Bill Gluth's Creative Business Strategy Blog

Simple Marketing Consistency

When it comes to marketing, consistency is the key. The problem is, who has time?

If you understand that marketing is the step that attracts leads into your sales pipeline, it suddenly becomes much more important. Make marketing a priority.

Here are simple ways to remain consistent with your marketing efforts.

Schedule 30-minutes for marketing activities every day. Use that time accomplish one marketing step.

Automate your marketing efforts. Even direct mail and consistent client contact can be automated.

Segment your list of prospects and clients into niches and communicate to each group separately.

Blog to share your ideas, information and knowledge. Then tell your audience (clients and interested prospects) that you have information up, using a tool like AWeber.

Call two clients every work day. Ask how they are doing. Find out the impact your work had on them. Ensure they are happy. Find out who else you should be talking to that they know.

Simple and easy things to do that can be done in 30-minutes or less. Do it and watch your anxiety decrease while sales increase.

Of course, if just don't have the time or expertise to accomplish this, hire someone to do it for you.

One Trick to Save Tons of Time Everyday

I had a computer meltdown this week and had to go back to my old trusty Compaq computer.

I won't go into a rant here, but it did force me to manage my email differently. I was stuck with Web mail for each of my addresses instead of Outlook.

As I checked them, I noticed two interesting things:

1. I only checked each email address a few times a day.

2. I did not have previews enabled, so I deleted messages that were not personal, anticipated and relevant immediately.

As a result, I was in and out of email in record time.

My conclusions?

Use Webmail instead of Outlook and you won't get distracted by incoming email messages throughout the day.

Keep the preview feature closed and read emails that are of interest and delete those that are not right away.

After all, if the email is not immediately identifiable, why take the time to look at it.

What to Do if You Don’t Have Time to Do the Important Things

It happens to us all. We have every intention of accomplishing tasks that are vital to our success. We dislike doing some of them, adding to the problem.

The day ends, time flew by and important tasks remain undone. Now, if that task is sales related (as it often is), the problem becomes worse as days and even weeks slip by.

How do you get ALL the important things done?

In my book, 90 Minute Time Manager, I suggest taking 15 to 30-minutes to:

List all the tasks you need to accomplish.

Prioritize them as; vital, important but not time sensitive, delegate.

I would add “eliminate” to any tasks that are scheduled during your work day that do not move your business forward.

Now schedule your day.

Start with yourself. When will you eat lunch? What kind of personal time do you need during the day? Add that to your schedule first.

Now add your vital tasks. Exactly when will you accomplish each of these vital tasks? Put the exact time on your calendar and stick to it. Get the task done at the exact time you scheduled and do not waiver.

Add the important but not time sensitive items once you have the exact time set for your vital tasks.

These are generally large tasks that are broken down into manageable chunks. The adage; “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” applies here.

Get one thing done consistently to move your big projects forward.

Here’s where your troubles may come in.

Frequent interruptions get you off track. A client needs something right away, for example.

If that occurs, go to your calendar, take a look at your vital tasks, see which one you can bump into tomorrow and move it out of today and add the vital client task that came up.

If you are constantly interrupted, schedule those projected interruptions into your day.

Realize that you simply won’t be able to get everything done you need to because you will be interrupted frequently.

The rewards for following this idea are;  less stress, vital things get done, you learn your work capacity and can then schedule more effectively every day.

You gain control of your time, instead of your time having its death grip on you and your life. Try it. You only have your stress to lose.

Bonus Time Tip: There is never anything more important than making sales.

What to Do Today to Have a Banner Year

Let’s face it, on Monday January 5^th 2009, the year starts in earnest. With that in mind, consider what you are going to accomplish this year.

I’m not talking about goals. Goals don’t work because over the years, we have given ourselves permission not to reach them.

I’m talking about specific outcomes. What are you willing to commit to right now, that will provide an outcome you find appealing. How long will it take you to reach that outcome?

Outcomes should be realistic, actionable and measurable.

For example, I’m going to make $25,000 per month in my business is not realistic if you’re only earning $3,000 today.

It’s also not actionable because you are not showing the path you’ll follow to get there.

It is, however, measurable, but only as a final result. Since it’s not realistic or actionable, you won’t reach the goal anyway.

Right now, drop what you’re doing and write down three main outcomes you’ll create in 2009.

What specific steps will you take to reach the outcome you want?

How will you measure your results? Remember, small steps are needed to reach big outcomes, so measure success as you go. You should measure:

Daily (short term, small steps that lead to a bigger result)

Weekly (a mid-term check to ensure you’re on track)

Monthly (how you progressed and what still needs to be done if the outcome is not yet reached)

If you don’t take this step, you will generally under perform. When you hope for the best and wait to see what happens, your ‘goals’ will remain unfulfilled dreams you have not achieved.

One small step can make a big difference.  Taking consistent action to reach an outcome you truly want will get you there.

But you have to start, so take this step now.

Write down three major outcomes you want to reach in 2009. Then write down the action steps you’ll take to reach each one.

Finally, write down how you’ll measure your success daily, weekly and monthly, until the outcome is reached.

 If you need further help with time management, check out my book about a new way to control time, written specifically for entrepreneurs at http://www.90minutetimemanager.com

What's a Phone Book

Does anyone remember when we used to use phone books? I stepped outside this morning and found a phone book sitting in a yellow plastic bag in front of my door.

I immediately took it to the recycle bin. I didn't even consider keeping it on a shelf.

But then I wondered why. The first answer that came to mind was, "It's useless."

This is just one instance that brought me to that conclusion.

Yesterday I was watching the NFL Championships on TV. By the end of the AFC game I was craving a gyros sandwich.

No problem. I went on line, typed in Gyros sandwich and my zip code and POOF. Two close by contenders popped up.

I called one, found out how late they were open, jumped in my car and scored a sandwich to carry out.

I didn't even think to use a phone book and I'm in their target demographic age wise.

Dex, Yellow Book people, anyone else selling a print directory we are not listening any longer.

Does anyone out there ever use a printed phone book. If so, let me know. The comment line is now open ...

Everyone has the same challenge

I just completed a promo for my 90 Minute Time Manager Program. I asked the question, "What is your greatest challenge in controlling time?"

Interestingly enough, one answer was appropriate for everyone who responded. Here it is:

Priorities make time control work and they can only be set if we know two things.

1. Where we are going in life

2. Where we are today.

The 5-day e-course, How to Created a Roadmap for Your Life (free when you visit www.2managetime.com) will help you develop the 2-points I mentioned above.

From there, you have to realize that to reach your life goals you have to take action each day that gets you there one small step at a time.

Know What You Have to Accomplish Every Day

Have you ever said – “Boy, do I have a lot to do today. I’m SLAMMED.

Then you went on to connect to email and check it, react to events that pop up and by the end of the day say, “I just don’t have time to get everything done in just 24-hours.”

If that’s you, here’s the solution.

Before the day starts, sit down for 15-minutes with a pad of paper and your favorite pen.

Make a list of everything you have going on in your life. List it all, and don’t stop at just business tasks.

Pick the single most important thing you HAVE to do today on that list. Then estimate how long it will take you to do it. Schedule it into your time management program (Outlook, ACT! 90 Min Time Manager Online Planner, other program).

Then pick the second most important thing you have to do today. Estimate how long it will take you to do it. Schedule it into your time management program (Outlook, ACT! 90 Min Time Manager Online Planner, other program).

Move on to the third most important thing and repeat the process listed above.

Pretty soon you’re going to realize that you can only get 2, 3, 4 or 5 things done in a day, depending on the complexity of each project.

Don’t forget lunch. Even if you eat at your desk, you still need 15 to 30-minutes to get your food and bring it back. Schedule it in.

This exercise will also show you whether or not you have time to do non-essential tasks during the day.

If you do, by all means complete them. But do it ONLY after you have accomplished the most important things you have to do every day.

Remember too, if you are in small business, the most important thing you have to do each day is generate revenue.

Have your systems and processes developed and in place so that you can wiz through business building activities efficiently.

How Stay Focused Everyday

Time to Read: 90 Seconds

The mindset you want to embrace is to keep it simple. Don’t make planning your day complex.

First, figure out how many hours you want to work today.

Then, list everything you have going on in your life right now. Make sure you list everything, don’t leave anything out.

Prioritize the single most important thing you MUST get done today.

Evaluate how long it will take you to do it. Be sure to over estimate. It always takes longer than you think.

Then go to the second most important thing.

Evaluate how long it will take you to do it.

Then the third most important. Evaluate how long it will take you to do it.

Get the 2, 3 or 4 most important things done first, before doing non-essential tasks like checking email or making non-sales related telephone calls.

These things may seem like work, but unless you’re generating revenue from these activities, it is probably not your prime business mission each day.

Stay focused on each task. Don’t let anything else distract you as you accomplish your most important things one-by-one.

Do this exercise for just 3-days. At the end of 3-days see how you feel.

I’m betting you’ll feel light, focused, and more profitable.

On March 14th I am going to change the life of 100 small business owners in Phoenix AZ.

Take the first step now. Visit the Your Life into Focus website.

Follow Your Feelings for Greater Productivity

Time to Read: 90 Seconds

Have you ever had a time that you thought “I have a feeling that I should _____.”

Then you didn't follow that inspiration and the results were less than spectacular.

Instead of going against your feelings, follow them instead. “Go with the flow” so to speak.

1. When faced with a decision, start by understanding exactly what you are feeling. For best results, write your feelings down as they arise.

2. Consider the final result you are seeking from this decision. Think, “I am looking for ____ result from this decision.” Write down the result you’re after.

3. Follow the path that feels the best, even if your “rational” thoughts contradict it.

4. You’ll know you're on the right track because you will feel happy and stress free instead of having a pain in the pit of your stomach.

5. Write down the result you gained from following your heart. Doing this exercise repeatedly will help you learn to trust your inspirations instead of ignoring them.

You’ll be on your way to tapping into one of the most powerful forces available to you – your personal creativity and genius.

Start today. And email me your results at genius@developyourvision.com.

I’ll add your experience right here to the blog with a link to your web site. Fame and fortune await, so don’t delay!

Learn How to Procrastinate Properly

As the Worlds Best, Worst Procrastinator I think I know a thing or two about this subject.

Procrastination is something we all do at one time or the other. The best suggestion I can make is to schedule it!

Here’s how to procrastinate properly

1. Add 60 to 90 minutes of procrastination time to your schedule. It can be every day, a few times a week or as little as one time per month.

2. Schedule a specific time to accomplish this task. Lunch time can be good because you can combine tasks; lunch and procrastination time.

3. Schedule a beginning, middle and end to your procrastination.

4. Don’t plan what you'll do. Just free form it for the allotted time.

5. At the end, put whatever distractions you have out away and resume your schedule.

6. Repeat the next day, two days later or later in the month.

7. When you schedule your procrastination time, you can look forward to it, realize the break is coming and allow it to “be all right.”