Online Success Starts Here

You're inbox is filled with tons of messages.  You have emails from weeks, months, maybe even from last year sitting in your inbox...and you're tired of it.  Well here's a cool tip for taking emails and converting them into action items and getting them out of your inbox.

Goals This Tip Support

• Reducing inbox clutter
• A way to remember that an action is needed for an email message

Step By Step

1) Select the message you want to convert into an action item. Do this by holding down your left mouse button on top of the email message.

2) Drag the email message on top of the Outlook's task folder. This will turn the email into a Task.  All of the contents of the email message will now be in the body of the Task.

3) Change the subject of the Task to the action that needs to be done for the email. By default the Task subject is the subject of the email.  It will be more helpful when you look at the task in the future if it has the action item in the title.

4) Set any reminders or due dates for this task. Now that you're email is a task you can use the Task functionality of setting a reminder or due date for this task to help ensure that it will get done.

5) Click Save & Close. Once saved your email is now on your Task list and Outlook can remind you of it if you setup a reminder.

6) Decide what you want to do with the original message. Now that your email along with its content has been converted to a task you have two options for the original message:

• Delete It: If you do not need to keep the original message then delete It.
• Put in Reference Folder: If you need the original message for future reference, move the email from your inbox to a reference folder.

Related topics

Video: Convert An Email Into An Outlook Task

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Well, it was going to happen eventually.  Every couple of years Microsoft comes out with a new version of Microsoft Office.  The newest version is now Microsoft Office 2007 which was released earlier this year.

Unlike the previous versions, this one has a totally different interface which noticeably increases the learning curve for this program.  Menu bars and dialog boxes that you're accustomed to are now either eliminated or merged with others in some cases.  Features that you've learned over the years to find quickly are now a hunting game.

As a small business owner you are not always in the position to buy the latest technology on the market nor do you have lots of time to learn new software.   So I've put together a few questions you can ask yourself to see if it makes sense for you to upgrade soon:

Do you communicate regularly with businesses or people who are already using Office 2007?

If you do, you may not be able to open documents that were saved in the Office 2007.  There are remedies for this though.  Microsoft does have a viewer you can install so you can read Office 2007 files.  Also you can ask the person sending you the document to save the file format you're using.  That capability does exist in the Office 2007 version.

Can you allocate plenty of spare time to take a Office 2007 course?

As I mentioned before, the learning curve is high with the version of Microsoft Office.  You'll have to reprogram your brain to flow with this new interface.  Features that you have come to find so in your current version will now have to be hunted for in Office 2007.  Even common features like spell check, print, new document, open are not readily available in one click like they use to be.  The good news is you can customize your toolbar and add those features that you use frequently to a one-click view

Are you willing to install Office 2007 on a separate computer so you can learn it but still work in the current version until you're completely comfortable?

I added this question because of my experience with Office 2007.  As I was first learning this new version of Office my productivity went down because features that I was so use to finding in my current version was taking me a lot more  time to find in this new version.  (And I'm a fast learner!)  So if you are going to upgrade and you're working with impending deadlines, I suggest you wait, unless you have the luxury of having access to both versions.  The time it will take you to get things done in the newer version of Office will definitely slow down your productivity.

Are you satisfied with the features available in your current version Office?

Sometimes the new features may not make a difference in how you're currently using the product so there really is no rush to upgrade if you're getting everything you need.

Do you have a resource you can turn to for questions you may have as you get use to Office 2007?

This will help reduce the learning curve and make the transition the newer version a much more pleasant experience.  Also when a newer version of their software is release, Microsoft continues to provide support for older versions but the support is usually for a limited time.  You may still find other technical support providers that will help you with your older Office version.

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you may put upgrading your Microsoft Office version as a priority on your business list this year.  Otherwise it's really not a necessity to upgrade right not and you can hold out a little bit longer.

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Your website is a marketing tool and with any type of marketing having a strategy prepares you for success. When preparing to put up a website the first thing to consider is not what your website will look like but how will your website resonate with your target audience. Here are four key elements that must be a part of your website marketing strategy:

1. Know Who You're Selling To.

The most important question you need to answer in your website marketing strategy is "Who am I selling to?" The "who" is your target market. Think of them as the group you're willing to spend money and time on to get their business. It's important to understand that even if your services or products can benefit many types of individuals, it is a lot easier to focus your marketing efforts when you have a target audience in mind. In order to do that successfully, you'll need to know who you're talking to, what problems they have and what benefits are they seeking.

Tip: Don't skip this step. It's an integral part of any marketing plan.

2. Speak Their Language.

Once you've identified your target market, learn the words they use to describe the problems they're having or the benefits their seeking. With this information you'll be able to "speak their language" in your website content. You'll also be creating a connection with your audience when you use terms that connect with them.

Tip: Try WordTracker Keyword tool to find out what keywords your target marketing is searching on.

3. Educate Them.

Research shows that most buyers use the internet to search for information before they buy. If your website doesn't provide information to help your visitors in their buying decision they're most likely to leave without contacting you. But if you have an understanding of your target audience you can provide targeted information that speaks to their concerns. My favorite quote is from the department store, SYMS whose slogan is "An educated consumer is our best customer." Apply this philosophy to your website marketing strategy and you'll start to see how easy it becomes to get qualified leads that convert into a sale.

Tip: Educate your clients through Blogs, Special Reports, Mini Courses, Free Teleclasses/Webinars and Articles. Use these tools to get qualified leads on your mailing list or at least coming back to your website so that you can continue to market them.

4. Follow Up With Them.

Research also shows that it takes at least seven contacts with a potential buyer before they even notice your ads. Once you get your website visitors to provide you their email address, continue to educate them through an e-zine (email newsletter) or blog. Create a schedule for your e-zine or blog and stick to it! The content of your e-zine should be at least 75% education and 25% sales. Remember you want to educate your leads so you can build credibility with them. People buy from people they know, like and trust and your e-zine is a start to building a relationship that can eventually lead to a sale.

Tip: Be sure to use an email or blog service that allows you to track if your email subscribers click on any links in your email. Aweber, Constant Contact, iContact are just a few of the e-zine management services out there that include statistics like this.

 

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1. Set clear goals for your day, both professionally and personally

If you do not have clear goals set for your day, then you will more likely fall for distractions and interruptions that may prevent or delay you from achieving the things that are most important to you. Without goals, it makes it difficult to make wise decisions on what should get your immediate attention and what can wait. It can also result in lots of wasted time, unnecessary stress and poor work/life balance.

2. Follow the 80/20 principle

20% of what you do produces 80% of your results. Schedule an hour and a half (20% of an 8 hour day) of uninterrupted time each day to work on what's most important to you. During this time, inform your staff that you are not to be disturbed. Close your door and then work, uninterrupted! Sometimes you may not be able to realistically accomplish everything you would like to do, but if you do make time to work on what's important to you, you can steadily achieve your goals.

3. Teach people how to use your time

Tell people how you make decisions and how you prefer to receive information that requires a decision from you. This teaches people how to get the best from you. Be consistent and follow through on your word.

4. Every conversation should have a purpose

Let your staff know what you expect of them when they meet with you. If they can't summarize what they need to tell you in one or two sentence, they are not ready to talk to you.

5. "Can that request wait?"

Ask that question every time you are interrupted and asked to do an unexpected or unscheduled request. Most times we stop what we're doing and start working on the new request because we assume it needs to be done immediately. However, more times than not, the request is not an urgent matter and can wait. Be sure to add the new request to your to-do list and follow up with the person. If you don't then people will start to tell you everything is urgent.

6. Do not keep anything in your head

Get all tasks, big or small, out of your head and on to a to-do list. The list can be electronic or paper-based. Choose what works best for you. You can work a lot faster and more efficiently if you only have one place to look for all your action items. It also makes it a lot easier to make decisions of incoming items and interruptions. If you can see all the things that you need to do in one place, when new or unexpected tasks come in, you can easily prioritize them. It's difficult to prioritize your work if you don't have a good handle of all that you need to do.

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