Facebook vs. Twitter – Differences & Similarities

A friend posed a questions the other day: Is Weibo for nurturing relationship and you translate these relationship to sales on WeChat? You’re probably wondering what Weibo and WeChat are? These are the most popular social media platforms in China. Weibo is an equivalent of twitter. WeChat is a quite unique platform. First off, it’s mostly used on mobile phone as an app. Second, it’s similar to Whatapp and Viber in the sense that it allows users to send free messages and make free calls. If that’s not unique, then what differentiates WeChat from other social media is it offers a “Moment” section which is similar to Facebook’s news feed. You can view photos and videos that your friends posted. On top of all these, you can also subscribe to Moments by celebrities, or what we called Public Accounts. In lights of all these benefits, WeChat has become the most well-received app in China. Almost everyone that I know that has smartphone has a WeChat account, regardless of their age, what smartphone they use.

Anyhow, my friend posed an interesting question in marketing. Are different social media channel suitable for different purposes? Should companies select social media based on their marketing or PR objectives? With these questions, I decided to take a look at Facebook and twitter. In a later post, I’ll write about Weibo and WeChat.

Facebook vs. twitter: #1 Reach

More than 1.3 billion people use Facebook to connect with what it matters to them, be it their family, friends, or even brands! 64% of them use it everyday. (Source: Facebook)

Twitter, on the other hand, have 300 million monthly active users. 500 tweets were sent every day. (Source: twitter)

So Facebook has a wider reach than twitter in terms of active users.

Twitter for Promoting App Download and Usage

twitter users are more likely to try a new app and they have on average more apps on average smartphone users. So you’re looking to promote your app, twitter is a good channel. It can help encourage a download, or an upgrade of the app.

Twitter for Customer Service

73% of SMB twitter users said Twitter provided them with a quicker way to respond to a customer service issue. Due to the feature of Twitter, lots of small medium business use twitter to converse with customers and discover issues in real time. You will see people make complains and raise customer service issues on Facebook as well, but I think Twitter is a more natural fit for that.

Facebook: Remarket to Your Audience

This is a powerful tool. What it means you can target specifically Facebook users who have already shown interest in your business. People who have visited your website, or engaged with your business in other ways. This raises a higher chance of conversion since you’re laser focus on consumers who have prior experience with you.

Facebook and Twitter: Track and Optimize

This is an advantage they share: the ability to track the progress of the campaign and optimize as needed. This is a common feature shared by other digital media like Google Ads. Unlike traditional media such as TV ads, Facebook and Twitter allow you to modify your campaign based on real time results. For instance, certain keywords work better for others, or your business is catching much attention and traction among certain demographics over others. You don’t have to wait till the campaign is over to tweak your tactics. This helps improve efficiency of your marketing efforts.

Brand Building Tool or Call-to-Action Channel?

I think social media is great for call-to-action. You can quick results when you run short term campaigns. You can measure the result by the amount of download incurred due to the campaign, page views, coupon redemption, etc. But what about building the brand equity? My opinion is that it’s limited and restricted. It’s hard to communicate the story of a brand using 140 characters or a short Facebook post. TV is still a more effective way to tell a brand story. Nowadays with videos on youtube, brands started to do some brand building through minutes long videos.

Be Mindful of How You Spent Your Time

A couple of weeks ago, I randomly picked up an audiobook by Laura Vanderkam from the library. It’s called “I Know How She Does it“. The book is so interesting and motivating: Laura conducted a research among high pay female working professionals who also care for young kids. She is interested in how they juggle work and personal life. Specially, each participant kept track of how they spent 168 hours in a week, writing down as detailed possible what they did in 15 mins intervals: from taking a shower, reading, to getting your kids to bed, doing emails at work, etc. 

 

The first step towards time management, as Laura Vanderkam suggested, is logging your time. I did for a week and here’s what I noticed:

 

1. I worked longer than 40 hours this week.

My work hours added up to 45.25 hours this week. One thing I can’t help noticing is how tracking the time alone alters how I utilizes my time. Instead of squandering time away in the car listening to pop music, lying on the couch doing nothing, I’m so mindful of filling every minute with activities. For instance, my mere 15 mins commute is accompanied by Laura’s audiobook instead of Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”. 

I’m also more cognitive of my energy level. Morning (between 8-10am) is now reserved for important work projects that require lots of thinking. Time right after lunch is for emails when I’m feeling tired and drowsy.

The result is great! By Friday, I feel very productive and made great strides in 3 meaningful projects (marketing plan, top customer review and customer meeting preparation). 

In order to develop my core competency, I aim at working between 45-50 hours/week. That includes actually working on projects that hone my professional skills, attending seminars/networking events, reading about marketing, etc. 

 

2. I did a decent amount of reading. 10.75 hours of reading, though 5 of them were done over the weekend. 

I thought I did a lot more reading than that, especially on the weekend. Reading is my biggest hobby right now. I’m reading “David Copperfield”, “Thinking Strategically” and “The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest”. Sadly, the reason I felt I read a lot more than I actually did was I didn’t enjoy lots of the reading I did. The main reason is “David Copperfield”. It’s an interesting story and a classics but I would much rather read “The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest”. The suspense in the latter just grabbed my attention. Maybe it’s time to let go of the good oldies and focus on what I really like! The last thing I need is turning reading into work as well.

 

3. I exercised for 9 hours this week.

My biggest goal this summer is shredding some pounds. From the beginning of June to now, I’ve lost almost 14 pounds! Standing at 5’1”, Right now, I weigh 106lbs – the same as when I came to the US exactly 5 years ago. . A nice achievement as is, I’d like to go down to 103 lbs or ideally 100 lbs. My plan is to make it happen by the end of September. During the past several months, I eat healthy for most part but there’re time I went to buffet. I made up for them by excessive exercising to bring down the calories. Looking forward, I’ll try for a better balance b/t diet and exercising. 9 hours per week on exercise don’t likely to sustain throughout the year. Worth mentioning though, instead of listening to music, I listened to audiobooks and news. So my workout time doubles as reading and catching up on news!

 

CDC recommends adults should do at least 75 mins of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (jogging, running). At least 2 days of full body muscle strengthening workout can exercise all major muscle groups. This week, I altered my workout routine to incorporate more strength training. So far, I’ve done three 60 mins run (or StairMaster) and one full body training. Another one on Sunday. 

 

4. Social time adds up to about 6 hours

Not surprisingly, most of the social time happened over Friday night and the weekend. They were mainly dining with friends and birthday parties. I do hope to see a more diverse range of social activities. For instance, playing tennis can count both as exercise and social time! Rock climbing, kayaking, archery, etc are all good options. 

 

5. Think 168, not 24!

8 hours’ work takes up the majority of the weekday time. That’s why those big chuck of time on weekends shouldn’t be wasted on laundry and house work. Schedule an hour or two for strategic thinking and development of your core competency. Long run, long workout & strength training can happen without you feeling rushed. You could also avoid Sunday night sadness because you feel fulfilled with accomplishments. 

 

6. I slept for 58 hours last week

This averages to 8.5 hours a day! Given this includes Sunday afternoon nap but I want to shoot for 55 hours sleep. Ensure 8 hours a day is plenty to begin with. Then I will slowly cut back 15mins a day. Yesterday I felt awful because I only got 6.5 hours sleep. Anything less than 7 wouldn’t help with my productivity. 

So are you thinking about tracking your time as well? All you need is an excel sheet, or pen/paper, or jotted down in evernote like I did. It will open your eyes and help you discover so much about your time. It is an indispensable first step towards better time management. Give it a try and share with us what you find!

How to Overcome Your Fear? Face it.

Most of my friends know that I’m extremely afraid of dog: it’s really hard not to find out. If you are walking with me and see a person walking his dog coming towards us, chances are I will go out of my way to dodge that dog – regardless of the size and species of the dog. This all started at the age of four. I was “attacked” by a guard dog that managed to unleash himself and ran towards me. He didn’t really bite me or anything but that experience traumatized me. From then, my fear for dogs have been deep rooted and over time, that fear translates to other animals like cats, or even chicken in some cases. Growing up in China and living in an urban area didn’t help either. Most of us live in apartments and very few of my friends have pets growing up. I didn’t get any opportunity to spend time with dogs or cats. On the contrary, because I made it very clear about my fear to friends and family, they purposely shielded me from any type of exposure to dogs and cats. Here I am, terrified of cats and dogs 20 years after.

Believe it or not, when I was planning my move to America, my biggest concern wasn’t living by myself in a foreign country where I had no friends or relatives to fall back on. It’s not about adjusting to the local culture. Nor is it about going to a Graduate Program in a second language. It’s about the dogs – I remember asking my moms: American families raise pets, like dogs and cats, what am I going to do there?! Much to my relief, however, people only walk their dog on leash. Nothing ever happened.

During the past 5 years in the US, it’s interesting to observe how people interact with their pets. They speak of them as part of their family. They treat them with respect. They carve out time out of their busy life to spend time with them. People wept over the death of their beloved pets. All these are so new to me, and deep down, I really like it. Part of me sort of want to give it a try.

My boyfriend Steve, meanwhile, always wanted a kitten. He knows my long standing fear so never forced anything. We did go to PetsMart to look at kittens for adoption. But I just wasn’t feeling the connection. I felt like I just wasn’t quite ready.

Then everything changed on July 11, 2015, about 3 months ago. Steve and I were going to the grocery store. He took out the trash when I started the car. I waited in the car for a few minutes and didn’t see him come back. I got out of the car and saw that he was kneeling down several cars down and was looking under a car. “There was a stray kitten!” He said!

I walked over and saw a tiny black/white kitten under the car. He was so little. (by the way, at that point, we didn’t know if it’s a girl or a boy). Steve was trying to get him out of the car. He asked me to get some milk from the fridge and a box. I went out and get those stuff. After a couple minutes, gingerly, the kitten finally came out at the smell of the milk. He was so small and looks like has been starving for a long time. He sipped the milk and then put him in the box.

There, that day, on July 11, 2015, we took in Nunu! I’ve never regretted it for a second. Steve asked me repetitively if I’m certain I’m ready. My answer was, yes, let’s give it a try. This feels right. Nunu was only 6 weeks when we found him. (The next day, we took him to the vet and fortunately he’s all healthy) He was so cute, innocent, and most importantly, not threatening. And since then, I started to learn all about cats. I read about it, find myself in the cat food aisle selecting toys and debating on dry vs. wet food.

Nunu was very quiet and not active the first one week. He was probably still getting to know us and the apartment. If you put him in the middle of a room, he wouldn’t even move much. That actually turned out to be a good transition stage for me. I was able to hold him – a huge step for me. And gradually I got comfortable with his presence. This was him falling asleep next to me. He was about 8 week old by then.

Now, 3 months later, he is an very healthy, active kitten! You wouldn’t stop him when he got excited. Two nights ago, I was packing for my business trip and he jumped into my suitcase, refusing to get out. It’s like he knows I’m leaving for a few days.

Reflecting on this experience, the lesson I take away is: if you have a fear, the best way to overcome it is to face it. Running away will only deepen the fear. The fear derives from the unknown and uncertainty. Start small, take baby step, but get on your feet and face your fear.

“French Kids Eat Everything”

“French Kids Eat Everything” is a book that I read over my cruise vacation last week. The author, a Canadian professor, was married to a French man with 2 daughters, both of who are quite picky eaters. She decided to move the family from Canada to her husband’s hometown in France and experience the life in a small French town. Over the couple of months, she discovered a sharp difference between how French teach their kids about food versus their counterparts in North America. The biggest difference being that French kids are much less picky than American or Canadian kids. They eat everything! The parents decide what the kids eat. And if the kids throw a tantrum and refuse to eat (which rarely happen in the first place), the parent would simply take the dish away. No special meal is accommodated.As early as age 4 or 5, French kids have learned to eat beets, carrots and other vegetables “despised” by American kids.

It’s such an interesting read for me. From a Chinese perspective, I can see many similarities between the Chinese parenting way in food with those of French’s. The book also prompts me to share some authentic breakfast, lunch and dinner dish when I grew up in China.

Breakfast:

1. Fried Twisted Rolls and Soymilk. I had difficulty translating the dish but it’s one of the most popular breakfast in China. People from the South and North of China both enjoy them. The soy milk is usually freshly made in the morning from yellow beans. You can add sugar to your taste. One way to eat this is to dip the rolls in the soy milk and soften it. At least, that’s why my grandma likes to eat them, because she doesn’t have much teeth:)

Fried Twisted Rolls and Soymilk

2. Cold Rice Noodles with Secret Seasoning!

This is my hometown specialty called Rice Noodle mixed with seasoning, which includes soy sauce, Chinese pickles, peanuts, green scallions, peppers, sesame oil, etc. It’s all time favorite when I was a kid, especially for the summer. Its robust flavor will keep you satisfied and full for an entire morning!

Next, Let’s move on to Lunch!

1. Lunch at home with Family. When it comes to lunch, it gets a little complicated to generalize. People from South and North enjoy quite different dishes. But generally, for a family lunch, they will have soup, one meat dish (pork, beef, seafood, chicken or duck) and at least one vegetable dish, sometimes two, depending how many people are at the table. Everyone will eat a bowl of rice to go with the dishes. Lots of Chinese dish are sauteed. It’s fast to prepare and cook.
   

   Lunch at home with Family

   2. Lunch for work! Many people choose to pack their own lunch. Unlike Americans who usually brought sandwiches, the majority of lunch in China are hot meals. You will need a microwave to heat it up. Similar to what they eat at home, people will pack some rice, some meat and vegetable for a balanced meal. A fruit as a desert is also popular.

   

   Lunch for work!

   Dinner Time. 

   

   Dinner

   Dinner is quite similar to lunch when all families are at home. A big bowl of soup, vegetables and some meat or fish. The difference I need to point out is that many people believe eating light for dinner. The habit my family has is enjoying a bowl of soup first. The theory is that you will eat less once filled up with soup. The reason for eating light is that you only have less than 5 hours to digest before you go to bed.

   So here’s just a glimpse of what ordinary Chinese have for their breakfast, lunch and dinner. All photos are from online. I’m hoping to take more photos when I go home next year! Just bear in mind that since China is so big, customs really vary from region to region. What I was able to share was only a tiny fraction of the entire Chinese cuisine. To learn more, there’s good documentary called “A Bite in China” about Chinese cuisine on Youtube here.

It has English subtitles so enjoy!

Tips and Thoughts on Preparing for a Cruise Vacation

Last week, I went on a very first cruise vacation to West Caribbean on the Oasis of the Sea by Royal Caribbean. Coming back, I figure it’s a good time to share some packing tips and on board advice with folks who’re considering a cruise.

1. A walkie-talkie. This may sound a little absurd but hear me out. Unless you purchase a wifi package on the cruise, chances are you are completely unplugged – no internet, no phone calls, no text message or social media. This enables you to completely relax instead of checking your work emails while hanging out at the pool. However, if you’re traveling with a group, it’s difficult to make arrangements because you have no way to contact others once heading to different activities. For example, if I wanted to head to the gym while others would like to enjoy a show at the same time, we had to agree to meet at a certain place after we’re done. Otherwise, we might not be able to find each other. That’s why I think having a walkie-talkie could be nice. They sell them on the ship for $60 but you can get it cheaper from amazon or Target. I would assume it’s especially convenient for parents with kids.
2. Entertainment. Before I go, I was worried that I’ll be bored – 7 days without wifi or internet on a ship?! What am I going to do?! But rest assured – the cruise provides ample entertainment including shows, karaoke, live music, bingo, movies, art auctions, casinos, gym, pool activities, singles mingles, board games, rock climbing, etc. Every night, the stateroom attendant will leave the guests the activity schedules for the next day. Simply from the couple things I listed here, I think you get a sense that people of all ages and hobbies can find something they’d like to do. My favorites are hanging out by the pool, hitting the gym, utilizing the jogging track, and playing bingos. But I also make sure I brought my own entertainment set: Books (Paperback or Kindle). I brought my kindles and bought a couple books before the trip. Here, I’d like to recommend a great app called “Overdrive”. Through this app, you can borrow ebook and audiobooks from your local library, for FREE! I love it! With Overdrive, I borrowed 3 books on the kindle and downloaded 2 audio books on my iPhone. They turned out to be great pool buddies with me!
3. Beverage Package. Once you get on board, you’ll see staff selling beverage Package. They charge a flat fee daily for unlimited drinks. Options range from all Coca Cola fountain drinks; All premium tea, coffee, & non alcohol drinks, all the way to all drinks including alcoholic drinks. I thought if you don’t have a package, you have to buy beverage at every meal. It turned out I was mistaken: the cruise ship still provides free coffee, tea, all kinds of juice and water at every meal. The beverage package opens access to bottled water, sodas and all types of alcoholic drinks. So be sure to purchase on your own needs.
4. Just make it your own vacation! The most important is: make it your very own vacation! This is my favorite part about it: with all kinds of activities to choose from, you can customize it all you want. For me, it’s an adventure enjoying fine dining, exploring exotic islands, adventures, enjoy the sunshine and breath taking Caribbean scenery with a good book. Feel free to make it what you like: maybe sun tanning, an artwork discovery journey, shore adventure, or a family friendly activities. The options are wide open!

Taking Fitness to Next Level with Fitbit Charge HR

FitBit Charge HR in Purple. Source: FitBit

A couple of months ago, I toyed with the idea of getting an activity tracker but didn’t eventually go for it. Two reasons for that.

First is myself. At that time, I wasn’t exercising much and couldn’t see a good reason to justify spending $100 on a pedometer like device just to track my steps. Plus, without heart rate tracking, I don’t believe the calorie count is accurate.

Second, when I did the research last year, the wearable market didn’t offer an affordable product that tracks heart rate, which is the main feature I was looking for.

Fast forward 8 months later, I’m regularly exercising (I worked out for almost 9 hours last week and my resting heart beat is 55). At the same time, I’m trying to shed the last extra pounds to reach my 103lbs fitness goal. I need a device to track my calorie burn more accurately than the one on the treadmill. In addition, despite vigorous exercise, I feel I don’t sleep well every night. Having a sleep tracker hopefully can help me identify the issue and come up with a solution.

Anyhow, that’s when I landed on FitBit Charge HR. It garnered very good reviews since introduction earlier this year. Here’s what I noticed so far:

• It’s not too slim but comfortable to wear. The Charge HR is bulkier compared to lower models. I assume this is due to incorporating a heart rate tracking device in it. But the rubber is very soft and gentle on the wrist.
• The customer service wasn’t up to my expectation. My FitBit didn’t track my sleep last night. I called the customer service and the “advocate” really wasn’t very helpful. She asked me to restart the device and change my setting to “sensitive” and try again tonight. I will give it a try tonight and see how it goes!
• I wore it for a workout today for the first time. The calorie read differs a lot from the machine. I’ve already distrusted the machine’s reading. FitBit’s read comes a lot lower than the machine’s.

So far, so good. I’d like to write another review in 3 days!

How I plan my Cherry Blossom Festival Trip Using Twitter

Yesterday, I headed to Washington DC for the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. The trip was postponed from last week because of the cold weather. I was updated about the blossom thanks to Twitter! Apart from the official Cherry Blossom DC’s Twitter account, lots of people in DC share pictures on Twitter to keep the rest of the country posted about the blossom! Big thanks to all!

Although the blossom didn’t quite reach their peak time yet, I still enjoyed my first trip to DC! The city is clean, and more spacious.  After parking the car at the intersection of North Carolina Ave and Pennsylvania ave, we made our first stop at the U.S. Capital Hill.

Walking further, we reached the Washington Monument. Thanks my friend for the good picture!

The weather is a bit chilly but we still decided to take a break sitting in front of the Monument. Obviously, lots of people shared the same thought! And a pillow fight was going on!

For lunch, we went to Fish & Market, it is indeed “Fish & Market”, where you can buy all sorts of fresh sea food: fish, crabs, oysters, etc. You can also eat cooked sea food there.

 

Oh, remember why I’m visiting DC? The cherry blossom! Because of the weather, the cherry blossom was delayed but still delivered. Go to DC next weekend, the cherry blossom is still worth the trip.

 

New to Networking? Start by Connecting with Your Alumni

Anyone who wants to succeed in the business world would not underestimate the importance of networking. However, some questions seem to weigh us down: where do I seek out networking opportunities? Which events should I go to? What should I talk about at networking events to make a good impression? The list goes on and on. We are scared even before we start.

As a young professional myself nine months into my job, my answer to all the questions is:

Start networking by connecting with your alumni.

Two reasons why I think it’s beneficial and effective to connect with your alumni first:

Easier to connect. It’s easier to talk and connect with the alumni, because you’ve already shared something in common – you went to the same school and maybe have taken a class with the same professor!

Alumni are more willing to help you out. Chances are alumni are more willing to help you. When I was job hunting last year, I emailed a couple of people to set up informational interviews. Almost every alumnus that I reached out to responded and agreed to talk to me, while few other people emailed me back.  Alumni network is a great way to help you build up your network and identify like-minded individuals.

Fortunately, as a proud graduate from the communication program from Villanova University,  I would often receive invitations to attend networking events organized by Villanova Communication Alumni Network (VCAN).

The VCAN is an exciting alumni program designed to connect VU graduates working in all areas of communication, including advertising, radio, TV, film, graphic arts, journalism, marketing, media, academia, public relations, and more, with other alumni.

On April 2, I went to VCAN’s Spring Networking Reception in Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse in Philly. Our professors from the communication graduate programs also made appearances.  Noticeably, the NBC10 News Anchor, Keith Jones ’07, came to the event and talked about his journey from Villanova Communication to the anchor desk in one of the top media markets in the US. The night was marked by good company and great conversations.

Apart from the wonderful events made possible by VCAN, Villanova graduates can also take advantage of NovaNetwork – a platform exclusive to VU alumni to find your college friends and make new connections with the Nova Network. You can communicate and interact with other alumni on-line, real-time.

Go to your school’s career center websites where you most likely will find alumni events. Attend them and start networking your way up the corporate ladder!

How do you start your networking? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! 

Live with a Purpose Bigger than Yourself

The book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” have been a best-selling book in business for many years. Even before I came to the US, its Chinese translated copy has been selling well in China. However, I am never a big fan of books with titles like “7 habits of xxx”, “3 golden rules…”, “5 ways to achieve…”, etc. I feel like they all offer quick-fixed approaches without tapping into the essence behind problems. Well, I am wrong for assuming that, at least for this book.

The author, Stephen Covey, firmly advocates principles centered life versus character oriented life. I stand by the seven habits, or principles he put forward, especially the first three. Let’s review them together.

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Take initiative. Work on things in your circle of influence, not circle of concerns. Make small commitments and keep them. As we make commitments and keep our promises, we gradually develop a stronger sense of self-control that gives us more courage to accept more responsibility.

Rings true. Sometimes you complain: you feel powerless, you feel like you can’t do anything to change. This might be the case since you focus too much attention and energy on “circles of concerns” – things you are worried about but can do very little to alter. For instance, you are about to graduate but the economy is not doing well and unemployment rate is high. You can barely do much to improve the economic situation of the country, but you can do everything you can to improve your own skill sets and make yourself competitive in the job market.

Spend more time and energy on “circles of influence” – things you can make an impact on.

Habit 2: Begin with the end in Mind

This is my biggest take-away from this book: be goal-oriented. It resonates with lots of books I read or even movies that I watched. For example, the movie “The Secret” tells us how imaging achieving your goal in your mind will assist you reaching your goal more quickly.

The author argues that everyone should write a personal statement – a higher purpose to live for: what you would like to achieve in your life, in family, in your career, relationship, with friends, etc. In other words, how would you like other people to remember you at the end of the day. We should live our lives with a purpose. Something to look up to when you are confused. An effective goal concentrates on the results rather the activities. Many of us are troubled and concerned about trivia in life. However, if you constantly review your personal statement, you are less likely to be concerned with unimportant things, because you know it won’t harm much on your way to your goal.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

This one is about prioritization in time management.

Let’s start with a question: What one thing could you do in your personal and professional life that, if you did on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your life? We will come back to this question later.

Things in our daily life are categorized in the following areas: urgent and important; not urgent and important, not important and urgent, and not important and not urgent.

Most of time, I spent way too much time on things that are urgent and important/urgent and not important. I was driven by how urgent a matter is. I become problem-minded.  However, it is argued, and I absolutely agree, that the heart of effective personal management should be things that are not urgent but important: building relationships, writing a personal statement, long-range planning, exercising, preventive maintenance, preparation.

For me, exercising, practicing writing, and networking are definitely two important things that I need to focus on. They are important but not urgent. However, in the long run, they will contribute tremendously to my personal and professional life.Fortunately, I have started exercising regularly, writing my personal statement, planning my blog strategy and looking for more networking events.

Habit 4 Think Win/Win

I endorse the definition of maturity as defined in this book:

Maturity is the balance between courage and consideration. Maturity is “the ability to express one’s own feelings and convictions balanced with consideration for the thoughts and feelings of others.”

Habit 5 Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Habit 6, Synergize

Habit 7 Sharpen the saw

杜拉拉升职记读书笔记

上个星期把《杜拉拉2》看完了。这还是一年多以前从国内带过来的，本以为自己早看完了，结果翻了两页之后发现一点印象都没有，就硬着头皮重看了一遍。工作之后感触更深，怕一转身忘了，就写个笔记供以后参考。

书中教了很多实用的职场知识，让人受益匪浅。

“可有可无的人，随时可能被替代”

这也就是所谓的irreplaceable。在公司运作中起到关键作用，你不在了很多公司事务运行不了，才能体现你的价值。

日常工作中常见的带人的通病

• 阶段培训目标不明确，想到什么就教什么。
• 一下教的太多或者太难，导致新人无法快速消化过多的信息。
• 传递信息不分主次和先后，缺乏系统，急需掌握的信息没有好好讲，而不急需的信息却塞了很多，让新人产生不必要的压力和疲劳

虽然我现在还不到带人的阶段，但这些小tips记住了，以后肯定能用上。

谈话模板

• 团队目前面临的主要问题是什么？主要需求是什么？
• 你有什么解决方案？你本人能做些什么来改变现状？
• 团队的优势在哪里？以往有哪些好的做法建议延续？
• 就你的职位而言，你的强项是什么？你希望得到的发展的是什么？
• 我能为你们提供哪些支持？

老板要的是表决心

业务能力的四个等级

• 一级：就是被评估者刚入门，处在学习阶段，需要他们带领才能完成任务
• 二级，就是主管只需给予常规关注，被评估者基本能完成本职任务
• 三级，就是被评估者不但能独立完成任务，还能教别人，是其组内的标杆队员
• 四级就是被评估者不但能教别人，而且，他把经验形成了书面化的，自成体系的东西，可以现成地加以推广和运用，因此堪称”楷模“，他的水平不仅在组内而且在整个大区都是拔尖的，这样的人，说明他已经ready for the next level了.

开会的原则

• 开场白说清会议的目的
• 主持人提出流程建议
• 在讨论过程中，主持人需要不断地去澄清并确认各方的观点
• 当大家意见僵持不下，或者众说纷坛的时候，主持人要推动各方达成协议。
• 最后，主持人要做出总结，主要是一个smart的解决方案。

一个销售的品质：

• 首先要有准确判断目标客户的能力
• 有发现客户需求的能力
• 要有为客户增值的能力
• 有要求生意的能力
• 要是一个team player
• 要有很好的学习能力