If there are outstanding claims or any possibility that a claim might be made later for damage incurred during the prior contract term…or you are not yet certain that work done to satisfy an earlier claim was sufficient…then save the contract until these situations are resolved. Digital storage: Digital copies are fine.
Title photo: © iStockphoto.com/GlobalStock; photo of Daniel H. Pink: Rebecca Drobis
WHAT TO TOSS
TOSS: Sales receipts and bank ATM slips after confirming that transactions have been reported correctly on credit card and bank statements. Exceptions… Keep receipts for big-ticket purchases, purchases where warranty or rebate claims might be made and purchases that might be returned. Dispose of these when the rebate or warranty period expires or the return window closes. Keep receipts from purchases related to home improvements, business spending, health care, gifts to charities or rental properties you own. File these with your tax paperwork, and keep them for at least three years after you sell the house in case you need them to establish a higher cost basis on the home or up to seven years to justify a tax deduction. Keep receipts related to auto maintenance and repairs as long as you own the vehicle. These could establish that you have lived up to the terms of the car’s warranty or help you convince a buyer that you’ve taken good care of the car when you sell it. Digital storage: Digital copies of receipts usually are acceptable, but check the terms of any warranty, rebate or return programs to make sure that originals are not specified. Warning: If you save printed receipts, do not store them in a hot attic. Register receipts often are printed on thermal paper, which can be rendered illegible by heat. TOSS: Utility bills when the following month’s bill arrives showing that your prior payment was received. If you wish to track utility usage over time, record information from each bill on one list rather than save the bills themselves. Exception: Save utility bills with your tax documents if you have a home office or rent out the property. They could be tax-deductible. Digital storage: Paper copies are safest if your utility bills are tax-deductible. Visit us at BottomLinePublications.com
6 Tricks to sell absolutely anything a product…service… idea…and even yourself as a job candidate
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Daniel H. Pink
ore often than you may realize, you spend a big chunk of your day selling. Beyond selling products and services to customers, selling may include pitching your ideas to your bosses and coworkers…convincing your spouse, children and/or other relatives and friends that your advice is sound…persuading a prospective employer to hire you…even coaxing a credit card issuer or phone company—or a grocery store cashier— to correct a mistake. One poll found that 40% of a typical employee’s work hours are spent in various forms of “nonsales selling,” and the percentage outside of work may not be a lot lower. And much of what we think we know about all these forms of “selling” is wrong, according to recent research. In an interview with Bottom Line/ Personal, best-selling author Daniel H. Pink described six surprising ways to increase your odds of succeeding no matter what form of “selling” you engage in…
Confess to a (small) negative. Negatives can be positives. A study published in Journal of Consumer Research found that buyers were more likely to purchase a product when they were told about a minor problem with it. Why? The human mind likes to draw comparisons. Whether you are pitching a product or an idea, if you mention a small drawback or flaw along with the many positive attributes, your audience tends to subconsciously weigh the many pluses against this trifling minus and conclude that the idea or product is a good one. It also makes the audience trust you more, since no product or idea
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is considered perfect. If you fail to list any negatives or doubts, the audience might instead think up more serious ones on their own—or compare your product or idea more carefully to others before making their decision. This strategy works best when your audience is busy or distracted…and when the advantages are discussed before the small negative is mentioned. Example: If you sell items on eBay, disclose a tiny scratch, missing instruction manual or some other minor flaw in the description. Don’t tell yourself you will accomplish a goal—ask yourself whether you can. For decades, we’ve been told about the power of positive thinking. Proponents claim that thinking I can do this (or other words of confidence) before making a sales pitch boosts your confidence and increases your odds of success. But while positive self-talk is certainly better than negative selftalk, research published in Psychological Science pointed to an even more effective strategy. Rather than make positive statements to yourself about your abilities, ask yourself questions that force your mind to consider your abilities—Can I do this? instead of I can do this. In one study, participants who were instructed to write “Will I?” 20 times >>
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Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Daniel H. Pink, lecturer and author of five books, including To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others…Drive…and A Whole New Mind (all from Riverhead). The books have been published in 34 languages and have sold more than one million copies in the US alone. He lives in Washington, DC. www.DanPink.com
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July 15, 2013
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