Being productive with my time is part of my DNA and plays an important role in my every day decisions. Today, I want to teach you a simple tip to be more productive, achieve greater success and enjoy a better quality of life.

Batch Your Tasks

Effective time management is essential to achieve your career goals. My top time management tip is to use a daily-prioritized to-do list to plan your time. If you have not read My Top Time Management Tip, it is a must. In this lesson I will share with you my second best tip- batch your tasks.

Batching your tasks is not really difficult or complicated but requires a conscious effort. Basically, batching tasks entails the combination of responsibilities into one category and the performance of them at the same time. As an example, run all your errands at one time, rather than scattering them throughout the day.

Often, it’s the little tasks that add up and steal all our time. For instance, each time I have to pay bills I open my mail, paper clip each bill with it’s return envelope, enter the information on the computer, print out the checks, sign the checks, get my back up thumb drive out of my fireproof safe, backup the system, put the thumb drive back into the safe, tear off the return part of each invoice and insert it along with the check into each envelope, lick the envelop, put a stamp on it, put it in the mailbox and file the remaining paperwork. Sure, there are bills you can pay through online checking or automated methods, but in my world I have a lot of checks I have to pay manually.

If I went through this process with every invoice I received it would take me ten times as long than my current process where I only pay my bills on the 25^th of each month. For 20 years I paid bills twice a month, but by moving to once a month, I am increasing my productivity even more. In moving it to once a month, I contacted my credit card companies who changed my billing cycle so they are all due at the same time. I did the same thing with my other vendors.

Other Examples of Batching Tasks

Returning Emails—I return emails three times a day. I may scan them between projects in case something is requiring my immediate attention, but I try to remain disciplined to only return them three times a day. When I am working on an important project or running behind on my responsibilities, I will then only return them twice a day.

Opening Mail—I put all my mail in a stack or box and only open it once a month when I pay bills. When I go through my mail, I throw away all magazines, junk mail and anything without a first class stamp. Then on the day I have designated for this task, I open the mail that remains.

Social Media—I have learned that social media can be time consuming, if you are not careful. Like everything I do, I had to establish my rules of engagement for this task. I review and respond to comments on Twitter and the Little Things Matter Facebook fan page once a day and make three posts a day that appear on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

I realize if I invest more time using social media to promote my blog, I would have more subscribers, but I just don’t have the extra time. (So, will you help me spread the word?) 

My Daily Blog Posts—I block out every morning from 8:00-11:30 to write my daily blog posts. This is the time of day when I am at my best, so I use it to write my posts. When I was in the sales industry, I used it to prospect for new business. Throughout my career I have tried to protect my mornings to do my highest valued work. Identify your most productive time of day and use it doing your most important tasks.

Returning Calls—I try to return all my calls when I am in the car, because other than listening to self-development CDs, it is the best use of my time in the car.

Scheduling Calls—I try to schedule all my calls in the afternoon back-to-back with each other, rather than scattering them throughout my afternoon. Scheduling them back-to-back also gives me a reason to conclude a call when the time I have allocated to it is finished. I have also learned that when people know I have blocked out 15 minutes for a call that should only take 15 minutes, everyone gets right to the point. You could use this same strategy for your meetings.

An added benefit to batching tasks is the reduction of errors as you will be more focused and systematic in what you are doing. When undertaking tasks I don’t enjoy, it allows me to get on a roll and get them all done at one time.

These are just a few examples of how I batch tasks throughout the day to increase my productivity. Please share with me some examples of how you batch your tasks below this post. We can all learn from each other.

If you don’t currently batch your tasks, begin by making a list of everything you do and determine how you can do a better job at batching your everyday responsibilities. If you are already batching your tasks, what improvements can you make to be even more productive?

Learning to batch your tasks is one of the most important time management lessons you can master.

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About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter. Sign up to receive Todd’s daily lessons at Little ThingsMatter.com

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10 Tips For Balancing Career and Family

How to Put Together an Action Plan

I realize there are components to living a happy and successful life beyond your family and career, but finding the right balance between these two is where most people struggle. I’ve learned first hand, if the proper balance between your family and career is not achieved, every part of your life will likely suffer from the consequences.

For those of you who are high achievers, it is absolutely critical that you maintain the appropriate balance in your life. If you neglect to invest time in your relationships with your spouse and children while in pursuit of your career goals, you will likely regret it during the later years of your life.

For those of you who are spouses of high achievers, just know that 40 hours a week is break even in life. If you want to have the nice things life can offer and enjoy a better than average quality of life, there are sacrifices you must make. If you aren’t making these compromises, be careful. I have never seen a marriage last when someone’s spouse is holding him or her back. Have you?

My Top 10 Tips For Enjoying a Successful Career, Marriage and Family Life

1.  Set Your Family and Business Goals—I believe the first step to achieving anything important is to begin by identifying your goals. If you have not already done so, pull out a pad of paper and write down your career, marriage and family goals.

2.  Get The Support From Your Spouse—The only way you are going to achieve these goals is with the support of your spouse. Just as it would be unwise to think you can build a successful business without the support of your business partner, you won’t build a successful marriage, family life and career without the support of your spouse.

3.  Create Blocks of Time For Work and Family—One of the first things my wife and I did when we got married was to put together a work and family schedule. What started out 25 years ago as a simple schedule where we blocked out time for my career and for us to be together has transitioned to a plan for our entire family. We delineate blocks of time to spend time with each of the children and together as a family. This one tip has made a HUGE difference in my life.

4.  Review Schedule with Family—After you and your spouse have negotiated the blocks of time you will allocate for your career, spend together and be with your children, then review the schedule with your children and get their buy-in. After you have discussed the schedule, establish the boundaries highlighted in the next three tips.

5.  Make Sure Your Work Time is Respected—During the blocks of time you have allocated to work, you are not to be interrupted unless there is important reason. Of course, there will be exceptions when either your spouse or kids need to talk to you about something, but you must make those times the exceptions and not the norm.

6.  Don’t Conduct Business During Family Time—This means not doing ANYTHING work related during family time. I respect and value my family time and therefore I rarely schedule calls or appointments during this time. My phone seldom rings during family time because everyone knows when I am with my family, I don’t answer my phone or respond to messages. I’ve set boundaries and people I associate with on a regular basis respect those boundaries.

7.  Make Your Family Time, Family Time For Everyone—No texts, no emails, no phone calls! This applies to you and your family members. Make your family time a sacred time that is valued by everyone.

8.  Be Present—When you are with your family, try to stop thinking about everything going on in your life and focus on your family. Resist the temptation to talk about your work and instead concentrate on topics of interest to your family. Use your time together to ask questions and discuss what is going on in their lives.

9.  Dates with Kids—If you have children, let me encourage you to block out times to spend time with them on an individual basis. There is no better way to connect with someone than one-to-one. Whether it’s a bike ride, a one night camping trip, playing dolls, a cup of tea or whatever it is they enjoy doing, block out time each week to spend with each of your children.

10.  Weekly Date With Spouse—This is the number one marriage tip I give to newlyweds. Every week for the past 25 years with a rare exception, my wife and I have a date. Our dates may be dinner at our favorite restaurant, a boat ride or a campfire on the beach cooking hot dogs. The key for us is blocking out time where we can focus on each other without any distractions. This allows us to catch up on everything going on in our lives and to show our love to each other.

I want to challenge you to take steps to improve the balance between the time spent pursuing your career, building your marriage and pouring into your children’s lives. Print out this lesson and discuss it with your spouse. I am convinced if you will implement these 10 tips, you will live a happier, more successful and fulfilling life.

Your example is what your children will remember when they have a family.

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About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter. Sign up to receive Todd’s daily lessons at Little ThingsMatter.com

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One of the skills I have developed over my 29-year career is a unique aptitude to quickly and accurately read people. My ability to select the right people with which to do business has played an important role in my professional success.

There are many little things I instinctively look for and notice and one of them is a person’s voicemail greeting. I often conduct initial phone interviews and when someone’s personal voicemail greeting turns me off, the interview process is over. It’s their first and last impression.

Identify Yourself—I believe identifying yourself through your voicemail greeting shows respect to everyone who calls you. It allows your callers to confirm they have dialed the right number. When people don’t include their name in their greeting, it leaves me wondering if they have something to hide. I have seen this to be true far too often.

You can identify yourself with only your first name on a personal cell phone or home voice mail. If it is a business voicemail, I suggest including your first and last name. I would also include your title.

Have Energy in Your Voice—When you record your voicemail greeting, make a positive impression. Speak as though you are enjoying a successful life. People are instinctively drawn to people with positive attitudes. If you sound like you just woke up, you will likely make a negative impression.

Don’t Get Creative With Your Voicemail Messages—Many high profile sales trainers advise you to leave all kinds of crazy messages on your voicemail as a way to stand out. What I find is that most of the people who try to do something creative with their voicemail messages end up sounding corny. In fact, seldom do creative off the wall voicemail messages make a positive impression on me. If you want to be viewed as a professional, then make sure your greeting presents you as one.

Tell People What You Want Them To Do—Here’s my voicemail greeting: “Hi, you have reached the voicemail for Todd Smith. At the tone please leave your name, phone number, the purpose of your call and the best time to reach you and I will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you”

The voice mails I receive in response to this greeting allow me to use my time most productively. I learn the purpose of the call and when they are available for a return call. This allows me to prioritize when I need to return calls and helps me be better prepared for the ensuing conversation.

Often times knowing the purpose of their calls allows me to respond to their messages by sending them emails. As an example, when people have a question, often times I can send them an email answering their question. Knowing the purpose of the call also allows me to continue the communication through their voicemail if we end up playing phone tag.

Don’t Use The Computer Generated Greeting—I get aggravated when I hear a computer generated message like, “The person you are calling at 9-4-1-5-5-5-1-2-3-4 is not available to take your call, please leave a message at the tone.” Even if the number repeated by the system is the same one I have for the person, it requires extra work on my part to confirm I’ve dialed the right number and even then I am still left wondering if this is the right number for the person I am calling.

Since I pride myself in being responsible, if I don’t receive a return call I have to assume I wrote down wrong number. If I were irresponsible I would just blow it off and not care. But if I wrote down the wrong number I have a responsibility to get a hold of this person. This extra work combined with wondering if it’s the right number, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Bonus Tip: If you find that people get cut off before completing their message, call your cell phone carrier and for a couple dollars a month, you can lengthen the time people have to leave you messages.

If you will follow these simple tips, you will make a positive impression through your voicemail greeting. If you have any additional tips, please share them in the comments section below this post.

Your voicemail greeting may be someone’s first impression of you. Make sure it is a positive one.

About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter. Sign up to receive Todd’s daily lessons at Little ThingsMatter.com

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Here’s why…

I have been informally surveying some of my friends by asking them the following question. “When people violate their trust with you by being dishonest, do you ever trust them again?” Guess how they answered the question… 100% responded by saying “NO!”

The reason I asked this question was to determine if others feel like I do. When people have given me cause to question their integrity, I can forgive them; I can even love them; but it’s painfully hard to ever trust them again.

How about you? When people have been deceptive, misleading or have cheated or lied to you, do you still trust them? Trust is one of those rare things that when it is lost, it’s almost impossible to regain.

If you want to achieve long-term success in the business world, you must absolutely be a person of integrity. Sure, people can get to the top without integrity, but all we need to do is turn on the news or read our local paper to see they don’t stay at the top. Those people who lack integrity will eventually be exposed and when they are, their world will come tumbling down. Bernard Madoff’s fall is a classic example.

This past week I listened to an interview with Dave Ramsey on the Success Magazine monthly CD. Dave talked about best selling author, Tom Stanley’s books, The Millionaire Next Door and the sequel, The Millionaire Mind. Stanley’s research demonstrates that first generation deca-millionaires (those with a minimum net worth of 10 million dollars) statistically had 38 behaviors or traits in common. The number one value was integrity. Their vendors, friends and even their fierce competitors commented that they had fanatical levels of integrity.

Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “The supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible… If a man’s associates find him guilty of being phony, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.”

Not only is personal integrity critical to achieving wealth, but it is also significant in building a strong self-image. After all, how can you feel good about yourself when you are doing things you shouldn’t be doing?

Integrity is equally important in our personal relationships because it is the foundation from which all great friendships and marriages are built. Nothing will destroy a friendship or a marriage faster than a lack of trust.

Not only do you want to be viewed as a person of integrity, but over time you want to be viewed as a person with unquestionable or as Tom Stanley says, “fanatical integrity”. Unquestionable integrity means people who know you won’t ever question your integrity because you’ve never given them a reason to do so. This level of integrity is built over time by being authentic, forthright and always doing what’s right.

After this lesson I hope it goes without saying, don’t ever—even once, for any reason—do something that could cause people to question your integrity. No matter what it is, it isn’t worth it in the long-term. Few things spread faster than the fact that someone can’t be trusted. And besides, when you always tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said.

“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.” –W. Clement Stone

About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter. Sign up to receive Todd’s daily lessons at Little ThingsMatter.com

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Becoming a Respected Leader

12 Attributes, Values and Skills of a 360-degree Leader

A 360-degree leader is someone who guides and influences their immediate team members and becomes so respected and admired that they have influence with everyone in the organization. These “out of the box” leaders are the most valuable leaders in the market place, because their contribution to an organization goes beyond their area of personal responsibility.

Let me share with you 12 of the attributes, values and skills that comprise a 360-degree leader.

Never Allow Anyone to Question Your integrity—True 360-degree leaders are those whose character is NEVER questioned. NEVER means NEVER EVER!

Do Your job With Excellence—In my lesson, Becoming a Respected Leader, I suggested that respect comes as a result of taking pride in your work and striving for excellence in all that you do. Adopt the following personal philosophy: “If my name is going to be attached to something, it will be accomplished to the absolute best of my ability.”

Don’t Say You’re a Team Player, Be One—If you are not viewed as a true team player, you will never be a 360-degree leader. Selfishness speaks loudly and defeats any possibility of being recognized as a leader.

Do What is Expected of You—This means returning all calls, texts and phone calls in a timely manner. It means being on time and prepared for all appointments and finishing ALL projects and tasks on time.

Show Respect to Everyone in Meetings—It goes without saying that demonstrating respect for people in all circumstances is critical if you want to be viewed as someone likable and valued. But it is especially relevant in a business setting. For instance, if you start a side conversation in a meeting or consistently interrupt someone, not only will this person lose respect for you, but it’s also likely you will be viewed poorly by everyone in the room.

Don’t Complain Without Making an Effort to Improve Things—If you feel the need to complain about something, make sure you are prepared to present a well thought out solution. And even then, be careful about how you position your complaint. 360-degree leaders are problem solvers, not complainers.

Try to Understand the Other Person’s Point of View—If you will master the 10 Ways to Be a Better Listener and show people that their opinions are valued and appreciated, their respect for you will grow. No one likes a know-it-all.

Look For Opportunities to Stand Out—If someone is running behind on an important project, volunteer to help him or her out. If there is a problem with something, volunteer to get to the bottom of it. Be willing to come in early, stay late, and work on a weekend if something needs to get done. Look for things you can do to get noticed for going above and beyond your normal responsibilities.

Volunteer to Lead—If a project needs spear heading, be the first to volunteer. The more you do to step into a leadership role, the more likely it is that you will be viewed as one who leads. And ultimately, you’ll have the ability to impact decisions and influence others.

Build a Great Team—The brand of the people under your leadership affects your personal brand. If you want to be respected as a 360-degree leader, then lead by example and build a great team of people who individually strive for excellence. Great leaders challenge people to perform at higher levels than they normally would without the benefit of the leader.

Maintain a Positive Attitude—Let’s face it-we all like to be around people who have a positive attitude. It’s easy to have this outlook when things are going well. But it’s the people who can maintain a positive attitude during stressful times or when handling negative situations that are the ones who are admired most.

Focus on Your Goal—If you want to be a 360-degree leader then you must be intentional about building meaningful relationships with the people who have influence in your work environment. The more these people like and trust you, the more they will be drawn to you.

When you incorporate these strategies and the other little things highlighted in my daily blog posts, people’s respect for you will grow. As this happens you will not only have influence with those under your leadership, but you will have influence with everyone who knows your name. You will then become a 360-degree leader!

I want to encourage you to become a student of leadership. Read all you can about the subject. If you are an auditory learner, listen to CDs and podcasts. I also recommend a subscription to Success Magazine. Each month, you will receive the magazine along with a CD recording of interviews with some of the most influential leaders in their fields.

People follow those they respect and admire regardless of title or position.

About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter. Sign up to receive Todd’s daily lessons at Little ThingsMatter.com

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Have you ever talked to someone and noticed he or she wasn’t really listening to you? How did it make you feel? Unimportant? Disrespected? Insulted? Remember those feelings and work diligently to ensure that people never feel the same way when they talk to you.

In this post I will highlight 10 things I have learned throughout my career in addition to some lessons my dad taught me. My dad is the best listener I know. Everyone who meets him forms an instant bond with him and I am convinced that the number one reason for this immediate connection is his genuine and sincere interest in others. It all starts with him being a good listener.

1.  Make Eye Contact—The first step in being a good listener is to make eye contact with people while they are talking. Good eye contact demonstrates genuine interest in the person and the conversation.

2.  Be Present—I must admit I have been accused at times by my wife of not being present when she is talking even though I am looking into her eyes. These are times when my mind is thinking about something other than what she is talking about. I can only assume others have noticed, but perhaps at the risk of offending me, they have not said anything. The key here is to be aware that people do notice if we are not really listening. And so we must focus on the discussion and not allow our minds to wonder.

3.  Give NO Sign You are Ready to Respond—When you are listening, don’t give any clues that you are ready to respond. Don’t point your finger and don’t open your mouth. When I talk to people and I see that they are waiting on pins and needles to respond, I know they are no longer listening because they are more concerned with how they are going to respond than with listening to what I have to say.

4.  Wait Two Seconds to Respond—During a conversation, wait two seconds after the person finishes speaking to make sure they have finished their thought. This is especially important when talking on the phone, because you can’t see their facial expression. Often times they are just pausing to gather their thoughts and are not really finished speaking. If you find yourself talking at the same time someone else is talking, then use that opportunity to remind yourself of the “pause two seconds” rule.

5.  Let Them Go First—If you start talking at the same time someone else is trying to finish their thought, STOP and say, “I’m sorry, please continue” and let them finish before responding. Even if what you have to say is important or it’s an answer to the question they raised, show them your respect by letting them finish. I certainly notice when people allow me to complete my sentences without “over talking” or interrupting. Do you?

6.  Care About What’s Being Said—This is where my dad stands out from most people. When he listens he really cares about what is being said, even if it’s a subject that doesn’t interest him. He tells me that this is his way of showing people that what they say is important and that they are valuable individuals.

7.  Listen For The Message Within The Message—Another one of my dad’s skills is to listen for the message within the message. By listening intently, he is able to grasp the topic and move more effectively into the conversation. He says that most people are looking for encouragement, answers or insights to the subjects they discuss. By listening in this manner, he is able to connect more effectively.

8.  Don’t Change The Subject—When you are engaged in a conversation, don’t change the subject unless the discussion is finished. I observe people who do this all the time in small group settings, business meetings and social encounters. If you change the subject of a discussion prematurely, you demonstrate a lack of interest in the discussion and indicate that what you have to say is more important.

9.  Respond By Asking Questions—When you ask people questions during a conversation, you show a sincere interest in the topic. My dad says that most people operate at “the feeling level”, rather than “the thinking level”, even if they are good thinkers. I agree! My Dad’s favorite question is to ask how they FEEL about the subject they have raised.

10.  Don’t Start a Side Conversation—When part of a group conversation, never start a side conversation, even if the person talking is not making eye contact with you. Yes, they should be including you in the conversation by sharing eye contact equally with each person in the group, but don’t allow their mistake to prevent you from being a good listener.

Like many of the other thoughts I have shared with you, instinctively I know the right thing to do. But doing it consistently is the hard part. Being a good listener requires an intentional effort and above all, a sincere interest in other people. It is a skill worthy of mastering.

I am committed to working on being a better listener. Will you commit to showing you care about people by incorporating these ten tips into your daily routine? On a scale of 1-10, what’s your commitment?

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” Dale Carnegie

About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter. Sign up to receive Todd’s daily lessons at Little ThingsMatter.com

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1.  Don’t send a text, unless it’s urgent. When you send people a text, in most cases you will be interrupting them. The default settings on most mobile phones ring or vibrate when it receives a text message. So if you are going to interrupt someone, make sure you have a good reason.

2.  Don’t send a text message if you can send an email. Every business professional I know checks his or her email at least twice a day and almost all of them prefer communication by e-mail rather than texting. For the most part, their reasons are time management based. People don’t like being interrupted unless it’s urgent and they are more productive if they respond to all their messages during scheduled blocks of time. For most people it’s also more efficient to type messages on a computer rather than on a phone.

3.  Don’t send a text if you should make a call. If you know that the subject of your message will require back and forth communication, either pick up the phone and call the person or if it’s not time sensitive, send an email requesting a specific time to talk. I also want to point out that business relationships are seldom built or strengthened through text messaging, so use it sparingly.

4.  Avoid texting people who don’t text you. According to a Success Magazine survey, only 4% of the business professionals surveyed prefer texting to other forms of communication. If you have never received a text message from someone, consider that they may not like to text.

5.  Don’t text bad news. If you have bad news to share with people, give them the courtesy of a call. Emailing or texting bad news is a cop out.

6.  Don’t type in CAPS. Reading CAPS is harder and is generally referred to as YELLING!

7.  Don’t assume people know what all the acronyms and text slang mean. Not everyone knows that ttyl means “talk to you later” or jk means “just kidding”. Say what you mean and make sure your messages present you as a business professional, rather than a texting junkie.

8.  Don’t text during meetings. If you send or read texts during a meeting, your actions convey that the meeting is not important to you. After all, how can you focus on the discussion that’s taking place if you are texting? It would be just like having a verbal side conversation. Clearly inconsiderate and disrespectful.

9.  Use punctuation. Type your texts using the same punctuation you would use in your emails. Since these are business texts, make sure they present you well.

10.  Don’t text after business hours unless there’s a good reason. If you have something to share with someone after business hours, consider using email. If you want people to respect your family and personal time, respect theirs. You also run the risk of losing your influence if you don’t respect people’s private time.

11.  Proof your messages. Take an extra few seconds and make sure you don’t have any misspellings or improper language. Be proud of the messages you send.

12.  Get to the point. Since a text message is limited to a small number of words, get to the point in your message and keep it from spilling over into another message. If you have a lot to share, consider picking up the phone or sending an email.

13.  Include your name. Unless you are absolutely certain that the recipient of your text has your name plugged into their phone, add your name to the end of the message.

14.  Watch your tone. Make sure you pay close attention to the tone of your message. If you are upset about something, pick up the phone and call the person.

15.  Return text messages. If someone sends you a text, they expect a response in a reasonable period of time. Show that you are a responsible person by returning all messages in a timely manner.

16.  Don’t send a text after leaving a message. As a general rule, if you call someone, you should always leave a message. After leaving a message, don’t follow up with a text message unless it is URGENT. Consider that your call interrupted them once. You don’t want your text to interrupt them a second time.

17.  Don’t leave people hanging. If you are done with a text conversation, let the person know.

18.  Don’t waste people’s time. Don’t send unnecessary text messages. As an example, when a text conversation is clearly over, don’t send another message. Once again, every text you send is likely to interrupt someone’s activity, meeting or train of thought.

19.  Show respect and courtesy. Whatever you do, consider how it affects those around you. Unless it’s urgent, avoid sending texts when you are spending time with people.

20.  Not while you are driving. While this seems like common sense, I am shocked by the number of people I see sending text messages in cars. Next to drunk drivers, distracted drivers are the second leading cause of fatal automobile accidents.

If you will follow these 20 text-messaging tips, you will be viewed as someone who is professional, considerate and respectful of other people’s time. You may want to consider implementing these same tips in your personal communications. Practicing these texting lessons will certainly bring more peace into your life and allow you to better control your time.

Don’t ever allow yourself to think something doesn’t matter. Everything matters!

About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter. Sign up to receive Todd’s daily lessons at Little ThingsMatter.com

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Phone Greetings That Make a Positive Impression

1.  Leave a message. Unless I am calling my wife who will see the missed call from me and call me back, I always leave a message. Since current technology allows us to see the details of a “missed call”, you shouldn’t make people wonder why you called. If you had a reason for making the call in the first place, leave a message with the purpose of your call. This will also save you time from having to call back at another time.

2.  Speak with energy in your voice. How you sound on someone’s voicemail makes a noticeable impression. Make that impression positive by sounding upbeat.

3.  Be prepared. When I hear the phone ring on the other end for the fourth or fifth time, my mind immediately begins to prepare for the message I want to leave. This allows me to clearly communicate the purpose of my call after I hear the voice mail greeting.

4.  Be friendly. You can say something simple like, “Hi Mike, this is Todd Smith calling. I hope you had a great weekend. The reason I am calling is …” After you are finished with the “meat” of your message, conclude your recording by saying something positive such as, “I am looking forward to talking with you.”

5.  Let people know when you are available. When leaving messages, let people know when you are available to receive a return call. This will allow both of you to be more productive with your time.

6.  Leave a clear message as to the purpose of your call. There’s nothing worse than a voice mail message that only says, “Call me.” If your message clearly states the purpose of the call, it will give the person time to think about it and discuss it effectively when they call you back. It also helps them prioritize the timing of their return phone call.

7.  If you can, leave a message that does not require a return call. If the subject of your call is such where you can leave a message and not require a return call, give a detailed message and tell them it’s not necessary to return your call. This is a time saver for both parties.

8.  Leave your phone number twice. When leaving your phone number, ALWAYS speak slowly and repeat your phone number. Considering most people aren’t this thoughtful, this will certainly make a positive impression.

9.  If you make a mistake. If you make a mistake in the recording of your message, finish your message the best you can. Then when you are done, press either the star “*” key or the pound “#” key. On most cell phone voicemail systems you will hear a prompt that will allow you to erase and re-record your message.

10.  Don’t Leave Negative Messages. It is my belief that ALL negative topics should be discussed live and NEVER through email, text or voicemail messages. When you need to talk about a negative subject, let people know the purpose of the call, but avoid leaving a message with the details of your feelings.

If you follow these 10 simple tips when leaving voicemail messages, you will be making a positive impression on everyone you call.

Bonus Time Management Tip: When people other than my family or close friends call me and don’t leave a message, I figure if the reason for their call wasn’t important enough for them to leave me a message, I am not going to take my valuable time to call them back to find out why they called in the first place.

“A big success is made up from a great number of little circumstances each of which may seem small and insignificant most people pass them by as not being worthy of notice.” – Napoleon Hill

About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter.

Related Posts:

• Phone Greetings That Make a Positive Impression
• 10 Ways to Make a Positive Impression When Greeting People In-Person

1. When you greet people in person for the first time—To make a positive first impression when meeting new people, include the following as part of your greeting: a warm smile, an introduction that includes your first and last name, a welcoming comment, direct eye contact and a firm handshake, if appropriate. I also recommend repeating the person’s name. For instance, “It’s very nice to meet you Bob.”

2. When you meet people who don’t tell you their name—If this occurs, simply ask them for their name. I might say, “I didn’t catch your name.” After they respond, I will repeat their name as described in the previous point. This is a simple way of demonstrating your interest in them.

3. When someone introduces you and does not include your name—When you are introduced to someone and the person making the introduction doesn’t include your name, it’s likely they forgot it or they don’t know how to make a proper introduction. In this case, offer a warm greeting as I described in the first tip and be sure to include your first and last name. This will prove you are paying attention and that you realize your name was omitted.

4. When you greet someone who likely forgot your name—When I greet people I have not seen in a while, I always take the initiative to introduce myself by name. I could say, “Hi Paul; Todd Smith; how are you doing?” If I don’t remember the person’s name, I will introduce myself by sharing my name and hope they respond by sharing theirs. If people don’t offer their name in the greeting, I will often say something like, “Will you kindly remind me of your name?”

5. When you are not introduced—I was with a friend in a restaurant recently and a couple of his friends stopped by the table to say hi. He talked to them for a few minutes but never introduced me. The proper etiquette in this circumstance would have been for him to introduce me to his friends.

When I’m not introduced to people, I generally respond by introducing myself if the right opportunity presents itself. This seems to make everyone feel more comfortable.

6. When you meet with a group of people you DON’T know—Have you ever walked into a room with a small group of people you didn’t know and stood there awkwardly not knowing what you should do? If this happens, be proactive and introduce yourself to each person in the room. This will make you stand out from the group as someone with confidence. It will also make everyone feel more at ease.

7. When you meet with a group of people you DO know—When you get together with a group of friends or business associates, immediately greet each person with a friendly greeting. As new people join the group, be the first one to show you care by greeting them. My daughter Hannah calls this “Being Like a Dog.” Dogs are always happy to see you and they’re the first ones to greet you.

8. When you meet with a group of people-some you know and some you don’t know—When I find myself in this situation, I will always greet the people I know and introduce myself to the people I have not yet met. Once again, this seems to make everyone in the group feel comfortable.

9. When you greet a receptionist—Whether you are greeting the receptionist at your dentist’s office or at the offices of one of your clients, always introduce yourself with a smile and friendly greeting. For instance, “Hi my name is Todd Smith, I have a 4:00 appointment with Steve Johnson.” In the case of a business environment, I always hand the receptionist my business card to go along with my verbal introduction.

10. Practice, practice, practice—If you will follow these tips, you can be assured of making a positive first impression and enhance your existing relationships. You will be viewed as someone who is friendly, confident and recognizes the value of making people feel comfortable. I realize some of these recommendations may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but like anything, the more you do it, the more comfortable it will become.

When you show an interest in others and the things important to them, they will show an interest in you and the things important to you!

About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter. Sign up to receive Todd’s daily lessons at Little ThingsMatter.com

Related Post:

Phone Greeting That Make a Positive Impression

The Fundamentals of Eye Contact

Handshakes Really Do Matter

The Value of Remembering Names

In today’s lesson I will share with you some of the little things I learned years ago about how to properly introduce yourself over the phone. Once again, this is an opportunity to make an impact. We make judgments about people the first time we see OR hear them. Your tone of voice and the words you use will create an impression. Make sure it is a positive one.

Calling a place of business

When you call a business or organization and someone other than the person you are calling answers the phone, I recommend introducing yourself in the following manner: “Hi my name is Todd Smith. May I please speak with Katy Williams?”

If the person answering the phone uses their name in the greeting, you should take the time to repeat their name. For example: “Thank you for calling ABC Widgets. This is Amber, how may I help you?” I would respond in a friendly tone, “Hi Amber, my name is Todd Smith. How are you doing today?” After exchanging pleasantries with Amber, I would then say, “May I please speak with Katy Williams?”

When you introduce yourself as I’ve described, you will stand out from all the other people calling and you will likely make a positive impression on the person answering the phone. Not only is this a friendly and professional way to request to speak to someone, but also it’s important to recognize the person answering the phone often has influence on the decisions made within a business or organization. Even if I call a utility company to report a problem, I’ve learned that being friendly and introducing myself often results in better service.

Another reason I immediately introduce myself is to save time. Rather than having an exchange where the person asks, “May I tell her who’s calling?” and I have to respond with my name, I eliminate a step and save time for both of us. This may seem inconsequential but if you can implement 100’s of tiny time management tips throughout your day, they will compound for increased productivity.

Calling a friend at home

When you call someone’s home, I recommend doing the same thing as I described with respect to calling a business. If the person you intend to speak with does not answer the phone, introduce yourself and engage in conversation before asking for the other person. As an example, if I am calling my friend Mark Davy and his wife Ann answers the phone, I would say in an upbeat and friendly manner, “Hi Ann, this is Todd. How are you doing?” After a short period of small talk, I would say, “Hey, is Mark around?”

Side tip–If I make a call and I am not sure that the person who answers is the one I want to speak to, I always introduce myself by saying, “Hi this is Todd Smith. Is Sherry available.” Even if it turns out to be Sherry, I haven’t offended her by asking. It’s always better to play it safe.

Answering The Phone

When you answer the phone, be proactive and introduce yourself as part of your greeting. Don’t make people wonder if it’s really you. As an example, I answer my phone “This is Todd”. Most of my successful friends answer their phones by using their first and last name. For example, my friend Jeff’s greeting is “Jeff Mack” and my friend Tina answers her phone by saying, “Hi this is Tina Williams.”

If you are a business owner, let me strongly suggest that you have all your employees answer the phone by introducing themselves within the first sentence. Obviously they should also speak in a professional and friendly manner. Something along the lines of: “Thank you for calling ABC widgets, this is Amber. How may I help you?” This is such a simple thing to teach your employees and it will make a huge impression on the people who are calling your place of business.

If you will implement these little tips, you can be assured of making a positive impression on everyone you call and everyone who calls you.

You can achieve anything that’s important to you, if you will focus on the little things that matter.

About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter. Sign up to receive Todd’s daily lessons at Little ThingsMatter.com