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Successfully Overlapping Your Professional And Personal Life

life

You’ve probably strived to achieve a successful balance between your work life and your personal life. With a little separation between the two, people often find they are happier, mentally healthier and able to take necessary breaks for their own benefit. However, if you are married to or in a personal relationship with someone you work with, this balance can be tricky. How can you successfully overlap both parts of your life without driving each other crazy?

To make this work in a way that is beneficial for both partners, both of you will have to be intentional about protecting your personal relationship while navigating professional challenges together in a way that is reasonable and respectful. Some ways you can succeed in finding this balance include the following:

• Recognize that each of you have different strengths and weaknesses, which means that you may see things from different perspectives.
• Understand that it may be necessary to bring in an outside perspective occasionally to resolve a problem or offer input on a decision.
• Be honest and straightforward when discussing work issues, working to reach a compromise that will work for both of you.
• Set a time every evening when you will stop talking about work-related topics. Make time to focus solely on the personal side of the relationship.
• Allow each other the space to be creative and work freely without fear of criticism or negative feedback.

Relationships are difficult enough as it is without the pressure of also balancing a work relationship as well. If your work life and personal life overlap, commit to finding ways to make the two as seamless as possible. This will improve and benefit all aspects of your home and professional lives together.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

Find Success With Your Sales Calls

sales calls

If you have trepidation about picking up the phone for a sales call, you are not alone. Many people feel overwhelmed at the thought of speaking on the phone, especially when the purpose of a phone call is to ask for someone’s business. Sales calls can be intimidating, but when done right, they can be incredibly effective tools for your success. If these calls aren’t working for you, it may be necessary to rethink your strategy and change the way you approach these conversations.

When making a sales call, it’s important to do your homework before dialing. You have to know who you are about to speak with and why he or she could benefit from what you are selling. How can you add value to this individual’s life? Why will your product or service be beneficial to this person? You need to be able to answer these questions with certainty before you make the call.

Communicating on the phone can be tricky when one can’t see facial expressions or body language. Your tone of voice should be warm and inviting, but you don’t want to come across as fake. One common reason why sales calls often fail is the potential client feels pushed into make a decision or believes the salesperson is being manipulative. You have to be aware of how you are speaking to your potential client, down to your inflection and word choice.

It may help to think of your sales call as a conversation instead of a performance or speech you are trying to give. Approach your calls with the perspective of finding out how you can help the other person, not how the other person can benefit you. This shift in perspective can help you come across as more genuine, something that can be critically important for success in sales calls.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

The Best Early-Career Priorities

Career

One of the most valuable tools one has for his or her career is experience. There is no replacement for the priceless lessons learned after mistakes, successes, steps back and growing experiences. However, these are things that only come with time, and those just starting out simply don’t have access to this kind of first-hand knowledge and real-world wisdom. For those still learning and growing, it is important to be willing to learn and grow.

Each person seeking success in his or her career has to put in the time and effort. There is simply no substitute for the wisdom that comes with experience, but while building up this type of wisdom and just starting out, it may help to make certain things priorities. If you are not experienced yet, consider the following helpful tips as you are learning, growing and gaining knowledge:

• Stop worrying so much about making a lot of money, and concentrate on developing your skills.
• Acknowledge that you have a long way to go and be willing to put in the hard work.
• Don’t stop learning and growing by reading, seeking advice, listening to mentors and focusing on personal growth.
• Don’t be afraid to take risks, but know that you will likely make mistakes along the way.
• After making mistakes, be willing to own up to where you fell short and take steps to learn from the experience.
• Use your time wisely, and take steps now to build and develop time management skills.

One day, you will look back on the things you learned when you were just starting out. You may reflect on the things you did right and the things you wish you could go back and change. Ultimately, you will be better, smarter and more successful for focusing on the right priorities at a time when you didn’t have as much experience.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

Get Back On Track After Going Off The Rails

back on track

Everyone goes off the rails from time to time. It is normal to have times when you feel like you are not completely in control of your situation, but this is not where you want to stay forever. At some point you will hit a wall, make the decision to try something different and start pursuing a different path. Where should you start when it’s time to get back on track and regain control of your situation?

The first thing you may want to do is carefully evaluate the situation you find yourself in. If you’re “off the rails,” how did you get there? Where did you go wrong, and how could you have avoided the problem? Every misstep or failure is a chance to learn something, even if it means admitting you made a mistake. Thankfully, these lessons can help you grow and develop as you move forward.

Another step that can help propel you in the right direction is to begin to be proactive in your own life again. Instead of just reacting to things that happen, take steps to actually make things happen yourself. Choose to take the next step, fight for your goals and start making plans again. When you live in a state of reaction, you are always on defense. It’s time to start playing offense in your own life again.

Getting your life back on track will likely require you to change your mindset as well. Before you can move forward, you will have to change how you approach problems and chase new ideas. Mental blocks and a negative perspective may be holding you back more than you realize. With careful self-evaluation, you can identify specific steps that will allow you to get your life back on the rails.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC