On April 6, we started a multi-week series of Points based on the idea of pushing an imaginary “restart button” to get you (and keep you) focused on your goals. Truth be told, there’s still plenty of time to succeed and better direct your habits and activities in regard to what you want to accomplish.

Over these weeks, we encouraged you to develop and perfect your “elevator pitch” to concisely convey exactly what you do. We discussed the importance of self-assessment. A shaky economy exposes weaknesses and undermines confidence resulting in fewer good outcomes. But it doesn’t have to be that way if you’re on top of your game. We challenged you to become an advisor to your clients—be more than they expect! And we talked about the basic importance of getting out and seeing people. In every economy—especially during a downturn—it takes action to bring about results. For details on these ideas, see previous Points by accessing our archived e-newsletters at www.corsini.com.

Today, our Do What You Do Better series continues as we focus on the importance of utilizing the tools available to you. This goes hand-in-hand with the earlier self-assessment we urged you to do. Once you understand your strengths and weaknesses, you’ll need to do something about them. Let’s talk about the tools—both external and internal tools—that you can use to make changes for the better.

• Become technology savvy. Most companies have some type of client-relationship management system in place, but few people really know how to use this as a viable tool. Sure, they know how to “look-up someone,” but then what? Problem is, many people don’t know how to utilize the other 90 percent of what that CRM can do for them. Now is the time to learn how! Read the online tutorial; get someone to show you. Just learn it. Then take a look around: What other technology tools does your company have that you know you should be using—but you haven’t yet taken the time to learn how to use?
• Clean up your act. Right now is a good time to clean up databases, contact records and other stuff that you might have been neglecting. Maybe you need to create a proposal template. Perhaps your Website needs updating. Are your brochures looking dated? Organize your workspace, your files and yourself. Then figure out how to present yourself and your company in the very best possible way. Make a list, and work your way through it.
• Do What You Do Better. Nobody’s perfect. So include self-improvement in your retooling efforts. Identify and cut out the distractions that keep you from being the best you can be. Multitask by listening to a business-related book on your i-Pod while you exercise or do chores. Improve your professional image. Increase your product knowledge—I’m talking about your own products and those of your competition. Adjust your attitude, if it needs an adjustment. Approach your job with an enthusiastic and optimistic point of view. Maybe it’s time to focus on improving your public speaking and communications skills. Consider joining Toastmasters International. (I’ve started a new club for our clients, and it’s already nearing capacity. Call us at (205) 879-0432 to find out more.) Sign up for a continuing-education class at your local university. Take the course so seriously that you could come back and teach the topic at your company.

Now I offer this week’s Point—and the tips within it—with some caution. Do take time to do what you do better. But don’t take on any of these ideas at the expense of achieving your revenue or profit goals. Work is work. You have to do both. Focus on achieving your work goals and bettering yourself at the same time. Getting better, working smarter and becoming more skilled while maintaining high activity is how you achieve more success these days.

Push your “restart button” to begin focusing on and utilizing all the tools available to you. I’m talking about external tools like up-to-date technical know-how and internal tools like boosting your product knowledge and improving your attitude and your communications skills. In this challenging economy, you need to stand out as the best person for your job. Being the best at what you do sometimes means having the most experience. But most often, it is because you are more technologically savvy, more current and relevant, better able to communicate your ideas, more enthusiastic, and more willing to work at all this and still work hard on the day-to-day fundamentals of your job. The person who presents the total package and who utilizes all of the tools available takes home the prize.