Gearing Up for the Open House

I love this video from Seth Godin. I’ve rewatched it several times and gotten more out of it each time.

Seth will be speaking at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast on May 6. BLI Rentals is sponsoring a host site for the Leadercast, and as most of you know, we’ve planned an Open House event around the Leadercast. This video gets me pretty pumped for May 6! I hope it gets you excited for the kind of teaching we will hear at the Leadercast … and I hope to see you there!

Do remarkable work. What is your business doing that is worth customers crossing the street for?

2011: A Look Ahead

You already read my review of what happened in 2010. Here is just some of what we at BLI are looking forward to in 2011.

We will launch our online contract-submission process. We are hard at work at this (along with our web developers and software company), preparing to enter the testing stages. We hope to introduce it to you within the next two months. For you, it will look like the Dealer’s Area got a facelift and great new features — and there will be a shorter turnaround on funding to you.

We will make more progress on marketing pre-leased barns online to generate leads for you. We hope to build another page on our website where customers can view photos and information about pre-leased barns on your lot. It will feature a system that sends customers’ information to you so you can contact them.

We will introduce weekly videos from Scott. Many of you enjoy hearing from Scott, and you’ll be able to see weekly videos from him as he shares advice on sales, leadership, business, personal growth and more.

We will increase the number of due date options for customers. We’ll have details for you soon.

We will begin sharing feedback from customer surveys. In the Dealer Survey in July 2010, most of you said you’d like to hear what customers have to say about you, so we will develop a way to get that to you.

We will continue to expand into new states. At this time, we are looking into Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi.

We will continue spending time with you. As I said last week, Terry alone covered more than 25,000 miles to visit you. We will continue these efforts, and we are also preparing to offer training via the Web.

We will invite you to our house. In May, we will be a host site for viewing the Chick-fil-A Leadercast. You will be invited to join us for a BLI Open House, sessions with Scott and other members of our team, dinner (on us!), the Leadercast, and more. We’re working on the details, so stay tuned for those and tentatively mark your calendars for May 5 and 6.

After an eventful 2010, and with exciting things close on the horizon in 2011, we are optimistic about the new year. We hope you are as excited to be a part of it and as eager to see what else is in store as we are.

Many blessings to you, your families and your organizations in 2011!

2010: A Review

Illustration by Jacque Haag

As the first week of 2011 is drawing to a close, it seems like a good time to reflect back on 2010 — to see what we accomplished. This gives us a great perspective as we look ahead to what 2011 holds for BLI Rentals.

Journey back with us:

We promoted Renee’ to Customer Service Manager in February. She now oversees both the Customer Service and Dealer Support staffs.

We made several new hires. Jacque came on as our Communications Coordinator in March, Chrisy as a Customer Service Rep in June, Steve as a Controller in June, Kelly as a Dealer Support Rep in November, and Krystal as a Customer Service Rep in November. (Chrisy has since moved to work alongside Will as an Accounts Manager.)

We got started in social media. You wouldn’t be reading this if we hadn’t started our blog in June, and we also have a Twitter.

We gave our phone system a makeover in June. This included a special Dealer Support line just for you and switched to a fax machine that “prints” digitally to our computers (one more step toward paperless).

We asked to hear from you in July. We conducted an extensive Dealer Survey to find out how we are doing as Your Rent-to-Own Source and how we can do better. We had great responses and started new projects based on the results.

We grew, moving into New Mexico, as well as several states in the Southeast, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. In 2010, we added about 15 new Dealers to the BLI Team.

We expanded our office workspace too. In October and November, we remodeled, making room for nine new workspaces.

We began work on a totally online contract-submission process. Even before asking for your feedback in the Dealer Survey, we started making inquiries to software companies and web developers in June. We are looking forward to presenting this updated Dealer’s Area to you within the next couple months.

We spent time with you. Terry alone covered more than 25,000 miles visiting you in 2010, and Scott and I also traveled the country visiting Dealers and prospective dealers.

It is important to look back and see all that has been accomplished. I often get bogged down with what I still need to do, but it is great to celebrate mile markers and accomplishments.

We feel quite blessed to have had such a rewarding 2010, and we look forward to another great year working and growing with you! Stay tuned for my next post on our look ahead at 2011.

Please share your memories and experiences with us in the comments below. How was your 2010?

Start Good Habits

Image courtesy of http://angiealltheway.blogspot.com

Do you have a bad habit you would like to stop? I know I do.

With the New Year right around the corner, many people will soon be talking about their New Year’s Resolutions. Often people want to stop doing something. Stop eating out, stop smoking, stop drinking 12 cans of pop a day…  you get my point.

I read a blog entry from Michael Hyatt that challenged us to try something different. Instead of focusing on stopping the bad habit, try to start something good. Focus on developing a positive habit, and as you do, you will naturally eliminate the bad habits.

I was inspired by Hyatt’s thoughts. Instead of “stop drinking so much coffee,” I’m trying to “start drinking more water” each day. Similarly, instead of “watch less TV,” I’m working on “read more books.”

In relation to business, it’s not as easy to pick out bad habits to overhaul, but the mentality still stands: Instead of dwelling on the negatives, establish positive new attitudes and habits to improve your business practices.

What thoughts do you have? What positive habit(s) can you start?

HOW TO: Manage Tasks Efficiently

By Tim Pychyl and Paul Mason

Just as I mentioned in my blog entry on Friday, there is always something demanding our time and attention. E-mail, mail, voicemail, coworkers, customers, etc. — seems like we get pulled in too many directions to get everything done.

Last month, we asked you how you handle your to-do list. Today, I want to offer tips for handling it well.

The tool you use (notepad, planner, computer software, sticky notes, etc.)  is not that important. There are many tools available. What is important is that you find a way to focus on your tasks.

Tips for Your To-Do List:

1. Make sure your to-do list consists of “next actions.” Your action on your to-do list must be small enough to get done in a few hours or less. If it is a larger project, it is best to break it down into smaller, more-doable chunks.
2. Prepare your to-do list the night before. I like to do this toward the end of the day. I don’t always get this done, and when I don’t, the next day is not as productive. It also gives me a chance to hit the ground running, knowing exactly what needs to be accomplished that day.
3. Review your to-do list first thing in the morning. Before I do anything else, I like to review my calendar and my to-do list. The calendar items are the things that I must get done that day. My to-do list is the items I will work on when I’m not in a meeting. By reviewing these items first I know what my day looks like, and I’m able to make last-minute adjustments.
4. Stay focused on your to-do page throughout the day. I always have my to-do list in front of me. I use Remember-The-Milk, a web-based program that syncs with Astrid, an app on my Droid phone. I used to use Outlook. One nice thing about Outlook 2007 is you can arrange you screen to show your e-mail, calendar, and tasks, which makes it a real “command center.” The tool is not as important as your need to use what you are comfortable with. Then check it off when you’re done. It is a great feeling to cross off a task.
5. Add to your to-do list as items occur. You want to be able to get to-dos out of your head and into a reliable system as soon as possible. If I don’t write something down, there is a good chance I will forget it. So I want to get it out of my mind as soon as I can.
6. Repeat the process. I rarely get everything on my to-do list done. So uncompleted items roll over to the next day. Sometimes, that makes them more important for tomorrow’s list. At the end of the day, I start the cycle over and prepare for tomorrow.

Microsoft Outlook: Task (To-do) Items vs. Calendar
I want to distinguish between a Task or To-do item and a Calendar item. I use my calendar for appointments, meetings and time-sensitive things. For example, if I need to call a dealer, I put that on my task list, but if I have a 9:30 conference call with a dealer, I put that on my calendar. See the difference?

Another difference is what if I didn’t call that dealer today? If it was a calendar item and tomorrow comes around, I’m not prompted to call him. However, if it is a task, I have the mark it complete, and items not completed remain in my task list, staring at me in RED.

Scheduling Time to Complete Tasks
I am learning it is important for me to schedule time on my calendar to work on my projects or to-do list. I consider it an appointment with myself to work in my office on certain projects. If I’m not intentional about my time and if I don’t have a plan for my schedule, then I can be sure someone else will. This gives me the ability to say, “I can’t do this now because I already have an appointment.”

This does take some planning and foresight. I try a daily or weekly review of what I have to accomplish, and then schedule my work time around that. This is a new practice for me, so I’m still learning, but I can already see the benefits.

Which of these methods can help you to manage your tasks best? Which ones can you see yourself implementing today? Do you have other tips to share?

HOW TO: Manage E-mail Efficiently

We all have an “inbox” that consumes and demands our time and attention. Whether it’s e-mail, regular mail, voicemail, conversations, etc., they all want our attention NOW. I live in e-mail like most of us do and generally receive about 50-60 e-mails a day.

To efficiently manage this I have developed my own little system based on ideas from David Allen’s GTD, Lifehacker’s Trusted Trio, and Michael Hyatt.

When I read my e-mail I try to deal with each message only once. There are 5 basic actions I can take:

1. DO it.
If the task in the message will take less than two minutes, then I do it right away. It takes about that much time to add it to my to-do list, so I just do it, and it keeps my to-do list shorter.

If I can’t do the task in two minute or less, I add it drag it to my “Action” folder. This represents my to-do items, and I review it frequently when I am in a position to work on things.

2. DELEGATE it.
I may not be the best person to do the task so I delegate it to someone else. But you must have a system to follow up with that person; don’t ever assume once you send an e-mail to someone it is done.

Whenever I delegate or assign a task to someone I “BCC” myself. Then, I have created a rule in Outlook that automatically moves the message to my “Follow Up” folder and marks the message as read. I periodically review this folder to see if I need to follow up on something. When I get a response that the task is complete, I simply delete the message from the “Follow Up” folder.

3. DEFER it.
Some tasks can’t be done right now but must be scheduled out at a certain time. For these I also move to my “Action” folder, and I might also add it to my to-do list with a specific date if necessary.

4. FILE it.
If I think I might want the message later for any reason, I file it. If there is any question, I keep it. I simply move it to my “Archive” folder. The key is to have a simple filing system. One single folder is best. I didn’t start out this way, and I am slowly working myself into one folder. With the search function in Outlook, you can very quickly and easily search for any message.

If I think I might need to retrieve it in the next week or so, I will move the message to my “Hold” folder. I use it as a temporary holding bin. There is no action required, but I might need it. Later I will probably file it in my “Archive” folder.

5. DELETE it.
If I am sure I won’t need it again, then I delete. If I’m unsure, then I file it.

Other tips:

• Empty Your Inbox: I can’t stand to walk by people’s desks and see their inboxes full of messages. Some have never deleted any message. They might have hundreds of them. How can they function?! David Allen says those messages “consume psychic energy.” It sounds weird, but for me it is true. When my inbox has 10-20 messages that I haven’t dealt with yet, I feel a little consumed. If it sounds good, set up your inbox with the folders as I have suggested and create the “follow up” rule, and you will be on your way to a clean inbox.
• Keep It Empty: The key is to keep it empty every day. That is my goal to go home with zero messages in my inbox. Now that doesn’t always happen, but when it does, it feels good.
• The Catch: Now, just because I have all of my messages filed in Action, Follow Up, or Hold doesn’t mean I’m free and clear. I must periodically revisit those folders and complete the tasks. In Outlook I change the settings of each folder to show the total number of messages, not just the number of unread messages. That way I can see at a glance how many items are in any given folder.

A recap of my folder explanation:

1. Action – things that I have to do, and will want to reply to when finished.
2. Follow Up – things that I have delegated and need to follow up in some way.
3. Hold – messages that I might want to look at in the near future. No action required.
4. Archive – messages that I want to keep and no further action is required.

So what do you think? Can my e-mail management methods help you in any way? Or share: What do you do to manage your inbox?

Motivating the People You Lead

I recently attended The Global Leadership Summit where one of the speakers, author Daniel Pink, spoke about what drives and motivates people. The results are very surprising.

This video is an excellent summary of his talk. It’s a little lengthy but very clever — with a powerful message to all leaders.

The research is clear that for very basic tasks, “if-then” rewards work well. As long as the task involved used only mechanical skill, bonuses worked as expected. (Higher Pay = Better Performance.) However, once the task called for rudimentary cognitive skill, a larger reward led to poorer performance.

What does work? At the Summit, Pink said “A.M.P.” does.

1. Autonomy (our desire to be self-directed): Management is great if you want compliance, but if you want engagement, self-direction is better.
2. Mastery (the urge to get better at stuff): We play musical instruments on the weekend because it’s fun. Getting better at something is satisfying.
3. Purpose: More and more people want to work for a purpose bigger than themselves. They want to give back and make the world a better place.

Avoid making false assumptions about what motivates the people you lead. People’s nature is to be active and engaged — not passive and lazy and responding only to “carrots and sticks.”

What changes do you need to make in your organization to increase the motivation factors?

Dealer Surveys

As you know, we value open communication with our Dealers, and we always appreciate when you speak candidly and honestly with us about ways we can better serve you. We have created a short, 6- to 8-minute survey so you can submit feedback to us. We will e-mail links and mail hard copies to you, and you can submit them ANONYMOUSLY if you so choose. We want you to evaluate how we’re doing so we can do the best job possible!

We also would like feedback from as many people on your staff as possible. If you wish, please forward the e-mail survey or send copies to all who have correspondence with us here.

Please watch for the surveys, as you should receive them very soon. Thank you!

One Minute Goals

Former sportscaster and NFL player Charlie Jones used to say, “Five years from today you will be the same person you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet.” What does that mean to you? It tells me how important it is to constantly be reading books and to never stop learning.

We’ve taken that to heart and started a company-wide book study. Our vision is to take a book and spend a few weeks reading and discussing it together, with a goal to grow and develop ourselves personally and hopefully as a company. By discussing it together, we each get the benefit of hearing someone else’s point of view. I know you may be thinking, “I don’t have time for that” or “I don’t need another meeting,” but by meeting once a week over our lunch hour we can eat and learn at the same time.

We have started off with “The One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. Many of you may have already read it. I am surprised at how basic and simple the principles are to understand, but rather the hard part is implementing them in your daily life. The story reveals three practical secrets to becoming a One Minute Manager, and we spent yesterday discussing the first: “One Minute Goals.” One question was, “What should goals look like?” One of the first comments from the group was that goals should be attainable or achievable.

This image pretty much sums it up. Our goals must be realistic and something we can achieve. If we feel like we can’t accomplish the goal, we might give up before we even start. While goals must be easy enough to reach, they also must be challenging enough to stretch us. Michelangelo said, ”The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and we miss it, but we aim too low and reach it.”

Other thoughts we had were that goals should:

• Be straight forward and to the point.
• Be practical.
• Be clear and concise.
• Let everyone know what is expected – no surprises.
• Create accountability.

What goals do you have in business? Or for your family? Are they written down? Do you review them often to track progress? What do you think goals should look like?

Replenishing Your Bucket

Image courtesy of http://goo.gl/vSwF

The year is half over, so I ask you, how are you doing? “Fine,” you say. No really, how are you doing? Are you tired? Do you have the energy to lead your team or perform your job duties? As leaders and hard-working employees, it is easy to run so hard and work ourselves into burnout. Hopefully it’s because you enjoy your work like I do, but there are times when we all need to stop, slow down, and take some time for ourselves.

Last August during The Leadership Summit, Bill Hybels related a picture of a big bucket — a replenishment bucket. Imagine yourself as a big water bucket, and the water level is your energy level. As you work hard and pour out your energy to others, the water level decreases. We can lead and serve others our best only when our bucket is filled up, but when you’re depleted, everyone’s in trouble. The challenge is to build things into your life that will replenish your bucket.

I have three kids, and at times they can deplete my bucket, but when I wrestle and punch around with my four-and-a-half-year-old boy … that helps fill me up. You must build those kinds of things into your daily activities, and you must do extended activities. I feel blessed to have just returned from a week of vacation with my family where we relaxed on a beautiful lake in Minnesota — what a replenishment.

Hybels said, “When you are leading, the best thing you bring to the table each day is a filled-up bucket and a heart that’s right with God.” So whatever process or routines you have to change to get back in a replenished condition, you have to do it. How full is your replenishment bucket? If it’s full, then awesome. What are you doing to keep it full? If it’s getting close to empty, then what do you need change?