Gino's Time Management Tips Redux

 “To know and not to do is really not to know.” – Stephen R. Covey

Actually, to know and not to do is probably worse than not knowing, since if we choose not to do what we know—and that we know will improve our business—then we’ve squandered our investment of time, money, and effort in the learning!

As we completed our Buffini Peak Producers training in the Indianapolis office and get that program underway in Lafayette, all of the brokers involved in the class recognize that Buffini’s methods and systems will absolutely, without a doubt, enhance anyone’s business when they’re implements. We also all recognize that the real struggle is in the ongoing implementation of these great tools and systems!

So, it’s time for a refresher from Gino Blefari, CEO of HSF Affiliates, and his 63 Points on Time Management he presented at our Annual Business Conference last week! Gino recognized this stumbling block that impacts nearly everyone and urged us to take control of our time and actions. Here are his first ten points:

1.             As you go through these points on time management, don’t think about whether you’ve heard them before. Think about whether you’re applying the discipline to implement them.
Wow, we all know how true this is!

2.            There are fundamental steps to great time management. Put these steps into daily practice, and you won’t believe how much you can accomplish in a regular workday.
We’ve all probably done this before and know how true it is . . . so the key is how to stick with it!

3.             Email is there for your convenience. If it’s not convenient, don’t answer it—or even look at it!! Guilty! I’ve just started closing my email server on my laptop when I’m working on something and only checking a few times a day. Not easy but I realize how much time I waste running through email, 98% of which is of no importance in my business.

4.             If you touch it, take action.
Time management 101! If you can do this, you will immediately be more productive!

5.             If you spend just 15 minutes per day to revisit, readdress, or reread documents or emails, you will waste 97 hours per year where no action is taken.
The consequence of not doing number 4!

6.             The key to great email management is to institute a policy where you use—and request—very descriptive subject lines for all emails.
Wow, what a great idea! Let’s do it!

7.             When the subject of the email changes, the subject line on the email also changes. This is critical. Another fabulous idea! Come on, let’s do it!

8.            Concentration is like a muscle and it strengthens as you concentrate more. If you stop concentrating every time an email comes in or the phone rings, you actually lessen your ability to concentrate and you become less effective in any situation that requires concentration. This really means there is no such thing as productive “multi-tasking.”
So true, and we all know it don’t we?

9.            If you don’t keep a list, you are most likely a very reactive person.
Another time management 101 point! And Evernote is the perfect way to keep your list and never lose it plus have with you all the time!

10.          Keeping a list will double your productivity right away.
So true, so let’s give it a try!

So, to know and not do . . .

David M. Hassler

VP, Director of Business Development

Keep Those Cards Going Out!

As we finish up our first Peak Producers class in Indy and get our second class underway in the Lafayette office, I wanted to share some more of Brian Buffini’s approach to developing and maintaining a steady level of activity and revenue and avoiding the extreme peaks and valleys that come with the traditional approach to the business.

One of Brian’s keys to achieving that steady level of business is consistent, personal contact with our “database,” his term for that well maintained list including our clients, sphere of influence, contractors, friends, and family. He says that “Writing personal notes is the most powerful and least expensive way to grow your business!” Here are the Top 6 reasons for us to write personal notes:

1.              Personal notes leave a positive, lasting impact.

2.              They help you build a database of high quality relationships.

3.              They deepen your personal and professional relationships.

4.              Personal notes show you care and make you a more likely candidate to receive referrals.

5.              They make you stand out from the competition.

6.              They can make someone’s day!

And here are some tips on the Who and the When:

Write notes to:

·      Your clients—current and inactive (I don’t like to call them “past!”)

·      Family and friends

·      Your personal service providers; doctor, painter, landscaper, accountant

·      Lenders and title agents you do business with

·      Business owners you respect

·      Someone you’d like to meet

Write notes when:

·      To follow up a mailing, phone, call, pop by, or a meeting

·      After you’ve received a referral (duh!)

·      When someone does something that you appreciate or after you have received excellent service

·      Before, during, and after a transaction

·      To re-establish contact

·      To simply make someone’s day.

The bottom line is that personal, handwritten notes, even with only a sentence or two, DO make us take notice when we receive them, so making personal notes a lead measure as part of your daily rainmaking activities is sure to help you build and maintain relationships and earn more referrals on a proactive basis.

So fill up that trusty fountain pen!

David M. Hassler

VP, Director of Business Development

The Word for the Day--Every Day!

Recently, I listened to one of Brian Buffini’s coaching tips on Prioritizing Your Day and I realized that that single tip, if we can all remember it, can make every one of our days far more productive, less stressful, and thus more profitable in our business and more enjoyable in our lives! Buffini’s Peak Producers Training Program focuses on building our business by focusing on referrals from our Sphere of Influence, so his suggested prioritizing starts with People. Current clients of course would come first, but if we think about who among our sphere is most important/helpful/responsive, ie, those we might consider our business advocates, and focus our time on them first, we’ll enhance our success. Of course, prioritizing this way can also help us realize on whom we should spent less time!

Buffini goes on to say that once we prioritize the people we want to focus on, we then can prioritize the actions we need to perform to optimize our ongoing service relationships with people, showing our professionalism as well as our appreciation for their business and their referrals. So, what will we do to interact with those important people when we engage with them?

Then, once we have set our priorities of people and actions, Buffini says, we can then more easily prioritize our time. And knowing the impact of proactively working with our key people, we should be more aware of the need to protect and make best use of our time.

Finally, he concludes by noting that prioritizing has two dimensions to it, that of focus and that of boundaries. Keep in mind that focus will be difficult if not impossible if we don’t set boundaries! Buffini reminds us that we should spend our time and energy on the people who deserve it, not just those who only need it! Of course, our business is serving client needs, but we’ve all had those energy sucking clients, friends, or that kindly agent down the hall who loves to chat without asking us if we have a moment, so Buffini suggests a few of the tips we’ve covered in the Playbook before: don’t answer your phone, turn off the dinger on your email device, (oh, no mine just rang!!) close your office door at least part way, and maybe offer that friend/agent a chance to chat later once you finish your tasks. All good ideas, and much easier to implement if we remember the goals of prioritizing and setting boundaries: to enhance our business, reduce stress, and enjoy life and family more and more!

Have you set your priorities for today . . . for next week . . . next year?

David M. Hassler

VP, Director of Business Development