The key to increased productivity is to focus on managing actions and energy rather than time. I am going to refer to time as energy because using time always involves energy expenditure. Investing your energy wisely will provide you with additional energy in return.

1. Manage actions and priorities.

Time management is action-management. Think of time as physical and mental energy that you expend through actions. The feeling of "no time" can arise from too many priorities or unclear priorities. Neglected self-care can also leave one feeling unable to complete necessary tasks. Begin your day knowing exactly what you intend to do. Outlining day on paper each morning is a great action-management technique.

What must you do before you can use your time-energy more efficiently?

2. Keep skills sharpened.

Keeping your skills sharpened will result in more productivity. A client complained that he did not have time to complete his college reading assignments. I soon learned that it took this student 10 minutes to read something that his 15-year old sister could read in 3 minutes! His problem was not time; it was need to improve reading skills.

"I don't have time," is a common phrase that we've all used without giving it much thought. But what does it really mean? Time excuses signal (1) other priorities, (2) need for action management, (3) need for organization, (4) need for physical or mental energy, or (5) need to sharpen a skill.

Sharp skills allow completion of more actions with less effort. Sharpen fundamental skills frequently. Take courses that will keep you up to date with latest information in your career. Routine skill sharpening in all aspects of life is a wise energy-management choice. Personal skills and career skills will often overlap, affecting productivity in both these areas.

What skills could you sharpen that would create more time-energy and productivity?

3. Focus purposefully.

Feelings of time scarcity crop up when thoughts or actions do not pertain to purpose at hand. Actions that are off purpose do not support one's values or goals. Up goes stress; down goes productivity. Purposeful focus allows a sense of urgency without creating negative stress.

Not long ago I made a trip over to local Radio Shack to purchase an electronic plug for my cassette recorder.

As I paid for my item retail clerk asked me for my name, address, telephone number, birth date, and even my email address (something every retailer should be asking for today!).

Although I felt a twinge of discomfort giving out my personal information, I went ahead and gave it to him and went on my way.

Driving home I reflected on Radio Shack’s checkout process and was reminded of power of information gathering at point of sale.

I had just given Radio Shack three ways to contact me, not to mention, information on what I had purchased. In hands of a skilled marketer, this information is powerful.

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Database Marketing _____________________

The recent economic slowdown has brought increased competition to small businesses. And with that, retailers across North America have described their sales as "flat." Small businesses should be looking for low cost, high impact marketing activities to drive prospects to their business.

One of most effective and cost-efficient ways to add profits to bottom line is use of database marketing, which uses information collected at point-of-sale.

Using personal data, purchasing data, and contact information from a customer database, a spa and pool retailer can make offers to customers for complimentary products and services and engage in loyalty marketing activities.

Database marketing has four key elements, (1) gathering customer data, (2) building a customer database, (3) creating targeted offers for specific customer groups, and (4) tracking results to improve responses.

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Step 1: Gather customer data. ________________________________

The easiest way to begin this process is to develop a simple form for customers and salespeople to fill out every time a customer purchases a product or service. Include personal information such as names of spouses, children, profession, and birthdays, as well as, product information such as manufacturer, make, and model.

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Step 2: Build a database to store your customer information. __________________________________________________

Start simple using off-the-shelf software such as Microsoft Access. Later on you can begin to modify database to either include different types of information or to print special reports.

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Step 3: Start sending offers and personal messages to your customers. _______________________________________________________

Don’t wait until you have a large mailing list. Begin sending notes to customers right away thanking them for their purchase, to celebrate birthdays, share holiday messages, and inviting them to come in and take advantage of special offers.