Problem: Article: Save the remaining ¾ cup (150 grams) of brown sugar for later. Set the flour mixture aside when you are done. You will be adding this into your wet ingredients later on. Having all of the flours mixed in together first will give you more consistent muffins. Keep whisking until the oil and sugar are evenly combined. If you can't find any canola oil, you can use another flavorless cooking oil, such as vegetable oil. Stir the mixture well with a whisk after each egg that you add. Keep whisking until the yolks break, and there are no more streaks. Make sure that you are using plain, unsweetened applesauce. If you used the flavored kind, your apple muffins may turn out too sweet! Whisk in half of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk. Whisk in the rest of the flour mixture, and then the rest of the buttermilk. This will prevent things from clumping up too much. If you have not yet done so, peel, core, and cut the apple into ¼-inch (0.64-centimeter) chunks. Gently fold them into the batter using a rubber spatula. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl often to ensure that the apple chunks mix in evenly. A quick and easy way to do this is with a large spoon or an ice cream scoop; this also ensures that each cup gets the same amount of batter. When you are done, gently tap the pan a few times against your counter. This will bring any air bubbles to the surface of the muffins. They are done when a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let them cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes in the pan first. Then, run a butter knife around the muffins, and gently pull them out of the tin. Let the muffins finish cooling on the rack.
Summary: Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C), and lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray. Combine the pecans, 2 tablespoons (25 grams) of brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together the oil and the rest of the brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time into the oil mixture. Stir the applesauce and vanilla extract into the oil mixture with a whisk. Alternate between stirring in the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture. Gently fold in the apple chunks. Fill each muffin cup ⅔ to ¾ of the way with batter. Sprinkle the pecan mixture from before on top of each muffin. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes. Let the muffins cool before serving them.

Problem: Article: Every salesperson has a sales target he or she is expected to meet.  In all honesty, practically every salesperson has a sales target he or she is expected to exceed.  Creating an individual sales plan helps define the strategies and tactics that will be utilized to meet and exceed the target.  Start your plan by establishing your sales target — weekly, monthly, yearly, or otherwise — and then outline several overarching strategies that you will use to achieve it. Strategies for enhancing sales might include increasing awareness in the community, obtaining more referrals from existing customers, or adding to your number of weekly “cold calls” to potential customers. If the strategies you lay out are your general guidelines, then the tactics you describe are the specific ways in which you will make more sales.  For instance, if one of your strategies is to increase community awareness, your tactics may include attending a set minimum of community events and volunteering at least so many times per month / quarter / year in the community. If one of your tactics is to enhance your social media presence, you should provide specific details.  For instance, how many social media posts do you intend to average per day? For many engaged in the sales business, holding onto current customers is as vital as recruiting new ones.  Here again, you want to begin by laying out some key strategies that you will employ, then add some specific tactics which you will utilize.  One strategy, for example, may be to increase your opportunities for at least monthly interaction with each of your existing clients. If so, your tactics could include calling once per month with a relevant idea or tip, setting up an interactive newsletter, or taking a minimum number of existing clients to lunch per month. Obviously you want to at minimum retain your existing sales with existing clients.  Even better, however, is to mine this fertile ground for increased sales with existing clients and new sales to additional clients.  Your strategies here could in fact be listed as “increase sales within my existing client base” and “identify new clients through my existing client base.” Your tactics could include meeting with the key decision-maker for every account you hold, scanning client social media outlets daily for useful news, or including promotional materials with every delivery of goods or services. Individual sales plans should be brief, and generally shorter than sales business plans.  One page is a reasonable length.  For clarity and convenience, straightforward subject headings and succinct, specific bulleted points are recommended.  Simple and direct is key.  You want something you, your boss, or anyone else who wants to look can scan quickly and understand.  Think of it as something you can (and may actually want to) post on a bulletin board. Simple and direct plans are also easier to revise as times and circumstances change.  You should indeed revisit and revise your individual sales plan regularly. Consider the following example for four possible subject headings for an individual sales plan.  Each section would include three to five bulleted strategy or tactic examples: I. New Business Acquisition Strategies II. New Business Acquisition Tactics III. Existing Business Growth Strategies IV. Existing Business Growth Tactics
Summary: Consider what you can do to reach your sales target. Define your tactics for increasing sales. Determine how you will stay relevant to current customers. Explain how you will “prospect” within your existing customer base. Lay out your individual sales plan.

Problem: Article: Picking up a few key phrases could help you to communicate better, and might even help the vendor warm to you. Someone who has made the effort to learn a little bit of the language might be taken more seriously than a more obviously clueless foreigner. Knowing a few phrases could also help you understand what is going on around you, and find out what sort of prices other people are paying. Some good phrases to start with include:  Duō shǎo qián – how much money. Jià gé – price, cost.  Tài gui le! – too expensive! Pian Yi Dian? – can you give me this for cheaper? If you are struggling to understand each other, writing down numbers or entering them onto a calculator is a good idea. The vendor will almost certainly have a calculator and pen and paper at hand for precisely this purpose.  It’s probably not a good idea to use your phone for this. Pulling out an expensive phone will be displaying your wealth and may prompt the vendor to look for a higher price. If you don’t have a language in common with the vendor you will have to rely on body language and gestures. This can be easier than you think, with a simple shake of the head an easily recognisable sign that you are not paying that price. Try to be open and friendly, rather than closed off and prickly. They might be trying to take rip you off, but it’s nothing personal.  Unless you’re buying something very expensive, the actual difference in price when converted back to your home currency is probably not that significant. Don’t feel bad if the vendor seems offended by your low price offer, it’s all part of the melodrama of haggling in China.
Summary:
Learn some basic phrases. Use a calculator. Use body language.