Growing up in Philadelphia a block away from the sports complex I always dreamed of someday working for the Philadelphia Flyers.
As a 16-year old I was inspired by the story of Ed Snider after reading a magazine article about him and his business philosophy. I just knew working for the Flyers was my destiny. But after writing 44 letters of application and along the way completing my college degree at the University of Scranton, I was still no closer to my dream job. Their 44 kind letters of rejection made it clear I needed to prove myself and bring something more to the table than a college degree
Gaining some success in retail advertising at Gimbels , Wannamaker’s, and Strawbridge & Clothier along with a chance meeting working late one night turned into the opportunity of a lifetime. What seemed like a normal Wednesday night preparing Sunday’s ad copy turned into meeting Milt Beaver, a senior executive who later opened the door to my dream job and incredible 18-year career with Comcast-Spectacor. I was excited every day of work then and every day I go to work now as Senior Vice-President for Spurs Sports & Entertainment in San Antonio, Texas. I am so very proud to have my name next to the Iconic Spurs logo on my business card and I never take that blessing for granted.
Secret to Success
My secret to success is there are no secrets. As Colin Powell said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.”
The recipe to success is the same for me as it is for you. I love the word-picture of “Pound the Rock” by the Danish American social reformer Jacob Riis:
“When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stone cutter hammering away at a rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing. Yet, at the hundred and first blow, it will split in two, and I will know that it was not that blow that did it but all that had come before.”
What I’ve learned since moving from that street row house in south Philly to one day working for one of the best franchises in pro sports is this: Everything you need to succeed is under your control. All you need to do is inspire others.
What does it take to inspire others?
Here’s my Top 10 list of ways you can inspire others. All of these are completely up to you. Do them and you’ll succeed. As Steve Mariboli says, ““When you are living the best version of yourself, you inspire others to live the best versions of themselves.”
Be passionate.
Really.
Have a positive attitude regardless of road blocks.
[dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-both” width=”150px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Look for S3 State of the Sports Sales Industry Survey on December 1, 2013![/dropshadowbox]The 9th annual Sports Sponsorship & Sales 2013 board meeting was the largest to date. Look through the pictures below to find yourself (which is what so many seem to be trying to do these days) or someone else you know.
Awards
The 2013 Chevrolet S3 Awards for outstanding contributions to the S3 program and for exhibiting a WINning attitude were presented by Dave Nottoli (Regional Sales & Marketing Manager, General Motors) to:
[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”lifted-both” width=”450px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ] W = Work ethic I = Integrity N = Networking relationships[/dropshadowbox]
[slideshow_deploy id=’3354′]
Panels
The board meeting featured Frank Miceli (SVP Spurs) as the keynote speaker, Bill Guertin leading a special training session for S3 students, and three outstanding panel discussions:
“Have phone sales gone the way of the Dinosaur?” Moderated by Kris Katseanes (FC Dallas) with panel members Rob Zuer (Rockets), PJ Keane (Astros), Jamie Weinstein (Magic), & Wade Graf (Rangers).
“Activation & Engagement: Effective organization & practices in a changing environment,” Moderated by Travis Dillon (The Marketing Arm) with panel members Matt Ward (Astros), Greg Grissom (Texans), George Killebrew (Mavericks), & Jeanne Garza (Spurs).
“The Do’s & Don’t of Successful Sales Careers,” Moderated by Murray Cohn (NBA), with panel members Brian Norman (76ers), Paige Farragut (Rangers), Nic Garcia (NBA), & Kris Katseanes (FC Dallas)
[slideshow_deploy id=’3376′]
Banquet & Meetings
With over 55 executives representing 44 organizations, Baylor S3 juniors (32) and seniors (22) built relationships and interviewed for internships and full time positions. Thanks to everyone for your support & participation. [slideshow_deploy id=’3388′]
My experience with successful sponsorship activation has been lukewarm: Like having one foot in a bucket of cold water and the other in boiling hot. Sometimes we hit it out of the park and other times, well, you get the idea.
Thankfully, I had the opportunity to ask my friends on the All-Star Sponsorship panel and discussion at the Baylor Sports Sponsorship & Sales (S3) annual board meeting what has worked well for them. Thanks to Travis Dillon (The Marketing Arm) for moderating the panel!
Activation Insights
1. Integrate the sponsor into the field of play. Matt Brand, Vice President of Partnerships, Houston Astros, explained, “When a hit ball strikes the ‘fowl (foul) poles’ everyone in the stands gets a FREE Chick-fil-A sandwich. This drives traffic and fan excitement!” Another similar example are the foul poles at the Padres’ Petco Park that look like TaylorMade golf drivers. You might even want to hang a Kia automobile over the center of the court like the Texas Legends.
[dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-both” width=”125px” height=”125px” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ][slideshow_deploy id=’3336′][/dropshadowbox]2. Activate via single channels for impact. Greg Grissom, Vice President of Partnerships, Houston Texans: “We ran a promotion for Sonic through a single social media channel (e.g., Facebook) to drive traffic. Fans following the Texans’ Facebook were aware that if the Texans win on Sunday, Tuesday is “Free Slushy Day” at Sonic. The promotion drives secondary sales through increased traffic.”
I’ve found promotions tied to wins and high scores seems to help motivate the team to play better. So, maybe the teams should pay the sponsor for agreeing to do this!
3. Drive retail with the use of the team’s marks. George Killebrew, Vice President of Partnerships, Dallas Mavericks: “Connecting Dr Pepper, Budweiser or Gatorade to case sales in grocery stores to register to win tickets ties two brands together and drives purchases for both!” Using the team’s logo and likenesses always attracts attention in crowded retail spaces.
4. Leverage community support. Jeanne Garza, Director of Corporate Partnerships, San Antonio Spurs: “One of my favorite activation strategies is actually by Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut leveraged their media buys and the goal of giving back to the community. Each January when customers purchase a pizza a portion goes to support the Spurs Youth Basketball League. Both the team and Pizza Hut promote this and everyone wins!”
And we got one more good example from the floor from Steve Flynn.
5. Test-drive. Steve Flynn, Regional Marketing Manager, General Motors: “We integrate marketing and activation at the World Series, Texas State Fair, and other events to do one thing: Get people to take a seat in a Chevrolet and take a test-drive.” Having a singular activation focus that you know results in converting prospects into customers promises a good return on the investment.
Bonus Activation Idea
So, those five are pretty good. Here’s my favorite activation promotion we run at Pizza Hut.
Borrow and build fan passion. We create excitement and gain tremendous fan engagement with the Pizza Hut, “Delivery of the Game” for football and basketball. We deliver pizzas into the stands and the fans go crazy. It aligns with our delivery service and sampling our great pizza. The more that can be given to a variety of sections the better, not just students or the same section each game!
What other ideas do you have? Click the Twitter button below and let us know @BaylorS3, @PizzaHut, #activation.
How do you know the difference between a sales rep who’s going to make it and those who won’t?
Research tell us that one way is to look at whether they’re learners or lookers.
What do learners look like?
Learners are the sales reps who focus on mastering new situations, exploring tasks, acquiring new skills, and learning from experience, all with an ultimate goal of self-improvement.
How do you know if you have a learner? When learners face a challenge they will:
probe problems,
persist,
escalate effort,
seek feedback, and
seek solutions.
Obviously, you don’t have a learner if they avoid problems, give up, keep doing what they’ve been doing, don’t ask for help, and don’t solve problems.
What do lookers look like?
Some reps just want to look like they’re doing something instead of doing it. They are out to prove themselves to others instead of just improving.
Lookers focus on appearing competent to others and gaining favorable evaluations. They run away from challenges that might pose the risk of making mistakes. Instead their ultimate goal is positive self-presentation and impression management.
How do you know if you have a looker? When lookers face a challenge they will:
avoid challenging tasks,
withdraw from the task,
set low goals,
make negative ability attributions, and
demonstrate a helpless response.
In contrast, learners will embrace the challenge, set high goals, assume they have the ability to figure it out, and will even want to help others meet and beat the challenge.
What about your staff?
George Killebrew, Executive Vice President, Dallas Mavericks, breaks down the importance of learning and adapting:
“Our staff includes those with us just a short time as well as those who’ve been with us 14 years and even 22 years. They all realize that they must keep up with the ever changing world of sponsorship–from understanding digital, to mobile, to social media, to all the latest trends. If they fail to adapt, they become dinosaurs. This is a fairly young at heart business and you must have the stamina to keep up! Not just physically working 50 home games each year, but mentally with all the new inventory that comes our way and the changing trends in our industry. Those that fail to adapt, unfortunately have to go. It’s learn or leave!”
Look carefully at your sales team. Is everyone on board a true learner? What answers would you get if you showed them the five characteristics of learners and lookers and asked, “Which one are you?”
Take action
Do you have a bunch of learners or lookers? Can lookers learn to be learners? What can you do to challenge your group to keep learning?
Click the Twitter or LinkedIn buttons below to share with others and keep the conversation going. Tweet to us @kirkwakefield, @georgekillebrew, #learners!
Read the original research here: Chai, J., Zhao, G., & Babin, B. J. (2012). An Empirical Study on the Impact of Two Types of Goal Orientation and Salesperson Perceived Obsolescence on Adaptive Selling. Journal Of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 32(2), 261-274.
Anyone in the sports business very long knows one may have to relocate to advance one’s career. While certainly not a requirement, top executives have made a few stops in different cities in different sports and with different organizations throughout their career. It can be an exciting but daunting task to ingratiate yourself with an entirely new team.
Such transitions are challenging for a sales leader, but also provide an awesome opportunity to build (or re-build) a sales team and place your stamp on that organization.
Looking back on my experiences as the new Sales Manager (OKC Thunder) and now Vice President at the Dallas Stars, I’ve noticed some commonalities that might help other sales leader joining a new team.
Take your time, but don’t take too much time
Your first few weeks of the new job are exciting! If you’re like me, you want to start making an impact immediately. It’s easy, however, to try to take on too much too quickly without having a good enough understanding of how your team operates or the nuances involved with every personality and process.
Key #1: Focus on your people. Let them know you are there to help them succeed. You are not there to flip the business on its head right off the bat. You plan to lead them, but only until you have an understanding of how the business is operating from all angles.
That said, you were hired you for a reason. You’ll need to provide feedback on solutions to the team’s issues soon after you start in your new role. This brings me to my next point . . .
Focus on metrics
After meeting the sales staff the next stop is with your business analytics team, which may be in ticket operations with some teams. Here, it is imperative to start gaining an understanding of the team’s sales performance over time.
Key #2: Get a grip on historical sales performance. How many season tickets are sold for the year? How many group tickets and suite rentals? What are the trends over the last three seasons for each? Is the season ticket and group sales business growing or shrinking annually?
Key #3: Get a grip on staff performance.Who are the top performing sales representatives in each category? Who makes the most phone calls and sets the most appointments? Which reps are best at selling season tickets versus groups versus premium inventory?
SWOT detective
Meet with the staff again. Ask what they feel are their strengths and weaknesses. Ask what obstacles they face in doing their job at maximum level.
Key #4: Network internally.Visit with department heads of non-sales divisions to introduce yourself. Stop by the marketing office and sponsorship team to ask them about their major priorities and challenges. The challenges of these two revenue-generating divisions will be similar to the ones you will face now and in the future.
Of course, on-ice, on-court, on-field performance is an obvious strength or weakness. But other issues may emerge, such as poor customer service or lack of clarity in external communications.
Focus on your own staff’s business processes, from basic to complex: What does the sales process look like? What happens when a sale is made? Who processes the order? Are there any areas of inconsistency or inefficiency?
Through this detective work the team culture – how everyone views their jobs, the organization and leadership–will materialize. As a new leader you can help shape culture.
Clearly present your solutions at the right time
After a couple of weeks in a new position, start to take action.
Key #5: Clarity. The best way to gain respect and support is to present your findings clearly. First, present the hard data on sales trends and team performance. Second, present the reasons you’ve found behind the trends: inefficiencies, inconsistencies, or lack of processes. Finally, be prepared to share your own experiences that demonstrate best thoughts on solutions.
Around the horn
Those are my steps and keys to success as the new boss of an NHL team. Here are a few thoughts from two other new Vice Presidents of Ticket Sales & Service in MLB and the NBA:
The natural instinct may be to come in with what you think are the best practice systems, training, and framework. The reality is your success will only go as far as your people and their mindsets in wanting to understand and execute implementation plans. Hiring in from the outside and implementing new sales structures can be tough, but that’s not what I’m referencing. More importantly, we must APPRECIATE the mindset of the inherited staff.
When starting in Houston, one of the first things we committed to as a leadership team is a familiar quote several mentors have shared:
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Some truths to grasp and manage:
Any change – especially leadership – is a difficult thing.
Understand and appreciate why things were being done the way they were when we arrived.
Find out how every staff member feels about their part in the organization. This was the very first thing we needed our focus on.
Once we learned peoples’ mindsets we could meet them where they were. Let them know we appreciated how hard they had worked to get to that point. THEN we knew our transparency on how we could best move forward as a team would be met with more acceptance. Why? Because they felt they were heard first.
Slowing down a little at the beginning allowed us to run much faster as we all got on the same page. Ultimately that approach allows best practices to be uploaded and executed more quickly and effectively.[/dropshadowbox]
One of the first things I did when I learned that I was fortunate enough to land the VP position with the Timberwolves and Lynx was to reach out to my new direct reports.
Prior to physically arriving in Minneapolis, I spent two hours in conversations with each direct report, along with sending them two books explaining my leadership philosophy and process. This helped us become acclimated with each other much quicker, allowing for a more seamless transition.
As Matt and Jason pointed out, your people are your most valuable resource. They must be treated as such.
When I officially arrived in Minneapolis, one of the first things I focused on was sitting down with each of the staffs to tell them my personal story. I didn’t speak about my work experience. Instead I spoke about my personal upbringing and the core values I stand for. I shared my personal hedgehog concept with them, allowing them to understand my motives, desires, and drivers.
My hope was to break down barriers. For them to see me as more than just a new guy in a suit. To see me as a human being with similar interests and aspirations.
Once I shared, I asked each member of the departments to (1) submit their personal definitions of the core values I provided, and (2) their personal answers to the hedgehog concept questions I asked. With a unique perspective from each one, I had personal talking points about each individual in a short amount of time. Overall, I believe this process helped me earn their trust and credibility, along with helping us gain valuable information about how to motivate and drive each individual to be successful. [/dropshadowbox]
What are your thoughts? How have you adjusted in your new leadership positions?
Let us know what you think. Click on the Tweet button below and let us know: @CMB711,@Matt_Bowman14, and @BaylorS3 (#newleader)
Katy Gager (Baylor S3 ’08) is a Senior Account Executive at The Marketing Arm an agency based in Dallas, Texas. She represents and manages AT&T’s brand through corporate sponsorship of professional & collegiate sports properties in the Southeast Region.
Willing to move
Katy transferred to Baylor for the S3 program to begin her junior year. One of three transfers in the class, Katy was torn between UT and Baylor when deciding to transfer. Gager felt like Baylor was home and believed the S3 program gave her the best opportunity to start a successful career in sports. After moving halfway across the country from California, Gager experienced challenging projects through the curriculum from selling tickets for the Rangers (back in their losing days) to presenting sponsorship ideas for the AT&T Challenge.
Finding Her Niche
Gager quickly found she enjoyed the relationship focus in the field of sponsorship. All S3 majors are given a DISC assessment (DiSC Profile Website) to determine their own personal behavioral style and what types of careers are likely to fit them best. Katy has a high Steadiness trait, which “place[s] an emphasis on cooperating with others within existing circumstances to carry out the task <ref>DiSC Profile Steadiness Overview</ref>.” Being a high S and having a more conscientious, detail-oriented personality helped make Katy a great fit for contributing to an agency sponsorship team.
Gager started her career at The Marketing Arm (TMA) in Dallas working on the Insights and Analytics team. She had the opportunity to work with over 25 different accounts including AT&T, State Farm and Frito Lay conducting research for each brand related to their sponsorships with properties nationwide. After becoming an account executive for TMA, she was able to pull from her knowledge of the brands objectives and her research background to manage programs for AT&T that would yield results and drive sales.
Eric Fernandez, Senior Vice President of MEDIALINK LLC, says,
“Katy is a great example of an S3 student who seized the opportunities presented to her. While the S3 program prepared her for entering the sports marketing business, her work ethic, positive “can do” attitude and natural curiosity have contributed to her professional growth and advancement. She’s achieved quite a bit in a short time and continually is a model representative of the S3 program.”
High praise also comes from Travis Dillon, Vice President of Activation and Property Management at The Marketing Arm.
“Katy is one of our rising stars at TMA. She has been an integral part of our national college football program the past 2 years with AT&T and ESPN College GameDay and is quickly establishing herself as a leader on the team. In addition, her insights and analytics background make her a valuable strategic asset to the team since day one.”
This work ethic, “can do” attitude and natural curiosity led to a recent promotion to Senior Account Executive.
Approach to Networking: Sports is a small industry. No matter where you are or have been, your name and personal brand will come up again with come up again. Continue to build your personal brand equity.
Be a Problem Solver: Look for different areas of your client’s business and your business to solve problems all across the board. Be known as someone who finds solutions.
Have a Great Attitude: Be a team player with a positive attitude when approaching all projects, including that those aren’t exactly your favorite.[/dropshadowbox]
Social Media is all fun and no work, right? Those “millennials” are always on their phones, checking Facebook and “LOL’ing” with their friends. It always seems to be “tweet this” and “hashtag that.” I can hardly understand what they are saying sometimes!
The truth of the matter is that social media, when used effectively, can be an extremely beneficial tool.
A study of business-to-business salespeople found that 42% frequently use social media in their selling efforts to:
Build awareness.
Prospect.
Obtain leads.
Connect with customers and keep them feeling important.
Maintain good business relationships.
Obtain referrals.
Communicate thoroughly.
As we might guess, 73% of millennial’s use social media in selling, while 60% of Gen X salespeople do, and only 33% of baby boomers.
More importantly, the sales performance of those who use social media in these ways is significantly higher than those who don’t.
During a recent brainstorming session with one of my sales AE’s, we pulled up a prospective partner’s Facebook page. By literally spending a few minutes browsing the page, we completely overhauled our proposal to incorporate some themes that we discovered. When we subsequently made the pitch, the client remarked on how our theme was spot-on with their current objectives.
While there are plenty of fun and games involved, used effectively and efficiently, social media can help lead the sales charge for your sales teams.
How about your sales team?
At your next sales team meeting, see how your group is doing by asking the questions below.
How can we use social media and which social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, blogs, etc.) work best to:
Increase your awareness among potential and current customers?
Prospect new customers?
Obtain leads? Referrals?
Connect with customers and make them feel important?
Maintain good business relationships?
Communicate thoroughly?
We’d like to hear what you come up with! We’re all learning together! Tweet to us @BaylorS3 and @Wguymon. #sellsports
The study of 309 B2B salespeople from a national sample was conducted by: Schultz, Robert J., Charles Schwepker, and David J. Good (2012). “An exploratory study of social media in B2B selling: Salesperson characteristics, activities, and performance,” Marketing Management Journal, 22 (2), 76-89.
“People are uncomfortable using the phone. A text message is easier. You can think exactly what you want to say and how to craft it. Over the phone, there’s this awkwardness.”
“I don’t love phone calls. It’s a lot more work than a text.”
“We tell ourselves we don’t want to disturb someone. Sometimes it’s true, but more often, it’s because we can’t get them off the phone. In texting, we don’t have to talk to people or listen to what another person has to say. We decide how we want to encounter or whether we want to encounter other people. Technology gives us tools for controlling our relationships.”[/dropshadowbox].
This is the way the next generation, and many others, feel about texts versus phone calls.
With as much as we use our phones, the reality is our consumers and employees aren’t very comfortable talking on the phone. They really don’t know how to effectively communicate with it.
What’s next?
Do I think phone sales are going away? No. Will the need for phone messaging go away? No.
What do we need to do?
First, we must recognize the cultural battle of using the phone. Second, we must become wiser about how we use the phone as a sales messaging tool.
I continue to see sales representatives find success with phone sales by using these simple principles:
1. One touchpoint. The phone call cannot be the only touch point to communicate with consumers. As one of a series of touch points, a phone call communicates urgency and purpose.
2. Be specific. Call with a specific message, establish a clear agenda for the call, and get a commitment for ‘time needed’ and ‘agenda’ from the outset.
Calling with a clearly defined, well-articulated, BRIEF, message is respected and appreciated.
Those interested will make the initial commitment and allow for the call to continue.
Don’t waste time with those unable to make a time commitment right then. Conduct further outreach for the same message at a later time or a new outreach with a new message in the future.
3. WIIFM. Be sure the message includes the WIIFM (what’s in it for me). They will not give you time without knowing the potential benefit. Benefits may be financial, physical, or emotional in nature.
4. Preview the next touch point. If you receive a voice-mail tell the customer to watch for an email later that day. Tell them why they should open it (to further illustrate point #3). This preview may be the one thing that causes your email to be opened not deleted.
There are many other ideas and techniques to make the phone a successful sales tool. We’ll need to be creative and adaptive to be effective, but some things will always be tried and true if conformed to meet consumer standards. I personally see picking up the phone and having conversations to be a sales anchor for years to come.
What do you think?
Since everyone is dealing with these issues, I asked a few other sales managers and trainers for their input on the subject.
“Sporting events are emotional entertainment and in most cases purchased for the emotion that it invokes. The best way to sell this is through a human voice full of emotion and not words on a screen.” Clark Beacom, Vice President of Sales, Columbus Crew
“Phone and face to face sales are here to stay for the foreseeable future. While there is no doubt the dynamic of ticket sales is shifting, face to face and phone sales will continue to thrive as long as people still have the instinct to negotiate. Fans are very comfortable purchasing single events online, but when it comes to larger packages they will feel the most comfortable talking through the purchase with an expert.” Jeff Berryhill, Director, National Sales Center, Major League Soccer
“At its core, sales is built on rapport, trust and relationship building skills. Online tools certainly assist a salesperson in penetrating a prospect’s attention and in some cases accelerate the communication process. But, I find it hard to believe they will ever completely replace the overall impact of creating a connection with someone by hearing their smile come through on the phone or the feeling of warmth that a firm in-person handshake can create.” Bryant Pfeiffer, Vice President, Club Services, Major League Soccer
What do you think? Comment or click the Tweet button (#phonesales) and let us know: @BHillMLS @clarkbeacom @bpfeiff @kats_kris
When I read that headline posted by my friend J.W. Cannon, I realized one thing: When people contact me they don’t care how busy I am. They want to know I care. About them. About whatever it is that motivated them to contact me.
What happens if someone always reminds you how busy they are? After a while, you get the picture and stop contacting them. That’s not the image I want others to associate with me. I’d much rather be known as an effective time manager.
“How do the elite signal to each other how important they are? “I am slammed” is a socially acceptable way of saying “I am important.” Fifty years ago, Americans signaled class by displaying their leisure: think banker’s hours (9 to 3). Today, the elite display their extreme schedules.” ~Joan Williams[/dropshadowbox]
Some of the busiest people I know are never too busy to respond. They are important but don’t act like it. These are CEOs, CROs, COOs, and SVPs of some of the best sports franchises in North America. What is their secret?
First, they care enough to respond.
Second, they understand people just want a response. It can be yes, no, or wait. A non-response just means another email or call. More time.
Before the era of email we were taught to handle a piece of paper once. Same principle applies: Act on it. Delegate it. File it. Trash it.
#2 Realign priorities. Really.
The bottom line: We do what is important to us. No one forces me to have a busy schedule. I must face the reality: It’s my choice.
As J.W. shared with me, “Busy people need to learn to prioritize tasks better, otherwise they will get bogged down in minutia. Focus on what’s most important first and foremost, and note those things that can wait.”
Sometimes even your profile pic tells others something about what’s important in life.
#3 Just say “no.”
Many people think “no” is an unacceptable answer to give. They avoid answering. The exact opposite is the truth.
We respect people who can tell us no. A solid no allows us to move on to next. Non-response wastes the time of both parties.
As J.W. continues, “Learn to say ‘no.’ There’s no harm in letting people know you don’t have the capacity to handle something. There’s still only 24 hours in a day; trying to stretch that just leads to unproductive busy work.”
#4 Get smart.
Take a time management course. Read the “One Minute Manager.” Too busy? Listen while driving or exercising. Click here and buy, like I just did.
From Tony Schwartz: Begin workdays by focusing for 90 uninterrupted minutes on the one task you decide the night before is the most important. Turn off email. Close all windows on the computer. Let the phone go to voicemail. After 90 minutes, take a break.
Cut useless meetings, especially if you’re in charge. If the meeting doesn’t include interchange, energize, or lead to new opportunities, cut it.
Aldo Kafie, Group Director at Octagon Sports, nails it: “If you can’t prioritize and delegate then you’ll always be ‘busy’.”
So, there, I hope this helps solve everyone’s problems with busy schedules. Let me know if you have other ideas or comments. Hopefully I won’t be too slammed this week to respond! Click the Tweet button below: @kirkwakefield #toobusy
The natural instinct may be to come in with what you think are the best practice systems, training, and framework. The reality is your success will only go as far as your people and their mindsets in wanting to understand and execute implementation plans. Hiring in from the outside and implementing new sales structures can be tough, but that’s not what I’m referencing. More importantly, we must APPRECIATE the mindset of the inherited staff.
