Students Of Success

After falling in love with the Hipster PDA and Levengers Shirt
Pocket Briefcase,I started becoming more and more dependent on
3″ by 5″ index cards. They are great for note taking on the go
and keeping organized at my desk, so I naturally started
thinking of ways to use the cards to automate my sales process.
>From this, the “3X5″ was born. I may not be the first person to
use index cards in this way, but I do think a lot of salespeople
will find the system easy to use and very effective.

You will need the following items to create your own 3X5 sales
tool. I found everything I needed at my local Staples and
everything cost me around $25.00.

* A box to store the index cards * Monthly 3″ by 5″ index tabs
* Daily (1-31) 3″ by 5″ index tabs * Alphabetical 3″ by 5″ index
tabs * A ton of white ruled 3″ by 5″ index cards * A bunch of
colored 3″ by 5″ index cards * A small case to carry cards in
your pocket

Once you have purchased the required supplies, you can organize
your 3X5. For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume that you are
assembling your 3X5 on January 1st. If this is the case you
would first organize your tabs in the order below (front to
back):

* January tab * Daily tabs 1-31 * February - December monthly
tabs * A-Z alphabetical tabs * Blank index cards - white and
your favorite color

All of your cards should now be in the file box and the first
thing you should see is the January tab.

Next, you should start creating cards for your leads. In the
beginning, this is going to take some time (assuming you have a
lot of leads). I use white cards for leads and colored cards for
my customers. You can do whichever you prefer, but I think it is
helpful to break down leads and customers.

The system works like this.

Let’s imagine it is January 1st. and you attend a networking
event where you meet a potential client. You get this lead’s
business card at the event and you want to contact him/her on
the 2nd., so when you get to your office, you staple the leads
business card to a white index card and drop it behind the “2″
tab and then go home for the day. After all, it is new years day
and you have been working hard to create your new sales system
and you attended a networking event.

So, you arrive at work on January 2nd. and open up your 3X5. The
first thing you should do is move the “1″ tab back behind the
February tab. You will always be rolling the system forward like
this, so that the first tab you see in the box represents the
most current month, then the most current day.

Now, you go to the tab for today (Jan 2nd.) and find the card
for the lead that you met at the networking event yesterday. You
call the lead and learn that he/she is out of town until January
6th. so you make a note which says, “1/2/05 - Mr. Lead is on
vacation till 1/6″. Now you drop the card behind the “6″ tab for
the month of January.

You will continue to roll this lead forward in the system,
making notes at each step, until the lead either turns into a
customer or asks you to leave them alone.

When the lead turns into a customer, I staple their business
card to a colored card and place it behind the appropriate
alphabetical tab. If their is another opportunity with this
client, I move the colored card back to the dated section and
move them through the process again.

Of course, as you add more people to your pipeline, you might
not get to contact everyone on the day you have them slotted
for. Just move them to the next day’s slot at the end of the
current day so you contact them tomorrow.

You will not want to carry around a huge metal box full of index
cards, which is why you want to have a small index card wallet
or box, so if you are going to be on the road or out of the
office, you can simply grab your cards for the day and go.

Not just for salespeople.

While the system is great for salespeople, it also is a great
tool for those of us who are focusing on networking. I actually
use three different colored cards and use white for leads, blue
for clients and red for my networking contacts (patriotic, I
know). On the red cards, I write either 7, 14, 30, 45, 60, etc
in the upper right hand corner of the index card to remind
myself how frequently I want to contact the person, so I simply
move the card forward based on the number on the card. If I want
to contact someone every seven days, I move the card ahead a
week after I make contact.

This really ties in well to Keith Ferrazzi’s book Never Eat
Alone, which recommends you regularly ping your network. By the
way, if you have not read the book, you should. You can get book
notes for free from the Never Eat Alone blog.

Options / Enhancements.

I have been considering adding daily tabs to each month so that
I can move people ahead to a any specific date (IE. August
11Th.) in the future.

You could also keep some sticky tabs handy so you can add a tab
to the top of any index card for the contacts birthday. If you
do this, you could just put an August tab on the card for every
contact whose birthday is in August so you could quickly compile
a birthday list each month. Again, this is probably overkill and
you could probably just add the contacts name to a calendar and
keep it separate, but what fun is that?

1. Type of greenhouse Before buying greenhouse lighting, you must understand the kind of greenhouse that you have. Is it a commercial greenhouse or a personal one? Knowing what type of greenhouse that you have will determine what kind of lighting to choose. For instance, if you have a commercial greenhouse, it is best that you buy lighting that is created to endure humid, adverse conditions that are commonly found in commercial conservatories. Research your options before making any purchase.

2. Length of use The duration of light use in greenhouses based on a “photoperiod” the period in which the light will be used may vary. For example, you may use lighting for a “12-hour photoperiod.” This means that within 24 hours cycle, lighting will be used for 12 hours and 12 hours with no light at all. It is important to buy a light that meets your specific usage needs. Find out what your needs are before making your selections.

3. Purpose Buy a light that will focus on your desired results. For instance, if you want to motivate the growth of your orchids, it is best to buy a light that will put more weight on the “spectrum colors” like the red, blue and the “far-red wavelengths.” The colors of the light have notable effects on the plant growth. Not all light will produce the desired results. Talk to experts before purchasing.

4. Electrical efficiency Opt for lighting products that provide optimum effect without having to compromise the amount of energy that they consume. It’s better to buy lights that are efficient and can still conserve as little energy as possible. Ensure that the lighting you buy meets your electrical efficiency requirements.

5. Heat Remember that lighting should only be used where it is needed. A light that emits more heat as it releases light can be very harmful. Too much heat on a plant will trigger its death. For example, it’s not a good idea to buy an incandescent bulb because it gives out too much heat. Make sure you understand how much heat each lighting option produces before purchasing.

Lighting is an important factor in a plant’s development. Carefully consider the kinds of light you use in your greenhouse in order to ensure the quality of plant growth that you want to achieve.

If you are a member of a stepfamily, you know how difficult it can be to integrate all of the new members and adjust to the new boundaries and rules. The following ideas may help you make a successful transition during this challenging process.

Have patience. Establishing new families takes time. Just because you love your new partner, it is unrealistic to think that you will automatically love his or her children. It is equally unrealistic to expect that your new partner’s children will instantly love you. It can be difficult to accept that even though you wish to have a relationship with your stepchildren, they may not be ready for a relationship with you.

Expect to adjust. With proper help and guidance, children can recover from family disruption. All children experience a difficult adjustment period following a divorce or remarriage.

It takes time, patience, and perhaps some professional assistance, but most children are able to regain their emotional bearings. It is critical that the adults manage their own emotional recovery in order to help the children adjust without trauma.

If you are part of a part-time stepfamily, you may need a longer adjustment period. All relationships take time to grow and develop. When stepchildren see you less often, you have less time to get to know each other. This is why it may take a part-time stepfamily longer to move through the adjustment process.

Don’t expect your new family to be like your first family. If you expect that your stepfamily will be just like the family of your first marriage, you are setting yourself up for frustration. Your new family will have its own unique identity and will evolve in its own special way.

Expect confusion. Forming a stepfamily is a confusing time for everyone. Think about how confusing it is for a child to become part of two new families. All of the family membersparents and childrenmust learn to understand the new structure and learn to navigate the boundaries.

Allow time for grieving. Stepfamilies begin with an experience of loss, and everyone needs to grieve. The adults’ losses are not the same as those of the children, and both must be respected. Adults grieve the following losses:

• The loss of a partner

• The loss of a marriage relationship

• Lost dreams of the way they thought it would be

• They must adjust to changes that result from the divorce or death (moving to a new house, starting a new job, adjusting to changes in lifestyle, etc.)

Children grieve, too. Their losses are usually different from those of their parents:

• They may now be living with one parent instead of two.

• They may have less time with one or both parents during times of dating and remarriage.

• There may be less stability in their homes.

• They must adjust to changes that result from the divorce or death. (They may have a new place to live and go to a new school; they may have lost friends in this process.)

• They have lost the fantasy of how they wanted their family to be.

Children have an especially difficult time resolving their grief when their parents are hostile with one another, when one or both of their parents remarry, and if they have trouble accepting their new stepparents.

Acknowledge the absent parent. When one of the original parents is absent, the children need a special kind of understanding. An absent parent (who has died or who lives elsewhere and doesn’t visit) is part of a child’s past. The child must be allowed to have memories of this parent. The children who have access to both of their parents are those who adjust the best to divorce. They should be allowed to regularly speak with, visit, and write to their noncustodial parent.

Help the kids fit in. Children of stepfamilies belong to two households. It is understandable that they have questions about where they fit in. They are usually able to adjust to having two sets of rules as long as they are not asked to choose which is better.

Be clear about the rules. Ideally, both sets of parents should discuss the family rules and what will happen if rules are broken. When the adults agree on the rules, they should explain them to the children. Most successful stepfamilies have learned that the rules should be decided together in the beginning, and that the biological parent should do the explaining and disciplining. The stepparent may have more involvement after the relationships with the stepchildren have been established. All of this works best when the parents can agree to be flexible and cooperative with one another. This may be difficult immediately following a divorce or remarriage, but it is important to work toward this objective.

Educate yourselves and seek emotional support. Read books about managing stepfamilies, attend classes, and participate in stepfamily support groups. Seek the help of an experienced mental health professional to help you through the rough spots. Marriage and Family Therapists have specific skills and training for working with families and stepfamilies.

Give the kids their own space. Make physical space available for the children who don’t live with you. Children need a sense of belonging. Creating a room or section of a room for visiting children will help them feel like part of your family.

Expect them to think it’s temporary. Accept the fact that your children may expect you and their other parent to reconcile. They may fantasize that your new relationship with your partner is only temporary. This is especially true in the beginning. Find a time to sit down with the children and explain that when two people are unable to live together anymore, it doesn’t mean they love their children any less. This is especially important for the parent who has moved away, since the children will inevitably feel a sense of rejection.

Expect resentment. No matter how good a parent you are, you will never be the biological parent of your stepchildren. It is natural for a stepchild to feel some resentment for you, especially when you are setting limits for their behavior.

Show the children love. Sometimes children need love the most at a time when it is the most difficult to give it to them. While bad behavior should never be rewarded, always praise children when they are behaving well.

Garrett Coan is a professional therapist,coach and psychotherapist. His two Northern New Jersey office locations are accessible to individuals who reside in Bergen County, Essex County, Passaic County, Rockland County, and Manhattan. He offers online and telephone coaching and counseling services for those who live at a distance. He can be accessed through http://www.creativecounselors.com or 201-303-4303.

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