In this issue:

1) Tip of the Week

2) FEATURE ARTICLE: Top Five Time Management Mistakes by Dr. Donald E. Wetmore

3) CLASSIFIEDS

4) FREE Resources

5) POWERQUOTE

6) MARKETING MINUTE: What's More Important Than an Ad? The Ad for the Ad! by Michel Fortin

If you'd like to read previously ran tips and features, go to http://netcheckspayroll.com/newsletter.html

Today's feature article gives us some wonderful insight into where our most precious resource...time...is being wasted. Dr. Wetmore's advice regarding messy desks certainly hits home for me...I'm still working on that one. But one thing I have conquered is my email in-box and have discovered that I spend a lot less time searching and scanning lists. Try these suggestions:

Don't let your email pile up. Every day when it arrives, look at each piece (deciding whether to open it) and make a decision about it the first time. Throw out the junk mail, answer immediately those that only take a moment of your time, then file what remains in three main mailboxes:

1. A "priority" box for mail that requires action, such as bills or business correspondence. 2. A "to do later" box for items that you need to consider but aren't urgent. 3. A "reading" box for your personal and professional magazines, newsletters and other reading material.

Remember to schedule some time in your day to go back dealing with items in order of priority. But...don't forget to set aside some extra time for those second two that relate to accomplishing your goals. (If you never completely empty a box, check it out from top to bottom occasionally to see what you've missed)

Top Five Time Management Mistakes by Dr. Donald E. Wetmore

In my thirty years as a Time Management speaker and consultant, I have observed a lot of what we can and should not do to increase our daily result. Time management is not necessarily working "harder", but rather, "smarter".

And to accomplish significantly more in our days, we need not increase our efforts. As an example, in a horse race, the first horse may earn a $50,000 purse and the second horse may earn a $25,000 purse. The first horse gets twice as much money as the second horse, not because it ran twice as far or twice as fast. It was only a "nose ahead" of the competition.

So it is with our daily results. We need not run twice as fast or put in twice the effort to significantly increase our daily success. We only need to be a "nose ahead" of where we already are. We are all productive in our days. We would not survive the demands of this world if we were not. The real challenge is how much more productive can we become?

And, a lot of our time management has to do with more of what we are not doing rather than what we are doing. Sometimes our mistakes and omissions will keep us from running at a full pace.

Here are the Top Five Time Management Mistakes we should all avoid to help us to increase our daily success both on and off the job, in less time and with less stress.

Start your day without a plan of action. You will begin your day by responding to the loudest voice (the squeaky wheel gets the grease) and spend it in a defensive mode, responding to other people's and events' demands. The tail will wag the dog. If there is a void of leadership in your time management life, someone will fill that void, not that others are bad people, but others will take all of your time if you let them. You will have worked hard but may not have done enough of right things. Time Management is not doing the wrong things quicker. That just gets us nowhere faster. Time Management is doing the right things.

Get out of balance in your life. Our lives are made up of Seven Vital Areas: Health, Family, Financial, Intellectual, Social, Professional, and Spiritual. We will not necessarily spend time every day in each area or equal amounts of time in each area. But if in the long run, we spend a sufficient quantity and quality of time in each area, our lives will be in balance. But if we neglect any one area, never mind two or three, we will eventually sabotage our success. Much like a table, if one leg is longer than the rest, it will make the entire table wobbly. If we don't take time for health, our family life and social life are hurt. If our financial area is out of balance, we will not be able to focus adequately on our professional goals, etc.

Work with a messy desk or work area. Studies have shown that the person who works with a messy desk spends, on average, one and a half hours per day looking for things or being distracted by things. That's seven and a half hours per week. ("Out of sight-out of mind." And the reverse of that is true too, "In sight, in mind"). And, it's not a solid block of an hour and a half, but a minute here and a minute there, and like a leaky hot water faucet, drip, drip, drip, it doesn't seem like a major loss, but at the end the day, we're dumping gallons of hot water down the drain that we are paying to heat. If you have ever visited the office of a top manager, typically, that person is working with a clean desk environment. Many would attribute this practice to that person's access to other staff members. While there may be some truth in that conclusion, in most cases, if we went back some years in that person's career, they probably were working with a clean desk back then which gave them the focus they needed to become promoted to where they are today.

Don't get enough sleep. Studies show that nearly 75% of us complain on a regular basis, all throughout our days, that we are flat-out tired. For most people, they get the quantity of sleep, but they lack the quality of sleep. Their days are filled with so much stress, they are out of control, working harder but maybe not smarter, that it's difficult to get a full night's sleep. (For some, they simply do not allow for a sufficient quantity of sleep.) If you will plan your day, then work your plan, you will get more done, feel a higher sense of accomplishment, and experience less stress and enjoy a more restful night's sleep.

Don't take a lunch break. Many do not take a lunch break, working through that time period in the hope that it will give them more time to produce results. Studies have shown it may work just the opposite. After doing what we do for several hours, we start to "dull out". Sure, we can work through lunch and be productive, but that is not the issue. The issue is "how much more" productive we can be. A lunch break, even a short fifteen minute break, gives us a chance to get our batteries all charged up again to more effectively handle the afternoon's challenges. We are then less likely to procrastinate a few of those difficult tasks that, in the long run, will make a positive difference in our personal productivity.

If these ideas were helpful, we have prepared an additional checklist entitled, "Top Five Best Time Management Practices". It's free. If you would like a copy, email your request for "top five" to: ctsem@msn.com

Would you like to receive free Timely Time Management Tips on a regular basis to increase your personal productivity and get more out of every day? Sign up now for our free "TIME MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION LIST". Just go to: http://www.topica.com/lists/timemanagement and select "subscribe". We welcome you aboard!

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Dr. Donald E. Wetmore-Professional Speaker Productivity Institute Time Management Seminars 60 Huntington St., P.O. Box 2126 Shelton, CT 06484 (800) 969-3773 (203) 929-9902 Fax: (203) 929-8151 Email: ctsem@msn.com http://www.balancetime.com Professional Member-National Speakers Association

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"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do."

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Questions to Ponder

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What's More Important Than an Ad? The Ad for the Ad! Copyright © 1998 Michel Fortin

"Top-of-mind awareness" is not exclusive to marketing and advertising in general. It also applies (and more so) to an advertisement's headline. Many people use boring or unappealing headlines for their ads. It surprises me when I see some ads that do not communicate a precise, immediate, and direct benefit. While some ads may seem "nice" or "catchy," some do not generate the response nor the business for which they were intended.

A headline is not meant to advertise the business, the product, the service, the Web site, or the sale (or event). It's meant to advertise the advertisement. It's the ad for the ad. A résumé, for instance, is not meant to land a "job" but to land an "interview." A headline is, in the very same way, meant to land the reader's attention. In essence, the true role of a headline is to grab the reader's attention in order to keep them reading. Once they read the ad, then -- and only then -- interest should be developed.

Many of you may have heard of the AIDA formula. AIDA stands for: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. The first part of this simple formula is where many ads usually fail. If the headline doesn't command enough attention, then the rest of the formula falls down the tubes and thus the sale as well.

Your headline must be packed with benefits. Not only that, it must communicate direct, specific, and immediate benefits (i.e., the benefits of reading the ad in the first place). Here are 2 tips on how to increase the attention-factor in your headlines:

1) THE GAPPER Usually, there is a gap between the prospect's problem and its solution. However, many prospects do not know that there is a problem to begin with. A headline that communicates the presence of such a gap (or the widening of one) will most likely appeal to those who can immediately relate to such an idea. In other words, those who are attracted by the headline always had the "gap" in the back of their minds, but the headline merely brings it back to the top and causes them to read on. Hence, they want to know how, by reading your ad, they can close that gap.

Again, it's all a matter of perception. To use a headline that conveys a problem is to simply make the reader aware that there is one (or, at least, reinforce it) and then to demonstrate that the solution exists further in the ad. If you advertise, for instance, a way to make money, you are subconsciously telling the reader, "Hey! Do you need money? Read my ad and I'll show you how to get some..."

Those who fully appreciate the message the headline communicates will be much more tempted to read further. For example, the pain-pleasure principle states that, "We have a tendency to avoid pain or strive towards pleasure." However, when given the choice between the two, the avoidance of pain is far more superior than the search for pleasure. Therefore, a headline that communicates a negative situation, a problem, or a painful (or potentially painful) situation will automatically be understood by those who associate to its message. They will feel compelled to read the ad.

For example, when I work with plastic surgeons, I often tell them to place as a headline for their ads, "Are you suffering from wrinkles?" Immediately, patients who can instantly relate to the ad will more than likely read the ad in its entirety. They do so for 2 reasons: 1. They have wrinkles (they fit the surgeon's demographics), and; 2. They suffer from wrinkles (they fit his/her psychographics, i.e., they want to do something about it).

I believe from experience that this is applicable to every industry, every product, and every business. Think of a negative situation that is now present (or will occur) without the benefits of your product. For example, if you're selling insurance, the "gapper" could be, "Due to insufficient insurance coverage, millions of dollars are lost every 8 minutes" or, "Trying to save $300, I lost over $300,000! -- A true story..." or, "Don't let a $50,000 dollar bill compound your grief. Yes! It can happen to you."

In the marketing business, such as the one I'm in, "gappers" could include, "Don't let another million-dollar prospect slip through the cracks," or, "Stop wasting your marketing money on ineffective advertising and triple your hit-ratio with more compelling ads." The idea, here, is to emphasize benefits. You see, a headline must make your prospect understand -- in an instant -- the pain of not enjoying the benefits of your products or services. By reading further, they are subsconsciously seeking the solution.

2) THE FREEBIE Many studies have shown that the greatest technique in advertising that can double -- and sometimes even triple -- the readership of an ad is the use of a simple, single, four-letter word... The word "FREE." People are astonishingly attracted to freebies. Freebies, in an ad, can create a lot of response, but in a headline a freebie can multiply the response rate exponentially.

Ideally, offer a free sample, a free product, or a free service of some kind. However, being in the information age, the "free report" or "free info kit" is my favorite. People love to soak up new information since learned experience is more cost-effective and less time-consuming than that which has been learned *from* experience.

So, if this appeals to you, then write on! Create a free report. Write a newsletter. Pen an article. Author a book. The perceived value in the free information is oftentimes underrated. People who request your free information (or sample) are qualifying themselves beforehand and become far more superior leads. However, when it comes to the headline, the free report in particular can easily grab the attention of readers because it contains not 1 but 2 immediate benefits: Information that is both useful and free.

If you're a computer consultant to large offices, your headline can state, "FREE REPORT! The 10 biggest computer mistakes businesses make," or, "8 surefire strategies on how to improve paperflow efficiency by 67% - Free report," or, "Are your computers bug-proof? Get my FREE report on how to find out if the recent surge in computer viruses can cost you thousands in lost revenue -- and how to avoid them!" (The last example contained both the "gapper" and the "freebie." Obviously, this headline would therefore be more effective.)

THE FINAL WORD Remember this simple axiom: The headline is the ad for the ad. It is not meant to "show off" or to sell the reader on your business, Web site, product, or service. It is simply an attention grabber. Once you've developed attention, you can then create interest and then increase desire... But hey, that's a whole new article. Good luck!

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Michel Fortin, Ph.D. specializes in business development, copywriting, and marketing consulting. Visit his NEW site at http://members.home.net/mfortin or reach him at mailto:success-doctor@home.com or (613)748-1624. His marketing advice packages start at just $50. Let Dr. Fortin write your ad copy, sales letter, press release, brochure, Web page, or newsletter for only $30-50 per page. Get a FREE copy of his report, "The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning: Magical Marketing Strategies for Creating an Endless Stream of New, Repeat, and Referral Business" at http://members.home.net/mfortin or at mailto:success-doctor@home.com.

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