5 Deadly Traps Impacting Team Time

   please find 5 deadly traps that can really zap how effectively team members are able to get their work done.  You may want to discuss these with team members during your next meeting.  This discussion just might help you each get more done each day!  The five deadly traps impacting team time are:

1. Not communicating realistic priorities and needs.  When you ask a team member to do something for you, recognize that he or she has other priorities as well.  Be upfront and realistic about the urgency of the task and when it really is needed.  Don't make everything a top priority.  If it is a really important request, explain why it is so critical so your team member undertands the urgency.
   
2. Managing your meetings ineffectively.  Make sure you start on time and do it consistently.  People will unconsciously "test" how important it is that they be on time.  If your team always starts 5-10 minutes late, team members will learn they really aren't expected to be on time.  Also stick with your ending times, have a clear agenda, allocate follow-up tasks and communicate responsibilities to everyone.  Good meeting management is essential for managing time spent in teams.
   
3. Interrupting unnecessarily.  It may be easier to get up and ask a team member for an answer when you could find the answer yourself if you looked for it.  Remember that every interruption makes it harder for your co-worker to accomplish their own priorities.  You might want to use some of these tips for managing interruptions when you face this problem yourself.
   
4. Sending Instant Messages to ask simple questions.  This is easily abused and can be one of the most difficult interruptions to ignore.  Only use Instant Message when it is absolutely critical and you need an immediate reply.  If team members abuse it, turn your IM off!
   
5. Sending emails with a "cc" to everyone on your team when it's not essential.    We're all swamped with way too much email these days and reading email that isn't really important is a real time waster.  Make sure you only "cc" people on emails when it is essential everyone on the list is involved.

Key Take AwayIt's never been more important to respect the time of your team members.  They have a long list of goals and priorities they need to accomplish each day.  Eliminate these 5 deadly traps and you can greatly increase your team's productivity.  Plus you'll feel better because you will be able to get more done each day yourself!  The Time Mastery Profile can assess how effectively you are managing team time now.

The 5 Worst Closing Techniques

Make sure you're not guilty of using these out-dated (and completely useless) methods for closing a big deal.

When you're trying to sell something, the worst thing you can do is sound like you’re trying to sell something.
Unfortunately, people new to selling (perhaps because you’ve been building a new business) often try to execute simplistic sales techniques that buyers can spot a mile away. For example, the worst sales advice in the world is also the most common: "A.B.C. -- Always Be Closing." Customers hate it when sellers hammer away at them, trying to close a deal. Nothing creates resistance faster than the old hard-sell.

Similarly, there are five "closing" techniques, all of which are still widely taught today in sales seminars, and all of which are guaranteed to annoy the bejeezus out of your customers. Here they are, in all their awful glory:

Lame Technique #1: The Assumptive Close

Definition: You ask the customer to make a meaningless decision that assumes that the full buying decision has been made.
Example: "Do you want that in the hunter green or the hunter orange?"
Expected Outcome: The customer states a preference and you ask him to sign on the dotted line.
Actual Outcome: The customer looks at you like you’re out of your mind and says: "I didn’t say I was going to buy anything."

Lame Technique #2: The Flyfish Close

Definition: Your promise something valuable then take it away if a decision isn’t made now.
Example: "We have a special offer – a 15 percent discount – but only if you decide to buy now."
Expected Outcome: The customer says: "Wow! I better buy now!  Where do I sign!"
Actual Outcome: The customer says: "You must think I’m a complete idiot who thinks he can’t get that discount, or a better one, if I hold out for a while."

Lame Technique #3: The Puppy-Dog Close

Definition: You let the customer try the product for free in the hopes the customer will fall in love with it.
Example: "We’ll give you the product free for your evaluation and only charge you if you don’t return it."
Expected Outcome: The customer loves the product and never thinks to return it.
Actual Outcome: The customer uses the product for the trial period, returns it, then gets your competitor to give them another trial period, and so forth.

Lame Technique #4: The Reverse Close

Definition: You ask a customer who’s saying "no" a question intended to elicit a "no" that actually means "yes."
Example: "Is there any reason that you wouldn’t do business with our company?"
Expected Outcome: The customer says "no" and you say "Great! Sign on the bottom line."
Actual Outcome: The customer says "yes!" and says that he’d never do business with somebody who’d try such a patently ridiculous ploy.

Lame Technique #5: The Yes Man Close

Definition: You ask a series of questions that naturally elicit a "yes" answer, building momentum to get the final yes.
Example: "Do you expect first rate service?" "Do you believe that you deserve the best?" "Do you always try to find the best value?" "Are you going to take this opportunity to get the best value and best service?"
Expected Outcome: The customer says the final "YES" and signs the contract.
Actual Outcome: The customer throws you out of the office for wasting her time with ridiculous leading questions.