When taking out a loan, finding the lender that offers the best interest rates is a very important step. Depending upon the loan that you’re applying for, however, you might find that you have to make certain decisions before you can determine which loan offer really has the best rate. One of these important decisions that you might have to make is whether or not you want to have your interest at a fixed rate or at a variable rate.

Fixed and variable rates are most common when dealing with mortgage loans, though there are other types of loans that offer both types of interest as well. If you’re not sure which type of interest would be best for you, or what the main differences are between the two types, then the information presented below might help you to make an important decision concerning your next loan.

Fixed Rates

Fixed interest rates are rates which will not fluctuate as time goes by, regardless of how much national interest rates may rise or fall. They are often used as part of a promotion, with low introductory fixed rates being replaced by either variable rates or a higher fixed rate after six months or more have passed. Generally, the only way to change a fixed interest rate is to refinance the loan and get either a lower fixed rate or a variable rate on the new loan agreement.

Variable Rates

Unlike fixed rates, variable rates fluctuate in response to changes in national rates. When national rates increase, a variable rate loan will also increase but when national rates decrease, the variable rate will do the same. Variable rates are the most common type of interest rate, and are generally used for small loans, credit cards, and many other types of debts. It can be difficult to predict exactly how much you will pay in total with variable rates, but if national interest rates stay low then you may end up paying much less than originally estimated.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Fixed Rates

Fixed rates have several advantages and disadvantages, and may or may not be right for you and your loan needs. They provide security against increases in national rates, meaning that you might end up paying a much lower rate if you’ve locked in a lower fixed rate than the current national rate. If national rates fall, however, you may end up paying more than you would with a variable rate. Promotional fixed rates are generally set low, but as they only last for a limited amount of time you might end up paying a much higher rate once they expire. Fixed rates can make budgeting easier, however, due to the fact that all payments should be for the exact same amount.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Variable Rates

Like fixed rates, variable rates have their own advantages and disadvantages. While they can occasionally lead to lower interest rates than their fixed counterparts, the fluctuations of national rates will generally bring them up again before you’ve finished repaying the loan. Variable rates can sometimes grow to several times the rate you were originally paying in a matter of months, though there is always the possibility of having just as sharp of a drop as well. With variable rates most loans will have the same monthly payments, though the number of payments may be extended or the final payment may be a different amount due to the fluctuating interest that has been accrued over the loan term.

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You may freely reprint this article provided the following author’s biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

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There are hundreds of them.

The mutual funds don’t want you to find out about them.

Why?

Because they beat the socks off mutual funds in so many categories. The expense ratios of most mutual funds runs about 1.5% and many are much higher. To buy a mutual fund you must wait until the end of the day to find out what price you paid. Many mutual funds have instituted redemption charges should you decide to sell out early. Early is whatever definition they want to apply and could be a year out, maybe more. The fee at this time is about 2% for many funds.

Fund managers tell you it is to discourage overnight trading that adds to their expenses and therefore penalizes shareholders, but that is not true.

The two most popular ETFs are SPY and QQQ. SPY is composed of the stocks in the SP500 Index with 500 stocks and it is priced every few minutes. It can be bought and sold any time during the day. The mutual funds who tell you it is too expensive to price their funds more than once a day are either lying or stupid. ETFs prove that. And that same logic goes for short term trading.

The investor buys and sells ETFs the same as any stock. The big brokerage companies charge high commission whereas investors who place buy and sell orders with discount brokers will find commissions around $7.00 to $15.00 to buy or sell. That charge is for one ticket and not per 100 shares. The commission is the same for 100 shares or 1,000 or more shares. Big Wall Street firms charge many times this for the same execution.

You can do research on ETFs just as you do on mutual funds. If you want to determine what stocks an ETF manger holds they will tell you in their prospectus. What you want to know is what Sector the ETF represents. The internal structure does not change often as does the stock ownership in a regular mutual fund.

At this time there is one drawback to buying and selling certain ETFs. Do not place Market Orders when buying and selling most ETFs unless it trades more than 250,000 shares each day. As with stock there is a Bid and Offer Price. In thinly traded issues where the ETF has a volume of less than 50,000 shares daily the Spread can be as high as 20 cents and many times more. In these issue it is suggested Limit Price Orders be entered. If the last trade was $20.50 the Bid could be $20.40 and the Offer $20.60. A market buy order would be filled at $20.60 and a sell order at $20.40. It is best to place a Limit Order at $20.50 and most of the time these will be executed at the Limit Order price. Stop Loss Orders are also poorly executed in low volume ETFs.

Over the next few years as more and more investors discover these advantages they will be buying ETFs in preference to both load and no-load mutual funds.

investment, money, mutual funds, Al Thomas’ book, “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy It!” has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he’s the man that Wall Street does not want you to know. Copyright 2005

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When bills start to pile up too high, it can be difficult to keep up with payments. One option to solve the issue of having too many bills is to seek a second mortgage loan. However, if your credit is less than desirable to lenders for obtaining a loan, be assured that hope is not out of reach. By searching for different resources, you may find that you qualify for a poor credit second mortgage loan.

Poor credit second mortgage loans can be the saving grace to what could may currently feel like a financial disaster. By refinancing your home and cashing out on its value and its equity, you can receive funds to pay off high interest credit card bills, consolidate all other debt such as smaller loans, pay for a child’s college education, finance a business, and more.

Most anyone with bad credit, no matter how severe, can receive a poor credit second mortgage. Even individuals or couples with a history of bankruptcy more than ten years ago can qualify for such a loan. Your credit rating and scores will play a vital role in qualifying for the poor credit second mortgage loan, and your interest rate will be configured with your scores. Generally speaking, according to Platinum Concepts, Inc. in Madison, Wisconsin (www.platinumconcepts.net), a loan is obtainable with a credit score of 550 or higher.

Pros of Obtaining a Poor Credit Second Mortgage Loan

1. Poor credit second mortgage loans offer people with low credit ratings and scores the opportunity to qualify for a loan and obtain funding when they would not otherwise qualify for a conventional loan.

2. A poor credit second mortgage can offer a way to consolidate debt and pay off outstanding bills, while at the same time, offer a lower, more affordable monthly payment. Considering the reasons why credit scores are low, extravagant purchases are not recommended on poor credit second mortgage loans. Using the money wisely will help you rebuild your credit.

3. Reducing debt and paying the monthly installment on time for a poor credit second mortgage loan can offer an individual the opportunity to improve credit ratings.

4. A poor credit second mortgage loan often offers flexibility in regards to interest rates, payment options, and the term of the mortgage.

5. The interest for most poor credit second mortgage loans is tax deductible.

Cons of Obtaining a Poor Credit Second Mortgage Loan

1. If the poor credit second mortgage loan is not paid or defaults, you are at risk of losing your home. Payments need to be made consistently and on time.

2. The interest rate is usually higher for a poor credit second mortgage loan than for a first mortgage or other conventional second mortgage loan.

3. You are at a much higher risk of worsening your credit situation if the monthly loan installments for the poor credit second mortgage are not paid on time or are missed.

Poor credit second mortgages can be obtained from lenders specializing in loans for individuals and couples with poor credit. Research lenders carefully, and before signing on a loan, read everything, including the fine print. Make sure you understand everything entirely, and that there are no hidden costs involved. If you’re having problems finding a lender, a mortgage broker may be able to offer assistance in getting a poor credit second mortgage loan. Mortgage brokers, such as Platinum Concepts, Ditech, E-Loan, Lending Tree, and others, generally work with hundreds of different lenders. A broker will “shop around” on your behalf, and find a lender that offers the lowest possible interest rate based on your particular credit situation.

Mortgage brokers are available locally and nationally, and can be found in your local yellow pages, as well as on the world wide web. Choose a broker carefully, though. If you know of another individual who has used one, or know of one that you could meet with personally and check their references, this is a great precaution to consider. Examine a mortgage broker in the same way you would any other lender, and make sure that your loan needs will be met with the loan. Don’t settle for something that just doesn’t seem right.

After obtaining a poor credit second mortgage, use your money wisely. Consider the loan an extremely fortunate “fresh start” with your finances. Budget your income carefully so that loan payments can be made on time. Falling behind on even one payment will drop your credit scores significantly, and this poor credit second mortgage loan is meant to do just the opposite, namely, offer you the opportunity to rebuild your credit and increase your credit scores. Make your payments on time, and don’t miss any payments or your home ownership may be at risk.

To avoid this risk, change your financial future with the poor credit second mortgage. Don’t overspend, and don’t make any purchases unless the item is necessary. If you have credit cards, destroy all but one, and use that one card only for emergencies, such as unexpected auto repairs, and pay off the card in full before using it again. Start saving money with each paycheck you receive, and don’t touch the money that you deposit into the savings account. Even if it’s just a few dollars a week, strive to build your savings and leave that money alone except in the event of an emergency.

About The Author

Rebecca Game is the founder of Digital Women ®, an online community for women in business. A 30 year entrepreneur and dedicated to helping other women find small business loans. Visit her site: Loans for Women http://www.digital-women.com

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An IRS levy is an order from the Internal Revenue Security directing TVA to withhold a specified amount of an employee’s pay to satisfy a tax debt. If the IRS determines that we owe back tax then it may issue an IRS levy requiring the deductions from the pay till the back taxes are paid. They may ask the person to sign an agreement of consent authorizing the amount to be deducted. The IRS levy can allow an amount to be exempt from withholding based on the o employee’s tax filing station and the number of exemptions claimed.

A legal step taken by Internal Revenue System to seize anyone’s property in order to satisfy his debt is IRS levy. They are different from liens. Lien is just a claim used as security for tax debt whereas in IRS levy they actually take the property to do so. If one cannot make arrangements to settle the debts then the IRS seizes or sells any type of personal or real property which one possesses. For example, the IRS can seize and sell property like boats, houses, cars, etc. Even they can levy property that is actually the debtors’ but is help by someone else like the wages wit the employee, balance at the bank account, license, rental income, etc.

An IRS levy is issued only when he requirements are met. The first condition is when IRS sends a notice or demand for the payment of the tax assessed by them. Secondly, when the person refuses or neglects to pay the tax and lastly when a final notice of Intent to Levy i.e. a legal notice of IRS levy is sent 30 days before the levy. A person receives one more notice with this notice known as Notice of Your Rights to Hearing. These notices can be given anywhere at our business place, at home or can be registered with the return receipt.

One may ask the IRS to review the case or can even request to Office of Appeals by filing a request to the IRS officer listed in our notice. This request filing should be done within 30 days of the receipt of the IRS levy notice.

When the IRS levy, levy our wages, salary or bank account, the levy ends when it is released or when on e pays the tax debt or at the expiry of the time of legal collection of tax. When the IRS levy, levies the bank account, the bank holds the funds in deposit for 21 days. This time is given as the relaxation period to solve the problem at hand. After 21 days, the bank sends the money to the IRS along with the interest, if applicable, to the IRS.

If IRS makes any mistake, like while levying bank account, the bank charges are borne by the debtor. In such a condition one is entitled to have the reimbursement for such charges. For this reimbursement one has to file a claim to the IRS within one year after the bank has claimed the charges.

There are two different types of IRS levy programs. One is FPLP i.e. Federal Payment Levy program and the other is SITLP, which is State Income Tax Levy Program. Under the FPLP, the IRS may levy money from the federal payments received like Social Security benefits, retirement from the Office of Personnel Management, federal employee’s salaries, etc. FPLP electronic levies the federal payments made through Department of Treasury, Financial Management services. When these agencies levy through FPLP, they take 15% from each of the payments till the account is resolved. One can call IRS employee for assistance if he is already working with them.

Under the SITLP, IR levies the state tax refund. This implies to individual state tax refunds only. Inclusion of business tax refunds in the future is under consideration. If the state tax refund is levied, the state issues a notice of advice about the levy. If one receives an advice, legally, for the Rights of Hearing then this IRS notice of advising is not issued.

About The Author

Henry Byers, Retired IRS Manager and IRS Tax Levy expert at eGarnish Group LLC ( http://www.irs-bank-levy.info ) publishes other articles related to IRS Tax Levy at http://www.irs-garnishment.info and http://www.garnishment-laws.info

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It seems as though every time you turn around there’s a new credit card rewards program trying to win your business by promising to make your everyday purchases count toward something more. Credit card rewards can be great, since they are a way to counteract the interest that you pay on purchases that you’d make anyway but not all credit card rewards programs are right for everybody. If you’ve been considering getting a new credit card that has a rewards program but aren’t really sure which program is right for you, then you’re in luck.

Below you’ll find information on some of the most common rewards programs, so as to help you to decide whether that particular program is right for you or not.

Cash Back Rewards

One of the most popular types of rewards programs is the cash back reward meaning that the more you use the card, the more money you’ll get back from the company as a reward. Generally, the amount paid is a low percentage 1.5% or 2% are the most common percentages paid for cash back rewards, though there are some companies that will pay between 3% and 5% to at least some of their customers.

The reward payments are usually made once per year on the anniversary date of the cardholder (the day that they first activated their card), though there are a few companies that offer instant rewards on each purchase made.

Airline Miles

Giving free airline miles that can be cashed in for tickets at major airlines is another popular type of rewards program. The cards that offer airline miles as a reward generally grant a large number of miles either upon activation or the first purchase made with the card, and then a lower number of miles with each purchase based upon the amount of the purchase. Some cards offer miles that can only be cashed in for certain dates, whereas others have miles that can be used for any date. It goes without saying that individuals who don’t fly wouldn’t be likely to have much use for this particular reward program.

Shopping Discounts

There are two different types of shopping discount rewards programs those that are offered by retailers, and those that are offered by manufacturers. Retailer reward programs generally carry a discount of around 10% on any purchases made with the card at their stores, though there may be some exceptions on certain items. Manufacturer discounts are generally offered by manufacturers of high-cost items such as automobiles or other vehicles and offer a discount whenever you purchase one of their products. Some models of products may be excluded from this discount.

Free Gifts

Slightly less common as a rewards programs are those that grant free gifts based upon use of the card. Each time you use the card, you’ll get a number of points from the store or company that the card is linked to which can later be redeemed in lieu of cash. Some retailers, online companies, or catalogue sales companies will offer this sort of rewards program, enabling you to get certain items for free after you’ve built up enough rewards points on your card.

The specific items that reward points can be redeemed for in this manner may vary from one company to the next in some cases it is only certain items that can be purchased this way, whereas in others you can get any item that the store or retailer has in their stock.

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You may freely reprint this article provided the following author’s biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

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One of the biggest challenges faced by the home business or small business entrepreneur is to provide direction to their company. Many people simply start up a home business in their spare time with the hope that it will make money and eventually allow them to quit their job.

Unfortunately, successful home business owners will tell you, that’s not how it works. You need to provide direction to your business, whether it’s big or small.

A big company has a CEO and board of directors to provide that direction. A home based business has just you: probably the same person that makes the coffee and sweeps the floors!

So how do you create goals and provide direction for your company? There are many ways. Here is a “quick-and-dirty” way to create an action plan that will help you develop solutions for your home based business or small business. In fact, it’s exactly the method I used this this winter to develop my 2006 marketing plan.

1. Decide what you want to do. For example, let’s say you want to sell more widgets.

2. Decide the metrics you want to use. For example, let’s say that you are going to measure the number of widgets sold between January and March.

3. Determine where you are now and write it at the top of your page. Let’s say that you sell 10 widgets per day, now.

4. Decide how many widgets you want to sell. write that number at the bottom of the page. So in our example, let’s say that by March 31st we want to sell 20 widgets per day.

5. Connect the current number and the goal with a line down the side of your page.

So right now our page looks like this:

Today: 10 widgets/day

———————

——————————-

Goal: 20 widgets/day by Mar. 31

6. Now fill in the middle with ideas and brainstorms to help you. For example, you might want an print-based advertising campaign or a pay-per-click advertising campaign or an affiliate marketing program.

7. Assign due dates to each item.

So now our page looks like this:

Today: 10 widgets/day

———————

-by Jan 25: PPC ad campaign

-by Feb 15: affiliate mkting prgm

-by Mar 15: print ad campaign

——————————-

Goal: 20 widgets/day by Mar. 31

8. Begin taking action on each item until March 31st and determine if you’ve reached your goal!

The story is told of 2 salespeople. One set goals and one didn’t. The salesperson who didn’t set goals proudly boasted that they made $250,000 that year. The salesperson who did set goals admitted that they only acheived half of their million dollar goal.

The moral of the story: if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get anywhere.

About The Author

Aaron Hoos is a freelance writer specializing in business and financial topics. He writes e-books and articles that can help you make more money in your online or offline business! Visit www.aaronhoos.com for more information.

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You decide to buy shares in Mouse Trap, Ltd.(symbol CHZ), a computer company that produces sophisticated hardware. The shares are now selling for $40 and you want to purchase approximately $1,000 worth each month. Today you buy 25 shares. Next month the stock has gone up to $43 so your purchase is 23 shares (I’m rounding these off because you can’t buy fractions of shares.) The following month it drops back to $40, you get 25 more. Then at $37, you have 27 shares. At $35, 28 shares. At $32, 31 shares. You have invested $6,000 and have 159 shares at an average cost of $37.75.

With the current price of the Mouse Trap at $32 you have a loss of almost $1,000 (159 X $32 = $5,088). The object of buying any stock or mutual fund is to have more money than you put in, not more shares and less money. Who came up with this anyway?

Many years ago a broker talked his client into buying a thousand shares of Gravy Train (symbol EZSt) at $50 per share. In 30 days Gravy Train had spilled down to $30 and the broker didn’t want to tell his customer the bad news, but he had to call him so he came up with this: “Great news, Mr. Mushroom, Gravy Train is now at $30. If you buy another $50,000 worth you can get 1,666 shares and own all 2,666 shares at an average price of only $37.50. Isn’t that wonderful!” So far a “wonderful” loss of $20,000. There is a basic rule I learned a long time ago as a floor trader: NEVER ADD TO A LOSING POSITION.

I am in favor of dollar cost averaging, but there is a right way to do it. Only buy more shares as the price advances. Each purchase should be at a higher price per share than the previous price per share. This applies to both stocks and mutual funds. One good stock can make you a very rich person; one bad one can put you in the poorhouse.

In 1996 one of the hot stocks was Boston Chicken selling in a range of $30 to $40 per share. You could really own a lot of these shares had you continued to pour in money. It currently is selling at 50 cents per share. And mutual funds are not exempt. Lexington Troika-Dialog Fund was $24 in 1997. Today it is $3.00 per share. If you had dollar cost averaged UP your only loss would have been your first purchase.

Remember the object of investing is to make money not own a lot of shares.

Al Thomas’ book, “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy It!” has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he’s the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.

Copyright 2005

al@mutualfundstrategy.com; 1-888-345-7870

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Summary: The global economy has been a fact of life for decades now. But the author asserts that most leaders don’t understand the right kind of leadership to propel those organizations to great global success. Here is a blue print on how to make your leadership truly effective on an international basis.

Working with thousands of leaders during the past 21 years in the global economy, I have found that most of them don’t have a clue. They may know to some extent how to do business on a global level. But to exert the right kind of leadership on that level eludes them; so when I first meet them, they’re usually getting the wrong results or the right results in the wrong ways.

Of course, there are many successful global companies and leaders, but my experiences teach that they are successful not because of but in spite of their leadership activities. They may do things right; but they are not doing the global leadership things right. If they got that leadership right, they’d be getting a lot more results.

Clearly, the challenges of leading on a global scale are daunting. Differences in time zones, cultures, currency dynamics can be vexing. But one thing is the same. It takes leadership for organizations to succeed - leadership that must drive results, not now and then, not ad hoc, not in patches but consistently in all cultures simultaneously.

First, let’s understand what kind of leadership is needed to achieve such success. Then I’ll give you a powerful tool to make it happen.

Leaders do nothing more important than have people get results. There are two ways for leaders to get results, order people to go from point A to point B or have the people want to go from A to B. Clearly, the latter is more effective in getting results. Today, with speed, flexibility, and teamwork being driving global competitiveness, the order-leader who tyrannizes and micro manages can’t compete against the leader who can build motivated teams to get results.

The days of the order-leader are not just numbered. They’re over. Today, leadership is motivational or its stumbling in the dark. Because in terms of achieving more results faster continually, the order is the lowest form of leadership. Here’s why: Until recently, ever since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the order-giving way of leadership has flourished. Order comes from a Latin root meaning “to arrange threads in a woof”. In the Revolution’s early years, captains of industry dealt with the uneducated country folk in their factories by ordering them where, how and when to work. The most efficient and effective production methods were created when workers were “ordered” or ranked like threads in the woof of production lines.

Refined and empowered by the Victorian culture, with its patriarchal power structure and strong links to Prussian military organization and dictates, the culture of the order-giver reached its zenith in the United States after World War II.

In the following decades, with most of the industrialized world recovering from the war, many U.S. businesses were like ocean liners plowing through relatively calm seas, their leaders, like liner captains and mates, running things by getting orders from superiors, giving orders to subordinates and making sure those orders were carried out.

But with globalization, businesses worldwide are undergoing changes as radical as any since the Industrial Revolution. With competition increasing dramatically, with the volume and velocity of information multiplying, with information becoming accessible to more and more people, with the traditional, pyramidal structures of order-giving flattening, leaders today need skills akin not to ocean liner piloting but white-water canoeing.

Order leadership founders in an environment where lines of authority are dynamic, information widely disseminated, markets rapidly changing, and employees empowered. In such an environment, new leadership, motivational leadership, is needed.

In short, the leader who can “have” others get results. That means global leadership is essentially motivational leadership.

That’s the kind of leadership needed to achieve such success. Now, here’s the tool to make that leadership happen. That tool is The Leadership Talk. Here’s what the Leadership Talk is all about.

When it comes to realizing motivational leadership around the world, there is a hierarchy of verbal persuasion. This hierarchy extends to people everywhere, no matter what their culture, what job they hold, or what ambitions they have.

The lowest levels of the hierarchy are speeches and presentations. They communicate information. The highest level, the most effective level is The Leadership Talk. The Leadership Talk not only communicates information. It does something much more. It establishes deep, human, emotional connections with people.

The question isn’t, “Why is this connection necessary in terms of getting organizational results?” (After all, the answer is obvious.), the question is, “Why is the Leadership Talk the gold standard for international leadership?”

For one thing, I’ve had top leaders in top companies worldwide applying it for more than two decades, and it simply works. It’s all about helping leaders get what I call “more results faster, continually.” You can get those kinds of results on a global scale without the Leadership Talk.

The Leadership Talk is motivational, action-focused, results oriented anywhere it’s used.

That’s because its key process, the Three-trigger Motivational Process, is tied to universal human motivators.

I emphasize process — which is a sequence of specific steps to achieve a particular outcome — because it’s not good enough to motivate people now and then, we must do it consistently. Process promotes consistency and advances the quality, quantity, and dependability of results.

The Leadership Talk process I’m going to show you has been working for many hundreds of leaders for nearly 20 years. It’s called The Three-trigger Motivational Process. And it’s the basis of all my leadership processes.

Note that the triggers are in the form of questions. 1) DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE AUDIENCE NEEDS? (2) CAN YOU BRING DEEP BELIEF TO WHAT YOU’RE SAYING? (3) CAN YOU HAVE THE AUDIENCE TAKE RIGHT ACTION?

When facing a leadership challenge, if you say “no” to any one of these questions, you can’t give a Leadership Talk.

(1) DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE AUDIENCE NEEDS?

Winston Churchill said, “We must face the facts or they’ll stab us in the back.”

When you are trying to motivate people, the real facts are THEIR facts, their reality.

Their reality is composed of their needs. In many cases, their needs have nothing to do with your needs.

Most leaders don’t get this. They think that their own needs, their organization’s needs, are reality. That’s okay if you’re into ordering. As an order leader, you only need work with your reality. You simply have to tell people to get the job done. You don’t have to know where they’re coming from. But if you want to motivate them, you must work within their reality, not yours.

I call it “playing the game in the people’s home park”. There is no other way to motivate them consistently. If you insist on playing the game in your park, you’ll be disappointed in the motivational outcome.

(2) CAN YOU BRING DEEP BELIEF TO WHAT YOU’RE SAYING?

Nobody wants to follow a leader who doesn’t believe the job can get done. If you can’t feel it, they won’t do it.

But though you yourself must “want to” when it comes to the challenge you face, your motivation isn’t the point. It’s simply a given. If you’re not motivated, you shouldn’t be leading.

Here’s the point: Can you TRANSFER your motivation to the people so they become as motivated as you are?

I call it THE MOTIVATIONAL TRANSFER, and it is one of the least understood and most important leadership determinants of all.

There are three ways you can make the transfer happen.

* CONVEY INFORMATION. Often, this is enough to get people motivated. For instance, many people have quit smoking because of information on the harmful effects of the habit

* MAKE SENSE. To be motivated, people must understand the rationality behind your challenge. Re: smoking: People have been motivated to quit because the information connecting the activity with many kinds of diseases is absolutely compelling.

* TRANSMIT EXPERIENCE. This entails having the leader’s experience become the people’s experience. This can be the most effective method of all, for when the speaker’s experience becomes the audience’s experience, a deep sharing of emotions and ideas, a communing, can take place.

There are plenty of presentation and speech courses devoted to the first two methods, so I won’t talk about those.

Here’s a few thoughts on the third method. Generally speaking, humans learn in two ways: by acquiring intellectual understanding and through experience. In our schooling, the former predominates, but it is the latter which is most powerful in terms of inducing a deep sharing of emotions and ideas; for our experiences, which can be life’s teachings, often lead us to profound awareness and purposeful action.

Look back at your schooling. Was it your book learning or your experiences, your interactions with teachers and students, that you remember most? In most cases, your experiences made the most telling impressions upon you.

To transfer your motivation to others, use what I call my “defining moment” technique, which I describe fully in my book, DEFINING MOMENT: MOTIVATING PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTION.

In brief, the technique is this: Put into sharp focus a particular experience of yours then communicate that focused experience to the people by describing the physical facts that gave you the emotion.

Now, here’s the secret to the defining moment. That experience of yours must provide a lesson and that lesson is a solution to the needs of the people. Otherwise, they’ll think you’re just talking about yourself.

For the defining moment to work (i.e., for it to transfer your motivation to them), the experience must be about them. The experience happened to you, of course. But that experience becomes their experience when the lesson it communicates is a solution to their needs.

(3) CAN YOU HAVE THE AUDIENCE TAKE RIGHT ACTION?

Results don’t happen unless people take action. After all, it’s not what you say that’s important in your leadership communications, it’s what the people do after you have had your say.

Yet the vast majority of leaders don’t know what action truly is.

They get people taking the wrong action at the wrong time in the wrong way for the wrong results.

A key reason for this failure is they don’t know how to deliver the all-important “leadership talk Call-to-action”.

“Call” comes from an Old English word meaning “to shout.” A Call-to-Action is a “shout for action.” Implicit in the concept is urgency and forcefulness. But most leaders don’t deliver the most effective Calls-to-action because they make three errors regarding it.

First, they err by mistaking the Call-to-Action as an order. Within the context of The Leadership Talk, a Call-to-action is not an order. Leave the order for the order leader.

Second, leaders err by mistaking the Call as theirs to give. The best Call-to-action is not the leader’s to give. It’s the people’s to give. It’s the people’s to give to themselves. A true Call-to-action prompts people to motivate themselves to take action.

The most effective Call-to-action then is not from the leader to the people but from the people to the people themselves!

Third, they error by not priming their Call. There are two parts to the Call-to-Action, the primer and the Call itself. Most leaders omit the all-important primer.

The primer sets up the Call, which is to prompt people to motivate themselves to take action. You yourself control the primer. The people control the Call.

The primer/Call is critical because every leadership communication situation is in essence a problem situation. There is the problem the leader has. And there is the problem the people have. In many cases, they are two different problems. But leaders get into trouble regarding the Call-to-action when they think it’s only one problem, mainly theirs.

For instance, a leader might be talking about the organization needing to be more productive. So, the leader talks PRODUCTIVITY.

On the other hand, the people, hearing PRODUCTIVITY, think, YOU’RE GOING TO GIVE ME MORE WORK!

If the leader thinks that productivity is the people’s problem and ignores the “more work” aspect, h/she’s Call-to-action will probably be a bust, resulting in the people avoiding committed action.

Let’s apply the primer/Call dynamic to the productivity case. The leader talks PRODUCTIVITY: but this time uses a PRIMER. The primer’s purpose is to establish a “critical confluence” - the union of your problem with the problem of the people.

In this case, the leader creates a critical confluence by couching productivity within the framework of MORE MEANINGFUL WORK.

The primer may be: LET’S GET TOGETHER AND SEE IF YOU CAN COME UP WITH AN ACTION PLAN THAT WILL ENSURE THAT THE PRODUCTIVITY GAINS YOU IDENTIFY AND EXECUTE WILL ENABLE YOU TO WORK AT WHAT’S REALLY MEANINGFUL TO YOU.

Note what we’ve done: The primer is LET’S GET TOGETHER AND SEE IF YOU CAN COME UP WITH AN ACTION PLAN.

The actual Call is from the people to themselves: LET’S INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY BY WORKING AT WHAT’S MEANINGFUL.

With that Call, the leader moves from just getting average results (YOU MUST BE MORE PRODUCTIVE: i.e., you’re going to solve MY problem) to getting great results (YOU COME UP WITH WAYS TO TIE PRODUCTIVITY INTO MEANINGFUL WORK: i.e., you’re also going to solve your problem.)

So, here’s what the Leadership Talk Call-to-action is truly about: It’s not an order; it’s best manifested when the people give themselves the Call; and it is always primed by your creating the “critical confluence” — they’ll be solving their problem as well as yours.

The vast majority of leaders I’ve worked worldwide are hampering their careers for one simple reason: They’re giving presentations and speeches — not leadership talks.

You have a great opportunity to turbo charge your career by recognizing the power of Leadership Talks. Before you give a Leadership Talk, ask three basic questions. Do you know what the people need? Can you bring deep belief to what you’re saying? Can you have the people take the right action?

If you say “no” to any one of those questions you cannot give a Leadership Talk. But the questions aren’t meant to be stumbling blocks to your leadership but stepping stones. If you answer “no”, work on the questions until you can say, “yes”. In that way, you’ll start getting the right results in the right way on a consistent basis.

The changing global marketplace can force you to confront a world of differences in cultures, time zones, and currencies; but one thing will always remain the same, the need for great leadership to drive great results. When you use the Leadership Talk consistently in your dealings around the world, you’ll be putting into circulation the real gold standard that is recognized and valued everywhere.

2006 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com

About The Author

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson’s recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. - and for more than 21 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: “49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,” at http://www.actionleadership.com.

brent@actionleadership.com

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Repairing credit scores cannot be deemed an easy task, but also cannot be considered an impossible task, either. Many individuals have less than ideal credit scores due to a number of factors. It can be due to a job loss, where bills fell behind due to reduced household income. Repairing credit scores can be necessary in situations where a medical emergency occurred, and medical bills have piled up beyond reason, or the individual that was injured was contributing to the household income is now unable to work.

Credit scores can be reduced due to a debt ratio that is much higher than the income level, and can also occur if all payments are not made on time or are not made at all. A bad divorce can also contribute to an individual’s financial well being, and can lead to poor credit scores when bills are in the middle of an argument and payments are not made on time or are not made at all.

Regardless of the reason for poor credit occurring, be assured that you are not alone. Many individuals need to repair credit scores, and while it can create a dilemma when a loan is needed, even loans are not impossible in most situations, though interest rates may be higher. If possible, try to repair credit scores before applying for a loan, if time allows. Take a few important steps to repair credit scores.

1. Request copies of your credit reports to assist in repairing credit scores.

Lenders rely on three reporting credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. These three bureaus are where all lenders turn prior to offering a loan to any business or individual. To understand what they are seeing, obtain copies of your reports offered by each of these credit bureaus. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each bureaus once per year, or more if you have been denied a loan or have been denied some type of credit due to your scores. In addition to requesting the reports, be sure to also request your credit scores be revealed.

The reports and scores can be requested online at Experian.com, Equifax.com, and Transunion.com, or can be obtained by calling their toll free numbers.

Experian: 888-397-3742

Equifax: 800-685-1111

Transunion: 800-916-8800

2. Once you’ve obtained your credit reports, review and understand them in order to repair credit scores.

In order to repair credit scores, it’s crucial to understand what it is that needs to be repaired. When creating a credit report, the three credit bureaus study the credit history of an individual and calculate a credit score, which lenders use in considering whether or not to approve a loan. This credit score is known as the FICO score, and is calculated using software created by the Fair Isaac Company. Credit scores range from 300, for no credit, to 850, for perfect credit. A credit score below 619 is considered poor credit and the borrower is considered a high risk to a lender.

3. To repair credit scores, read through each item listed.

If there are items on your credit report that are not yours, such as a loan that was given to your spouse after a divorce, report those errors to each of the credit bureaus who lists those errors. Likewise, there may be occasions where identity theft or other errors on the part of the reporting bureaus have occurred. Read through each item carefully, and contact each credit bureau that has incorrect information regarding your credit history. Don’t be afraid to dispute anything at all that may be of question.

Contact each bureau promptly with these disputes. There is normally a 30-day waiting period after filing a dispute, where the credit reporting bureaus will contact each of the creditors in which you’re disputing, offering the creditors the opportunity to respond or remove the listing from your credit report. If not response is received, the credit bureaus are required by law to remove those items from your credit reports, which will be one step in assisting you on repairing credit scores.

4. Consider a consolidation loan, reorganize your financial structure, and maintain control of your spending in order to repair credit scores.

Obtaining a consolidation loan, such as refinancing a home or obtaining a home equity loan, is an excellent step in the right direction when it comes to repairing credit scores. By consolidating all debt into one lower monthly payment, even if the interest rate is higher, it usually will have more positive impact than negative impact because it can greatly assist in repairing credit scores. A consolidation loan will pay off as much existing debt as possible, and credit scores will increase over time, provided new debt is not incurred due to the loan.

Not everyone gets a fresh start, so it’s crucial to keep that in mind after signing for the loan. If you’re tempted to spend more once the loan is in place, consider the impacts involved. Your attempt to repair credit scores could possibly be lost with careless spending. Spending more money once obtaining a consolidation loan will only reduce credit scores more than what they were previously. Stay away from payday loans, and destroy all but one credit card, which should be used only for emergencies, such as unexpected automobile repairs. If the card is needed for such an emergency, pay it off in full before using it again. Don’t splurge or make any purchases in haste, or your efforts to repair credit scores will be lost.

5. Make payments on time to repair credit scores, either with or without a consolidation loan.

Especially if you’ve decided to obtain a consolidation loan, make all payments on as scheduled. To fully repair credit scores, this is one of the most important steps to take. Showing that you can pay your bills is one of the highest impacting actions that you can make. It illustrates you as a financially responsible individual, and can increase your credit scores as much as 100 points or more in just one year. By repairing credit scores simply with making payments on time, within that one year, it’s possible to bring yourself into a better credit rating bracket, with more financial opportunity available in the future, including lower interest rates, which lead to lower monthly payments.

If you opt not to obtain a consolidation loan, start making payment arrangements with your creditors to aid in repairing credit scores. Start by making arrangements with the creditors in which payments are the latest. Most creditors will gladly work with you if you make payment arrangements and stick to the payment plan. By not communicating with your creditors, they assume the worst of you. If you make them aware of your financial difficulties, most will be flexible enough to work with you so that your debts can be paid.

If your creditors involved credit card companies, ask them to re-age your accounts. By re-aging credit card invoices, the credit card company will remove all late payments and added interest, significantly reduce the interest rate you’re paying on the account, and bring your payments current. They’ll also report the payment arrangement with the credit bureaus, and this step alone will help repair credit scores. It may mean that the accounts will be closed, but having them open in the first place are the reasons for many financial problems due to unnecessary purchases.

About The Author

Rebecca Game is the founder of Digital Women ®, an online community for women in business. A 30 year entrepreneur and dedicated to helping other women find small business loans. Visit her site: Loans for Women http://www.digital-women.com

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When you are ready to talk to your network marketing leads you need to be prepared in advance and have a clear understanding of the prospect. The individuals you talk with will have their own needs, problems, and viewpoints and will be looking to you to address their interests, questions and concerns effectively.

Key to generating interest in your product and motivating a prospect to take action to invest in what you have to offer is to make your own high levels of enthusiasm and motivation for your product apparent. This energy coupled with a sincere interest in understanding their needs and desires will help to build trust and rapport.

Think back to the days when you were first evaluating your product and business opportunity. How were you communicated to? What was the most important issue for you? What drove you to actually invest in the product or move forward with the business opportunity? Perhaps financial freedom is what motivated you; perhaps it was the freedom to live the lifestyle that you choose. Taking a moment now to get back in touch with the thoughts, feelings of excitement, concerns and anxieties that you first experienced. This should give you some insight into what they may be feeling now. If you can help your prospect to understand that these feelings are perfectly natural you will be on your way to gaining their valued trust.

It may also be beneficial to talk to your peers and mentors within your network community. Doing so will help to give you different points-of-view, opinions and feedback. From this research you can enlarge on your picture of what drives and motivate individual prospects.

Before you call a lead or prospect directly, be prepared in advance. Gather their name and any other pertinent information, then before you dial the phone be sure you have plenty of time in your schedule and be prepared to talk about your offering and listen to their needs and fears. Have a few testimonials handy, as these can be helpful examples that lend themselves to the lead visualizing themselves in the similar situations. As much as you may like, however, do not focus only on those examples that sound too good to be true, as many people may take them to be just that. Rather, be prepared to interject your own experiences and stories as they will help to build on the sense of trust especially as they relate to your concerns and how they were addressed or overcome.

Be prepared to leave any sales pitch or actual selling until the end of the call or meeting. Seek to educate, interest and motivate your lead first and look for ways to offer solutions to their needs and problems. Show the benefits that your offering can give them and the value of it. Once you have built the desire for your offering, you will be in a better position to make your pitch and close the sale.

About The Author

Brent Payne and Shane Krider are the co-founders of Liberty League International. Their mission is to assist customers and associates to enjoy a more fulfilling life experienced through a well balanced environment of supportive community, education, and opportunity. Their website is http://www.libertyleague.com. Find out more about their community at Beyond Freedom Community http://www.beyondfreedom.com and their conferences at Liberty League Conference http://www.libertyleagueconference.com.

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