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Effective Seasonal Marketing Strategies  

As September comes, it’s as if the world is programmed to go all crazy. The streets are full, establishments are overly crowded, traffic is unimaginable, and loud noises are everywhere. Indeed, the busiest time of the year and the luckiest time for business owners.  

The season has just begun. So if you haven’t planned your marketing strategies yet, we got you.  

Build an email list  

May it be seasonal or all year-round, building your database for your email marketing campaigns should be one of your top priorities. Take advantage of the high number of traffic in an internet-busy and profit-rich season like this by segmenting new signups or retargeting the leads in your old database.  

You also need to highlight the seasonal deals on your newsletter or announce to your subscribers that you are giving them an early access those deals.  

Promote special product categories  

Another great strategy to consider is categorizing your product by season or by occasion. You should know which among your products people are most likely going to buy. This is to keep your customers away from the hassle of browsing your catalogs of products that aren’t fit for the occasion. 

In short words, choose a relevant product to do the front act. 

Set up a countdown timer 

Is there anything else that excites people more than a big event coming? Building anticipation for an upcoming event builds hype and interests among people. So, don’t forget to advertise ahead of time and set up a timer for people to see.  

Create seasonal testimonials and games 

A businessman could attest to how a testimonial could drive more sales. Before checking out, a consumer would usually look for testimonials, ratings or reviews about the product. Have someone review the product you are planning to highlight and post it on your media channels.  

A seasonal game could also work. Always induce fun and adventure to your audiences. Do not just aim for profit but for good customer interaction and experience as well. You can create quizzes, mind games, user-generated content, or anything that requires people to share your brand across social media sites. And don’t forget about the prizes! A reward is what excites them mostly.  

Create daily or weekly offers 

It’s always a good idea to attract people to continuously engage on your social media pages or website. Creating daily or weekly offers could make that possible for you. You may also create daily rewards if they interact or visit your sites.  

Inspect what could go wrong and resolve it 

Seasonal events bring huge traffic. If you sell on your website, be prepared to encounter potential technical issues, checkout errors, or your site crashing. We don’t want things like these to occur but they do happen unexpectedly so buckle up.  

You should ask yourself, is my current hosting plan able to handle a huge traffic? If you don’t know the answer, that’s something we can help you with.  

Just remember that giving consumers a smooth, fast and unproblematic shopping experience is always the key to a successful business.  

Seasonalize your brand 

Aside from making deals or special rewards for the season, you may also customize the look of your brand. Give people the feel of the season by creating relevant content, designs, graphics, and more.  

Play around your packaging as well. Just remember to give your customers an extra something for free. 

Capitalize on advertising 

The spirit of Christmas is around the corner. People are already starting to shop gifts online or offline. 

And what greater way to dominate online than doing ads? Get double or triple your ad investments from running ads on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Google.  

If you are having a hard time planning your seasonal marketing strategies or running these ad options, you just need a little management investment to have an agency do it for you.  

Don’t miss out this huge opportunity to get ahead of your competitors. Let iManila do the magic for you.  

Request a quote for our Social Media Management, Social Media Ads, Google Ads, and other website services now. You may also leave us a message or email us at [email protected]. 

POP or IMAP: Which one’s best for you?

 

One thing is certain for most of us, we read our email as often as how we read our social media notifications. It is the culture of always being connected that brings almost all of us to stick with our devices whenever wherever. And in the spirit of the modern connectivity, it is common for most corporate employees to access their emails in almost all of the device that they are using. This has blurred the lines between work and personal lives for corporate workers and even to some professionals.

And the truth that is just lying in front of us is that our lives are now entangled with our email addresses – with our emails – whether we like it or not. The modern world compelled us to be reliant on our email addresses in almost all of our activities online. It houses some of the most important information about us such as log-in details to other accounts, mobile banking, e-commerce, and even with government-related transactions.

And in dealing with your emails, you might have encountered the terms POP and IMAP a lot of times, especially when setting up your remote email server. Using a Mac book? You’ve probably done this to your Mac Mail. Or are you a windows user? You surely did this to your Outlook too. The same thing goes for Gmail client app for Android and iCloud email for iPhones.

If you are wondering what the terminologies like POP and IMAP, refer to backgrounder below.

History of POP

Post Office Protocol or what we know as POP was developed as a simple means of accessing emails remotely back in 1984. This release required login usual login credentials like username and password to download all the email at once. In 1985, POP2 was released which has provided a greater and better range of commands and replies compared to the first POP release.  POP2 also allowed users to choose to read only one message instead of downloading their entire email inbox at the same time. Lastly, in 1988, the release of POP3 has made accommodations of the easy and efficient way of retrieving emails on their personal computers. In was noted that since 1998, no updates of changes have been made to POP marking 14 years of stagnancy which somewhat equates to obsolescence in today’s fast-evolving online community.

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History of IMAP

On the other hand, Stanford Computer Scientist Mark Crispin developed the first IMAP at the Stanford Knowledge Systems Laboratory.  This protocol served as an alternative to POP by bringing in a two-way protocol that provides greater functionality for users.

Shortly after its first release, another release was launched carrying the revision made to the first IMAP. The next revision was released in the 1990s known as IMAP2bis. This was provided for the use of Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME), which allowed an increase in the number of functions used in managing mailboxes.

Email and password encryption made the last revision of IMAP as IMAP4 rev1 has been released in 1996.

So which one is best for me?

Since we’ve gone through histories, which is admittedly a little boring, let’s get down to business. In this era of connectivity, the efficient way of managing mailboxes is an imperative. And speaking of efficiently managing mailboxes. IMAP is the appropriate setup.

Why?

IMAP has the ability to synchronously update mailboxes remotely. And for people who are using multiple devices, IMAP is the way to go. Since updates are done synchronously, managing your mailboxes doesn’t take so much effort.

POP, on the other hand, relies on downloading the entire mailboxes remotely. This protocol won’t allow synchronous updates making it confusing and difficult to manage multiple mailboxes.

Worry not, because modern devices use IMAP as the default set-up for their email apps. And if by chance you’re still caught up in an old email client server, here are the following signs that would tell you that you’re using a POP configuration:

Sign 1: If I create folders on one of my devices, they are not replicated on others

Sign 2: If I read an email on one of my devices, I see it as unread on others

Sign 3: If I delete an email on one of my devices, I still see it on others

Once you have determined that you’re in POP setup, you need to call the attention of your IT personnel to set up to IMAP. Remember, you need some assistance from the tech guys to make sure your mailboxes are intact as you migrate to another protocol.

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And if by chance you’re looking for competent IT guys to help you out troubleshoot this kind of dilemmas, call us at (02) 490-0000. You can also send us an email via [email protected].

 

 

 

Reference: pop2imap.com

Keyboard Shortcuts That Will Get You through the “Hell Week”

 

The office is in silence while all heads are buried under piles of work. The only sound you can hear is the sound of their keyboards in sync with yours. There’s always a certain week in a month when all deadlines pile up like hell, and the only breather for all of you is taking a sip of your precious coffee. When suddenly, you accidentally close an important tab on your browser that you’re working on.

Disaster is screaming in your head! You’re pissed, and you’re tired even though the day is just starting. And the worst part is, you don’t know where to start. In emergency cases like this, you need a saving grace to make it through the day – and through the week. And what we had below, will definitely save your day, and will even help you beat the “hell week”.

  • In emergencies like what happened above, what you need to do first is to relax. Recovering the tab that you accidentally closed can be recovered by pressing CRTL + SHIFT + T (for Windows) COMMAND + SHIFT + T (for Mac). This will instantly reopen the tab that you closed. This is way better than redoing everything that you did on that tab. However, you just have to take note that this shortcut won’t work when you are in private browsing/incognito.
  • Remember the times when pressing the backward or forward button on your browser just to be on your desired page never fails to ruin your mood? Here is the antidote to your seemingly perpetual frustration: just press ALT + LEFT ARROW KEY to go back and ALT + RIGHT ARROW KEY to go forward.
  • Wanted to select multiple texts when editing a document? Just press SHIFT + LEFT OR RIGHT ARROW KEY. It is a little easier than hovering your mouse all over the document. And on the top of that, it is much precise than using the mouse.

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  • Looking for an important file? Press WINDOWS KEY + E to open the file explorer real quick.
  • Wanting to format a phrase to all caps without retyping it? Just select that phrase and press SHIFT + F3. Hit SHIFT + F3 again and that phrase will be in caps and lowercase format. Do it the third time and it will go back to all lowercase format. Easy right?
  • Going on a bio break? Minimize all your open windows by pressing WINDOWS KEY + D. Then WINDOWS KEY + L to lock your computer. Just login afterward, and you can go back to these tabs – no problemo mi amigo!

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We can all get through the hell weeks in our lives. There are only two things that will help us cope with all the demands and deadlines of the week: just relax and focus on the tasks at hand based on priorities, and these shortcut keys that will definitely save you time and effort. Happy weekend everyone!

Understanding the key terms on Google AdWords

 

Have you been into your Google AdWords dashboard and saw the terms that seem complicated? No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. AdWords can be really confusing especially if you are not familiar with the terms that you’re seeing on its dashboard.

Google AdWords is Google’s online advertising platform. Through this, you will be able to create online ads to reach people and encourage them to buy your products or services.

As a search engine marketer, understanding the vernacular of AdWords is important in order to create campaigns that are suitable for the marketing objectives of your client and easily make some tweaks if needed. Having the knowledge on the definition of these jargons and being able to explain it in layman’s terms will help you in creating valuable and effective performance reports for your clients.

Since there are hundreds of terms that you may see on your AdWords dashboards and insights, we will only be dealing with the most common encountered key terms upon implementing ads and those that are normally included in your reports.

 

AdWords Basics

  •  Campaign – A campaign on Google AdWords is the set of ad groups that share budget, location targeting, and other specifications depending on the marketing objectives of your client.

 

  • Ad Group – An ad group is consisted of one or more ads that contain a shared set of keywords. Through Ad Groups, you will be able to distinguish and organize your keywords depending on their theme.

 

  • Keywords – These are the words, phrases, or terms that best describe your products, services, or your website itself that will help on determining when and where your ad may appear.

 

  • Daily Budget – This is the amount that you will set for each ad campaign. You can specify the average amount that you would like to spend for each day. To determine your Daily Budget, divide your monthly budget by 30.4 which is the average number of days in a month.

 

  • Maximum CPC Bid – or Maximum Cost-per-Click. This is the highest amount that you are willing to pay for each click on your ad.

 

  • Final URL – This is the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of your ads landing page (in green font color). Meaning, this is where the online users will go upon clicking your ad. You must remember that the approval of your ads also depends on the site where the users will land upon clicking which is called the Destination Experience. The landing page or the website itself must adhere to the Google Advertising Policies, otherwise, your ads will be disapproved. (See the Destination Requirements here.)

 

 Google AdWords Metrics

  •  Clicks Column – This column generally counts every click on your ad. Know that a click is still counted even if the user doesn’t reach your website due to downtime or internet problems. Highly-relevant ads are more likely to receive clicks.

 

  • Impressions Column – The number of impressions is equivalent to the times your ad was served or seen on Google Search results. Even though an impression is not guaranteed to turn into clicks every time, this is still valuable on calculating your ad’s click-through rate to test its effectiveness.

 

  • Click-through Rate – Abbreviated as CTR, your click-through rate determines the effectiveness of your ad. It is derived by means of dividing the number of your acquired ad clicks by its acquired number of impressions.

 

  • Average Cost-per-Click – This is the average cost of each click on your ad. It is derived by dividing the amount that you pay for your ad by the total number of your acquired clicks.

 

  • Average Position – This metric shows your ad’s position among other advertisers.

 

  • Quality Score – This is the estimated rating of your ad made by Google AdWords based on the ad quality, its keywords, and the landing page.

 

As you can see there are a lot of terms that you need to know and understand. Some terms may take you some time to digest, but, just keep in mind that these are all beneficial for your own learning and search engine marketing skills development.

To further have an idea and complex knowledge on all of these, try engaging yourself to Google Academy for Ads. This will not just help you understand the terms mentioned above but will also give you some in-depth details on how AdWords works.

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FRED: Could this be the initial SEO shake-up of 2017?

Many website masters may have noticed lately that their ranking is gradually diluting, and that their website traffic decreases despite their SEO compliance. Some of them are probably thinking that there is something wrong with their SEO activities, but some had a hint that Google may have released an algorithm update somewhere in the first quarter of the year.

What really happened is that most sites saw 50 percent to 90 percent traffic declines from Google organic search. This was a massive organic ranking drop for these sites. It is somewhat believed that the update was released last March 08, when there has been as a sudden drop in the traffic and even rankings.

And according to some SEO thought-leaders, FRED (which they named the update) targets websites that are low in quality content but heavy on the ads. Other than confirming that it was targeting ad-heavy sites, Google hasn’t said much more about Fred. Since there are no other details about the update, it probably would help most webmasters to focus on their links, including the method of acquiring those links.

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Link building is always about quality over quantity. A few links from embedded within websites with outstanding domain authority are always better than a bucket of weak and spam-y links.

Since Fred has been making a shake-up in the SEO world, one thing appears to be a definite course-of-action for SEO experts and webmasters – to continue creating quality content and earn quality links.

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And in terms of on-page SEO, iManila’s digital marketing team is capable of helping small businesses to start their online presence through Google search engine’s results page. Visit our digital marketing page to know more about the services that we offer. For inquiries, please call (02) 565-4064 or send us an email at [email protected]

Office Stories: What Makes a Good Boss?

 

One of the unforgettable things I’ve experienced before embracing the life of a salary man was when I was a marketing intern in an appliance distribution company.

I can vividly remember when I was asked by my OJT supervisor to bring a pile of approval sheets to the Marketing Manager, who apparently was her boss.

As what other interns did, I gleefully took the files, walked down the aisle, and passed by several cubicles before reaching a secluded office at the other end of the aisle. There was no signage on the door. So before I knocked, I asked some employees nearby if that was the office of the marketing manager. The three of them momentarily swallowed their nonexistent saliva before they answered “YES”.

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At that moment, I got the slightest hint that this man behind the door wasn’t the type of boss who had a sunny personality. So with much caution, I knocked twice, opened the door and greeted him.

Boss-with-morning-coffee

No response.

I looked at him. He was so engrossed looking at his computer screen with his eyeglasses on.

He was neither a grumpy old man nor a monster that would eat you alive.

Actually, he was a bit young – in his late thirties perhaps. He looked at me and raised his palm in the air as if telling me: Where are the sheets?

I immediately moved forward to his table and placed the files on his desk. He asked, “Are you a new employee?”.  I immediately told him that I was just an intern. He nodded back and then told me that I can leave.

As you can infer, he could be a typical boss who sat on his desk all afternoon, secluded himself from his subordinates most of the time, and was terrified of him.

You could be right and wrong at the same time.

THE bosses

Bosses are chosen to lead. They are highly capable individuals who are tenured and can speak with authority.

But bosses are human beings too. They are prone to errors and mistakes. And in some cases, they also lose their cool and become temperamental at times. Okay, fine, I get you – probably most of the time.

Being in charge as a head, as a manager or as a boss entails a great responsibility of managing a team. More so, it is an endless challenge to prove their competencies and worth in the organization. That is why people like them are potentially vulnerable to any and all work-related stress you can think of.

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What do Good Bosses do?

Most of us will agree that an effective leader not only helps manage conflict but also supports team members to grow professionally, which can take a lot of time. Some would even argue that a good boss is transparent and owns up to his or her mistakes like what everyone should do. But the most important thing a good manager does is to also regular assess themselves and constantly improve his or her leadership skills.

Below is a helpful infographic from the Headway Capital on how to assess yourself as a leader:

Way-to-becoming-a-good-boss

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You may get mad at your subordinates or makes a little questionable decision once in your life. But just like what every employee needs to do, evaluating one’s self is the best way to reset yourself to make a fresh start.

Is a website revamp or digital marketing part of your marketing plan for the year? Let iManila help you achieve the website that works for your company and achievable digital marketing activities to pumped-up your year marketing direction. Call us at (02) 490-0000 or send your inquiry at [email protected].

 

Source:

  • marketingprofs.com

 

Digital Ecosystem: A stable approach for all organizations

 

An innovative digital  and stable approach towards a shared goal, that’s what the Digital Ecosystem is about. Unlike aardvarks, the Digital Ecosystem works best in collaboration with its components. A collaboration which allows it to interact and interconnect within its networks. Similar to the natural ecosystem we have learned in grade school, the concept of the Digital Ecosystem relates to the online applications, digital marketing services, and all things web – instead of plants, animals, and other biological entities. It’s an interactive environment ideal for all businesses.

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Understanding this model’s holistic approach is of great essence in achieving collective goals. Ergo, iManila curated a Digital Ecosystem that caters one’s online needs congregating to its innovative, strategic, and technology-driven web and digital services. This Digital Ecosystem provides sustainability, scalability, and stability to all organizations, and here’s what these three words signify:

Stability

Capacity for a strong connection and a stable approach. The ability of the Digital Ecosystem to have a strong hold, a strong connection to people forges stability. Aside from amplifying leads, the Digital Ecosystem is also an effective channel for creating value; offering experience and satisfaction to its people. Thus, building a strong connection which then shifts into a valuable possession when service-dependency surfaces – driving people towards brand loyalty and client retention forthwith.

Scalability

Capacity for growth. The Digital Ecosystem has the competency to easily upgrade on demand, thus, establishes scalability. Because of the teamwork within its domain, its diverse networks maintain hold of the productivity in the midst of increasing demands —  demands of the ever-changing technology-based model and demands from the people it aims to reach. Moreover, the scalability offers growth within the network, allowing each component to expand without compromising each of its goals.

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Sustainability

Capacity for endurance. Indefinite changes in this digital milieu build sustainability in all organizations. The strength to endure abrupt online revolutions defines the Digital Ecosystem’s ability to uphold its linkages toward a common goal. Utilizing advanced tools, right methodologies, and a proficient workforce affirms a resilient business model that can transcend and adapt to future innovations.

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The success of a brand’s adherence to the Digital Ecosystem depends on the steadfastness of its web and digital provider. With over 5,000 valued clients, iManila is certain to be the most reliable partner in building a successful online presence. From hosting server, down to social media requirements, iManila is here to be of service. Offering nothing but relief and peace of mind, considering that all the web and digital marketing needs will be catered under one roof, in one universe, towards one direction. Trust the best web and digital service provider in the Philippines, trust iManila.

Our digital ecosystem breakthrough ensures a stable approach that is also scalable and sustainable for all organizations.

The long haul: How to be in the business for years

 

Telephones, pagers, personal computers, CDs, and the internet. Among these nineties, technology innovations are the birth of iManila. From being one of the internet pioneers, iManila has progressed to be the most trusted and reliable web and digital service provider in the country. Bona fide to deliver the best service to its clients.

As iManila celebrates its 21st anniversary this year, it shares its company secrets in making your business stay for years. Browse, read, and bring your company to the long haul.

Live by your company principles

Every company has its own reasons for existence. As for iManila, living up to its mantra of improving the lives of people through technology has bettered every facet of the organization to provide quality services. Company principles keep the righteous presence in and out of the organization. Thus, producing right processes and right outcomes.

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Always have a plan and direction

The main reason why businesses should always have a plan is simple: to ensure that the business is on track. By on track means, going nowhere but to the company’s direction; meeting its sales targets, and achieving its business goals. Not only a plan can bring you to your company objectives but it can also give you a competitive advantage in your craft.

Choose the right people

Our CEO believes that his choice of getting the right people in iManila was a huge influence in our accomplishments. Many individuals can be more knowledgeable and more intelligent than the rest, however, only a few embody the right attitude and commitment that the organization needs to step up from being a good company to a great company. Remember, a team that consists of passionate individuals never fail to deliver the best services.

Don’t be afraid to try and fail

Failing is normal. Trying is normal. But, not failing and not trying is not how any business works. If you won’t try and experience failures, you won’t grow. It’s a way of life for business as much as it is for ourselves. Lack of challenges makes it hard for you to be successful. Go and inhale every mistake. Learn from it and never forget about it. Those failures will soon be a story to tell when the time comes.

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Lasting for more than two decades in the industry is beyond what our stakeholders have imagined. A five-year success was expected then, but, a 21-year stay was a combination of luck, blessing, and pure determination. If iManila can make it for decades, sure enough, your business can, as well. Why not give iManila a call? Let’s see how can we be of help with you.

 

Reference: Entrepreneur

Selling Sharks: What it really takes to be great in sales

 

Months have gone since I last passed by the memory lane. Harking back seven months ago to the day I got hired here at iManila, I remember clearly the day I got the text message from our HR officer saying that I’m shortlisted for the Account Executive position I’ve applied for. Yup, I was supposed to be a salesperson then but got abruptly reassigned to the digital marketing department. NO REGRETS – it was an honor.

Questions have been asked. Answers were uttered. Then my nerves wracked even more when iManila’s CEO Mr. Bobet Deluria entered the interview room. More questions have been asked and more answers were uttered. He talked about iManila’s history; what it does, how it became a pioneer in its industry, and such. After that we talked about the ideas of being an Account Executive. And I cannot forget the lines he said seconds later, “Our sales team are like sharks. They are predators. Whenever they smell blood, they attack that bloody prospect.” Why sharks? Why not tigers or lions? Or flamingos? The questions ran through my mind.

By definition, sharks are carnivorous fishes in the class Chondrichthyes (that I have no idea of) that are active predators sometimes dangerous to humans. Briefly, it’s a slang for persons who are experts in a specific activity. The next question that popped into my head is, “how can one be a shark”? A great and successful shark? Upon searching and reading, here’s how:

Successful Salespeople are Both Born and Made

Great salespeople are born to be great at their craft — if this is your mindset, better stop selling. This thinking is just another reason that lazy salespeople who do not hit their quotas for a long time use. Okay, let’s set a scenario. Let’s say that Sam (obviously that’s me) hits her monthly quota and gets her commission consistently. Is that because she was born to sell? NO. It’s because Sam works hard. She calls each company on her list. She manages her accounts well. She doesn’t sit and wait for the inbound inquiries. She gets the job done before anyone else does. Being a great salesperson takes a lot of learning, strategy-making, and effort. If Sam was a true-blooded shark the second she entered this world, it’s her choice if she is going to be the lazy one or the great one. So, if you are not born to be a seller, then make yourself one.

Successful Salespeople Don’t Always Hit the Jugular

People say, be a shark, target the jugular! NO. Great salespeople attack opportunities but they don’t bring their prospects down just to acquire sale. Rather, great salespeople sniff the blood first. They listen to their clients well and ask questions to understand the problem. And then they attack. They propose solutions which are technically the services that great salespeople offer. If the client resists, great salespeople provide reasons why it’s worth investing to solve it. You see, sharks don’t always hit the jugular, they sometimes target the jugular veins – strategically but surely. If you know what I mean.

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Sales is a cut-throat yet rewarding arena for any profession. It spares no one, hence the comparison to sharks. To be triumphant in this job requires one to step-up to its role as a salesperson. And stepping-up means improving day by day no matter how little the improvements are. Sharks or not, a salesperson is still defined by his or her last sale. And in order to exceed that last sale, a progress is necessary. After all, being successful (not just in becoming a great salesperson) requires hard work to be better and the will to become one.