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Build Habits
Managing Distractions and Interruptions
We can do a fine job of organizing and planning our own actions and involving others when we schedule appointments with them. And even with all that, our best-scheduled actions can be derailed by the actions of others.
Take a look at how your time unfolds. Are your actions taken as you plan them…or do they get pushed back to accommodate the requests of others? Does this happen frequently? Do others interrupt you because you allow or encourage it or because you have a skill that they often nee…
Organizing Actions in Time
“Time Management” is a misnomer because you cannot manage time. You can, however, manage ACTIONS in time.
Begin with your targets – what you WANT to accomplish. And working back from them, identify the actions that need to happen to achieve them. Start small and plan the actions at the best time to execute them and to achieve the result.
Plan a week at a time and support the week with a daily to-do list...but expand your perspective beyond one day…don’t rely on a daily list to manage a week …
New Habits
Now that you have picked an imperfection to work on (and if you haven’t, please do…tardiness is clearly one that can always be addressed if it’s an issue for you), how is it going?
What are the structures you put in place to help you? Did you put alerts on your phone to remind you to do something (practice a new action, get out the door!) or recurring actions in your calendar to start to build a new skill?
Building habits takes intention, prompting, repetition, patience, adjustment…and celebr…
Opportunities for Growth
Imperfections exist, and acknowledging and accepting that fact is helpful in order to move with them and through them.
When we accept them as part of the package, we can own them without defending, excusing, or avoiding…they just are.
From that point, we can expand our view and ask: How is this habit and behavior affecting me? How does it impact others? What do I gain from it and what does it cost me?
And we can choose new actions.
If you are in a sales leadership role, and you have …
Costly Conspirators
Our first foray into Imperfections this month was to consider them as Charming Idiosyncrasies, which they surely can be.
Another point of view is that imperfections are not so charming or amusing. And those imperfections that impact our own efforts and those of others are particularly troublesome. We may look away from these and hope that others don’t notice, but they do notice.
Imperfections that impact others, like chronic tardiness or inability to complete a task on time, begin to w…
Asking for Referrals
I must admit, as a salesperson this is one of my weaker areas. I GET a lot of referral business but it’s not because I ask for it. I can only imagine what would happen if I intentionally asked a happy client to refer me to someone they know who might use my assistance. So, don’t follow my lead on this.
However, I do work with people who are good at this and are generous to share what they do that works, which is what I will share with you.
ALWAYS give two business cards and say: “Here is…
Calling Unsold Opportunities
If you have neither closed the sale nor scheduled an appointment to meet or speak again with a prospect, calling to see how their process is unfolding IS the next action to take. Always.
It’s a judgment call as to WHEN to reach out, and I invite everyone to examine their follow-up on unsold opportunities to see if you have a process in place (such as reaching out 48 hours after contact unless otherwise noted). At the very least, start by reaching out with a ‘great to meet you!’ email or text……
Thank you notes
Call me old fashioned…no, don’t. Call me gracious and grateful…yes, do.
I have personalized thank you notes (gracias, www.crane.com) that I love to send… and I LOVE to receive thank you notes. And by thank you notes, I mean a handwritten note and envelope. Yes, that kind of thank you note.
A young woman at a seminar recently told me that she doesn’t think thank you notes are genuine…and when I asked her to explain, she said she never received a handwritten one, but rather a thank you email w…
Actions Matter
Actions repeated create habits.
Actions are the only things that create results (not feelings or intentions or circumstances).
I often review goals that have action plans that are ‘insufficient for goal achievement.” What I mean by that is that the actions might have a value of $750K when repeated…which is GREAT…except that the goal is $1.1m. That’s not great. Make sure that the QUANTITY and the QUALITY of your actions are sufficient for the desired results. If you are not on track with your …
Identifying Pitfalls and Traps
Are you good for the first three days into a new initiative and then start to slip?
When do you stop doing the actions that you committed to?
Do you start to tell yourself: “It’s not that bad” or “It’s not that important?”
Rather than avoiding these natural tendencies, include them in your goals. Consider them BEFORE they happen so that when they pop up, you will be prepared for them.
For example, if you know that you start the month strong, make your first week goals and miss your thi…
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