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Contact Anne Bachrach at the Financial Services Speakers Network at anne@fsspeakers.net to schedule Bill Bachrach to speak at your next meeting or conference.

Procrastination, also known as dilly-dallying, dragging your feet, and excuse making, is something we have all experienced at one time or another. The learned bad habits of our teens and early adult life (all those times we put off doing our homework and college term papers) can continue to haunt us well into our professional years.

So what, you say. No one liked homework and term papers, of course, they're going to put it off until the very last minute – it's natural.

Actually, there is no such thing as healthy procrastination. To understand, let's get to the root of the issue.

Why do people procrastinate to begin with?

It's because the thought of completing the task causes them discomfort, such as fear or anxiety. Notice I said the thought of completing the task. This is an important point.

Take completing paperwork for various insurance and product related forms to submit for clients for instance. Or paperwork necessary to present to clients for annual reviews for example. There is no real discomfort involved with filling out paperwork. Can it be tedious? Sometimes. Does it take time away from something you would rather be doing? Certainly. Can it be intellectually challenging? Possibly.

But is it impossible? No. Does it cause real discomfort? No.

In most instances, our anxiety causes us to procrastinate with a task we perceive as difficult, a pain in the butt, or impossible, when it is much easier in reality. The problem comes when you repeatedly procrastinate – allowing your anxiety to build until it is much bigger than the task itself.

The root of our procrastination and lolly gagging comes down to exaggerated anxiety that we allow to spin out of control. To make matters worse, our anxiety is based on our perception of an outcome that has not even happened yet.

So how to stop procrastinating?

Just DO IT!

Step 1: DETERMINE specifically what is causing your fear or anxiety. What is it that you are really afraid of? Fear of failure? Fear that you're not smart enough? That you won’t ace it – hit it out of the park? Fear of disappointing someone? How about fear of disappointing yourself? Fear of the unknown? Fear of not knowing how to respond to a question? Let me assure you, you have all the brainpower you need to accomplish more than you can imagine. You could look at this task as a way of proving to yourself – or someone else – that you CAN do it.

Step 2: OUTLINE an easy to follow, step-by-step plan for accomplishing the task. Break each step into small, non-anxiety inducing steps and write them on a list. As you complete each step, check it off the list and give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. Maybe someone else on your team can complete part of task so you don’t have to do it all.

Step 3: INTEND to complete the task with ease and success. We've all heard about the power of intention – use it to your advantage by intending what you would like to see. You'll be amazed what you can accomplish when you leave the anxiety behind. We are each given such incredible brainpower to solve the most complex and challenging tasks, but focusing on the fear will completely bring you down. Intend that you CAN and WILL do it and you will achieve the desired outcome. Believe it can happen and many times it will.

Step 4: TACKLE the task without further delay. This is the time for action. No excuses, no over analyzing, no talking yourself out of it. Review your outline, set your intention and get moving. Call a friend for a pep talk if you need it, but make it quick. Confidence comes when you don't let the fear control you. The quicker you take action, the less time you have to focus on the fear. Stop getting ready to get ready.

The Just DO IT (Determine – Outline – Intend – Tackle) system allows you to understand the root of your fear, so you can address it – and correct it – relieving the anxiety that does nothing but take away from your potential. Moreover, when anxiety no longer occupies your energy, you can focus on the goal at hand and accomplish it with confidence, peace of mind, and ease.

By using this system, you will not only gain confidence, it will improve:

• Peace of mind: reduced anxiety means less stress
• Skill expansion: learn how to break down the most difficult task and set it up for success
• Time management: with easy steps to follow, you accomplish more in less time
• Focus: when you eliminate the fear, you can focus on the goal and get to it!
• Adaptability: the DO IT system can be applied to any project in any industry
• Overall success: When you overcome fear, intend the desired outcome, and tackle without excuses you become unstoppable.

Anne M. Bachrach. All rights reserved.

Anne M. Bachrach is the author of the book, Excuses Don't Count; Results Rule!, and her newest book Live Your Life with No Regrets; How the Choices we Make Impact Our Lives will soon be available. She has 23 years of experience training and coaching. Anne helps financial professionals keep and get more clients while maintaining balance in their life. Through her proven systems, she inspires Advisors to stay focused and take action on the highest payoff activities that lead to their ultimate professional and personal success. Take advantage of the many complimentary resources on her website (www.AccountabilityCoach.com) and subscribe to her blog (www.AccountabilityCoachBlog.com). ________________________________________________________________________
If you're looking for a cost-effective way to help you stay focused and gain a competitive advantage to achieving your goals in the current economy, click here to learn more about joining Anne Bachrach's 90-Day Goal Achievement Group Coaching Program.

One of my most surprising discoveries over the past dozen years serving as a Trusted Advisor, delivering comprehensive financial services to my Ideal Clients through a team of Subject Matter Experts, is the fact that most of the experts I recruited onto my Deliverables Team were not accustomed to providing simple straight forward recommendations to clients in writing. At the inception of our relationship I have been required to coach even the most experienced, highly skilled, Best-in-Class experts on our team regarding the definition of a "recommendation" versus skilled advice, education or general (non-specific) counsel. Our point of view is that Trusted Advisors should set a high standard and only allow "recommendations," as we define it, onto each Ideal Client’s written step-by-step implementation plan of action.

For our purposes, a recommendation is best thought of as a specific set of instructions or action items required to implement a single (recommended) course of action. For clarity, let me share a few actual pieces of advice provided by Subject Matter Experts, and how Trusted Advisor's amended the phrasing and coached their Subject Matter Experts to transform the wording into a clear client recommendation.

Original client advice: You have an emergency reserve of approximately one year of living expenses. Currently you have some taxable investment accounts that could be liquidated for emergencies as well. Investments are typically not the best way to hold emergency funds since you may be forced to liquidate when account values are down. You have untapped equity line available as well.

Revised Recommendation: Your current Cash Reserves are $39,000 and your target for Cash Reserves is $76,000. Transfer $24,300 from your operating account #z0808087 into your Cash Reserves (money market) account #z09284598. Systematically add to your Cash Reserves account with $1,625 per month from Ted’s paycheck each month until the Cash Reserves account reaches $76,000.

Much clearer, wouldn't you agree? The revision is a recommendation by our definition, the original advice was good information but not a recommendation. Let's look at another example.

Original client advice: We started Social Security payments at your “financial independence” age for both of you in our projections since you are planning to retire at that time. If you decide to work longer, you will want to consider delaying Social Security benefits until you are fully retired between ages 66 and 70, after which time there are no tax consequences for working and receiving SS benefits.

Revised Recommendation: Lynn, you will begin receiving Social Security Benefits at age 62 (next year) and Ted you will begin receiving Social Security Benefits at age 64 (also next year). We will initiate the process for you to begin these benefits at our regular progress meeting scheduled for December 10th this year.

The obvious point made about delaying benefits, if the client decides to work longer, is unnecessary since the Trusted Advisor will be aware of any “Change in plans” well in-advance. How? 1. You're meeting with the client every four months (through The Three Meeting Process™ we teach), and 2. You'll confirm the issue at each meeting until the financial independence date. Here's one last example.

Original client advice: To provide for your Grandson's college you will need to set up a trust or simple educational account and fund it with $126,000.

The problem here is the Subject Matter Expert needs to understand the client's situation better, counsel with other Deliverables Team Members (Estate Planning Attorney) and select a single funding vehicle, not two. Revised Recommendation (After asking more questions and discussing the issue with the Tax & Estate Planning Subject Matter Experts on the team): To provide for your Grandson’s college you will need to set up a trust account (we’ve scheduled an appointment with your Estate Planning Attorney for you) and fund it with $126,000 from your InvestAtrade Account #z09816735.

I could give you hundreds of actual examples like these, but the issues to be aware of are:

• Be clear up-front with every Subject Matter Expert on your Deliverables Team that you only allow clear recommendations onto the client’s step-by-step implementation plan of action.
• It is, of course, an expectation that each are capable, but don’t assume that your highly-skilled Best-in-Class experts will submit clear, concise simple recommendations which follow a single logic-path.
• Corollary: Don't be surprised when you are required to coach more experienced experts in how to phrase a clear recommendation.
• Always remember that the signs of a highly-skilled, Best-in-Class recommendation are its clarity, simplicity and its focus on a single objective.

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Follow the story of how one Financial Advisor successfully moved from being an Investment Content Expert to a Trusted Advisor delivering fully comprehensive financial services through a team of experts. You may sign up for "The Kate Wilson Case-Study" at no charge at http://trustedadvisortoolkit.com/. Mark McKenna Little is a speaker, author and Trusted Advisor who works with advisors committed to implementing comprehensive financial services.

I took the midnight to 3 a.m. watch last night. We had finally gottenunderway after being hove-to for a few days. While the wind was still blowing at 12 knots, the seas were beginning to settle, and the sky was clearing rapidly with a descending moon showing through the clouds at the horizon. It was hauntingly beautiful.

After I set the autopilot and did a 360 scan for ships and other hazards, I found myself looking up at the stars in wonder. When my eyes got used to the dark the first layer of stars gave way to billions of others that are normally not visible to us in our light polluted sky at home.

Just then the North Star caught my eye and Sir Ernest Shackleton flashed into my mind. Yes, I thought, Shackleton was one man who exemplified everything I have come to know about being an extraordinary leader. Let me tell you more.

"Men Wanted: For hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success."
- Sir Ernest Shackleton.

According to Wikipedia, "Shackleton is most noteworthy for leading the unsuccessful Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, colloquially known as the "Endurance Expedition" or "Shackleton's voyage", between 1914 and 1916. Although Shackleton failed to achieve his goal of crossing the Antarctic continent on foot, he demonstrated the leadership for which he is now known when the ship Endurance became trapped in the ice and was destroyed. Shackleton, known by his contemporaries as "the Boss", led his men to refuge on Elephant Island before heading across 1,287 kilometers (800 mi) of the open Antarctic Ocean to South Georgia Island in a small open lifeboat. Upon reaching the remote island, Shackleton crossed severe, mountainous terrain to reach a whaling station from where he was able to muster a ship, eventually to rescue his men on Elephant Island. All the men on Endurance survived their ordeal after spending 22 months in the Antarctic...Shackleton was a key figure in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration...that captured the public imagination...for his leadership skills...[and his] ability to lead men through challenging conditions."

If you have been with me for a while, or have read my book The Accidental CEO - A Leader's Journey from Ego to Purpose, you know that I'm committed to uncovering the keys to extraordinary leadership and making them easily accessible to all people, no matter what their roles in life may be. Toward that end, I've defined Three Laws of Leadership and I contend that if you fully explore and engage them, you will rise to the top of anything you might wish to do in your life. As a Financial Planner, don’t you want to stand out, be among the top in the world?

So what's my first law?

To be Powerful in Your Life, you must first Understand and Master Your Self.

I think Sir Ernest Shackleton represents living all three laws, but to examine being a Legendary Leader like Shackleton you must begin at the beginning.

You must know your Self.

Well, what does that mean exactly? I believe that when you know who you really are, when you know what you stand for, your values and what you are giving your life for, you can face any challenge or crisis with courage, conviction and decisiveness - and although you may feel fear, you are freed from reacting from fear.

When you know who you are, you bring flexibility to fulfilling your Vision. Shackleton's Vision for his Antarctic Expedition was clear and unswerving, right up until his fortune changed.

Yet, when his ship was destroyed in the ice pack, he lost no time in creating a new plan: getting his entire crew to safety.

As you read the history of this expedition it describes Shackleton as being decisive when he had to be and inclusive when needed to be. More than anything, unlike many adventurers of his day (and ours), it showed his highest priority was the well-being of his people and a willingness to do the right thing no matter what.

Now, none of us will ever be Ernest Shackleton, and my intention is not to tell you to "be like him!" Rather, I want you to understand that when you are clear about who you are, you will have access to something that most do not. You will have access to the invisible, which gives you the most powerful freedom in the world.

What do you think that might be?

Next month: Shackleton and the Second Law of Leadership.

Human TouchPoints occur anytime one of your people interacts with a client. Because Human TouchPoints are the most variable of the three types of TouchPoints, they require the most leadership, thought, design, training, management and execution expertise. They are also the most difficult to keep in alignment with your Overpromise. While it is “relatively easy” to bring Six Sigma quality to a Product TouchPoint or Systems TouchPoint, Human TouchPoints are infinitely variable and therefore require significantly more attention.

Hiring to Your Brand

Hiring people who are already predisposed to align with your brand and your culture is critical. Yet, most companies use the same recruiting and screening strategies as their competitors or for that matter any other company. Southwest Airlines uses a variety of recruiting and screening strategies to identify and attract people who readily and easily engage other people and genuinely love people. Those are exactly the kinds of people who make flying in close quarters with quick turns, every hour or so, possible. In other words, Southwest decided what kinds of traits were most critical for their PARTICULAR BRAND to be successful and then created a recruiting strategy to find them.

Microsoft instead focuses on hiring super smart problem solvers who really enjoy confronting vexing problems and working through them with teammates until they have been solved completely. Microsoft’s initial screen is a series of complex problems whose answers typically run in excess of 100 pages. Only those candidates who really enjoy this kind of challenge get through the initial screen.

Imagine what would happen if Southwest and Microsoft swapped recruiting strategies! It would be a disaster for both companies. Now, imagine what would have happened if neither of these companies were clear about their recruiting strategies and just tried to hire “good people.” It is critical to your branding success that you hire in complete alignment with your Overpromise.

Training

The Container Store delivers over 240 hours per year of training to each associate, each year! Part timers get 140 hours of training each year which is how The Containers Store gets three times the productivity with turnover rates that are 85% lower than the industry average . USAA Insurance spends 2.7% of its annual budget on training (double the industry average), has 211 full time instructors in 75 classrooms. They provide 16 WEEKS of training before an employee ever answers a phone which is why they have a customer retention rate of 98.5%.

Designing Customer Emotions

The most critical of all of the elements of Human TouchPoint management is the design that goes into creating a particular client emotion at a specific TouchPoint. Begin with the end in mind by deciding what specific client emotion you want to create at a TouchPoint and then work backwards to determine what each person who comes into contact with your client must say and do to create that emotion. What should their attitude and mindset be? What tone of voice should they use? What words are critical? What should their Way of Being convey?

Why all the fuss?

Human to human interactions can be the most powerful brand and loyalty creation tools in your arsenal. Deploying them well with the right design can add unique value for clients that no Product or Systems TouchPoint could. They can smile, laugh, cry, empathize, think and create in a way that nothing else in the universe can which is why they can be critical to your success. Taking the time to design and deploy your Human TouchPoints strategically can be the difference between success and failure for many companies.

Block some time on your calendar today to design one single client interaction in a way that will produce a specific emotion for your clients at that TouchPoint. Then keep perfecting your design until you are producing that emotion consistently with every client. Then move on to other TouchPoints until your entire client experience is producing the outcomes you and your clients want most. It will be worth your investment because the right emotions lead to happy clients who are both loyal and willing to refer.

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Rick Barrera is a nationally acclaimed marketing consultant and author, known throughout the Fortune 500 for his extraordinary speaking ability and his unique approach to brand building. His consulting focuses on helping companies design unique client experiences that drive high levels of referrals. Rick's research on the strategies used by breakthrough brands like Apple, American Girl, Starbucks, Chico's, Lexus, Tivo, and Google will change your thinking about marketing forever.

His impressive client list includes Abbott Labs, AutoZone, Bayer, Caterpillar, IBM, Intel, Merrill Lynch and Verizon. His newest book, Overpromise and Overdeliver: How to Design and Deliver Extraordinary Customer Experiences is both a Wall Street Journal and Business Week best seller.

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The Trusted Financial Advisor (tm)
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A monthly publication dedicated to helping transform the financial services industry from salespeople to Trusted Advisors. Bachrach and Associates, Inc.

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