If you’re going to be visiting London for the first time, you’d be wise to maximize the use of your time in this amazingly vast, divers and historical metropolis by prioritizing.  Following are five London attractions which should be must-sees on your list of things to do!

Piccadilly Circus

No, we’re not suggesting that you spend some of your precious hours in London under a bigtop.  Piccadilly Circus, at the intersection of five of London’s major thoroughfares, is the British equivalent of New York’s Times Square, with neon-lit glitz to suit.  If you want London nightlife, head for Piccadilly Circus, where your fun will be watched over by the roundabout’s fountain and statue of the archer now called simply “Eros.”

Piccadilly Circus is named for the piccadill collar so popular among gentlemen of the 17th century, and within a block or two of Piccadilly today are some of London’s most avant-garde fashion shops.  Piccadilly Circus is also within walking distance of several London arcades, the precursors of today’s shopping malls.

Trafalgar Square and the London Brass Rubbing Centre

If your trip to London is a family affair, or you simply love to collect unique souvenirs of your travels, a trip to the Crypt at St.-Martin-in-the-Fields Church at Trafalgar Square will be well worth your time.  At the Church’s Brass Rubbing Center, you can purchase a kit of papers and special waxes, and do your own rubbings of characters straight out of British history, from knights in armor and damsels in distress to Shakespeare himself.  If you make a mistake with your rubbing technique, the staff at the Brass Rubbing Centre will be right there to undo the damage!

No matter the time of day, you can have a meal at the Brass Rubbing Centre’s café in the Crypt, where you’ll be treated to traditional British food at its best from a full English breakfast with a high tea or evening dinner.  Your meal will be freshly prepared with ingredients from British suppliers.

The London Telecom Tower

Located on Howland Street in London’s West End, the London Telecom tower was formerly the Post Office Tower, and until 1981 was the tallest (at 620 feet) tower in London.  It’s constructed of steel, concrete, and glass, with a design which is both stylish and highly wind-resistant.  It’s the heart of Britain’s telecommunications network, with numerous enormous satellite dishes visible on its upper stories.

The Changing of the Guards

Christopher Robin and Alice were quite fond of the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, and they weren’t alone.  The Changing of the Guards is one of London’s major tourist draws, seen by countless visitors each year. You should check in advance of your visit to Buckingham Palace to determine if there will be a Changing of the guards on that day.  Bring along a camera, because you can have your picture take with a guard whose duty it is to have his photo snapped with visitors.

Big Ben

None of its other landmarks is more recognizable than London’s Big Ben.  Visible from a distance of several miles, Big Ben looks down n the Houses of Parliament from a height of 316 feet, and was completed in 1859.  Its hands are 14 feet in length, while its clock mechanism weighs over five tons.  For security reason, however, only UK residents are allowed inside Big Ben’s tower.

Three of these attractions are on every London visitor’s must-see list, while two if them may be less well-known.  But they are just a small sample of the wonders which await you on your London trip, and simply a place to begin!

We have all been in those situations where we simply weren’t in a position to make a phone call – or at least we thought we were, when the reality is that through the beauty of the reverse phone call, you never have an excuse for not being able to get a friend or family member in some time of need. And speaking of times of need, here are five moments when you better make that reverse phone call, and fast!

1. You missed your ride. Maybe you were going to or coming from a party or seminar, and for whatever reason, some lines got crossed, and your ride has left without you. Whether it was a personal acquaintance or public transit that left you holding the bag, you need help and you need it in a hurry. You don’t want to be standing around looking foolish any longer than you have to. Call someone you can trust, and get going!

2. Your car won’t start. Who hasn’t experienced the frustration of a dead car battery, or – God forbid – much worse? If you are at your apartment or house, perhaps it isn’t that big of a deal. But what if you are stranded at the market or the movie theater or somewhere out of town? What then? It never hurts to ask for help when you’re down on your luck. Your friends understand that, and will be happy to come to your aid. But again, you have to make the call!

3. Your D.D. stands for “drunk driver,” not “designated driver.” You’ve probably been in a situation where you were supposed to go to a party with someone else, who swore they would be your “designated driver.” But when you get there, the only thing they want to do is drink, and you haven’t realized it till you’re feeling a little tipsy. This is a great time to make use of the reverse phone call, and avoid trouble or tragedy down the road.

4. You’re running late! You are going to be late for work or a family function, and your phone is dead. What do you do? Try to find a pay phone or borrow someone else’s mobile and use a reverse charge number to call someone you can trust, who can either help you out or relay the information to where it needs to go. Just hope that isn’t the boss man!

5. You’ve locked yourself out! You bought that new truck. You took it out to the country to see what its four-wheel drive could do. You stopped in a nice location and got out with your sweetheart to have a little picnic. But before you can stop yourself, you accidentally lock your keys in the car. All you have is a mobile phone, but it is out of minutes and you don’t want to risk those astronomical phone bills. Making a reverse phone call is a much cheaper alternative on your friends and family, and you can even afford to pay them back later.

There are many more reasons to make a reverse phone call. Stop worrying about etiquette, and fix the jam you are in. Your loved ones wouldn’t want you to suffer – so don’t!

Alright, you’re so anxious about this MLM lead that your heart is pounding out of your chest and you’re gnawing on your pen cap like a dog on a bone. The big sale, this is one you don’t want to lose. However, when the phone stops ringing and you hear a “hello,” you realize that you’ve swallowed the pen cap and are now turning blue. Hmmm. Bye Bye MLM lead. Bad set of nerves you’ve got there. That’s alright. There are some tips that can help improve your MLM phone skills. If you’ve never done this before, or even if you’ve done it a million times. Everyone can learn something to help them out with their MLM skills.

The first thing you should do BEFORE you are actually on the phone, is anticipate the other person’s answers and know how you’re going to respond. If Mary is selling cosmetics and she’s on the phone with Lisa, a potential buyer, especially a big one, she doesn’t want to get caught off guard. Think about this. Mary has been talking to Lisa about a lipstick that costs thirty dollars. She’s so sure she’s going to get this sale that she’s practically writing out the receipt now. Suddenly Lisa says, “Gee Mary, I’d really like that lipstick but I don’t think my husband would be happy with me spending thirty dollars on it. Do you have one that’s a bit cheaper?” Well, Mary’s product book is closed, under the half written sales receipt, so she’s stumbling around trying to get to the lipstick page, muttering under her breath. Lisa feels embarrassed and quickly mutters a “Sorry I have to go, dinner’s burning.”

You never want to be stuck with your tongue hanging out because you didn’t think about ‘what if (s)he says this?’ If need be, practice with a friend and encourage them to blindside you with certain questions or comments so you’ll have a good idea of how to respond.

Another thing you want to be sure of is that you are knowledgeable about what you’re discussing. Okay, you probably guessed that one, but I mean really knowledgeable. If your big lead asks a question and you have no idea what the answer is, boy aren’t you going to be kicking your own backside later. This time instead of asking about the cheaper lipstick, Lisa says, “Mary, I’d really like to have that lipstick but can you tell me if it has any petrolatum in it because I’m highly allergic.” Hmmm. Mary’s jaw is sitting on the floor because how should she know what the lipstick has in it. Sadly, Mary’s muttering again while she’s trying to find something in her little book about petrolatum and Lisa quietly decides she’ll stick to her old brand of petrolatum free lipstick.

Make sure you know all you can about the subject you’ll be discussing. If you truly don’t know the answer to something be quick to refer the person to someone who does know, or offer to get the information and get back to them quickly.

Another tip I have for you is to be flexible. Sounds easy enough, right? People these days are extremely busy and quite simply don’t have a lot of time. Be prepared to make changes in your schedule to accommodate your big lead’s needs. If you have a meeting with one person that can easily be changed so that you can meet with another person that absolutely has to see you today, then do it. They will appreciate that you understand that their time is valuable.

Last but not least, smile and remember that the person on the other line is just that, a person. With these tips, it should be smooth sailing from here on.