6 Steps to Managing Your Time and Professional Image
6 Steps to Managing Your Time and Professional Image
Are you BOB?
By Michelle Payne
Do you know Bob? He‘s the guy who just can’t get it together. When you poke your head into his office you find chaos. He has trinkets all over. A Bobble head doll stares right back at you. His desk and computer have yellow post-em notes all over it. When you look at his billboard you find memos that are over a year old. You see stacks of papers on his desk and on the floor. FedEx boxes are lying around. Gym shoes in the corner. You also notice a taco bell bag scrunched up and lying on top of the heap on the garbage with a little of the sauce dripping from the end…..you thought you smelled something….
When Bob goes to a meeting he is either right on time or a few minutes late. He usually takes the last seat that is available-pulls out his palm pilot, phone, and folders, with papers askew and places them all on the table in front of him. He scrambles for a pen and then realizes he doesn’t have one and asks his neighbor. He smiles at his prospects or clients and gets ready to get involved in the meeting. Bob usually has good things to say and contributes just enough to look good. When the meeting is over he is the first one to dash out the door.
You see, Bob is really busy. He often doesn’t return calls and when he does you need to get the point fast because you can feel Bob on the other end anxious to end the call as soon as possible…he tells you, “I am really busy, slammed in fact…”
Do you know Bob? Better yet, are you Bob, or the female version-Bobbette? You might recognize some of the same qualities that Bob has as your own. Perhaps you’re thinking -I sometimes do that but not all the time and no one notices… WRONG!
I see Bob in people I meet and work with everyday. We could make it a game and say how many opportunities does Bob miss daily. Is Bob so busy that he can’t take advantage of what is right in front of him? What is the benefit for Bob if he slows down and looks at planning to take leverage all that is available to him. What do others see in Bob? Do you want to work with Bob or do business with him? What is the image that he is portraying?
Questions you may ask yourself about Bob:
- Will my papers get lost in his office?
- Can he handle my business?
- Will I get the service I need, when I need it?
Assumptions about Bob:
- Bob is so busy-he doesn’t have time for the new account or client.
- Bob is not prepared and therefore won’t be detailed oriented.
- If I have a problem, I will never get Bob on the phone.
All of these are thoughts you may have had about someone else or someone else has had about you. Do you send the image of a business that will give great service and do you take the time to listen to your clients’ needs?
Image is important, whether Bob is a business owner or employee, he is sending the signal that he can’t handle it and he is unable to give the service needed in this competitive world. Remember this is about image only. But, in the world of business, image is everything.—
Bob may be an expert at what he does, and he may give excellent service but how would anyone know it? Are you ready to risk your business on Bob?
Steps to avoiding being Bob/Bobbette
1. Look at your office and see what your clients, prospects and peers see. What does your office say about how you work?
2. Take time to arrive a few minutes early to a meeting. Scope out the most advantageous seat and look for opportunities to connect and build relationships.
3. Be prepared and look prepared. Don’t come in with papers flying, keys jangling and sweat trickling down your forehead. Pull yourself together and have a pen along with anything else you may need. Make a point of looking neat, tidy and professional.
4. Stay after the meeting. Take this opportunity for business building.
5. Do I even need to say it? Return those phone calls within 24 hours. I am sure it bugs you when people don’t call you back. And, you never know who they know and will tell.
6. You may very well be so busy that you can’t take on one more thing, BUT don’t show it. You never want to miss an opportunity. You can always turn it down, but it is important to have a choice.
Now go clean you office….
"Michelle Payne is Executive Vice President of Beyond Point B, a business coaching and leadership development company in Northern California. She can be reached at mpayne@beyondpointb.com or (916) 787-9909 x3."
6 Steps to Managing Your Time and Professional Image - To learn more about this author, visit Larry Mandelberg's Website.
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6 Steps to Managing Your Time and Professional Image…
Are you BOB?
By Michelle Payne
Do you know Bob? He‘s the guy who just can’t get it together. When you poke your head into his office you find chaos. He has trinkets all over. A Bobble head doll stares right back at you. His desk and computer have yellow post-em notes all over it. When you look at his billboard you find memos that are over a year old. You see stacks of papers on his desk and on the floor. FedEx boxes are lying around. Gym shoes in the corner. You also notice a taco bell bag scrunched up and lying on top of the heap on the garbage with a little of the sauce dripping from the end…..you thought you smelled something….
When Bob goes to a meeting he is either right on time or a few minutes late. He usually takes the last seat that is available-pulls out his palm pilot, phone, and folders, with papers askew and places them all on the table in front of him. He scrambles for a pen and then realizes he doesn’t have one and asks his neighbor. He smiles at his prospects or clients and gets ready to get involved in the meeting. Bob usually has good things to say and contributes just enough to look good. When the meeting is over he is the first one to dash out the door.
You see, Bob is really busy. He often doesn’t return calls and when he does you need to get the point fast because you can feel Bob on the other end anxious to end the call as soon as possible…he tells you, “I am really busy, slammed in fact…”
Do you know Bob? Better yet, are you Bob, or the female version-Bobbette? You might recognize some of the same qualities that Bob has as your own. Perhaps you’re thinking -I sometimes do that but not all the time and no one notices… WRONG!
I see Bob in people I meet and work with everyday. We could make it a game and say how many opportunities does Bob miss daily. Is Bob so busy that he can’t take advantage of what is right in front of him? What is the benefit for Bob if he slows down and looks at planning to take leverage all that is available to him. What do others see in Bob? Do you want to work with Bob or do business with him? What is the image that he is portraying?
Questions you may ask yourself about Bob:
- Will my papers get lost in his office?
- Can he handle my business?
- Will I get the service I need, when I need it?
Assumptions about Bob:
- Bob is so busy-he doesn’t have time for the new account or client.
- Bob is not prepared and therefore won’t be detailed oriented.
- If I have a problem, I will never get Bob on the phone.
All of these are thoughts you may have had about someone else or someone else has had about you. Do you send the image of a business that will give great service and do you take the time to listen to your clients’ needs?
Image is important, whether Bob is a business owner or employee, he is sending the signal that he can’t handle it and he is unable to give the service needed in this competitive world. Remember this is about image only. But, in the world of business, image is everything.—
Bob may be an expert at what he does, and he may give excellent service but how would anyone know it? Are you ready to risk your business on Bob?
Steps to avoiding being Bob/Bobbette
1. Look at your office and see what your clients, prospects and peers see. What does your office say about how you work?
2. Take time to arrive a few minutes early to a meeting. Scope out the most advantageous seat and look for opportunities to connect and build relationships.
3. Be prepared and look prepared. Don’t come in with papers flying, keys jangling and sweat trickling down your forehead. Pull yourself together and have a pen along with anything else you may need. Make a point of looking neat, tidy and professional.
4. Stay after the meeting. Take this opportunity for business building.
5. Do I even need to say it? Return those phone calls within 24 hours. I am sure it bugs you when people don’t call you back. And, you never know who they know and will tell.
6. You may very well be so busy that you can’t take on one more thing, BUT don’t show it. You never want to miss an opportunity. You can always turn it down, but it is important to have a choice.
Now go clean you office….
"Michelle Payne is Executive Vice President of Beyond Point B, a business coaching and leadership development company in Northern California. She can be reached at mpayne@beyondpointb.com or (916) 787-9909 x3."
6 Steps to Managing Your Time and Professional Image - To learn more about this author, visit Larry Mandelberg's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
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