Spend Less Time on E-Mail — And Accomplish More
If you work for a business that has more than eight or 10 employees, chances are you are struggling with too much internal information. However much you may want to be informed about everything that’s going on, you can’t possibly keep up on it all without increasing unnecessary stress and…
Do You Have a Problem with Delegation?
In any endeavor, there is a natural pyramidal structure to progress. You begin doing everything yourself. You have some success and hire two people to help you. Things continue to do well, and you hire four more. Every person “below” you does something you were doing at one time. If…
Find and Fix the Time Abusers
Some people always seem to be pushing or missing deadlines, asking for extensions, explaining how the dog ate their homework, etc. If someone like this works for you now, either 1) fire him or 2) change him. You can begin to change him by figuring out what kind of personality…
Are You a Workaholic?
“If I had more time, I’d have more fun,” we tell ourselves. Or, “If I had more time, I’d knit/paint/write a novel/fill in the blank.” Time is an equal opportunity provider. Every one of us, regardless of age, sex, race, or religion, has the same 24 hours a day. How…
Simplifying Your Life is About Having More
If you think simplifying your life will mean making less money, enjoying less success, maybe even being less effective as a businessperson, think again. Simplifying your life is about having more — not less — of the good things. More productivity. More passion. More meaning, love, friendship, serenity, etc. You…
Give Your Sales a Boost by Starting Earlier
“I never knew an early-rising, hard-working, prudent man, careful of his earnings, and strictly honest who complained of bad luck.” – Henry Ward Beecher Several years ago, when I was selling commercial real estate, I was introduced to a very wealthy real-estate developer. I asked if I could be of…
5 Ways to Convince Your Boss that He Made a Big Mistake By Not Giving You A Raise
Most of the people I’ve ever turned down for a raise simply sulked and disappeared. But a few of them took the experience as a wake-up call and fought back. They didn’t see themselves as losers, and they weren’t going to let me view them that way either. Arguing with…
How to Survive Parenthood and Still Get Ahead
“Parenthood remains the greatest single preserve of the amateur.” – Alvin Toffler Some 19 million children in the U.S. are being raised by single parents. And it’s not only single parents who face the challenge of juggling the needs of their children while trying to succeed in business. The majority…
Why Forcing Your Will On Others Usually Doesn’t Work
It’s so hard to accomplish something great. And it’s made more difficult when you have to rely on others to succeed. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to fix every problem, straighten out every hitch, and achieve all your goals by mandate? To say, “Just do it or else!” In the flux…
Embrace Your So-Called “Incompetence” Part 1
After 20 years as a stay-at-home mom, and following a divorce that made it necessary for her to become self-supporting, my sister-in-law Gini reentered the workforce and took an entry-level job in New York City. She liked the work well enough, but she was earning a so-so wage that netted…
Lessons from a Direct-Marketing Legend, Part II
How do you become a marketing genius — someone who effortlessly comes up with innovative approaches to sell just about anything? Well, you can’t. Some things — and genius is one of them — have to be inborn. But you can develop certain techniques that will make it possible for…
What Good Marketers Know About Choice, Part I
When faced with the challenge of deciding on what choices to offer customers, inexperienced marketers usually take a “more is better” approach. If, for example, they are selling a subscription to a newsletter, they might offer 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year options . . . and, while they’re at it, throw…