Knowing-Doing and Procrastination

Knowing-Doing Gap
Smart companies, big and small, sometimes struggle using knowledge in everyday work. A small service tech company I worked with had paid for a complete software application to track their inventory and vehicle maintenance schedule. The software was $12,000 and came with a one year service plan that was going to expire in 8 weeks. The software, easy to use, did require the drivers of the service vans to report back to the shop what they used on a service run and when the techs should get their van serviced. Consequently, there had been 25 days of vans not being operational and the estimate of getting to the job site without the proper inventory in the van was listed at 200 lost hours of work. So the $12,000 software had an additional cost of:

Van downtime - $1000 average lost revenue per day $25,000

Driving back to get supply $100/hour lost billing $ 2,000

Someone in this company KNEW that the software could save time, but the process of DOING was never completed. The knowing-Doing Gap is a documented growth factor for successful businesses. According to Jeffry Pffeffer of Harvard, statically, businesses that DO will surpass those that KNOW and fail to implement. In a Lean Culture, we often say:

DO SOMETHING because you can always do something else if the first DOING doesn't get the results you want.

What do you KNOW about your business that you are not DOING? Related articles.

Copyright 2011 Linda Lucas Fayerweather

 http://www.changinglanes.biz/
 419-897-0528
 linda@changinglanes.biz

Five Steps for Overcoming Procrastination
Overcoming procrastination will bring you joy and increase your bottom line. If procrastination in your life leaves you feeling bad about yourself, then it's time to implement a process for overcoming procrastination. Following the five step Conscious Transformation Process will make overcoming procrastination easier for you. The five steps are:

Announce - analyze your procrastination to gain clarity about why, when and how you procrastinate. Just don't make overcoming procrastination a procrastination technique that keeps you from doing important work! Download the Transformations Breakthrough Process to work through your own process. Once you've analyzed your procrastination patterns, determine how you will BE when procrastination is no longer part of your life. You may want to be productive, energetic, joyful, timely, relaxed, etc. Use this free tool Contrast Brings Clearness to help you gain clarity about your state of being as a non-procrastinator.

Align - adopt techniques that help you get back into balance when you notice that you are procrastinating. For example, you might use affirmations, visualization or journaling to return to the state of being you identified in the Announce step.

Act - create a plan of action based upon inspiration, incorporating activities that resonate with you. Some example actions that help with overcoming procrastination include: 

• Start each day with a plan and goals. Decide one thing that you are going to do to be productive that day and be specific. For example, make 10 calls to set up one-on-one sales appointments between 9 am and 10 am.
• Create a productive environment. Go someplace where you aren't distracted, turn off your Internet, or close your office door. Do whatever makes sense for you so that you can be productive. 
• Set a time limit. If you are working on a large project, decide to just work for one or two hours each day until the project is completed. Or maybe you just need 15 minutes a day. Choose the amount of time that seems right for you to complete your project on time.

Account - track your daily progress in applying the new actions you selected in the preceding step. Download the Daily Accountability Tracking Sheet from the FREE tools to help with tracking. Write down your commitments to take certain actions for overcoming procrastination, such as those listed in the Act step above, across the top columns. Monitor your progress for the days that are listed in the rows. At the end of your work day complete your daily accountability tracking sheet.

Allow - in order to succeed in overcoming procrastination, you must believe in yourself, detach from the outcome and be grateful throughout the process.

Be gentle with yourself and when you notice self-critical thoughts, stop those in their tracks and don't forget to reward yourself for making progress. Be grateful along the way.

There's no quick fix for overcoming procrastination, but if you follow these five steps, you will notice a slow but sure transformation from procrastination to productivity.

Copyright 2011 About the author. Pat Altvater partners with solo entrepreneurs to implement a sales and marketing process and plan that brings them joy and increases their bottom line. She is the author of Choose Success - Ignite the Power Within and President of Transformations Institute. Learn more about perfectionism and procrastination at her blog Patti Perfect's Perfectionism Blog http://pattiperfectsperfectionismblog.com/ and her Facebook fan page Patti Perfect Says http://www.facebook.com/pattiperfectsays.

Budgeting is Alive and Well

It's Alive, It's Alive

Budgeting is alive and it is everywhere from federal spending all the way down to the cities we live in and organizations we work with on a daily basis. Although budget is not a four letter word, it is often treated that way.

A budget goes hand and hand with a business plan. The plan's goals (metircs) usually come from our projections. The budget is created from those projections. To start a budget, gather together the business plan, projections and key metrics. We will keep these points in mind as we set forth to budget.

Keep it Simple. Don't over complicate things, it is a estimate of where we want to be at the end of a given period.

Review and Consult. Review the history and consult with others - your business partner; key staff members; trusted advisors. Getting another set of eyes on the budget will help our staff buy into the budget.

Keep it Real. Be realistic about profit, expenses, sales and asset use. Being honest with ourselves about what is likely will be key - NOT what we really would like.

Be Thorough. Include all necessary information -- fixed costs, direct costs and overhead. Don't forget to budget owner compensation, marketing and any interest changes that may affect the bottom line.

Be Flexible. Since the budget is based on historical data and best guesses of the future, realize that unknowns can happen. Budgets will need to be adjusted when markets and economies dramatically change. Otherwise, use it is a guidepost to help reach the goals.

A live, working budget will help a business stay on plan and on target for the future vision.

Copyright 2011 Linda Lucas Fayerweather
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
419-897-0528
linda@changinglanes.biz
Leadership - The Short Course
There are a plethora of books on leadership and how to succeed in life. However, in my opinion there is a very simple formula that, if followed, will enable you to succeed at whatever it is you are called to do. Here is my list (no book required).

1 - Be nice to people.
2 - Do what you say and say what you do.
3 - Celebrate mistakes and learn from them.
4 - Be humble when you succeed.
5 - Repeat steps 1 through 4.

Copyright 2011 Ron Pereira
http://lssacademy.com/BETA/about/

Manage What You Mean

Manage What You Mean
We have all heard a manager joke to employees saying "Do what I say, not what I do". Managing by modeling the behavior we need is often the first step in Great Leadership.

• If we want our employees and peers to be on time, we need to be on time ourselves.
• If we want our neighborhood litter free, we know not to litter and keep our area free of litter.
• If we want our customers to respect us, we will have responsive customer service.
• If we want to be profitable, we will manage our expenses and margins.
• If we want to grow our businesses, we will to manage our assets and liabilities.

Another example of managing what we mean is those who are a parent or are around children a lot, may have noticed that young charges will mirror our worst behaviors, especially colorful language and repeat it at the most inopportune times. They are just trying to "act" adult and the mimicking in their minds is role modeling their leader.

Business Owners know "if you don't have the time to practice what you preach, you don't believe IT yourself!" Having your business and personal core values aligned is a first step to greatness. Take time this week to identify those values you will never leave home without and watch your business grow.

Copyright 2011 Linda Lucas Fayerweather
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
419-897-0528
linda@changinglanes.biz

Attracting Customers Made Easy!

One of the biggest mistakes, probably the biggest mistake, people make in any business is that they fall in love with the wrong things. They fall in love with their product, service, or company. You should believe passionately in your product, service or company. But you should fall in love with your clients.' Jay Abraham, Getting All You Can Out of All You've Got

Can you think of any marketing technique that is more effective than attracting customers with genuine, sincere concern for them coupled with a true desire to assist them in solving their problems and/or satisfying their goals? I can't!

If you currently could use help attracting customesrs, here are four easy steps for you:

1. Be grateful for the customers you have right now,
2. Get very clear on the traits of your perfect client/customer so that you begin attracting customers that are a great match for you. Here's what you can do. Download my FREE Contrast Brings Clearness worksheet (http://www.salescoachforwomenentrepreneurs.com/freetools.html) and make a list first in the bottom section of the worksheet of all the traits that you don't want your clients to have. Then using the top of the form, reframe those to the traits that you do want your ideal client to possess. Once you get on a roll, write more and more traits that you can think of so you begin attracting customers that are perfect for you.
3. Once you have listed everything you can think of, tear off the bottom section, and then review the upper half of the list daily. When you review it, see yourself attracting customers easily. Fill your heart with love and appreciation for those perfect clients and then let that feeling spread throughout your entire being. Visualize yourself providing your service or products to help them solve their problems or meet their goals, and
4. Stay positive and optimistic throughout your day.

Cultivate that lovin' feeling and your perfect client will feel it and show up at your door! Attracting customers through maintaining the wonderful emotions of love, gratitude and optimism throughout your day will not only attract clients but also will nurture your personal energy so you can enjoy your days, feeling great and operating up to your potential.

Copyright 2011 Pat Altvater

http://www.salescoachforwomanentrepreneurs.com/
Partnering with women entrepreneurs to implement a sales process that brings them joy and increases their bottom line.

Customer Service & Personal Energy

Building Loyalty
The words "customer service" often bring to mind annoying phone conversations with someone who really doesn't care. When your business is offering service, keep in mind the four keys to customer service.

 1. Be Available

 2. Provide Accurate Information
 3. Develop a Partnership
 4. Offer Advice
The first two are commodities - they are expected. Being Available via "phone prompts" often serves the business more than the customer. Research has shown that when you have more than 3 choices, people get frustrated or quit. Three is optimal.

• If you are a doctor press 1.
• If you are patient press 2.
• Press 3 to return to the main menu.

When given two options and a return, people will happily drill down 5 or 6 levels. If your business does not provide 1 & 2, realize customers always demand these.

Developing expertise in 3 & 4 is where loyal and returning customers are grown. Building Partnerships means all employees learning to ask important questions of the customers while Offering Advice cements the partnership.

Offering Advice means more than saying "others who have purchased this package have also purchased _______." It might be as simple as a hotel saying "We are having a soccer tournament in town that weekend, and the room I've selected for you is away from those guests". Just letting the customer known of any eccentricities shows care and recognizes that each customer is an individual.

Help your staff understand that each customer is unique and occasionally you will have a person that you cannot help. Have advice for that person will also serve you and your staff well.

Copyright 2011 Linda Lucas Fayerweather
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
419-897-0528
linda@changinglanes.biz

Three Steps to Boosting Your Personal Energy That Will Also Boost Your Bottom Line

Your degree of personal energy is completely up to you because YOU are in control of your choices! That's hard to remember sometimes especially with the current level of stress most entrepreneurs experience. What follows are 3 steps you can take to jump-start your personal energy and improve your health, happiness and business bottom line.

Step #1 - Download the Personal Energy Barometer, print a copy and rate yourself for each spoke. Click here to go to my website at http://www.salescoachforwomenentrepreneurs.com/freetools.html to download the Personal Energy Barometer. Find your energy level for each spoke by reviewing the Emotion Perception Scale in the lower left to determine which emotion you feel when considering your energy for that particular spoke. Circle the number, on each spoke, that best represents how you feel right now.

Step #2 - Review your results. The goal is to be close to the bulb (far from the center). Analyze your results to discover which spokes represent your areas of lowest personal energy.

Step #3 - Choose two spokes where you'd like to improve your energy. For those two spokes, choose one thing that you could do each day that would boost your energy in that area. For example, if you have low personal energy in the spoke - Exercise - then you might decide to do stretching exercises every morning for 10 minutes when you first get up. Download the Daily Accountability Tracking Sheet found on the same page as the Personal Energy Barometer to help you stay on track.

When you maintain a high level of personal energy, physical (blue spokes), mental/emotional (green spokes) and spiritual (the fushia spokes), you will be able to adapt to the ebb and flow of life without it affecting your mental and emotional capabilities and outlook. This will bring more joy and abundance to your life.

Copyright 2011 Pat Altvater

http://www.salescoachforwomanentrepreneurs.com/
Partnering with women entrepreneurs to implement a sales process that brings them joy and increases their bottom line.