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www.HartfordBusiness.com January 26, 2015 • Hartford Business Journal 21 BIz BookS A conscious mind can drive 'extraordinary' productivity "T he 5 Choices — The Path to Extraordinary Productivity" by Kory Kogon, Adam Merrill and Leena Rinne (Simon & Schuster, $28). Over 350,000 respondents to a Franklin Covey Co. study indicated they spent about 40 percent of their time on things that weren't important to their jobs. The authors turned to brain science to figure out why so much time was being wasted. They found that we're addicted to urgency; we assume that what's in front of us in the moment is really important. To overcome the addic- tion, you need to use a "Return on the Moment (ROM)" approach that holds at bay your instinctive, emotionally- reactive brain while engaging your evaluative, thinking brain. This involves effectively manag- ing a four-quadrant ROM model. Quadrant 1 — Necessity (e.g. angry customers, quality prob- lems, deadline changes, etc.). In Q1, there's both importance and a sense of urgency. If you find that you're spending lots of time in high-stress, get-it-done Q1, chances are that you didn't pay attention to the root causes of the problems — because you're spending too much time in Q3 and Q4. "ROM = Breakeven." Quadrant 3 — Distraction (e.g. interrup- tions, irrelevant meetings and reports, other people's issues, etc.). Because these become part of the daily routine, the urgency addic- tion kicks in; you respond as though you're in Q1. Think: If you postponed addressing them, would there be any serious consequences? If you questioned their relevance to your priorities and organiza- tional goals, how could things change? "ROM = negative." Quadrant 4 — Waste (e.g. Web surfing, gossip, Solitaire, etc.). In an attempt to escape from the stress of urgency in Q1 and Q3, you put your brain in neutral and relax. You know that there are far more important things to do; you lack the energy to tackle them. "ROM = Zero." Quadrant 2 — Extraordinary productiv- ity (e.g. creative thinking, problem prevention, execution, relationship-building, etc.). "Unlike the other quadrants, where things come at you, you have to consciously choose to be in Q2." Think: What's the highest-value work in front of you? What stands in your way? Your choices to spend time in Q1, Q3 and Q4. If you act, "ROM = Exponentially positive." The message: Never get caught up in the thick of thin things. • • • "Give and Take — Why Helping Others Drives Our Success" by Adam Grant (Penguin, $16). When it comes to reciprocity (or lack thereof) in the business world, there are giv- ers, takers and matchers. When it comes to success and productivity, Grant's research shows that while givers occupy the bottom, they also rank the highest. Clearly, there are two types of givers — those that go out of their way to help others at the expense of their own time and productivity, and those who know when, how and what to give. Productive givers listen and ask questions. They develop a personal brand based upon "generously sharing their knowledge, teaching us their skills, and helping us find jobs without worrying about what's in it for them." They create opportunities for their colleagues to con- tribute. They add value to relationships. Adding value becomes contagious. In group situations where there's a giver pres- ent, the other group members contribute more — essentially, the contributions lead to making the pie bigger. Givers "amplify the smarts and capabilities of other people." The amplification has a multiplier effect because others involved in the group take the giving lesson to other groups. When it comes to crediting others, giv- ers are at the forefront. While seeing the totality of their efforts and contributions and only subsets of those of their team, they realize that all the pieces of the puzzle are of equal importance. Before diving into the book's content, read the tone-setting acknowledge- ment section. There, Grant gives credit to the hundreds of givers who helped shape the idea for the book and made it happen. n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak tHe raInmaker How advertising can build relationships, satisfied customers By Ken Cook F or those of you who read this column with any regularity, today's title might seem a bit strange. I focus a great deal on the value of relationships, and advertising seems to be somewhat clinical in comparison to relationships. But, not all things are so cut and dry. Advertising does work, and know- ing where and how it works can help in building relationships. It is necessary to begin with an appre- ciation of how cus- tomers buy. On the simplest level, there are four steps — awareness, comprehension, conviction and order. Awareness is just that: The customer is aware of who we are. Our name might ring a bell, or they've seen our product or service somewhere, and it stuck with them. Aware- ness is a marketer's job. Marketing profes- sionals need to create awareness; it is a cru- cial stage that cannot be left to chance. Once aware, a customer needs to comprehend. Comprehension is an under- standing of what is offered and potential- ly received through use of the product or service. Comprehension does not usually translate into an order. Comprehension is an intellectual position, and buying is an emotional decision. Conviction means the customer not only comprehends what the product or service can do, but is also convinced that it can do it. Conviction is an investment of emotion. To have conviction about something means you take a position. You've considered the situ- ation and made a decision about the prob- ability of a result. Order is commitment. Conviction trans- lates into decision and a purchase. The cus- tomer is not only emotionally invested, but they become financially invested. So back to where advertising works. If you look at the four stages, advertising is most appropriate in the first two stages, and contrib- utes to the third stage. Advertising can create awareness. A full page ad with nothing but a logo and a web- site address creates awareness (think Nike or Apple). And awareness is very good. Moving further into the buying process, advertising can build comprehension. Good advertising can create intellectual understanding. A well-written ad with clear, concise information and possibly some tes- timonials reasonably informs a potential customer on the capabilities and benefits of a product or service. Advertising to this point has worked because it invites potential buyers to explore further. Awareness and compre- hension of something is an invitation to explore the opportunity of using the prod- uct or service. Advertising also works on building early levels of commitment because it can stir emotion. Good advertising stimulates an emo- tional reaction, and a relationship with a customer is an emotional bond. Good advertising creates the potential for this emotional connection and conviction on the part of the customer. Good marketers use advertising to open up doors of opportunity for those emotional bonds to occur. Great marketers inject emotional con- nections into their advertising, and invite prospects to invest. Be a great marketer by understanding who you want relationships with. Then judiciously use focused advertising to create emotional connections with them. n Ken Cook is the co-founder of How to Who and co-author of How to WHO: Selling Per- sonified, a book and program on building business through relationships. Learn more at www.howtowho.com. Ken Cook ▶ ▶ If you find that you're spending lots of time in high-stress, get-it-done [situations], chances are that you didn't pay attention to the root causes of the problems. ▶ ▶ Good advertising stimulates an emotional reaction, and a relationship with a customer is an emotional bond.