The first article in this series listed more than 25 tactics to increase your business success, all of them based on my experience. I started with nothing and didn’t get to college, so I know you can achieve maximum success, regardless of your education. E-mail me to get the first article (or any of the other articles) in the series. Each takes a closer look at one of the tactics listed in that first article.
Emails are by far and away the quickest way to save minutes every day. Texts are likely even faster. I know, I know. You think that texts are only for the young un’s. But it is what it is, even my dentist has a service that texts me to remind me of my appointment. Texting is a tool every business owner should use when it is just as effective and saves time.
This series of articles is written by an overachiever that understands he can’t do it all by himself, he needs others helping, and there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. First, you’ve got to come to that realization. Then, you can move to seeking ways to do more.
Admittedly, I likely go too far towards using e-mails and texts, as there is very little that can’t be done that way. Frankly, I think a lot of folks just aren’t that comfortable with change, and they haven’t come to the realization that even the small amounts of time they save can be put to use doing something else that will make them more successful. Several of the other articles in this series address topics like how to properly delegate and how to squeeze an extra hour out of every day. Make use of the tools that save time, such as texting.
Is it less personal? Does that matter? Of course, but the question is how much does it matter, and is that all the time? Most matters are administrative. Not to mention that you can steal a minute when you want to, on your timetable, rather than waiting for others; there is no substitute for a sense of urgency.
Another tip is that you must have a good email client, like Outlook. You young un’s that think you can keep and do everything on your phone are just wrong, though you can certainly steal time when only your phone is available to give an instruction clarification, or answer a question. Then someone isn’t waiting for you. The cumulative effect of that is you speed tasks along to completion.
You need a good email client so that you can search emails, file and save the important ones, and, most critically, save all documents in document folders, not in the emails. The file structure for your email storage and document storage should be as close to the same as possible. So if you have a folder for legal for emails, you should have a document folder named legal as well.
Also, critical to success with email, you must handle them, then move them on to a folder or delete them. This makes you very efficient. If it’s in your inbox, it’s not handled. If you’ve got more than 20 or so emails in your inbox, you simply aren’t very efficient. Try cleaning out your inbox and making it a place where only pending items are kept. Less searching, less stress. Try it.
Make sure you always include an email address when you add a contact. I am always amazed the folks that only have a phone number, so of course they take 3 minutes to do something that could have been done, literally, in 10 seconds.
And make sure you have a full contact record for yourself in your phone, and know how to “share” it with others, instead of reading folks your phone number or email address to type into their phone.
Once you really start using emails and text more, others will soon learn that’s the best way to reach you and that will give momentum to your new efficiency tool. One other thing, make sure you receive email on your phone as well as your desktop.
Remember only you can make business great!
Ron Sturgeon, Mr. Mission Possible, has been a successful business owner for more than 35 years. As a small business consultant, he can deliver wisdom and advice gleaned from an enviable business career that started when he opened a VW repair business as a homeless 17-year-old and culminated in the sale of several businesses he built to Fortune 500 companies.
Ron has helped bankers, lawyers, insurance agents, restaurant owners, and body shop owners, as well as countless salvage yard owners to become more successful business people. He is an expert in helping small business owners set the right business strategies, implement pay-for- performance, and find new customers on the web.
As a consultant, Ron shares his expertise in strategic planning, capitalization, compensation, growing market share, and more in his signature plainspoken style, providing field-proven, and high-profit best practices well ahead of the business news curve. Ron is the author of nine books, including How to Salvage More Millions from Your Small Business.
To inquire about consulting or keynote speaking, contact Ron at 817-834-3625, ext. 232, rons@MrMissionPossible.com, 5940 Eden, Haltom City, TX 76117.