Focus, They Tell You….
But On What Is Usually The Bigger Question!
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post – when I opened my inbox to my subscribers biggest questions there were a lot of common trends!
Today I want to share with you some insights into a common problem for almost every business owner!
I bought a course not too long ago that I’ve been trying to get through and apply it. Yet keeping up with it, with the other course I bought last week and didn’t finish yet, and then the hours a day Facebook and Twitter take, and then I need to write a post or three… and somewhere along the line I need to make an optin offer… and I still don’t understand this autoresponder thing really even though I have people signed up. I’m getting to be okay with a bunch of things now but I’ve still not mastered anything. My heads spinning and there are a dozen… no, wait, let’s be honest… a dozen dozen… things on my to-do list that are all marked “priority”. I don’t even know where to start but I know I work hard and yet at the end of the day I go to bed exhausted and can’t tell you one thing I really accomplished.
Sound like somewhere you’ve been?
I know I have!
And let me just say: Overwhelm SUCKS!
I’d like to share with you what I shared with them:
My Reply:
“I’m getting to be okay with a bunch of things now but I’ve still not mastered anything…”
It’s important to understand that the reason we get frazzled and flustered and overwhelmed in the insanity is not because we don’t know enough.
It’s also not because someone else has bought some magic course we haven’t.
It’s not an information problem.
It’s a filtering problem.
Once you understand which pieces are important RIGHT NOW and which to filter out into the periphery like background noise then things will not be so insane!
The problem is when we try to take it all on at once and feel as though every task has a “highest priority” label on it!
Fortunately – it doesn’t!
Okay, don’t throw the keyboard at me yet! Let me explain!
The key to success out here is laser focus.
A flashlight says “I’m going to master blogging, ftp, video marketing, copy-writing, graphic design, social media, SEO and PPC today!”
A laser says “For the next 30 days I’m going to give the content on my blog my highest attention” (Just a hint: that means all that article or social marketing jazz has to wait its turn)
- OR -
“For the next 30 days I’m going to work strictly on video marketing on Youtube” (Just a hint: that means the other video platforms are saved for a different month.)
- OR -
“For the next 7 days I’m going to bust my tail until this sales page is finished”. (Just a hint: that means that launch webinar everyone’s talking about, you won’t be watching because it interferes)
- OR -
“I’m going to put all my focus on SEO” (Just a hint: that means ignoring social media and paid advertising until you’re very good.)
Who has made a name for themselves in this industry in the last year?
Those that have picked ONE aspect of the entire pie and became an expert at it.
You have to pick one. I know it’s frustrating because we know the other parts can help build our business too.
Yet it’s like too many cooks messing with the soup.
Laser focus.
Hey! Watch where you aim that keyboard! Hang on a minute…
Just like in the offline world – Jack/Jill of All Trades makes a lot less than they probably should.
Buy only what you need for this particular phase and have an agreement with yourself to implement it immediately.
Whatever you do – don’t go buying a course you won’t need for at least three months. I made that mistake (more than once) Bad idea.
It hurts your business at countless levels. Financial, Time, Energy, Distractions, and eventually outdated content.
Head down in our work, blinds on, focused till the rest of the world falls away until a task is done.
That’s how we win the game.
The REAL problem is … we often don’t know how to assign priority to that task list.
No shit Sherlock right? LOL!
Go get a piece of paper you can do a quick sketch on…
Draw a funnel shape on the paper (that’s your “marketing funnel”) … and the closer it is to the bottom of the funnel the more priority it gets. (Assuming you ARE here to make money)
The very bottom of the funnel represents a purchase being made and income going into our pockets. You can draw a $ sign there.
At the upper/outer lip is your traffic sources (SEO, SMM, PPC, etc). The middle of that funnel is extended engagement with them that builds their trust to get them onto a page that has a way to offer them to subscribe.
Where the funnel gets real narrow and maybe in your drawing starts to have a neck, that is when a person subscribes to a list that has an incentive that is related to what we want to sell.
(Yeah that means if you bait people with a How to Lose 10 lbs Tomorrow ebook, but want to sell them a How to Get Your Ex Back training course… it doesn’t count, they aren’t there for that.)
The time in the “neck” of this funnel is the time a person spends on your list, getting to know you, warming up to you, getting used to you being part of their day.
So lets break this down in terms of our To-Do List:
Product Creation has priority to Sales Letters has priority to Auto Responders has priority to Optin Offers has priority to Blogging/HTML has priority to SM/SEO/PPC.
Did you notice how much stuff comes BEFORE traffic generating techniques like the time sink known as Facebook?
Traffic is not only useless – it costs you that person ($) – if you bring them into the funnel are not ready to capture a optin and generate a subscriber and eventually create a sale.
(For a Network Marketer, rather than a sale you’re going for enough rapport you can get a phone number and establish a dialog. If you’ve built enough trust then after a call or two or even sometimes three you can present your opportunity. This trust level may happen before a subscription in a few cases in social media so don’t let it disrupt your logic of how the funnel works.)
Now – Take that To-Do list – and find the item on it that is nearest the $ sign and put a “#1″ next to it. Now the next one #2. Stop.
Don’t worry about the rest of the list, it’s not even worth your time to number them. All you care about at this moment is knocking out #1.
Accomplish the thing that is closest to the money… and you have done great work today!
Focus on what you need right now to knock one thing off that to-do list… just one… and let me know how I can help.
Kimberly
PS: Now GO DRAW YOUR FUNNEL – and then come back and reply! I’m serious! Don’t just read this post, use it right now to get clarity on your next action or it becomes just one more thing on your to-do list!
PSS: Having trouble allowing yourself to just work on one thing at a time? Then this video and this blog post may help.
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Related posts by Kim:
- Suffering from Marketing Skill "Information Overload"? Mike Dillard Makes It Easy to Learn Whats Working Now!
- What You Can Learn From Getting Stumbled on StumbleUpon
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{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
Great interesting article, thanks for sharing, I really like your post. It’s truly hard to start when there are many things to learn, do, apply and study which is truly mind-boggling. And I agree with you we truly need to set our priorities when those things happens.
Thanks Daphne, yes priorities make all the difference! Thanks for stopping in to comment I look forward to seeing you back soon.
Kimberly
Priorities is must to be set when those things happen. Actually it’s hard to think about this situation but through setting goals in life and having priorities those things become more manageable for me. Thanks for this post. Keep blogging!
Thanks Jane! Yes, just like in life you have to set priorities and outline your goals. It really is no different than the rest of life but its easy to get confused about where the revenue enters your pocket from!
Kimberly
Hi Kim
Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! On all charges. Man it’s a brain frazzler when you begin this journey. It becomes a vicious circle and at times I still chase my tail but I’m getting the priorities straight.
Product is number one after you get past the frazzle I agree. Without it you remain chasing your tail. Focus on your own goals once you set the priorities.
I started way too many things at once. Now I have some automation happening my Twitter followers are growing and just building up for the time I can get in there and Tweet my little butt off for a while.
It’s all good when we have people such as Kim to bring us back to reality with a post or two.
Thanks Kim
Dennis
Dennis O’Brien invites you to read…Add Some Style To Your Posts
Generally pre-automating traffic when you’re not around is a bad thing, however if CAN be a good setup on twitter as long as you are hyper diligent to not let the stream of your content appear either totally empty (which flat out tells that you’re a fraud) or full of promotional content (which in expected fashion just fails for being spammy). Pre-automation is tricky business but it is managable on Twitter with some precautions!
Kimberly
Kimberly,
I really appreciate your list prioritization. This makes so much sense when I see it this way. Thanks for the gentle “push” to move it up and out!
Val
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Thanks Val! I think its so easy to get confused about where the money comes in at and how it flows. We talk about “Making money with Facebook” and that sounds like it comes from Facebook directly doesn’t it? I’ve found that if we break it down, draw it out, suddenly the ah-ha! moments start happening and we know where our time is most valuably applied! Thanks hun!
Kimberly
And I’m drawing my funnel ~ and putting my head down till #1 is DONE!
(Except for a few tea breaks and 5 minutes on FB …lol)
Brilliant post, gf. Felt like you wrote it just for me!
Jacqueline Gates invites you to read…How to Complain Effectively ie like a goddess would… if she had to… which she does
When I start getting sidetracked I draw a small version of this on a post-it note and tape it to the upper corner of my monitor. It goes well with the acronym that’s usually stuck there too that says K.I.S.S. which I acquired in my days of studying coding but has been a great reminder when it comes to writing posts! Love ya girl!
Kimberly
Great post Kimberly! I love the way you gave examples of what has priority over what. I’m going to draw my funnel now and then get back to finishing my ebook update…which I suspect will turn out to be #1 priority.
Kimberly Yow invites you to read…Are Your Brand Colors Sending The Right Message
Thanks Kimberly! I hope your funnel drawing went well and it helped you gain some clarity on where to focus. Was glad you stopped in for WordPressWednesday as well! Best wishes with your new ebook update!
Kimberly that is a truly excellent way to get clarity on priorities. I used to be good at managing tasks most of my life – it seems until I came online. Then all my years of knowing how to prioritize vanished. Maybe it is because I knew so little I was not sure what I should focus on (still sometimes feel like that). I even started to have multiple “to do” lists tucked away – now that works – Not!
Recently I had to stand back and ask myself why I came online. What was my objective.
Thanks for a great concept and I have drawn a funnel.
Sue
Sue Price invites you to read…Network Marketing Today
Hey Sue! It is so so very easy to lose our focus out here because all of the hype sends us off chasing our tails and we forget where we were going in the first place! I have mine on a little post-it-note (rather similar to my log0) and taped to the corner of my monitor because if I don’t keep an eye on it I’ll get distracted! I’m glad you found it helpful!
Kimberly
I’m just like you, Sue, I am an organized person! I raised 8 children in an orderly home! I know I’m bragging but you need to know I am! I was! Now online I’m the furthest thing from organized!
With Kim’s help, we’ll get it! We’ll master network marketing just as we mastered our previous lives!
Linda
Linda G. Cox invites you to read…When Generations Collide
Hello there, Kim! Just came across your blog and really thank you for such wonderful insights. I’m actually disturbed of so many things nowadays because of so many things that are put on my shoulders and I hardly know what to do first. Yes, I agree that setting priorities will help someone carried out each task given. More power to you!
Setting up a goal and identifying priorities makes things flow easily. Making a list of priorities is a good way to avoid skipping things that aren’t finished yet. It works great on me. By focusing your self on every task that you are doing always gives great results. Great blog Kim.. Cheers!
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Hi Kim.. Thanks for a very interesting post! It is really hard to start achieving our goals when there are a lot of things we need to learn, do, apply and study. In order to achieve our goal it is important that we know our priorities and the things that worth a lot for us.. Thanks again..
Kimberly,
This post is EXACTLY what I need! I have been throwing the the word Lazer focus out there for some time now, but until now I didn’t know where to direct my lazer!! It will be fun to watch how quickly I can!
Thank you!!!
Linda
Linda G. Cox invites you to read…When Generations Collide
I am one of those guilty ones too. Even though I know better.
I think what I run into is something I don’t quite understand or something that is buggy and I have to go search down and solve the problem. So while I am waiting for answers I go on to something else.
One thing I see a lot is the fact that somethings we start do not have immediate results we can see, so it is easy to think something else might work better. But most good tools and most actions are for long term benefit. Dedication will prove them out.
Thanks for the guide and reminder.
This post is so on target for me!!! There are so many distractions and also avoidance of doing the things I find hard. I love the idea of the funnel. Now to go do it! Thanks Kim for such a helpful post.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia invites you to read…Lavender Recipes-Flower Power in the Kitchen
Ya’ hit the nail on the head. There is so much to look at and consider. In addition there is a kind of long feedback cycle that can prevent you from seeing what the true results will be from your efforts.
Thanks for a great article, I’ glad it’s not just me.
This is a great post. Actually, in order to achieve our goals that we have set forth in life, we need to be very particular of the things we are doing. We should know how and why are we suppose to do a particular thing. We really need to set our limitations, set our boundaries and be able to obtain our objectives on the right time. We should also learn to wait for the perfect time for everything. Lastly, we should learn to determine what are the consequences of our actions before we do it and of course always do remember that life is a risks thus, we really need to be very careful.
Setting your priorities are really important even though, sometimes, there things which are inevitable like problems but if we have set our minds with what are we goin’ to do, I’m sure everything will flow smoothly. What is essential is, you have to determine your priorities and focus with it. Anyway, thanks for sharing this interesting post. Keep posting.
Hi Kim!I don’t know how i get here but i’m glad i’ve read your post!I learned a lot!Setting priorities and goals in life is easier said than done!When things go wrong as they sometimes will, you really don’t know where to start and how to start it even with your own to do list. Highest priority tasks and deadlines works for me!Keep blogging!
Making a to do list really works for me. It keeps me organized. There are times when the unexpected happen and it was hard for me to get up from when I have ended at that moment. Thanks for the post. It was very informative.
Hi Kim – Stopped by because of an email I got from your blog as the result of a comment on your blog about a topic we’re all blogging about – this sounds like the conversation being passed from person to person at a cocktail party
Also – thank you for your “foreign country visit” advice – I have been concentrating on my blog and Word Press for 3 days and voila – my blog looks much neater and I’m feeling more savvy – but I’m still not ready to attend word camp(closest I can come to that foreign country visit)
– thanks for all you do Kim !
Thanks for pointing out the clarity of setting priorities. Sometimes, there are inevitable things which we didn’t expect to happen and there is a possibility of losing focus and to result of this is unorganized ideas and plans. It is really essential to have focus on what you do-setting priorities really do help. Even though there are distractions, you can still do what you have and need to do because you have set your goals in your mind. And also, you have to set your heart on the things you do, I guess.
Hi Kim – am continuing with the “internet marketing as a second language” theme – I have prioritized all the items in my “overwhelm” list by – where the $ will come from FIRST – answer – blog opt-ins; so my blog is my First Things Frist daily plce to start – 3 pieces to this – new content, site improvements, syndication
This plan has kept me focused, happier and less stressed – thanks again for your analogy
PS: Plz touch base on the Fan Page stuff
Guilty. Like those who said it too. And, I think it’s now my time to make that funnel as well (and crossing both of my fingers too). I really like all the things that you have said. It really speaks of all the people who want to do all their priorities and goals at once. On my part, it’s really hard to actually give up one of those pieces in the pie because of fear that I may have chosen the wrong one, and regret later. But hey, thanks for that “mind refresher”, I think I can somehow learn where to start my journey.
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Hi Kim. You really hit me at the head. As a new graduate I tried so hard to make a name of my own, to prove to myself that i am what others want me to be and one thing i forget is what i want for myself. Thanks for you guidance. Life is about making mistakes and learning from them, it’s not important how many times you fall what important is after that fall you will become a better and stronger person.
Your funnel shape on paper example is truly helpful…really good for priority decisions. In life setting priorities is important in order that all our goals can be achieved at a possible time. We’re not superheroes that could do all things together. Thanks for the funnel it’s just simple but it’s truly effective to use…but of course it’s hard to think what to do first.
Hey Jennifer, glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of those super basic things that sometimes seems a little “too easy” doesn’t it? It makes sense though! Oh how we wish we WERE superheros, we sure try to be! Off to attack the biggest elephant with one bite! hehe If you get stuck with it and stuck with where things belong in the funnel structure just come ask questions and I’ll gladly help you map it out
Thanks for stopping by!
Kimberly
Hi Kim, all you had to say way focus and I was listening. This was such a powerful article that I actually read through it about 3 times and shared it with my twitter and facebook friends. I’ll keep my ears open and be ready to learn. Thank you for the value.
The best way to make things done accordingly is really setting up priorities.I really do agree with that. It’s like we have a sense of direction and purpose and thus we cannot be procrastinated.Thanks for the blogs, I could really set this as one of my resulotion this coming year!
Organizing our priorities is a great help in decision making. It serves as our guide to have a clearer path in life. Our priorities allow us to think thoroughly what must be done first and what must be done last. I admire this blog for reminding its reader of proper organization of man’s daily journey.
Hi Kim,
I really enjoyed reading this post – you have some really good insights into how to get out of being overwhelmed by too much information and business building tools – someplace I’ve been stuck in for the last few months! lol! Perfect timing
Christine
Christine Casey invites you to read…How can Network Connections help get you Back on Track
Setting up priorities in everyday puts us into a sense of direction. Probably these are the secrets of those successful people.I’m happy you pointed it out, a sort of reminder and hint to others! Godbless!
This one’s a must read article. Yes, it is very hard to start working with things if there are lots to accomplish. I agree with everyone that we need to set priorities and work with them first and follow accordingly. This could lessen the burden of cramming and you can finish all your tasks smoothly.
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Hi Kim,
you have made some great suggestions here.
I love your reply of ‘being ok with not having mastered it’.
That is something I have come to accept, while I am doing my best applying the things I know and looking after my own energy level in the meantime.
Thank you for the post.
Love and Joy
from
Yorinda
P.S. I got the commentluv sorted, just needed to take out the www.
Yorinda invites you to read…Believe and achieve abundance
Hello Kimberly,
Staying focused . . .How simple and powerful. Success to me has a very simple equation: KNOWLEDGE + ACTION + a POSITIVE ATTITUDE = SUCCESS. We all have a choice. Do we want to just get by and make enough to pay our bills or do we want to design our lives? This can be answered the day we figure out what has us turned on and what has us turned off.
Focus is the absolute direction of the journey towards that target of designing our lives. We must make each day’s activity to dream, then turn those dreams into goals and then apply the necessary disciplines to acquire those goals. More important though is the reasons for accomplishing those goals. If you don’t have enough strong reasons, we probably won’t stay focused to accomplish them.
Go out and make today your best day ever!
Lloyd Dobson
Lloyd Dobson Coach & Online Marketing Trainer invites you to read…Can You Increase Your YouTube Video and Channel Viewers Fast How To Increase Your YouTube Video Views In 5 Steps
Hi Kim, another great post that hits so many nails on the head for me. Can definitely testify to the ‘don’t go out and buy another course until you really need it syndrome’ – huge time drain plus the guilt factor of ‘I’ve paid for it, I better use it’!
Also love your clear analogy of the further down the sales ‘funnel’ the task is, the higher the priority rating it should get.
My personal take is that if you are drowning in overwhelm and feeling like you need more and more ‘learning’ or you need to do more and more stuff every day, very often it is because deep down you have not yet gotten 100% clear on your strategy. So you keep flitting from idea to idea. When your strategy is 100% clear, it is much easier to weed out and prioritise your tasks.
What are your thoughts?
Mandy Swift invites you to read…TWITTER- HOW DO YOU COPE WITH ALL THE NOISE
Mandy I agree that its about not being clear about strategy. All overwhelm is is a lack of understanding how to prioritize too much stuff. If they were able to prioritize it into their strategy they wouldn’t be in that situation. However, for a novice, the world of marketing is so very massive that very few know WHAT a strategy should look like and keep trying to bite off more than they can chew because guru A says do this and guru B says do that and there is no one to tell them they can NOT do everything at once! The trick becomes in finding analogies that help them realize where stuff fits in their strategy (and that some stuff isn’t going to fit). A lot of novice marketers don’t really have a strategy. In fact, while I have approaches and methods to my madness, even I do not run with a hard structure. I just happen to be better than the average bear at wading through too much information to find something I can use. Not everyone has prior background that makes that easy! What is your advice to those that are in overwhelm and don’t really know how to put everything into play, on how to set up a strategy?
Kimberly
Hi Kim,
Here’s my philosophy and my approach (bourne of spinning my wheels for so long and getting it ‘wrong’ so many times in order to learn how to get it ‘right’!)
It all starts with the spade work. First you have to build your foundations, then you can build the house.
Trouble with foundations is they are boring. No-one but you can see what you have done and so everyone (including me) wants to rush and start with the ‘sexy stuff’ – adding the furniture and fittings before you have dug deep enough with the spade.
What are the ‘foundations’?
1) – Get clear on your your Passion & your Purpose. What is it you love to do, and how does this tie in with your ultimate purpose? The key here is that you have to know the 2 and find a way to tie them together. That will form the basis of your business. If you start out building a business that either a) you are not passionate about of b) is not in line with your ultimate life purpose, somewhere along the way you will fail. (How can I be so sure, I tried it 3 times!) Once you are clear on this, you have the focus for your business.
2) Now you have to dig deep on the marketing focus and get clear on your Brand, your Niche and your Target Audience – without this information you cannot get laser targeted because you don’t know where to shine your light. (hint: I think this is where most people go wrong, they don’t take the time to get clear and dig deep enough in these areas)
Next, How do you marketyour business without continually going off track?
3) Best advice I was ever given was Decide where you want your business to be and then work out the least number of steps you need to take to get there. Good marketing, as you point out, is very often about doing less not more.
When you know exactly where you are going and the steps you are going to take to get there, you now have the basis of a strategy.
Now every decision you take about whether or not to do something/ buy something can be a strategic decision based on sitting back and honestly assessing HOW this action or piece of information is going to fit in with your overall strategy and ‘path’ to success
The only challenge then is having the discipline and the belief to stay on track and keep taking just those steps you need to take and not get side-tracked and lured by the ‘next shiny thing’ … that is the real challenge! For me, the only way I can discipline myself to stay on target is by having a business mentor who can keep their eyes on the road for me!
How about you?
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Thanks Kim for this post, I have been helping multiple people create there funnels and promote them. and have been doing my best to stay focused.
thanks for the clarity!
I really like how you laid it all out. makes more sense to me now and whats more important in order.
blessings
Jeremy
Jeremy Creager invites you to read…How is this Ecstasy and Alchemy- Tantric Shamanic Training Retreat Level 1 different from a usual Kundalini Dance Retreat
Great Post Kim! It is so hard for us to focus and prioritize but it is SO important. It is all too easy for us to get distracted – Remember – this is Step 1 for successful people!
Finally I read it after trying so many times and need to apply it,I read something like this few months ago and was able to improve a bit.Hey Kim,how can I subscribe to comments here?no option?
This actualy makes sense,i mean…my to do list(to learn list) is longer than my “What i want from santa list”…
I alway try to do this,do that,do the other thing,and at the end of the day,when i’m almost in bed for a good sleep,i remember there is still something i have to do,get out of bed,do that…and if i’m lucky get few hours of sleep.
So i guess…i have to figure out what my priorities are…that shouldn’t be hard…
Thank you a lot for this,
Very helpful and informative! You have a lovely site! I was curious about the “flashing” video email advertisement and would love to get your opinion on a platform that I use called Talk Fusion. If possible I could send you a video email so that you can compare! My name is F. Michael Furbert and I live in Bermuda.
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Hey Michael, I am familiar with TF and I left them prior after they were unable to make good on what they had sold me as webinar services and did not play well with team approaches to building teams. I’m experienced with their product line and with you the best,
Kimberly
The feeling you described in your article is all so familiar. I often get the feeling that i did not accomplish nothing while all day I was running around the office like a mad men. I even remember that I cracked nervously once. I had so many things to do and I was trying to finish everything that day, then at some point doing a simple thing like making a xerox copy i busted out crying out of a sudden. I cant explain why this happened, but i guess my brain was overflowing with information and told i need to stop and take a break.
From that point I started prioritizing things by my own value. I didn’t cared that my boss said he needs this or that by yesterday, I kept myself to my prioritization. That helped me a lot, and even improved my performance.
Greetings from,
Chris.
I couldn’t agree with you more about it being a “filtering” problem. I empathize with the business owner with 20+ items on the to do list, all marked “priority”. That is me, everyday, all day. You give some great advice on mitigating the struggle though. Thanks for the great post!
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