How to Prepare The Office For Your Vacation

1. Out of Office email....check! 
2. Change Voicemail...check! 
3. Update reports...eh...check-enough. 
4. Emergency Contact...check! 
5. Relax...well, after I successfully land at my destination I will relax. 

I'm taking a vacation, folks.  No worries, my loyal followers, I promise to come back refreshed and full of new ideas to share with you.  In the meantime, refer to the attached article to find out 5 must-do's to prepare your office for your next vacation.   

How to Prepare The Office For Your Vacation eHow.com

What is a Blog?

Everybody is doing it. Seriously... every company, every store, some of your friends, perhaps, have blogs. The video link above gives an excellent 3 minute explanation on what a blog is. Now go on...start one of your own!

Empty Your Inbox

This post was inspired by my friend Emily, who updated her status on Facebook as "crawling out of an "inbox" mess" a few weeks ago. I've read where the looming backlog of messages in your inbox can create unnecessary stress. Who needs that? I found this article by Janet Baily, whose company is Mindful Time Management (http://www.mindfultimemanagement.com/). You should check out her website for other great time management suggestions. The link below offers a great methodology for cleaning out your inbox...so I gave it a try:
http://www.mindfultimemanagement.com/2009/10/approaching-the-inbox-with-a-shovel-or-maybe-a-bulldozer-tea-and-lots-of-chocolate/

I didn't have tea or chocolate...I drank a Michelob Ultra and ate pizza instead. It took two hours to file and delete my way to a better state of mind. I left 21 emails that will serve as my to-do list when I return to work on Monday. I'm afraid if I filed them, I'd just probably forget about them. Now, I just need to commit myself to keeping this practice up. Cheers!

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?

For an owl, it took 3 licks before he bit into it. I think the point being made was that no one really knows because it's impossible to wait that long. But perhaps the bigger point was that the owl didn't wait for the center to reveal itself...he took charge and made something happen. Just like a good sales person doesn't wait for an order to come to them, the good ones go out there and make them happen. Whether you are in a sales position or not, we all have an element or two of selling in the work we do. This year has been challenging, to say the least. However, those of us who approached this year with optimism and old fashioned hard work are probably starting to see the fruits of our labor....even if those fruits are smaller than in years past. Stay optimistic, keep up the hard work, and stay strong...only the strong will survive!

http://www.rethinkingsales.com/blog/2010/7/29/selling-only-the-strong-survive.html

Power Networking

net-work-ing: -noun 1. a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.

definition via Dictionary.com

Networking is a good exercise in any profession. Most of us in the commercial furnishings and textiles business belong to networking groups made up of non-competing sales people where each person brings to the meeting new projects and/or contacts to share. By the definition above, a good networking group is "a supportive system of sharing information". There is a tremendous amount of trust among members of the group and unwritten rules of conduct of which everyone abides by. Some networking groups are better than others...the group has to have good chemistry. I was recently invited to join two non-competing sales representatives and hosted their "Power Networking" meeting. What made it a "power" meeting? Not only did we exchange information, we actually followed thru on making the call to set up meetings and or presentations with the new contacts shared. We agreed to invite each other to additional sales presentations we make in the coming weeks. Not only will this allow us to share in the expense of a lunch presentation, have a more focused presentation - 20 min versus a whole hour - but more importantly, it will allow our time-crunched customers the opportunity to be exposed to a wider variety of product over the hour lunch break. I see it as a win-win for everyone. How are you utilizing networking groups to grow your business?