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Announcing the first Åzone Futures Market Meetup: Exhibition Discussion and Hack, December 8 at 6:30pm in New York City
Want to contribute to Åzone Futures Market, the first online exhibition of the Guggenheim? If so, sign up for our upcoming meetup in New York City here: http://www.meetup.com/Azone-Futures-Market-Meetup/events/227171088/.
Simultaneously an exhibition and a platform, Åzone Futures Market is at once a demonstration and a prompt to think reflexively about contemporary art exhibition formats. We are organizing this series of meetups to discuss the issues thatÅzone intersects–such as art and finance, futurology and platform design, and critical techno-social discourse in the context of museums–as well as the opportunities to extend its functionality and other projects that could be built upon it.
We have some features that are in progress, like peer-to-peer transactions (ie. passing cåin from one user to another) and market-generated soundscapes, but hope you will come with others. The market engineer, Cab Broskoski, co-founder of Are.na, will be on hand to take you under the hood of the code and answer questions you may have about contributing to the project and show you some of the endpoints of our unexposed market kernel API. Guggenheim curators will also give you a sneak peak of some of the new additions on the horizon, including work by the contributing artists and writers.
Contributors Dan Taeyoung and Sam Hart will join for anyone wishing to discuss their projects, Numeral Corp and Nonagon Corp, and the bots that they have produced to trade on the market at high frequency.
This meetup will have a technical focus, so familiarity of some sort with a web stack, particularly Node.js, Jade, Coffeescript/Javascript and backbone.js is most helpful–we use Ezel.js as a bootstrap–but we welcome anyone who wants to join.
The main code, minus the market kernel, is available here: https://github.com/AOzone/median. We suggest you take a look before coming. We'll be setting up staging servers soon for full stack testing.
The meetup will be hosted at the Åzone Terminal, the market-related installation at the Seaport Culture District in collaboration with the Center for Architecture.
Defeating the Botnet Armies: New Regulations, Engineering, and Architecture to Turn Bots for Bad into Bots for Good, and the First Cåin (Å) Denominated Features Go on Sale
Åzone Futures Market is at once an exhibition and an educational apparatus. Certain behaviors were built in from the beginning to allow it to function like contemporary financial markets, and as such, to be exploited like them as well. This was by design to demonstrate the activities in the markets that shape our world and their consequences. A major part of the exhibition is how the market will evolve over time to account for these exploits.
In the first few days of operations, a number of bots have flooded the market. This has destroyed the ability to create meaningful prices that reflect the aggregate worldviews of human investors and undermined the value of hot tips. This mirrors the activity of high-frequency trading (HFT), the superfast computer-driven trading that has come to dominate current financial markets. HFT makes it increasingly difficult for regular investors to achieve profits in the market, in part by abstracting the value of the underlying asset. When you invest in a publicly listed company today on an exchange that allows HFT, part of the price is created by software run by advanced traders like banks and hedge funds that responds to more activity in the market than to the health of the company. The result is a market that is a playground for those with capital and technical means to get rich off of everyone else's money rather than a reflection of the value of the companies that are being invested in.
Today, our market engineer, Charles Broskoski, and market architect, Hugo Liu, have rolled out new measures to help stem the adverse effects the bot activity in the Åzone market. All trades must now be confirmed with an "I am not a robot" captcha, a box that is simple for humans to check but difficult or impossible for bots, stopping their trades. Also, we have now limited account sign up to one per person, making it difficult to launch an army of investors, and the market-making algorithm that determines prices has been tuned to favor the investments of earnest investors over speculating bots. To support these technical fixes we have also launched the first iteration of the Åzone Regulations, available here on Github, which spell out acceptable investment behavior and penalties for breaching the rules. These will be updated over time.
While the bot behavior has destroyed pricing in some futures, it has also provided a valuable lesson and was not against the original terms and conditions. As such, we are rolling out our first cåin (Å) denominated features which can be purchased by those who have accrued large amounts of cåin. This rewards ingenuity while requiring those who have amassed great wealth to enter into a contract to behave according to the new regulations that ensure market health, stability, and fairness.
For 250,000Å, any investor will soon be able to purchase the right to operate sanctioned bots with direct access to the Åzone market engine in the form of an API key—the secret codes that unlock the feeds to market data and trade functions. To keep this privilege, they must help bolster the market stability rather than take it away. Any malicious activity will result in penalty fees and the termination of their API key.
We are in talks with the original owners of the botnets to determine other creative uses of the cåin they have amassed. Updates will be issued on the Åzone Review.
Image: View of the Great Chartist Meeting on Kennington Common (1848) by William Edward Kilburn via Google Art Project
The DRUG Trade: Daniel Keller and His Army of Pump-and-Dump Bots
At the close of trading on Sunday, October 25, 2015, Berlin-based artist Daniel Keller (dnlklr) was the top Forecaster and Activist, with a net worth of 601,024Å after a total of 947 trades. Having manually set up 174 separate accounts, Keller had created an army of investors to do his bidding, allowing him to pump up the value of the futures he was personally invested in before dumping his shares to make a huge profit.
His botnet's trades in the Drug Decriminalization future clearly illustrate the effect. The sawtooth shape in the hero image above shows him pushing up the price, and then selling off, pushing it back down so his strategy can start over.
The Åzone Review discusses strategy, regulation, and ethics with Keller in the Q&A below.
ÅR: What's the secret to your success in the market?
dnlklr: I guess I just have an extremely high threshold for tedious repetitive tasks for the sake of obsessive-compulsive competition—I justified it to myself as a bit of an endurance performance.
At first I was just playing around without much of a strategy, but once I noticed a few glaring structural issues with the market, attempting to exploit them became irresistible for me. I realized as long as there is no shorting (in essence, betting that a price will go down instead of up) that there would be zero risk to my strategy.
ÅR: There are a number of investors with derivatives of your username under your control. How did they help you amass your wealth?
dnlklr: My strategy was really very simple. I bought as many shares of an underpriced future as I could with my main account, and then created dozens (now hundreds) of fake accounts to subsequently buy the future. Once I decided I had enough, I liquidated my holdings in the main account and then repeated that down the line of fake accounts, pushing the price down to where I had originally purchased it. I then used the profit from the first trade to buy even more of the asset, and then used the same dummy accounts (plus many more) to buy and push the price back up even further. In essence it was a sort of pseudo Ponzi scheme followed by a pump-and-dump-and-pump.
ÅR: What motivated you to deploy this strategy?
dnlklr: At first it was simply to front-run what I figured other people would figure out how to do very quickly. I also realized that because of the rampant inflation built into a system which constantly introduces new users without any way (or incentive) to take money out of the market, the prices of all of the futures will soon climb to above 10,000Å, which means new users will be entirely priced out of the market, and the earliest and most successful adopters would soon have an insurmountable advantage.
It would have been just as easy for me to make random usernames for my army, but I decided to use the name dnlklrbot (although technically, they're mechanical turks, not bots) to make what I was doing transparent. I was reminded of a great Adam Curtis short from Charlie Brooker's 2014 Newswipe where he talks about the rather genius strategy of Vladimir Putin's political advisor Vladislav Surkov. Surkov funded all sorts of oppositon parties ranging from Putin loyalists, social democrats to neo-Nazis but most cleverly, let it be known that he had done it, therefore fundamentally undermining the public's faith in all dissenting narratives.
Similarly, I thought that if people (mistakenly) thought they were against an unstoppable bot army, it would be more demoralizing than my trying to do it sneakily, which would make people give up and further entrench my power.
Moreover, the future I chose for my initial pump-and-dump was basically arbitrary, except that it was cheap at the time and therefore easy to corner. I think this underlines a fundamental problem with the abstracting effect of market dynamics. For instance, technical stock analysis completely ignores all information about what a company actually produces what it stands for or, who works there in favor of looking exclusively at numerical "fundamentals" and price momentum. So I thought engaging in this ad absurdum could be an effective critique of the underlying reasoning behind using market mechanics to predict much of anything in the real world.
ÅR: Should this activity be regulated? How?
dnlklr: Yes! It would be extremely easy to prevent what I did from happening by making it a bit harder to sign up for new accounts—if you could only have one account per e-mail address/IP address and need to click a confirmation link in an e-mail to prove it is real and maybe fill out a captcha. It still wouldn't 100% kill the bot problem, but it would effectively make it too annoying and tedious for me (or I imagine anyone else, since there is no actual money on the line) to keep doing it.
I think if you really want it to be fair, you should institute this new rule first and reset the market (deleting all of my 174 accounts) entirely.
ÅR: Does this relate to activity in other markets or environments outside of Åzone?
dnlklr: Certainly. The inflation that is baked into the system reflects some of the macroeconomic issues the world might soon be coming to grips with in the wake of years of endless global quantitative easing, or QE [see October 24 ÅR post: "Initial Public Offerings Recap: Over 3 Million Cåin (Å) Traded, Inflation, and Loose Morals"].
I would make a comparison to high-frequency trading (HFT) as well, but the only true similarity is that both HFT and my botnet activities give a distorted illusion of greater market depth or liquidity than is actually there.
ÅR: What would you like to be able to do with all the cåin you've accrued?
dnlklr: In a sense the leaderboard is plenty enough incentive to try to win. But one of the major issues I have with the market as it currently works is that despite how crucial it is for the market to continue functioning, there is no way or incentive to take money out of the market and spend it. I'm not sure what I'd spend it on if there is no way to convert cåin into any other currency, but I think some sort of funny badge system would be fun and could be a good way to periodically retire capital from the system and postpone or prevent the "+10k price for every future" apocalypse.
Initial Public Offerings Recap: Over Three Million Cåin (Å) Traded, Inflation, and Loose Morals
Åzone Futures Market opened to the public yesterday after four days of test trading.
Over 200 investors made 2030 trades worth a total of 3,003,690Å. Prices quickly inflated as 10,000Å was printed for each new investor, increasing the overall amount of money in the market.
This inflationary behavior is by design. Åzone Futures Market employs a strategy used heavily by the Fed (the Federal Reserve, the United States central bank) since the financial crisis began in 2007. The Fed tried its old tricks to stimulate recovery but the scale of the crisis overwhelmed it. In August of 2008, it instigated radical measures by, simply, printing more money. This strategy, called "quantitative easing," has invented more than three billion, more than quadrupling the amount of U.S. dollars.
This money didn't go to regular citizens to help them pay their debts, but was fed into banks with the idea that they would increase loans to people looking to buy homes, cars, and other assets to feed the economy. It may have worked somewhat, but the main winners were those who invested in the stock market, which has grown enormously since the strategy began.
Åzone Futures Market uses a similar strategy, printing 10,000 new cåin for every new investor. With all that free money flowing into the market yesterday, it was interesting to see that the last future to attract investment was Moral Enhancement, as illustrated in the screenshot above from 12:58 pm EDT (remember: green is good; blue is bad).
New measures will be released soon to stem inflation in the market. Stay tuned!
Read More about the Exhibition on the Guggenheim Blog
Caitlin Dover interviewed curator Troy Conrad Therrien on the Guggenheim blog about Åzone Futures Market and Åzone Terminal, opening tonight in collaboration with the Center for Architecture at the Seaport Cultural District, 181 Front Street, New York City. Check out the post at the link below to learn more about the project and join the opening celebrations tonight at 6 pm.
Image: Åzone Terminal. Photo: Kristopher McKay
Åzone Futures Market Is Open for Trading
An initial list of 36 futures has been developed collaboratively with the exhibition contributors and issued for investment. Each future articulates a condition enabled by emerging technologies that until recently were limited to marginal prototypes or science fiction.
The price of each future is determined by live indicators of supply and demand, causing it to change from one moment to the next. The market value, represented by relative circle size on the futures page, illustrates the general popularity of a future. The color represents the daily percentage change in price. Just remember: green is good; blue is bad.
Investors who sign up in the early days of the market may be in for a wild ride, but will likely profit from first-mover advantage. The prices may swing sharply, but will likely trend upwards for a while before leveling off, so early investors have a high chance of seeing the value of their portfolios increase.
This is similar to the behavior seen with the value of Bitcoin, which took a few years to increase, but then jumped up from fractions of a cent to roughly one thousand dollars before coming down to a more steady price at a few hundred dollars.
Image: The Old Bourse of Amsterdam, the first modern stock exchange, destroyed by fire in 1858. After an old woodcut in the Germanic National Museum in Nuremburg. H.F. Helmolt, History of the World, Volume VII, Dodd Mead 1902


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A file photo of Sharad Pawar.
Sharad Pawar, the former president of the International Cricket Council, is set to contest for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief's post again. (Also read: Moment of truth for Srinivasan as Supreme Court gets ready to reveal IPL probe report)
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president has asked for BCCI nomination forms, it is learnt.
An MCA official said: "Pawar is very keen to contest. We all feel he is the right man to lead the BCCI."
Although N Srinivasan, the BCCI president in exile, is a strong favourite to win if the Supreme Court permits, Pawar is known to enter the fray only when he is confident of victory.
Topics : Board of Control for Cricket in India Cricket
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subset: commoncrawl


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Central Tulsa SC is a member of the
Green Country Soccer Association
(which is a member of the Oklahoma Soccer Association).
Contributed, separately by Allen Brookey,
and Sam Bratton.
Allen says:
Added on Nov. 15, 1996
"This patch is from the Tulsa Central Soccer Club. They have both competitive
and recreational teams. They play on the West bank fields near the Arkansas river.
The boys competitive teams are called "Thunder" and the girl competive teams
are called "Lighting". They have very neat uniforms.
I got this patch when I played in the U-11 Friendly Tournament.
Two of my friends , Greg Allen and Bem Muratet, play on the 86 Boys team."
Allen says:
Added on Nov. 15, 1996


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I make zero apologies for my enduring love of '80s big-muscle action flicks fueled by minimal plotting, dialogue dispersed through a cheese grater, and so many random explosions that even Michael Bay would be worn out. There is something inherently tribal and visceral about watching one roided-up action hero save the world single handedly, one continent at a time.
That said, offering up a stable full of aging cinema sweat-bombs for multiple adventures can be a very dicey proposition for any audience to accept. When Sylvester Stallone gathered his closest aging icon buddies for the first Expendables, this was nostalgia at its finest. A throwback for you, your dad, and all of your friends in between to gather all the adrenaline you could muster and reflect on that long forgotten time when action heroes could not even spell CGI.
By the time Expendables 2 rolled around, there were enough remaining octogenarian stars to throw together a solid action flick, as well as keep the same historical momentum flowing. Now, Barney Ross and friends hobble into The Expendables 3 with our curiosity deeply faded and with an ensemble cast of seemingly every actor to have starred in an action film in the last three decades. Can Stallone continue this ride long after we have taken off our well-worn nostalgia glasses?
Turns out the answer is a boisterous 'HELL YES!'
Traditional film critics can continue to rip this franchise apart as much as they want. The Expendables 3, much like its predecessors, is a film designed for people that love big, dumb, and violent action movies. The only character development you will find is the length of longing looks each walking energy drink decides to give his weapon of choice. By now, you are fully aware whether or not this franchise works for you.
For the third go-round, Stallone's Barney Ross uncovers a truth that Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), one of the founding members of The Expendables and a man Barney himself thought to have killed, is alive and kicking ass as a vicious sociopath around the globe. After one of his own narrowly cheats death, Barney decides to avoid risking the lives of his normal crew and instead hire a few young mercenaries, whose lives are a little less valuable to Barney. Naturally, this plot setup demands things to go south and in no time flat, the old guard are called upon to save those rascally kids.
What makes Expendables 3 work is not the overabundance of action powerhouses like Stallone, Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, insert name here. It works because even with allllllllllll of the actors involved with this overstuffed tin can of a film, every single one of them are somehow gifted with their own heroic moment. To have this ensemble and still give characters, even cardboard cutouts, their own distinct voice and chance to shine is what makes this series both extremely impressive and ridiculously fun.
The new guard add a nice counterbalance to the aging regime, yet only Ronda Rousey's Luna truly establishes herself as the character most worthy of gaining entry into the elusive Expendables. Kellan Lutz, Victor Ortiz, and Glen Powell are all amiable enough as new recruits, but Luna is the newbie I would follow into another franchise. Kelsey Grammer also drops off a glorified cameo and offers up a respectful George Kennedy impersonation as Bonaparte, the guy who brokers this young merc talent when buyers like Barney have the cash.
To stand out in this lot takes serious talent, and of our heroes no one stands out more than Wesley Snipes as Doc. After a daring prison escape in the opening minutes of the film, Snipes savagely chews every single frame he is allowed to grace, daring Hollywood to rev up another Blade sequel. Antonio Banderas as a chattering assassin and Harrison Ford, filling the apparently easily filled shoes of Bruce Willis as Barney's new CIA contact, are the other easy standouts in a film stock-full of charisma. If there is one Expendable who could have used a little bit more screen time, it is the always fantastically invigorating Terry Crews as Caesar. Please give this man his own franchise before he himself fades into the limelight.
Yet when all is said and done, it all boils down to the villain in a film like this. With this many gods of heroism on display, we need a villain that we know is fully capable of dispatching them without a second's thought. While the first film has the cheeky campiness of Eric Roberts, and the second had the charismatic flair of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Expendables 3 is the first film in the series to boast a huge action star who also just happens to be a powerhouse actor. In Conrad Stonebanks, we finally have a threat that is cold blooded and vicious enough that we not only want our team to remove his head at the seams…we NEED them to. Gibson has long been a fun actor to watch, and Expendables 3 finally gives him the opportunity to showcase what might have happened with Martin Riggs if Murtaugh had never bothered inviting him to Christmas dinner.
The Expendables 3 does suffer a bit during the middle of the film as it offers up its own drawn-out version of The Dirty Dozen by way of a stroll down exposition alley. Thankfully, director Patrick Hughes was apparently using this downtime to sketch out the absolutely electric final 30 minutes which plays out like every practical effects action lover's wet dream. Fisticuffs, MMA fighting, random gunfire, explosions, small armies, tanks, and even a helicopter chase! Even when the film offers up too much a of a campy throwback (Arnold yelling 'Get to da CHOPPAH!'), these last 30 minutes are easily the best action beats in this now trilogy of films and will lead to a great deal of audience fist-pumping.
This is not high art nor does the third film in the series take us on a deeper journey than the previous films. This is the capper on a film series that is solely interested in its audience walking out of that theater with a smile on their face. The Expendables 3 offers up a cast with effortless chemistry, pulls no punches with the action and when this film is moving, this is a train I never want to get off.
3.5 out of 5 stars.


text: Got the Dior Trotter Romantique Small Boston in Beige yesterday from Woodbury and I was not immediately wowed by it I hadn't seen it IRL and I love everything else about the bag, including the dainty, feminine touch of the velvet... but I absolutely detest the flower! So I took Ceremony's advice and cut the petals down since she showed pics and hers came out great. But when I tried to do it - I made a total mess out of it! So now it looks terrible because the cheap tulle (that the petals are made of) are fraying and the green and yellow stuff's sticking out. So... I was thinking of the following: 1. Removing the flower altogether and gluing or sewing the velvet bow securely onto the canvas to cover the remaining hole (since the flower's bolted on). 2. Removing the flower and replacing the hole with a nice but small brooch - the kind with one pin that has the squeeze-type backing. Or maybe use a Dior pendant, earring or chain? 3. Leave the flower on and deal with it - including questions of... Nice bag but what the %^&* is that pink thing??? What do you guys think???


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Essential Guides
TechTarget editors have curated a collection of "essential" articles on key IT topics. These articles have been packaged into guides which offer our readers comprehensive, problem solving content to help inform and guide their research.
Tools for IT shops seeking full-stack control and unified operations
IT shops that want to improve monitoring, management and process control should overhaul their -- probably long -- list of tools. Continue Reading
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The steps in selecting the right configuration management system
Configuration management helps enterprises standardize IT systems and eases updates. This guide assists buyers in selecting the right tools for their CM systems. Continue Reading
An initiation into infrastructure automation tools and methods
IT infrastructure automation isn't always easy, but the right tools with the right implementation strategy will pay off with faster provisioning and fewer errors. Continue Reading
Containers-as-a-service providers take some pressure off IT
Not every organization can run containers in-house with only their DevOps team and compute resources. When internal support is limited, look to a cloud service provider. Continue Reading
Learn DevOps techniques in a home lab
Not allowed to put work projects on GitHub? Want to run containers even though your company is still virtualizing servers? Get ahead with techniques and tools in a DevOps home lab. Continue Reading
Linux, Windows Server coexist with cross-skilled management and support
Enterprise IT shops use the best server OS for a given workload, which means Linux boxes in Windows shops, Windows Server in Linux shops and a whole mix in the cloud. Continue Reading
AI in IT tools promises better, faster, stronger ops
The resurgence in machine learning and AI has instigated a swath of new IT operations tool functionalities and analytical capabilities -- and new concerns about how they all works. Continue Reading
Orchestration software: The functions and vendors to watch
Enterprises must keep their IT processes on track to stay ahead in the DevOps era. Solid orchestration software will pull automation tasks together and accelerate workflows. Continue Reading
ALM best practices for advanced DevOps organizations
This guide demystifies the transition process from Agile to DevOps and poses considerations for better application lifecycle management from reqs to EOL. Continue Reading
2017 Modern Infrastructure Impact Awards
The 2017 MI Impact Awards recognize the top products, technologies and services in seven categories. Here are the finalists that made the cut. Continue Reading
Use these DevOps examples to reimagine an IT organization
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Virtual container technology options for management, security
Containers, containers, containers. They're all the rage, but do they live up to the hype? Container management tools are advancing, and IT shops have a choice of vendor options. Continue Reading
Primer on DevOps roles and responsibilities
DevOps planning in enterprises revolves around getting the right teams in place, the necessary skills spiffed up and the proper tools to make it all come together. Continue Reading
2016 Modern Infrastructure Impact Awards
The 2016 MI Impact Awards recognize the top products, technologies and services in six categories. Here are the finalists that made the cut. Continue Reading
Get to know Docker, container technology out of the box
Docker containers are one of the hottest trends in today's IT market. And as cloud providers go all-in with the technology, users must take notice. Continue Reading
Server management tools shed light on data center issues
Improve operations and shorten time spent troubleshooting problems with server management tools. Continue Reading
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DevOps is a culture, not a job or procedure for an IT team. That said, there are DevOps tools and organizational strategies to help you get there. Continue Reading


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We're spending 4 evenings in Fairbanks between Christmas and New Years. We're gambling on seeing the lights, with some museums and sightseeing as we can.
We're renting a car, and hope to drive just out of the city to Cleary Summit and possibly other spots if the lights are out. No dog-sledding, mushing, skiing, or other outdoor activities are planned.
We own winter clothing suitable for here in the midwest; hats, gloves, wool sweaters, wool socks. Those work down to our winter lows between 10 and -5.
In everyone's opinion, would we be best served with buying some gear when arriving in Fairbanks? If so, any recommendations as to the types and brands would be helpful, as well as stores that would carry the equipment.
Most of the forum posts on the subject indicate layers, maybe mittens for extended outdoor time, face protection, synthetic underwear, and boots.
As they say in Wisconsin, there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Buying clothing to stay comfortable and safe always seems to be appropriate.
Any input or opinion would be welcome.


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Let us know what you'll be offering. Example $2.00 off beer on Art Walk Night. Or received an appetizer when you purchase a dinner on Art Walk Night. Or, happy hour is extended to xxxx. Also, let us know what the TIMEFRAME is for the offer.
Complete Art Walk Rules can be found here:
West Seattle Art Walk Rules
Please make sure your staff during WSAW Thursdays is in-the-know and is prepared for people to come in, check out the art, and hopefully meet the artist.
You can post this information in a blog post, social media post, online newsletter, etc... just as long as you have a link to the event information that can be accessed by the public.


text:
UrParts is a global part sourcing website. This is just one example from a buyer in Romania who was looking for parts.
- Make: Cat
- Model: 322C
- Part No: 2364454
- Category: Excavator Parts
- No. of Responses: 9
hello for a Caterpillar 322C Sn EMR I need offer for 236-4454 radiator water Regards


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Listen to the Third Episode of OVO Sound Radio
Drizzy and Oliver El-Khatib are back for the third episode of OVO Sound Radio. The show has already proven to be one of Apple Music's most highly-anticipated programs, with Drake debuting song after song that have thrown fans into a manic frenzy. This week is no different, with a new "Good Times" Remix featuring Skepta by Jamie xx and a special mix by DJ Esco and Metro Boomin, featuring the premiere of Chief Keef's "Roadrunner." Click here to listen on Apple Music now.
Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast.com
via Hypebeast


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You know those days when it's just too cold to go outside? Those are the days when I have ideas like these stashed away, with a simple container of spoons and cups that we picked up in the paper aisle for only four bucks. Chocolate play dough is a fun way to create those delicious ice cream sundae playdates, get out the sprinkles and imagine that for a moment, you're running and ice cream shop.
Chocolate 'Ice Cream' Play Dough
1 cup flour
1 1/8 cup water
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
Mix everything together in a bowl. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to stick together, stirring constantly with a strong spoon. It will stick to the sides a little, but you will know it's finished when it begins to form a ball. Take it off of the heat, knead for 2-3 minutes and immediately place in a freezer bag, unless you are going to play with it, right away.
Tip: we found the best, softest results when we let it sit overnight, in a Ziploc bag before playing
Some of the ways you can play include create an ice cream parlour and take turns creating ice cream in cones, scooping it out of the container and paying for the ice cream. Make ice cream sandwiches, with sprinkles, and see how many 'scoops' of ice cream you can create with the batch of play dough. Use the spoons to create 'ice cream sculptures' and try to identify what they are.
Don't add sprinkles to the recipe, until play time. The colors will run together in the dough when it's warm and moist in the bag.
And unless you're a sucker for punishment, don't give your kids the control of the entire container of sprinkles. Sure, they're going to play together for an hour making delicious bake shop worthy concoctions, but oh it's going to be a mess afterwards.


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Product Description
- 6 feeding bottles
- Find out more about our award winning range at tommeetippee.com
- However you choose to feed your little one you'll have times that are both challenging and precious.
- Our award winning breast-like teat, makes bottle feeding a natural and comfortable experience for both of you - so relax and enjoy the moment!
- Bottle feeding should be a relaxed and happy experience for you and your baby.
- Here's how the award winning closer to nature® breast-like teat can help:
- 1 Breast-like shape for easy latch-on
- 2 Soft and flexible for a natural feeding action
- 3 Smooth silicone teat feels closer to skin
- 4 Super sensitive anti-colic valve for a comfortable feed
- 50 Years Expertise
- Feed your way.
- However you choose to feed your baby, our closer to nature range is designed to make feeding a relaxed and happy experience for both of you:
- To help with breastfeeding:
- breast pads, electric breast pumps, manual breast pumps
- To help with bottle feeding:
- 150ml feeding bottles, advanced comfort™ bottles, electric bottle warmer, perfect prep™ machine
- 260ml/9floz
- Complies with EN 14350.
- Materials listing: polypropylene and silicone
- This product is protected by Patent numbers GB2412114B1, WO2006000816, WO2006103379 and Design Registration numbers RCD000400734-0001, -0002, -0003
- For a natural latch and smooth transition from breast to bottle
- Award winning - the original breast-like teat
- BPA free
Country of Origin
Origin Free Text
Made in Morocco
Preparation and Usage
- Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles are only suitable for use with Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature teats.
- Important instructions included inside this pack.
- Please read and retain for future reference.
Name and address
- Jackel International Limited trading as Mayborn Group,
- Northumberland Business Park West,
- Cramlington,
- Northumberland,
Return to
- Any questions?
- Visit our website www.tommeetippee.com
- Call us Free on 0500 97 98 99 (UK only)
- Please retain our address for future reference.
- Jackel International Limited trading as Mayborn Group,
- Northumberland Business Park West,
- Cramlington,
- Northumberland,
Net Contents
6 x Feeding Bottles
Using Product Information
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New York Knicks power forward–Amare Stoudemire–took a big leap int he romantic ring and proposed to his long time girlfriend and mother of his three children–Alexis Welch.
Stoudemire presented Alexis with the 8.5-carat radiant-cut ring, with the Eiffel Tower as their background, outside of their penthouse at Le Meurice Hotel Belle Etoile Royal Suite in Paris!
Like HelloBeautiful on Facebook to stay on top of your favorite black celebrities:
"Paris, the food, & lights were very romantic. When she said yes, it was surreal. I'm still floating.
#engaged #blessed," tweeted Amare!
RELATED CONTENT: "We're Engaged, But I'm Not Sure I Want To Get Married Because He's Too Controlling"
RELATED CONTENT: Halle Berry On Getting Married Again: "Never Say Never"
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Bina Nusantara University (BINUS) Indonesia SHARE Scholarship programme
Bina Nusantara University (BINUS) Indonesia is pleased to accept students under the SHARE Scholarship programme from SHARE participating Universities for the following undergraduate programmes:
– Accounting and Finance
– Communication
– Computer Science
– Fashion Design
– Fashion Management
– Film
– Graphic Design and New Media
– Hotel Management/Tourism/Hospitality and Tourism Management
– Information Systems
– International Business
– International Business Management
– International Relations
– Management
– Marketing
Please note the following details for the requirements;
GPA requirement: min. 2.75 out of 4.00 (70% out of 100%)
Language(s) of instruction (The score should not more than 2 years):
internet based: 79
computer based: 213
paper based: 550
IELTS overall band: 6.0
if the student has no TOEFL or IELTS score, any proof of English proficiency issued by the home University will be considered.
For more details on our programs, please visit BINUS UNIVERSITY Curriculum Center at http://curriculum.binus.ac.id/
For more details on our exchange requirements and application process, please visit BINUS Student Exchange Program at http://io.binus.ac.id/…/…/semester-based-programs/admission/
For more details on our dormitory, please visit BINUS SQUARE Hall of Residence at http://binus.ac.id/binussquare/
Please note that our application deadline has been extended to 31 October 2016. Our even semester (SHARE Batch 2) will start in the 3rd week of February 2017.
If you have any inquiry in this matter, please feel free to contact BINUS Global – BINUS International Office at: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Dorothy Stratten's Former HouseOct 10th, 2014 | By Lindsay | Category: Haunted Hollywood, This and That
True crime has always fascinated me. One case that I had never followed, though (probably because I was barely three years old at the time the events took place), was the murder of Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten in 1980. When my friends Lavonna, Kim, Katie and Kaylee came to L.A. for a visit this past June, Lavonna insisted we stalk the house where the killing took place so that I could write a blog post on it come October. Here goes.
Dorothy Stratten grew up in Vancouver and, while working at a Dairy Queen at the age of 17, met and hooked up with a club promoter/get-rich-quick schemer/pimp nine years her senior named Paul Snider. Thinking the naïve and beautiful young blonde could be his potential meal ticket and his "in" to show business, Paul had professional nude photographs taken of her shortly after they met and sent them off to Playboy. Hugh Hefner liked what he saw and quickly flew Stratten out to L.A. It was not long before Paul followed, intent on riding on his girlfriend's coattails. To seal the deal, he convinced Dorothy to marry him and the couple tied the knot in a quickie Vegas ceremony on June 1st, 1979. She was 19. Along with a roommate named Dr. Stephen Cushner, the newlyweds moved into a two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,424-square-foot home located at 10881 West Clarkson Road in Rancho Park.
Cushner lived in the residence's upstairs bedroom . . .
. . . while Dorothy and Paul stayed in the bottom level room located at the back of the house. There was to be no honeymoon period, though. Dorothy's star was on the rise and as she grew more successful, Paul grew more possessive and controlling.
Dorothy was named Playmate of the Month in August 1979 and then Playmate of the Year in 1980. Predictably, it was not long before Hollywood came a-callin'. She landed roles in episodes of Fantasy Island and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and in the movies Americathon, Skatetown, U.S.A., Autumn Born and Galaxina. The starlet caught director Peter Bogdanovich's eye one afternoon at the Playboy mansion and he cast her in his film They All Laughed shortly thereafter. Dorothy had to relocate to New York for the shoot and, while there, she and Bogdanovich fell in love. Upon returning home once filming wrapped in early August 1980, Dorothy separated from Paul, asked for a divorce and moved into Peter's Bel Air mansion located at 212 Copa De Oro Road in Bel Air.
Around noon on August 14th, Dorothy agreed to meet Paul at the house the two once shared to discuss the divorce. She brought along $1,000 cash to placate him and keep things amicable. The events that followed were anything but. Paul ended up shooting Dorothy and then killing himself. Their bodies were found at approximately 11 p.m. that evening by Cushner. The details of the murder/suicide are not pretty. If interested, you can read more about them on Findadeath and in this 1980 article from The Village Voice. In an odd twist, Bogdanovich, who still considers Dorothy the love of his life, wound up marrying her much-younger sister, Louise, in 1988. They divorced 13 years later.
In 1983, famed dancer Bob Fosse directed a movie about Dorothy's life and untimely death named Star 80. Model Mariel Hemingway played Dorothy, while Eric Roberts played Paul. Oddly enough, part of the filming took place at the couple's real life former home.
Supposedly, several areas of the real life interior of the dwelling appeared in the movie, as well, including the garage;
Paul and Dorothy's bedroom, where the murder took place;
the downstairs bathroom;
the downstairs hallway;
and the downstairs living room/office. Without having seen images of the home's actual interior, though, I cannot say with certainty whether or not that was the case. And because the layout of the windows shown in Star 80 does not match the window layout of the actual residence, I am guessing that the interior was just a set.
For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online. And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.
Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Lavonna for taking me to this location!
Until next time, Happy Stalking!
Stalk It: Dorothy Stratten's former house is located at 10881 West Clarkson Road in Rancho Park.


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We can use our expertise and many years of experience to help you, whether to set up a new project, expand your group, seek funding or other resources, or help with problems.
Many environmental groups are small and 'below the radar' of regulatory bodies, local authorities and other infrastructure support bodies.
We can help you network with your local council, statutory organisations or land owners, and with similar groups in South West London through the forums and networks in which we participate.
Ultimately, we aim to ensure your organisation is successful!


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New Delhi, Feb. 28: Finance minister Jaswant Singh did what he promised his family before he sat down to write his first budget speech cut down its length by half.
Compared to the 60-76 page budget speeches split in two parts read out by his predecessors: Yashwant Sinha, P.Chidambaram and Manmohan Singh, Jaswant Singhs was a crisp 33-page document in one single volume.
The speech itself was a marked departure from all earlier budget speeches instead of the traditional approach of spelling out government priorities and then listing out tax measures, Singh decided to address the common mans concerns: his proposals for their welfare, his broad plan for new tax slabs and how well off or badly off the government will be at the end of the fiscal year. Thats all.
Starting off with an introduction on the impending war in the Indian neighbourhood, terrorism exported from across the western borders, he warmed to his pet theme -- lifetime concerns, food for the poor .... Followed by a far thinner reading of tax proposals which gave just the basics and left analysts groping for details in the fine print of papers laid in Parliament.
Nor did he go in for the much appreciated tradition of quoting couplets started off by Congress finance minister Manmohan Singh, followed by United Front's P. Chidambaram and BJPs first finance minister Yashwant Sinha who took off on quotes from popular Hindi film songs, whose last Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam unfortunately left not just the tax-payer but also the BJP party crying.
The only popular saying Singh quoted was a promise he had made almost year back Garib ki pet mein dana aur Grihini ki tukia mein anna (Food in the poor man's belly and money in the housewife's purse).
This he said with a wry smile which failed to raise any of the laughs he may have intended to raise. Indeed most thought his speech was too serious a piece of work to be laughed at -- especially as he had taken the trouble of adding an index at the end of it for ready reference.
The lack of humour relief in the budget, however, went unnoticed as people kept guessing the import of many of the measures he spelled out in his speech delivered in his usual clipped Oxbridge accent.
For instance, a Rs 50 a metric tonne tax on crude oil did not seem much to most members of Parliament, till one of them sat down with a calculator to work it out to mean 50 paise a litre who then realised that the sum total of taxes on petro-goods would mean a Rs 1.50 a litre hike in petroleum prices.
But then despite the innovations and slash in speech length Singhs speech still took a good two hours 20 minutes with interruptions which accounted for about 25 minutes, compared with one hour forty five minute long speeches by Chidambaram and and two hour ones by Yaswant Singh.
However, that, was as one bored member of Parliament put it, was because, the inimitable Rajput nobleman, delivers all his speeches in the manner of a radio newsreader reading out bulletins at very slow speed.


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An exclusive project report on Sales Force Automation (SFA). this report will help you to learn about: 1. Introduction to Sales Force Automation (SFA) 2. Need for the Use of Sales Force Automation 3. Requisites for a Good Sales Force Automation Software 4. Choosing a Good Sales Force Automation Software 5. Components of Sales Forces Automation System 6. Processes 7. Advantages 8. Disadvantages.
- Project Report on the Introduction to Sales Force Automation (SFA)
- Project Report on the Need for the Use of Sales Force Automation
- Project Report on the Requisites for a Good Sales Force Automation Software
- Project Report on the Choosing a Good Sales Force Automation Software
- Project Report on the Components of Sales Forces Automation System
- Project Report on the Processes of Sales Force Automation
- Project Report on the Advantages of Sales Force Automation
- Project Report on the Disadvantages of Sales Force Automation
Project Report # 1. Introduction to Sales Force Automation (SFA):
Sales Force Automation (SFA) is one of many newer buzz-words in business today. SFA is essentially a system of managing and tracking the sales activities for an individual or for a group of sales professionals. This system allows easy review and retrieval of sales related activities and communication for a specific person, company, or even a specific transaction. The system itself is an established series of steps or business rules designed to provide a structured, repeatable process for managing sales.
In the grand scheme of business processes, Sales Force Automation typically falls between Contact Management (the managing of contacts and related information) and Customer Relationship Management (managing all customer information including ordering, invoicing, accounting, support, etc.). When talking about Sales Force Automation you will often find the discussion moves directly to software programs designed for the purpose. In our business environment today Sales Force Automation and Sales Force Automation Software are so closely linked they often become the same topic.
Project Report # 2. Need for the Use of Sales Force Automation:
Sales Force Automation provides your business the ability to review all the sales related activities and communications for the sales professionals you employ. A good SFA system will allow you to review this history for a certain Company account, a specific customer, or even for an individual transaction or deal.
SFA gives you a look at your complete sales history as well as a granular look down to a specific deal for a specific salesperson. For a Management team this can be vital in reviewing sales trends, forecasting future business, planning Marketing strategies, and evaluating successes and failures. Sales Force Automation provides a repeatable process for a sales team, allowing the salespeople to easily track the deals they have going with their clients.
This typically involves the creation of steps, or Sales Stages, in your sales process which can be followed through to completion of the transaction. There are often action items related to the Sales Stages of a SFA process.
All this together creates a familiar and repeatable process which can be refined to improve and streamline sales. For the sales professional it makes tracking the sale easier, and provides a framework of logical "next steps" as they work with their clients. It also allows both the sales professional and Management to analyze each sale to see where it may have gone wrong, or how it went right.
Project Report # 3. Requisites for a Good Sales Force Automation Software:
There are literally hundreds of products on the market that provide Sales Force Automation functions. Some are designed specifically for that task, while others provide SFA features as part of a larger or associated program. Many companies go in search of Sales Force Automation Software, and find themselves looking at products that do much more than what they need. When looking for SFA software, keep in mind what your goal is to automate and optimize the sales process.
Good Sales Force Automation software focuses on the functions related to this goal, and leaves out the fluff. As mentioned earlier Sales Force Automation software includes more than Contact Management, but is not as overloaded with function and feature modules as Customer Relationship Management.
Managing contact information is an important part of SFA; you must be able to review a history of communication and activity at both the company and contact level. Sales Force Automation software provides advanced Contact Management and focuses on the features and functions related to daily sales activities such as opportunity management, tracking Sales Stages, journaling sales activities, creating follow up actions, and reporting on the Sales Pipeline.
Many companies get involved with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) when they are really looking for SFA. The complexity and vastness of many CRM programs quickly becomes overwhelming, and the salespeople stop using it. In order for a Sales Force Automation program to work, the salespeople must be willing to use it. Perhaps even like using it.
The Real Reasons to Use Your Sales Force Automation:
For your sales manager and your organization, your sales force automation is a way to measure activity, to manage the pipeline, and to forecast revenue and client acquisition. These are all fine and important reasons to use sales force automation. However, there are better and more important reasons for you to use your sales force software—at least as they pertain to your producing results and winning deals.
Managing Relationships:
Your most important and prized possession as a salesperson is your relationships. These relationships cannot be contained in your sales force automation, but the placeholder for your relationships can be, and that placeholder is your contact database. Not all of the contacts in your database are equally valuable, but individually and collectively these contacts are the relationships that you need to develop, to nurture, and to maintain to succeed in sales.
Keeping your contacts in your sales force automation centralizes them in a single location. If your software is good, you will have web access to these contacts. If it is great you will be able to code them and sync them to your cellular phone. The great game of sales is won by having the relationships you need before you need them. Your software is a useful tool for keeping track of those relationships—if you use it.
Managing What's Important to Know:
Your dream clients share important information with you. They share information about their business needs, the areas in which they are dissatisfied, and their ideas about what the right solution might look like. They also share all kinds of technical information that it is useful to know when putting together a proposal and when you finally go to execute on your solution when it is accepted.
Some of this information may seem pretty mundane, but later on, when you are deeper into either the sales process or deeper into delivering on your promises, this information starts to become more and more valuable.
It's hard to remember who said what, who wanted what, and why they wanted what they wanted the way that wanted it months after the conversations occurred. When the contact that gave you the information was two or three levels deep in the organization, this information can be the critical difference in meeting their needs—or not meeting their needs.
Should you long every phone call? Should you log every left message? The answers will be different for different salespeople in different organizations. But you should keep any information that you suspect may be valuable to you in winning the deal later, and to your company in serving the client later.
Managing Your Own Pipeline:
Because your sales organization requires you to keep your software up to date, you believe that it is all about them. It's easy to believe that the pipeline and the forecast are for your company— especially since they want them so bad. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you only use your sales force automation for your company, you are making a mistake and you are missing out.
Your pipeline belongs to you. Your forecast belongs to you. It's true that your company is paying you for it, but knowing how you are doing, knowing what your future looks like, and knowing what to do about it is a powerful recipe for improvement.
You need to quantify yourself. Your sales force automation can allow you to monitor your own personal metrics. What does your activity look like this month? What did it look like last month? Are you more effective, or less effective? What will you close this month? How does that compare with prior months?
These metrics are important to your company, but they should be way, way more important to you. Ultimately, your results and your performance are your business, and you should monitor your performance and you should develop yourself. Your sales force automation software can be an important doing so.
Project Report # 4. Choosing a Good Sales Force Automation Software:
Keep in mind your goal: managing your sales and the related information. Sales Force Automation software should allow you to organize and track your customer information at the individual contact level and at the Company level. It should create a relationship between your contacts and the companies they work for. Reviewing a history of the communication and activities (such as appointments and follow-ups) should be easily done for the contacts and companies.
This is all part of good Contact Management, which is part of a strong SFA program. The most vital part of Sales Force Automation Software is the ability to track your sales opportunities. A SFA program should track each deal, the contacts and companies associated with that deal, and all the related communication and activities.
When reviewing the emails you sent to a client, it can be very important to know which deal it relates to, and to have a history of the deal when working with the client. This is particularly important if you have multiple sales occurring with the same contact and/or company.
Most importantly, a good Sales Force Automation Software should be easy to use and familiar. As Microsoft Outlook is the default email and calendaring program in business today, those SFA programs that are integrated in Outlook are often the most successful. These programs are similar in appearance and layout to Outlook, offering an immediate familiarity with the application. The ability of a program to use the existing Outlook forms (email, appointment, and task) shortens the learning curve for users and makes acceptance of the new functions much higher.
Creating an effective Sales Force Automation system can be an ever evolving process. Many companies find their SFA system in a constant state of small change. In a constantly changing business environment, this is often a very good thing. Using a well-designed and easy to use Sales Force Automation Software can make the development and evolution of this process a much more organized undertaking.
Sales force management systems are information systems used in CRM marketing and management that help automate some sales and sales force management functions. They are often combined with a marketing information system, in which case they are often called customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Sales force management systems are essentially the same thing as sales force automation system (SFA). A SFA, typically a part of a company's customer relationship management system, is a system that automatically records all the stages in a sales process.
SFA includes a contact management system which tracks all contact that has been made with a given customer, the purpose of the contact, and any follow up that may be needed. This ensures that sales efforts are not duplicated, reducing the risk of irritating customers.
SFA also includes a sales lead tracking system, which lists potential customers through paid phone lists, or customers of related products. Other elements of an SFA system can include sales forecasting, order management and product knowledge. More developed SFA systems have features where customers can actually model the product to meet their needs through online product building systems.
This is becoming more and more popular in the automobile industry, where patrons can customize various features such as color and interior features such as leather vs. upholstered seats. An integral part of any SFA system is companywide integration among different departments.
If SFA systems aren't adopted and properly integrated to all departments, there might be a lack of communication which could result in different departments contacting the same customer for the same purpose. In order to mitigate this risk, SFA must be fully integrated in all departments that deal with customer service management.
Making a dynamic sales force links strategy and operational actions that can take place within a department, the SFA relies on objectives, plans, budget, and control indicators under specific conditions. In order to perform the objectives correctly specific procedures must be implemented.
Project Report # 5. Components of Sales Forces Automation System:
When considering sales force automation systems not all are created equal. They are like selecting a new car. The systems can vary depending on what information the organization needs. The application also has implications based on their size, organization rollup, demand of new system, sales processes, and number of users.
Depending on what is needed, services can fall into 2 categories: on-premise software and on- demand (hosted) software. With on premise software, the customer manages and purchases the application. On-premise software has some advantages and disadvantages depending on what customers need. The disadvantage of on-premise to some is the higher cost of the software along with maintenance. Customization is also needed for some who use additional processes outside of the normal out of the box solution.
Time is also a factor. Many on-premise software takes longer implementation times along with numerous testing and training sessions. The overall advantage of on-premise software is looking at the overall return on investment.
Using the application for three to five years becomes more cost effective. Another advantage can be the based on the amount of data. With on-demand you are held to a certain volume restriction, but with on- premise your data restrictions are based on the storage size of your local hardware. The on- demand solution on the other hand takes shorter implementation time, less cost, and tailored to meet the customers need.
Sales force automation automates business tasks such as inventory control, sales processing, and tracking of customer interactions, as well as analyzing sales forecasts and performance. Please review the following components of sales force automation to gain some insight as to how CRM can benefit your organization.
These components are;
i. Lead management
ii. Contact management
iii. Field force automation
iv. Activity management
v. E-mail management
vi. Account management
I. Lead Management:
Also known as "opportunity management" and "pipeline management" Aims to provide foolproof sales strategies so no sales task, document, or communication falls through the cracks
Sales people follow a defined approach to turning opportunities into deals. Lead management is a disciplined set of processes and procedures that ensures no inquiry is lost and all qualified leads are pursued by sales. Lead management processes and systems dictate how an inquiry is captured — "Contact Us" Web pages, contact centers, trade shows, hard copy inquiries, individual sales people and more — and what happens to it afterward.
After an inquiry is captured, a company's defined set of business rules determines how leads are qualified, how they rank (hot, warm or cold), which specific product information should be sent to the lead, and which sales team member should receive specific leads. The process also includes the nurturing of prospects who aren't ready to buy through periodic targeted communications that move prospects closer to buying, shortening the sales cycle and converting previously discarded leads. Tracking results and measuring the ROI and effectiveness of lead generation programs are also essential elements of lead management.
What makes lead management so success is that it focuses on creating a cooperative system and on the belief that if you treat people well and explain what you want them to do you can trust them to do a good job. Lead managers know that caring costs nothing and has a huge return. Lead managers keep asking themselves the core choice theory question "if I do this will I get closer to the people who work for me or further away" if the answer, which is usually obvious is further away they do not do it. Lead Management influences and supports in need satisfying ways, self-evaluation without resorting to coercion.
Lead Management achieves quality outcomes by utlising the following 7 Connecting Habits of…
1. Listening
2. Supporting
3. Encouraging
4. Negotiating
5. Respecting
6. Accepting
7. Trusting
According to Dr William Glasser:
The 6 L's of Lead Management:
1. Leading – be a facilitator, mentor, coach, teacher lead by example model effective behaviours, focus on quality.
2. Listening – encourage input, listen to evaluation, maintain ongoing discussion and seek clarification.
3. Levelling – be honest, above board, create open discussion, and be real.
4. Loving – develop trusting relationships, use the connecting habits, eliminate criticism and coercion.
5. Limiting – share the vision, maintain non-negotiable, and clarify your expectations.
6. Leaving – teach self-evaluation, introduce quality, and expect constant improvement.
Boss Manager:
1. Judges others
2. Blames people for problems
3. Says, "I am not as bad as a lot of other people"
1. Accepts others
2. Looks for solutions
3. Says, "I am good but not as good as
4. Controls
5. Takes himself and other for granted
6. Covers up mistakes
7. Says, "I only work here"
8. Demands
9. Builds walls
10. Drives his people
11. Depends on authority
12. Inspires fear
13. Says "I"
14. Gets there on time
15. Fixes blame for the breakdown
16. Knows how it is done
17. Says "Go"
18. Uses people
19. Sees today
20. Commands
21. Never has enough time
22. Is concerned with things
23. Treats the symptoms
24. Lets his people know where he stands
25. Does things right
26. Works hard to produce
27. Creates fear
28. Takes the credit
29. Seeks first to be understood
30. Has a win-lose approach to conflict resolution
Leads Manager:
1. Accepts others
2. Looks for solutions
3. Says,"I am but not as good as I can be"
4. Leads
5. Appreciates himself and others
6. Admits mistakes
7. Does more than his job
8. Asks
9. Builds communication
10. Coaches his people
11. Depends on cooperation
12. Inspires enthusiasm
13. Says, "We"
14. Gets there ahead of time
15. Fixes the Breakdown
16. Shows how it is done
17. Says, "Let's go"
18. Develops people
19. Looks at today as well as the future
20. Models
21. Makes time for things that count
22. Is concerned with people
23. Identifies and treats the causes
24. Lets his people know where they stand
25. Does the right thing
26. Works hard to get his people to produce
27. Creates confidence in others
28. Gives credit to others
29. Seeks first to understand
30. Has a win-win approach to solving problems
Lead Management Systems:
A lead management system automates all lead management processes from beginning to end, including
a. Capturing inquiries
b. Qualifying leads
c. Ranking (or scoring) leads
d. Distributing leads to the appropriate sales person (dealer or distributor), either within the lead management system or forwarding the lead to a sales force automation system
e. Nurturing leads
f. Tracking leads
An optimal Lead Management process has the following elements:
i. Process:
A framework has to be developed for your firm covering the "procedure" of managing sales leads from generation to closing. Hot leads and cold leads need to be managed differently. Does your firm have a process?
ii. Quality Lead Focus:
Lead Management means Sales gets only the highest quality leads immediately. Those leads that aren't ready for sales need to go through a nurturing process (ideally through Marketing Automation) until they are sales-ready.
iii. Buyer Engagement:
By creating one-to-one relationships with prospects throughout their purchase cycle, close rates increase. Offering quality content and dialog to prospects is essential. This is where social media fits in.
iv. Measurement:
A proper Lead Management program will increase conversion rates, generate better quality leads, and increase marketing ROI.
Aligning Marketing and Sales is the first step to a better Lead Management system. By agreeing to a universal lead definition, both departments will have the same goals and work more efficiently.
A Lead Management framework consists of the following:
i. Data Strategy:
Is your current database organized with segmented fields? Are the lists cleaned, scrubbed, and updated? Are you using a CRM to manage the leads you receive?
ii. Lead Generation:
By better understanding target audiences, pain points, and decision drivers, a sound strategy can be implemented. A combination of advertising, search marketing, and social media work together to generate "marketing-qualified-leads" that with proper nurturing, can turn into "sales-accepted leads"
iii. Lead Conversion:
Websites are not online brochures. They need to be lead generators. Your online presence must be engaging enough to persuade website or landing page visitors to offer their email address to you because of the relevant content they read.
iv. Lead Qualification:
When leads are received, they need to be scored and routed based on their explicit characteristics (who they are), and implicit characteristics (what they do on your website). By creating a scoring grid, sales-ready leads can be determined easily, which then allows further sales engagement.
v. Lead Nurturing:
By delivering relevant unique content via email towards prospects throughout their buying lifecycle, relationships are built as they are moved along from initial research phase to "ready-to-buy" phase.
vi. Analysis:
Utilizing tools like Google Analytics, Marketing Automation, and CRMs, analysis of quality leads by media source and keywords can be determined, with the goal to spend more time and funds on those media sources that generate the most engaged, sales- ready leads.
II. Contact Management:
What are Contacts?
Contacts normally mean persons with whom a communication is established for the purpose of building a relationship or a business opportunity. In a B2C scenario, contact is the direct point of business – the customer; where as in a B2B scenario, contact is the reference point within an organization – business opportunity.
What is Contact Management?
Contact management means a well organized contact data, viz. communication with clients, meetings, calls, email, as well as interactions through websites. Zoho CRM's contact management stores all these important information, letting you retrieve it quickly and easily. Contact manager modules can help you in the process of acquiring customers as well as procuring products from various vendors. In this sense, contacts can be associated to accounts as well as vendors for a business.
Regular communication with clients through frequent meetings, calls, e-mails, interactions through websites, etc. provides up-to-date information on company prospects, sales pipelines, internal associations, and other data-enabling an effective contact management system.
In the past, technology was implemented along the natural growth within departments who needed supporting systems for expanding voice communications with customers. Technology like Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), Voice Processing Systems (VPS), queuing etc. were implemented. Typical in these situations was the breaking-up of the relation between a person and the customer or the delivered service. A group of persons became responsible for customer contact.
Within an organization the implementation of more Helpdesks or Communication Centers was normal. Different departments that needed support for voice communication with their customers implemented their own Call Center. This led to the situation that within one organization there were several Call Centers or Helpdesks for different Business Units, like a sales Call Center, a customer service Call Center or even Call Centers for different regions. Challenges and problems that occur in this situation are:
a) unclear for the customer (multiple entrances)
b) unclear for the organization (agreements made in one Call Center are not known in another one)
c) no efficient use of all resources / no economy of scale regarding human, as well as technical, resources
d) difficult to implement new functionality or technology, because of the use of different procedures and back-office systems
e) not manageable, because in most cases the Call Centers are part of different organizational disciplines in which specific local management information can be provided but a complete overview is very hard to get.
The solution for challenges and problems like this is the use of proper Contact Management. Within Crowne Associates we define "Contact Management as a concept that supports a professional customer contact process". This concept consists of
a) the goals and business case as defined within the CRM strategy,
b) the organization and its employees,
c) the processes and workflows regarding customer contact and integration,
d) the information and information flows regarding the customer and
e) the necessary technology tools to support the contact management.
i. Customer focus is not only a task for employees working within the front office (sales). All customer interfaces within the organization are part of the contact management concept.
The sales department, customer service and also the marketing department have customer contact. Because those departments normally have different goals, the way they communicate with the customer is different and is probably supported with different communication channels. For instance the sales department has personal contact and sends contracts using the fax. Customer service receives calls via telephone or messages by E-Mails. Marketing likes to present new information using the Web and sends mailing using the good old "paper letters".
From a customer point of view the organization should function as a whole. They won't accept excuses from a customer service employee that didn't know about the mailings from marketing, or the account manager that had no idea the customer had been complaining for a couple of months already. Organizations with a customer focus act as one from a customer point of view. Knowledge management is an important issue within those companies, because information and know-how about the customer and the customer interactions should be available throughout the entire company
Customer focussed processes involve marketing, sales and fulfillment within the company.
They reach as far that they even become part of the customer actions.
Because contact management is all about the interaction between the customer and your organization, the contact management processes are also situated at the beginning of the value chain from customer into your core products and services.
If we consider the use of different communication channels like telephone, personal contact, E-Mail, Web and also maybe fax, the possible process flows and more important the management of those process flows already becomes a challenge.
We mention those specific communication channels because they are very common to use nowadays. As you can see in the picture below, the processes from the customer with a specific request, using a communication channel, getting a hold on a contact within the organization and having their request handled, provides an organization with a lot of process management.
Customer focused processes involve marketing, sales and fulfillment within the company. They reach as far that they even become part of the customer and their actions with your organization (customer self service).
An important aspect of the use of different communication channels is the way processes regarding customer contact are defined. Every communication channel has its specific characteristics. Therefore, a generic model for process engineering can help out a lot to simplify process management.
From a customer point of view, the processes should be engineered as if only one customer contact process existed. The use of this approach "from a customer point of view" should be done top-down. First of all generate the overview in which all existing and future communication channels are integrated. In a second phase engineer the processes for all communication channels separate, including optimizing of processes. This should be done within the structure and scope of the overall view.
i. Focus on the customer means collecting customer footprints everywhere and making customer information available throughout the organization at any time.
We are living in an information driven society. Companies have to act as information driven organizations if they want to survive. If this is the truth, where can we find information about the most important asset of the company? Of course, at the interface of an organization and the customer, because this is where the interaction between the organization and its most important asset, the customer, takes place.
All communication channels that can be used for customer interaction have their own specific characteristics, and has to be managed as a specific source for information. An account manager in direct personal contact with a customer can provide an organization with a lot of information, which is not dedicated to the specific transaction that is being discussed. On the other hand can a Web-site be used to provide customers with a lot of information. It can however not get so much information about the customer as the account manager can.
We define the specific characteristics of a communication channel as the "customer touch point".
The customer relevant information that can be acquired from a communication channel is called the "customer fingerprint".
The integration of the customer fingerprints provides an organization with a holistic view of the customer One of the biggest problems in management is having the necessary information available to make a decision. As organizations are becoming more customer focussed and customer driven this problem won't disappear. Driven by external influences (like a customer) an organization will create more flexible and dynamic business rules. To manage those dynamic business rules the need for the right management information (within the right time-scale) will become even more important over time as it is nowadays.
i. Deployment of supporting technology means building delivery channels that can be managed, implementing tools that support all business processes and eventually integrating all these components on the same platform which supports all customer oriented information flows-
Technology that supports all contact management processes, customer relevant information and internal organizational aspects, is an important issue in this era of continuous information flows.
To support customers technology should support all the common used electronic communication channels, like telephone, E-Mail, World Wide Web, Fax, Interactive Voice Response. It should also be prepared to support "new" electronic channels like WAP, SMS, Video, etc., and more important it should also provide employees who have personal contact with customer with proper tools.
But this is only one side of the technical picture.
Another important impact of the technology within the contact management concept is the use of applications that represents the business rules.
The main challenge within customer focussed technology is the integration of all communication channels with all applications, and the integration of all application with the existing back-end and legacy systems
Technology that is designed around products and services (including billing systems or logistical / ERP systems) has to be redesigned toward a customer contact platform on the one hand side and an information-providing platform on the other hand side. In between applications can be implemented in which the business rules are adapted.
The applications used within an customer focussed architecture contain the following modules:
i. Contact routing:
This functionality makes sure customer request coming in via all possible communication channels are routed to the best possible communication partner within the organization. This can also be a computer system. In case of external communication (outbound) the contact routing functionality also is in charge of the communication process, including the communication partner, time of communication and the use of the communication channel.
ii. Employee support:
This functionality ensures a professional and efficient interaction with the customer by supporting the employees with the process flows for all types of requests (scripts). The required functionality consists of a user friendly screen lay-out, easy adaptible scripts with up- and cross-selling possibilities and workflow management to support ongoing activities and an agenda.
iii. Management information:
This functionality collects all information within the customer contact and the entire customer interaction (cradle-to-grave). The information includes real-time information for operational management and escalation procedures, as well as historical information used for productivity figures, Service level agreements, marketing feedback and management purposes.
iv. Workforce management:
Because employees are the most valuable asset for an organization, the skills and know-how of those employees should be used in the best possible way. Of course the employee costs are the biggest cost factor within a communication center, therefore proper planning of employees can reduce costs and provide a positive ROI for workforce management tools.
Campaign and event management: this functionality is part of the back office database marketing system. It includes campaign management functionality and provided personalized information about customers and specific customer events.
Products and suppliers of such tools and applications have been developing their solutions or bought specific technology to extend existing solutions. Depending on the requirements two main areas of technology are available on the market: the suite (all-in one) and the best-of-breed products. An overview of those products and suppliers is hard to maintain because of the speed of change within the market. Still we have tried to provide an overview of the most common tools and their origin… more:
About CRM Products and Suppliers –
About Products and Suppliers regarding Access Channels –
In an attempt to provide you with a roadmap for evaluation and selection of such a tool we developed the following method that after a couple of projects and adaptation can now be called a proven methodology.
How to proceed when evaluating and selecting a tool and its supplier –
To overcome the challenges and solve the problems with integration of all components within a customer focused architecture, we use a functional model that provides an overview of the entire functional architecture and clearly positions the different components within the technology-architecture.
This model is based upon McKinsey's hub & spoke model, and is adapted especially for contact management architectures that uses existing legacy systems.
Based on Gartners three tier model that involves the databases, applications and on top the presentation layer, the hub & spoke model integrates a front office hub and back office hub to connect the three "tiers".
The advantage of this model the possibility to extend the architecture geographically by extending the hubs. This provides all central based functionality to remote locations
Why Contact Management Systems are So Important:
Contact management systems have become increasingly popular today, and when you look at what all these systems provide, it is easy to see why so many businesses are turning to them. You see, it is so important that you are able to get the edge over your competitors in the competitive market today. If you want to have this edge, then you need to use a good contact management system to help you stay on top. You see, when you use a contact management system, you'll find that your business becomes a whole lot more efficient. It's important that you work on managing your contacts and leads, since effective management can definitely empower your company. So, let's take a closer look at contact management systems, a few indicators you need one, some great benefits, and one of the best options to try when it comes to a contact management system.
Several Indications You Need a Contact Management System:
If you still don't have a good contact management system working for your company, more than likely you really need one. If you're not sure you need to begin using one for your business, here are a few indications that you are in desperate need of a contact management system to help you streamline your work processes and make your company more efficient and productive.
i. You have many Customers:
If you happen to have a variety of different customers and you have many rows of them on spreadsheets that are disorganized and hard to sort through, then it may be a huge indicator that you need to get a great contact management system.
ii. Information that's duplicated:
Dealing with customer information that somehow ended up being duplicated and you just don't have the time to go through and fix it all up? Well, if this is the case, you'll find that a contact management system may be what you need to get it all organized and fixed up the way it should be.
iii. Various Users:
If your company has a variety of different users who need to have access to the same information, then this is yet another indicator you need to go with a good contact management system for your company. This way your sales people can access the same information at the same time when they need to.
iv. You need to be Able to Run Searches:
Do you need to run searches to find various types of data? If this is the case, then it's a great idea to implement a contact management system into your company.
v. You have a Stack of Spreadsheets:
One of the biggest indicators that you may need a great contact management system is that you have a huge stack of spreadsheets sitting somewhere full of contact information. This is a disaster waiting to happen and you need to get a contact management system installed as soon as possible.
How you'll benefit from a Good Contact Management System:
i. Benefit #1 – Easily Keep Track of Data:
One way that you can benefit from having a great contact management system is that it will allow you to easily keep track of data. Instead of having spreadsheets filled with data or data on a variety of computers, you'll be able to keep track of all of it with the one program.
ii. Benefit #2 – Generate Great Reports:
You'll also benefit from the ability to generate great reports when you use a great contact management system. This can be so handy, especially when you suddenly need reports and you don't have the time to do all the calculations yourself.
iii. Benefit #3 – It's Easy to Use:
Another benefit of a good contact management system is that look that they are so easy to use. You'll find that you can easily implement them into your company and most of the time it will take little time for everyone to be able to use it properly.
III. Field Force Automation:
Field force automation (FFA) refers to the use of technology to capture field sales or service information in real time. This involves use of technology typically handheld PDAs, wireless devices; tablet PCs or mobile phones to capture data. The captured data is transferred immediately to back end systems (ERP, CRM or accounting systems) through wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi, 3G, satellite or GPRS). This instant capture of information reduces time delays, avoids manual double entry data errors and enhances field force productivity.
From an operations perspective, availability of field information in near real time allows to plan delivery schedules, reduce inventory and monitor & control the field workers. The biggest challenge in field force automation is in developing a simple, but usable, user interface for the hand held device/ mobile and connectivity at the location of information capture. Connectivity can be overcome by having a system which can retain the information captured in the device cache and later synchronize with back-end systems (thick client).
"Field service is increasingly viewed as an integral part of a unified customer strategy, improved over time as part of a careful project. This can also be thought of as service life cycle management or service resource planning. It is as integral as sales, marketing and customer support to product-centric businesses. Another factor bringing field service into focus for many North American and European enterprises is the aging of the workforce, and the challenges with passing along process and customer knowledge to new employees, while, at the same time reducing or keeping head count flat — making the efficiencies gained by FSM suites and mobile automation key mitigating tactics."
Field Force Automation:
Exchange real-time information with your field service engineers – so they can get more jobs done in a day. Based on real time info, you can ensure:
a. Dynamic scheduling
b. Faster reporting
c. Consistent processes
d. More on field service management
IV. Activity Management:
CRM provides users comprehensive calendaring capabilities to track all tasks and appointments. With Sage CRM, the calendar conveniently integrates to your Microsoft Outlook calendars. Which allows tasks, meetings and appointments to be easy to schedule and monitor throughout the company. This allows users to set appointments and centralize all company communications and employee interactions with every one of your customers.
V. E-Mail Management:
Enhanced Outbound e-mail processing allows users to send e-mails from multiple areas in Sage CRM and create standard, re-usable e-mail templates. These e-mails can be sent using Sage CRM's built-in email manager, using Microsoft Outlook or other SMTP email clients and are stored for reference within the CRM system.
VI. Account Management:
CRM maintains a company summary page, allowing you to quickly and easily review basic client, prospect or partner information This allows you and others within your organization can quickly view the latest communications, sales opportunities and support activities. The CRM system allows for easy reviewing and sharing data across the enterprise with comprehensive account management by tracking the unique communication, marketing, opportunity, support cases and detailed company information, even tracking all contact specific documents in the company level library.
Project Report # 6. Processes of Sales Force Automation:
(a) Setting targets and objectives based on inputs (usually via a command center)
(b) Assigning actors responsible for achieving objectives
(c) Control processes for ensuring objectives are being achieved within
i. a given time frame
ii. a given constrained context (customers and/or markets)
(d) System management to handle uncertain environments
The process usually starts from specific sales targets. The command center analyzes the inputs and outputs established from a modeled control process and the sales force. The control process enables the sales force to establish performance standards, measuring actual performance, comparing measured performance against established standards and taking corrective action. The sales managers adjust their actions based on the overall process.
Aside from the control process, the following metrics are implemented:
i. Time management:
Accurately measures the tasks and the fraction of time needed for each task.
ii. Call management:
Plan for customer interaction accounts for the fraction of command center reps that comply with the process and have successful calls.
ii. Opportunity management:
If the process is followed correctly then a sales opportunity exists. The fraction of command center reps that use the tools, comply with the objective are all measured.
iii. Account management:
For multiple opportunities with a customer the account is measured by the tools, process, and objectives.
iv. Territory management:
For monitoring the account, the territory is measured by the number of account reps and perspective versus active customers.
v. Sales force management:
Process includes training, IT systems, control, coaching, and is shared across several people and departments.
Five major activities are involved in staffing a sales force. They must be divided into related steps. The first step is plan the recruiting and selection process. The responsibilities associated with this step are generally assigned to top sales executives, the field sales manager or the human resources manager.
The company wants to determine the number and type of people needed, which involves analyzing the market and the job and preparing a written job description. The qualifications of the job must be established to fill the job.
Second, the recruiting phase includes identifying sources of recruits that are consisted with the type of person desired, selecting the source to be used and contacting the recruits. You need to way out the options and evaluate its potential effectiveness versus its costs.
Third, select the most qualified applicants. The selection phase has three steps, in the planning phase there may be qualifications specified and in the first step it is necessary to design a system for measuring the recruits against the standards from the planning phase.
Then the system must be put into effect with the new applicants and then making the actual selection is the final step.
Fourth activity is to hire those people who have been selected, just because one makes an offer doesn't mean that a job is done. One must convince a recruit that the job offers everything that they need and want to get them to join a company or at least highly consider it.
The fifth activity is for them to assimilate the new hires into the company. This is done by placing them under direction of an employee in the firm and possibly giving them a mentor to help them feel comfortable working in the firm and going through the training programs.
Project Report # 7. Advantages of Sales Force Automation System:
Advantages to the Marketing Manager of Sales Force Automation System:
a. Understanding the economic structure of an industry
b. Identifying segments within a market
c. Identifying a target market
d. Identifying the best customers in place
e. Doing marketing research to develop profiles (demographic, psychographic, and behavioral) of core customers
f. Understanding competitors and their products
g. Developing new products
h. Establishing environmental scanning mechanisms to detect opportunities and threats
i. Understanding one's company's strengths and weaknesses
j. Auditing customers' experience of a brand in
k. Developing marketing strategies for each of one's products using the marketing mix variables of price, product, distribution, and promotion
l. Coordinating the sales function with other parts of the promotional mix, such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and publicity
m. Creating a sustainable competitive advantage
n. Understanding where brands should be in the future, and providing an empirical basis to write marketing plans regularly to help get there
o. Providing input into feedback systems to help monitor and adjust the process
Other Strategic Advantages of Sales Force Automation:
Sales force automation systems can also create competitive advantage:
a. As mentioned above, productivity can increase. Sales staff can use their time more efficiently and effectively. The sales manager can become more efficient and effective (see above). This increased productivity can create a competitive advantage in three ways: it can reduce costs, it can increase sales revenue, and it can increase market share.
b. Field sales staff can send their information more often. Typically information can be sent to management after each sales call, rather than daily or weekly. This provides management with current information, which they can use while it is more valuable. Management response time can be greatly reduced. The company can become more alert and agile.
c. These systems could increase customer satisfaction if they are used with wisdom. If the information obtained and analyzed with the system is used to create a product that matches or exceeds customer expectations, and the sales staff use the system to service customers more expertly and diligently, then customers should be more satisfied with the company. This can provide a competitive advantage because customer satisfaction leads to increased customer loyalty, reduced customer acquisition costs, reduced price elasticity of demand, and increased profit margins.
Project Report # 8. Disadvantages of Sales Force Automation:
The major disadvantages in Sales Force Management Systems are:
a. Difficulty in adopting the system
b. Too much of time spent on Data Entry
c. Losing personal touch in the process of automation
d. Laborious process of continuous maintenance, information updating, information cleansing and system up gradations
e. Cost involved in Sales Force Automation Systems and Maintenance
f. Difficulty in integration with other management information systems