Past, Present and Future of Biometrics Technology

Those considering biometrics as the product of twenty-first century can surprise themselves by tracing the roots of this technology. Procedures like fingerprint recognition and others hold traces in the centuries old history as well. Presently, the technology is impressively proving its worth among concerned individuals. The future spectacles can allow us to see the technology as an essential and inseparable part of our life and its multiple spheres. Here is a discussion to get familiar with ongoing journey of this technology.

Beginning of the Trends

It was in the 14th century that Chinese used to employ fingerprint recognition using ink.
Measurement of different body parts of various criminals was used by the police department in Paris in 19th century, which again highlighted the advantages of physical biometrics in identification.
Biometric signature identification became popular in the mid of 20th century. Fingerprint identification was also devised around this period, which was adopted by law enforcement bodies.
Video surveillance was used for the first time at Super Bowl in Tampa. Images of various attendees were captured and matched with database of police departments to search for the existence of any criminal in the stadium.
With terrorist attacks adversely affecting nations like USA and UK, the use of physical biometrics was revived and this time it emerged as a powerful security provision.
Present Face of Biometrics
While face, iris, hand geometry, vascular patterns, along with voice, handwriting and other traits are achieving breakthroughs in the security industry, biometric products have started enjoying a good reputation in various fields. However, the ongoing debate about the reliability of this technology is still not finding an end. But, more and more people are finding themselves convinced with the idea of using this technology in meeting admirable security needs.

Bright Expectations from Future

The flaws are being constantly addressed and all issues and concerns related to this technology are being answered. Thus, we can expect a bright future for biometric signature identification, face and iris recognition and all other techniques born in the cradle of the technology. From security at homes to high-profile organization security, biometrics will leave a mark everywhere.

Tips For Presenting To A Group

Preparation Tips:

1. Get a good work out the day of or night before you present. Exercise helps get rid of excess adrenaline, increases confidence, posture etc.

2. Practice does not make perfect – but it does help with confidence. The definition of confidence is not that you won’t ever get nervous. We all get nervous. Confidence is knowing that if you get nervous you WILL recover. Practicing your material helps pave the way to recovering in a moment of nervousness or distraction.

3. Tell your co-workers and loved ones in advance that you are utterly and completely unavailable for an hour before the program begins until an hour after it is scheduled to end. Have back up childcare etc. if you have small children or pets that might need attention.

4. Print out your PowerPoint SLIDES so that you can add notes for yourself and so that during the presentation you can always see what is coming next without having to advance the slide on the viewing board.

5. Always, always, always check your AV at each location, each time you need it- far ahead of your start time. Even if you are sure-still check it. Check sound, electricity, computer connection etc.

6. Arrive early so you can own the room. Check temperature (too cold is better than too warm-but don’t try to please everyone-tell them to bring a sweater).

7. Tell your team what to bring, what you expect and how to behave BEFORE they show up.

8. Try and plan for every possible thing that can wrong and then let go.

“It’s all about the message-not the messenger.” Juanell Teague (speaker coach)

During the Presentation:

9. Take your time with the material. Remind yourself that there is a lot of wisdom and experience in the room. Rely on your teaching partner and honor the group, your teaching partner and yourself. If you do this you cannot go wrong.

10. Avoid checking email, texts etc. during the presentation because that could cost you your presence. Don’t allow others to talk to you about business unrelated to this program while you are giving the program-it will keep. You have worked this hard to assemble all of these people-stay in the room with them. On the breaks connect with individuals-not the outside world. Prep for the next section.

11. If you forget something or make a mistake say-”I forgot” or “I made a mistake” and let it go.

12. Remember that what you say from the front of the room is what people will think about and remember-so avoid apologies about temperature, environment, handouts or any other things that YOU cannot change. Talk about what you want them to remember- how great they are, how honored you are, etc.

13. Relax, everything will turn out fine. If everything fell apart and the slides did not work and the preparation all failed and you did nothing but talk to people and ask for their feedback and wisdom about up selling and cross selling and talked about your guests then it would have been a great day. Everything else is a bonus.

“Be sincere; be brief; be seated.” ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

Best Practices In Sales Negotiation: The Best Way To Learn From Your Losses!

One of the things that makes selling gratifying is that it’s fairly easy to keep score of our wins and losses.

At the same time, what makes it unusually difficult is the fact that when we fail, we don’t get high-quality, corrective feedback that tells us what to do, differently in our sales negotiations.

This means we’re likely to repeat our errors, and that’s not only frustrating, it’s costly.

If you are a band of one, working by or for yourself, you can’t possibly give yourself honest and truthful feedback, for the simple reason that we can’t DO and CRITICIZE at the same time.

If you’re in an organization, getting quality feedback is not much easier.

You’d think a sales manager or a peer could provide it, but how often do they actually monitor your negotiations? Moreover, they have their own goals and perceptions that distort your strengths and weaknesses.

To get honest feedback on your sales negotiations, to discern where, exactly, you came up, short, is essential if you want to improve. Where is that information to be found?

The good news is that it exists. The bad news is that the person that rejected you is the only one that has it. If you want to know why you didn’t earn a sale, to discover exactly what the prospect did after relations with you ended, you have to ASK.

Why would I urge you onto a mission of fact-finding from non-buyers?

If you believe the misanthropic adage, “Buyers Are Liars,” you can never expect to hear the truth from them, especially from those that didn’t purchase from you at all; that either recoiled and did nothing, or that went to one of your competitors for what you offer.

Surely, they have to feel defensive, figuring you’re going to pester them about something that is a done deal. Plus, if they dropped off the radar, which is typically how our failures register, they don’t explicitly say NO very much anymore; can we really expect them to suddenly emerge from the shadows and shed light on our shortcomings?

And you might not want to solicit feedback, especially from them, now that they seem to have ZERO POTENTIAL. I grant you, getting mired in the past, even if it is recent, can keep you from facing today’s challenges and today’s prospects, those with continuing capacity to buy.

But if you start from the premise that: (1) You’re likely to repeat your errors without quality feedback; (2) Non-buyers are the ideal sources for corrective information; and (3) Those that didn’t buy are not crazy; that they are typical of prospects at large, then you must agree learning from them can very valuable.

Plus, there’s satisfaction in ending the mystery of your misses.

I’ve done this with great success. In one case, sending a note, asking for feedback, because in addition to being a fill-in-the-blank, “I’m also a marketer who needs to keep learning and improving.”

In one case, what I thought was a dead horse sprang to life, awarding me with a blue-ribbon, nationwide consulting contract.

Recently, a more modest inquiry revealed exactly WHO he bought from and WHEN; HOW MUCH he paid for the service, and the RESULTS obtained.

I learned what pricing will be competitive, and how a specific competitor operates, someone I’ll encounter again and again.

This leaves me with a choice, as an entrepreneur. Do I want to earn this type of business in the future, or would I prefer to pass?

I have to admit I didn’t value the prospect very highly. I perceived him as an amateur at buying the service in question, without a clear idea of his budget.

And without pertinent background, I believed he would buy based on price, not appreciating the quality I represented; and he did exactly that.

At the same time, his feedback told me I need to offer various “grades” of service in this area, if I am going to compete.

Based on the fact that this fellow answered quickly, and responded specifically to all of my emailed questions, suggests he was telling the truth.

There is no question I know, now, exactly what to do to “win” deals of this type.

Now, isn’t that worth the 15 minutes it took me to compose that note?

Negotiating isn’t always about haggling over prices and terms. Sometimes it involves getting quality feedback that may not revive a missed deal, but will position you to springboard to greater success in your sales negotiations in the future.