Page 84 - Perfect Phrases for Motivating and Rewarding

begin my call by saying, ‘I only have a few minutes, but I
wanted to return your call quickly.’”
■ “Telephone tag is very time-consuming. The more specific your
message, the better chance you have of getting a callback
when you’re available or of getting a detailed message that
ends the game.”
■ “I know you have project A as a priority, but Ali has
encountered some setbacks with project B and needs extra
help. Where are you with project A? Can you afford to take a
few hours out to help Ali? We need to meet that deadline too.”
■ “I know you handle customer complaints with great
diplomacy. Eva has a similar style. You could free up some
valuable time by training her to share that role.”
■ “This proposal just came in and is due in a few days. What can
we clear from your schedule so you can run with this?”
■ “I need this data by Friday morning. Can you get this to me
and still meet your other deadlines? If not, we need to find
additional help or make some calls.”
■ “Establishing a time line early on with everyone involved will
save time later.”

Organization

The Motivational Mindset

■ Despite the occasional employee who can reach into a
seemingly disorganized landslide of papers and pull out the
appropriate item, most people function better when they’re
organized.
■ A well-organized business, filing system (hard copy and
computer), and work space save time, money, and anguish.

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