10 Wrong Ways to Start Your Emails

To get your audience to read your emails and act on them, don’t follow the tips below!

Do the opposite of these bad ideas.
1. Spell the reader’s name wrong, use a nickname rather than the reader’s preferred name, or get the gender wrong. 

Examples:

Hi Suzanne, (for Susannah)
Hello Denny, (for Dennis)
Dear Sir: (for a woman)

2. Use an old subject line that has nothing to do with your current subject.

Example:

Subject: Re: Cancelling today’s weekly meeting

Rita Clarke was admitted to Central Hospital this morning after she fainted on the job. Would you please order flowers for her?

3. Dive right into what you need without a greeting or courteous language. 

I need this proposal proofread by 4 p.m.

4. Spend at least a paragraph on fluff.

Thanks, everybody, for your whole-hearted participation in last week’s retreat. Not only were the pastries for breakfast and the pasta for lunch sweet treats, but the treats you also gave each other in terms of focused attention and feedback were great—and contained no calories! Wouldn’t it be nice if food worked that way, too? Now, on to the meat of this message (no pun intended).

5. Give background first rather than the purpose of your message.

I was talking with Greta Marks yesterday about the new customer portal, and Greta offered some suggestions for issues I have had with customer training and communications. In her long experience, the situation . . .

6. Begin with a long, complex sentence. 

Following up on our conversation this morning in which we discussed the initial costs of Phase 2 implementation, and your question about whether the scheduled dates are firm and realistic, I talked with Michael Amato in Creative Services to benefit from his wisdom and creativity. [45 words]

7. Immediately talk about yourself and your company rather than your readers and their needs. 

My name is Henry Wu. My company, XYZ, has worked with well-known brands including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Nike. We have been in the brand-enhancement business for 7 years. We are launching a new service that . . .

8. In a marketing message, pretend you have analyzed your reader’s situation, but don’t bother to do the necessary research.
I thought you might like to know some of the key points that you need to address as priorities on your website, syntax.com . These can be the reason you are not getting the desired position out of continued SEO efforts. [Followed by irrelevant points.]

9. Begin negatively. 

I am responding to your complaint about how your refund was mishandled.

10. Focus on your apology rather than on what your reader has asked for.

Bryan, I am so sorry I did not get this information to you sooner! I had thought I would be at work on Friday, but my toddler was sick and I could not send him to daycare.
Bonus bad way: Begin by having your readers click to show that they have received your message.

To begin effectively, do the opposite:

1. Spell the reader’s name correctly, use the name he or she prefers, and if you use a gender-based courtesy title, get it right.

2. Use a fresh, accurate subject.

3. Greet your reader and use “Please” when requesting or directing.

4. Spend no more than a brief sentence or two on relationship building, such as “Thanks for your whole-hearted participation in last week’s retreat.”

5. Communicate the purpose of your message before giving background.

6. Begin with a clear, simple sentence.

7. Start by focusing on your readers and their needs.

8. Do the research necessary to engage your readers.

9. Begin positively. For instance, write “Thank you for letting us know how we handled your refund.”

10. Give the reader the requested information; then apologize briefly, if necessary.

Bonus tip: Avoid using read receipts unless you must have evidence that your readers have opened your email. Read receipts shift the focus away from the message purpose and onto your need for documentation.

I would like to thank Lynn Gaertner-Johnston for her wise tips on email etiquette. If you would like to  get her complimentary Email Etiquette: 25 Quick Rules then sign up for her monthly ezine (electronic magazine)!

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7 Business Growth Habits

If growing your business is feeling difficult and slow let Peter W. Murphy help you take control. Growing your business can feel like a mystery you can’t solve. You work hard and fail to grow. By using growth habits you can increase profits, boost sales, and accelerate growth.

7 Business Growth Habits that Boost Sales and Increase Profits

1. Turn chaos into order. New opportunities hide in chaos. Look for problems needing solutions.
2. Access Deeper Wisdom. Better thinking leads to progress. Take time to relax and reflect so intuition kicks in.
3. Test and track ideas. Always be testing ideas to find winners. Only ongoing testing and tracking can verify new growth opportunities.
4. Be resilient under pressure. Always face pressure head on. Maintain physical and mental health to be at your best under pressure.
5. Network for inspiration. Be social with the right people to stay inspired. Your high achieving peers will keep you motivated and on track.
6. Achieve unbalanced success. Develop your strengths to drive growth. Know that your highest value work will drive the business forward.
7. Develop intense focus. Concentrate your intelligence on the highest value tasks. Postpone, ignore and delegate any tasks others can do as well or better than you.

These are some of the business growth habits from Peter W. Murphy’s book Business Growth Habits: How to Accelerate Sales and Increase Profits by Implementing a Simple Daily Practice.

13 Different Personality Types Found in the Workplace

I have combed the internet and found 13 different personalities type that we all may deal with on a daily basis. It’s important to recognize these personalities when dealing with difficult employees. You can’t use the same approach with every employee. In a lot of cases you will need to change your style and approach with each employee. These tips will also come in handy when assigning projects to individuals or small teams. If a person or team is too analytical, there will be little creativity. If a person or team is too sensitive, fewer decisions will be made in confidence.

Here are some ways to deal with different personality traits:

1. Bad Attitude

This is a major problem because their attitude is affecting the people around them and it is unacceptable. There are 3 steps in dealing with an employee with a bad attitude. First, you will want to give this employee a verbal warning. Don’t make a big scene. Be honest and upfront. Discuss what you are seeing and how important it is to have the whole team working in harmony. If you get a sarcastic, “nothing is wrong with me,” then you should let that employee know that is not what you see. You must be strong and not attacking. Let them know that the behavior they are showing is not acceptable and must improve. Second would be written warnings. Continue to confront the employee until the behavior problem is eliminated. The goal is for the employee to fully understand the problem, what the solution must be, and what the consequences are if the attitude continues. Third and most permanent solution to an employee that constantly has a bad attitude would be termination. If it gets to the point that you have tried everything from verbal warnings to written warnings you may be left with no choice but to terminate the employee. If the situation gets to this, make sure you are following all the procedures in accordance with your company’s policies.

2. Mean-spirited

Often this type of employee makes it known that they are not happy with work or the people around them. Usually it’s because of problems that are not work related. If you think that this person is affecting employee morale you should talk to this person and make sure they understand that you need a department that works in harmony.

3. Analyst

This type of personality will always try to find a flaw in the system. Often this employee will argue against a cause or position, not as a committed opponent but simply for the sake of argument. If you say, “Do this,” they will say, “shouldn’t we do it like this?” Sometimes this is good because there might be a better solution, but most of the time the employee is just being too critical. They will often procrastinate when making decisions as well. This is more of a “just the facts” type of person. Projects that require deep analytical investigation are good for these employees.

4. Considerate

The considerate employee is nice, calm, and likes to think things through. Often agreeable and they usually have an optimistic point of view. They might take a bit longer than others to get the job done and may need some help in making decisions. The good news is that their work is usually complete and with very few errors. Let them know calmly and directly what you need from them. This would be a good person to do long-term, detailed projects. Be sure to give them lots of encouragement and praise to get the most out of this type of personality.

5. Curmudgeon

These employees tend to be grumpy and sarcastic. They will have a “glass half-empty” point of view. You want to be strong and confident when approaching these types of employees. Give them the facts and let them know exactly what is expected. Try to give these employees projects that do not demand too much creativity.

6. Overly-confident

Sometimes these employees act confident even with they don’t know what they are doing. You need to be very direct when getting your point across. This type of employee should be humbled every now and then. Have them repeat exactly what they are supposed to be doing. Be sure to give them projects that can easily be tracked to make sure they are heading in the right direction.

7. Aggressive

The aggressive employee likes to take control and do things quickly. They are usually good at what they do and know it. These employees are not afraid to make decisions. They can produce a lot of good work for you. Every once and a while you may need to make sure they know who is boss. This would be a good person to use to put out any fires that need immediate attention.

8. Loner

A loner employee just wants to do the job and not get involved with the company. They normally do not like interactions with fellow employees. If you find that your loner employee is affecting the company and the team is not succeeding then you should talk to them about the importance and reasoning of the team approach. Remind them that it is in their benefit that the team succeeds. Not only for job security but for any rewards that you have in place. This doesn’t mean that they have to be everyone’s best friend; they just need to be supportive and reliable. A problem with a person who does not want to be part of the team is that they usually end up not completely understanding the expectations of the group. There may be excuses like, “Nobody told me…” or “I didn’t know I was supposed to do that…” Continue to try to get this person out of their shell and try to give them projects that do not require team effort.

9. Results-driven

Employees that are results-driven often focus only on the performance goals and sometimes lose focus on the big picture. They feel like they are doing a great job because they are meeting their important goal but they are doing poorly on another part of the job. You have to stress the importance of the big picture and to use common sense. An example of this type of employee is that they will stop troubleshooting a problem, even when they are close to fixing it, because they went over the time frame they had to work on it. This type of employee is usually better with simple straightforward tasks that do not require thinking outside the box.

10. Quiet

This employee is one that rarely talks in meetings, seems to have low self-esteem, and is continually sub-conscious about their actions. These employees just might have some brilliant ideas that could be incorporated. We tend to give our attention to the more commanding personalities and miss the quiet and soft-spoken ones. There is often power in the quiet person and are the ones you should seek out.

11. Brainiac

They will use knowledge and sarcasm to get what they want. These employees sometimes dance around the basic topics and around making any type of decision. Make sure you keep this person on track because they can lose focus very easily on the task at hand. Good projects for this person would be more “data-oriented”.

12. Talkative

The talkative employee will usually show more emotion and be more feelings oriented, whether positive or negative. They are often the “social butterfly” of the office and have a strong interest in what everyone else is doing or saying. They often like making decisions but want confirmation just in case. Try to use some humor and a light approach to get your point across to this type of personality. These types of employees would be good for planning social events or any projects that require personality.

13. Sensitive

Frequently this type of employee takes any type of confrontation too personally. They do as they are told, but do not like making decisions. Their feelings get hurt easily but they are usually very nice and pleasant to be around. Try not to be too direct with these types. Use an encouraging approach when dealing with performance related issues. Good projects for sensitive employees would require little to no supervision as sensitive people may become far less productive and efficient if they are being scrutinized.

When you are managing your employees—especially if they hate hierarchy—you need to remember to not take their hesitation to follow your directions too personally. Identify their personality, win over their trust and you will start to see things change for the better.

What types of personalities are in your office? Which personalities do you find work best together? What are some ways you have found to effectively manage difficult personalities?

Top 5 Ways to Avoid Interruptions

Do you find yourself never quite finding enough time to complete your work? Do you have unfinished tasks stacking up? Many times during our busy schedule we are interrupted by co-workers.

These top 5 ways to avoid interruptions should be very helpful for you.

1. USE YOUR DOOR:

If you are fortunate enough to have a door to your office, use it. Closing your door is one of the quickest ways to avoid interruptions. This gives you a quite space to stop and think while letting your employees know you are not available.

2. MAKE YOUR SCHEDULE WORK FOR YOU:

Whether you have a meeting or just need to make a phone call that needs your full attention, schedule it. Outlook through Microsoft has a lot of scheduling options ranging from scheduling interoffice meetings and inviting everyone or blocking out a time when you just need to open your mail. When you know you have something important coming up you can let your employees know you will be busy. This way you are avoiding interruptions at a time when your mind needs to focus (more than it already does). You are gaining strength and trust in your team resulting in higher productivity by communicating your schedule.

3. CREATE REGULAR ONE-ON-ONE TIME:

Carving out a time in your busy schedule for employees you need to meet with will greatly reduce the amount of interruptions in your day. Each person will know when their time with you is and will be less likely to pop into your office with a random question. This will ease the anxiety of your team. Scheduling a meeting in Outlook with brief notes and inviting your employees will effectively communicate with your team members when you will be available.

4. LIMIT QUESTIONS:

If someone stops you mid thought when you were on a roll, take a mental inventory and decide if you can quickly answer their question. If you need to schedule a time to meet with this person, calmly explain that you want to look at their question, but are working on something that requires your full attention. Provide your employee a follow-up time, whether it be 10 minutes or scheduling a one-on-one meeting.

5. USE THE TECHNOLOGY YOU HAVE:

The Do Not Disturb button on your telephone is convenient and helpful. It doesn’t need to be used ONLY when you are away from your desk. When you are in the middle of something that requires your full attention turn it on. Keep in mind, employees may still arrive at your desk with their question, but you now have the ammunition to politely explain that just as soon as your Do Not Disturb button is off you will be happy to look at their questions.

If you are finding that interruptions throughout your day are affecting your work, share this article with a friend, email it to a co-worker or post it on your office bulletin board. These Top 5 ways to avoid office interruptions will come in handy when you least expect it.

 

 

Why Multitasking is Not the Answer

I found an article by Jamie Showkeir on the Exquifax website which I couldn’t help but share. Sometimes business owners and employees get so wrapped up in their daily workload that they multitask to no end. Turns out maybe it isn’t the most productive way to get your daily tasks done. They’ve even done research at MIT learning that no matter how many things you think you are doing, your brain is only doing one.

Read this article by Jamie Showkeir.

As a small business owner, I spend a great deal of my time in front of groups of people, delivering workshops, facilitating planning sessions, convening and leading large group engagement events, and consulting on critical client business issues.

Until about 10 years ago, I believed that my ability to multitask was one of the things that set me apart. Imagine my surprise when I learned that I was wrong. Not only that, but I found I wasn’t doing myself any favors by trying to develop multitasking skills.

Here is what I have discovered about multitasking:

It is impossible.

The brain can switch between tasks at such a speed that it seems like multitasking. But according to Earl Miller, a Picower professor of neuroscience at MIT, even when we think we’re multitasking we can really only focus on one thing at a time.

It diminishes quality.

Clifford Nass, professor and researcher at Stanford University and author of The Man Who Lied to His Laptop, told an interviewer on NPR’s “Science Friday” that “the research is almost unanimous, which is very rare in social science, and it says that people who chronically multitask show an enormous range of deficits. They’re basically terrible at all sorts of cognitive tasks, including multitasking.”

It harms the ability to focus.

According to Nass, people who regularly multitask have trouble focusing on just about anything, though they don’t realize it. “People who multitask can’t filter out irrelevancy,” Nass told NPR. “They can’t manage a working memory. They’re chronically distracted.”

How you can retrain your brain and get focused

I knew that if I were to continue thinking I could do it all, my multitasking habit would harm my work and, in turn, my clients. So, I had to do something to retrain my brain and gain focus.

If you’re looking to break your multitasking habit and work smarter, try mediation. It doesn’t require long periods of time sitting in a cross-legged position, and it can be very useful in helping improve concentration.

Many people develop the habit by starting with three to five minutes a day. Through continual practice, you can lengthen the periods of concentration and reduce the frequency of distractions.

Any time you feel distracted, or are trying to do too many things at once, take a short breather and clear your head. Close your eyes and focus on a word or sound, not allowing your mind to stray. After you’ve cleared your head, you’ll be able to get back to work with a new sense of clarity.

Among the benefits I have enjoyed from letting go of my multitasking mindset:

• I can focus on quality in the moment, which typically leads to a better end result.
• When distractions occur, I can recover quickly by recognizing the distraction, consciously letting it go, and refocusing on the people or situation at hand.
• I can focus on one thing at a time, which simplifies and clarifies the moment and which, in turn, creates calm and sanity.

When I stopped trying to multitask, the quality of my work—and my life—improved. I was able to get plenty of things done, but do so without the chaos I dealt with before. What would you have to let go of, and what would you gain, if you stopped trying to multitask?

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10 Things Successful People Never Do Again.

“Never go back.” What does that mean? From observations of successful people, clinical psychologist and author of Never Go Back: 10 Things You’ll Never Do Again (Howard Books, June 2014), Dr. Henry Cloud has discovered certain “awakenings” that people have—in life and in business—that once they have them, they never go back to the old way of doing things. And when that happens, they are never the same. In short, they got it.

“Years ago, a bad business decision of mine led to an interesting discussion with my mentor,” Dr. Cloud says. “I had learned a valuable lesson the hard way, and he reassured me: ‘The good thing is once you learn that lesson, you never go back. You never do it again.’

“I wondered, what are the key awakenings that successful people go through that forever change how they do things, which propel them to succeed in business, relationships, and life? I began to study these awakenings, researching them over the years.”

Although life and business have many lessons to teach us, Dr. Cloud observed 10 “doorways” of learning that high performers go through, never to return again.

Successful people never again…

1. Return to what hasn’t worked.

Whether a job, or a broken relationship that was ended for a good reason, we should never go back to the same thing, expecting different results, without something being different.

2. Do anything that requires them to be someone they are not.

In everything we do, we have to ask ourselves, “Why am I doing this? Am I suited for it? Does it fit me? Is it sustainable?” If the answer is no to any of these questions, you better have a very good reason to proceed.

3. Try to change another person.

When you realize that you cannot force someone into doing something, you give him or her freedom and allow them to experience the consequences. In doing so, you find your own freedom as well.

4. Believe they can please everyone.

Once you get that it truly is impossible to please everyone, you begin to live purposefully, trying to please the right people.

5. Choose short-term comfort over long-term benefit.

Once successful people know they want something that requires a painful, time-limited step, they do not mind the painful step because it gets them to a long-term benefit. Living out this principle is one of the most fundamental differences between successful and unsuccessful people, both personally and professionally.

6. Trust someone or something that appears flawless.

It’s natural for us to be drawn to things and people that appear “incredible.” We love excellence and should always be looking for it. We should pursue people who are great at what they do, employees who are high performers, dates who are exceptional people, friends who have stellar character, and companies that excel. But when someone or something looks too good to be true, he, she, or it is. The world is imperfect. Period. No one and no thing is without flaw, and if they appear that way, hit pause.

7. Take their eyes off the big picture.

We function better emotionally and perform better in our lives when we can see the big picture. For successful people, no one event is ever the whole story. Winners remember that – each and every day.

8. Neglect to do due diligence.

No matter how good something looks on the outside, it is only by taking a deeper, diligent, and honest look that we will find out what we truly need to know: the reality that we owe ourselves.

9. Fail to ask why they are where they find themselves.

One of the biggest differences between successful people and others is that in love and in life, in relationships and in business, successful people always ask themselves, what part am I playing in this situation? Said another way, they do not see themselves only as victims, even when they are.

10. Forget that their inner life determines their outer success.

The good life sometimes has little to do with outside circumstances. We are happy and fulfilled mostly by who we are on the inside. Research validates that. And our internal lives largely contribute to producing many of our external circumstances.

And, the converse is true: people who are still trying to find success in various areas of life can almost always point to one or more of these patterns as a reason they are repeating the same mistakes.

Everyone makes mistakes…even the most successful people out there. But, what achievers do better than others is recognize the patterns that are causing those mistakes and never repeat them again. In short, they learn from pain—their own and the pain of others.

A good thing to remember is this: pain is unavoidable, but repeating the same pain twice, when we could choose to learn and do something different, is certainly avoidable. I like to say, “we don’t need new ways to fail…the old ones are working just fine!” Our task, in business and in life, is to observe what they are, and never go back to doing them again.

Source: www.success.com

Business Partner | Collection Agency

Make the right decision for your business.

 

Allowing unpaid debts to go uncollected can put you in the same position as your debtors – trying to conduct business with insufficient cash reserves – only the risks for you are greater. Without revenue, you are out of business.  Collection agencies focus on claiming your debt, so your company does not have to live with a loss and can focus on other areas of your business. It can be frustrating and time consuming for businesses to devote resources toward collecting their debts. Collection agencies have a vast knowledge of collection techniques, technology and compliance issues. Using a professional collection agency will save you time and money. Likely yielding better results than you can achieve on your own. A collections agency can be a good business partner.

Do you have delinquent invoices?

 

Do you ever feel like your customers aren’t taking you seriously when you contact them about their delinquent invoices? Working with a collection agency can make it easier to report slow pays to the credit bureaus.

While payment overdue letters may be enough to remind many customers they owe your business money, sending out all those letters each week or month could be a time-consuming process. Turning it over to us is an excellent way to ensure collections are always handled on a regular basis.

One of the benefits of hiring a debt collection agency is the feedback available on your customers as part of the debt collection process. Agencies can identify customers who have moved frequently and have had previous delinquencies. This is important because experts say that customers who fit this profile are responsible for up to 90 percent of all delinquencies.

While collection agencies are prepared to completely follow through to get the debt paid, it usually doesn’t come to that. Truth be told, for most debts the first notice from a collections agency is enough to jump start the client into paying.

5 Tips to Reduce Stress at Work

Trying to keep up with a nonstop workload while remaining balanced and centered can be difficult for even the most mindful individuals. So, just how can you stay calm and cool in the face of stress at work?

A recent poll conducted by Monster found that most workers experience stress daily in the workplace. Here are 5 tips from career experts on how to effectively manage and reduce stress at work.

5 Tips to Reduce Stress at Work.

A small gift can mean so much.

We received a wonderful thank you card from our friends at Whitehorse Family Medicine. They are a fantastic group of people to work along side and we appreciate them as a client!