Six Simple Steps to Increase Sales and Decrease Stress

Have you ever found a lead on a scrap of paper after the prospect purchased from your competition? Are you spending time recreating proposals because you can't find a similar one you wrote a few months ago? Do you run out of the door for an appointment at the last minute because you couldn't find the brochures you really wanted to take? Are you feeling overwhelmed? If so, here are six simple steps to help you increase sales and decrease stress:

1. Make a date with yourself for getting your act together. Plan a minimum of three hours when there will be no interruptions. Decide on a reward for yourself when you're finished! Do anything you can to reduce your stress during the process ? put on music, grab your favorite beverage, and get plenty of trash bags and recycling bins!

2. Take everything off your desk except what you must have or do. (A photograph or memento that reminds you of the reason you work is definitely OK!) Practice The Art of Wastebasketry?. Research shows that 80 percent of what you keep you never use! Tossing or keeping is not a moral issue, but it is a practical one! So how do you decide what to keep? Ask "What's the worst thing that could happen if I didn't have this piece of paper?" If you can live with the results of your answer, toss it or recycle it..

3. Get the right tools for your business. Half of any job is using the right tool! Put three trays on your desk: (1) In, (2) Out, (3) File. "In" is for new mail ? papers you have not yet looked at. "Out" is for items that need to go elsewhere, such as the post office, or to another room. "File" is for papers you need to file outside the reach of where you sit. Eliminate paper whenever you can with electronic tools, such as a contact management program and a financial management program. If you have difficulty finding your electronic files, check out www.Enfish.com.

4. Implement The FAT System?: File, Act or Toss. Clutter is postponed decisions?. The good news? There are only decisions you can make about what to do with any piece of paper: (1) File it in a Reference File in case you need it in the future, (2) Act on it immediately or in the near future, (3) Toss ? or recycle ? it.

5. Create an Action Filing System. Look at each piece of paper on your desk. Is the ball in your court to do this? That's an Action File. Action Files come in two varieties: 1) Temporary -- tasks that have to be done once, and will come to an end, such as "Annual Review." Sort these by date or by project name in your most accessible desk drawer. 2) Permanent -- tasks that you do over and over again, such as "Prospects to Call," "Calls Expected from Prospects," "Palm Pilot Entry" "Discuss with Manager" and "Expense Reimbursements." Keep these in a file on top of your desk for a visual reminder.

6. Create a Reference Filing System. If your existing filing system isn't working, start over! Keep the old papers, and as you need them, merge them into the new filing system. Use a filing system program such as Taming the Paper Tiger (www.thepapertiger.com). It creates and prints a file index, as well as file labels, and allows you to automatically cross reference files. With its powerful search engine capability, you can retrieve anything you file in five seconds by using a keyword search.

Will this system turn you into a perennially "clean desk" person ? unlikely! Messy desks are the natural outcome of a hectic pace. A place for everything and everything in its place ? forget it, but it is half right! A place for everything means than when you want to clean up your office to meet a client, or just because you're just sick of the mess yourself, recovering is no big deal! Some quick decision-making will clean off your desk in a matter of minutes and bring back a sense of control.

© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


In Sales, Words Just Don?t Compute

In studies conducted by Motivational Systems of West Orange, New... Read More

7 Ways to Get to the Truth: When the Sale Disappears

Based on his most recent e-mail, "Everything looks good --... Read More

How Business Coaches Avoid the Yearly Training Feeding Frenzy

What is it with appraisals? In September and October there... Read More

The Reason Why They Buy

If you're a business person you want to sell your... Read More

Are You Missing Out On Sales Through Fear of Pain? Improve the Persuasive Power of Your Words!

Education plus Motivation is a powerful formula. But how do... Read More

Essential Training Skills for Managers

Today's manager lives in a world where change has attained... Read More

Practice Building: Create a Powerful and Targeted Call to Action for Your Prospects

A "Call To Action" is an invitation for your prospective... Read More

10 Great Ways To Generate More Sales

1. Negotiate with e-zine publishers to get free or discounted... Read More

Yikes - My Feet Hurt! 8 Tips for Trade Show Exhibitors

Yikes - My Feet Hurt!Concrete. Tiles. Cheap carpet. Walking, walking.... Read More

Got Sales Objections? Wheres Your Value?

A sales manager who reads this newsletter regularly suggested the... Read More

More Sales - You Must Keep Asking

I bought a second pair of reading glasses from my... Read More

Boost Your Selling Power With Your Call-To-Action Phrases

Look at your marketing material. Now, is there something missing?... Read More

The Top 10 Powerful Tools for Growing Sales Through Creating Connection

Your mission as a business owner is to develop a... Read More

Sharpening Your Sales Skills

Making a living in sales can be very rewarding, however,... Read More

How To Win Business By Networking

In sales we do tend to become focused upon our... Read More

In Sales You Get What You Expect

If your mind is set, you will be unable to... Read More

Prep Your Customer

When I first moved to Seattle, I worked for 9... Read More

More Sales with Less Selling

Have you ever passed by a bakery display case without... Read More

What You Can Learn From The Movie Business

Maybe everything you need to know you can learn from... Read More

Boost Your Sales With These Proven Responses

When five years ago I was faced with having to... Read More

5 Small Steps To Ultimate Sales Success

"Selling worth doing is worth doing badly ? at first!"... Read More

Top 7 Psychological Triggers For Unlimited Sales

Did you know that there are specific psychological triggers you... Read More

How to Achieve Sales Goals by Focusing on Activities

When I broke into sales in 1986, I read several... Read More

8 Sales Lead Generation Methods

I've been getting lots of email from my readers lately.... Read More

Sales and Closing Techniques

One essential criteria of being a successful salesperson is the... Read More

Whats Your Sales Training Goal - Exposure or Behavioral Change?

When your company invests in sales training, what is the... Read More

Dramatically Increase Sales With The KISS Test

We've all heard the term KISS at one time or... Read More

Why Salespeople Dont Take Risks

Proponents of traditional sales training simply teach the material, sometimes... Read More

Sales Trap - We Love to Talk, But Need to Listen

My research has clearly shown that, when it comes to... Read More

Three Ways To Get A Prospect To Say Yes To Your Offer

Here are three proven ways that will increase your sales:1.... Read More

A Sale in 30 Seconds? Its all in the Greeting

It has been said that a customer makes a decision... Read More

Customers For Life

Who's talking to your customers? Is it your competition? Why... Read More

Finding the Need is Only Part of the Sale

Many of us in sales are taught to believe that... Read More