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	<title>The Middle Shelf</title>
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	<description>Business Tips for Business People</description>
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		<title>The Middle Shelf</title>
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		<title>Achieve True Connection By Listening</title>
		<link>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/achieve-true-connection-by-listening/</link>
		<comments>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/achieve-true-connection-by-listening/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:41:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Influence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/?p=100</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you are to make a list of the country&#8217;s most influential people, who would you include?  For sure, President Obama would make that list.  So would Warren Buffett and perhaps Steve Jobs.  You could argue that Sarah Palin to be on it depending on whether you&#8217;re a fan or not.  Now there&#8217;s one name [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=mhelm547.wordpress.com&amp;blog=8480468&amp;post=100&amp;subd=mhelm547&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<title>5 Ways to Extinguish Fear</title>
		<link>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/5-ways-to-extinguish-fear/</link>
		<comments>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/5-ways-to-extinguish-fear/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:49:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Optimistic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stay motivated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/?p=88</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Even if you have a solid plan to get through the downturn, it’s easy to become overwhelmed or fearful of what may be around the corner.  Here are some action steps to help get your mind out of the recession rut: 1.  Change your point of view. For every negative statistic, there’s a more positive [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=mhelm547.wordpress.com&amp;blog=8480468&amp;post=88&amp;subd=mhelm547&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<title>What&#8217;s In A Personal Brand?</title>
		<link>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/whats-in-a-personal-brand/</link>
		<comments>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/whats-in-a-personal-brand/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:03:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Brand]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Positioning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Values]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/?p=67</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Flexible, dependable, creative, efficient, honest and optimistic define my personal brand.  To help me transition from being an employee to a business owner, I used a brand value proposition document, which I developed years ago to supplement my resume and tell employers why they should hire me.  The core values stay the same, while attributes [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=mhelm547.wordpress.com&amp;blog=8480468&amp;post=67&amp;subd=mhelm547&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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			<media:title type="html">Unique</media:title>
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		<title>How to Lead for Exceptional Customer Service</title>
		<link>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/how-to-lead-for-exceptional-customer-service/</link>
		<comments>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/how-to-lead-for-exceptional-customer-service/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:21:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Customer Service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hiring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/?p=61</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ever stop to really ponder about what business you’re in?  Ask around, and you’ll probably hear things like:  retail, food service, manufacturing, etc.  If those are the kind of answers you or your employees would give, then you’d be only half right! One question for you:  If all your customers went away for good, would [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=mhelm547.wordpress.com&amp;blog=8480468&amp;post=61&amp;subd=mhelm547&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<title>7 Rules to Create an Effective PR for Small Business</title>
		<link>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/7-rules-to-create-an-effective-pr-for-small-business/</link>
		<comments>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/7-rules-to-create-an-effective-pr-for-small-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:33:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/?p=43</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Effective public relations strategy is an excellent alternative to advertising, especially for small businesses with limited marketing budget.  It is a cost-effective way to gain exposure for your product or service, get more leads, generate more sales and build a great brand. What makes PR so powerful? A product (or service) mentioned in the context [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=mhelm547.wordpress.com&amp;blog=8480468&amp;post=43&amp;subd=mhelm547&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<title>Authentic Networking</title>
		<link>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/authentic-network/</link>
		<comments>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/authentic-network/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:22:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Face-to-Face Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pitch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reconnect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/?p=30</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How to build and maximize your contacts in today’s economy while remaining real<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=mhelm547.wordpress.com&amp;blog=8480468&amp;post=30&amp;subd=mhelm547&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<title>Work Your Plan!</title>
		<link>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/work-your-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/work-your-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:27:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Goal-setting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/?p=22</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[However you define success is up to you.  But one thing&#8217;s for sure: success just doesn&#8217;t happen overnight &#8211; you have to have a plan and then start working your plan in a consistent and disciplined manner.  If you&#8217;re in a bike, for example, you need to start pedaling to reach your destination.  You just [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=mhelm547.wordpress.com&amp;blog=8480468&amp;post=22&amp;subd=mhelm547&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<title>Plan Your Work</title>
		<link>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/plan-your-work/</link>
		<comments>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/plan-your-work/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:30:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Goal-setting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maria Helm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/?p=14</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Success is the result of clearly defined goals combined with well thought out plans to accomplish those goals.  People who are successful always have clear goals on which they stay focused.  Those who are unclear about where they are going experience failure, and this often results to a stopping point for them. Plans provide us [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=mhelm547.wordpress.com&amp;blog=8480468&amp;post=14&amp;subd=mhelm547&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<title>Be an Effective Communicator</title>
		<link>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/be-an-effective-communicator/</link>
		<comments>http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/be-an-effective-communicator/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:27:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Maria Helm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Presentation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mhelm547.wordpress.com/?p=3</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Okay, “communication” is a very broad topic – impossible to cover in depth in a few paragraphs. But there are several proven and practical strategies you can immediately apply to enhance your overall effectiveness: Use Less Words After writing a correspondence, presentation script, web copy, blog, etc, edit it with a goal of eliminating 20-30% [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=mhelm547.wordpress.com&amp;blog=8480468&amp;post=3&amp;subd=mhelm547&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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