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Archive for February, 2007

Time Management Tips to get more every day

Feb 27

Posted by Wayne Berry in Human Resource Management, People!, Personal Development, Planning, The Sales Dept | 1 Comment

“I don’t have enough time”, “I have to work late tonight”, “I have to pick up the kids”, “I have to go to the supermarket”, “I’m too tired to get out of bed that early”, “I’m too exhausted after work”, “I think I need another rest day”, “I don’t have time to take a lunch break”.

We’ve all made these excuses at one time or another in our lives or careers.

We can all make these excuses today but if we are truly committed to achieving in life, we have to find a way to overcome this sometimes overwhelming hurdle.

As sales and business professionals, we all face challenges:

* The challenges of learning new business skills
* The challenge of overcoming the fear of rejection
* The challenge of moving to the absolute limit of our comfort zone.

However, one challenge that we are not all so apt at facing head-on, is something that we all must deal with no matter who we are and at what level of success we are currently achieving. It catches up to every one of us.

It’s the challenge of time management.

Here are a few quick tips on managing your time more efficiently and getting more done in less time.

1. Long-Term Goal Setting

This is the first step in proper and successful time management in any area. We need to set goals. We need to decide what we want to achieve so that we can set up a plan to get there. Once we know a desired outcome, we can gain greater concentration, constantly focusing on our desired future performance.

2. Short-Term Goal Setting:
Once our long term, large-scale goals are set, it is also important to set mini goals for ourselves along the way. This will help us to focus on our long-term vision by providing us with short-term motivation.

3. Prioritizing

Along with setting our goals on both a large and small scale, we also have to force ourselves to prioritize our activities and put them into our daily calendars.

4. Scheduling

In scheduling our days, we must consider what we can realistically accomplish in the each 24 hour block. We need to plan to make the best use of our time. This may mean giving up certain activities that do not contribute towards the achievement of our goals. Like TV, socializing and even sleeping as much as you may do now.

5. Attitude Assessment

Finally, we must also pay attention to our attitude and our commitment to our goals. Is there any part of our mindset that is holding us back or eating up our time? This is a problem that must be fixed before we can succeed. Is the goal something we really want to do? If so, then we need to get motivated. Go back to our original goal to remember why we wanted to accomplish this task in the first place.

Now we have no excuses. We know how to meet the physical and mental challenges of achieving our goals and there’s not much else that can stop us from success. With some goal setting, prioritizing, and a positive attitude, we can conquer the final challenge of time!

Have a great week. Make it a great week.

Words that get noticed

Feb 27

Posted by Robert Gerrish in Negotiation, People!, Planning, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 2 Comments

As regular readers will know, in my coaching and speaking business I put considerable emphasis on who is an ‘ideal client’ for me.
It’s only by recognising who that person is and being certain that the services I have to offer are relevant and needed that I’m able to tailor my marketing messages and actions.

Soloists who don’t know precisely who they want to target invariably waste time and money promoting dumbed-down offerings to audiences that aren’t listening anyway.

A good example is a web designer I met last week who basically told me he’d help anyone who’d pay his fees. Well, whoopee!

I just Googled ‘web designer, australia’ and came up with 4.5 million responses, which suggests a relatively crowded and competitive marketplace, wouldn’t you say?

If we’re going to stand out and get noticed we have to speak to, and connect with, individuals. Simply contributing more noise to the cacophony that already exists isn’t good enough.

So what’s your key message and who do you want to hear it?

Feed your self-confidence with knowledge

Feb 27

Posted by Tony Alessandra in Leadership, Negotiation, People!, Personal Development, The Customer Service Dept, The Sales Dept | 1 Comment

Self-confidence is the food that feeds our personal growth. It is an indispensable part of achievement. Self-confidence stems from the self-awareness of our intrinsic worth as individuals. We are blessed with an incredible amount of potential, most of which is untapped. George Santayana once wrote, “Man is as full of potentiality as he is of importance.” Santayana’s thought also implies that the choice is ours, which it is.

Self-confidence works best when based on your own knowledge and self-respect, rather than on comparisons of yourself with others. A wise friend once said, “Don’t compare yourself to other people because you will feel either pompous or bitter . . . and neither one is desirable.” So our self-confidence has to exist in a vacuum, which it can. It feeds on the knowledge gained from discovering one’s inner potential.

10 Things to Help Your Business When Sales Are Slow During the Holidays

Feb 24

Posted by Alexandria Brown in Innovation and Creativity, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Sales Dept | No Comments

Twiddling your thumbs and waiting for some business to come in? Why not use this downtime to set yourself up for greater success in the new year? Here are my 10 picks, but you don’t have to do them all. Even doing just one will get you another rung higher on your business ladder.

1. Evaluate your virtual team and make changes if necessary.

Are administrative tasks taking up most of your time and keeping you from working ON your business? Then hire a virtual assistant. (See my article on this topic at www.EzineQueen.com/everything.htm.) Are you paying too much in taxes? Meet with your accountant to talk about getting more aggressive with write-offs, or make appointments to interview new accountants. Same goes for your lawyer — do you love him/her? If not, take this time to ask around for referrals.

2. Learn how to get more leads and sales automatically via your Web site.

Would you like to be getting business leads and sales 24-7 using your website and email? Then finally take time to learn how it all can work for you. It’s really a simple process, and you can set it up for the new year! Either register for a live workshop to learn how (such as my Online Success Blueprint Workshop coming up in March 2006) or buy a home study course and follow it step by step!

3. Revamp your e-zine or launch an e-zine.

Remember that having a ready list of warm prospects is your goldmine, and having an e-zine positions you for more sales on a regular basis and for the LONG-TERM. The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to release your first issue! If you’re not publishing yet, get ready with all the great free resources at www.EzineQueen.com.

4. Clean out that e-mail inbox once and for all!

Unanswered e-mails, people to follow up with, information not recorded or filed in the proper places — need I say more? Delete e-mails that are more than a few months old. Set up e-mail folders to help you stay more organized in the future. And if your program allows, set “rules” to automatically sort incoming e-mails into those folders.

5. Clean out your filing cabinet, bookshelf, desk, etc.

Is your office a fire hazard? Do you have to rustle through giant stacks of paper like a large rodent to find anything? Will your spouse not even enter the premises? Put on some good music, start digging, and make piles. Make sure to have plenty of trash bags and cardboard file boxes on hand. (And a good glass of wine always makes it more fun.)

6. Upgrade or clean up your computer.

Your computer probably holds most of the information that’s crucial to your business, so take care of it! Now’s a great time to do an overhaul. Upgrade your operating system (do you STILL have Windows 95?), get rid of unnecessary files, archive old files to CDs, add more disk space for all those downloads, and do system maintenance. Not sure how to go about this? Find a geek-for-hire to come and help you out.

7. Let your clients know how much you are thankful for their business.

Whether it’s holiday cards or thank-you notes, this is a good practice for both your business and you. Letting the universe know you’re grateful for what you have will only bring you better things in the future.

8. Plan an upcoming teleseminar.

For a quick cash-flow boost, plan a paid teleseminar! These phone-based events are easy to do and can be great income generators. Either host it yourself on a topic you’re qualified to talk about, or invite a special guest to interview. To encourage holiday signups, offer special pricing for those who register before the new year. (Learn how to host a successful teleseminar at www.EzineQueen.com/teleseminar.htm)

9. Write down your 25 best accomplishments for this past year.

This simple exercise is extremely powerful. Time goes by so quickly that we forget to celebrate the good things that happen. First I light a candle and write down my 25 accomplishments. Then, taking each one in, I read them aloud. After the last one, I blow the candle out, and then IMMEDIATELY make a list of 10 goals for the new year. (After truly acknowledging all the amazing things you did this year, you’ll feel incredibly powerful and set even higher goals!)

10. Actually enjoy the holidays!

Yes! I realized that for the past few years I’ve been running around like a nut every December and suddenly the next year is here. Christmas and New Year’s blaze by like a freight train, and I’m back to the grind shortly thereafter. Where’s the joy, peace, and love?

Remind yourself what the holidays are for — to take a step back and appreciate what you have, to enjoy your family and friends, to give to others, and to be good to yourself. So take that walk in the snow, go to that tree lighting with your kids, get that massage, and plan a leisurely shopping day during the week.

Remember, we only have so many Christmases in a lifetime.

Does your business myth out?

Feb 23

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | No Comments

Can I suggest you read the ‘E’ Myth by Michael Gerber. The book mentions creating an effective system of operation in your business, doing so can give your business a distinct edge over others who may be  throwing caution to the wind without a system of operation. Here’s the link to find the book…

E-Myth-Revisited

Think about it, you build a business to a certain point and then at some stage in the future you decide to sell it, retire or whatever. How will someone be able to step into your shoes and take it over?
What if you fall ill or you have to take a long earned trip and leave some one else to follow up?

I guess a measure of a businesses effectiveness in the long term could be gauged by this, the handover factor. How long would it take for someone else to take it on and get it up to speed?

Systems are also invaluable to assist the company to build on its strengths. Having a system to work with and ‘tweak’ will give your business the edge against most of your competitors. It can assist you to find loopholes and areas for improvement.

Of course all of this will only work if the staff have an input into it at some stage.

One business I know of spent a few weekends of hard slog by the management team to develop a system to be used by all the staff, before long the staff had let aspects of the new system slip, simple because they did not value it as they had not played a part in developing it. All the time that went into developoing the system went out the window for a while and caused some ‘staffing hassles’

A smart organisation is a learning one, and this team learnt the hard way. Ask yourself this, If we could have a better system of operation, what would it be, what would it look like? How would it feel… and how would we include everyone in it so they ‘buy in’ to the process (new team members buy in easily, they have to accept the system as it stands).

In time bringing a new system in to being can be time consuming, so consider how best to implement it. Could it be done section by section? Could the staff be delegated some ‘downtime’ to focus on the developing the systems tasks? All in all, getting the results can be exhausting, however only if you let it. Of course remember planning to do this is half the battle, failing to plan can get you into hot water very quickly.

Checklists and other systems of operation are only going to be useful if they are valued by all that use the system, they can be easily followed by a new employee or business owner, and is set up in a manner that ensures it can be easily, readily and regularly reviewed to ensure it adequately reflects the organisations development. In the end, which would you prefer to buy a businesswith a system or a business without one…

Their service sucks!

Feb 21

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Leadership, People!, The Customer Service Dept | No Comments

Do you have a mobile phone… is the provider any good? Mine wasn’t so I changed, I went elsewhere.

What surprised me the most was that there was no contact from the original provider as to why I had left. If they had called me I would have TOLD them about their many failings. It’s the 1% factor, the many little things that add up, the negative compund interest if you like.

Here’s just a SMALL sample of how they stuffed up.

• It was challenging to pay the prepay service I had with them, if you rang to make a credit card payment there were so many layers in the phone menu to get through and even then they would tell you it was the wrong extension, when they went to put you to the right one, you would end up in the wrong place… If you went to the store to pay, they would look at you stupid and actually say “Errgh, why don’t you just call them?” (Even when I told them about the hassles, they would roll their eye’s…)

• It was the changeover, I wanted to get out of the prepay and move back to an account… sure that’s easy… but why do you want to change? “So I can get an invoice for business purposes”. “Oh Okay… here’s the new SIM card, wait until the old one stops and then put the new one in.” The old one did not stop until 8 months later!, THEN the new one did not work. (funny that…) but the free calls in between were useful, thanks!

• It was the attitude of the staff, “Yeah whaddaya, want…” the girl looked like she was a real sad sack… and I got the same one three times in a row. When they are not happy, neither am I.

• It was the hassle of it all, even changing to another provider was fraught with hassles but I won’t go there.

In all it was the little things… too many of them, what really gets me is the fact that they could have called and run through a few points to figure out where to improve things.

Moral of the story, ask people why they are moving away from what you provide, keep in touch to follow their progress, your companies progress, your people’s progress. Be a customer, send in mystery shoppers, GET the FEEDBACK to know WHY and HOW etc. your business could be better. DO the RIGHT THING so I and others like me don’t have to get so frustrated at BAD service.

What’s your job?

Feb 21

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Human Resource Management, Leadership, People!, Personal Development, Risk Management | No Comments

You run the business, you worked your fingers to the bone to get it up from zero to hero, you finally leveraged your way to add in some employees, and after all that you are starting to make the whole thing pay for itself handsomely. Well done.

So what’s your job now… In the begining you were everything to that business, boss, worker, marketing manager, operations manager, planner, ohs manager and the list goes on and on!

Now that you have some staff, and things are ticking over, it’s time to reflect, where are you and where do you want to be… In the “job” stakes are you doing what you want to be doing? Are you leading the organisation to do what it should do and do it well?

For many business owner operators and even for some CEO’s of large businesses they have the role thrust upon them of being the leader. So for you, are you leading well? Do you have the right attributes, attitudes etc to make a fantastic leader or just a Manager of the team…

So, if you are at the top of the organisation, I beleive it’s very useful to review what you are doing and are you doing it well. You wouldn’t send a boy out to do a man’s job would you? Exactly, so step up to the plate and become what your organisation needs, clear cut decisive and committed leadership, after all who else will…

The bigger picture

Feb 20

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management | No Comments

Are you like a lot of people, busy with the little things in your business? Are you finding that although things seem to get done, there is little change to your business performance and or profitability?

In a recent Blog I wrote about to do lists and focussing on getting things out of your mind and on to paper. All good and well, however for a lot of people they are stuck with how to make the “bigger picture” work for them.

To start with its like the smaller to do list, you had some ideas of what needed to be done and you jotted them down, it was probably to do with things that needed ordering to complete a job for a client for example. In the bigger picture you can go up a level and say, what if I was to work on the profitability? the marketing? or management or operational tasks…  and there will be various subtasks within each of these areas.

Now take each of those headings and start to compile a list of what you want to do… Up the profitability (by how much?) improve workflows (by what degree?) increase customer loyalty (How loyal are they now?) and the list goes on…

You get the picture, look at how  you want the business to perform and then make a list, make it, change it, set dates to each of the points, make another list when that one is done or at least update some of the points.

The bigger picture is all about the goals you set around the things you want to achieve, in the long and medium term. Now make up a calendar (plenty of templates to download from the internet) and start to write in the things you have listed and when you want to achieve them by… Then look at what’s required to make them become a reality by the time you have set.

Breaking the task down into chunks like this can make the impossible seem very achieveable. Go on give it a go, aim high and stretch a little!

and….. ACTION!

Feb 19

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, Planning, Risk Management | 2 Comments

So what’s on your action plan for today?

Do you have small things, big things a mixture of both perhaps?

Whatever you have on your action plan, is probably what you will achieve. The shorter term things (usually the easiest) will probably happen without too much drama, the mid sized things you may well chip at bit by bit… and the big ones, well hopefully all the efforts on the small and mid sized ‘bits’ will make the big ones easier!

Here are a 7 questions to ask yourself about your to do lists…

• What on my list is going to make things in the workplace easier, better etc?

• What things relate to marketing for future customer attraction?

• When do I write this list… At the end of the day to unwind and unload… or at the start of the day?

• When I want the list at any stage during the day, can I find it easily? Or does it get buried in the paperwork?

• How many of the things on the list can I delegate to others (outsource etc.)?

• Dos a list work for you? If not who can you delegate the list to, so those in your organisation that do follow lists, can follow what’s happening?

• Do you encourage others to have a list? If not and they are away sick or on holidays, how does anyone know where they are up to?

There, just a few thing sabout lists you may find useful… Remember “if its not in writing it never happened”( say the legal eagles), but in our case “if its not in writing it MAY never happen!)

Five back office essentials

Feb 13

Posted by Robert Gerrish in Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business | 1 Comment

If there’s one thing that can get in the way of a smooth running solo enterprise, it’s the lack of an organised back office. Sadly it’s not unusual to see a business that fronts up well yet is a disaster behind the scenes.
Here are my Top Five back office essentials, see how you stack up:
1. Always be ready for a new client
It’s all well and good to be marketing and networking, but meaningless if you’re not fully prepared to accept a new client.
Always have blank files at the ready; welcome letters drafted; contracts and agreements in draft form and invoice templates set to go.

2. Start as you mean to go on
Get things off to the right start by taking and staying in control. Make sure you explain fully what you’ll deliver and when. Giving a new client cause to chase you up is not a good look.
3. Have help at hand
What are you going to do if the breadth of a new assignment expands rapidly or if additional work lands in your lap? Don’t automatically take on work that will prove a burden. Instead, be ready to recommend other service providers. Or outsource to a trusted ally. As soloists we need to have a strategy to accommodate these situations. What’s yours?

4. Be clear about money
If you frequently find yourself in uncomfortable financial situations, it’s almost always due to a reluctance to confront the mechanics of money. But it’s simply not enough to tell your client how much you charge and leave it at that. When will they be billed, is it at the beginning or the end of a project? What are your terms of payment? What happens if the original brief changes and more/less work is required? Get the language right and this angst will dissipate.

5. Keep everything physical in order
If it takes you an age to lay your hands on a file when your client calls, the anxiety this causes will be sure to come across in your voice.
Keeping your back office tidy and well-organised ensures the engine of your business runs smoothly. After all, you may intend your finished canvas to look beautiful, but if you’ve left the lid off the paint overnight you’ll not be creating any masterpieces.

Beyond the Threshold

Feb 12

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management | No Comments

Threshold, a limit you reach where a reaction takes place…

In business this can mean many things, I would like you to explore the thought of threshold and consider how many areas you have a threshold with, any area where you reach a limit and your ‘comfort zone’ is stretched too far and you retreat or even “explode!” when things get too much…

There are basic ones, like two sugars in your coffee is probably okay, but five and that puts you way off. Simple and easy, but what if you have other thresholds? For me as a kid I would race down a big hill on my bike and feel the adrenaline rush, it would peak, and if I was in a daring mood and went faster (or my brakes failed!) I would feel it peak twice!! WOW! that was a sensation. I didn’t get that very often, usually at the top end of the first adrenaline rush the speed wobbles would freak me right out and I would have to stop (or fall off, OUCH!)

In business this can be a stress level, or the amount of hours we work (go too far and you soon learn your threshold.)

In some cases as a business coach I have seen a threshold for earnings, some clients say they are happy earning $x and if they go over it they have a hard time accepting it and quickly pull back often literally sabotaging things to bring things back to their comfort level. Others say they want to earn greater than their $x level, but despite knowing how to do it and having the skills to readily do it they fail to do it… Why because they have reached their ‘internal’ or subconscious threshold level.

I guess this would go some way to explaining why some people maintain poverty levels in some societies due simply to not wanting or being able to stretch their comfort zones enough to make the changes required.

Other examples might be the umber of employees a company will take on, or even breaking the bond from being on their own to having an employee full stop!

May I suggest you take a good look at every aspect of your business (Marketing – Operations – Management) and figure out if you have any threshold limits which may prevent you and your buisness from being all it can be. Then find ways to overcome these challenges and explore the wider notion of being in business. If you could be better, why not be better?

Should You Market to Pleasure … Or Pain?”

Feb 12

Posted by Alexandria Brown in People!, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

One day a few months ago, I emptied my mailbox after being away for several days.

Because I give regularly to charities, I seem to be on the mailing lists of every organization in the world. So there were plenty of solicitations to sort through.

Usually I toss most of the envelopes I receive, the ones with generic messages on them like “help us today” or “give to save the… [insert 'children', 'animals', or 'forests' here]“.

But one envelope caught my eye. It was an unusual beige color, it had a picture of a cute little dog on it, and it said in bold letters, “Don’t let what happened to Coco happen again.”

Because I was curious who Coco was and what happened to him, I opened the envelope.

The letter told a true story of animal abuse so horrific that I burst into tears for that poor little dog. It ended by explaining how I could help prevent this from happening to other animals by donating to their organization.

I can tell you I never whipped out my checkbook so fast in my life.

But why this time?

Why had I ignored all the other mailings that simply asked for my help?

Because this one made me FEEL.

It told me a shocking true story. It struck a deep nerve in me that brought out my rage regarding this topic. Suddenly it was personal, because it touched on my pain.

You see, all marketing plays on either pleasure or pain.

It seems to me that most marketing plays on pleasure. For example, cosmetic companies show women how gorgeous and young we could look if we only used their products. Car companies show us how sexy and powerful we’d feel if we buy that sports car we can’t afford. And beer companies convince men that they’ll magically attract gorgeous females if they only drink a certain beverage.

But…

Sometimes “Pain” Works Better

Some businesses will do BETTER by marketing to people’s pain. For example, a TV commercial for a financial planning service shows a couple arguing over money while their children listen from the other room, looking scared. An acne medication ad shows a teenage girl staying home from the prom, crying because she’s got a few pimples.

And if you think about it, most of us don’t take action on things until we feel pain. For example, a friend of mine didn’t take control of his finances until he was nearly bankrupt. And a couple I know didn’t hire a marriage counselor until they were ready to split for good. My sister didn’t look for a better job until she couldn’t stand the one she was in anymore.

So, follow along with me here…

Are your prospects more likely to actually buy your product or hire you based on wanting pleasure … or to move AWAY from their pain?

For example, a dating coach may have more success in her marketing with statements like, “Are you sick and tired of sitting home lonely on Friday nights? Attracting the wrong men for you again and again? The clock is ticking – have you met Mr. Right yet?”

The idea is to touch on people’s pain, then show them that you’re the solution.

Another example is an auto repair shop that marketed a free report, “10 Ways Not to Get Ripped-Off Next Time You Get Your Car Fixed”. Not only did that touch on most folks’ fear of getting ripped off, but it also positioned them as an authority on the subject!

For those of us who are naturally positive people, marketing to others’ pain may seem initially uncomfortable. But you’re doing them a favor! By helping them realize what’s wrong in their lives, their businesses, or the world, you’re also showing them how they can fix it. You’re actually helping them “see the light”.

Marketing to people’s pain can make for dramatic results when done right.

What State of Mind Are YOUR Prospects In?

Think about your target market right now. What state of mind are they in when they are considering hiring you or buying your product? Are they more likely to take action to gain pleasure? Or to make the pain they’re in go away?

If the answer is different than what you’ve been doing, try changing the angle of your marketing for a while.

You may find that a little pain is the best thing that ever happened to your business.

Abstain From Judging

Feb 7

Posted by Tony Alessandra in Human Resource Management, Leadership, People!, Risk Management, The Customer Service Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

As someone once advised, “Grow antennae, not horns.” If you prejudge someone as shallow, crazy, or ill informed, you automatically cease paying attention to what they say. So a basic rule of listening is to judge only after you have heard and evaluated what they say. Do not jump to conclusions based on how they look, or what you have heard about them, or whether they are nervous.

In fact, a good exercise would be to go out of your way to listen to a difficult speaker. Maybe he talks with a thick accent. Or talks much more rapidly, or more slowly, than you, or uses a lot of big words. Whatever difficulty this speaker poses, seize it as an opportunity not to prejudge but to practice your listening skills. Given some time, you will become more comfortable and effective in listening to diverse styles.

Avoid the hemmed-in feeling

Feb 6

Posted by Robert Gerrish in Innovation and Creativity, People!, Planning | No Comments

If there’s one thing that makes me feel overwhelmed and tired, it’s the sense I’m going to be struggling to get the day’s work done. In my view, few feelings contribute so negatively to our ability to work effectively. This weekend, the sense spilled over to my home life and maybe that’s why I resisted it so strongly and pushed through to find a solution.

As is often the case, the means of escape from the problem was actually quite simple.

Without boring you too much with my domestic arrangements, let’s just say that I typically have a number of things to accomplish on a Saturday in the interests of total family harmony.

Most weekends these involve a trip to the supermarket, a small portfolio of sport/recreation activities with my son and, if I’ve been good, a lingering espresso in a café somewhere.

In the lead up to this Saturday I was feeling stressed. A couple of extra events had been added to the schedule and I became convinced I wasn’t going to get it all done. The biggest loser looked set to be the weekly shop. That in turn made Jane a tad uncomfortable, as we were entertaining on Sunday and ingredients were needed.

The solution was to totally let go of the pressure. I just refused to accept it. I decided to look at the day optimistically, rather than with a cynical eye.

By consciously removing the feeling of being hemmed-in, I found the flow of the day eased greatly. Energy that could have been bound up in pessimism was released and guess what happened? Efficiency improved hugely.

To my surprise and delight, the day ran smoothly and I was able to get everything done. I did the shopping, meandered smoothly through the extras and even enjoyed a celebratory Portugese tart with my coffee. Happy days!

Things get in the way…

Feb 6

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Leadership, People!, Risk Management, The Board Room | No Comments

What gets in the way of great service, great planning, great production, great products. GREAT BUSINESS!

A. “Things”.

I guess you could stop work for a while and analyse all the things that get in the way of doing great business but the fact is you probably can not justify the downtime.

May I suggest  you make mental notes of things that could be better then take smaller actions to improve them.

Note is the thing a case of creative avoidance (finding creative ways to not do something) because you don’t really like doing that thing?

There are ways to get things done, do it, drop it, delegate it, so find a way to get the ‘thing’ done but without mental pressure.

You focussed on what?

Feb 5

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Leadership, Personal Development, Planning, The Board Room | No Comments

Then what happened?

Most of us are busy in our organisation/s doing what comes naturally or otherwise, so what did you focus on today, or yesterday for that matter. Was it spot fires, hassles that arose, customer complaints, calls to suppliers, and what about the marketing?

Yes, most of us are very busy, so the point about focus can be vital to ensuring sustainable business practices are effective in the long term. It reminds me of the 80/20 principle which Wilfredo Pareto thought up a long time ago, he found that 80% of our business comes from just 20% of our clients, and that 20% of our turnover comes from 80% of our clients. Great stats to know.

So what if you were to focus on how to market to the 20% that bring you 80% of your business… I think it would make a big differrence, it would probably save you some marketing $$ if nothing els.
Now look at the rest of your business, what if 80% of what you did was not vital to the overall running of the business… Hmm that bears some thought.

So, check out what you are focussing on it could be something that adds little value to your business or it adds a great deal to your business.

Procrastination Marketing — It Works!

Feb 5

Posted by Alexandria Brown in Innovation and Creativity, Planning, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

I’m guessing that right now there are several marketing tasks you’ve been putting off. Perhaps it’s revamping your website. Or sending out your first e-zine. Or getting listed in the search engines. Or putting together a media kit.

So why haven’t you done it?

Believe me, this is a battle I fight with myself too. But you know what I realized?

Procrastination is NOT evil!

Instead of seeing procrastination as a terrible thing, I now see it as a tool that helps me learn how I work best.

In fact, I’ve arrived at six different reasons why we all seem to procrastinate. Here they are, along with what you can learn from (and do for) each.

Reason 1: You are procrastinating because you don’t enjoy the entire task or job.

Solution: One of my life coaches told me several years ago that if I didn’t like doing something, I should “delete it, delegate it, or automate it.” What a great way to look at things! I’m a big fan of ONLY doing tasks I enjoy or am good at. The rest I outsource to people who are good at it and/or enjoy it.

Reason 2: You are procrastinating because you don’t enjoy a PART of the entire task or job.

Solution: If you’re putting off a whole project just because there’s one part you don’t want to do, figure out how you can get away without doing that part. Again, delete it, delegate it, or automate it.

Reason 3: You are procrastinating because you don’t know how to handle the task or job.

Solution: The answer will not drop in your lap. Get help — a consultant to teach you how, a book or home study course to show you how, or even better, outsource it to someone who can just do it for you.

Reason 4: You are procrastinating because you simply can’t find the time.

Solution: Schedule future time to do it, or get rid of other tasks to create the time you need. If you still can’t do this, then you need to find someone to do it for you.

Reason 5: You are procrastinating because you feel stuck.

Solution: You may just need to get momentum going. Give yourself permission to do just one small part of the project only. Or do the easiest part first. (That’s how I started writing my entire home study course.) This usually creates momentum, and you end up doing a lot more than you intended to!

Reason 6: You are procrastinating because you don’t really want to do what you thought you should do.

Solution: This means you may have the wrong objective or strategy in the first place! Is this something you really want to do, or do you just think you SHOULD do it? Or is it an old goal that doesn’t fit you or your business anymore? Your answer may surprise you. Let the goal go for awhile and see what happens. : )

Start Paying Attention!

Once you start paying attention to which activities you put off regularly, you’ll know sooner when to be stricter with yourself or find help to get those tasks accomplished in a more timely manner.

So take a minute and make your list right now of what marketing tasks you’ve been putting off! Don’t beat yourself up about it, just make a note and figure out how to get them done.

Hey MOM, business is good!

Feb 3

Posted by Steve Gray in Innovation and Creativity, Planning, The Board Room | No Comments

No I have not suddenly become an American and refer to my Mum as Mom… In this case I refer to M.O.M., the basic building blocks of business, the M.O.M. stands for Marketing, Operations and Management. In the same way that Mum is often seen as the family manager, so to can MOM refer to a family, the business family.

Usually you can decipher how to solve any business problem by looking at any of these and seeing which one/s fit your situation.

For example, lower sales in a wholesaling business may mean that the marketing area needs work, (it could be a seasonal change too!)  Taking a look at the sales team and what they are currently doing could be important here, if they are not developing enough leads or following up on clients, they may need some marketing support material.

If it is an individual challenge, then that person may need training, so the Management side of the MOM kicks into action to assist in establishing needs and finding a solution.

It’s all in the ‘family’
The business ’family’ can be as close knit as any other with each ‘member’ of the team seen as a vital contributor. Perhaps the complex role of a Mother (exhaustively working in multiple roles to assist the family to operate effectively) is a good analogy here as each of our M.O.M. areas can not exist without the other.

Communication
Of vital importance here is the communication bettween each area so that each knows what the other is doing. In a household for example, communication between parents and children all wanting to do something independently at the same time requires careful planning (as in business). It may be that the challenge is a time management one.  If on the other hand the weekly budget does not take into account these future events other challenges can be formed (budgeting).

Planning
Communication is one thing, however a good Mum will tell you it’s all in the planning, get that right and you have it made. Ensure you get the best results by working with your team to ensure an effective outcome here, leave out the marketing team and you may well leave out the other areas of your business. Even if you are only able to create a one page plan of action, this is far better than none at all.

Be a good ‘Mother’
The list is endless. Consider carefully how you could maximise the potential of your ‘family’ and the results you require.  At the end of the day you can only really measure your ‘families profitability’ by how well things run. Being a smooth operator and effectively coordinating all the tasks that take place in your business, is really up to how good you are at being Mum, or in this case M.O.M.

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