Add Some Zing to Your Diet

By Kelley Herring

Ginger, a member of the Zingiberacae family, is prized for flavoring the sweet treats of the holiday season. But new research shows we should be enjoying this spice all year long.

A worldwide study of more than 120 plants that was published in the Journal of Nutrition ranked ginger among the five richest food sources of antioxidants, along with berries, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pomegranates. Researchers found that ginger (both powdered and fresh) suppresses the production of free radicals and enhances the body's own production of antioxidants.

So grate fresh ginger onto a baked sweet potato, add slices to your favorite tea, or mix slivers into a pot of roasted butternut squash soup to boost your antioxidant levels... deliciously.

[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring is the founder and CEO of Healing Gourmet, a multimedia company that educates the public on how foods promote health and protect against disease, and is editor-in-chief of the Healing Gourmet book series, including Eat to Fight Cancer.]

"If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y and Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut."

- Albert Einstein

Shut Up and Listen!

By Robert W. Bly

Do you talk too much?

A study conducted at the University of Rochester's School of Medicine found that - to forge closer relationships with the people they treat - some physicians reveal personal information to their patients. Stuff like details about their health, family members, travel, politics, hobbies, and other interests.

You'd think this would help establish a bond between them. But guess what? According to an article in Rochester Review, the study showed that these disclosures "have few demonstrable benefits." In fact, doctors chatting up the people they're treating may even "disrupt the flow of important patient information."

The lesson?

Other people care more about themselves - their worries, their concerns, their fears, their hopes, their dreams, even what movie they saw last weekend or where they went for dinner last night - than they do about you. Therefore, if you want people to like you, you have to stop talking... and start listening.

I am introverted and not social. But people who meet me at business and social functions often report a positive experience.

The reason is simple: I ask them questions and listen to their answers. I don't interrupt them, but let them talk as long as they want. When they are done, I don't switch the topic to me. Instead, I keep the conversation focused on them - by asking another question.

When do you stop catering to the other person... and start talking about yourself? Well, if you're a businessperson trying to make a sale, the answer is never.

Perhaps you have heard the saying, "You have two ears but only one mouth - so you should listen twice as much as you talk." That ratio is tilted in the right direction, only not far enough. One of my mentors, the late Howard Shenson, once told me that, to be successful in business, you should listen 80 percent of the time and talk only 20 percent of the time.

A common misconception many salespeople share is the compulsion to - at some point in the conversation - get their prospect to stop talking long enough so they can finally make their "presentation." Their mistaken belief is that the presentation - an orderly recitation of the features and benefits of their product - is necessary to make the sale.

In fact, if you listen, your prospects will tell you exactly what you have to do - and say - to get them to buy. Just follow their lead... and forget about your "presentation"... and you'll close more and bigger deals, more often.

The more the prospect talks, the better it usually is for the salesperson.

People are happiest when they can talk to someone who is paying attention to what they are saying. On the other hand, if you launch into a "presentation," they may become bored and lose interest.

I once watched a graphic designer sitting in a marketing director's office talking about designing a brochure. The marketing director was interested and ready to sign on the dotted line. But instead of letting her do so, the graphic designer said, "Let me show you some of the other things we've done" - and began unzipping one of those big simulated leather portfolio cases.

"That's not necessary," said the marketing director, clearly pressed for time and ready to issue a PO.

"But I want you to see our latest work," the designer insisted.
Before the marketing director could protest further, the graphics person opened the portfolio and began flipping pages.

The marketing director was clearly bored - and in a hurry. She tried to end the dog-and-pony show, but the designer was oblivious, droning on about minute details of this catalog layout or that printing challenge.

Finally, the artist got the message. But it was too late. When the marketing director saw me observing the scene through the door, she shook her head, as if to say, "What a blockhead!" And I later found out that the project was awarded to another firm.

Yes, by talking too much, you can actually talk yourself out of a sale.

A good rule for selling: Say only as much as you have to. The more you talk, the greater your chances of saying something that the prospect will find objectionable or disagreeable. Result: sale gone.

The same "put the listener first" principle works not just in selling, but in virtually every interpersonal situation - from an employee persuading his boss to tackle a task in a certain way to two spouses debating what color tile to use in the new bathroom.

It's Good to Know: Using Your Cellphone Anonymously

When you make a call with your cellphone, your number usually shows up on the recipient's Caller ID. In some cases, however - if you are making a complaint to a business, for example - you want to remain anonymous. You could call your provider to permanently block Caller ID on your outgoing calls - but there is a way to do it on a case-by-case basis. Simply dial *67 before you enter the phone number and the recipient will not know who's calling.

(Source: the How to Do Things website)

Word to the Wise: Panache

"Panache" (puh-NASH) - a French word from the Latin for "feather" - is a grand or flamboyant manner. It is related to the word "pen," which was originally a feather used as a writing instrument.

Example (as used by Ben Macintyre in a New York Times review of Indian Summer by Alex von Tunzelmann): "This is history as multiple, interconnected biography, and what it lacks in depth is more than made up for in panache."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2175, 10-17-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.