According to the US Labor Department and reported in the 2/7/07 issue of USA Today, productivity in the U.S. ended 2006 by edging up 2.1%, the weakest performance since a 1.6% rise in 1997. Couple this with another headline in the same paper that says, “Developing nations poised to challenge USA as king of kill,” and you have a problem!

Whether it is because of the global economy or some other macro-trend, the real bottom line is this: unless U.S. workers get back on track, it’s going to be a long and painful ride down, down, down.

What does that mean to you – no matter what your job or profession? It’s really simple. Old fashioned Time Management. Call it self-management, goal setting, planning, organizing, scheduling better, delegating more effectively or even handling paperwork or interruptions more adeptly, we’ve got to improve.

The classic model to follow is this:

• Understand time and value it
• Plan better
• Schedule activities correctly
• Organize more effectively
• Handle interruptions better
• Delegate with skill

Keep your eyes peeled for future postings as we take a look at what I’ll call “Productivity Pointers.” Real-world strategies and tips to improve your personal productivity. And, maybe the entire nation’s future. See you there!

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The Tuesday’s Sales Truths are taken from Bill Brooks’ Book Entitled: Universal Sales Truths

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I spent 14 years as a college football coach and another couple of decades as CEO, sales manager and salesperson in various organizations. Here’s why I felt it necessary to tell you that.

Click the green play button above to listen to Dan Hawkins’ Tirade

Apparently Dan Hawkins, Head Football Coach at Colorado (yes, the same zen-seeking guy who was at Boise State) lashed out recently about an anonymous letter he had received about his players having a two week hiatus before practice started instead of the usual three.

Here’s the deal. Division I athletes receive tuition, room, board, books, workout clothes, accolades, academic advisement, career counseling, public adoration, etc., etc., etc. Unfortunately, the same is not true for other students at the university. The last time I checked very few salespeople got all of that either. In fact, the two weeks these athletes had off didn’t include Christmas break, Easter or spring breaks, reading days, scattered holidays throughout the year, etc.

Ah, the college life, what a gig! The people who don’t get any time off are the coaches who recruit, plan, meet, attend clinics, coordinate fundraising, coach the players, supervise off season workouts, etc. etc. College students (even athletes) go to class merely several hours each day, don’t work on weekends and frankly most (or their parents) have to kick in the tuition, room, board and expenses on their own.

Our two sons both chose to attend private colleges. Each did well and my wife and I have spent in excess of $400,000 for all of this expense. Any scholarship money? I don’t think so.

The problem? Here it is. And it isn’t about two versus three weeks. It’s the hand-holding, artificial world creation, “molly coddly,” and free ride that the athletes get from the time they are initially recruited until the time their eligibility runs out. Then they try to go and get a job (since very few even come close to the NFL) - only to find out that they must now pay for their own meals, for their own lodging and their own expenses. And that the tuition they pay is going to be extremely expensive – it’s gaining experience, insight and seasoning. Unfortunately, they are no longer handled as they had been in the past. For some it’s a shock. And, by the way, they may only start out with one week’s vacation. Ah, ain’t that a shame?

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Bill knows some pretty successful salespeople and we’re lucky for that. In this audio Bill will list 10 common behavioral characteristics of those successful salespeople.

Click the green play button above to play the audio

To download this MP3 audio file, “Right Click” here then select “Save Target As…” and save it to your computer. (See The image below)

This and other podcasts are available to download at itunes to help your selling career. If you have never used itunes and need help to download and install it click here for a tutorial.

You can click the “itunes” icon on the sidebar to take you directly to our podcast site.

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For over 10 years we have been dealing with this issue. Somehow, however, it continues to be a problem. In fact, it is discussed extensively in the Jan/Feb issue of Sales and Marketing Management Magazine.

The point? Aren’t both after the same goal? More sales, success for the organization, providing high quality, qualified leads to salespeople, etc.

A question: How aligned are your sales and marketing strategies? If they’re not, perhaps you need to do something about it. In fact, I have long believed that there is a “middle ground” that demands that salespeople need to fully understand the marketing strategy in order to sell the product the way it is marketed. The opposite is also true. Marketers must know how the product is sold in order to position, promote and place it correctly into the market.

This whole concept is discussed in great detail in my book, The New Science of Selling and Persuasion.

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