- Feature Article: "Chaos or Control - 7 Tips to Beat the Clock and Get More of the Right Things Done"

- Special Guest Article: "Thrive in a slow market… 10 Survival Skills for a Cooling Market"
 
- SOS Update: "Big Loser!"

- Steve Sez: "SOBM 2.0"

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Big Loser!

Remember way back in July I told you I took "The Body for LIFE Challenge"? Well, I took 3rd place in the Men's Division. Another Woo Hoo for me! I lost 27 1/2 pounds in the twelve weeks of the challenge, just missing my goal of 34 pounds. Still, I feel great and I am proud of my accomplishments. Not only that, but I look a heck of a lot better.

I want to thank Sue Emmett of Body Under Construction for hosting the Challenge, and being a great coach and health mentor. Without her, I never would have been able to accomplish so much in so little time. I will be joining the Challenge again in January to take off those last few pounds (and what ever I put on during the Holidays). Why don't you  join me then? Remember, your good health is tied to your abundant wealth.

Contact Sue at semmett1@comcast.net for more information.

Thanks again Sue!

Make it a Healthy and Productive Week,

"Chaos or Control - 7 Tips to Beat the Clock and Get More of the Right Things Done"

by Steve O'Sullivan

Ever said this? "I don't have enough time for everything!" or "There's just too much to do!" You're not alone. I'd say just about every self-employed business owner has made that their weekly mantra. Well I have good news and bad news. The bad news is there's NOT enough time to do everything, and as long as you continue to focus on that, you most likely won't even get the important things done.

The good news is, there are plenty of tools you can implement into your business that will help you accomplish the high priority tasks, and feel good about what you are doing. I'm going to share with you a handful of strategies that will do just that. But first let's talk a bit about  mindset.

You will never get "caught up", and you will never "get finished" as long as you are in business. So get those concepts right out of your head. The list of things to do is ever expanding, that's just part of the deal. If you are able to complete the top 5 or 6 items on your daily "To Do" list, you've won the day. Celebrate that instead of what didn't get done.

The next bit of important thinking is, you are responsible for everything that's on your plate. It didn't jump on there by itself. You grabbed the ladle and plopped a heaping helping of networking meetings, emails and phone calls right next to the marketing and follow-up. Not to say any of those things aren't important, but you made the decision to lump them all together.

OK. Now that you have your thinking in order, let's get to meat of the matter.

7 Tips to Beat the Clock

1. Take Stock - No, not soup! I mean keep track of what you are spending your time on. Here's a simple exercise for you. For the next week, keep a tally or journal of how you spend your time each day. In detail. Record your activities every hour of what you did. I'll bet you're saying "I don't have time for that!" Just do it, OK? You have to measure something if you want to change it. After a week, count up how many hours you spent on each type of activity such as email, phone calls, marketing, meetings, etc.   I guarantee an "Ah Ha" moment.

2. When you Think it, Ink it - Get things out of your head and onto paper, into your schedule or onto your computer. Humans have somewhere around 60,000 thoughts a day, so if you think you'll remember everything later, guess again. I carry a digital voice recorder with me so I can capture important ideas and to do's when they come up. I keep a journal with me too. When I get home, I move these important thoughts and ideas into my planners.

3. Eliminate Distractions - Turn of you cell phone, unplug your office phone and shut down your email. Unnecessary or untimely distractions are the biggest time wasters in your day. I promise you won't die if you don't check email for an hour or two. If you share an office with someone or work in an environment where other folks like to pop in and say Hi, then shut your door with a  "Do Not Disturb" sign on it and request your office mate not talk to you when the door is closed. You're working.

4. Prioritize Your Activities - Control your day, don't let it control you. Have a list of tasks you want to accomplish each day. Rank them in order of importance. A) Must do today. B) Want to do today. C) Might be nice to do today. Then rank them A1, A2 etc. in order of highest priority. And here's a hint. Some of the A's should be marketing and business generating activities. Don't let others determine what you do, their emergency or lack of  planning cannot dictate your schedule.

5. Block Your Time - One of the most time consuming things in your day is starting and stopping an activity. Block off an hour or two for each task you plan to work on. An hour for phone calls, two hours for marketing, and hour to reply to emails, etc. Only work  on that task during the appointed time block. If an idea interrupts your or you remember something your forgot to do, write it down and return to the task at hand. I like to use a kitchen timer to help track my time blocks. When the timer goes off, I can reevaluate spending more time on that block or moving on to something more important.

6. Multi-Tasking is a Myth - You can't do more than one thing at a time. Sorry. Multi-tasking is just moving between two or more things and not doing any of them very well. Focused attention on one objective at a time is the best way to do a great job on that activity. It's true that women are better multi-taskers than men, but that just means they do a better job at being inefficient than men.

7. Stay Organized - Part of your day should be devoted to keeping your work space, calendar and projects in order. Fifteen to 30 minutes of organization and planning can save you two hours of wasted time that could be used for accomplishing 'A' priority tasks. If you are spending more than 2 minutes looking for a document or phone number, or if you frequently miss or are late for appointments, then it's time you got organized. Do it before you call it quits for the day. I promise, you'll thank me tomorrow.

There are probably a dozen more tips I could give you to eliminate the Chaos from your day, but these are enough to get you started. My advise, pick one thing on this list that your are not doing now, and implement it into your business. Make it a habit, then pick another tip and put it to work. Within a few weeks or months you'll have completely conquered the Beat the Clock syndrome.

© 2007 Steve O'Sullivan

Thrive in a slow market… 10 Survival Skills for a Cooling Market
From Financial Title Company
(NOTE: This article is written about Real Estate, however I think it can apply to any business. Simply take out the words Real Estate and insert "Your Business" in their place.) - SOS
 

Sharpen your skills, reconnect with the consumer, and 'kick it up a notch.'

As the old adage goes, “All good things must come to an end.”

Yes, the real estate market that boomed for the past several years is slowing to more regular, consistent pace. Mortgage rates are rising. Prices are cooling. Buyers are no longer racing each other to open houses. But there’s no need for wringing your hands and wailing. Sure, some practitioners who didn’t have their heart in the business will drop out or find it too hard to compete in a more challenging environment. However, as anyone who has worked in the real estate business during a slowdown can attest, there’s always demand for skilled real estate practitioners. After all, people don’t stop buying and selling just because the market cools. That doesn’t mean that you can thrive by doing business the same way you were a year ago, or even a month ago. Rookies and industry veterans alike must sharpen their skills, reconnect with the consumer, and — as my favorite chef, Emeril, would say — “kick it up a notch.”

To stay at the top of the game in your changing market, follow these 10 tips:

• Focus on relationship-building. Work hard on developing customer relationships that will provide you with downstream business for years to come. Although we are light years advanced from 10 years ago when it comes to database management and communicating with clients, real estate is as much of a relationship business today as it ever was.

• Work an extensive mailing list. Even if your business slows down a bit, don’t stop contacting prospects and past clients, either by e-mail or snail mail. Plan to make 12 contacts per year for everyone on the list. Build your list to 1,000 or more and watch that list generate 10-15 transactions additional yearly.

• Invest in marketing. Reinvest 20 percent to 30 percent of your gross revenue on personal marketing and advertising that will get new clients and customers to come to you. Your message could emphasize your experience working with buyers and sellers in tough situations.

• Use technology to your advantage. Take a look at the technology that you are using to communicate with clients and co-workers, organize your business, and manage each transaction. Evaluate whether it makes sense to upgrade your tech tools to boost your efficiency and deliver a higher level of customer service. However, don't let technology stand in for face-to-face meetings and networking.

• Make sure the price is right. Become masterful at pricing right the first time. Don’t add to the problem of oversupply and increased absorption rates. Every time a home is priced to “expire,” you increase the number of FSBOs on the market. How? When a listing expires, it’s not uncommon for the owner to get mad at the whole real estate profession. They might just try selling on their own the next time around.

• Welcome objections for what they are. Don’t get mad at objections. Instead, recognize them as valuable market signals and become masterful at handling them in a relaxed, but serious way. Learn from what buyers and sellers are telling you. For example, if a seller objects to a list price you suggest, maybe that means you must do a better job at educating clients on market conditions. Also, know what the most common buyer objections are and practice your response so you are confident and prepared to respond.

• Strengthen your community ties. Build your community involvement in a variety of ways: little league sponsorship, networking groups, charity events, volunteering as a big sister/brother, and so on. The more you’re out there and visible in the neighborhood, the more opportunities you create to reinforce your expertise as the local real estate expert, ask for business, and get referrals.

• Embrace continuing education. The market keeps changing, and you must know how to change with it. Stay up to date on new technology, risk management, and hot marketing techniques. Participate in every educational opportunity that comes along. While it is keenly important not to be one of those agents who is forever getting ready to get ready, it is critical to “sharpen your axe” when it comes to staying ahead.

• Hire a coach. Invest in the single most effective thing you can do to rouse the superstar within. A good coach aligns his or her goals with yours and is there for you every step of the way. By learning from an outside expert, you can refine your business plan, respond to challenges, and open your eyes to opportunities that you may not have otherwise seen. That’s an asset worth its weight in gold.

Don’t just sit there! When all is said and done, there will never come a time when sitting on one’s haunches or doing things “the old way” will be an acceptable way to do business. Make it your mission to adapt to changes and be open to new ideas to propel your business.

 "Continuing Education with SOBM 2.0"

Take advantage of these continuing Ed classes and boost your Biz with Secrets of Business Mastery 2.0

The complete Fall Schedule is online, so finish the year STRONG. These courses are based on The Chet Holmes Method. Chet Holmes developed this method to double the sales of  10 businesses personally, while helping thousands more entrepreneurs double sales through his training programs. This method applies to all types of business. Not only Fortune 500 businesses, but both small  business and home businesses.

Go to www.SecretsofBusiness.org to check out the classes and register.

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Steve O'Sullivan - SOS Impact Coaching and Training

The LifeLine Vol. I, Issue 12

The LifeLine is a monthly newsletter for Small Business Owners and Solo-preneurs. Steve O'Sullivan is a productivity coach and President of SOS Impact Coaching and Training. www.SOSimpact.com

Contact Steve at Coaching@SOSimpact.com

© Copyright 2007 SOS Impact Coaching and Training. All rights reserved.