Quiz: Are you a Professional?

The following quiz has 4 questions that will let you know if you are qualified to be a "professional." Each answer is listed below. Hopefully you can pass!

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator put in the giraffe and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Open the refrigerator put in the elephant and close the refrigerator. Wrong Answer!

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. This tests your memory.

OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

For more funny business jokes click HERE.

9 Quotes About the Telephone

Take a look at Datavo's favorite quotes on the telephone.

• "Grand telegraphic discovery today ... Transmitted vocal sounds for the first time ... With some further modification I hope we may be enabled to distinguish ... the 'timbre' of the sound. Should this be so, conversation viva voce by telegraph will be a fait accompli." ~ Alexander Graham Bell

• 'Watson, ... if I can get a mechanism which will make a current of electricity vary in its intensity, as the air varies in density when a sound is passing through it, I can telegraph any sound, even the sound of speech.' ~ Alexander Graham Bell

• I have read somewhere that the resistance offered by a wire ... is affected by the tension of the wire. If this is so, a continuous current of electricity passed through a vibrating wire should meet with a varying resistance, and hence a pulsatory action should be induced in the current ... [corresponding] in amplitude, as well as in rate of movement, to the vibrations of the string ... [Thus] the timbre of a sound [a quality essential to intelligible speech] could be transmitted ... [and] the strength of the current can be increased ad libitum without destroying the relative intensities of the vibrations. ~ Alexander Graham Bell

• I then shouted into M [the mouthpiece] the following sentence: 'Mr. Watson-—Come here—I want to see you.' To my delight he came and declared that he had heard and understood what I said. I asked him to repeat the words. He answered 'You said—'Mr. Watson—-come here—I want to see you.' We then changed places and I listened at S [the reed receiver] while Mr. Watson read a few passages from a book into the mouth piece M. It was certainly the case that articulate sounds proceeded from S. The effect was loud but indistinct and muffled. If I had read beforehand the passage given by Mr. Watson I should have recognized every word. As it was I could not make out the sense—but an occasional word here and there was quite distinct. I made out 'to' and 'out' and 'further'; and finally the sentence 'Mr. Bell do you understand what I say? Do—you—un—der—stand—what—I—say' came quite clearly and intelligibly. No sound was audible when the armature S was removed. ~ Alexander Graham Bell

• As to Bell's talking telegraph, it only creates interest in scientific circles, and, as a toy it is beautiful; but ... its commercial value will be limited. ~ Elisha Gray

• TELESCOPE, n. A device having a relation to the eye similar to that of the telephone to the ear, enabling distant objects to plague us with a multitude of needless details. Luckily it is unprovided with a bell summoning us to the sacrifice. ~ Ambrose Bierce

• TELEPHONE, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance. ~ Ambrose Bierce

• Every improvement that is put upon the real estate is the result of an idea in somebody's head. The skyscraper is another idea; the railroad is another; the telephone and all those things are merely symbols which represent ideas. An andiron, a wash-tub, is the result of an idea that did not exist before. ~ Mark Twain

• If you had come to me a hundred years ago, do you think I should have dreamed of the telephone? Why, even now I cannot understand it! I use it every day, I transact half my correspondence by means of it, but I don’t understand it. Thnk of that little stretched disk of iron at the end of a wire repeating in your ear not only sounds, but words—not only words, but all the most delicate and elusive inflections and nuances of tone which separate one human voice from another! Is not that something of a miracle? ~  Sir William Crookes

20 Great Motivational Quotes to Start Your Day

Do you find yourself needing motivation? Datavo has collected a few motivational quotes to get the fire inside you burning so that you can be great. 

Leonardo da Vinci

• “Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else.” - Leonardo da Vinci

• "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." - T.S. Eliot

• “It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.” - Mark Twain

• "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.' " - Muhammad Ali

• “A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” - Richard Branson

• “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” - André Gide

• “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Winston Churchill

Albert Einstein

• “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” - Albert Einstein

• “We should not teach children the sciences; but give them a taste for them.” - Jean Jacques Rousseau 

• “It matters not the number of years in your life. It is the life in your years.” - Abraham Lincoln 

• “Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself.” - Cicero

• “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” - Michael Jordan 

• “No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess” - Newton 

• “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” - Albert Einstein 

Nelson Mandela

• “One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.” - E. M. Forster 

• “When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat.” - Nelson Mandela

• “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas Edison

• “When you innovate, you’ve got to be prepared for everyone telling you you’re nuts.” -Larry Ellison 

• “All that counts in life is intention.” - Andrea Bocell

• “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” - Emerson

Feel free to leave any quotes you think we left out in the comments.

24 Important Questions Business Leaders Should Ask Themselves

Datavo knows that in today's market you have to be flexible and ready to move ahead so that your business can continue to be successful. 

If you look at our businesses today, they are all components of an enterprising network of relationships with partners, clients, and suppliers that mold the way we take care of business. With the rising expectations and demands of consumers, small and large business are showing up in all places around the globe. These business conditions can present both pros and cons to an owner.

So when contemplating what methods make your business' run efficiently, make sure these 20 questions are included.

1. What is the purpose for your business existing?
2. Who is your target customer?
3. What are your competitors up to?
4. Has your business adequately changed with the times?
5. Do you have the right leaders employed?
6. How does your business handle change?
7. Are your business practices outdated?
8. Are there better ways to integrate your different business processes, to make them work easier?
9. Are you able to reduce your expenses, without hurting your product?
10. Are you able to automate repetitive actions?
11. Are your systems so slow they are affecting your response time to customers?
12. Do you embrace new technology?
13. Do you ensure that your data is backed daily, in case of a system failure?
14. Is the information on your website current?
15. Are your Customer Service Representatives trained with current business information?
16. If you systems were to go down, do you know how to fix or restart it?
17. Does corporate management share the same goals as the IT department?
18. Are you making the right decisions with the IT and Operations departments?
19. Are you securing your networks properly from outside threats?
20. What part of your budget is for maintenance as opposed to new product development?
21. Do you have the right employees?
22. Are your employees happy?
23. Are you using your employees to the best of their abilities?
24. Do you ask your employees what feedback they are getting from customers on the business?

Feel free to leave any that you think we left off in the comments. 

10 Tips for Better Organizing Your Workspace

Is your desk or office cluttered? Do you have a hard time finding things when you need them? Here at Datavo, we know how important it is to keep your work space organized so that you can maximize your efficiency and become a more productive employee. 

Organizing your office does not have to be a daunting task, it can be done efficiently and in little time. Once your space is organized it can be maintained with minimal upkeep. To get started, just follow these simple tips. 

1. De-clutter. Go through everything in your office and get rid of anything that you do not use. This goes for equipment, furniture, supplies, files, decorations, etc. 

2. Put everything in its place. Go around your office and collect things that are out of place and put them where they go.

3. Keep things you need close. Make sure that things you use frequently are easily accessible and within arms reach. Things that you use less can be put away or in storage.

4. Clear & organize your desk. Remove everything from your desk, only keep items that you must use everyday. Use desktop organizers such as paper trays and paper clip holders to keep things in place.

5. Organize your drawers. Keep like items together. Sticky pads with notepads, stamps with envelopes, etc. Make a separate drawer for your own personal items. 

6. Seperate your inboxes. If you work directly with many people, create a tray, folder or inbox for each.

7. Don't accumulate piles. Once you are fully organized you will hopefully stop having piles of paper sitting around. Go through your existing ones and either file them away or toss them.

8. Read, Sort, Shread. Read all mail the same day it is received; decide whether you will need to act on it, file it, delegate or shread it.

9. Clean your desk. Before you leave each day, do quick clean up of you desk. Put everything back in its place so that you have a clean start each and every day. 

10. File at least once a week. When you let your filing pile up it can become daunting. By setting a specific  time aside each week, it will ensure you stay on top of it. 

Feel free to leave any tips in the comments you think we may have left out. 

Top 5 Tips for Successful Sales Agents

Your sales success can be the result of superb marketing or excellent selling finesse. With the majority of things in business, the more information you know the higher you can reach on the sales ladder. Datavo has put together a list of five tips to help you along your way.

1. Listen. Always let your prospective clients state their needs before you attempt to sale them anything. By finding out that their needs you are better situated to understand and meet the requirements they are requesting. Also, people like to feel like they are being heard so it will help you gain their trust and approval.

2. Set the Stage for Good Rapport. First impressions can be a deal breaker and is not always based on only words. People judge you by your appearance, manners, demeanor, and even your sense of humor. Make sure you always come across as warm and accessible. People are more willing to purchase something from someone that they like.

3. Be Adaptable. Each of your buyer has a different set of priorities and reason for their purchases, so you should always be prepared to adapt your sales pitch according to the immediate needs of your current client. Some people are purchasing a necessity, some opportunity, and others just because. Being able to decipher what type of buyer you have on your hands and adapting your script to fit them will ultimately lead you to more sales.

4. Be Convincing. A good sales agent does not take NO for an answer. Using the following moves to sway your customers can inevitably lead to more closed sales. Always have a product that is relevant and of good quality. Make sure you are pitching your product at the right time and for the right price. Always be easy to deal with. Believe in the product you sell so that you come off as sincere and convincing.

5. Do Not Buy Your Sales. Customers always want to feel like they are getting the best deal possible so it it necessary to sometimes give them a bit of leeway to help negotiations such as free voicemail, extra features etc. Try to only do this when necessary, as cutting prices is not a good long time strategy and does not help. You must always remember that you are in this field to make money and neither you or the business will survive for very long without making a realistic profit.

Please feel free to add any tips to the comments that I may have left off.

9 Tips to Effective Time Management

TIME MANAGEMENT... can be a scary word for some people. It's a skill that no one teaches you in a class but something you really need to learn.

Are you habitually late or extremely punctual? Are you able to effectively complete your work on time? Do you manage your time efficiently? Can your boss count on you to meet your deadlines?

Datavo knows a lot of you answered no to some of these questions, so I put a short list of tips together to help you manage your time a little easier.

1. Keep a calendar. Using a calendar is the most essential step to time management. I like to use Google Calendar as it allows integration with my mobile phone and other devices so that I can always access my calendar on the go.

2. Create a daily agenda. Your day will run smoother if it is planned. You can do this at the end of each work day or in the morning before you start any of your tasks. Make a list and try to stick to it. 

3. Always complete your most important tasks first.  Prioritize your tasks on your agenda by importance because things come up and you can't always get everything done. If you will feel less anxious at the end of the day if you know you got your priorities taken care of.

4. Place a time limit for each daily task.  Next to each task on your list right a time limit for how long it will take or what time of the day you would like to be finished. This will keep your day running smoother and keep you from dragging your feet as you complete your work. 

5. Meet your deadlines.  Always make sure you know and meet all of your deadlines. Make sure to add them to your calendar and so you are always aware of when they are due. 

6. Keep focused.  Multi-tasking is only good for some people. Most people get things done faster by focusing on one thing at a time. Keeping to the task at hand will make you more efficient. Try to block out any distractions such as your phone ringing, emails, and text messages so that you can concentrate. 

7. Set a schedule to check your email.  It can be time consuming to check your email every time you receive one. Don't take more than a day to answer anything, but you don't drop everything you're doing immediately. 

8. Leave a few minutes in between tasks.  Don't schedule your tasks too closely together. Make sure to leave 5-10 minutes between each task just in case you run over. This will help you start your next task without being rushed.

9. Clear off your desk and make your work area clean.  Having a work space that is cluttered and unorganized can clutter you mind and make you work at a slower pace. Also it makes things difficult to find which will also add more time to your day.

If you have any other tips that may help people, feel free to leave them in the comments section!