Ezine Arcive

The Award-Winning Monthly Resource for Professionals

###########################################################
OUTCOME FOCUS REPORT
Circulation 29,700
Vol 59 - September 2005
Publisher: Anne Warfield
mailto:ezine@imp.us.com
888-imp-9421 or 952-921-9421
http://www.impressionmanagement.com
© 2005 Impression Management Professionals
###########################################################


By subscription only! 

Go ahead and pass this to friends. If you receive this from a friend and
you want to receive your own copy, just email mailto:ezine@imp.us.com and
put "Add me" in the subject line.

To remove yourself from this list see bottom of this email.


===================================================================

IN THIS ISSUE
===================================================================

1) What's In The News? 
2) Outcome Focus Situation/Solution
3) Anne's Aha
4) Resources To Learn More


===================================================================

1.  What's In The News?
===================================================================

Learn more about IMP's Monthly Presentation Skills Seminar at the IMP
Institute in Minneapolis, MN!

Upcoming Presentation Skills Seminar Dates in Minneapolis, MN:  

October 17-18, 2005
November 14-15, 2005

Upcoming Negotiation Skills Seminar Dates in Minneapolis, MN:

September 28, 2005

Follow this link for more information,

http://www.impressionmanagement.com/coaching.shtml

or, email me at mailto:ezine@imp.us.com


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Create your own imp@atomic.sparklist.com; using List Builder:
http://www.listmedia.com/listbuilder/00623

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


===================================================================

2.  Here's This Months Outcome Focus Situation/Solution  
===================================================================

Use as a training tool: Present the situation below to the group and have
them brainstorm how they would best handle the situation. Then share the
Outcome Focus answer and see how it relates or differs from solutions the
group found.

How To Work Better With Marketing!

Dear Anne,
 
I work with several large accounts. In this capacity I receive a lot of
feedback from the clients that can be used to further improve our
business.
 
Twice a year we come out with a new product catalog. Our marketing
department works months on these catalogs and in general does a good
job with them. Right after the catalogs are out I contact clients to get
their feedback and to see how they can use them to improve their
business.
 
Well, during many of these calls I get feedback on what they didn’t like
about the catalog. I then pass these comments on to our marketing
department. These comments always seem to end up in (I will call her
Julie) Julie’s, the head of the marketing department's, office. Julie is
constantly defensive and never seems to take the feedback positively.
It is not uncommon for her to fire an email back to me that argues with
what the customer said. I am starting to distrust her and am leery of
sending any customer feedback on which I don’t think is the right thing
to do.
 
How should I best handle this, especially with Julie?
 
OUTCOME DESIRED:
 
You want to provide accurate feedback to the company to improve
marketing while at the same time maintain a good relationship with
marketing.
 
OTHER PERSON’S PERSPECTIVE:
 
In this situation, I am going to focus on Julie since you brought her up
as the key person in marketing.
 
Marketing is proud of their new publication. For them it is like giving
birth. They worked hard for several months on it and now get to see
their hard work out in the marketplace.
 
Julie knows how hard her team has worked and even though logically she
knows they will have missed some things, she wants a moment of glory for
them when it first comes out.
 
She sees you finding the negative feedback which she may take as attacks
rather than the positive glows.
 
USING OUTCOME THINKING:
 
The single most important ingredient here is TIMING. Timing is everything
with critical feedback. Give it too close to when a person is emotionally
all wrapped up in what happened and they won’t be able to separate logic
and emotion to value your feedback.
 
Therefore, here I would look completely at your timing. For example, are
you always pointing out the negative feedback within a month of the
new catalog being mailed? If so, you are too close to the point where
emotionally the marketing department is drained and they just want to
enjoy the glowing feedback not the "here is what you did wrong"
feedback.
 
Try this: Right after a catalog drops, ask all of your clients how they
see it improving their business and what things they specifically like
about it. Gather these bits of wisdom and pass them directly on to
the marketing department.
 
If they offer any criticisms, put those in a folder to hold for a few
months (assuming they are not critical problems like incorrect
information). About the time you know marketing will start working
on their new catalog that is when you surface the customer feedback.
It will now be seen as a tool they can use to improve their next catalog
versus being a criticism of their current catalog.
 
You would surface them by saying something like, "Julie, I know you will
be working on the new catalog soon and I realize how hard your team
works to develop a catalog that really meets our clients needs. I received
some feedback from clients that you may or may not want to use when
designing the next catalog. Do you have a quick moment that I can run
through them with you?"
 
By now you are months away from when the last catalog came out so most
likely she will admit to mistakes as well AND more importantly, she will
see you as a partner that believes the best in her team rather than a
criticizer of her team.
 
Remember that any time a person has put a lot of effort in to a project
critical feedback has to be timed so there is a separation of logic and
emotion for the other person otherwise your feedback will never be heard
and responded to positively.

SPECIAL NOTE:

Send Anne your situation to be included in an upcoming E-zine.
mailto:ezine@imp.us.com


===================================================================
3.  Anne's "Aha"
===================================================================

When is the last time you did something for the first time?
Anne Warfield

When is the last time you did something for the first time? The first time
I heard that was from Harry Beckwith when I saw him speak. It got me
thinking and I made a pledge to do a lot more FIRSTS. 
 
Last night was one of those firsts. Brits Pub in Minneapolis, Minnesota
has a garden rooftop that is covered in grass. On Saturdays and Sundays
they have lawn bowling and on Monday nights during the month of August
they show movies on the rooftop. The movie is projected on to a white
block of bricks on the Doubletree Hotel. 
 
You grab a bucket that has napkins, forks, ketchup, and a number on the
side and plunk down on the grass with your blanket. We ordered dinner and
drinks and ate right on the lawn while waiting for the movie to start. 
 
Then at 8:30 PM the magic began. As we stretched out on the blanket with
our 3 kids, we munched popcorn and watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban fill the screen on the wall of the building in front of us. We
could lay down, see the stars and the movie at the same time.
 
Right there on the rooftop in a crowded metropolitan city my kids got to
enjoy a whole new experience. For me, it brought me back to the days
of my childhood with drive-in movies. 
 
Remember those? Mom and Dad would pop a big bag of popcorn and put
some pop in a cooler and we would head in our station wagon to the
drive-in. The big deal was when you were old enough to go up and lay
on the roof of the car. We would peek down and make funny faces at
our parents though the front windshield. I am sure it added much to their
movie experience. 
 
So last night I experienced something for the first time and I loved it!
 
Remember to recharge yourself by trying new things for sometimes a slight
twist in perspective is all you need to re-energize, to see a problem in a
new light, or to become more innovative. So when is the last time you did
something for the first time? 
 


************** Want To Perfect Your Communication Skills? *************

Order Anne's Book Today, Outcome Thinking: Getting Results 
Without The Boxing Gloves! Follow the link below:

http://www.impressionmanagement.com/products.shtml


****************
Quotable Quotes:
****************

“The most important trip you take in life is meeting people half way.”
Henry Boyle

====================================================================

4.  I Want More Resources So I Can Perfect My Skills
====================================================================

Order Your Success Tools Online:
http://www.impressionmanagement.com/products.shtml


====================================================================

FREE ARTICLES AND BACK ISSUES
====================================================================

We have many articles available for your publication, company
newsletter,etc. Articles can be viewed at
http://www.impressionmanagement.com/articles/index.shtml


All you have to do is print the article in its entirety along with the
byline at the top and the credits, and complete contact information at the
end of each article. I would appreciate a tear sheet or electronic copy
too.

Back Issues of the Outcome Focus E-zine can be viewed at
http://www.impressionmanagement.com/ezine/index.shtml


====================================================================

About Anne and IMP
====================================================================

Anne Warfield, CSP*
President
Impression Management Professionals
15768 Venture Lane
Minneapolis, MN 55344
952-921-9421
888-imp-9421
952-921-9420 Fax
Email: mailto:ezine@imp.us.com
Visit us at: http://www.impressionmanagement.com

"A true leader is not one you look up to because they are the best. A true
leader is one that draws the best out in you." Anne Warfield

*CSP- Certified Speaking Professional; a designation held by only 7% of
all speakers nationwide

Member of the National Speakers Association


<<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> 

Copyright © 2005, IMP. Feel free to share information you learn. All we
ask is that you credit us as the source as everything we are putting in
here is copyright protected by our office.

Copyright note: Submission of an e-mail message or artwork affirms that
you are able to and have given Anne Warfield non-exclusive permission to
reprint the content of your message in all forms, electronic or otherwise,
in all languages throughout the world.

Privacy Statement: We will not distribute your address to anyone. Period.

If you received this from a friend and you want to receive your own copy,
just email mailto:ezine@impressionmanagement.com and put "Add me" in the
subject line.

To remove yourself from this mailing list, simply follow the instructions
at the end of this email.

or,

Forward a copy of this message to mailto:ezine@imp.us.com with the word
"Remove" in the subject line.

<<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>>