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Get to know the amazing creatures right outside your door! What do toads like to eat? Why do crickets sing? Why does a firefly glow? If you've ever longed to know more about the habits of the animals and insects that live in your backyard, here's the book you've been waiting for! With Backyard Pets, you'll find out how to catch and care for lots of different, easy-to-find critters, from terrific toads to slithering slugs. You'll perform all sorts of investigations and activities, including discovering how snails eat and how caterpillars protect themselves, before you return your newly found pets safely to their natural home. And you'll even find out how to attract birds and butterflies to homemade feeders and gardens so that you can observe them every day as they go about their amazing lives. As you take care of your pets, you'll learn how to interpret fireflies' signals; how to entice worms from their burrows with sound; and how to make birdfeeders, hummingbird gardens, and toad abodes. Along the way, you'll discover lots of fascinating facts about the lives of these clever critters-from what their favorite foods are to how they see, hear, and move, and even how they help the environment.

Hacking Leadership is Mike Myatt's latest leadership book written for leaders at every level. Leadership isn't broken, but how it's currently being practiced certainly is. Everyone has blind spots. The purpose of Hacking Leadership is to equip leaders at every level with an actionable framework to identify blind spots and close leadership gaps. The bulk of the book is based on actionable, topical leadership and management hacks to bridge eleven gaps every business needs to cross in order to create a culture of leadership: leadership, purpose, future, mediocrity, culture, talent, knowledge, innovation, expectation, complexity, and failure. Each chapter: Gives readers specific techniques to identify, understand, and most importantly, implement individual, team and organizational leadership hacks. Addresses blind spots and leverage points most leaders and managers haven’t thought about, which left unaddressed, will adversely impact growth, development, and performance. All leaders have blind-spots (gaps), which often go undetected for years or decades, and sadly, even when identified the methods for dealing with them are outdated and ineffective – they need to be hacked. Showcases case studies from the author’s consulting practice, serving as a confidant with more than 150 public company CEOs. Some of those corporate clients include: AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, EMC, Humana, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, PepsiCo, and other leading global brands. Hacking Leadership offers a fresh perspective that makes it easy for leaders to create a roadmap to identify, refine, develop, and achieve their leadership potential–and to create a more effective business that is financially solvent and professionally desirable.

Spirit of the Home is a wonderful guide to creating your own sacred space and sanctuary and discovering peace and tranquillity.Home is a reflection of the self. It tells us, and other people, who we are. The type of home we live in, the style of the furnishings and colours, all work together to remind us of our personality, our taste, our values and interests.Creating a soul-sustaining space, an intimate and emotional connection with our home, has become a pursuit of the 90’s. As we change our lifestyles, downshift, work at home, deal with stress, live in different communities, we look towards home as a haven for peace and tranquility.The Spirit of the Home is a practical book, packed full of simple, easy-to-follow advice on how to make the most of your home:What does your home mean to you?• Does every space in your home have a special mood and purpose?• Does a healing home have to be a clean home?• Does energy, ch’i, flow smoothly?• Do you have good Feng Shui in your home?• Does your home feel good, smell good, and sound good?• Do you have a quiet corner?• Is your bathroom your sanctuary?• Can your home bring about change in your inner life?

The New Psychology of Selling The sales profession is in the midst of a perfect storm. Buyers have more power—more information, more at stake, and more control over the sales process—than any time in history. Technology is bringing disruptive change at an ever-increasing pace, creating fear and uncertainty that leaves buyers clinging to the status quo. Deteriorating attention spans have made it difficult to get buyers to sit still long enough to “challenge,” “teach,” “help,” give “insight,” or sell “value.” And a relentless onslaught of “me-too” competitors have made differentiating on the attributes of products, services, or even price more difficult than ever. Legions of salespeople and their leaders are coming face to face with a cold hard truth: what once gave salespeople a competitive edge—controlling the sales process, command of product knowledge, an arsenal of technology, and a great pitch—are no longer guarantees of success. Yet this is where the vast majority of the roughly $20 billion spent each year on sales training goes. It’s no wonder many companies are seeing 50 percent or more of their salespeople miss quota. Yet, in this new paradigm, an elite group of top 1 percent sales professionals are crushing it. In our age of technology where information is ubiquitous and buyer attention spans are fleeting, these superstars have learned how to leverage a new psychology of selling—Sales EQ—to keep prospects engaged, create true competitive differentiation, as well as shape and influence buying decisions. These top earners are acutely aware that the experience of buying from them is far more important than products, prices, features, and solutions. In Sales EQ, Jeb Blount takes you on an unprecedented journey into the behaviors, techniques, and secrets of the highest earning salespeople in every industry and field. You’ll learn: How to answer the 5 Most Important Questions in Sales to make it virtually impossible for prospects to say no How to master 7 People Principles that will give you the power to influence anyone to do almost anything How to shape and align the 3 Processes of Sales to lock out competitors and shorten the sales cycle How to Flip the Buyer Script to gain complete control of the sales conversation How to Disrupt Expectations to pull buyers towards you, direct their attention, and keep them engaged How to leverage Non-Complementary Behavior to eliminate resistance, conflict, and objections How to employ the Bridge Technique to gain the micro-commitments and next steps you need to keep your deals from stalling How to tame Irrational Buyers, shake them out of their comfort zone, and shape the decision making process How to measure and increase you own Sales EQ using the 15 Sales Specific Emotional Intelligence Markers And so much more! Sales EQ begins where The Challenger Sale, Strategic Selling, and Spin Selling leave off. It addresses the human relationship gap in the modern sales process at a time when sales organizations are failing because many salespeople have never been taught the human skills required to effectively engage buyers at the emotional level. Jeb Blount makes a compelling case that sales specific emotional intelligence (Sales EQ) is more essential to success than education, experience, industry awareness, product knowledge, skills, or raw IQ; and, sales professionals who invest in developing and improving Sales EQ gain a decisive competitive advantage in the hyper-competitive global marketplace. Sales EQ arms salespeople and sales leaders with the tool

Find The Home Mortgage That's Right For You Finding the right mortgage can be complex, confusing, and frustrating. But that doesn't mean you have to settle for anything other than the terms you want. This indispensable and newly updated second edition of How to Save Thousands of Dollars on Your Home Mortgage spells out everything mortgage hunters need to know in clear and accessible terms. It covers more loan alternatives than any other book and examines the importance of discount points. It offers complete details on virtually every mortgage option currently available, what advantages each option offers, how to choose the right one for your needs, and how to save money in the process. New information in this edition will help you use the Internet to find a home and get a mortgage, examine automated underwriting models and conforming loan limits, and weigh new shopping strategies. Easy-to-read charts and graphs, helpful sample forms, and numerous examples will help you understand: * First-time buyers programs * APR, buy-downs, reverse mortgages, accelerated payoffs, and zero point loans * Refinancing strategies * Closing costs, lender fees, and other expenses * How to dispute credit report errors and fix credit problems * How to use the Internet for loan analysis

Make this book your first stop when shopping for a mortgage! Whether you are considering making your first home purchase or are about to refinance a mortgage, there is lots of good news. Mortgage interest rates are stable and the competition among lenders is fierce. They want your business. So, how do you determine the best deal for your own individual circumstances? How do you make sense of the fine print that comes with different mortgage products? Mortgages Made Easy is a step-by-step guide to help you better understand the current real estate market, financing options, how to qualify for a mortgage, and the legal aspects of purchasing a home and having a mortgage. Among the key topics discussed are: Types and sources of mortgages Mortgages and your RRSP How to renew, refinance, or prepay a mortgage How to invest in mortgages Creative financing techniques Government assistance Special options for seniors Pitfalls to avoid And much, much more, including a glossary, checklists, forms, and helpful websites. Written by one of Canada's most respected real estate experts, let Mortgages Made Easy help you obtain the financing that's right for your home or investment property.

Teacher supervision and evaluation that emphasizes fairness, excellence, and achievement In this thoroughly revised and updated edition of his bestselling book, education expert Kim Marshall shows how to break away from the typical and often ineffective evaluation approaches in which principals use infrequent classroom visits or rely on standardized test scores to assess a teacher's performance. Marshall proposes a broader framework for supervision and evaluation that enlists teachers in improving the performance of all students. Revised edition of the classic book on teacher supervision and evaluation Includes thoughts on iPad and iPhone aps for classroom observation Offers new chart on how principals can manage ten mini-observations per teacher per year Contains new thoughts on merit pay, a different approach to the test-score argument from Arne Duncan This vital resource also includes extensive tools and advice for managing time as well as ideas for using supervision and evaluation practices to foster teacher professional development.

Start closing sales like top producers! Have you ever found yourself at a loss for what to say when the gatekeeper asks you what your call is about? Have your palms ever sweated when the decision maker shuts you down with: “I wouldn’t be interested”? Has your heart taken a fast dive into your stomach when, at the start of your presentation, your prospect tells you that they’ve thought about it and are just going to pass? If you’re in sales, then the question isn’t “Have you ever felt this way?”, but rather, “How often do you feel this way? Are you finally ready to learn how to confidently and effectively overcome these objections, stalls, and blow-offs? If so, Power Phone Scripts was written for you! Unlike other books on sales that tell you what you should do (like build value – hard to do when the prospect is hanging up on you!), Power Phone Scripts provides word-for-word scripts, phrases, questions, and comebacks that you can use on your very next call. Learn to overcome resistance, get through to the decision maker, and then, once you have him or her on the phone, make an instant connection and earn the right to have a meaningful conversation. You’ll be equipped with proven questions, conversation starters, and techniques to learn whether or not they are even right for your product or service, and, if they aren’t, who else in their company or another department might be. Power Phone Scripts is the sales manual you’ve been looking for: over 500 proven, current, and non-salesy phrases, rebuttals, questions, and conversation openers that will instantly make you sound more confident – just like the top producing sales pros do right now. Gone will be your call reluctance; gone will be your fear of calling prospects back for presentations and demos; gone will be the fear of asking for the sale at the end of your pitch! This practical guide is filled with effective scripts for prospecting, emailing, voice mails, closes, and tons of rebuttals to recurring objections you get like: “It costs too much” “We already have a vendor for that” “I’m going to need to think about it” “I need to talk to the boss or committee” and so many others… More than just phone scripts, this book provides practical, comprehensive guidance that every inside sales rep needs. Conquer concerns, provide answers, motivate action, and be the conduit between your prospect’s problems and your solution. Actionable, fun, and designed to work within the current sales environment, this invaluable guide is your ticket to the top of the leader board. With Power Phone Scripts, you will never be at a loss of what to say to a prospect or client. Communication is everything in sales, and being on top of your game is no longer enough when top producers are playing a different game altogether. You cannot achieve winning stats if you're not even on the field. If you're ready to join the big league, Power Phone Scripts is the playbook you need to win at inside sales.

Master macro techniques and capture brilliant up-close photos Macro photography uses specialty lenses and advanced digital cameras to capture stunning up-close images. This book helps you understand the nuances of macro techniques so you can take unique and remarkable close-up digital photos. Equipment recommendations, helpful tips, and coverage of specialized elements that are exclusive to macro photography all aim to make you more savvy and comfortable with macro and close-up techniques. In addition, the easy-to-follow steps and suggested exercises go a long way to make you more familiar with your camera's capabilities so that you can take fantastic photos. Introduces the techniques of macro photography and explores how to capture stunning close-up digital photos Reviews using macro lenses, extension tubes, reversing rings, and other camera equipment and accessories Shares tips for exposure and lighting techniques in the macro format Addresses depth of field, working distance, and framing when shooting Covers where to find subjects to shoot and setting up your macro studio With full-color examples and technique comparisons, this fun and friendly book presents step-by-step guidance for taking your close-up photography skills to the next level.