Why Can’t These People Focus?

My Canon 1D Mark III camera has two settings for focus: auto focus and manual focus. With auto focus, the camera automatically uses 45 points in the field of vision to determine where to focus. An option I have is to set up single or multiple points that I choose to have it on which to focus. This is a handy setting when I don’t want the camera to just focus on what’s directly in front of it. Like my camera, we sellers have a field of vision. In my experience, sellers do not have problem with focus. One seller used to focus for hours on her Instagram feed, another would focus for hours on his eBay auctions. The ability to focus was not a problem for those sellers. Determining on what to focus was the problem. Frequently, managers tell me their sellers lack focus. What they are really saying is that their sellers are not focused on the right things. The key to ensuring your sellers are focused on what you want them to be focused on is to make certain they know what those things are. For sellers, the key is to focus on the things that get you closer to your goal and avoid the distractions that don’t. As the business community moves forward from COVID-19 restrictions, your focus will determine your effectiveness. Actually, that’s always true, but it’s true more than ever right now. As salespeople, our single point of focus should be on helping our clients, so they sell more products and services. If we focus on achieving great success for our clients, then knowing which package, promotion or company initiative makes the most sense is easy. Focus on the client and use the right tools. If you focus on the tools, you’ll drive yourself crazy. If your setting is auto focus, you will focus on whatever is in front of you (Squirrel!). Change the setting, and you determine where in the field of vision you need your focus. As we shared earlier this week, sales is a repeatable process. Do you believe in the process? If you do, trust that the process will work and focus on becoming more proficient with each step. One question I frequently ask myself in an effort to stay focused is: Does what I’m doing right now get me closer to my goal? If the answer is yes, keep doing it. If the answer is no, change your focus. You have that control. Use it.