Is it the Prepared Bird that Catches the Worm?

K. Klahn Reporter/Sales

Bayport, NY - If an early bird isn't prepared, they can't expect to catch any worms.  It's true - you can be 15 minutes early to a meeting but forgot the Power Point Presentation at home!

I've recently been reminded of the importance of "prepping" for an interview in my job as a freelance reporter and recognized that it's something I can apply to my 9 to 5 job as a Sales Person as well.

As a Sales Person I am often contacting the same person; at this point the person has become my perspective client and I have written a series of notes on them that I've cataloged (when they are at work/lunch; what products they use; what their husband's name is depending on how well you've gotten to know them it can be very special information).  In a sense, this is a person that I am repeatedly trying to interview (if only they would always come to the phone).

In reporting, there is an Absolute importance placed on "Being Prepared" for interviews; this is not just "knowing what you are going to say". Prepping also entails knowing exactly Who you are talking to and Why you are talking to them. Also, the reporter needs to coordinate When they will be speaking and How that interaction will be taking place (via the phone, in person or through e-mail). A reporter will always Read Up on their Interviewee and find out what that person has been up to - this will also give the article Fresh Perspective. 

"Prepping" is as important as our interview because reporters are often dealing with Very Busy People with Very Busy Schedules. Wasting time is not an option; being unprepared will make the reporter, editor and Paper look silly - which is not ok.

Well if I've learned anything in my past year and a half in sales its that EVERY SECOND we have on the phone with a perspective client needs to be spent diligently.  This means that homework needs to be done the same Fresh Perspective needs to be sought on perspective clients. Also, recognizing that in sales our clients are Very Busy People with Very Busy Schedules may give us insight into scheduling phone or interface time with them.

Knowing that much more about our prospects can make a big difference and the only way to do that is by doing the "Prep Work"

Macaroons in Paris and NYC

Lauduree Soho

Paris, France - Paris is remarkable on so many levels.  I love the "River that Runs Through It" - the River Seine, which divides the city up into little arrondissements each so different: artsy, quirky, posh, fashionable - and yet all of the arrondissements are delightfully French.
Twas nearly a decade ago that my college BFF Mary and I wandered around an arrondissement somewhere near the Champ Elysee and found "Lauduree".  We walked in and plopped down onto our individual purple velvet chairs, we were probably tired from an afternoon of walking on Paris's old cobble streets - its very hard on your feet.
We were told by the waiter that "Lauduree" is the most famous maker of the French Macaroon and while they have other foods to eat, we MUST try at least one macaroon.
The theory Mary and I had for ordering food in Paris: "Let us Eat Cake." We really stocked up on sweets and ignored the country's other culinary possibilities.
We had a couple of cups of tea, cafe au lait and warm croissants brought to the table. I'd never had a macaroon and neither had Mary so we ordered an entire garden of fresh French macaroons of every color, flavor and smell.
Just like the scene in Alice and Wonderland when Alice goes for one of those delightful looking cookies that say, "Eat Me", I dove in for a pink macaroon and felt the same sweet mouth watering anticipation that Alice had felt before she became bigger than a house.

Lauduree, Soho

"Delish," I thought.  It was a Rose-flavored macaroon. "Rose," I thought. "That's a flower?" But there, in Paris sitting on that purple velvet chair I learned that flowers are often used as flavoring in sweet treats as well as teas.
For me, the experience at "Lauduree" was transcending and resulted in love for floral-flavored foods. I picked up a purple macaroon, which was flavored with Lilac. Then an orange, which was orange blossom. Wow!
I was hooked.  But there was no where for me to get my fix.  The American palate wasn't ready to hear that flowers could be flavoring. Our Country had barely grown a taste for Nutella (and that's chocolate hazelnut), At the time, it was only sold in specialty stores or smuggled in by college students studying abroad in Italy.
So, I learned to live without it. Savoring the rarities when a tea house would serve "rose-flavored" tea or the time when I bought Orange Blossom scented cologne.  Of course, there were the trips back to Europe where I'd order lavender iced cream and jasmine cookies.
Then I found out that a "Lauduree" opened in NYC. I hadn't had an opportunity to visit until this past weekend.  The "Lauduree" in NYC became a popular place and it looks exactly like the one in Paris.
Its funny how NYC can be like tofu and take on the taste of other cities so easily (because all of the ingredients for NYC are International).
Little Italy, China Town and now Lauduree in Soho and up near Central Park.
It is not the River Seine that splits NYC into its different flavors - we are surrounded by water instead.  Its all of the cultures themselves that make  NYC into what it is - delightfully New York.

Abercrombie, of Brains and Braun

NY, NY - Abercrombie and Fitch has finally decided to show that the company has both looks and the substance to make them more than just "another pretty face".
Under new leadership the company announced that it would change its decades-old job description from "model" to the more appropriate
"brandrepresentative".
Ahhhh - the Abercrombie store "model" brings memories of my middle school years, feeling too fat and unpretty to ever go inside the dimly-lit store. Quite honestly I'm not sure how the "model" plan ever worked for the company; not only would there be flawless-scantily clad sales people inside the store but outside also a teenage boy without a shirt and a teenage girl outside (both without acne).
They would act as guards (Atleast in my mind) and scare off the unworthy with a welcoming smile.
Maybe teens now are feeling the sentiment I did because sales have gone down 39% over the past 12 months. The company's leaders see the downfall of the 123-year-old company and are making major changes in addition to "letting employees dress in a more individualistic way" according to the Wall Street  Journal.
On my grandfather's deathbed, he told me the story of the one time he and his father traveled into nyc. His father bought him a jacket, from Abercrombie and Fitch. Back then there weren't sexy hot girls in bathing suits selling jackets and yet they sold and my grandfather bought one.
Abercrombie since 1892...rely more on your history and experience and quit being a teenage girl.

Get Organized with Priority Shapes

Priority Shapes

Bayport, NY - We all have priorities in life.  Priorities are what provide us with direction and the determination and motivation to achieve our goals.
For me, when I'm at my busiest, I lose focus on my life's priorities. I become small minded; focused on the task at hand - the day or moment I'm in; and the big picture just becomes scrambled eggs.
I have a good friend that is also super, super busy right now.
Yet, when I spoke with this friend recently, she had a calmness about her.
In the midst of her Buzz she had called ME; She had just come from grocery shopping for her organic,health foods; She had closed a few major deals that she had been working on.
In other words, she had not lost focus of her life's priorities. She made sure to be in contact with close friends; her health had remained important; and she was focused enough at work to close deals and meet her sales targets.
For some reason, I always believed that a "TO DO" list would bring me success.  I thought, "all I have to do is check off a couple of things I've done for today (my homework, clean my room, pay a bill) and eventually I will arrive at my goal."
Though, the structure of a "To Do" actually makes you feel like crap if you don't get something done. (Picture allllllll those boxes that still aren't checked off.)
PLUS, where does a "TO DO" list lead? What is it's Goal? Getting the day's work done! And that's great because we all need to go grocery shopping and do our laundry and make sure to sign our children up for swimming lessons. But we also need a map (not a list of the bigger picture.)

Whenever I find myself Soooooo busy that I have literally no time to Sleep (we've ALL been there, c'mon), I have to take a look at my Priority Shapes and see what I know is important to me; what isn't; what I see for myself and my child in the future and what I know is toxic for me.

So what are Priority Shapes? As I explained before,they are the coping mechanism I created to stay on target when my life was out of control. I was moving in every direction but Forward.

How it works is each shape represents a priority or non-priority in your life.

You can get out a piece of paper and literally draw the shapes on the same page or each on a separate page - Just make sure that the finished product is something you can look at every day or whenever you need it.

In my example I drew a BIG HEART in the center of the page.

HEART: These are absolute priorities. They take precedence over ANYTHING else; our Heart comes first. Think of our Heart as the literal heart beating in our body - make sure you are checking up on these priorities and make sure they are constantly moving forward. For me, Heart Priorities include: Annabella; being a mom; my family; my close friends; my spirituality; my job - selling goals; my blog - expanding writing ideas; yoga, health; my book (Eggbert).

CIRCLE: The circle represents the people that are most important to us. For me, my daughter is the CENTER of the circle. I know who is in the circle - Its a small, positive group: My family; My BEST friends. I also choose to honor family who have passed in this group and I think of people I look up to. These are the only people that can take up space in my mind and these are the people that I have personally required myself to make an effort to see.


SQUARE: These are Back Burner items. Second to your priorities yet STILL important. I tend to want to get involved in everything but guess what?  You can't!  You need to Prioritize. Put your future projects in the square. The square also holds some of the other groups and people that you would like to get involved with if you had more time.

DIAMOND: The Diamond is all that we Aspire to be and to have. In the diamond, put the names of people who inspire you. The Diamond also serves as a place for us to store our Long Term Goals (the goals that seem so unattainable that we've currently labeled them  hopeless). The Diamond gives us a Flawless, Clear look into the Future and what we want it to be.  Our future is a Clean slate

STOP SIGN (Octogon): Stay Away! Stop - Heed!  Don't Go There because you know it Always leads to misery; That's what the Stop Sign represents: The People, Places, Things, Attitudes and Ideas that HOLD us back from victory.  Having Trouble? These are the people going nowhere in life, yet we still choose to hang out with. These are the websites and magazines that make us angry, they always scare us into thinking we're dying that the "world will end". Are you saving up for a home or something else big? Put the following items in the Stop Sign: Night Clubs, Tiki Bars, scratch off tickets, internet shopping and shoe shopping.  It may sting - but remove these things from your life and your Goals can be reached.

Rectangle: Perhaps the most important shape is the Rectangle.  This is our actual "To Do" list.  These are the things that we cannot forget to do. These are our daily MUSTS and they are different for everyone. So go ahead and list yours.  Make sure you are doing them everyday and you will reach your goals that much faster. They could be the laundry, showering, bathing your children, makeup,  putting your children to bed, your morning and evening commute to work , reading the news, staying in touch with your parent or visiting a loved one in a nursing home or another facility.

Me and the Center of My HEART and
CIRCLE, Annabella. 

I hope I've helped someone.  I know this helps me.  It's important to know that ALL of these shapes are connected.  The Circle, Heart, Rectangle and Stop Sign are NOW. The Diamond and Square are our future - but two very different types of future.

Good luck and please provide feedback if this helps.
Kat xoxoxoxo

 

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