Randy Dean's Timely Tips

You may have read Timely Tips on Randy Dean's web site, but now you can interact with it here on Blogspot.com. Please feel free to add comments and tips of your own, and thank you for your continued interest.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Randy Dean Enters Agreement with Sortis Publishing for Print Rights to Taming the E-mail Beast

It is with great pleasure and excitement I am writing you today to announce the formal agreement between myself and Sortis Publishing of Glendale, Arizona, regarding the U.S. and Canadian print rights to Taming the E-mail Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Better Managing Your E-mail Overload (and Regaining Your E-mail Sanity).

I knew from the instant that I started down this "e-mail sanity" path more than 3 1/2 years ago that I had really tapped into something that was both desperately needed and of great value. My "Taming E-mail" programs -- both conference speaking sessions and longer-form corporate/organizational training programs have been a big hit since introducing them to my corporate, university, and conference clients several years ago, and have become one of my top-2 most requested programs (more on this in a moment).

When I announced a couple of years ago that I was going to take this program and turn it into a book, I immediately received a very strong and supportive response from program attendees, clients, and members of the publishing industry. After speaking with several agents and publishers since the completion of the manuscript, Sortis Publishing quickly rose to the top of the list. Following on the success of their first book in their Front Line Business Book Series, Tactical Entrepreneur by Brian Hazelgren, Mike Webb, publisher at Sortis, sought me out to find his next successful publishing venture, and we will be working together over the next couple of years to bring my Taming E-mail systems and strategies to the masses. Sortis has a distribution agreement with Baker & Taylor, the world's largest book distributor, which should allow the new Taming E-mail business paperback to be available in virtually every bookstore in the U.S. and Canada upon publication, as well as the major online retailers like Amazon.com.

We will be working together on an aggressive publicity and promotion campaign to make Taming the E-mail Beast a big success, and more details (including some special pre-publication offers) will be coming very soon. Thus, you might see me in your town, on the web, in your newspaper, or on your radio station in coming months. Look for more news on this exciting paperback launch soon, including a special offer on my Taming E-mail audio program that I'll be sharing in this month's Timely Tips (coming out next week).

Major Success at This Summer's Conferences Too!
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As I mentioned above, I also wanted to take advantage of this communication to share with you the recent results from two of my recent very successful Taming E-mail conference sessions:

1. I recently was a featured speaker on Taming the E-mail Beast at the HSMAI Affordable Meetings West conference in Long Beach, California. My 75-minute session at the conference was one of the more successful sessions, and featured an audience of experienced meeting/conference planners (people that are very used to researching and booking speakers and trainers!) As you can see from the program session results, this program was a very strong success with this audience -- so much so, I have been asked back to their National Affordable Meetings Conference in Washington, DC, next month, to speak on the same topic.

2. I was also a featured speaker at the National Institute of Management Accountants conference in Tampa in June. This conference, for high-level accounting and finance professionals for many of the most highly-regarded organizations, universities, and institutions in the U.S. and abroad, allowed for a big audience to learn how to better tame their e-mail. As you can see from the session results, this session also went extremely well, save for one person who I think would do better reading my book! ;-) I have also been asked to submit proposals again for their Annual Conference next year, and will also be speaking to several individual IMA chapters this year due to the performance of this session.

It is definitely nice seeing that this program is not only topical, relevant, and highly useful, but that it is also entertaining and engaging. I've worked many hours on both the book and the related speaking, training, and teleseminar sessions, and I have to give a big thanks to all of you that have supported me in these efforts. I really could not have envisioned all of this when starting my little one-man training company 4+ years ago.

Obviously, much more information will be coming soon regarding the paperback development and release, and my other speaking and training programs (if you can believe it, my Finding an Extra Hour time management programs actually rate equal to or better than my Taming E-mail sessions). Watch for more information on these and my other programs, teleseminars, and events soon.

In Closing ...
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Thanks again for all of your support over the last 4.5 years. Without all of you, none of this would have been possible. You've made my professional life both inspiring and fun, and I very much look forward to creating more value for you moving forward with related and new speaking and training programs and information products.

Watch for another Timely Tips very soon (with yet another great e-mail tip!), and have a great remainder of summer. Hoping to see all of you on the road somewhere soon,

Randy Dean

Timely Tips August 2008: A Great Tip for Using E-mail to Make Phone Calls More Productive and Effective

Using E-mail to Make Your Phone Calls Go Better? A Great "No-Brainer" Tip from a Timely Tips Reader and Teleseminar Participant

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Thanks to Duane Johnson of Comstock Johnson Architects out in California for this great tip. Duane shared this little gem while participating in my last Taming E-mail teleseminar program (we hope to announce another new teleseminar program soon!)

Here's the tip: whenever you have a planned phone call -- be that with a client, customer, co-worker, etc. -- consider sending a short e-mail prior to the call with 2-4 talking points for the call. In essence, Duane is recommending creating and sending a brief "meeting agenda" in advance of planned phone discussions -- I absolutely LOVE this tip!

It certainly seems to me that staff and team meetings are not the only places where people tend to get off agenda, talk too long, and not accomplish the goals of the meeting -- poorly planned and/or executed phone calls can cause the same loss in productivity, focus, and action too! By sending a little note to your other caller(s) in advance of the call with just a few talking points -- and then having that note printed or on your computer screen while engaging in the call -- you greatly increase the likelihood that your planned phone conversations will be more concise, more productive, and more valuable for all parties involved.

I would recommend also pointing out any additional information that would be handy to have for the call in advance of the call (documents, spreadsheets, data, contact information, etc.). That way, when the call takes place, you don't have to be put "on hold" while one of the parties finds that little piece of important information on their desk, computer, credenza or file cabinet.

Once again, a little proactive planning and a quick little e-mail can save you and your "peeps" some valuable time and enhance productivity. Thanks Duane for a great suggestion -- this is one I'll certainly be using moving forward.



Speaking of Phone Calls, Here's a Sneaky Little Service To Consider
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In many of my programs, I mention that the very best time to make phone calls is when you can catch the other person's voicemail, because those real conversations can often slow you down. Well, it looks like a company has finally taken this tip and monetized it -- there is a new company called SlyDial (http://www.slydial.com) that offers you the opportunity to call directly to any mobile line's voice mail box rather than ringing the person's live mobile line. Thus, you can directly leave a message rather than risk catching them live. The web site mentions several situations where this little service could be handy -- and they even have a "free" option for their service (where you have to listen to a little advertisement prior to leaving a message for your other caller).

I actually haven't used this yet, so if any of you do, please send me a note back and let me know how the service worked for you. Don't you just love the things people think up these days? (By the way -- don't all of you start "slydialing" me!)

Having Trouble Getting To Sleep at Night?
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If you have attended any of my live speaking and/or training programs, you probably already know that I'm a big-time "night person". Most every night I stay up too late, and most every morning, that dratted alarm clock (or, in my case, 20-month old little girl!) goes off too early! (How did I end up in a house filled with "morning" women?)

Seriously, having trouble getting to sleep at night is probably one of the biggest productivity killers that can afflict a person. If you, like me, have this problem, you often waste lots of time snacking, watching worthless TV, surfing the web, reading "dribble", and doing other low value activities while you are simply waiting to get tired so you can get to sleep. Then, the next morning, you are slow to get your productivity up, since you are fatigued by not getting enough sleep. And it often becomes a continuous negative loop. I believe the formal condition is called "chronic nighttime insomnia", and it can seriously impact your productivity, your mood, your relationships, your health, and your overall happiness if not properly addressed.

A new friend of mine, Mike Brescia, founder of Think Right Now!, has actually just released a new audio program called Think Right Now! Tranquil Sleep Now! Ever since my days at the Fetzer Institute more than 15 years ago, I've been fascinated in the power of the mind both in the creation and cure of chronic conditions. This audio program actually uses leading-edge psychology and technology to help address "chronic nighttime insomnia", and does it with no drugs, pills, or powders. Simply pop turn off the lights and TV, pop in the CD, and listen to the guided relaxation exercises accompanied by soothing music. For me, I've actually been able to fall asleep in about 5 minutes (it can sometimes take me an hour!), and I'm getting to sleep more than an hour earlier than my typical bedtime. (And I'd be doing even better if those darn Olympics weren't on every night!)

Learn more about the audio program here (which includes some great free bonuses), and let me know how it works for you if you try it out. I'll also let you know about more of these Think Right Now! programs as I get a chance to personally sample them. Happy Snoring!

Until Next Time ...
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I hope you've got some great plans to take advantage of these last few days of summer and the upcoming Labor Day holiday! Next month, look for me in Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Chicago, Dearborn MI, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Columbus OH. Let me know if you'll be in any of those locations, and perhaps we can catch up. And watch for more news on the new book deal, the Taming E-mail audio program, and everything else going on, in next month's Timely Tips.

Until next time,

Stay Timely!

Timely Tips July 2008: Saving Your Summer Fun (and Electronics!)

This Little Common Sense "Summer" Tip Might Save You Plenty of Time, Aggravation, and Money

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OK, this tip comes from personal and practical experience, and it is so simple, you just have to start doing this -- start carrying a couple new Ziploc plastic baggies in your primary luggage, as well as your beach, picnic, or camping bags.

Here's my personal story -- I've lost two cell phones now, including a Blackberry device, due to not having these simple little plastic baggies with me. Cell phones and PDAs apparently don't like being fully submerged, or even getting wet, and they also don't like sand very much. (Who would've figured??) After going to the beach this weekend, I realized it would have been very smart to have a couple Ziplocs with me, to store my phone/PDA, wallet, and watch, as well as my new GPS unit. Soon as you get there, put your electronics and valuables in the bags, make sure the seal is sound, and then go have your fun! Then, you can worry less about rogue waves, splashing kids, that pesky and invasive sand, and even unexpected spills of your Diet Coke, milk, or juice (perhaps all parents of small children should just keep Ziplocs with them everywhere they go!)

By the way, if you use lots of plastic baggies, like we do, you might want to look into a most helpful and cost-saving device -- the Bag-E-Wash (
http://www.bag-e-wash.com/). We've been using a couple of these for a couple years now, and we only buy new Ziplocs a couple times a year, reusing the vast majority of these instead -- save money, save the planet -- a pretty good deal!


A REMINDER -- TELESEMINAR RECORDING: 90-Minute Taming E-mail Teleseminar with special host Tony Rubleski
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I wanted to remind you of the 90-minute, 2 CD audio set (+1 CD-ROM with e-book) put together with Tony Rubleski and myself a couple months ago. We've sold several copies now, and it is getting great reviews -- very useful, nicely packaged. And they are available on my site right now -- http://www.randalldean.com/offers.html -- and don't forget the extra bonuses available to all Taming E-mail purchasers.

In this 90-minute session (plus Q&A at the end), we covered most of the better strategies from my new e-book on Taming the E-mail Beast (learn more on the e-book at http://www.emailsanityexpert.com). The recording has been packaged on a 2-CD set, and includes a set of coordinated handouts with this recording. I am also offering several valuable bonuses for all program purchasers, including a copy of my 20-chapter Taming the E-mail Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Managing Your E-mail Overload (and Regaining Your E-mail Sanity) e-book, as well as access to a slew of additional free bonuses, including a set of coordinated Taming E-mail video tutorials, several free e-books and special reports (including a free e-book copy of Tony's first Mind Capture book), access to an online program audio replay (as well as several other podcasts), and more, all for a very affordable purchase price of $39. (We're using this as a rollout price, and expect to raise prices on this package soon.)

So, if you've been waiting for a great time to tame that e-mail beast, that time is now. Here is the link to make your order: http://www.randalldean.com/offers.html.

Also note that you can order just the e-book, with access to many of the same special bonuses, on this same page.

SPECIAL NOTE: Keep an eye out for a big announcement coming soon regarding the Taming the E-mail Beast paperback. More info soon ...

Until Next Time ...
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Enjoy these "dog days" of summer! And get out to the beach, picnic, etc., with your new copy of MindCapture, and worry not about your valuables and electronics since they will be bagged in your re-used plastic bags!

Until next time,

Stay Timely!