Scott's Sales KnowHow Q4 2012 by Annex Business Media

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Building a Bridge of Trust Why Credibility is Vital INSIDE: Easily Identify HOT BUTTONS A.C.T.I.O.N. Plan for Trade Shows BONUS: The “Work Less, More Success” Guide to Time Management!

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Q4-2012 5

Publisher’s Letter

Features 6

Trust and Relationship – Bill Sayers

The Expert – Tibor Shanto

Easily Identify Hot Buttons – Jenae Rubin

here did the trade show 12 Wprofit go? – Barry Siskind 14

Work Less, More Success – Laura Stack

“Rocket” Launch Richard Iann started as an Account Manager at Scott’s Directories in August of 2004. He became known as “Rocket” around here almost immediately. Richard Iann retired on Nov. 30, 2012 and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavours. Richard is an avid ballroom dancer and rollerblader and plans to do a little travelling in the near future. Many of you may have interacted with Richard on the phone or at a trade show and I’m sure you’ll join us in a heartfelt congratulations on a job well done. Thanks for everything Rocket!

Lindsay Rodgers – National Sales Manager Scott’s Directories Q4 2012

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Group Publisher Paul Stuckey pstuckey@scottsdirectories.com

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4 Sales KnowHow

Q4 2012

Publisher’s Letter

Building a Bridge of Trust

elcome back to Sales KnowHow™. Would you buy a used car from someone you don’t trust? Would you buy anything from someone you simply don’t trust? Most people won’t if they can avoid it. TRUST plays a key role in all meaningful relationships – whether personal or business - and it’s definitely a factor in sales. We consciously recognize trust more as an important element when the stakes are deemed high – i.e. thinking very little about trust for a routine transaction like buying a coffee or a chocolate bar, but definitely thinking about the need for trust when considering an expensive used car or for that matter when getting strapped in for your very first bungee jump. Yes, when the stakes are high, we look for trust to guide our actions. With all the unknown and uncharted waters of our lives TRUST is a bond that provides a perceived “bridge” on which we can walk confidently towards our goals. The people – or companies or specific items – in which we place our trust beckon us to walk along those bridges with the promise of favorable outcomes. The more discernible the trust, the more likely we are to proceed toward them. As we know, a total lack of trust can cause us to flee or avoid the situation at all costs. If you’re earning an income by closing sales, you need to proactively build this bridge of trust as much and as often as possible – bringing forth and nurturing a positive balance (i.e. a positive trust factor) in the eyes of prospects and clients alike. Don’t discount the importance of your prospects and customers ultimately trusting YOU – not just feel-

ing “neutral or unsure” if asked but to actually have so much trust in you that they regard you as a key member in their circle of connections. They want to see a strong bridge they can rely on time and time again. So how do you build the bridge of trust? Like any bridge - piece by piece. But here the building blocks are installments of TRUTH. Each time you provide the truth it improves your credibility – and trust gets built further. For those in short-cycle selling, this might need to happen quickly and frequently just within the first few minutes. A lot of B2B selling naturally involves a longer sales cycle which provides more opportunity for building trust incrementally on numerous occasions. And this process can be very rewarding for everyone. Bill Sayers’ article Trust & Relationships states the importance of having open dynamic communication with your prospects and clients, and identifies a high level of trust as the best way to ensure those dialogues take place. Bill outlines a number of considerations for why it’s vital to build such great rapport including how much larger your commissions will be when taking this advice. Tibor Shanto adds to the theme with his article on the importance of being The Expert your customers can rely on for information beyond your own products & services. By looking at the whole picture your customer sees, and having expert advice on what solutions are possible, you’ll increase your value immensely. Providing the truth about related matters beyond your own product or service will build a solid footing for instilling trust in key decision-makers and stakeholders.

Remember, all of us prefer to deal with people we can trust. Assuming we can trust someone to a degree should be the hopeful outset of any relationship, but we all like to see positive reinforcement of that trust as quickly and often as possible. Your prospects and clients will naturally know your bridge of trust is solid as you continue to provide proven, truthful claims or gestures that over time establish you as an entirely credible source. Make sure you consciously present with this in mind – it can set you apart from all your competition. Also in this issue our friend Jenae Rubin runs down a quick look at finding the right Hot Buttons when communicating with prospects. Listen for the key words! And don’t forget to take Jenae’s 3-part webinar series (coming up in early 2013). Jenae is offering these webinars at a very affordable price – take the initiative to sign up and let the practical tips pay dividends all year long. Barry Siskind is back with some great advice on tracking the leads from trade shows; and be sure to read the Productivity Pro™ Laura Stack as she gives us the lowdown on maximizing your time with her article The “Work Less, More Success” Guide to Time Management! From all of us at Scott’s Directories, here’s wishing everyone a great Christmas and holiday season, and All the Best for 2013.

Paul Stuckey, Group Publisher pstuckey@scottsdirectories.com For More Articles by Paul Stuckey Click Here

Q4 2012

Sales KnowHow

Sales

Trust and Relationship I

get to see lots of sales people in action every year. I watch and observe how they behave and make things happen. In the last five years I am amazed at what top performers have been able to accomplish. They have complete disregard for the economy and what the experts are saying. They don’t pay too much attention to the news and media. What they do with a focus and determination is understand their business and what their products and services offer. More importantly they understand the value they bring and the value they create for their customers. What they do next is with unwavering dedication is focus on their customer and work with them, and beside them, in creating opportunities to make their customer look like a hero, deliver value in the form of saving money or time and being able to show the savings to their customer. With this determination and dedication comes a bond they have with their customers and their customer’s team. That bond is built on a trust and relationship that works for both the rep and the customer. That relationship puts the rep at the customers planning sessions, strategy sessions and when things go wrong; as they do, the rep is at the table with the their customer fixing the problems and working at correcting the situation. When I get a chance to watch these reps in action it is always interesting to watch. They appear to be an employee of the customer’s company. They have been given the freedom to wander in the company and meet and get the information and help they require. Many times, they have an access card and the freedom to come and go as they please. The reps never take advantage of this. In fact they use it to their

6 Sales KnowHow

Q4 2012

advantage and continue to build and create more relationships with other people in the organization. When asked by their sales leadership to get meetings, information or access to the company they are able to do so with little or no difficulty. They also manage their own company and people and that lets them take advantage of the relationships they have created. Leadership, for the most part, also respects the relationship they have built and work with the rep to help them augment and grow the level of access the customers have to the Senior Executives and Subject Matter Experts that the customers need access to. So why is it that so many reps can’t and don’t make this happen with their customers? One big reason is that too many sales people look at their customers as a commission cheque and a way to make more money. Too many sales reps are not prepared to invest in the time and effort it takes to create, what from the outside, looks like it is no work at all. Here’s the difference. Successful and top performing sales people know that their business is based on a level of trust and on a relationship that allows for honest communication and discussion. It is a relationship that encourages and fosters debate, conflict and

By Bill Sayers

different points of view. This al“Successful reps do not walk into a call and ask themselves: lows both parties to make sure they are doing the rights things, How much money can I make on this call? They go in that they are creating the best asking: How can I make a difference with this account opportunity for success and that if there is a problem or failure in today? How can I help them solve the problem we are the process that everyone take discussing in a way that saves them time or money?” responsibility for the issue and work together to fix and resolve that issue. They know that if they can create a relationship courtesy, as they would like to be treated. They with their customer built on a foundation of trust challenge the status quo. They ask lots of questions and open communication, that the money – the and continually ask: Why? They challenge their orcommissions - will be a huge bi-product of that re- ganization and they challenge their customer’s organization. lationship. Most importantly they treat their own team with Successful reps do not walk into a call and ask themselves: How much money can I make on this respect and professionalism. They roll up their call? They go in asking: How can I make a difference sleeves when they need to and everyone on the with this account today? How can I help them solve team works for the same purpose. So what is it that you need to be doing with your the problem we are discussing in a way that saves them time or money? They walk into that call and customers to create the relationships that ensure they are like a conductor and they work at know- your customer the success they need? How are you ing who needs to be playing at this point in time building the trust and respect with your company and who needs to be getting ready to join in the and the team you work with? And what question “music” throughout the whole meeting or project. are you asking when you go into meetings with your Why do they make this all look so easy? They have customers: I hope it is: How can I make a difference a confidence and attitude that is unwavering. They with this account today? How can I help them solve all know that they will have good days and bad days. the problem we are discussing in a way that saves They know that they will have challenges and suc- them time or money and helps them achieve their cesses in each opportunity. They expect it and they business goals? Trust and Relationship – What are doing to make treat the good and the bad in the same way. They treat everyone on the account and in the your sales game all about the trust and relationaccount with the same level of professionalism and ships within your business?

Bill Sayers is an inspirational speaker and a visionary business leader. He has spent the past 29 years in the "Sales" arena. He started his career as an inside sales rep and worked his way up the corporate ladder to the level of VP of Sales at an IBM company. During that time he worked for Revelstoke Lumber, King Products, Linotype, Ryder Transportation, GE Capital IT Solutions and IBM. Bill is able to communicate powerful concepts in a manner, which enables practical application in the business world and drives profitable results for his clients. His goal is to help sales people ignite their passion for the game of sales. Passion - Process - Performance www.thesayersgroup.com For More Articles by Bill Sayers Click Here

Q4 2012

Sales KnowHow

Sales

By Tibor Shanto

The Expert T

revolves around one key element, your ability to present and firmly establish yourself as an expert. So far so good, we get buy in from most sales people on this, but mostly in the wrong way and for the wrong reason. The big “wrong” or hurdle, is in the type of expert they profess to be. The biggest challenge is that most sales people are in to being the expert; where we part company is when they hear me say that they need to be an expert in something other than the product or service they sell. Rather, we want them to be an expert in an area of specific concern to the buyer rooted in business not in product or deliverable. While many When you get the buyer to see you as the foremost expert will say “exactly, which is why the product is important”, the reality is that more often in their business issue, you not only gain expert status, than not, the product or service we sell is part of an overall issue the buyer is dealing but also create a dependence from the buyer, who will with. Your solution may be one of three or four things that make up the broad solution take your expertise in that business area, and look to you the buyer is seeking, by being an expert at as an adviser moving forward. only one, you bring little or limited value, and even if you were the recognized global no prior contact with a buyer, but still need to build expert in that area, you would still only address a part enough trust where the buyer will fully engage, and of the issue. The expert you need to become is an expert that ultimately buy. So what is an average or slightly better, sales professional to do? There are a number of ways can address and resolve the overall issue, talk to the to go about creating, building and maintaining trust, value, implementation and ultimate impact of what the depending who you read. Below is one I have used buyer is looking at. Not just an expert on one element, and have helped others to establish trust in a hurry especially when there are other “experts” in the mix. If you can, step away from your product and rather than over time. The proven methodology we use and recommend offering, and develop an expertise in the larger, he conventional wisdom in sales is that the more trust you establish the more likely you are to succeed with buyers who “trust” you. Few would argue with the underlining premise, where chorus of options swells is when it comes to how, and when. The two, how and when, are tied together because it is clearly easier to establish and build trust over time, assuming you get that time. The reality is that often sales people do not have the advantage or luxury of time needed to establish trust. They are regularly thrust into situations where they have had

“

”

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Q4 2012

business area the client is working through. If you think about why people buy, in general: • Avoid or Mitigate Risk • Financial • Productivity • Time Shift Advantage • Self Interest Being an expert in how the buyer should deal with the above is the goal, you need to develop and present yourself as that kind of expert, not a product expert. As a product expert you limit yourself to a small component, a deliverable, not a solution. When you get the buyer to see you as the foremost expert in their business issue, you not only gain expert status, but also create a dependence from the buyer, who will take your expertise in that business area, and look to you as an adviser moving forward. They will look to you for further advice on “your area of expertise”, but other related issues, which not only opens the door for your product, but also builds trust for the current purchase and future ones. Yes, the question is how? Well it does take a bit of work, but if you are engaged in your market, you are likely doing much of what needs to be done already, and can easily refocus and fine tune to leverage. Take a look at specific buyers and understand what it is they are trying to accomplish. This should be done from their vantage point, their language and their filters. As an example, most people who engage with me are not looking for sales training. They are usually trying to address things like market share, competitive advantages and strategies, shareholder value, improved forecasting, many things that training impacts, but it is not about the training. Similarly, with a buyer who is looking to gain productivity, while improving their company’s environmental profile, information security, extend the life of an asset, and reduce receivable periods. Doesn’t matter what the product is, if you can’t relate to these issues, you will be relegated to product expert, not an expert who can help

with their bigger business issues. Often the buyer doesn’t look at it in terms of which product is delivering what, but rather who can help me address the issue on the table, be that pain or opportunity. How do you get to where you can speak on these terms rather than product expert terms? Just look at what your buyers were trying to solve when you first engaged. Look at where and why you lost, and where and why you won. You should also look at those that went to ‘no decision”, understand what they were trying to address when they began. There may have been “no decision” not because there was not a suitable product, but there was no suitable overall business solution, or at least there wasn’t one clearly articulated. Look at deals you were involved in over the last 12 – 18 months, depending on the size, nature and length of your sales - since much of the data and info captured was based on your old filters, you will likely have to supplement this by interviewing buyers, their internal stakeholders from all three categories above. Focus on the big picture not the cogs. What were they trying to achieve, not so much how they achieved it. A picture should emerge, now you are ready to develop, formulate and present your specific and proven expertise. Add to the above a healthy dose of information available to you in the social space, internal resources, i.e. speak to your CFO to understand their view of the world, and you’ll forget product. To validate that the process is working for you, just ask your client if they see you as a vendor supplier or advisor. If they say supplier, keep working. If they say adviser, keep working, but at least you are working as an Expert.

What’s in Your Pipeline? © Copyright Notice All content, text, graphics, are Copyright 2011–2012 by Tibor Shanto. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials in this publication, including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of Tibor Shanto, are strictly prohibited.

Tibor Shanto – Principal - Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., is a recognized speaker, author of the award winning book Shift!: Harness The Trigger Events That Turn Prospects Into Customers, and a sought after trainer; his work has appeared in numerous publications and leading websites. Called a brilliant sales tactician Tibor helps organizations execute their strategy by using the EDGE Sales Process to create the perfect combination of strategy, tactics, skills to ensure execution. Tibor can be reached at info@SellBetter.ca or 1-416-822-7781. You can read our blog, The Pipeline with new material three times a week, and follow Tibor on Twitter @Renbor. For More Articles by Tiboor Shanto Click Here

Q4 2012

Sales KnowHow

Sales By Jenae Rubin

President Sales Powerhouse, Inc.

Easily Identify

Hot Buttons

uccessful salespeople talk about your prospects’ needs not about themselves, their product/service or company. Blah blah blah blah blah. I’ve heard this a thousand times, and I’ll bet you have too. The trick is how do you do this? How do you find out exactly what your prospects’ hot buttons are? Well, I have the answer. And fortunately for us, it’s easy! First it’s important to understand WHAT hot buttons are! Hot buttons are the words and phrases that trigger something in a person. For good or bad, they inspire and motivate us to act. Before anyone buys anything, something is sparked inside of them that makes the purchase more important than the money. The words and phrases that prompt people to action are their words and phrases! So, how do you uncover these magical words and phrases? Simply focus on asking pertinent, telling questions in the beginning of the sales process. when you are more concerned about finding out about them than telling them about you... prospects open up like a 5-year-old being tickled! Since hot buttons are the words they use, the ones that stimulate their triggers, take copious notes! And listen to what they say; it’s more important than what you want to say to them!

Here’s an example… A company called me to discuss training their sales reps. They called their salespeople “Marketing Consultants.” Immediately I knew that if I referred to them as “sales people” or “reps” or anything other than “Marketing Consultants,” I would not be hired. They would think I did not understand them. To this prospect “Marketing Consultants” held a world of meaning completely different from “sales person” or “rep.” They would have mistakenly thought I didn’t understand them just by my word choice. Since you rarely have an opportunity to correct people’s (mis)understandings, you want to get it right in the first place! So, ask great questions, take great notes, listen, and speak to their concerns... not your predetermined list of subjects. For more ideas to make sales obstacles disappear, create desire and grow sales, watch for my live webinar schedule. A digital recording of each webinar is available if the date is inconvenient... or if you want to build your library to build your sales.Click for webinar details. Additional sales transformation tools are on my site – click on the links below. For customized and personal assistance, call or email me. Here’s to successful, stress-free sales®,

Jenae Rubin is the president of Sales Powerhouse – Overcome Overcoming Objections and may be reached at Jenae@SalesPowerhouse.com or 954-290-9896. Copyright 2012 Sales Powerhouse, Inc. This article may be reproduced with credit and copyright intact. For More Articles by Jenae Rubin Click Here

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Sales KnowHow 11

Exhibiting By Barry Siskind

Where did O the trade show profit go?

ver the years, The Center for Exhibition Research (CEIR) has published some amazing work. Everyone involved in the exhibition industry aught to be a fan of this association. Past CEIR publications have shown the value of face-to-face marketing as well as solid information that brings home the shortcomings of exhibitors with solutions to become more powerful. One such recent research study was entitled “Exhibitor Sales Lead Capture and Follow-up Practice Trends.” [1] The research was the result of interviews conducted in June 2012 with 198 exhibitors. The results highlight a problem that has plagued exhibitors for decades – how to get realizable and measurable results from the show investment. The first part of the report deals with methods of capturing lead infor-

“When exhibit managers were asked about how leads were tracked, 69% answered that they didn’t know.” mation. A large number of exhibiting companies interviewed used a lead retrieval system offered by exhibition management or a paper based lead form to capture contact information and product details. Yet, less than thirty percent their booth staff, asked for additional information such as demographics or other lead qualifying criteria. The intention of gathering quality leads is to have them followed up by sales and marketing personnel with either an e-mail offering additional product description or a phone call. When exhibit managers were asked about how leads were tracked, 69% answered that they didn’t know. If exhibit managers lack an understanding of the importance of qualified leads, the information never gets passed along to their front-line booth staff who will assume that sketchy contact information will suffice. Think about it. What is the real purpose of meeting your prospect face-to-face? The answer is two fold; first to uncover potential business opportunities and second to engage them in a conversation that makes you both part of the solution to the issues and problems you both face. Both of these reasons are what motivated the visitor to attend in the first place yet, when the conversation they had at the booth is relegated to a few bits of product information and interest, you negate them as people and potential customers. The solution then is to take the leap towards knowing more about the people you meet at an exhibition, record the information properly and use it as part of the postshow follow-up. The logical beginning point is developing the questions you need an answer to ahead of time and train your booth staff rigorously in the methods they need to employ to ask and record answers. For example, in my book, Powerful

Exhibit Marketing I taught exhibitors how to qualify. I use an acronym called, “ACTION.” This represents six bits of information that go beyond the basics. Here is a brief explanation of the ACTION questions:

A = Authority

Does this visitor have the buying authority or can they influence the buying decision?

C = Capability

How closely does this visitor fit into the profile of someone who will ultimately buy your product or service?

T = Time

Is there a close relationship between your selling cycle and the visitor’s buying cycle?

I = Identity

Have you developed a formal mechanism for recording contact information?

O = Obstacles

Why could or would this visitor not want to do business with us?

N = Need

Do they need this product or service? Acronyms are fine. They give you a structure to use so that your staff asks similar questions of each booth visitors. The trick then is to develop the questions that work for you. Ask yourself: What are the key criteria I need to understand this visitor’s perspective? How can I train my staff to ask the appropriate questions of each booth visitor? What do I need to develop to ensure that they record information that I can use for follow up? If you can not work with the ACTION questions, then hone them to fit your unique situation. Now when your staff is talking to visitors, they have questions to help them focus the conversation. During the conversation they should be recording the answers they get either on a paper-based lead sheet, electronic lead retrieval system or a combination of both. Then once these leads come back to the shop, your sales and marketing people have solid information to continue the conversation. The last step is to put into place proper follow-up systems that track each lead. This step will answer your ultimate question – was my trade show investment profitable? An important part of your show preparation is to ensure that you and your corporation get real value. This is accomplished with well-trained booth staff and the systems that will help convert conversations into business.

webinars Barry Siskind’s trade show training webinars are now available on demand. This is a great opportunity to offer your staff an in-house training session. By ordering one of the webinars listed below, you will have access to the webinar for 30 days. I encourage you to order one of the on demand webinars by clicking this link. From here you can either read the descriptions of the webinars, order an on-demand webinar or read one of the many articles posted by Barry Siskind The webinar topics currently available are: How to Use Entertainment to Drive Trade Show Booth Traffic Create and Experience For All Three Generations Who Walk The Trade Show Floor Create a Trade Show Booth That Attendees Cannot Ignore Get Real Value From Your Trade Show Giveaways Developing Powerful Booth Staff Create a Simple, Smart and Strategic Exhibit Budget Plan Turn Your Tradeshow Booth into an Experiential Environment Measuring the Value of Your Trade Show Program Drive Trade Show Crowds from the Aisles into Your Booth Selecting the Right Show Turn Trade Show Leads Into Sales To bring these webinars in-house or to have a customized webinar delivered contact Barbara Siskind at 1-800-358-6079 or Barbara@siskindtraining.com to discuss your requirements. To order Barry Siskind’s best-seller Powerful Exhibit Marketing call 1-800-358-6079.

© Copyright 2012 Barry Siskind Barry Siskind is author of Powerful Exhibit marketing. He is also President of International Training and Management Company who offers a number of services to exhibitors including the creation and implementation of a mystery-shopping program. Contact Barry at barry@siskindtraining.com for more information. For More Articles by Barry Siskind Click Here

Q4 2012

Sales KnowHow 13

Productivity

Work Less,

A Guide to Time Management

ince 1992, I’ve dedicated my career to teaching people how to do less while achieving more. American workers need this relief now more than ever. In the past decade, we’ve worked harder and done more with less than at any time since the Great Depression. Unfortunately, the pay hasn’t kept pace with our efforts, and we often excel at the expense of our health, relationships, and free time. People are tired of “do more with less” and want to “do less and achieve more”! Overwork may be slowly killing you, emotionally, physically, and/or spiritually. But it doesn’t have to. Often, overwork stems from taking the wrong approach to structuring one’s schedule. I have a solution to offer—one that will significantly reduce your task load and help you rebalance your work/ life ratio in your favor. In my new book, What to Do When There’s Too Much To Do: Reduce Tasks, Increase Results, and Save 90 Minutes a Day, which hits bookstores on June 26, 2012, I introduce my breakthrough Productivity Workflow Formula™ (PWF). The PWF’s core message is simple: reduce, reduce, reduce! It’s always better to do less, not more, so you can do better, more focused work. In this article, I’ll give you a sneak preview of the six steps of the PWF.

Step 1: Determine What To Do: REDUCE YOUR TO-DO LIST

Too often, we overwork ourselves by doing what doesn’t matter much or what someone else could do. You can remedy this by studying your work requirements closely and then zeroing in on what truly matters. Use the medical concept of triage to reduce your to-do list to manageable proportions. The emergency room doesn’t treat patients in the order they walk in the door; you shouldn’t work in the order tasks arrive in your inbox or by who screams the loudest. Remain flexible at

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Q4 2012

By Laura Stack

all times, realizing priorities can shift on the fly, with new high-priority tasks muscling their way into the workflow and pushing aside less-important items. Quit thinking of your To Do list as a Must Do list, and in general, stop doing things that lack long-term consequences for your job. Delegate out low-profit or low-priority items. Take what remains and sort them into a Master “someday” list, where you track important but non-urgent tasks, and a High Impact Task (HIT) list of items you need to work on right away. Master List tasks might include things like long-term strategies, hiring a new assistant, and reviewing basic French terms before you visit the Paris office. Your HIT List should consist of the items that keep workflow humming along: new and ongoing projects, milestones and deadlines, and critical items you need to accomplish every day. Your Master List flows to your HIT list on a dynamic, daily basis. Just as important as your To Do list is your Not To Do list. Spell out the things you refuse to waste your time on, such as multitasking, most meetings, handling brushfires, and procrastination. Finally, get rid of general timewasters like arriving late, excessive Facebook time, and superfluous socializing.

time and practice self-discipline. While you’re not going to waste time during the workday, you’re not trying to do it all. Block out time for your critical HIT lists tasks right on your calendar. Work to reduce your obligations by adopting the computer science concept of “caching.” This involves developing the ability to add, drop, and refuse new data on the fly, in order to streamline your workload. I call this “availability caching.” When you find yourself at or near maximum capacity, it helps make your decisions about who and what to give your time to more automatic, objective, and logical. Speaking of refusing data: learn to say “no” in a polite yet firm way. Don’t let your co-workers talk you into accepting tasks that either belong to them or you lack time to handle. Ask your boss to prioritize projects when he or she tries to overload you. Meanwhile, keep a firm hand on your own tendency to wander. Don’t derail yourself between tasks; exercise clarity, discernment, and vision to make the right choices “in the moment,” because even tiny time intervals count.

Step 2: Schedule Time to Do It: REDUCE YOUR OBLIGATIONS

So as you embark on your voyage of self-improvement, don’t get in a hurry. Accept that developing a new routine takes time. Leo Babauta, the author of the influential Zen Habits blog, recommends setting yourself a 30-day challenge for changing each habit. In this step, you reduce distractions so you can hone your

Once you’ve identified your key tasks, make the time to do them. Remember, time management really boils down to self-management: the willingness to stop misusing

Step 3: Focus Your Attention: REDUCE YOUR DISTRACTIONS

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focus to razor sharpness. Once you know exactly what you should be doing and have captured time to do it, you must focus on completing that important task. Distractions represent some of the worst productivity hurdles; even if they drag your attention away for just a few seconds at a time, they can cause you to lose your train of thought and fall out of the productive focus in which you accomplish your best work. Take steps to ease external distractions like people chatting in the hallway, interruptions from co-workers, or traffic past your office or cubicle. If nothing else, you can close your door (assuming you have one), or take your laptop into an empty conference room, or establish signals to let your co-workers know when you’d prefer they not disturb you. To keep your electronics from repeatedly shattering your focus, turn off email alarms and instant messaging and let your calls roll over to voicemail. Internal distractions often prove more dangerous than external ones, because they represent hurdles we put up ourselves. We don’t intend to waste time but inevitably do it with gossiping, socializing, procrastinating, and constantly checking email. Ironically, some of the worst internal distractions come from efforts to “increase” personal productivity. Perfectionism, for example, often backfires, because trying to predict everything that could possibly go wrong means you never get started—and when you do get to work, you have a hard time letting go. But few internal distractions hurt productivity as much as multitasking. Trying to do too much at once divides your attention, and one task actually gets in the way of the next. You lose track because you switch between tasks too often. Single-tasking works better: instead of juggling several tasks, focus on one until you’ve reached a natural stopping point (or you’ve completed it), and then move on to the next.

Step 4: Process New Information: REDUCE PROCESSING TIME

Streamline your information flow, and you’ll inevitably cut back on your time expenditures. Make setting up an efficient filing system one of your first tasks. Develop a simple, noun-based labeling scheme, and apply it rigorously to your electronic and paper files. No document should ever take you more than a minute or so to find. You’ll also need a reliable personal time management system—some variety of organizer, whether paper, electronic, or hybrid, where you can keep track of all your schedules and contacts. Just make sure it meets the HUG criteria: it must be Handy, Usable, and Garbage-free.

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Involuntary data inflow, especially email and phone calls, will likely represent a bigger problem. You can cut back on their influence by limiting your exposure to just a few times per day and processing your inboxes down to zero each time you do check, triaging on the fly. Because most work arrives via email, you should follow some foundational principles to reduce processing time: The Superglue Rule The Decisiveness Rule The Start-to-Finish Rule The Three-Minute Rule The Empty Inbox Rule The Discipline Rule When you use these rules in conjunction with my original 6-D Information Processing System™, you can reduce the time you spend handling your inflowing information to a much more manageable level.

Step 5: Close the Loop: REDUCE INEFFICIENCIES

Next, reduce your inefficiencies by determining what does and doesn’t work for you. Constantly refine your workflow processes, reworking or replacing components if they break down or just don’t seem as efficient as they might be. Other people may present your most difficult barriers to closing the loop. Since you can’t control the actions of your co-workers, try to make your interactions with them easier. Start with precision communication that cuts down on unproductive “noise” like hedging and passive language. Get right to the point and ask for acknowledgement on everything. If you don’t completely understand what someone asks of you, keep asking questions until you do. Don’t give up if they get impatient—it’s better than doing the wrong thing or over-delivering—both a waste of time and energy. Micromanagers represent a special case. No amount of productivity training and time management finesse can save you from a micromanager’s ego trip if you don’t take the bully by the horns ASAP. If they hinder your workflow, confront them about it; they may back off. Otherwise, find ways to work around them—or find a job elsewhere. Whether a blockage is human, process-oriented, or mechanical, never hesitate to step in and try to fix it. If you can’t find a way to do so, then go around it and move on to things you can fix. Teamwork is crucial here. Do your best to ease the way for everyone involved. In addition to helping the team develop work plans, set and achieve milestones, and reach deadlines, ensure stability by establishing contingency plans to handle crises and other emergencies, such as unexpected absences.

Step 6: Manage Your Capacity: REDUCE ENERGY EXPENDITURES

The best-laid workflow plan will fall apart if you don’t have the energy to sustain it. Therefore, Step 6 focuses on keeping yourself physically and mentally fit, through a combination of good sleep, diet, exercise, and preservation of personal happiness. Taken together, these form the hub that links and strengthens the other PWF steps. Begin by recognizing the limits of your personal “battery.” You can only go so far before you run out of energy, so know when to slow down and recharge. Don’t skip your scheduled breaks—stretch breaks, meals, personal time, weekends, and vacations—or fatigue may eventually overwhelm you. You can’t stay productive if you don’t get good, restorative sleep every night. Like it or not, your muscles require rest, your body chemistry needs time to reset, and your subconscious mind has to process new information. Do your best to encourage sleep on a regular schedule by establishing a peaceful environment, and avoid using your bedroom as an office. Excess weight will also drag you down, so keep an eye on your diet, focusing on portion control and energy-boosting foods. Pair that with regular exercise. This can include anything from “subversive” activities you can engage in while going about your normal workday (like taking the stairs rather than the elevator), to working out at the gym twice a week. Don’t forget your mental health. If you can’t maintain a high level of enthusiasm for your work, you can’t stay at your productive best. Seek out happiness by making empowered choices, surrounding yourself with fun things, spending time with your family, doing nice things for people, cherishing yourself, and finding ways to laugh at adversity. All this will help you maintain a fresh, can-do attitude. Staying on Top of Your Life There’s no doubt your career is important: you spend more than half of your waking life either working or preparing to. But you can’t let it override everything else. For the sake of your mental and physical health—not to mention your friends and family—you’ve got to curb your workaholic tendencies. Yes, working 70-hour weeks can make you fantastically productive...in the short term. But over time, you’ll wear down to a ghost of your former self. Eventually something will break, and suddenly, your productivity will drop to nil. Like an overpowered light bulb, you’ll produce a lot of heat and light for a while, but suddenly you’ll burn out, much

sooner than you should. Even if that doesn’t happen, don’t fool yourself: no matter how hard you work today, you can’t guarantee corporate leadership will remember your sacrifice tomorrow. You might end up with a pink slip anyway. Rather than grow old and break down before your time, implement my Productivity Workflow Formula in your career. These six steps are logical, straightforward, and can help you reduce your workload to a reasonable level, resulting in a work/life balance you can live with over the long haul. Sure, hard work may be good for the soul—but moderation will keep you healthy. You can get the full details on all six steps in What To Do When There’s Too Much To Do, my brand new handbook for maximizing workplace productivity without running yourself into the ground. Buy your copy at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or 800CEORead and email your receipt to WhatToDo@TheProductivityPro.com for special bonuses by author friends of Laura Stack. Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com/WhatToDo for complete details. Make it a productive day!™

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Laura Stack is America’s premier expert in personal productivity. Since 1992, she has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces. She is the bestselling author of five books, including What to Do When There’s Too Much To Do. To have Laura speak at your next event or to sign up for her free monthly newsletter, visit www.TheProductivityPro.com.

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