple, a hiring mistake with a minimum wage team member can cost an organization about $10,000. "WHAT? Are you nuts? At minimum wage? That can't be!" How does that happen? Simple.
Let's look at it this way. Right now, the US Minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. That represents a full-time equivalent investment of just over $15,000. Most experts agree that at minimum, even a minimum wage employee with no benefits to speak of costs an employer at least 30% in added costs, and it is more likely closer to 50%. For the sake of argument, let's use the lower number. That 30% brings the one year full-time equivalent cost of a minimum wage team member to $19,500 or just under $20,000 in the USA. (these added costs include unemployment insurance, worker's compensation insurance, employer contribution to Social Security and Medicare and the administrative overhead required to process their pay and to manage/lead them.)
What if the team member you bring on is mediocre. Not so bad you have to get rid of him or her, but not so good that you are glad you have them. They might be around for a long, long time, doing the job just half as well as it could be done. Every time you look at the team member you know the position could produce so much more.
You might let someone go fairly quickly if they are a really bad fit. So you keep the loss to a minimum. But what if the person is just plain average at the job, not good, not bad. They can be very hard to deal with because they aren't horrible, and as people they are even usually likeable. They just don't quite fit. You could be feeling the same way in 10 years. What you see is what you get and are going to get.
What about the person you hire who does not love their job? Perhaps they do it okay, but they are like a square peg in a round hole. The job may stress them out. If you asked them if they like your work the most positive thing they can say is "it's good to have a job." Perhaps behind the scenes these individuals are complainers and they can see everything wrong all around them you might call them a Debbie or a Donnie Downer. They show up every day and even do a decent job but they bring morale down wherever they go.
This is where a highly trained and highly skilled consultants may be worth many times his or her fee. When we sit down with your team and look together at why the job exists, the key accountabilities of the position and the characteristics of the person that would do well in the position we can help you get off to a very good start. Add in our research into people holding similar positions and other companies or people who have been very successful in your company. Then we look for those who have done poorly and looked at their characteristics. We develop a matrix. After the job has spoken as promising candidates present themselves we put them through a series of assessments and we can tell you the likelihood of fit with your benchmark. We can give you an excellent idea of how they will fit within your already existing corporate culture. A person might have the skills, credentials and training to be a bookkeeper, an accountant or even a chief financial officer. As we compare them to the benchmark we can tell that they are likely not to fit. Perhaps they are more people oriented applying for a position calling for a task orientation. Perhaps they are slow and steady wins the race and your environment is high-paced and fast-moving. They might do the job, but it will be stressful to the point of burnout and at some inopportune time down the road they will leave, and you might not be sorry to see them go.
When a consultant uses a sophisticated and accurate benchmarking process and candidate assessment suites he or she helps you to follow best practices and increase your chances of selecting and retaining team members whose behaviors, values, skills and emotional intelligence that the position. What would it be worth to you to have the right person doing the job in the right way? What would it be worth to your bottom line to cut turnover significantly and to help you avoid turnover you can only hope for?
This approach is based on thorough research and statistically validated assessments and processes. Still, it is intended to comprise approximately 1/3 of your selection process. The process needs all EEOC requirements for fairness. The other two-thirds of your selection decision is based on the candidate's resume of experience, impressions from the interview, references and experience.  Like I asked earlier, what would it be worth to your bottom line?  That's all for now, "Enjoy Your Coffee"
Be sure and check out The Corner Market-ing Blog for related posts as well as opportunities for advancement.

Michael Stanley
 

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Thank God For Believers Like This


Hello Everyone,
I came across this today.  It Blessed me, and I just thought I'd Bless you as well.  Enjoy this read, it's good.
 
Tennessee  Football
This  is a statement that was read over the PA  system  at the football game
at  Roane  County High School , Kingston , Tennessee   by school Principal,
Jody  McLeod

"It  has always been the custom at Roane County High  School football games,
to say a prayer and play  the National Anthem, to honor God and Country."

Due  to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am  told that saying a
Prayer is a violation of  Federal Case Law. As I understand the law at  this
time, I can use this public facility to  approve of sexual perversion and
call it "an  alternate life style," and if someone is  offended, that's OK.

I  can use it to condone sexual promiscuity, by  dispensing condoms and
calling it, "safe sex."  If someone is offended, that's OK.

I  can even use this public facility to present the  merits of killing an
unborn baby as a "viable!  means of birth control." If someone is offended,
no problem...

I  can designate a school day as "Earth Day" and  involve students in
activities to worship  religiously and praise the goddess "Mother  Earth"
and call it "ecology.."

I  can use literature, videos and presentations in  the classroom that
depicts people with strong,  traditional Christian convictions as "simple
minded" and "ignorant" and call it  "enlightenment.."

However,  if anyone uses this facility to honor GOD and to  ask HIM to Bless
this event with safety and good  sportsmanship, then Federal Case Law is
violated.

This  appears to be inconsistent at best, and at  worst, diabolical.
Apparently,  we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone,  except GOD and
HIS Commandments.

Nevertheless  , as a school principal, I frequently ask staff  and students
to abide by rules with which they  do not necessarily agree. For me to do
otherwise  would be inconsistent at best, and at worst,  hypocritical. I
suffer from that affliction  enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need
to add an intentional transgression.

For  this reason, I shall "Render unto Caesar that  which is Caesar's," and
refrain from praying at  this time.

However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise  and thank GOD and ask
HIM,in the name of JESUS,  to Bless this event, please feel free to do  so..
As  far as I know, that's not against the  law----yet."

One  by one, the people in the stands bowed their  heads, held hands with
one another and began to  pray.

They  prayed in the stands. They prayed in the team  huddles. They prayed at
the concession stand and  they prayed in the Announcer's Box!

The  only place they didn't pray was in the Supreme  Court of the United
States of America- the Seat  of "Justice" in the "one nation, under GOD."

Somehow,   Kingston , Tennessee Remembered what so many  have forgotten. We
are given the Freedom OF  Religion, not the Freedom  FROM  Religion.  Praise
GOD that HIS remnant remains!

JESUS  said, "If you are ashamed of ME before men, then  I will be ashamed
of you before MY FATHER.."

If  you are not ashamed, pass this on .
I'm  not one bit ashamed to pass this on, Are  you?        "Enjoy Your Coffee"

Jody  McLeod
High School Principal

Michael Stanley