Laura Stack - The Productivity Pro, Time Management, Getting Things Done, How to Be More Productive

It's About Time

Its About Time

Pareto is very busy in the sales world.  You know the 80-20 rule.  In this case, it means that only 20% of salespeople spend 80% of their time on selling activities.  Are you in this group?  See if you recognize yourself.  If not, here’s how you can join the group.      

Put your fingers on it fast.  Laura Stack is a professional speaker and author of Leave the Office Earlier® and Find More Time.  She sees several time wasters that cost salespeople valuable selling time.  One of the biggest time wasters is lacking a system to track client history.  The system should include notes on conversations that took place, with whom, and when they took place.  Stack says, “To be truly organized you should be able to have a prospect call you out of the blue and you should be able to immediately refer back to a conversation that took place years ago.”  Without the system, you can’t be effective. You may even frustrate clients who have to repeat themselves and might have to rely on facts that aren’t correct.   Stack uses ACT! to take notes while talking with clients on the phone.  Many salespeople are unaware that Outlook can be used to track history.  The journal feature allows you to take notes and attach those notes to the contact.  Stack adds that you can use a manual folder system if you prefer. What is essential is to have a system to aggregate and retrieve client history. 

There’s an unexpected time waster—the BlackBerry.  It’s hard to use one for taking notes because you can’t type that fast.  Stack sees salespeople taking notes on scraps of paper, place mats and even their hands. That haphazard system makes them more disorganized.  She suggests, “Understand the features and benefits and decide if it’s for you.”  It’s important once you do take notes to enter them into your system as soon as possible so they don’t pile up.

Get to work fast.  Another time waster is when salespeople lack a plan or poorly plan their daily activities.  It starts by having a system to schedule follow up tasks like telephone calls.  If you tell a customer you will call in two weeks, you must follow through.  Some salespeople think they can remember everything they promise. That’s far too taxing. Instead, a technology supplied or manual system works well to keep your promises.  She says, “People will work with someone who is reliable more than someone they like.”  Some inefficient salespeople begin each day thinking, “Who am I supposed to call today?”  Stack says that when you come to work each day you should already know whom you’re supposed to call and what you’re supposed to do.  If you work in inside sales, your planning can be the last task of the previous day.  If you do a lot of driving, a week out is sufficient and more time is required for air travelers.  In addition, at the beginning of each month Stack recommends reviewing activities for the coming month.

Work on selling.  Stack sees many salespeople wasting time on activities that take them away from selling. One activity is constant email checking which she suggests reducing to once per day. She sees salespeople who take notes on spiral notebooks only to waste time flipping back through the notebooks to locate a particular piece of customer information.  She often hears complaints about completing reports that are time wasters. Yet when she asks, “What have you done about it?” she often gets the response, “Nothing.”  Stack reports, “If leadership knew, they would care as it’s directly impacting the profitability of the sales force.” 

You may think you don’t have time to plan your selling.  You really do.  Stack says, “Organization is an enabler. Once it’s in place, it allows you to make more sales. It’s a launching pad to reach more sales revenue.”  Sounds like it’s time to take the leap and join the 20% that are selling more effectively. 

Maura Schreier-Fleming works with business and sales professionals on skills and strategies so they can sell more and be more productive at work.  She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results which is available at www.BestatSelling.com.  She founded her company Best@Selling in 1997.  You can reach her at 972.380.0200 or info@Bestatsellling.com. 

Eliminate interruptions for better concentration

Interruptions abound—a co-worker drops by to chat, the phone rings, and your boss sends you an email to handle something, pronto—all at the same time.  With a flurry of activity, you respond to these various demands.  All prove to be low priority, and an hour later, you return to your initial task, your energy waning.  You decide you’ll work on the project in the afternoon, when your energy picks up again.  Of course, after lunch, there’s some crisis, and after fielding a volley of phone calls and unscheduled visits from co-workers, the day ends, and the project is yet again unfinished. 

You’ve lost your momentum.  Much like your car has to work harder to accelerate from a complete stop, so does your brain.  Although interruptions are a normal (and sometimes desirable) part of our work experience, there are times when it’s helpful to defend against them.

So try to eliminate distractions when you need to concentrate on a difficult task.  It's hard to get much done when someone or something is bugging you. It's a major problem in most offices, particularly in those with open-plan architecture. If people aren't talking or walking around, they're coming directly to you to chit-chat. If they don't come personally, they call you or send you email. This is fine for occasional socializing or if you're working with someone on something, but at times it might be necessary to set limits on the chatting. This isn't much of a problem when you have your own office; you can shut the door, and even lock it if necessary. If you're stuck in a cubicle, however, there's not much you can do to stop people from coming by, or even from parking themselves outside your cubicle and holding a long discussion with someone else. Try slipping on some noise canceling headphones to drown out the antics of passersby or your neighbor. People are less likely to interrupt you when you’re wearing a headset.  I’m not sure why this is but it’s true.  Just don’t get any eye contact. This can create a little privacy without seeming too unfriendly. Similarly, you can send your calls to voicemail and close your email program to give yourself some time to focus without getting distracted.

Addicted to Email

I have a friend who jokes there are always three people in her bed: herself, her husband, and her Blackberry.  I was in California last week on vacation with my family and witnessed people typing away on their Blackberries while at Disneyland, with their children tugging at their pants legs, asking to go see Cinderella.  I was presenting a seminar yesterday, and one participant kept looking up to say, "Would you repeat that"? not because I wasn't clear, but because she wasn't paying attention to me---you got it---checking her email during class.  Examples abound but the bottom line is Americans are addicted to email.  Slaves to the Send/Receive button, countless workers sit at their desks, waiting for the next Desktop Alert, beep, cursor change, envelope in the system tray, whatever trigger prompts their Pavlovian response to interrupt whatever they are doing and check it.  And unopened email!  A present---for me!  Someone loves me.  Many workers allow themselves to get sucked in the email vortex for an entire day and not actually complete any work.  And then we blame the sheer mass for sucking all of our time, rather than acknowledging the reality: you are controlled by your email. 

A new study released July 26 by AOL in partnership with Opinion Research Corporation reveals that more Americans are using portable devices to email around the clock from virtually anywhere---even in the bathroom and at church.  Even more dangerously, 53% of respondents admit to tapping away *while driving.*  Some other interesting statistics:

* 83% of email users are checking while on vacation;

* 59% of those with portable devices are using them to check email every time a new message arrives.

* 43% of users keep the device nearby when they are sleeping to listen for incoming email.

*  15% describe themselves as "addicted to email" (really? only 15%?)

These statistics are just sad.  AOL was extolling this like a virtue, of course, that you can stay connected anywhere, anytime.  I think it's a dangerous message.  We're teaching people that in order to be productive and be a valuable worker, you have to be "always on," give up your private time, and check email at all hours of the night.  Portable devices are very convenient when you're traveling for business, sitting on an airplane, in a taxi, driving as a passenger in a car with nothing better to do, at a business conference to stay in touch with the office, waiting to pick you kid up from soccer, etc.  There are certainly and definitely valuable uses for handhelds and they can be quite handy.  But be very careful about throwing yourself upon the altar of email addiction and sacrificing the quality of your life balance and time with your loved ones. 

The big differentiating factor is control.  If you shut your Outlook down completely for an hour, would you be able to resist checking?  Can you turn off your device for two hours while having a nice dinner with a spouse without thinking about it constantly?  Would you get hives if your Blackberry wasn't charged?  Do you feel like the world is going to end?  I'm not here to judge you and neither should anyone else---only you know---intuitively---whether you have a problem.  Time to control yourself rather than letting technology control you.  If you think it's bad now, just wait to see what happens in a couple years.

   

The Crackberry: A Corporate Noose or Time Leveraging Tool: Time Management and Blackberries

I enjoyed this post about how to be more productive with your Crackberry, I mean Blackberry.

Especially true is Nakagawa's comment, "...the people who are the most productive don’t seem to have them." 

I'm sure you have your beefs about Blackberry usage in your organization (or by your spouse, for that matter).  If you were king or queen of the world, what "rules" would you create about Blackberry usage?  In addition to the 10 the author lists, I'll add the following from personal experience:

1.  Do not pretend you are listening to someone by brainlessly mumbling "uh-huh" while you are answering an email on your Crackberry.

2.  Pay attention to the presenter during training sessions rather than using the time as your personal Crackberry play time.

3.  Use codes in the subject line when emailing, so Crackberry recipients can get your message without having to open it: "Do you know what the June budget figure is for professional services? END"  (AR = Action Required, END = End of message, LONG = read later etc.)

4.  Set your Crackberry to delete your email off the server when you delete it from your handheld (so you don't have to do it twice).

5.  Turn your Crackberry off when you are standing in line for the Matterhorn at Disney World with your poor children tugging at your arm.

What are your rules?

NewsGator Inbox for Outlook 2.6 saves time

I've always used RSS Reader 2.0 as my news aggregator/feed reader, until it started acting buggy, and I explored other options.  After reading other blogs and postings on the subject, I decided to try NewsGator Inbox for Outlook...and I love it!  What a time saver!  It integrates right into my Outlook email client and acts just like an email.  It has its own folder, and I can delete, forward, store, and search blog postings just like email.  It adds a nifty "Subscribe in NewsGator" item to the Internet Explorer menu.  I also like the wizard that lets you search feeds by keyword.

It has some disadvantages: you can only use it with Outlook, although NewsGator has different software versions as well.  The only thing I don't like is you can't group RSS feeds.

There's a free 30-day trial at the NewsGator InBox website; the software version is only $29.95, which is well worth the convenience of seeing everything in one place (if you're an Outlook user).

Bottom line: If the average "Joe" had this tool when blogging first started, it wouldn't have been near as confusing and more people would have taken the time to learn how to subscribe to RSS feeds.

Anagram Intelligence for Microsoft Outlook

I love this amazing little plug-in for Outlook.  Your $30 will be well-spent.  You highlight information from the text of an email, hit a hotkey, and the software instantly determines whether you're highlighting contact, appointment, task, or note information and opens the appropriate dialog box in Outlook with the information *already populated* for your review.  You can try it free for 45 days.

Visit http://getanagram.com/anagramoutlook/ to see a flash video and read about the neat features.

Paper versus electronic time management systems

If you want to test out whether you are more of a "paper" person or an "electronic" person, I have a test at http://www.theproductivitypro.com/FreeStuff/TEST_paperORelectronic.xlt that will run a macro and give you a score and a recommendation.

Productivity Boost Using Three Screens Per Worker

I'm mulling about my monitor.  I was reading an article at online.wsj.com/articles/talking_tech about a research study done by Microsoft's Center for Information Work, which looks at the way office workers use computers.  They found that with three monitors per worker, productivity jumped NINE PERCENT.  That's unreal.  Nine percent might not seem like a lot to you, but it's getting to the point where it's really hard to squeeze a few extra productivity points out of workers, so that's a very large amount.  When you look at the stock market trading floor, you see multiple monitors everywhere---that group has already realized it's required to see all that information.

Perhaps I wouldn't have three monitors, but I'm seriously considering adding a second.  It seems like I need one computer for communications and one for work.  I usually have at least five applications/documents going at once, and I'm having to constantly switch between them.  I could use one to monitor my calendar/email/IM/blogs and one for my customer database, Word, PowerPoint, etc.  Hmmm...as long as I had the ability to turn off one monitor...it would prevent "multi-tasking" when I'm trying to concentrate on a document.  Windows XP supports using multiple monitors and has the Dualview feature built in. Dualview lets you add a separate monitor to your laptop and view different programs on each display, so I know it could be done.

I'm curious to hear from any of you who have two monitors.  What's been your experience?

A First Look at the 2007 Microsoft Office System

I recently participated in the “Microsoft Office System Webcast: A First Look at the 2007 Microsoft Office System” that previewed some of the new features of Microsoft Office 2007.  View it at:

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032290359&EventCategory=5&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

I’m excited about the changes I saw.  While the move from Office 2000 to Office 2003 brought us mostly cosmetic changes, there is a lot of new, improved functionality in Office 2007.  Here are some of my favorites:

·        The menu system is replaced by a “ribbon,” which is essentially a customized tool bar with buttons for each command.

·        The ribbon opens a series of “command tabs” that are contextual, meaning they only appear when you need them.  So you don’t always have your menu bar cluttered up by a bunch of icons that are meaningless at the time.  Each application has its own set of command tabs in the ribbon that applies to what that application most commonly does.  No more hunting for commands and dialog boxes!

·        A “quick access” toolbar is present on the top that allows you to add tabs and customize your application.

·        A Microsoft Office logo (very similar to what Mac users see with the Apple) now appears on the left side for commonly used commands.

·        In MS Word, a nifty “live preview” feature lets you hover over the fonts and styles to see what a change would do to your text if selected.

·        Very similar to adding signatures in Outlook, you can now add “building blocks” across all Office applications, such as footers, strings of text, addresses, etc. Think of it like a library of templates with strings of text you tend to type over and over again, kind of “structural chunks.”  AutoText on steroids.

·        In MS Outlook, there’s a cool new News Reader that helps you manage and subscribe to RSS news feeds on industry news and information important to you.

·        To solve the problem of people putting tasks on their calendar, Outlook now has a nifty “to-do” bar, which displays meetings and tasks for the day, including ones from MS Project and OneNote, all in a single view.  Flags actually automatically create a task for you depending on the selected time.  Tasks display right on your calendar, so you know when to do it and don’t get them confused with appointments with an actual set time.  The calendar has your in-box flags, tasks, meetings…everything all in one place!

·        Outlook also has a refined search function, which will save you time locating your messages.

·        To save even more time, you no longer have to open attachments in their native application (MS Word, Excel, etc.).  You can preview attached files right in the Outlook interface.

·        Customizable color categories now apply across all of Office, so you can quickly see all email, tasks, and meetings for a project.

·        Upgraded security features let you specify whether an email message can be copied, forwarded, viewed or printed, etc., very similar to setting security settings for PDF or other documents.

·        In PowerPoint, I really loved the new design feature that takes a simple bulleted list of text and uses IGX Graphics to convert it automatically into diagrams and figures.

For more information on the 2007 Microsoft Office System: www.microsoft.com/office/preview. 

Microsoft Office System Tips & Tricks:

www.microsoft.com/greattips

Microsoft Work Essentials:

www.microsoft.com/workessentials

Wi-fi on airplanes: a much-needed productivity boost!

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2006-06-05-inflight-broadband_x.htm

Following a winning $31.3 million-dollar bid, AirCell, a Colorado-based company that provides wireless services for corporate jets, is now poised to provide wireless service on public airliners as early as 2007.  This would be absolutely amazing for personal productivity, allowing you to do the same work you do in the office, on your Blackberry, in the hotel, at Starbucks and in the airport lounge.  Bravo!  Many people complain about travel, citing a huge productivity drain.  Now they won't have anything to blame, and the excuse will vanish.  The real reason for not getting work done will emerge: a good book, a stiff drink, the prospect of a nap.  NOW we'll see where the rubber hits the road...or air waves...on productivity.

Excerpt from Laura's book Find More Time:

Use your travel time productively. If you were fortunate enough to have ever met the late Art Berg, CSP, CPAE, you have been blessed. This pioneer of using technology in a way that helps people simplify their lives was the founder of the Internet calendaring system I use: www.espeakers.com. Art always told me, “Never waste your time on the plane. The more you get done while you’re traveling, the more time you’ll have available to be with your family you return.” I took his sage advice to heart and now plan on being able to knock out a bunch of work while I’m away from home. I don’t just sleep, rent the movies, or listen to music on the plane—I work. I read business journals, trade magazines, write thank-you letters, complete routine paperwork, review large reports and board materials, or do project and advance planning. If I feel good about what I’ve accomplished, I have the current Oprah magazine handy for pleasure reading. I take my office into the air and to the hotel. In the hotel, I don’t watch television! If you’re a television person at home, discipline yourself to say, “This is my time. Uninterrupted time. There’s no one else to take care of but myself. I’m going to use it to get ahead.”