Questions to Ask Yourself Before Writing a Hook

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Writing a HookQuestions to Ask Yourself Before Writing a HookAll good stories need a hook- or an interesting angle early in the story- that draws the reader in. In journalism, your hook is what makes the story relevant and grabs the attention of the reader long enough to get them to keep reading. For example, if youre writing a story on dating you need to ask yourself why it may be relevant at this moment. Whats your hook? Has dating changed? If so, how has it changed? To an extent, your hook answers the why of the 5Ws in journalism and prompts the reader to continue reading in hopes that you will answer the other burning questions regarding the what, when, where, why, and who of the story. Writing Good Hooks for Stories and Articles If you ever started reading an article and found yourself thinking that the first few sentences were so intriguing or thought-provoking that you couldnt stop reading, that wasnt an accident. Aside from being a story w ritten with an interesting angle,it was probably a hook sentence that grabbed you. Even though theres no particular formula for writing the perfect hook sentence, there are ways you can approach all of your stories to draw your audience in, hold their attention, and leave them hankering for more. The 3 Questions to Ask 1. Who are you writing for? Your audience matters when it comes to crafting your hook. Consider what is going to catch someones attention based on their age, gender,and possible interests. If you are writing for a teen magazine then your audience is going to be vastly different than an audience of engineers and programmers. 2. What is important to your audience? Think about the type of story you are writing and where it is going to appear. If you write for an arts and crafts magazine then your readers will value different things then readers interested in information about health and fitness trends found on a fitness blog. Questions to ask yourself before writing a hook include Does your story solve a particular problem for a specific audience group?Do you want to tell people something interesting about yourself or a product?Is your reader in search of specific information?Do you want to show your audience that you understand a particular topic?Is your story meant to entertain or educate? 3. What nachrichten is currently trending? Because your hook must take into account why your story is relevant, its also important to know what other hot issues are currently trending in the media. Turn simple story ideas into hot topics by infusing your hook with a trending topic. For example, if you write for a cooking blog for college students, and the trend getting the most media attention is expensive ostrich meat, then your hook could be about ways to cook inexpensive chicken so that it tastes like ostrich meat. Your hook sentence (or paragraph) might start with a personal story about how much your roommate loves expensive ostrich meat, but that you were able to trick your roommate into thinking your cheap chicken recipe was an ostrich- all thanks to your grandmothers secretrecipe. From that point on, your readers cant help but keep reading to know what this secret recipe is. Where to Start A great hook starts with a subject (what you are writing about and why it matters to your reader) and then launches into an interesting angle (i.e., your unique approach to the subject). Astrong hook sentence or paragraph might include any one of the following Ask a question.Be descriptive and paint a vivid picture of the scene.Create a mysterious situation that the reader just has to get to the bottom of.Startle the reader with a fact.Be inspirational and start with a quote. You can also turn to movies and TV shows for inspiration. Think about the opening scene of your favorite movie and consider how you can write a hook that has the same effect. Last but not least, once you have come up with a hook, consider your wording, prose, and w riting style. Be sure to go back and edit, rephrase, and rewrite until you get it right. Writing a good hook also means writing well, right from the start.

10 Quickie Job Search Tasks That Take 5 Minutes or Less

10 Quickie Job Search Tasks That Take 5 Minutes or Less10 Quickie Job Search Tasks That Take 5 Minutes or LessAsk anyone who is job hunting, and theyll surely tell you that it feels like a never-ending cycle of reading through job postings, submitting job applicationsand waiting. Lots of waiting. But there are fun, fast things you can do that require minimal effort but pack a maximum punch. Tackle these 10 quickie job search tasks listed below that take five minutes or less, and get your job search on the right track to success.Here are 10 quickie job search tasks that take five minutes or less1. Get strategic.Want to work for a specific company but havent landseen any job listings? Reach out to them directly. Contact the HR person to see if theyre hiring (they just might be) and, if not, ask if you can submit your resume and cover letter anyway. When the hiring manager needs to fill a newly opened position, guess whose application will be right at the top of the pile?Start applying for jobs today. Sign up for2. Spruce up your social media.Your personal Facebook page is flooded with photos and cute quotes. Your professional page? Not so much. For 2016, make it a point to have your social media accounts updated and reflecting the fruchtwein professional part of you.3. Take time for yourself.It might seem counter-intuitive to take time away from your job search to just chill, but its really important to take care of yourself while you job hunt. After all, its a stressful time, and making an effort to eat and sleep well, exercise, and enjoy life can make all the difference in your overall happiness and the success of your job search.4. Know what youre worth.Lets say that youve invested a ton of time and energy (and yes, dollars, too) in your job search. Now youre at a point where youre offered a job (sweet) but you have no idea what you should actually be making. Sites such as payscale.com offer salary calculators that can help you determine what youre really wort h to a potential employer. With that info, youll be in a much better position to negotiate salary.5. Get organized.You cant expect to have a quick and easy job search if your home office is a bomb and your desk is scattered with papers, coffee mugs, and twisted cables. Before you launch into your job search for the day, take some time to clear the clutter. A clean desk will clear the slate for a much smoother search. Toss anything thats not necessary, scan or file papers, and vow to keep it clean. Give yourself five minutes to complete this task and see how far you can get.6. Find your referrals.Theres a reason why you receive so many LinkedIn requests for referrals- they matter, not only to the recipient, but also to potential employers. Go through your previous employers and colleagues with whom youre still on good terms and ask for recommendations. But dont simply use the auto-generated LinkedIn email request personalize it so that past employers can remember who you are and writ e a glowing recommendation.7. Control your calendar. Although you might think its a great idea to spend all day every day on your job search, you should think twice before putting this into practice. Spending all your time on job searching can quickly cause burnout, but you also want to maximize the quality of your search, too. Use your calendar to help create manageable actions (e.g., contact a former employer, etc.) to help keep you on task.8. Know what you need. Once you decide what type of job you want, go through positions that match your interest. You might quickly discover, though, that your skills dont match up to the requirements of the job. If youre determined to make this career a reality, write down what it would take for you to land this type of job (e.g., specific certifications or education level). Then, make it a reality.9. Stay social.You might loathe networking events, but theyre oftentimes a necessary part of job hunting. Look for local events in your area that yo u can go to you might discover that theyre not as bad as you might have thought10. Make a connection.In an effort to boost your network, you should reach out to former colleagues, coworkers, friends, family members, and bosses, too. Let them know that youre looking for a job, and be specific about what youd like to do, so that you dont get misguided (but well-meaning) job leads.These 10 quickie job search tasks can help reinvigorate your search and also make your job search a faster, easier, and dare we say, fun processFind more job search tips here.Readers, what do you think of these quickie job search tasks? Do they inspire you to jump-start your job search? Let us know in the comments

Ways to Keep Your Customers Loyal and Buying

Ways to Keep Your Customers Loyal and BuyingWays to Keep Your Customers Loyal and BuyingHaving treu customers is good for everyone involved. The customer wins because he has an ongoing supply of a product he likes from a company he trusts and doesnt have to spend more time and energy researching options every time he makes another purchase. The company wins because the more a customer buys, the more money they make loyal customers also tend to produce ?higher profit marginsbecause the company isnt spending more money to find and pitch to them. And the salesperson wins because that steady stream of customer purchases becomes a steady stream of commissions. Resolve a Customers Problem Quickly and Easily to Build Loyalty The natural assumption most people make is that the best way to create loyal customers is to give them perfectly functioning products. Surprisingly, thats not the case. The Customer Contact Council, an entity that conducts research on customer service-related topics , discovered in one of its studies that customer loyalty is strongly associated with the amount of effort a customer must make to resolve schwierigkeits related to his supplier. In other words, a customer who can quickly and easily resolve any problems is far more likely to stay loyal than a customer who never has a problem pop up at all. The study in question calculated that 94 percent of customers who can resolve issues painlessly would purchase again from that company, but there was no connection between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. This is a particularly important concept for salespeople to understand since theyre often the first person a customer will call if a problem develops - particularly if theyve just made the purchase. If a customer calls with a problem, you can rejoice because its an opportunity to resolve the problem quickly and painlessly and therefore turn him into a loyal customer. You can almost ensure that hell buy from you again just by providing excellent customer service. Its also a good reason to stay in touch with customers after the sale has closed so that you can encourage them to reach out to you with a problem instead of just giving up and deciding to buy from someone else. You may end up burning some extra time working with the tech support department or the repair department to help customers, but youll get your reward in the form of future purchases from those customers and probably even referrals of friends and colleagues. The time you spend on customer service is actually an investment in future sales, just like cold calling or asking for referrals. Making allies on your tech support team can help speed things along when a customer problem falls into your lap. It will also help a lot with customers who have already put in some work on their own trying to get things fixed. Its also a good idea to keep track of common customer complaints and any newly uncovered product issues so that youll know how to resolve them quickly. Conduct Regular Account Reviews to Build Customer Loyalty Another powerful way to build customer loyalty (not to mention more sales) is by conducting regular account reviews. An account review just means sitting down with the customer and asking questions related to their needs and your products. Its also a chance to make sure the customer is happy with your company and not quietly planning to bail out on you. Sometimescustomers wont call because everything is fine, but its also possible that theyve been struggling with the product and just havent thought to reach out to you for help. The first part of an account review happens well before you talk to the customer. Most salespeople have a portfolio of accounts that make up their territories. You need to go through your accounts and determine the level of opportunity that each one represents. For example, a customer who just barely qualified to buy one product and doesnt have enough resources to purchase another would b e a low opportunity. So would a customer who already owns everything your company makes and isnt due to needing replacements for a while. High opportunity accounts would be the customers who have bought one or two products, and have the resources to buy more but havent done so. All of your accounts should receive periodic reviews, but the high opportunity ones should get a lot more of your time and attention since you have a much better chance of getting something back. As a rule of thumb, low opportunity accounts should have a review at least once a year, while high opportunity accounts will call for more frequent reviews. The exact schedule of reviews that will work best for you will depend on the type of product you sell and on who you sell it to. Once youve assigned different opportunity levels to your customers, your next task is to prepare a list of questions to ask during the review. The goal of an account review is to determine how the customer feels about you and your comp any whether he has needs that you can meet by selling them further products and what contact, if any, your customer has had with your competitors. The questions you ask should seek to uncover information in all three of ansicht critical areas. With touchier subjects, you may need to use subtlety to get the answers you need. For example, rather than asking What contact have you had with Company X? you might ask something like, What consideration did you give to other vendors when you bought this product? That gets the customer talking about your competitors without making it sound like youre worried about them. When you have your questions ready, its time to call up a customer and schedule the review. With most customers, the best way to open the subject is to present an account review as a chance for you to confirm that everything is going well and the product is ideally configured for your customers needs. If the customer is reluctant to schedule a meeting, you can add that you ar e offering the review for free because hes a valued customer. The idea of getting something of value for free is often enough to convince him to make the time for you. Once youve asked all your questions, you need to take that information and make a recommendation. If you didnt uncover any sales opportunities, you could still fulfill the loyalty-building function of the review by pointing out ways that the customer can use the product more efficiently or otherwise improve its performance. Such suggestions will help you to build rapport with your customer and increase your chances of making future sales. Keep in mind that sales opportunities are not necessarily limited to selling the customer a whole new product. Many products come with some up-sell option, and your customers may not realize how helpful such options could be. For example, if a customer has spent a lot of time tinkering with the product to maximize how well it works for him, a maintenance contract could save him more than enough time to be worth the cost. An account review gives you a perfect opportunity to uncover these kinds of issues. Proving Your Products Value to Maintain Customer Loyalty Another function of the account review is the opportunity it gives you to prove your products value to your customers. No matter how many competitors you have, theres something unique - and better - about the products and services you sell. If there werent, you wouldnt have any customers at all. The more unique and valuable your customers think your product is, the less likely they are to leave you and start buying from a competitor. When a customer starts thinking about switching vendors, what hes really doing is evaluating what he has to gain by making the change versus what he stands to lose. The most important for you to keep in mind is that it doesnt matter how valuable your product actually is to the customer all that matters is how the customer perceives the product. The first step in proving value is figuring out yourself what your products value is. You probably already have some ideas about what makes your product valuable. However, your ideas may be totally different from what your customers actually value about the product - and naturally, its what your customers value that really matters. So your best starting place for identifying value is with your customers. Call up a few of the customers youre friendliest with and ask them what they like best about your product, and why they stay customers. Its best to talk to customers of different types and sizes because theyll probably give you different answers. Getting a variety of customer viewpoints will help you because you can then match up the value youre promoting to each customer based on what you know about them. Next, consider other ways that you might add value aside from the product offering itself. For example, are you offering excellent customer service? Do you act as a consultant for your customers by offe ring them ideas to help them squeeze more functionality out of the product? Do provide flexible options for delivery, maintenance, payment, and so on? When theres a problem, do you take charge of the issue until its resolved? These are just a few of the ways that you can add value yourself. Once youve perfected the art of proving value to your customers, you will gain an extra benefit because the skills and information youve developed apply extremely well to prospects. For example, if youve scheduled a meeting with a prospect and you happen to have a customer of the same size and type, then whatever the customer values most in your product will probably appeal to the prospect. You can build your sales presentation around that particular value and be confident that your prospect will be interested.

4 Career Lessons I Learned From My First (and Last) Yoga Experience

4 Career Lessons I Learned From My First (and Last) Yoga Experience4 Career Lessons I Learned From My First (and Last) Yoga ExperienceTzu siche is a distinct possibility that I am the least flexible human on the planet. I cant touch my toes, I cant bend over backward, and I cant do a handstand or headstand or butt-stand or what-have-you stand. In spite of this, and because Ive been looking for new ways to get some much-needed exercise, I signed up for my very first yoga class. I sat on my rented mat in Maha Shakti All Levels and giggled nervously to the woman next to me that Id never done this before. She reassured me that, in that case, I was in the correct corner of the room and that she and her friend were not experts by any means. (She would later stand on her head.)The instructor padded in and grabbed a nearby accordion. He sat in the middle of the room, lotus-style, and told us to focus on our red color energy centered at the base of the spine, first chakra. I looked at the clo ck 632. The class ended at 8. I couldnt imagine staying in this den of peace and love and horrible lighting for another 88 minutes.Ten minutes. Give it 10 mora minutes, and if you hate it, you can go home.I waited the 10 minutes, and for some reason, I didnt leave. The aura-color-chakra mumbo-jumbo passed, and we stood up and started doing poses. That is, everyone else started doing poses- I flopped and flailed and strained and sweat bullets. My downward-facing dog looked mora like woman hoisting butt in air. Every time I saw the instructors shadow passing by me on his rounds through the class, I knew he was about to correct my posture. Can you tell Im a beginner? I sheepishly remarked on his second visit.He laughed and said, Good. Thats why youre here.Cards on the table I am never going back to that yoga place. But there are clear lessons to draw from that experience that I think apply to everything in life, including our careers. Like these1. Swallow Your PrideIm gonna go ahead an d say it I suck at yoga. But its not because Im yoga-inept (although my starting line is probably further back than most)- its because Ive never done it before. When youre in a new job or stage in your life, you cant stretch or bend or do a warrior pose like everyone else. And thats not only okay, its expected. The best thing to do, then, is be humble and try your hardest. Watch the pros. Seek their advice, and learn to do what they do. Laugh at yourself. Then, when you get better at it, remember how you felt when you sucked, and take that humility with you.2. Drink the Kool-Aid (or Eat the Bee Pollen, as the Case May Be)A friend of mine encouraged me to eat the bee pollen in bestellung to get the most out of my yoga class. I thought she had just come up with a new-age alternative to drinking the Kool-Aid, but it turns out that she actually ate bee pollen in the class- her instructor swore by it as a way to maintain energy. (In case youre wondering No, there was no bee pollen on off er in my class. Alas.)But the lesson remains Dont be afraid of what you dont know. Just because it may not be your cup of tea (or pollen), doesnt mean it doesnt have serious benefits for you and for the people around you. Save your scoffs, and take anything unfamiliar as an opportunity to learn something you didnt know before. You may stumble upon something really useful.3. Make Friends With Your DiscomfortBeing uncomfortable doesnt mean youre in the wrong place in fact, as my instructor assured me, it may mean youre in the perfect place. Even though Im not going back to yoga every day to become super flexible and open all of my chakras on the reg, it felt good to step outside of my comfort zone and give it a go. Now something that was strange and a bit scary to me is a little less strange and scary. Taking on new challenges and trying new things is what makes us more well-rounded and better at handling new, unexpected developments- in our professional as well as our personal lives. 4. Know Your Limits, and Respect ThemYou shouldnt be in pain, the yoga instructor said to me as I strained to maintain a particularly difficult pose. If youre in pain, your body is telling you not to do it.If youre anything like me, youd want to tell the poor, patient instructor to f*** off and that you absolutely should be in pain because youre stupidly out of shape, and hadnt he ever heard of no pain, no gain? (Of course, you wouldnt say it- youd just think it and then write it down later on the internet.) But everybody has limits physical, emotional, interpersonal. Pushing them a little bit is healthy ignoring them altogether is dangerous. Imagine saying (and maybe you have) Oh yeah, totally, I can complete five projects in a week, no problem. When you find you dont have the time or the stamina, not only have you let yourself down, but youve let your co-workers down, too. Be honest with what you can contribute- it will make what you can do so much more valuable, and it will encou rage you to take on more as you improve and feel more comfortable.Theres a lot you can learn from stuff youre not good at. I may never be a gymnast, but I can- and I will- get in shape. No matter what life and work throws your way, you have plenty of tools to tackle them. You just have to keep an open mind. (And open chakras.)Photo of people doing yoga courtesy of Shutterstock.

Top Microsoft Point Genarator Guide!

Top Microsoft Point Genarator Guide Definitions of Microsoft Point Genarator The introduction contains the subject of the essay, information about the author and some background of the analysis. Make sure that it may create an overview of the length that you need. Once you do this, youve got to visit the next website to encode your text into the right format. Begin with writing just some arguments in your words. Another incredible quality of this tool is the fact that it lets you create format dialogs and blue screen errors also. Code 128 can deal with a great deal more text and the barcode will stay relatively tiny. A single QR code can actually store lots of data, but thats only in the event that you generate the QR code utilizing third-party software or employing a completely free on-line barcode generator. You will have the ability to observe the code supporting the model created in Excel. Its your private account, the drehort where you truly store your Bitcoins, permi tting you to access and spend them. It is going to also provide you with information on against what platforms to check your add-ins before submitting to the shop. The tool supplies a variety of choices to make an error message. Furthermore, you dont will need to register or login to the website to access this tool or utilize it. So, theres a chance someone may determine that this is a fake error message. The card consists of codes for a fixed amount of V-Bucks. The code is going to be generated in lots of minutes, based on the trafic rate on the Microsofts servers. Quite simply, you cant guarantee the exact random sequence is going to be generated twice on two machines even if the identical seed is used. Microsoft Point Genarator In case you have any questions concerning this Policy, please get in touch with us. Make certain its the correct one, otherwise you will get an error message. After identifying the principal argument of your essay, you need to search for the re asons in support of and against the primary argument. Utilizing exactly the same email address and password for each website. The generator is designed to be run from within a folder where you desire the project scaffolding created. Its very easy, straightforward and simple to use a tool. Each tool may be used in a distinctive approach to ease the creation and study of word clouds. When unterstellung tools could possibly be acceptable for simple texts they arent always effective for more complex writing. The New Angle On Microsoft Point Genarator Just Released Computers cannot generate random numbers. The free Microsoft Points ought to be used once possible. It is an impossible task to find MS Points for nothing on the web. Youre permitted to select which kind of Points Card you wish to generate. The random functions is a wonderful idea generator with its unfiltered suggestions and suggestions. Youd require a bit of VBA to make this work. Error messages and dialogs a re a necessary element of an operating system. The Fight Against Microsoft Point Genarator Sometimes just a little humor may be appealing. Word cloud creators are for the most part employed by teachers and people that are making presentations. In truth, its the fastest growing market stock on the planet. When it is legitimate it needs to be on a scene site. Therefore, if you didnt locate the ideal codename for your project, you most likely have got lots of new suggestions for making you own ones. The very best part is that weve discovered a potent new means to receive totally free gift codes, with absolutely no human verification required. Even more, it is a fantastic idea to ask a person to proofread it for you. To begin with, you will need to discover the most important idea of the report, and how this concept is proofed. Top Microsoft Point Genarator Choices Should you need an erreichbar proofreading software be sure you choose us. You will notice the free V-Bucks add ed to your account which you use to obtain anything now. After the free trial is over, you are going to be able to put in your payment info and email address. Youre able to download the software along with register your applications at no charge. It is possible to select a yellow exclamation mark, red alert icon and a lot more. It ought to be simple to make the second name if you dont enjoy the initial one. Customized message boxes, since the name suggests can be totally customized.

The Never Before Told Story on Employment Services Resume Writing Services That You Must Read or Be Left Out

The Never Before Told Story on Employment Services Resume Writing Services That You Must Read or Be Left Out All About Employment Services Resume Writing Services By way of example, many resume companies also provide a cover letter writing service. The secret to a superior CV is that the information carried should be listing the facts of your achievements in the manner needed by the recruiters. You should comprehend the significance of the info that is required to make you a good resume. As it comes to resume writing services, youll be rather amazed to understand that there are a lot of individual varieties and youll be considering ensuring you choose the suitable type for the job that you desire. Resume writing really isnt that difficult, once youve got an idea about what your prospective employer expects to learn when he or she reads it, and therefore do your best and decent luck Therefore if youd like to receive your dream job, you will need to be noticeable and that happen s with crafting a first-class resume. If youre a good paid then it doesnt take expert time to create them. The notion of getting somebody else to compose your resume can appear somewhat annoying initially. however, it is no doubt valuable. Then specify your aim in brief with which you are able to tell the employer that why youre the perfect person for the job and the way it is possible to help him in taking his company to the new hikes. A good resume providing firm is one which delivers the client everything thats vital in grabbing the interest of an ideal employer. In order to get the very best value for your investment, be sure the service charges an expert pace, and receives a thorough personal profile from you, which permits them to craft a top quality resume. Resumes of all of the people linked to a business come under the class of business resume whether hes an owner, manager or finance officer. If youre open to different forms of jobs, let us know. Youre searching f or a new job, but you want considerably more than just work. Job searching can be a terrific worry to numerous job seekers. For having that sort of attitude, you can lose meritorious jobs for not trying. The Number One Question You Must Ask for Employment Services Resume Writing Services Resume writing services have matured over the last few years and been sliced in two categories. There are lots of services, but only one that has the capability to create the best image of you. Search for a superb executive resume writing service that will help you land your dream job. The expert writing providers know what things to leave out and what ought to be highlighted. Executive resume writing is likewise an area of expertise thats a true money spinner. Undoubtedly, youre talented, youve got great skills to do the job, youve got experience, and youre an excellent engineer, but if youre unternehmensverbund an outdated formatted resume then everything is going to be faded facing the employer. As stated earlier, the panel of resume writers are handpicked by these kinds of businesses and short listed dependent on the expertise they carry in each individual area. Sometimes your resume requires a couple of minor tweaks and at times it needs an entire overhaul.