CHAPTER 13 Managing Yourself and Your Time

Becoming An Agility Master Great leaders have learned the art and science of mastering self-improvement and time management In many ways, these principles apply to salespeople To be effective in sales, one must have courage and a positive attitude, even in the face of adversity

Six Aspects of Leadership Each aspect can be applied to selling and to life in general 1.Having a set of beliefs and sticking with them 2.Optimism 3.Courage 4.Relentless preparation 5.Teamwork 6.Communication Mayor Rudy Giulianni, from a speech given to the Direct Selling Association on June 11, 2003

Becoming Self-Disciplined Self-discipline is defined as making a “disciple” of one’s self –Becoming one’s own teacher, trainer, coach, disciplinarian Becoming disciplined helps salespeople develop and manage their personal and professional goals (their purpose) Source: William J. Bennet, The Book of Virtues

Habits: Powerful Factors A good habit, consisting of three elements, is defined as “the intersection of knowledge” 1.Knowledge: the what to do 2.Skill: the how to do 3.Desire (motivation): the want to do Source: Stephen Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen Covey’s seven habits are: –Be proactive –Begin with the end in mind –Put first things first –Think win/win –Seek first to understand and then to be understood –Synergize –Sharpen the saw Refer to Table How the Seven Habits Apply to Salespeople

Managing Time Covey’s third principle deals with prioritizing The primary reason people cannot find time to be reflective is that they mix up what is urgent and what is important

“ People become addicted to the urgent. They simply define important as urgent. They neglect preventive thinking, they neglect long-term strategic thinking, they neglect the building of high trust relationships, and they are consumed by an addiction called urgency” Stephen Covey

Importance and Urgency Four combinations of importance and urgency relate to activities in which salespeople engage: –Not important, not urgent –Not important, but urgent –Important, but not urgent –Important and urgent

Managing Oneself Body Mind Spirit

I- magnified A professional image is extremely important Image is a function of both physical qualities and personal qualities A person’s image is a mental picture of what others think of that person Remember, a person never gets a second chance to make a first impression Review Chapter 7--Attention

Physical Qualities Physical qualities are those that a customer can see or hear The physical dimension of “sharpen the saw” is caring for our bodies –Eating the right foods –Exercising –Getting enough rest and relaxation

“Success Breeds Success” People who look successful will be perceived as successful

Planning Planning involves setting SMART objectives –S pecific –M easurable –A ttainable (part of realistic) –R ealistic –T ime-based (part of specific)

Three Levels of Objectives Visionary Primary Minimum

Cycles of Productivity Productivity involves making the clock work to a person’s advantage Individuals must determine their own peak periods and use them to their advantage Salespeople should do the most demanding activities when they are at their best

Suggestions for Managing Time Set goals Manage interruptions Clear the clutter Use multiple contact media Learn to say no Manage appointments Call on prospects who can buy now Put a time value on entertainment and travel Increase personal efficiency

Take Control of Your Life Pleasure and pain are the controlling forces in our lives We do more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure

Take Control of Your Life Whatever you focus on is what is most real. To change your behavior focus on: –How not changing will cause more pain –How changing will bring you pleasure

NLP Neuro-Linguistic Programming or Neuro-associative Conditioning –Whatever we associate or “link” to a situation in our nervous system (pleasure or pain) is going to determine our behavior.

You must change what you link pain and pleasure to in order to change your behavior