Hit the Reset Button

I just spent a few days at a client location working with managers on advancing their coaching effectiveness. During the course of our discussions I made a few observations, one being managers have failed to set clear expectations. I've always said, you cannot coach until you have set clear expectations, and it's never too late to do so. Effective performance management systems start with setting goals and clear expectations. Coaching is part of an effective performance management system. A majority of the managers discovered that they hadn't set clear expectations. So, the first thing they are going to do is what I call "Hit the reset button". In other words they are going to have a discussion with their employees about expectations. Yahoo! These managers will be far more successful in applying their coaching skills after they hit the reset button.

Stick with six-get the most important things done!

I am reading The Ultimate Sales Machine, written by Chet Holmes. This book is filled with excellent ideas and suggestions. The ideas he shares are proven to work, so I couldn't pass up sharing one that I use to plan more effectively and be more productive. The general principle is focus on the most important things you need to get done every day, and don't do more than six. On average you have six hours of productive time each day-so on average you can accomplish the six most important tasks in a day. Chet Holmes has tested this over many years, and now I've tested the "magic of six" over the past three months and it works. No matter whether it's a day or month-stick with the top six things you need to accomplish, and you will get them done!

You must prioritize your tasks and establish chunks of time for each task. "Chunking" things down is an excellent approach to doing any major task-so if you have been procrastinating doing something important because it takes too much time, chunk it down. Do 30 minutes per day on it, you will be amazed at the results. Once you have allocated the amount of time for each task plan your day. Plan the day according to whats most important first-enter your tasks in the appropriate time slot and stick to it. I use Outlook to plan my day, it doesn't matter what type of time management tool or calendar system you use-just pick one and use it every day.

I'll leave you with this quote, "You only have to do a little each day, to get a ton done."

Who makes up your social capital?

Whether you are a business owner, sales person, IT professional, supervisor or front line manager, vice president or CEO there is one thing we all must do to be more successful in business. Leverage social capital for greater success. Your social capital boils down to one thing only-your relationships. How do you build and maintain relationships? How do you sustain relationships? These are important questions to answer as you think about the single most important asset we all have in business today-relationships.

Customer Service Isn't Dead Yet

I've been reflecting on a few recent customer service experiences and a conversation I had with a new acquaintance. So often our service experiences are dismal, disappointing, and down right poor! And it's time to share some thoughts. I recently stayed at a Hilton Garden where I always stay when traveling to a client in upstate NY. I have preferences listed in my profile, one being my favorite rooms. So I expected to be staying in one of those rooms this week and I had a unpleasant surprise when I checked in. The original room number was crossed out on the card key folder (my favorite room) and a different room assignment was hand written. The front desk attendant saw a "look" on my face that prompted her to ask me what was wrong. After telling her how I was feeling she promptly check the hotel records and switched me to a room near my favorite room. Her prompt action turned a disappointed client into a satisfied one, enough so to want to share it on the Internet. The other experience I want to share is about a newspaper subscription. I decided to change my subscription from a daily to a weekend. So I was downgrading my subscription-well they welcomed the change to my surprise (they were more interested in meeting my needs and retaining me of course) and gave me $1.00 off the rate since I signed up for automatic payments, and a few days later they sent me a letter thanking me for my subscription and included a $10.00 gift card to a local establishment-which I do frequent. I was thrilled and will be writing a letter to the editor of the newspaper to share this experience. Now by all accounts you may consider what these two companies did as nothing extraordinary-but for me they did. The moral of the story is that customer service does make a difference. What can you do to prompt your customers to talk good about you? If you want to brainstorm ideas or have a story to share email me at: carol@learningandperformance.net

Why Sales People Fail

I've been delivering sales training for over seven years and there is a pattern of behavior I continue to observe. There is a tendency to make assumptions about potential clients and that clients have the same feelings/reservations as you do. Both create barriers to successful selling and more specifically barriers to creating successful relationships. Sales is more about the relationship and learning more about current and future needs and less about the product. I train bank professionals on how to build customer relationships and the most important aspect of the process is asking permission to gather information, and that requires asking questions. The single biggest barrier is that most of the participants will tell me I wouldn't want someone to ask me "that"question. Well it's not about you, it's about learning more about their needs so that you can meet those needs successfully. Just because you might not like someone asking you that question doesn't mean the client feels the same way. In other words don't assume the customer feels the same way as you do and you will be more successful at meeting their needs and building the relationship.

The Dialogue Needs to Change!

You don’t have to join the recession. I know that sounds silly, but I’m a firm believer in the power of positive thought. Regardless of the economic climate you have a choice to be controlled and manipulated by the “doom and gloom” media frenzy, whether or not you choose to think powerless or powerful, fearful or fearless. You can be successful and create opportunity for success in this “new economy.”

I suggest that you focus on inspiring personal success in yourself and others. Whatever you focus your thoughts and energy on you will get more of. So why not spend your energy and thought on being successful in times of challenge and uncertainty, and guarantee yourself a positive outcome.

Visit my website at www.learningandperformancesolutions.com and read my article on Inspire Personal Success.

Fear Keeps You Contracted

I was listening to three professional coaches this afternoon about how the current business climate is affecting the coaching profession. There was the usual talk about fee structure, marketing, etc. And then there was a comment made about what people do when they are economically concerned, fear of job loss, etc. and it's their reaction to what happens which today is mostly in the form of fear. Its fear that I've always said "holds people back." Well, it also is what causes people to contract, whether its how they spend their money, what risk they are willing to take to be more successful in their job, who they spend time with as well as how they spend their time. All of this impacts productivity, morale, managing and leading people. I believe one solution is to provide people with a strategy and framework to be successful and productive in the current climate. That strategy and framework is coaching, particularly group coaching. If as managers and leaders you are coaching and developing your people you will thrive and triumph in this economy. This will enable your employees to be more productive, more positive, grow and flourish, rather than be griped by fear and contract.