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August 16, 2011 By 5 Comments

17 productivity hacks and tools that help me accomplish more

17 productivity hacks and tools that help me accomplish more

I’m a pretty busy guy. I own a web solutions firm. I run a social media and technology consulting practice. I work for a workplace productivity training company. I speak at events around the country. I volunteer on non-profit boards and committees. I write books. I travel (a lot). I serve in my church. I blog. I play the cello in a chamber music ensemble. I build e-learning communities. I also try to fit in lots of tennis and sushi, as well. My friends sometimes ask me how I get so much stuff done. Am I an obsessive workaholic? Well, yes. However, I also make use of a number of productivity hacks and tools in my life and business that help me accomplish more in less time.

Each hack on its own my not be much, but when you add up the time saved and the friction removed with each item, it quickly adds up. Here are my favorite productivity hacks and tools that help me get more done.

1. Use reQall to capture ideas. Anyone who has read “Getting Things Done” by David Allen (affiliate link) is familiar with the idea of ubiquitous capture. This is the idea that if you are equipped to record ideas and action items at all times, then you keep your brain clear for creative focus while at the same time ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks. I love reQall because it lets me simply speak notes into my iPhone which are then transcribed and emailed to me for later processing.

2. Use Tungle to schedule meetings. I cannot find the words to explain how much I heart Tungle. How much time is typically wasted playing phone tag or sending emails back and forth doing the “when are you free” dance? Tungle solves all that by allowing me to book meetings in 30 seconds by sending out a link that allows others to see my open times, suggest time slots, and automatically add meetings to my calendar. I think anyone who doesn’t use Tungle is stark raving mad.

3. Use TextExpander to save typing. How often do we type the same blocks of text over and over? Meeting details, locations, addresses, messages, etc. TextExpander allows me to save commonly used blocks of text into an archive and then magically pop them into data fields with a simple shortcut. For example, my email signature becomes “ssig”, my name becomes “nname”, and my Tungle link becomes “ccal”. It saves tons of time and helps me maintain my workflow without copying and pasting things. TextExpander is for Mac only but I’m sure there is some Windows alternative out there but I wouldn’t know about that.

4. Use the same GoToMeeting details for all my meetings. Not everyone knows this but you can set up a recurring meeting in GoToMeeting and simply re-use that meeting over and over. You just schedule a meeting, check the box that says “Recurring meeting” and poof! Use the same meeting details over and over. You never have to set up another meeting again. The bonus hack with this is that I have a TextExpander shortcut set up so that when I type “ggoto” it drops in the meeting URL and other details into emails or calendar invites so I can effortlessly schedule meetings and send GoToMeeting info in a matter of seconds.

5. Follow Inbox Zero. Merlin Mann made Inbox Zero popular during a talk he gave at Google. I have since adopted and tuned the system to help me process email faster and be more productive as I manage it. It takes discipline but when I follow the system, it helps me get more done.

6. Keep up with online articles using Instapaper. I subscribe to a lot of blogs and see lots of information go across my radar on a daily basis. I love this because it keeps me informed and helps me stay in a state of continuous learning. However, if I read everything in real time I would get nothing done because I would be reading blogs and articles all day. Instead, I save interesting articles to Instapaper and then catch up with them on my iPad when I have more focused reading time, such as when I’m on a plane or winding down at night. This helps me avoid missing useful educational material while not letting the input slow me down.

7. Migrate to a Kindle. I love to read but transporting a bunch books when traveling is cumbersome. Once I went Kindle, I never looked back. For those who use the common retort “but I like the feel of a real book” I say: give the Kindle a try. Trust me. It is awesome. I love being able to carry an entire book collection with me on a tiny device that gives me the ability to choose what I want to read any time and switch books with the click of a button. And it looks and reads like real paper. The Kindle is truly a revolutionary device. Oh, and don’t waste your time on the alternatives like the Nook, etc. Go Kindle. Trust me. Since moving to Kindle, I find myself finishing more books than I ever did before.

8. Use a hands-free cellphone device. Talking on the phone can take up a good portion of my day. This includes sales calls, client meeting, returning voice mails, etc. By keeping a hand-free device handy, I can turn driving time into productive meeting time. Yes, I realize that even with a hand-free device there is still an element of distraction while talking and driving so please don’t yell at me for suggesting this. Just be careful. It’s amazing how many phone calls I can get through as I drive from one destination to another with a bluetooth headset. It’s also helpful as I walk around the office or do other non-intensive tasks. I can also get a lot of laundry folded while returning phone calls! My favorite is the Plantronics Voyager Pro+. It looks dorky but has excellent sound quality.

9. Leave actionable voicemails. How often do we play phone tag with someone by leaving voice mails that say “call me” with no additional details? Sometimes you really do need to discuss something in real time, such as sensitive or emotionally-charged issues. However, much of the time we spend too much time playing phone tag unnecessarily when we could be moving action items along by leaving better voice mails. When I leave a voice mail, I usually leave very specific details that give the other person information on exactly what needs to be done. Sometimes I can leave a message that simply answers the question clearly and specifically. Other times I leave details on where the information can be found online. I will sometimes even briefly offer multiple options/answers for different scenarios. The point is, I leave details that are useful to the other person, rather than just saying “call me back.”

10. Convert “coffee meetings” to video conferences. If you do a lot of networking like I do, you probably get asked to “get together for coffee” quite a bit. While there is nothing wrong with having coffee (or in my case, a smoothie) with people, a lot of the time these are simply exploratory meetings that may or may not be a good use of your time. If I said yes to every request to get together for coffee, I would be spending all my time driving to Starbucks. So if someone asks me to have coffee as a “get to know you” meeting, I suggest that we do a short video conference (or phone call) instead. This helps keep the meeting short and more actionable. There is something about meeting at a coffee shop that seems to make meetings last longer and lack focus but a video conference or phone call tends to be a medium more conducive to a clear agenda and an actionable conversation. With so many options for video conferencing, like Skype, GoToMeeting, and Google+, there is really no excuse to avoid it. If both parties don’t have a webcam, do a phone call instead.

11. Use Highrise for a CRM. Just about all organization need a good CRM to keep track of contacts and opportunities. Highrise is the best CRM I’ve found for those needing something simple and easily accessible. The thing about Highrise that makes me productive is the fact that it removes friction from the process. I’ve used CRMs in the past that required me to log in, paste in notes, click a bunch of buttons, and generally jump though hoops to get things done. This either caused me to waste time in the application, or not use it all all, which is even worse. Highrise makes tracking communication almost effortless. I can Bcc my Highrise dropbox to record correspondance, I can set up opportunities in a couple of clicks, and I can set up tasks and reminders in seconds. Additionally, I can record voice notes using the iPhone app and append them to contacts while on the go. This saves me even more time.

12. Manage my social networks with HootSuite. I have profiles on all the major social networks and I also manage accounts for a few other organizations. HootSuite lets me manage them all in one place. It also lets me schedule certain posts using an editorial calendar which lets me focus my time and accomplish more by batching my distribution and block scheduling when I work on my social marketing.

13. Store receipts in the cloud with Shoeboxed. I used to hang on to business receipts and then toss them all into a big file cabinet periodically. Then, if I ever needed them again it would be a nightmare since I had no real filing system. It was also annoying to hang on to all that paper while traveling. Now, I simply scan business receipts using the Shoeboxed app on my iPhone, discard the paper, and all my receipts are now stored in a nice, organized, searchable database online. This saves time and effort, not to mention storage space. Shoeboxed saves me even more time when I want to create an expense report. I just select the receipts I want to include and it generates an accountant-friendly expense report in seconds.

14. Manage personal finances using Mint. I think Mint is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It’s a personal finance app that lets you bring all your accounts into one dashboard, manage budgets, and track spending with a few clicks. It eliminates the need for budget spreadsheets, recording transactions, and doing math (gasp!) to get an analysis of your finances. Mint keeps it all in one place and even has a mobile app for when you’re on the go. Mint saves me incredible amounts of time on personal finances.

15. Use OpenTable to schedule dinner appointments. Ok, so this is not always a problem but I do sometimes spend more time than I want to when I’m trying to set up a dinner appointment and I go through the routine of choosing restaurant options, calling around to see who has reservations available, and getting it booked. Rather than go though that routine, I pull up the OpenTable app on my iPhone, let it locate me and suggest restaurants near me, and then choose from available reservation times to book my dinner appointment. It all gets done in a matter of seconds. OpenTable does save a little bit of time but for me it’s more about eliminating friction from the process.

16. Keep a todo list in Backpack. Like Highrise, Backpack is a 37 Signals product and it’s slick. It’s a super-simple todo list, note taking app, and simple project storage system. I organize my todo lists by context (calls, blogs, errands, etc.) and then use the iPhone app to track items throughout the day. Backpack gives me a one-stop repository for all my todo lists and ensures that nothing falls through the cracks.

17. Shop for household supplies with Alice. I hate going to the store. For this reason, I love Alice. When I’m about to run out of an item like paper towels, deodorant, or toothpaste, I simply scan the product barcode with the Alice app on my iPhone to add it to my shopping cart. Then, once I reach a critical mass of items, I place the order with a few clicks and a big blue box containing my items appears on my doorstep a few days later. It’s like magic! I cannot even begin to add up how much time I’ve saved by eliminating shopping trips since using Alice.

These are some of the productivity hacks and tools that help me get more done in the limited time I have. Do you have any favorite techniques that work well for you? Please share below.

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January 1, 2011 By 3 Comments

What did I ship in 2010?

Seth Godin wrote a great post this week listing the things he shipped in 2010. Taking some inspiration from his post, I am also listing the things I shipped last year. As Seth said, it doesn’t matter whether these things were a hit or not, just that I shipped them. Here is my list.

Most of these things were done with help from my outstanding team at SpinWeb. A huge thank you goes out to those who contributed and assisted.

I enjoyed this exercise and it helped me see 2010 with a new perspective. It also helped me see what things I wanted to ship but didn’t, which makes for a some nice goals for 2011.

What did you ship in 2010? I would love to hear via your comments below.

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December 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If I’m not getting referrals, who’s fault is it?

I’m in a number of great networking groups, like BNI and Rainmakers. These groups create an environment where members can refer business to one another and help each other grow and succeed. It’s a great way to bring referrals into your business and I highly recommend joining a group like this. Getting referrals is one of the best ways to market your business.

Many of the members of these groups have an extremely positive attitude, work hard, and continuously improve themselves in order to grow their businesses. They fine-tune their messaging, they give lots of referrals, and they participate in educational opportunities.

Other members, however, join groups like this with the mindset of “what can I get from this?” They show up to meetings but they don’t have a system for giving referrals to others, they don’t have a clear message, and they don’t really invest time into educating their referral team. Then they complain that they are not getting referrals.

If you are not getting referrals from your networking group, here are some things to look at.

  • Are you showing up with at least one referral to give at every meeting?
  • Are you clear and specific about what type of referrals you are looking for?
  • Are you consistent in your message?
  • Is your product or service something that people want to buy?
  • Do you speak well in public?
  • Are you easy to contact via phone, email, etc.?
  • Do you project a positive attitude?
  • Do you have a reputation for being trustworthy?
  • Do you let your personal side show a little bit?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no”, it might be time to evaluate why you are not getting referrals and see what changes you can make.

Many people join networking groups only to quit six months later because they “didn’t get any referrals” from it. In most cases, there is only one person to blame.

Don’t be that person.

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July 19, 2010 By 5 Comments

Is “meeting people” enough?

As a member of Rainmakers, BNI, and a number of online social networks, I am constantly asking and being asked this question: who do you want to meet?

This is a great way to network because it helps others understand how to help you and who the specific person is that you want to meet. However, is it enough to just meet lots of people, even if they are good prospects for you? What is your game plan for approaching them? How scalable is it to meet a lot of people if you don’t have a system?

Here are some things I think about as I meet people:

  1. How is this introduction getting me closer to my goals?
  2. Who is in this person’s network?
  3. Is this person a prospect, referral partner, supplier, friend, or something else?
  4. Who introduced us and will this introduction help that person?
  5. Is there any way that I can help this person?
  6. Is this type of introduction repeatable and scalable?
  7. What will I do when I meet this person?
  8. Is there any indication that this person wants to talk to me?
  9. Do I already have someone in my network who fills this particular need?
  10. Is this good timing for me?

These questions help keep me accountable and on target when I am being introduced to someone. So much of the time I see people with an interest in “meeting people” but when it comes down to it, they don’t have a specific reason, plan, or strategy to figure out which introductions make sense or which ones to pursue.

It’s perfectly ok to decline introductions if they don’t align with your business goals. It doesn’t mean that you don’t like that person or that you’re mean and selfish. It just means that there are only so many people you can meet without sacrificing your productivity and so it’s important to be strategic and methodical about who you meet.

Meeting new people is great. It can lead to new customers, referral partners, suppliers, and friends. However, make sure your strategy goes beyond just looking for introductions. Help your network understand your needs and be strategic about who you meet.

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October 25, 2009 By 4 Comments

How an insurance agency generates business using Facebook

I always enjoy hearing stories of small business owners using social media to generate leads and connect with new clients. As much as I encourage people to give social media a chance, it’s the real-world case studies that speak the loudest.

Jim DeWitt is an owner at DeWitt Insurance Group and is a member of my BNI chapter. Jim’s agency offers life and health insurance (both business and individual), as well as property and casualty insurance. During our BNI meetings, Jim sometimes shares with us how he finds new clients. Frequently his clients come from Facebook as a result of his commitment to staying active in social media. I sat down with him to learn more.

Jim let me know that he started off on Facebook just reconnecting with old friends and used it for keeping in touch. He did not overtly talk about business but when people asked him how he was doing, he would let them know that he was an insurance agent and that he enjoys helping people save money on their insurance. This frequently led to opportunities to provide quotes to his connections and sometimes led to new business. At its most basic level, Facebook allowed Jim to expand his network and engage in business conversations with his connections.

As Jim earned more and more business via Facebook connections, he began to share his stories via the Facebook news feed. One such posting announced that he was able to save someone $1,000 a year on insurance and explained how much he enjoyed his job. It was not a hard sell, but rather an authentic story that displayed his passion for helping others. Following this post, a number of his connections asked him for quotes on their insurance. Jim acquired 3 new clients as a result of that post.

Facebook also helps Jim keep an eye out for opportunities. Sometimes his connections will share their dissatisfaction with their insurance policies. When this happens, Jim politely offers to provide quotes for them to see if he can help. This has also led to new business.

Jim also let me know that not only do his clients frequently come from Facebook, but those same clients also often refer him to other friends and family – sometimes via Facebook.

So far, Jim’s activity on Facebook has led to approximately 20 new business opportunities (some still in progress) and 10 new clients. Not only is he able to find new clients, but Facebook also helps him provide better service to his existing clients. When he notices that his connections announce life changes on Facebook, it gives him the opportunity to proactively offer to update their insurance policies and offer advice on proper coverage. This strengthens the relationship and improves his client retention.

While other insurance agents are struggling to squeeze more business out of offline marketing and cold calling, Jim DeWitt is integrating social media into his business strategy and is achieving great success. By being authentic, helpful, and active on Facebook, Jim is growing his agency and expanding his network.

To learn more about Jim, contact him via his Facebook profile or call him at 317.695.2317… he would love to hear from you!

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August 8, 2009 By 3 Comments

Is Indianapolis the Networking Capitol of the U.S.?

I realize this is a pretty bold headline and a rather dramatic statement to make but I’ve been thinking recently about my home city of Indianapolis and how active this community is in networking. My blog post was prompted by a recent whiteboard session I attended with Tony Scelzo in which we covered all the great networking opportunities we have in this city.

For example, we have one of the most active, progressive BNI franchises in the country. Hazel Walker is truly a community leader and a progressive networker and has done great things for BNI in this city. We are also the birthplace of Rainmakers, founded by Tony Scelzo. Rainmakers is growing dramatically every day and offers over 40 networking events each month in Indianapolis. Indianapolis is also home to Smaller Indiana, which started off as an online social network and now offers live events throughout the year. Confluence is another networking startup focused on the enterprise.

Aside from these formal groups, I’ve noticed a very strong culture of active networking in the business community here in Indianapolis. The number of events and organizations available here is staggering.

Additionally, I also see an extremely strong focus on social media among business professionals here in Indy and opportunities to speak and hear speakers are plentiful and the content is high-quality.

My question is: do other cities offer the same level of networking opportunities? From what I can tell, Indianapolis is a networking powerhouse. How does this compare to the networking culture in other cities?

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July 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Use a System for Making Referrals

As a member of networking groups like BNI and Rainmakers, I have a strong commitment to producing quality referrals for members of my network. The “givers gain” philosophy is alive and well and I have seen it work wonders many times over for me and for my referral partners. Staying consistent is tough, however. It’s easy to get busy and distracted and therefore forget to make referrals or even miss opportunities that come up in daily interactions.

For this reason, I am careful to capture referral opportunities in my productivity system just like any other action. It doesn’t take much. All you need is a good todo list and capture mechanism. Personally, I use Things, because it the most GTD-like Mac application I have found and it syncs up with my iPhone. You can use a notepad, Jott, or anything that makes sense for you. The key is to capture opportunities as they occur and then process and actually make the referral later.

For example, let’s say I am talking with someone and learning more about his business and I find out that he is not happy with the way his IT is managed. This immediately prompts me to mention Scott Sells at Zing Technologies (a fantastic IT company, by the way!). It would be very tempting to just say “Scott is great, give him a call!” and maybe give him Scott’s phone number. However, I would want to take it a step further. I would capture an action that says “Do an email introduction between Scott Sells and Bob Smith. Bob is having virus problems on his server.” I might write this down on my todo list or call Jott to speak a note to myself. Now I can forget about it and go on about my day.

Later, when I am reviewing my todo list, I can look at this note and take the time to craft an articulate email introduction between Scott and Bob. I would start off talking about Scott’s credentials and why I trust him. Then, since I gave myself a specific need in the note, I could also write about a specific example in which Scott helped someone else with the exact same problem. I could send a link to Scott’s website. This personalizes the referral and makes it that much stronger.

By capturing referral opportunities as todo items like any other action, I ensure that I don’t miss opportunities to help my referral partners. It also gives me time to properly process and craft high-quality referrals because I am not rushed or distracted.

Whatever your system is, be sure you are using it to capture referral opportunities. Your network will thank you and your credibility and influence will increase.

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April 19, 2009 By 3 Comments

The Art of the Email Introduction

As a member of various networking organizations like BNI and Rainmakers, I make an effort to create referrals for people in my trusted networks. One of my favorite ways to create connections is through an email introduction.

So much of the time, I see attempts at referrals take the form of someone saying “call so-and-so… I told them about you” or “I told so-and-so to call you” or perhaps your referral source just throws a phone number at you (which is really just a lead).

While the phone has its place and is certainly a great communication tool, it also has some disadvantages. If you start off a connection with a phone call, you are in danger of getting sucked into playing phone tag since we are all busy and more often than not we get voice mail. Also, calling someone out of the blue can catch them off guard and might not be as well-timed as you would like. Finally, while not really a cold call, it does have a certain element of chilliness in that a phone call does not give you a chance to prep the referral with any background information about you. You are forced to start off with a verbal introduction which limits the depth to which you can teach the referral about your company or what you do.

For this reason, I prefer an email introduction. If you are the one making the referral, a good email introduction starts off with you (the connector who is making the referral) sending an email to the referral (the person that you are connecting your referral partner to – we’ll call him “Bob”). The email should explain that an introduction is being made, should also contain an endorsement or testimonial for your referral partner (we’ll call her “Mary”) that highlights something unique about her services (for example “Mary specializes in providing marketing services for chiropractors that typically increase incoming patient volume by 70%”), and a call to action encouraging communication (“I would encourage you to give Mary a call to see if there are any opportunities for her to help you”). You then include Mary’s contact information in the email (phone, email, website, etc.). One final but important point is that you should CC Mary on the email.

Following that, Mary has the responsibilty to click “Reply to all” in her email program and create a followup message that includes you and Bob. This way, you are able to easily see that Mary followed up and can rest assured that the handoff has been made. Mary should thank you for making the referral, should thank Bob for his willingness to connect with her, and should request further communication. Mary should use this opportunity to send Bob a link to her web site and perhaps explain a bit more about her service. She should then attempt to set up a phone call or a meeting with Bob based on a few times that she provides. This way, Bob can plan for the meeting and both parties can be prepared. At this point, it is an extremely warm referral that has given all parties involved lots of background information and has set the stage for a comfortable conversation via phone or meeting.

It may seem like more work, but it’s a much better way that simply calling out of the blue. Next time you want to facilitate a warm referral for someone in your network, try an email introduction. It may lead to a more successful connection.

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June 25, 2008 By 2 Comments

Identifying Your Target Markets

Today’s email newsletter from Hazel Walker, BNI Indiana Director and Managing Partner at The Referral Institute, inspired me to pay closer attention to identifying specific target markets for my business. It can be very tempting for us to accept business from anyone and everyone either because we feel that we need the business or because we want to please everyone. However, this can be damaging to us and to our clients if we take on projects and customers that pull us in directions that we don’t want to go or that over-extend our skills and resources.

Suggestion: take some time and reflect on what types of clients and customers are the best fit for your business, come with the least frustrations, and offer the most enjoyment for you. Identify which clients are a good fit for your skills and expertise. Don’t be afraid to turn away business that does not align your core values and skills. It does not mean that you are bad or they are bad, it just means that it’s not a good fit. If you focus your time and energy on the type of work that your are best at and that brings you the most enjoyment, you will be able to provide even better service your clients.

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