What distractions could you remove that would help to maintain a purposeful focus?

4. Stay flexible and ask for help.

Urgency is not inflexibility. Flexible plans allow for interruptions, schedule changes, and unforeseen events that you cannot control.

Flexibility also allows you to accept help from others. Attempting to do everything alone can create an energy imbalance in both your personal life and career. Act on your strengths and ask for qualified help with those things you cannot handle alone.

What thoughts or attitudes can you change to become more flexible, balanced, and productive?

5. Act decisively.

Act decisively on commitments you make to your goals. All pieces are rarely in place when starting something new. There will always be more to learn. Over-analysis and waiting for perfect moment can obstruct a successful launch. Fears of either success or failure can hold you back.

Acknowledge fears and look past them to see rewards of your actions. Move through fear by power of faith in your purpose. Build momentum and keep learning as you move forward.

What could you accomplish if you made commitment to begin today?

An Exercise to Increase Productivity

Begin by writing each productivity tip on a sheet of paper. Under each one, write down ways you have used this or a similar idea in past. What were results, and what would you do differently this time?

Keep these questions in mind also: "What shows up when I manage my actions appropriately? Where do I waste most time-energy, and why? What is payoff when I waste energy and perceive a lack of time? What has robbed me of productive energy in past?"

Increase Productivity

Next, you will be thinking of five ways you can become more productive. Write your best answer to question at end of each productivity tip. Then write down a way you could apply each of five actions to your current situation.

Keep these questions in mind also: "When I become as productive as I would like to be, what will be my reward? How could I increase my level of self-care to increase my productivity? What things need less attention and more attention in my life at this time?"

The five actions in this article will require ongoing effort. The way you answer these questions will change over time. However, you will find results worthwhile. Begin taking action now, and you will increase productivity with extra time-energy to spare.

Instituting a program of personal, hand-signed notes that coincide with birthdays or special events addressed to customer's significant other that offer gift ideas, can have surprising results.

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Step 4: Track results of your database marketing efforts. _____________________________________________________

By knowing who you sent offers to and who responded will help you identify your best customers, allow you to more effectively allocate your marketing dollars, and help you tweak your marketing pieces to get higher response rates.

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What Information Do I Collect? ________________________________

It’s important to determine in advance type of information to collect. To do this, make a list of common special offers you might be presenting to your customer.

For instance, if you sold a product in health industry and many of your customers have lower back problems you could joint venture with other businesses to develop special promotions on products that help to relieve lower back pain.

To capture fact that your customer experiences lower back pain, simply place a check box on your form that says, "Do you experience lower back pain?"

If your customer has small children, consider presenting follow-up offers for products targeted for small children.

Imagine being a consumer and receiving a letter from your business with an enclosed birthday card for little Joey who just turned eight years old and a discount offer for a basketball hoop or other relevant products. You think to yourself, "What a great gift. Joey would love that!" This is power of database marketing.

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Collecting Accurate and Consistent Information ________________________________________________

Database marketing all starts at point of sale. Without accurate, complete, and consistent data this type of pinpoint target marketing can’t be done.

To ensure that your information is accurate and consistent, help your customers fill out data collection form and review each information form for completeness.

You might experience a hesitancy from your customer to give out all their personal information, similar to how I felt at Radio Shack.

However, after explaining that information will only be used to send out special offers during important events, is completely confidential, and will not be shared with anybody else, you’ll find that most of your customers won’t have any problem giving out their personal information.

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Cost Effective Loyal Customers ________________________________

Marketing to your current customers is one of most effective and cost-efficient strategies you can do to reduce your marketing costs, enhance your customer / retailer relationships, and produce long-term loyal customers who, over a period of months or years, become your biggest source of referrals.