On two occasions now, the president’s of two large companies have attacked me.

No silly, not by physical force. But they were genuinely concerned.

Turn on the TV, check the front few pages of any newspaper, listen to the radio and no doubt you’ll be bombarded with a chess match of mentally developed and not-so-understandably respected folks yelling at each other “recession-this” and “no-recession-that’”.

“A financial crisis here” says one lady, while the other ‘just-as-wise’ smiles her best smile, looks you in the eye and tells you “there is no financial crisis, this is a time of opportunity.” And just then, ten other well-greased analysts, and a couple of bow-tie clad economists declare there is no opportunity. Everyone must cust back and cushioned their rear-ends in preparation for the big loss.

What’s happening really isn’t anything new in my view. Sure, parts of this dramatic play “have never been seen before”. But the economy, since the beginning of time, as had its ups and downs, its sidesteps, trips, hops, jumps and falls…

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The Vancouver Sun ran an article last Tuesday about Chef Daniel Boulud. The famed restaurateur who owns 5-6 restaurants across the US is partnering with the current owners of Lumiere and Feenies. If you’ve been following the story of Rob Feenie’s departure, there’s likely a lot more than meets the eye. But that’s not what I’m writing to you about today…

Hidden deep inside that Vancouver Sun article was a gem. A precisely-cut and glittering diamond of marketing wisdom.

It appeared when Daniel Boulud was asked why he chose to come to Vancouver over Toronto or Montreal, the largest Canadian cities (Vancouver holds 3rd place).

Boulud’s reply was spot on. He said
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As part of my book release for Profitable Relations, I’ve put together a 5-day free email course that shares a success story each day.
There’s no cost to sign up, and it only takes 20 seconds.

If you’re interested in learning how other businesses have used straightforward marketing techniques to increase their customer loyalty, you’ll enjoy this course.

Go to the Profitable Relations E-Course page, scroll to the bottom and sign up.

Let me know what you think?

To your success,

Michael

Welcome back.

Last week my plate was so stacked with work a giant baron, from one of those medieval movies, would have feasted until he dropped.

And while I juggled to regain control, I realized how quickly we can lose sight of the golden key that turns the door to true productivity and higher profits. The key that let’s us keep everything under control.

I am by no means complaining. I’ve been working with a great group of clients, their industries are diverse, and they all share a passion for what they’re doing. Some more than others, but in each and every case great things are happening. Greater things are coming closer.

So I’m sitting at my desk, 4 different projects need my attention and the phone is ringing every 3 minutes.

I could let this continue…jumping from one project to the other until the day was done.

But that wouldn’t be fair to my clients. So what did I do? Here comes the key….

I turned off the ringer. Closed down my email program. Next, I made a list of everything I need to get done in point form.

I hit my time tracking software’s “start” button…And then I devoted a solid 2 hours to each project. NO interruptions. None.

When is the last time you’ve blocked out everything completely…allowing you to focus like a monk in deep meditation?

The result is getting more done in those 2 hours than I would have in 6 hours if I were to jump around with all those other distractions.

And it’s not just the amount that is accomplished. It’s the quality of work. That deep focus allows the mind to reach a higher state where imagination and ideas develop more vividly.

If you think you’re already getting enough done, I have something for you to try.

• Use any time tracking software; if you’re on Vista, there is a nice little Sidebar widget you can use.
• Start and Stop it to track the actual amount of work you’re getting done. If you’re writing in word, don’t count the time you’re on the phone, or the time you spend checking a new email that comes in.
• Do this for every project you’re working on
• At the end of the week look at how much time you actually spend working on core projects.

You’ll be surprised by how many interruptions you’ve had. It all adds up and takes away from your productivity and quality of product.

You want to assign a certain amount of hours each day for core work. During that time, make yourself unavailable to others (in every form).

It will be hard at the beginning….but the rewards are well worth it.

Until next time….

To your success,

Michael