Category: Kevin’s Tuesday Blog

For entrepreneurs, every day is different. One day you’re signing partnership agreements. The next day you’re interviewing job applicants. And the following day pitching investors.

 

Yet there is one thing you can always count on, despite the day … distractions!

 

“Hey, can you send me a copy of the agreement?”

“Will you shoot over this month’s revenue report?”

“Umm … the server just crashed. What should we do?”

 

Constantly distracted by external requests (let alone internal thoughts or ideas, which can be the most distracting), it’s easy to forget long-term goals.

 

However, there’s a systematic approach to stay focused.

 

It’s called the Dwight Eisenhower’s Time Management Matrix.

 

In a 1954 speech, former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower said: “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”

 

He recognized that great time management means being effective as well as efficient. In other words, we must spend our time on things that are important and not just the ones that are urgent. To do this, and to minimize the stress of having too many tight deadlines, we need to understand this distinction:

 

• Important activities have an outcome that leads to us achieving our goals, whether these are professional or personal.

 

• Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are usually associated with achieving someone else’s goals. They are often the ones we concentrate on and they demand attention because the consequences of not dealing with them are immediate.

 

When we know which activities are important and which are urgent, we can overcome the natural tendency to focus on unimportant urgent activities, so that we can clear enough time to do what’s essential for our success. This is the way we move from “firefighting” into a position where we can grow our businesses and our careers.

 

Rather than randomly completing unprioritized tasks, put them into the template. This forces you to question a task’s importance.

 

Take a few seconds. Stop. Take a breath. Think…

 

“Do I specialize in this?”

“Does it contribute to my long-term goals?”

“Could someone else do this? Should I focus on something else?”

 

Simply write in your new task, label it by quadrant, then delete the task once you’re finished.

 

There is a free EISENHOWER online web app, click HERE.

There is also an iOS app, click HERE.

 

Drop me a line if this helps you be more productive.

 

Happy Tuesday & Happy Selling!

Kevin

 

It happens all the time… You’re facing a prospect, making your sales pitch and the prospects position is wrong. How do you challenge them without ruining your chances of closing the deal?

 

It’s not worth challenging your prospect on every issue. If you frequently correct or contradict them, they’ll stop listening.

 

However successfully changing the buyer’s mindset earns you authority and credibility. You also prove you’re committed to the buyer’s success, as you are clearly willing to risk short-term goodwill to help them.

 

Use this three-part decision framework as your guide.

 

1. Is questioning or disagreeing with them ultimately in their best interests?
2. Do I have proof to back up my statements?
3. Is this pertinent to the deal?

 

Don’t challenge your prospect unless you answer “yes” to all three questions.

 

To sound less combative, lead in to your challenge. Doing so gives prospects warning you’re about to contradict them and shows respect for their beliefs (even if you think those beliefs are wrong).

 

Here’s a few examples:

 

“I’d like to offer a different opinion. According to my firm’s projections, the system you’re currently using will be out-of-date in 10 months.”

 

“I’d like to politely disagree … ”

“I see where you’re coming from, and … ”

“It may surprise you to learn … ”

“I have a different perspective … ”

“I used to [think/feel/believe] that as well, until I learned X … ”

“I have some interesting data that suggests otherwise … ”

 

You can also try asking for permission first. Giving you the go-ahead reestablishes some of their authority, which makes them less sensitive to hearing they’re wrong.

 

Ask, “Are you open to hearing a different perspective?” or “Can I share a differing opinion with you?”

 

Keep this in mind and correcting prospects will be far less risky. In fact, it will likely help you win their business.

 

Happy Tuesday & Happy Selling!

Kevin

The Wall Street Journal asked dozens of CEO’s to list the top 3 issues in their business they are most concerned about.

 

There was one item that was on everyone’s list… Technology!

 

Every CEO and business owner fears having his or her business model disrupted by technology innovation. Just look at video stores, that is, if you can find one. That business model was upended by digital video streaming. Just 10 years ago BlackBerry was the smartphone market leader!

 

CEO’s have to see around the curve to prevent their business models from falling victim to being out-innovated.

 

It’s also a lot simpler… If your competitor is investing in technology which lowers their operating costs and improves productivity, it’s no wonder they can beat you on price and still be more profitable!

 

Case Study:

 

TSY Fuel Ltd’s fueling staff had to upload spreadsheets daily, providing the billing office with the days fuel sales. The billing office had to run the numbers against another spreadsheet which contained a list of different rate calculations. They then had to take the data and create invoices for each customer and email it for payment. There were many other manual processes in their work-flow and customer complaints was at an all time high. They realized there was no way they can scale their business this way. Costly manual labor coupled with a heavy customer service load would drain their profits.

TSY Fuel Ltd contracted CodeBlue Ventures, a custom software development company who created an app and web based portal that completely automates the entire fueling to billing to payment process. In payroll reduction alone, the software was able to save the company $200k+ annually.

With their new proprietary software, TSY Fuel was quickly able to grow their business, lower their operating costs, and become one of the highest rated fuel companies in customer service.

 

Stop thinking of technology as a back-office, cost-of-doing-business and start thinking of it as a front-and-center revenue generator! The digital divide is growing and transforming industries wholesale. If you aren’t harnessing the power of technology, you’re almost certain to end up falling behind.

 

Happy Tuesday & Happy Selling!

Kevin