Monthly Archives: May 2012

Shampoo on Your Toothbrush

 

Shampoo on Your Toothbrush
                I was in the middle of working on a very thought-intensive project when I had to stop and hurry to get ready to catch a flight. While getting ready I nearly put toothpaste on my razor, and caught myself putting shampoo on my toothbrush.
          No, I’m not going senile! My mind was still on my project instead of brushing my teeth.
          While human hands and bodies appear to be capable of ‘multi-tasking’ the mind functions at its peak when focused on one task. That’s why your old ‘open door policy’ doesn’t work. Invariably someone will come into your office, interrupt your concentration on an important project and you’ll feel obligated to answer their seemingly mundane question in a misguided attempt to make them feel important.
          While your intentions are good, your open door policy is not fair to you or them.
          The once-held sacred belief in the value of the ‘open door policy’ was established when all of us had assistants, more staff, and less tasks to complete in a given day.
          Inevitably, while in the midst of another thought process, you’ll put shampoo on your toothbrush….giving the person who came through your ‘open door’ an off the cuff answer because your mind did not have time to switch gears.
          We’ve all said to ourselves in hindsight “There was a much better answer to that question had I had the time to focus on it.” And then, to make the interruption worse, it takes you ten minutes to get your head back into what you were working on! (Actually the neurological research reveals you will waste between 2 and 11 minutes trying to refocus properly).
          But your people, and their questions, are important. So here’s the solution to help you not lose focus on your important projects, and to give the questions you are asked the attention they deserve.
          Have, and stick to, regularly scheduled one-on-ones when you can focus on the questions you are asked. Then regularly practice the ENS Media Inc magic phrase when someone interrupts you; “This is important to me. Can it wait until our regularly scheduled one-on-one so I can give it the attention it deserves?”
          This process will create one of three results;
1.) Your people will learn to expect you to ask if their question can wait, and they’ll eventually have a lot fewer ‘urgent’ questions, placing them on the agenda for your one-on-one.
2.) More often than not, empowered people will find the answers on their own without interrupting you.
3.) You will give your people, and their questions, the full attention they deserve
          There is probably a better solution than putting shampoo on your toothbrush
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Confidence Scheme

 

 

Confidence Scheme

            How long would Starbucks maintain their profits if they advertised coffee on sale for less than Dunkin Donuts? And how many Lexus, made by Toyota, would sell at their current profit margins if they replaced the Lexus logo with the parent company logo?
            You know that when a prospect sees a media proposal which claims to have a value of $50,000 but is being offered at $10,000, advertisers do not really believe the stated $50,000 value.
            But have you stopped to think of the role pricing has on the confidence level of your salespeople?  When we bonus or give away spots, what is the perceived real value of a spot in your sellers’ minds?
            Most sales professionals grow their sales by developing strong customer relationships based upon trust. Can they confidently build that trust if they know another seller in your organization is selling for less?
            Many managers use AMI, Average Monthly Invoice, to estimate what the marketplace perceives their station to be worth. We use AMI per account executive to determine what each account executive believes your station to be worth!
            When you calculate each of your seller’s AMI’s, you’ll quickly discover what THEY think your station is worth.
            Selling has often been described as ‘a transference in confidence.’ Your pricing policies reflect directly upon the confidence your account executives will have in your station.
            If you are giving it away, that’s what it’s perceived to be worth in the minds of your seller’s. And only the crooks on your team will try to sell something for more than they believe it to be worth.
             Crooks seldom build lasting and trusting relationships with their victims. Is your pricing policy a confidence scheme, or a confidence-builder?
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Kick Start

 

Kick Start
            We all have tasks to perform that we’d rather not. You know, the ones you keep pushing to the bottom of your pile?
           Do you know is what the hardest thing about starting those projects or tasks?
           The hardest thing about starting those projects is……starting those projects!
           Once you kick yourself in the butt and finally tackle the project it seldom takes as long or is as difficult as you had imagined it would be. It just needed your kick-start.
           Most courses, books and trainers on the topic of ‘time management’ suggest that you do those distasteful projects first; Get them out of the way and the rest of your day will be a breeze.
           Procrastination is the enemy of attitude.
           Letting the thought of starting that task eat away at you for the bulk of the day can have huge detrimental effects on your ability to focus on the projects or tasks you normally would enjoy.
            So take a look at your to do list every morning, and kick-start that ‘hard to start’ project first. Starting it is half the battle, finishing it naturally follows and clears the way for a better day
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A Thank You Bonus

A Thank You Bonus

            Last week’s ENS on Sales discussed the power of saying, “thank you”, to your clients and having an Appreciation Marketing Plan to differentiate you from a long list of competitors.
            But I received an unexpected bonus yesterday when I said, “thank you”. I
don’t usually frequent fast food restaurants, but I was in a rush and had to grab a bite at a KFC restaurant.             The older lady who served me was one of the most cheerful and friendly servers I had ever met. She not only said, “thank you”, when she handed me the change, but she said, “I hope you enjoy your meal”, and I felt she meant it!
            After the meal, I went back to the same person at the counter and told her I’d like to speak to the manager.   She never asked why or tried to block me, but rather, she quickly went and got the manager.
            The manager looked as if he was about to experience a complaint or a sales pitch.
            While the server was still present I told the manager how delightful it had been to be served by such a bright, courteous and cheerful person. The manager said, “thanks very much for telling us, we’re very happy to have her here”, and
my server began to cry.
            Here is the ‘bonus’ part. I hadn’t meant to evoke tears, but I too felt really good about my ‘Thank You’ deed for the rest of the day! Saying thank you makes the ‘thankor’ and the ‘thankee’ feel good!
P.S. Make a note in your calendar everyday to catch one of your staff or peers doing something right!. (It’s human nature to catch them doing something wrong)  Behaviors that get recognized or rewarded get repeated.
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