Charles Darwin was one of the most traveled people in history. Can you imagine the commissions his travel agent earned?
How many times have you been held up trying to book a flight or hotel because… “our system is down”. Today, people have no patience for non-functioning travel agency software. In an age when people can book a flight on a cell phone modem, the most important asset a travel agency offers customers is personal service backed up by excellent travel agency software.
Travel Agency System – The Lion Sleeps tonight
Travel Agent system can mean the defense between a happy traveler and angry lion! Travel is a word of mouth business… a happy customer brings more business, an unhappy customer may cost a travel agency dearly. In today’s travel jungle, the unhappy customer is the lion a travel agency should most fear. Poor agency travel software may cause unhappy customers to tell their friends and even write damaging reviews on blogs and forums. the travel jungle the travel agencies with easy to use, efficient travel agency software sleep the soundest.
Travel Agency Software- Survival of the Fittest
Travel agency software that meets both present and future needs is vital. An agency’s products and customers are constantly changing and so must a travel agency’s travel agent software. The competition among competition in the travel and tourism field is fierce and so is Travel Agency Software a fiercely competitive field. Travel agencies offering personal as well as on-line reservations earn higher profit margins. Here are broad travel agent software guidelines for travel agency software needs:
Travel agency software – The Origin of Species
Very easy to use
Flexible commission facilities
Multi-lingual
Multi-currency
Full accounting capability
Full Internet integration
Extensive automated system
Total end to end solution
State-of-the-art technology
Proven reliability & stability
If Darwin was alive to day, his agent would have the best travel agency
system money could buy. It’s a jungle out there in the travel business, don’t underestimate the importance of your travel agency software.
Galor is a provider of the GILBOA Travel agency software, a total solution in one integrated travel
agent software and easy to manage travel agency
system.
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A fantastic lounge lizard recipe for: Death Wish, with Southern Comfort® peach liqueur and Dr. Pepper® soda.
Category: Cocktails – Long drinks
Ingredients: 1 part Southern Comfort® peach liqueur
1 part Dr. Pepper® soda
How to: Pour in cup and stir.
Glassware: Beer Mug
What’s in it for you?
(per 16 oz serving)
|
Calories (kcal)
Energy (kj)
Fats
Carbohydrates
Protein
|
620
2597
0.2 g
47.1 g
0 g
|
Fiber
Sugars
Cholesterol
Sodium
Alcohol
|
0 g
-
0 mg
24 mg
79.4 g
|
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The online diesel technician and mechanic training program readies students for a career that offers reasonably high income. While positions are available throughout the United States, a majority of the jobs are located in cities and towns where the trucking companies, bus lines and other fleet owners have their operations. Most trade schools can help graduates with job placement assistance by helping them land jobs with companies that are affiliated with the schools.
Because diesel mechanics can be studied online, at home, it is not necessary to give up one’s existing job.
A certificate from a Diesel Mechanic School on the web will mean that you are qualified to accept a thrilling and lucrative job working on heavy equipment vehicles, larger vehicles like buses, and diesel truck engines. Through online classes, pupils will learn how to work on diesel vehicle engines, in addition to diesel fuel and ignition systems. Diesel mechanics of the future will learn bus and truck computerized systems, as well as hydromechanical diesel fuel injection, diesel power trains, emissions, suspension, steering, transmission and brake systems, advanced diagnostic systems and fundamentals of electronic technology.
Online courses can take anywhere from six months to two years to complete, depending upon the school chosen. There are certificates, diplomas, or degrees available in the following areas for graduates: Diesel Service Technician, Diesel Mechanics, Diesel Truck Service Technician, and Auto Diesel Mechanic. A diesel mechanic can easily gain the means and know how to run their own business with only a few more years of direct job experience, and are immediately eligible to be employed at an automotive repair shop.
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We are taught how to sell; to negotiate and read a spreadsheet but in all our training, we are not taught to listen. Surely, you might say, listening is something we do instinctively and yes we do but do we actually hear? Are we listening properly?
I have both observed and managed projects and people over many years and the fact that never ceases to amaze me is the number of errors that occur, simply because people do not listen attentively. When something goes awry – maybe the loss of a customer or an inability to close a sale – we try and analyse what went wrong when often, it can be attributed to a breakdown in communication and failing to listening.
It is easy to identify the individual who is not listening. They may fidget, doodle or gaze out of the window but sometimes it is more subtle. They play the game and appear to be paying attention but observe closely and you will spot the tell-tale signs: they do not ask questions nor repeat back statements that confirm their understanding of the address.
Active listening is an enormously important skill and should not be under-rated. Without active listening there is potential for vital information to be misunderstood or even completely missed. So how do we become Active Listeners? In order to develop the skill, one needs to understand the concept and learn to apply the principles.
Most people believe there is only one type of listening: in fact there are at least three types; the first of which is:
Cosmetic listening – this is ‘pretend’ listening. It’s how you listen to what is being said when really, you’re doing something else like reading the paper or watching TV. Cosmetic listening gives the impression that you are listening to the other person. And we all do it. How many times have you found yourself in conversation with a member of your team who has come to seek advice or discuss a situation only to find your eyes drawn to a Report you still have to review or a message to return a ‘phone call? If you’re clever you can convey the message that you’re hanging on their every word and make encouraging sounds but in reality, you are somewhere else. When you are in cosmetic listening mode it is impossible to ask relevant and meaningful questions because you just don’t have an adequate grasp of what is being said.
the second is:
Conversational Listening – As the name suggests, this listening occurs when you are engaged in conversation and follows a pattern of listening, thinking and responding. This is the most common type of listening as it occurs spontaneously when we converse on a topic of mutual interest. We are engaged; we are ‘in the moment’ and listening attentively and thinking about what is being said in order to formulate a response however, if the topic is of less interest or importance to one of the parties, the listening breaks down.
With both cosmetic and conversational listening “Are you listening to me?” is a question which is frequently posed. You can identify people who are cosmetic or conversational listeners since they are likely to ask irrelevant questions that do not relate to the discussion or else they will ask a question the answer to which you have already covered. Children are great at cosmetic listening!
Whenever I have been involved in delivering training and seminars, I have found it remarkable how many people listen only cosmetically, particularly in interactive sessions. A question is posed and the delegates either look at you blank or answer in a way which exposes their inattention. A classic example of this was portrayed in an episode of ‘The Office’ when during a session, the Trainer asks about daydreams. Clearly Gareth’s mind is elsewhere since when Tim asks him “Fantasy Gareth. What’s yours?” he replies “Two lesbians probably”. You get the idea!
Recently, I was asked to sit-in on a very important project meeting; it lasted some three and half hours and after it finished and the Chairman left, some members of the team sat around exchanging information because they openly admitted they were not listening properly. When you have project meetings like this the projects usually fail to achieve the goal and the interested team members, the ones listening, become demotivated.
Some years ago, I was asked by a Recruitment Agency, to assist them in advancing their business from Secondary to Primary Supplier status with their major Clients. A brief was devised and it was agreed that I should, as an observer, accompany the Representatives on their Customer Sales Visits.
One visit took us to carton manufacturer whose business apparently, the Agency had been chasing for years. I sat quietly throughout the meeting and listened. At the end, we left empty-handed and my colleague lamented that yet again he was unable to secure the deal. I ask him what it was that the customer wanted and he regaled me with a list of admirable staff qualities such as loyalty, reliability, punctuality etc. I stopped him dead: “And?” I asked. He looked at me blank.
OK, I had the advantage since it wasn’t me that was delivering the pitch and pushing for the business but I had written down what the business owner had said. “I don’t want to be ’sold to’”. He just wanted someone to help him staff his business. He felt his other suppliers did not understand his staffing needs because all they recommended was that “You need more staff”.
Taking this information on board, we did a speculative visit a few days later. There was no hard sell. We explained how we would like to do business with his Company and asked him how things were with both the staffing and the business. Through Active Listening we had identified his needs and the Salesman left with three vacancies to fill and the promise of further business which quickly increased.
the third type of listening is:
Active/Deep listening (Master Listening) – This can only be undertaken with a clear mind – you must silence all the mental chatter in order to focus on what is being said. Put out of your mind the ‘phone call you must return or the groceries you must pick up on the way home. Active listening requires great concentration. Give your complete attention to what is being said and record the fact, whether mentally or by making notes.
Active listening when practiced, imparts a greater understanding of what is being communicated and can help to form an insight into both what is being said and what is not being said. It is as important for the for the Manager as it is for the Salesman or Receptionist as failing to listen actively precludes one from being able to ‘dig deeper’ and gain further information. As an example: you may ask a question and receive a satisfactory response but recognize that it is limited and merits development. The Active Listener will sense any reticence and can then pursue the line of enquiry in order to elicit more information. When listening actively you will find maintaining a dialogue easier as each exchange can be expanded upon by the use of the open enquiries: What? When? Who? Why? and How?
To be skilled at Active Listening it is necessary to take control of one’s own worry, fear anger, grief, individual bias, prejudice and verbal clutter and to conquer any inclination one might have toward world-weariness, preoccupation and inattentiveness. By employing Active Listening we ensure our language is neither controlling nor judgmental. The spoken word of the Active Listener is therefore deliberate and questions should be asked in an even tone with measured speed and a degree of warmth. For example; “How can we work together to make this project succeed?” delivered calmly and with sincerity, creates a powerful question to which hopefully, the Manager, Customer or Staff member will give great thought to before answering and because you are focused on their response, you are much less likely to find random thoughts entering your head and thereby avoid involuntary outbursts such as: “I think that’s rubbish” or “You’re just moaning again” which would destroy the interaction completely.
We all know the frustration of not being listened to so
How do we learn to listen actively?
The first step is to assess your own listening skills.
Engage in a brief conversation with an associate or ask them to read a passage from a book or magazine then, summarize the exchange or narration. During this exercise, observe and note the number of times you allow your mind to wander or your attention to be distracted. Review your findings, evaluate the efficacy of your comprehension and identify any areas in which you could improve.
Here are some tips for improving your listening
1) Look directly at the person with whom you are talking and maintain eye contact
2) Remain relaxed
3) Suspend judgment
4) Think in pictures - visualize what the person is trying to say
5) Allow the other person finish their words before responding - it demonstrates respect
6) Clarify any point upon which you are unclear
7) Be aware of body language and watch for facial expressions, body movements and posture
Learn to summarize the exchange in order to reinforce and confirm your understanding
Over twenty years in business and consultancy, educated to degree level in business and finance. Currently working as writer and life/performance coaching.
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Just today my partner Russ and I sat down to hash out a nagging frustration. It took a little bantering back and forth [not without some rise in emotional tension I'll have you know] until we got at the heart of the issue.
Unmet expectations!
Stop and look back at the last time you were frustrated with your life or business partner. Odds are it was because he/she did not meet your expectations.
Expectations of…
- Leaving the toilet seat up or down
- Making the bed
- Meeting you at the restaurant on time
- And so on.
These expectations can be small or large, simple or complex, pertinent or absurd; the point is that somewhere in your head you expected something different to happen than what did happen.
So, most every time you find your level of frustration on the rise it is because your partner acted contrary to one of your myriad expectations. Now that you’ve become more or re-aware of this what can you do about it…besides hoot and holler?
The first step is to identify what the expectation is
For example: My husband expects that we arrive at least 15 minutes early for meetings where we are the speakers, as he likes to greet attendees and take our position behind the podium in a timely manner. When for some reason I get caught talking with someone outside he gets perturbed.
Now before we had a dialog about this and how important it is to him I didn’t have a clue. The same holds true for how he and I squeeze the toothpaste!
What are your expectations with your life partner regarding…
- Taking out the trash [who does it and when, every day or only when it reeks to high heaven?]
- Being intimate
- Raising your children
- Getting the oil changed
- Balancing the check book
- Hanging out with members of the opposite sex
And with your business partner what are your expectations regarding…
- Time and effort put forth
- Taking time off
- Doing the work neither of you much enjoy
- And the list goes on.
Once you have identified which expectation is being stomped on address it with your partner [when you emotions are in check] and find out what his/her expectations are around the same issue. At times you’ll find that your partner doesn’t care and readily does it your way, and other times he/she has opposing expectations [like the proverbial squeezing the toothpaste scenario]. If that is the case you have some work to do.
Where do our expectations come from?
Our expectations generally are spawned during our childhood years. I recall when our daughter was about five years old and she came home from visiting our neighbors rather concerned and said, “Jason’s mommy and daddy are mad and his daddy went away. Mommies and daddies must stay together.” Her expectation was [and still is now that she is 26 and married] that couples work it out.
Take a moment to reflect on some of your expectations; you might just chuckle about where some of them come from. Like the one about the ham…
Mother is teaching her daughter how to cook ham for a holiday dinner. “Mom, why do you cut off the ends of the ham before putting it in the casserole?” Mother stops to think for a moment then says, “Because that’s how grandma did it.” Fortunately Grandma is visiting and is sitting in the front room reading to her five year old grandson. “Grandma, why do you cut the ends off the ham?” Grandma smiles and says, “Why child, because when your mother was young the pan was too small.”
Choose your battles
Depending on the expectation you may want to concede so that in another area your partner will agree to your preference. Determine which expectations are most important to you and which are most important to your partner. Be prepared for some give and take.
Find a better way.
When expectations are in conflict, it is frequently best to sit back and look at what is best for the situation or the relationship. Who takes out the trash may vary according to work schedule and availability. When to take out the trash may be determined by sanitary concerns. When individual expectations clash the fastest way to resolve the concern is to create a totally new expectation that fits you and your life or business partner best.
If you are a workaholic working 16 hours a day and your partner puts in 8hours you need to look at what your business demands and set your expectations to line up with your business plan and goals.
In a partnership, life or business, remember that your expectations may need to be realigned so that they work for the good of the relationship.
Margrit Harris, Your Relationship Expert, provides Helpful Answers to Tough Relationship Questions for life and business.
Business clients include Wachovia Securities, Morgan Stanley and a variety of small business executives. While life clients range from college students to seasoned professionals. Author of StrataTips, practical weekly free Relationship Advice, and the ebook Can [I Make] My Partner Change?. Visit StrataTeam’s estore today.
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It has never occurred to me to wonder about some of the questions borrowers have asked…then again there are the questions you can anticipate like the questions concerning interest rates. No matter what the question is the Notary Signing Agent (NSA) needs to be careful what she says. The thought of “Unauthorized Practice of Law” (UPL) should always be present. After all, loan papers are legal documents!
A NSA can open herself up to not only criminal charges but also civil charges, monetary fines and loss of her notary commission by answering the wrong questions and possibly offering incorrect information. If a question cannot be answered by merely pointing out where the information might be found within the document package or simply by giving a general explanation of what a document’s purpose is, then the best option may be to explain that you do not have information on each individual loan and are not a licensed attorney, qualified tax advisor, etc. Then refer the borrower to their loan officer or other appropriate person.
Remember, UPL not only includes providing advice and opinions regarding issues and matters but also providing advice and opinions regarding forms and documents. Direct any questions you may have relating to UPL to the state office governing notaries public in your state or call the National Notary Association information hotline.
© 2005 Lynnette A. Phillips
Article may be reprinted freely as long as the author bylines and info box are included.
Lynnette Phillips is a Certified and Experienced Notary Signing Agent and Mobile Notary Public commissioned by the state of California. Her past Clients have included First American Title, First Fidelity Mortgage, Alliance Title, GMAC, CitiBank, Hilton Grand Vacations, Countrywide. She is also a member of the National Notary Association, the NNA Signing Agent Section, 50 State Notary, Notary Rotary and the Yucaipa Valley Chamber of Commerce. Lynnette is currently studying for the California Dept. of Real Estate exam. http://www.yucaipamobilenotary.com
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Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke University is a premier private research college. Duke University’s undergraduate and graduate programs are highly regarded. Duke is also especially well known for its research, especially in natural sciences and health. The university is divided into nine schools, in which the undergraduates would enroll in either Pratt School of Engineering or the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. The graduate and professional schools to attend are the Divinity School, the School of Law, Graduate School, the School of Nursing, School of Medicine, the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and the Fuqua School of business. Recently, 19,358 students applied to become part of the incoming undergraduate class of 2010. Of these students, 3778 were admitted.
Although Duke University was official founded in 1924, what is known today as Duke University started as Brown’s Schoolhouse, a private subscription school founded in 1838 in Randolph County, North Carolina. The state legislature granted a rechartering of the academy as Normal College in 1851 and gained privilege of granting degrees in 1853. To keep the school operating, the trustees agreed to provide free education for Methodist preachers in return for the churches’ financial support and in 1859 the name was changed to Trinity College. In 1892, Trinity opened in Durham, as it became more involving with research instead of recitation. It was in 1900 when Trinity College became the first white institution of higher education in the South to invite Booker T. Washington to speak and that same year graduated its first Native American student. Soon after, Trinity College had developed into one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the southern United States. When 1924 came around, Duke University was born out of the establishment of the Duke Endowment, which was a $40 million dollar trust fund. The university grew quickly and within the next 20 years it had such additions as the Medical School and hospital, the Religion and Graduate School, the School of Nursing, School of Forestry and the Law School.
Besides the universities fine academics, it has 26 varsity sport teams known as the Blue Devils. Within the 26 teams is the very successful men’s basketball team under 25 years of coaching by Mike Krzyzewski. Their successes include becoming the only team to win three national championships since the tournament field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985. In addition to winning the championships, they have reached the “Final Four” of the tournament ten of the past twenty years. Many of the players of Duke have gone on to become popular players of the National Basketball Association and make millions of dollars on top of that. In recent years, the women’s golf team has also become dominant, winning three championships.
There are many great things to see at Duke University, such as the huge William R. Perkins Library or the Nasher Museum of Art. The indoor athletic games are held at the Cameron Indoor Stadium while the football games are played at Wallace Wade Stadium. Despite the recent controversies at Duke University involving the lacrosse team, Duke is a great university but is difficult to be admitted into without a doubt.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to College
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