15 Ways You Can Spot Fake or Fraudulent Crude Oil Sellers In Today's International Crude Oil Selling

Many knowledgeable observers and respected analysts of the industry have noted, for example, that particularly in these hard global economic times, many crooks, scammers and fraudsters with actually no real crude oil to sell, have trooped into the international crude oil selling business in tremendous numbers, seeing it as a fertile ground for them in which, many of them think, they can "strike it big" by scamming unsuspecting or gullible international crude buyers, aided and made easier for them by the Internet and the easier cover of anonymity that it provides. Consequently, clearly, a well-established and settled FACT in the world of international crude oil buying and selling business today, is that that whole terrain is literally teeming and crawling with congenital scammers, and pathological crooks and fraudsters who parade themselves, especially on the Internet, as crude "sellers." (See the links at the end of this essay for citations on this).

CLUES & SIGNS FOR SPOTTING POTENTIAL CROOKS AND SCAMMERS

Given the above-described distinct reality today, are there ways in which you can spot or detect crude "sellers" who are not LEGITIMATE, or those who are most likely simply scammers and fraudsters with no real crude allocation or crude to sell?

15 Ways You Can Spot Fake or Fraudulent Crude Oil Sellers In Today's International Crude Oil Selling

The following are some of the ways and signs:

1. THE "SIGN THE SPA," "SIGN THE CONTRACT" GAME.

Often, a Buyer may get a seller or his agent who aggressively pushes and presses that the buyer should simply "just sign the contract, just sign the SPA," and that everything else will work out for the buyer after that. Typically, such seller or the agent will promise virtually heaven and earth, and commit to providing the buyer virtually any and everything whatsoever the buyer asks of him, PROVIDED that the buyer just signs the contract. He will, the buyer will be promised, be immediately provided satisfactorily verifiable POP, or the 2% Performance Bond, or get the seller's profile, his proof of past track record or past performance in the selling of crude oil or of his creditworthiness, etc., etc - but only "after" the buyer has signed the contract!

Watch out for such scenario by sellers or sellers' agents! Many supposed sellers like that probably don't really have any oil allocation or available oil to sell. However, for them, the trick is simply to get some gullible buyer to sign the SPA or Contract. And then once that is done, such fraudsters will often deliberately fault the agreement in some way or the other, and employ that as a ruse to demand a hefty penalty fee of upwards of 0,000 or more from the buyer. The buyer will thus be forced either to pay for a deal that never occurred, or else, to have the buyer's Letter of Credit tied up, at perhaps greater cost and expense to the buyer, until perhaps he succumbs and pays up the scammy seller's "penalty."

2. A SELLER WHO WANTS YOU TO MOVE/PAY FIRST

A good sign that you better employ caution, is when a seller wants you to make the move first on the sensitive FINANCIAL aspects of the deal, such as requiring that you (the buyer) issue the Letter of Credit first before the seller will then issue the customary 2% Performance Bond to activate that LC. A less scam-prone way would be for the buyer (unless it is a well-known seller that's involved) to have the seller move FIRST by issuing the PB from a reputable international bank, as this will guarantee that the seller has the financial capability to be able to put up the PB before the buyer goes through the hassle of putting up an LC, which could be quite an expensive proposition for any buyer. Scammy sellers are notorious for not being able to put up the 2% PB after the buyer might have first put up the LC simply because, being usually a small, obscure or sometimes even non-existent operation, such "sellers" often lack the funds to afford the PB, thus leaving the buyer with huge expense in banking costs for posting the LC.

3. REFUSAL TO HAVE A TTM WITH BUYER

Buyers may sometimes stipulate that there be a TTM (Table Top Meeting), which is a meeting between the buyers (or their top representatives) and the seller, to be held at a mutually convenient time and place at which place the parties will personally meet, discuss the terms of the deal, and sign the contract. It is not uncommon to find some sellers strenuously resist or refuse that, giving all manner of reasons and excuses for not wanting it.

Watch out though for such! Such posture often arouses suspicion and serious doubt in the minds of skeptical buyers as to what might be the underlying motives of the seller for doing that, and the true character and authenticity of the seller.

4. ONLY NIGERIAN-BASED, NON-FOREIGN SOURCES OF VERIFICATION

When a seller provides a buyer ONLY Nigerian-based sources for verification of supposed crude allocation bona fides or cargo documents, with no credible foreign-based, non-Nigerian sources or authorities provided, that could be a serious warning sign of potential scam. Verification through Nigerian sources (NNPC Abuja or Bonny, the Ministry of Petroleum, Abuja, and the like), are often viewed by international buyers with grave suspicion as notoriously unreliable and subject to forgery, and to manipulation and corruption of the facts and materials.

5. NO VERIFIABLE EVIDENCE OF PAST TRACK RECORD.

In general, unwillingness, reluctance, or inability on the part of the Seller, to provide verifiable proof of past track record and ability to perform, such as credible evidence that seller had ever posted a 2% Performance Bond in any deal in the past, or proof of any previous deals confirmable from a credible foreign, non-Nigerian source, showing where the seller has actually shipped and successfully delivered any crude oil to anybody, and the like. This should at least sound a warning alarm bell.

6. REFUSAL TO PROVIDE SELLER'S PROFILE

When a Seller is adamant against providing a statement of the seller's profile (for the seller's company as well as its principal officers). A person who claims that he (or she) really has legitimate crude allocation for which he wants a prospective buyer to pay some humongous sums to him in the several hundreds of millions of dollars, but is reluctant to provide that prospective buyer some profile of himself for some idea of who the Seller is, arouses serious suspicion in a lot of buyers' mind. This is more so today, especially, in the present climate of international crude oil buying and selling trade, which by all accounts has become ubiquitously populated by fraudsters and scammers.

7. NO EVIDENCE OF ABILITY TO POST PERFORMANCE BOND

Often, some sellers may quickly pledge to a buyer that they will post a 2% Performance Bond as a means of assuring the buyer that they'll perform the contract, claiming that they'll do so "once the contract is signed," but would adamantly bark at any proposal by buyer for them to show the buyer, in advance of the parties entering into the contract, some independently verifiable evidence that the Seller actually has the funds capability to be able to fulfill this 2% PB pledge upon the agreement being signed. As a prospective buyer, watch out! That is frequently a signal that the seller simply lacks the funds, and that he will not be able to post the PB if a contract were to be signed with this seller.

8. IINSISTENCE ON AN RWA

Sometimes, a Seller who says he will post a 2% Performance Bond insists that he'll do so only on the condition that the Buyer, through the buyer's bank, will first send a request to the Seller's bank for an RWA (Readiness, Willingness, and Ability), such as an MT799, requesting formally for the Seller to place the said PB. Watch out! At the very least, this is an indication that this seller is probably not banking with a reputable financial institution that is of the caliber that maintains the highest or world-class ethical banking and financial standards, such as one that is ranked among the top 25 international banks. Among most of such top 25 international banks in the world, doing such RWA is regarded as "solicitation" in international banking protocols, and is viewed in such circles as illegal and hence something they will not engage in under any circumstances. Even more importantly, use of the RWA is viewed in such highly ethical circles as a tool employed by sellers who lack the funds required for the posting of the 2% Performance Bond to get buyers to "sign contract, sign contract," only for these sellers to rely on financiers by showing them the NEWLY-SIGNED SPA, which financiers will then impose unrealistic conditions that usually cannot be even touched by any reputable top 25 international banks.

9. MANIPULATION OF LETTER OF INTENT (LOI).

Persons who claim to be crude Sellers (or represent themselves as seller's agent or mandate), but as yet have really shown nothing tangible to demonstrate that they are truly legitimate sellers, but persistently demand that prospective buyers issue them an LOI (Letter of Intent) right upfront even before the buyer can find out who they are or anything about them. Watch out here! Many a time, especially in a case involving a supposed seller who is either a fake seller or does not actually have the supposed crude in hand, or, an unscrupulous aspiring seller's agent who actually has not acquired a crude supplier (seller) yet, buyers may issue an LOI only to find out that there is no seller on the other end. This happens a lot in situations where you have an hungry agent or facilitator who is still struggling to get a real supplier, and by getting this LOI from an unsuspecting buyer, this facilitator can commit the buyer only for him then to start hustling for a seller.

10. NAMING SHELL SCREEN & LLOYD OF LONDON AS THE SELLER'S VERIFICATION SOURCE.

A seller who names sources like the so-called NNPC "Shell Screen" or so-called "Lloyd of London" as the means by which the buyer may do his verification for the ATS or POP. These entities are FAKE and non-existent, and do not verify anything.

11. DeMAND FOR PAYMENT BEFORE Q & Q.

A supposed seller that asks you to pay any form of money upfront at any time before the buyer conducts the Q & Q. Why should you have to pay for a product when you have not confirmed the product is even there, or its quantity and quality specification? Serious, credible or successful sellers do not have any need to collect fees or payments upfront. As one analyst observed, "Only scammers want to see your money first, because their business is to collect these fees, not to sell oil."

12. REFUSAL BY SELLER'S AGENT OR SELLER TO ALLOW SOME PHONE CONTACT WITH BUYER

Certain Buyers would often ask the agent of the seller that he arrange a 3-way phone conference with the end-seller so that the buyer can at least establish a contact or verbal communication with the end-seller. This could be very important for a buyer because it may be informative for him to have a verbal communication with the seller. A savvy buyer will be able to assess, just from having this phone conversation and "feeling the pulse" of the seller, a lot about the seller and his familiarity with the business, and a clearer picture of whether the seller can actually deliver what the buyer wants. A seller (or a seller's agent) who refuses such access to a prospective buyer, however, arouses suspicion in the mind of the buyer as to the agent's motives and intentions, or the legitimacy of the seller.

13. REFUSAL TO PROVIDE LOADING VESSEL DOCUMENTS

A seller who claims that the cargo has been cleared, but refuses to provide the cargo's CPA (Charter Party Agreement), ATL (Authority To Load), and Q88 vessel details, should be a cause for suspicion as to whether such a loaded vessel ever actually exists.

14. GENERALLY, UNWILLINGNESS BY SELLER TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE & TRANSPARENCY.

In general, unwillingness, reluctance, and inability on the part of the Seller, to provide some routine practical evidence, or general signs of secrecy and lack of transparency or authenticity - e.g., the purported "seller's" profile, his past track record of performance in oil sales, being forthcoming with facts and information, showing ability and readiness to post Performance Bond, ready provision by seller of verifiability, and things like that.

15. EXESSIVE CLAIMS AND WORDS, BUT WITH NO SUPPORTING PROOF

In general, purported "Sellers" who only engage in big "talk, talk, talk," and big claims merely by means of the Internet, but provide little or no "showing" of anything - no PROOF or EVIDENCE about the heaven and earth they claim!

FOR A FOLLOW UP

For a follow up on a specific plan of action by which, exactly, you can spot scammy, crooked crude oil sellers of Nigeria and other crude, please see the instructional information in the author's resource box below.

15 Ways You Can Spot Fake or Fraudulent Crude Oil Sellers In Today's International Crude Oil Selling
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Author Benjamin O. Anosike, Ph.D., is an acclaimed author and a leading expert on international oil trading procedures. Anosike's latest book, titled "The Only Way the Commodities Intermediary Can Close a Petroleum Deal Today," is billed as the most detailed, comprehensive, authoritative step-by-step guide ever written and available today for using the correct and most appropriate trading rules and procedures suited for the modern Internet era to find authentic, scam-free petroleum suppliers and opportunities.

FOR A COPY OF THIS BOOK, CLICK ON: http://www.ReliableOilDealsConsultancy.com TO OBTAIN THE AUTHOR'S CONSULTING & MANDATESHIP SERVICES FOR A DEALER TO GET A LEGITIMATE & CREDIBLE BUYER OR SELLER, CLICK ON: http://www.ReliableOilDealsConsultancy.com/services.html

Anosike is a Crude Oil Buyers' Mandate for several giant U.S. and European crude oil and petroleum products buying houses and refineries, and a Consultant, as well, to private investors, entrepreneurs and corporations on how to obtain genuine crude allocation and license with the Nigerian authorities to become an authorized seller of Nigerian crude oil. He has been severally dubbed the "unofficial anti-scam czar" and the "conscience of the business" in the modern Internet petroleum trading market.

Educated and resident in the United States, Anosike holds several advanced degrees, and a Ph.D. degree in jurisprudence.

An acclaimed national expert in American self-help law and consumer finance and savings techniques, and a widely acknowledged pioneer in the subject matter, Dr. Anosike is the author of some 26 self-help law books, including 4 comprehensive volumes on bankruptcy, covering the principal areas of Chapter 7, Chapter 13 and Chapter 11, and literally countless number of articles on a wide range of topics, ranging from will-making, U.S. immigration, incorporation, business and personal bankruptcy, to legal adoption, probate, estate planning, and international economic, political and legal issues.

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Doing Business Across Cultures and Borders

Doing business across cultures and borders begin by good negotiation, and individuals with good management skills and negotiating abilities. Managers cannot negotiate productively in an international marketplace if they do not possess important negotiating abilities and skills. Managers cannot negotiate successfully if they neglect these countries' cultures, beliefs, and rituals. The differences in cultures, beliefs, and rituals create difficulties in the process of effective negotiation. Therefore, managers need to learn the differences in cultures and traditions from those countries, one-by-one in order to efficiently and effectively conduct a successful negotiation and be able to manage across cultures and borders.

It is also important to understand that because of our traditions and cultural differences, individuals do not think, judge, behave, perceive, and reason alike. Therefore, depending on negotiators' style, they should learn to adapt to the cultures of those countries that are different from them, in which they intend to do business with. Shrewd negotiators are encouraged to empathically accept and adapt to these traditions and cultures for the sake of profits.

Before engaging in global markets, there are things that managers need to learn. They need to focus on the following:

Doing Business Across Cultures and Borders

(1) How to prepare for negotiations

(2) How to build relationships with their counterparts

(3) How much business related information can be shared

(4) How to persuade the other side to agree on issues that matter to them

(5) What to concede on

(6) How to structure the final agreement

Cross-cultural negotiations require careful preparation in order to stay ahead and take advantage of the other party. To avoid problems, managers need to be aware of the issues like cultural differences, language, beliefs, behaviors, family environment, differences in time, work habits, and religion. Different regions have different negotiating styles. So, when managers familiarize themselves with these important negotiating tactics, they may understand the negotiating styles of their counterparts. It is always advisable that companies do a research of the country that they are going into negotiation, in order to learn how their negotiating styles differ from their own. Research will help in revealing their value system, behaviors, and attitude towards foreign companies. To stay ahead is the beginning of an excellent engagement strategy.

In building relationships, managers should look for strategic partners; who they can trust, respect, and be comfortable working with. The strategic partners will be the ones that are familiar with cultures, behaviors, and languages. Most developing countries enforce their agreement based on their relationship and contacts. Such countries rarely adhere to the legal system because as soon as a new leader comes in, those legal contracts will be null and void. So, it pays to build a strong relationship.

In order to share information, a focus group of businessmen and women is recommended in order to discuss the issues that matter to each party. In this capacity, playing role reversal prior to attending the session is recommended. Usually, questions are asked by both parties to address their concerns, the issues that matter to them, and answers are provided by both parties in response to those issues and concerns. In capitalist countries, such as the United States of America, companies use direct approach in negotiations, while in other countries, an indirect approach is used. Some countries will use the debate approach in a negotiation; others adopt the detail oriented, suspicious of what is in there for them or their counterparts, laid back, or protocol approach. Companies should learn how to adapt to each environment in order to be successful.

Persuading the other party to change its original position is a good strategy in negotiation. It is recommended that each party concentrate on what matters to them, and to persuade the other party to accept the offer, and also make a few concessions when appropriate. Most importantly, it will serve managers well if they negotiate ahead of time before coming to the bargaining table. Few participating countries resolve their differences ahead of time based on their cultures, behaviors, and the way they do business. Managers need to do a regional research in order to identify those countries, and when such countries are identified; engaging in a backdoor negotiation is recommended since that is the way businesses are done by those countries. It is essential to avoid the tactics of misleading the other party as that may pose, or lead to potential problems in the future.

It also recommended that parties decide well ahead of time what they are willing to concede to the other party. This strategy will vary according to the culture of the other party. Giving limited information is a good strategy for not giving up on the strength of negotiation, and seeking information of the other party helps to understand what kind of information to give out.

Contracts vary according to the culture of a participating country. While the United States value contracts as binding documents, some view it as insults, some as lack of trust, other may renege on it due to political pressure or instability, and some will rather do business on trust and common understanding. Whoever the country is, understanding its culture and behavior is a key to a successful negotiation and a way to making profit.

Doing Business Across Cultures and Borders
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Dr. Sidney Okolo is a professor, consultant, strategist, and Africa expert. He is affiliated to several universities, the Managing Director of International Business Associates, a management consulting firm, and also the President of Virtual Classrooms Institute, an online education solution.

Among other things, he engages in all aspects of learning, knowledge, organization and human change. His focus is on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, profit engineering, human potential, excellence, achievement, business strategy, research and development. Product management, change management, conflict management, athlete management, marketing, business development and operations. He works with clients to adapt to change due to change in factors of production, technology, goods and services. He engages clients in training, retraining, development, skills enhancement, association, behavior modification, ways of thinking, and attitude adjustment. In addition to his work in the United States, his focus is also on developing countries in the continent of Africa, their leadership, culture, economic and market structure, community planning and development, and his coined the phrase; "AFRICAN PIES", which stands for: poverty, instability, ethnicity, and sectarianism in Africa.

http://www.iba-pec.com

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International Business - Challenges of Nationalism When Governments Reach Political Impasse

Operating a business in another country can be challenging indeed. That I can attest too after franchising my company abroad. Being an American company brings with it a bit of prestige and respect, but all of that can turn in a moment if our leadership ends up hitting a political impasse with any of these other countries you are doing business in. International diplomacy is a touchy issue, and all too often business people get caught in the middle. It's a travesty, and it seems that all the hard work that business people do as they conduct their international business transactions can be lost in a heartbeat by ego driven politics.

Then there are issues with trade disputes, territorial waters, human rights, and other nations which are allied with or against our trading partners. All of this makes it extremely complicated, and more difficult to manage and operate for the international business person. Let me give you an example of a rather challenging issue regarding the Japanese automakers in China.

There was yet another article in the fourth quarter of 2012 over how the territorial water conflicts between China and Japan had caused nationalistic pride in both nations. In China protestors attacked a number of Japanese automobile factories, and the number of new Japanese cars sold in China plummeting by half. This latest article appeared on November 10, 2012 in the Wall Street Journal titled; "Boycott Hits Japan Car Sales" by Rose Yu, Colum Murphy, and Yajun Zhang.

International Business - Challenges of Nationalism When Governments Reach Political Impasse

The attached graph showed car sales in China of Japanese cars slid from 250,000 in June and July to under 100,000 by October - indeed, a huge hit for the Japanese automakers by anyone's standards. What many people don't understand is this could easily happen to the United States as well. If the United States were to get in the way, or take a lead role in negotiating territorial waters off the coast of China with the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, or Japan it is quite possible that Chinese nationals would dismiss products made there by US companies.

This could hurt Wal-Mart, McDonald's, General Motors, Boeing, and a number of the companies on the Fortune 500 list. That in turn would hurt these US companies and their bottom line, therefore their stock price, which would also lead to consolidation, laid-off employees, and could easily crush their profitability for multiple quarters until things came back into view and the situation resolved itself.

The challenge of course for international business person is; you just never know. It isn't just these large companies that get it hurt, such issues can easily affect the growth and sales of smaller companies doing business and trading with these other nations. Please consider all this and think on it.

International Business - Challenges of Nationalism When Governments Reach Political Impasse
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Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative eBook on Outsourcing Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

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How to Format Business and Personal Letters

In my opinion one of the most unprofessional things that one can do is to send a poorly formatted letter.

Doing such a thing is an instant credibility destroyer. Even if your letter is perfectly worded and devoid of grammatical and spelling errors; sending it out in a sloppy unprofessional format will always reflect badly on the sender.

That being said; are you aware that there is NO single international standard for formatting the three main groups of letters used in day-to-day life: business letters, business memos, and personal letters?

How to Format Business and Personal Letters

It turns out that, among the most sought-after info that visitors are looking for when they come to my Writing Help Central website is how-to properly format letters. In addition, I often receive e-mails from people asking such questions as:

What should I include in a signature block? Where do I place the signature block? How do I indicate attached documents? Where do I position the address block(s)? etc., etc...

As I stated above, there is NO ONE international standard for formatting letters.

If you spend some time searching through textbooks at your library or bookstore, or checking out some online info sources you will come across many different ideas about what a properly formatted letter should look like; some reasonable and some questionable. In fact, you will find so many different formatting suggestions that you won't know where to start.

I encountered this same multiple-choice conundrum a few years ago when I was conducting the research for my two general letter-writing toolkits: Instant Letter Writing Kit and Instant Business Letter Kit. So, what I did to sort things out was to review all of the reasonable letter layouts that I could find, and then I assessed them based on two main criteria: 1) most appealing overall appearance and, 2) most effective visual presentation impact.

What I arrived at in the end were three (3) distinct layout formats as follows:

1. Business letters - Full-block format

2. Business Memos - Full-block memo format

3. Personal letters - Semi-block (modified) format

Accordingly, these are the three standard formats that I have adopted and use in all of my Writing Help Toolkits. You can see a fully-formatted real-life example of each of these letter layouts at the following link: http://www.writinghelp-central.com/letter-formats.html

How to Format Business and Personal Letters
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Shaun Fawcett is Webmaster of two of the most visited writing-help websites on the Net. He is the author of numerous "how-to" books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His main "writing tools" site is: http://writinghelptools.com

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Nonverbal Communication in Business

There are five key elements that can make or break your attempt at successful nonverbal communication in business:

Eye contact Gestures Movement Posture, and Written communication

Let's examine each nonverbal element in turn to see how we can maximise your potential to communicate effectively...

Nonverbal Communication in Business

Eye contact

Good eye contact helps your audience develop trust in you, thereby helping you and your message appear credible. Poor eye contact does exactly the opposite.

So what IS 'good' eye contact?

People rely on visual clues to help them decide on whether to attend to a message or not. If they find that someone isn't 'looking' at them when they are being spoken to, they feel uneasy.

So it is a wise business communicator that makes a point of attempting to engage every member of the audience by looking at them.

Now, this is of course easy if the audience is just a handful of people, but in an auditorium it can be a much harder task. So balance your time between these three areas:

slowly scanning the entire audience, focusing on particular areas of your audience (perhaps looking at the wall between two heads if you are still intimidated by public speaking), and looking at individual members of the audience for about five seconds per person.

Looking at individual members of a large group can be 'tricky' to get right at first.

Equally, it can be a fine balancing act if your audience comprises of just one or two members -- spend too much time looking them in the eyes and they will feel intimidated, stared at, 'hunted down'.

So here's a useful tip: break your eye-to-eye contact down to four or five second chunks.

That is, look at the other person in blocks that last four to five seconds, then look away. That way they won't feel intimidated.

Practice this timing yourself, away from others. Just look at a spot on the wall, count to five, then look away. With practice you will be able to develop a 'feel' for how long you have been looking into your audience member's eyes and intuitively know when to look away and focus on another person or object.

When focusing on individual members in a large meeting or auditorium, try and geographically spread your attention throughout the room. That is, don't just focus your personal gaze (as distinct from when you are scanning the room or looking at sections of the room) on selected individuals from just one part of the room. Unless you are specifically looking to interact with a particular person at that moment of your presentation, select your individual eye-contact audience members from the whole room.

Gestures

Most of us, when talking with our friends, use our hands and face to help us describe an event or object - powerful nonverbal aids.

We wave our arms about, turn our hands this way and that, roll our eyes, raise our eyebrows, and smile or frown.

Yet many of us also, when presenting to others in a more formal setting, 'clam up'.

Our audience of friends is no different from our business audience — they all rely on our face and hands (and sometimes legs, feet and other parts of us!) to 'see' the bigger, fuller picture.

It is totally understandable that our nervousness can cause us to 'freeze up', but is is in our and our communication's best interests if we manage that nervousness, manage our fear of public speaking, and use our body to help emphasise our point.

I found that by joining a local Toastmasters International club I was rapidly able to learn how to 'free up my body' when presenting to others.

Movement

Ever watch great presenters in action — men and women who are alone on the stage yet make us laugh, cry and be swept along by their words and enthusiasm?

Watch them carefully and you'll note that they don't stand rigidly in one spot. No, they bounce and run and stroll and glide all around the stage.

Why do they do that?

Because they know that we human beings, men in particular, are drawn to movement.

As part of man's genetic heritage we are programmed to pay attention to movement. We instantly notice it, whether we want to or not, assessing the movement for any hint of a threat to us.

This, of course, helps explain why many men are drawn to the TV and seem transfixed by it. It also helps explain why men in particular are almost 'glued' to the TV when there is any sport on. All that movement!

But to get back to the stage and you on it... ensure that any movement you make is meaningful and not just nervous fidgetting, like rocking back and forth on your heels or moving two steps forward and back, or side to side.

This is 'nervous movement' and your nervousness will transmit itself to your audience, significantly diluting the potency of your communication and message.

So move about the stage when you can — not just to keep the men in the audience happy, but to help emphasise your message!

Posture

There are two kinds of 'posture' and it is the wise communicator that manages and utilizes both.

Posture 1

The first type of 'posture' is the one we think of intuitively-the straight back versues the slumped shoulders; the feet-apart confident stance verses the feet together, hand-wringing of the nervous; the head up and smiling versus the head down and frowing.

And every one of the positions we place the various elements of our body in tells a story—a powerful, nonverbal story.

For example, stand upright, shoulders straight, head up and eyes facing the front. Wear a big smile. Notice how you 'feel' emotionally.

Now-slump your shoulders, look at the floor and slightly shuffle your feet. Again, take a not of your emotional state.

Notice the difference?

Your audience surely will, and react to you and your message accordingly.

A strong, upright, positive body posture not only helps you breath easier (good for helping to calm nerves!) but also transmits a message of authority, confidence, trust and power.

If you find yourself challenged to maintain such a posture, practice in front of a mirror, or better yet join a speaking club like Toastmasters International [http://www.toastmastersa.org/champion/index.html].

Posture 2

The second type of 'posture' comes from your internal mental and emotional states.

You can have great body posture but without internal mental and emotional posture your words will sound hollow to your audience.

For example, the used car salesman at 'Dodgy Brothers Motors' might have great body posture and greet you with a firm handshake, a steady gaze and a friendly smile. But if in his heart he is seeing you as just another sucker then sooner or later his internal conflict between what he says and what he really thinks will cause him to 'trip up'.

His body will start betraying his real, underlying intentions and you'll start to feel uncomfortable around him, even if you can't figure out why.

But, if that same used car salesman had a genuine desire to help you find the right car for you, and he puts your needs before his own, then his words and actions will remain congruent (in harmony) with his underlying intentions and you will trust him, even though you might not be able to identify why.

I have seen some supposed 'self help' gurus who don't actually practice what they preach. Consequently their words ring hollow to me and their books, cds, dvds and training materials remain unpurchased.

I have met salesmen and women who don't actually make the money they claim to make in their 'fabulous business opportunity', and while their words are practiced and polished, and their body posture is 'perfect', their words ooze like honeyed poison frm their lips and I remain unconvinced.

This second type of 'posture' is fundamentally tied to truth and honesty. It is about 'walking the talk' and being who you say you are.

It's about not trying to sell something you don't believe in or use yourself. It's about not trying to pass yourself off as an expert when all you've ever done is read a book on the subject.

It's all about making sure that your words and your intentions are underpinned by truth and honesty. Because all of us, no matter how polished a presenter we might be, are at the mercy of our body and its ability to 'tell the truth' in spite of what our lips might utter. Nonverbal clues rule!

Written communication

I could spend a lifetime writing about the art of written communication.

There is an art (and also a science) that can be learnt with diligence and practice. To write too formally; to write too informally; to write too briefly; to write too lengthily...

My first suggestion would be to avail yourself of one of the following three books, each of which is absolutely brilliant at giving you the skills and insights into effective business writing:

The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Writing on the Job with Tips from Communications Experts at the Fortune 500 by Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene The Elements of Business Writing: A Guide to Writing Clear, Concise Letters, Memos, Reports, Proposals, and Other Business Documents by Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly Effective Business Writing: Strategies, Suggestions and Examples by Maryann V. Piotrowski

From persuasive memos to complaint letters, sales letters to executive summaries -- these exceedingly useful guides help you to write clearly and in an appropriate format, style and tone. Each book has numerous examples that show how to overcome writer's block, organize messages for maximum impact, achieve an easy-to-read style, find an efficient writing system and much more.

In conclusion...

There are five key elements that can make or break your attempt at successful nonverbal business communication:

Eye contact
Gestures
Movement
Posture, and
Written communication

Nonverbal communication in a business setting requires not only recognition of these elements, but confidence in meeting their challenges.

Good luck and remember to communicate with passion!

Nonverbal Communication in Business
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Risks and Challenges Involved in International Business

International businesses have to face risks and challenges at many fronts. Some are similar to the risks and challenges a domestic business confronts and some are unique. Even the challenges that are similar by definition differ in nature. For example both types of businesses have to face financial challenges, but an international business will be facing many factors related to global financial markets that don't affect domestic businesses as much. They are more of a challenge in nature than risks and most of them can be handled through proper planning. Keep reading to understand these challenges better.

The challenge of international planning & strategy:
The first challenge for an international enterprise is to make a global strategy and then implement it. The managers and those at decision-making positions often find it difficult to change their thought pattern, which is not used to work in global paradigm. There are many international businesses but just some of them have truly adopted a proper global strategy. Though the situation is improving with more and more trained graduates and professionals taking on the management roles. Nevertheless, international business management requires extra ordinary management, foreseeing and leadership skills.

Financial and economic challenges:
It starts from arranging the funds to start international business and includes everything such as fluctuation in exchange rate, global economic crisis (or some economic crises in the host country), shift in oil prices, global inflation or tariff barriers imposed by the host government, also the export related policies of your own government.

Risks and Challenges Involved in International Business

International Politics:
Political know-how is a must for everybody but it becomes all so important when operating at international level. If some policies were suitable for your business, a change in ruling party can bring drastic changes in those policies. Political chaos will bring down the economy and with that your business. To prevent your business from such negative impacts, you need to make sound political judgments.

Environment, natural disasters and warfare:
Many multinational businesses have to face serious opposition by some environment friendly organizations. Citizens are more concerned about air and water pollution these days as it is becoming a serious threat to their health. Some natural disaster like floods and earthquake, or some kind of civil war breaking out in the host country is also in the list of possible challenges. A new challenge that an international business has to bear now days in some specific countries is the threat of terrorism.

Risks and Challenges Involved in International Business
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Barriers to International Business

Firms desiring to enter international business face several obstacles; some are much more severe than others. The most common barriers to effective business are cultural, social, and political barriers, and tariffs and trade restrictions.

The first one to effective business is the cultural and social barriers. A nation's culture and social forces can restrict international business activities. Culture consists of a country's general concepts and values and tangible items such as food, clothing, and building. Social forces include family, education, religion and customs. Selling products from one country to another is sometimes difficult when the cultures of the two countries differ significantly. For example, when McDonald's opened its first restaurant in Rome, it was met with protest. The people of Rome objected to the smell of hamburgers frying. McDonald's overcame this objection by changing the exhaust system of the restaurant.

The second barrier is the social forces that can create obstacles to international trade. In some countries, purchasing items as basic as food and clothing can be influenced by religion. In many nations, individuals do not have the same choices in food, clothing, and health care.

Barriers to International Business

The third one is political barriers. The political climate of a country can have a major impact on international business. Nations experiencing intense political unrest may change their attitude toward foreign firms at any time; this instability creates an unfavorable atmosphere for international trade.

The last one is the tariffs and trade restrictions. Tariffs and trade restrictions are also barriers to international business. A nation can restrict trade through import tariffs, quotas and embargoes, and exchanges controls.

Barriers to International Business
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Importance of Technology in Business

Technology plays a vital role in business. Over the years businesses have become dependent on technology so much so that if we were to take away that technology virtually all business operations around the globe would come to a grinding halt. Almost all businesses and industries around the world are using computers ranging from the most basic to the most complex of operations.

Technology played a key role in the growth of commerce and trade around the world. It is true that we have been doing business since time immemorial, long before there were computers; starting from the simple concept of barter trade when the concept of a currency was not yet introduced but trade and commerce was still slow up until the point when the computer revolution changed everything. Almost all businesses are dependent on technology on all levels from research and development, production and all the way to delivery. Small to large scale enterprises depend on computers to help them with their business needs ranging from Point of Sales systems, information management systems capable of handling all kinds of information such as employee profile, client profile, accounting and tracking, automation systems for use in large scale production of commodities, package sorting, assembly lines, all the way to marketing and communications. It doesn't end there, all these commodities also need to be transported by sea, land, and air. Just to transport your commodities by land already requires the use of multiple systems to allow for fast, efficient and safe transportation of commodities.

Without this technology the idea of globalization wouldn't have become a reality. Now all enterprises have the potential to go international through the use of the internet. If your business has a website, that marketing tool will allow your business to reach clients across thousands of miles with just a click of a button. This would not be possible without the internet. Technology allowed businesses to grow and expand in ways never thought possible.

Importance of Technology in Business

The role that technology plays for the business sector cannot be taken for granted. If we were to take away that technology trade and commerce around the world will come to a standstill and the global economy would collapse. It is nearly impossible for one to conduct business without the aid of technology in one form or another. Almost every aspect of business is heavily influenced by technology. Technology has become very important that it has become a huge industry itself from computer hardware manufacturing, to software design and development, and robotics. Technology has become a billion dollar industry for a number of individuals.

The next time you browse a website to purchase or swipe a credit card to pay for something you just bought, try to imagine how that particular purchase would have happened if it were to take place without the aid of modern technology. That could prove to be a bit difficult to imagine. Without all the technology that we are enjoying now it would be like living in the 60's again. No computers, no cellular phones, no internet. That is how important technology is in business.

Importance of Technology in Business
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How to Do Retail Company SWOT Analysis

Why do SWOT Analysis

As a retail owner or a manager you need to learn more about your company. There is a powerful tool called SWOT (Strengths; Weaknesses; Opportunities; Threats) Analysis that will help you to do this research. What are your company's strengths and weaknesses? Are there opportunities in the future? Is the company facing any external threats?

Why is it good to do? Because all successful businesses build on their Strengths, need to improve their Weaknesses, use Opportunities and be aware about Treats. You can use SWOT analysis for business planning or strategic planning, competitor evaluation, marketing, business and product development, etc.

How to Do Retail Company SWOT Analysis

You can be more specific and evaluate only one area:
1. Product (what are we selling?)
2. Process (how are we selling it?)
3. Customer (to whom are we selling it?)
4. Distribution (how does it reach them?)
5. Finance (what are the prices, costs and investments?)
6. Administration (and how do we manage all this?)

SWOT Analysis Advantage - free and fast!

The great advantage of using SWOT Analysis that it is free! You and your team could also generate new ideas about how your company (store) could use strengths to defend against threats in the market in a very short period of time. You will analyze how you could maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses, use internal and external opportunities and overcome threats. It is also a great team building activity.

How to use this technique

You will need to organize a brainstorming (40 min to 1 hour) meeting with your team. If you have a large team, you can divide it into groups of 5-6 people. Explain to your team the purpose of the meeting and the rules of brainstorming activity. They are: do not no criticize or judge, welcome any ideas, respect others point of view, focus on quantity not quality, and record ideas and thoughts.

Provide the details of the SWOT Analysis. Give each group a prepared flipchart. In order to make it, just draw two lines to make 4 squares. Write the titles for each square. A square on the top left will be Company Strengths; the square below it will be Opportunities, the square on the right - Weakness, and the last one - Threats. Let your team brainstorm and write down all the ideas they have.

You will be very surprised about how active and creative your employees will be during this meeting. I recommend that at the end of this meeting each group makes a presentation and has an opportunity to ask questions and have a discussion.

Strengths

Strengths are resources and capabilities that can be used as a basis for developing a competitive advantage. Think about what do your company (store) does well. Use your customers' point of view - how do your clients see and describe your strengths?

Examples

• Good reputation among customers

• Excellent customer service

• Superior product performance vs. competitors

• Cost advantages

• Direct delivery capability

Weaknesses

The absence of certain strengths may be viewed as a weakness. Is it anything you could improve? What are the areas for improvement? List the areas that are a struggle. What do your customers complain about? What do your customers see as your weaknesses?

Examples

• Poor reputation among customers

• Customer service staff needs training

• Large administration component

• Lack of following-up procedures

• Small market presence

Opportunities

Try to uncover areas where your strengths are not being fully utilized. Are there new opportunities that will arise soon for your company? How can you turn your strengths into opportunities? Is there a product/service area that you could do well in but are not yet competing?

Examples

• New technologies

• New market niche

• Loosening of regulations

• Removal of international trade barriers

• Local competitors have worse products

Threats

Look both inside and outside of your company for things that could damage your business. Can your weaknesses become threats? Internally, do you have financial, development, or other problems? Externally, are your competitors becoming stronger, are there new trends?

Examples

• Shifts in consumer tastes

• Change in market demand

• Emergence of substitute products

• Environmental effects

• New regulations

How to Do Retail Company SWOT Analysis
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Understanding the Importance of International Business

International business is all business transactions-private and governmental-that involve two or more countries. Why should one be interested in studying international business? The simplest answer is that international business comprises a large and growing portion of the world's total business. Today, almost all companies, large or small, are affected by global events and competition because most sell output to and/or secure suppliers from foreign countries and/or compete against products and services that come from abroad.

More companies that engage in some form of international business are involved in exporting and importing than in any other type of business transaction. Many of the international business experts argue that exporting is a logical process with a natural structure, which can be viewed primarily as a method of understanding the target country's environment, using the appropriate marketing mix, developing a marketing plan based upon the use of the mix, implementing a plan through a strategy and finally, using a control method to ensure the strategy is adhered to. This exporting process is reviewed and evaluated regularly and modifications are made to the use of the mix, to take account of market changes impacting upon competitiveness. This view seems to suggest that much of the international business theory related to enterprises, which are internationally based and have global ambitions, does often change depending on the special requirements of each country.

Another core issue is the company's growth and the importance of networking and interaction. This view looks at the way in which companies and organisations interact and consequently network with each other to gain commercial advantage in world markets. The network can be using similar subcontractors or components, sharing research and development costs or operating within the same governmental framework. Clearly, when businesses formulate a trading block with no internal barriers they are actually creating their own networks. Collaborations in aerospace, vehicle manufactures and engineering have all sponsored the development of a country's or a group of countries' outlook based on their own internal market network. This network and interaction approach to internationalisation shows the substance of being able to influence decisions when knowing how the global network players work or interact.

Understanding the Importance of International Business

For example, a crucial market network is that of the Middle East. Middle East countries are rich, diverse markets, with a vibrant and varied cultural heritage. This means that although there has been a harmonisation process during the past few years, differences still exist. Rather than business being simpler as a result, it should be recognised that because of regulations and the need those countries have to restructure as they enter the global market, performing any kind of business can be highly complex. It should be remembered though that the Middle-Eastern countries have a low-income average and like to have their cultural differences recognised. Those firms that will or have recognised these facts have a good chance of developing a successful marketing strategy to meet their needs. Fortunately some firms have realised these important differences and reacted adequately when strategic decisions had to be made regarding their penetration to this kind of markets.

Understanding the Importance of International Business
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