Loss of Focus – How To Get It Back

If you're on the web trying to make money but haven't yet experienced the promise of riches, you could be experiencing a loss of focus. It's been one of my biggest shortcomings, but it doesn't have to be. 

Here's how we get off track and some advice for getting you back on…

The 80/20 Rule

Remember the 80/20 rule? 20% of something is responsible for 80% of the results. This can also apply to your daily business, 20% of your workload takes up 80% of your time. That's a lot of time dedicated to only 20% of what you need to get done isn’t it.

In order to make the most of that 20% of time it helps to look at daily distractions.  Take for example, email. if you have customers it may be important to check your email every few hours, but if your in-box is full of sales offers and marketing hype it will be worth taking a few moments to get off the lists that rob you of productive time. 

Case in point, Twitter and Facebook are great connection tools but finding strategies for how to best use them will not only help you waste less time, it will make them better tools.

Start by making a plan of what your 20% is that makes a difference to your business success and stick to only those tasks.  If things come up that distract you, have someone else do them or let them go, just make sure they are not part of your 20%.

We all hear work smarter not harder and that's certainly a great standard to live by but we also have to work smarter on the right things.  We only have so much time, use it wisely.

Don't be Discouraged

Don't let discouragement rob you of success. So many business owners get discouraged because they're not making enough money fast enough. They want instant results and instant cash and when they don't see it, they move on to something new or start buying new programs that comes along because they claim to give you new insight into overnight wealth.

This is where you lose focus.  Jumping around from one thing to the next is a sure way to fail.

Stick with what you are already doing and make the conscious decision to make it successful.  I’ll admit, this can be hard when you're in the face of discouragement, I’ve been there but instead of giving into discouragement and failure, rise above it.  No one, I mean no one, has been successful without first experiencing disappointment and mistakes.  If you’re going to have the entrepreneurial spirit you have to overcome that.

Who or What is Most Important

If your primary focus is about making money, you're on the wrong path.

Huh? Isn't that what we're in business for?  Of course, we all want to make money and have financial freedom, but talk to any highly successful internet entrepreneur and they will tell you  their daily tasks are not with a conscious intention of making money. Their overall intention is to be profitable but their immediate focus is more on how they can serve and support their customers or potential customers first. 

It's like the old adage, "The more you give, the more you get".  The obstacle for most business owners is they don't see the potential of investing in their customers needs; their primary focus is on their own needs.   

I'm not saying give away the store or misuse your time, but give your customers a little of yourself when you can.  Respond to questions in a timely manner or have someone do it for you.  Be respectful and sincere. Make special offers now and then, give away a little knowledge that folks will appreciate.  

Perception is everything and you want your customers to perceive you as someone they want to do business with.   
 
Your Finger's in too many Pies

The internet is a promoting paradise, this is especially true for the affiliate marketer, but for many affiliates, loss of focus is all too common.

There are thousands of Internet marketers and affiliate managers that have tons of products and services with great commission deals that they want you to promote, and for the hungry affiliate anxious to make some fast money, it's hard to resist their offers.

Affiliate marketing is a great business model but it's easy to become distracted with promotion suggestions that lure you with high commissions.  Before you know it you're an affiliate for 50 different products that put you on no specific path. Your site becomes a bill board — and your visitors can tell.  

Examine your list of products that you promote,  look for the ones that you use and like the most, forgetting about the commission rate, and concentrate on just those products or services.  Work more closely with the affiliate mangers on how to best promote them.  Draw in more traffic by optimizing your product pages.  Spreading yourself too thin over a wide range of products is a sure way to lose focus and limits your potential.

Are you focused in your business each day?  What helps you stay on track and avoid the distractions? 

Tagged as: internet business