How to fix "meeting hell"

Meetings can be a major bummer.

Maybe you've noticed. Whether it's a cell phone ringing, co-workers whispering, or the guy across the table snoozing, meetings can be a big productivity drag.

In fact, after I first went out on my own, I noticed I was immediately getting twice as much accomplished in half the time. A big factor was my lack of meetings -- especially the ones that seem pointless and disorganized.

What makes so many meetings so distasteful? According to a new study, 27 percent of workers are most irked by disorganized, rambling meetings. 17 percent are most annoyed by peers who interrupt and try to dominate meetings. Other top peeves are furtive Blackberry usage, lack of bathroom breaks and snacks (or the lack of them).

"If you (call) the meeting, organize it, control everyone during the meeting, and make sure the people there aren't wasting their time," said Jeff Resnick, president of Opinion Research USA, which conducted the survey. "If you're asking somebody to participate in a meeting, it has to be, from their perception, worth it to invest the time.

I have a few other suggestions to offer:

• Make sure there's a real reason for the meeting. A lot of routine stuff can be better handled in a memo.
• Post an agenda along with the invitation, so people know what will be covered.
  
• Let participants know what's expected of them (ideas, etc.) in advance.
• Invite only participants who really need to be there. Remember that a one-hour meeting attended by 12 people drains 12 hours of productivity from your team -- not just one hour.
• If the purpose of the meeting is to share information, procedure changes, etc., prepare summaries in advance.
  
• Keep it short! (I've heard of meetings conducted where no one is allowed to sit down. THAT would speed things along!) Short meetings also reduce the need for meals, snacks, bathroom breaks, etc. They also let your team get back to work sooner.
  

What's your take on meetings? Bane or boon?

Win clients with your own business book

It's the ultimate in information marketing: Write a business book that displays your expertise.

Sure, only a relative handful of authors like Jim Collins, Tom Peters and the Freakonomics guys write best-sellers that bring in megabucks. But that's no reason for you to abandon the idea. Book sales, after all, are only one way your business book can attract income.

The real payoff is attracting clients. Becoming an author immediately distinguishes you as an expert in your field, so it's a powerful and persuasive sales tool. Readers who like your book are predisposed to buy your other products, and to hire you for lucrative consulting engagements, speeches, workshops and the like. Your "expert" status as an author also translates into higher fees and more prominent, high-profile clients.

My client, Philip Verghis, has enjoyed that kind of success with his book. The Ultimate Customer Support Executive (Silicon Press), which I helped edit, offers a niche audience -- service executives -- specific help on a crucial topic: how to earn (and then demand) respect on behalf of customers.

Phil's successes at Akamai and Duke University forged his initial reputation and helped attract a publisher. While the book has been well received (the Association for Services Professionals called it "By far the most intelligent book on how to manage support organizations") and has sold well among its target market, the real payoff has been in attracting clients.

With his higher visibility and credibility, Phil's keynote speeches and workshops around the world are regularly filled with movers and shakers in his field, and his newsletter provides valuable advice and guidance to a broad cross-section of readers-- while also subtly promoting his book and workshops.

Phil told me becoming an author has triggered two interesting reactions. One, which he anticipated, was the extra boost a book gives your reputation among CEOs, CIOs and other top executives, as well as with international audiences.

The second reaction, he said, was more of a surprise. Call it the "celebrity factor." Or, as Phil described it, "the mini-pedestal people put you on, when they see the author of a book they read and carry around."

Hmmm... visibility, credibility and even a taste of celebrity. Not too shabby.

So what about you? Do you have in-depth experience? Proven success in your field? Do you have expert advice to offer, and a compelling story to tell? If so, you might consider writing a book. The benefits are obvious.

Not ready for an entire book? A monthly newsletter will give you a chance to demonstrate your know-how while raising your visibility among potential clients. And because it is distributed regularly, subscribers get frequent reminders of who you are and what you do.

Don't worry -- you don't have to do either of these projects by yourself. In fact, very few of the business books supposedly penned by CEOs were actually written by them. Most got help from an editor and/or ghostwriter like... uh, me.

Body language: business tool or manipulation?

Deciphering your customer's body language can offer important insights, according to a recent piece in Manage Smarter. It's also kind of fun. According to the article, here are some ways to read a person's physical cues:

• Nose or face scratch implies dislike.
• Head tilted to the side implies interest.
• Eye rub implies deceit.
• Hand or finger blocking the mouth implies lying.
• Thumb tucked under the chin with index finger pointing up on the cheek implies a critical attitude.
• Chin stroke implies making a decision.

But then the article goes on to discuss how to make the other person like you more, how to fool them into feeling more comfortable with you, so you can make the sale. Is it just me, or does that seem to cross the line from interpretation to manipulation?

For example, body language consultants and sales trainers always recommend you "mirror" your customer's gestures and enthusiasm. If he's quiet and introspective, you're supposed to act that way too. If she's enthusiastic and extroverted, do that. Pretending to be like them supposedly reinforces how similar the two of you are, and makes the prospect trust you -- at least long enough to write the check.

Here's my question: Is it just me, or does that sort of behavior seem phony and manipulative? Do you see it as a legitimate selling tool, or does it simply contribute to the epidemic of fakerey in the world? Doesn't the world have enough phony smiles and artificial friendliness? (Not to mention fake boobs, facelifts and nose jobs?)

What's wrong with being genuine? Be who you are. Be nice, but be genuine.

Let's take the idea a step further. If the client smokes cigars, does this mean you should ignore the health risks and fire up a stogie, just to be like him? If he likes to get plastered at strip clubs then drunk-drive his car back to work, should you do the same?

Besides, how do you keep track of who you're supposed to be today? Let's see, I'm calling on Carl this morning, so I need to act dignified and proper. After lunch, I have an appointment with wacky Jackie so I've got to be joking and smoking. Wouldn't the client or customer eventually notice -- and wouldn't that damage your image and credibility?

The more you pretend to be like different people, it seems to me, the farther you stray from your authentic self.

If you really must adopt someone else's demeanor, why not a professional's? Does your lawyer crack jokes in an attempt to make you like him? Does your doctor enter the examining room and mimic your posture and gestures? No -- she listens to your symptoms and complaints, asks pertinent questions, makes a diagnosis and recommends a course of action. That seems like the right behavior for a sales professional to mimic.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter. Please leave your comments below.

Voicemail dos and don'ts

Efficient and effective communication with clients and prospects is crucial. One place where many of us drop the ball is when leaving a voicemail. Seems simple, but many of us do it badly. And that's deadly because it may mean the person doesn't call you back promptly -- if at all.

Author and Yahoo! Finance columnist Jim Citrin recently offered some tips on how to leave the perfect voicemail message. Among his advice:

• Be brief
• Be specific. Confine your message to a specific topic.
  

And most important (to me at least)

• Leave your contact information slowly and clearly.

"This sounds painfully obvious," Citrin added, "but you'd be surprised by how many people rush through their phone number and email address so fast that you have to replay the message three times before you can understand them." (Grrrr, don't you hate that?)

I always (OK, I try to remember to) leave my name and number once at the very beginning of my message, then again twice (slowly) at the end. You may feel like an idiot saying it so s-l-o-w-l-y, but it might still be too fast for the busy person who's listening while driving, scrambling to find a pen and paper, or in a noisy office.

Repeating the number is especially important if you're calling to or from a cell phone, which is subject to frequent static and dropouts. By leaving it twice at the end, you'll often save them the trouble of listening to the message again.

When in doubt, cut it out.

Fat is disgusting -- especially in your memos, sales letters, or any other kind of business writing.

Here's how you can tone up your business writing instantly: Just trim the fat. Prune any words that are unnecessary. They weaken your writing and dilute your message.

Good writing is lean and strong. It gets right to the point. Flabby writing is loose and sloppy. Unnecessary qualifiers slip in, so your message is weak and wishy-washy. Qualifiers like:

• I guess
• I suppose
• It seems like
• Now and then
• Occasionally
• You know

Imagine reading this sentence in a memo from someone in authority:

"It seems to me, I guess, that once in a while, the staff should gather together and, you know..."

Does that sound like someone in authority?

When in doubt, take it out. "Omit needless words," in the immortal words of Strunk and White. Their creation, The Elements of Style, is a lean 100 pages that will teach you more about solid, concise writing that 100 years of reading this (or any) blog. Highly recommended.

Read it, apply it and see for yourself how quickly your writing (and speaking) improve.