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Archive for July 8th, 2010

Now for something completely different – A river cruise in the South of France next May

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Now for something completely different – A river cruise in the South of France.

My better half, the tour specialist alerted me yesterday to a great experience she found out about. A river cruise starting May 28th from Arles to Lyon which is front ended by three days in Barcelona ( May 25-28) and ends with three days in Paris (June 4-7). You would leave Canada May 24.

This is a first class five star, white gloves, gourmet wining, dining , touring experience. These things are wildly popular, with small numbers on a small river boat which sell out almost a year in advance. We were lucky to get what we found. We have a hold on 5 rooms for 5 couples and can take reservations now. When they are gone they are gone, likely in a month from now. check out the links:
Canadian Organizer
http://www.exclusivetours.ca/index.asp?sec=rc&nav=france&prod=france4

Boat and company
The Swiss Pearl
http://www.amawaterways.com/ships.asp?ship=fr
Trip overview
http://www.amawaterways.com/itinerary.asp?iticode=FA10
Map of trip
http://www.amawaterways.com/inc/popup_map.asp?iticode=FA10
Detailed itinerary
http://www.amawaterways.com/itinerary.asp?iticode=F
Videos about the AMA cruise line
http://www.amawaterways.com/video/video.asp

The interesting thing for us is that these are small (158 passengers) boats which tie up in the centre of town ( Behind the main cathedral). You can get out and walk the cobblestone streets, go to the market with the chef, live in the town for the day – make your own tour or take a guided one. You can pick up the local wine, bring it back and have it with your dinner of the local food. You unpack once and the hotel follows you around the countryside. Some vessels have bikes on board that you can use. My neighbours just returned from a Danube river cruise and they are over the moon with the service, food, staff and tours. It was easily the best holiday experience they have had. Like I said these sell out early so if you are interested, ping me back! I am thinking this is one way to get a start on a warmer Spring next year!

AmaWaterways Announces Special Wine-Themed Cruise this Fall (prweb.com)
Eating Well in Lyon (online.wsj.com)
Lyon, France (sandwalk.blogspot.com)
Provence Cote d’Azur, Roman Ruins, Arles, Frejus & Vaison Romaine (france-travel.suite101.com)

Category: Travel

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People Buy You. The real secret to what matters most in business. Jeb Blount

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People Buy You. The real secret to what matters most in business. Jeb Blount. 2010. ISBN 9780470599112. The person behind SalesGravy.com and Sales Guy audio and video on selling, Blount knows what he is talking about. As he was looking at current thinking on sales he realized that many long held sales beliefs were myths that needed debunking. Myths such as :

Friends buy from friends
People but from people they like (But they don’t buy from people they dislike)
You have to sell yourself

Rather you need to:

Be likable
Connect
Solve problems
Build trust
Create positive emotional experiences

His solving problems chapter is one of the better ones I have read lately. This is a short , concise and clearly written book. And it is true, people do buy you. Younger folks would do well to read his section on Brand You.