During many sales training sessions, one of the biggest areas in anyone’s career development is the ability to stay focused. I call it the Focus Charting.
We all have special talents. Some people have more than others, like truly becoming a trusted advisor executing the Quid Pro Quo sales approach, but we all have unique skills. For some it might take a lifetime to determine what they are. Some people never discover their true talents. The consequence for these people is a life unfulfilled. They never realize their full potential. They tend to struggle, switching jobs or careers every couple of years in search of something they are missing.
The Exercise
Are you ready to get started making your Focus Factor Chart and see how it can help you determine what talents you should focus on and what you should leave to others?
Let's Begin
To begin making your chart, you are going to slice up your day and break it out into segments.
Maybe you have done this first step before in some version—perhaps the first step of a diet plan. Many diets ask you to write down everything you consume. It is amazing how much junk we eat and don’t even realize it. Once you write this list and are accountable for the food you eat, it becomes easy to see why you are gaining or losing weight.
Here is the exercise to determine what talents you should focus on and what you should leave to others. Once you slice your day, you are going to chart and grade your activities
Step 1
Write the following column headings:
• Activity
• Time Spent (on the activity)
• Degree of difficulty (on the activity)
• Happiness factor (how good does this make you feel)
• Moving Forward (Does this activity move you closer to where you want to be)
Step 2
Fill in your chart. Enter each activity. Record the time you spend doing each activity.
Step 3
Grade each activity according to Difficulty, Happiness Factor etc. grading from 1 -10:
• 1 would be the lowest grade, the least productive, the unhappiest
• 10 would be the highest grade, the most productive, the happiest.
After you’ve graded each activity you’ll see the amount of time you spend on activities you don’t enjoy. These activities keep you or put you in a rut.
What You Can Conclude
If you diligently fill out your own Focus Factor Chart for 30 - 90 days, you will see patterns in your life. You are empowered to change these patterns. You can create the path that will focus your talents, desires, and actions.
In the real world, it is not so easy. Often times, we get so wrapped up in life’s daily struggles that we end up in an unsuccessful position that is not suited for us, leaving us unfulfilled.
To learn more visit SalesBuilders.com
Bob Beck has over twenty-eight years of experience in creating, expanding, and running organizations with an unsurpassed record of accomplishment. Having been on the ground floor with three self-funded start-ups as a senior executive and led their growth through IPO. Bob is truly a unique resource. Bob is a former board member of publicly traded software firm and has been an executive partner to several firms. He is founder and CEO of Sales Builders Inc., a dedicated professional development firm that offers training, speaking, and consulting all geared to help organizations grow. He developed the ever popular and growing "Quid Pro Quo" series of training courses that has now been taught in ten countries and is being used with unsurpassed results by many firms throughout the U.S. Beck has also started and sold two companies himself. SalesBuilders.com
In 2009 Beck authored the bestselling book, "Winning in the 5th Quarter, Applying the Secrets of football to Your Life Strategy Playbook”, which can be found at www.winningq5.com ,Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble. This is an inspiring comparison between the lessons that should be learned from the game of football and the attributes of success that can be applied in all of our lives. Beck's insightful book called, "Are we in a Depression or is it Just me? Executing Positive Change to Get Results in a Down Economy" offers effective strategies that should be employed by organizations and individuals when things get tough. Beck explains how 'operational prudence' must be deployed and how over the years buyer-seller relationships have eroded in many ways. The dehumanization of selling in business today is affecting the entire buying/selling process worldwide. In this book Bob suggests ways to be successful and the required changes everyone should make in a down economy. Beck believes it is insanity for any organization or individual to think they can do the same things over and over when the market changes and achieve the same results. In 2005 Beck Authored the book, "Mutual Respect-The art and practice of the Quid Pro Quo Selling approach", which can be found at www.MutualRespect.net, BarnesandNoble, or Amazon.com. In 1999 Bob was asked to contribute to INC. Magazine's book, "310 Great Ideas for Smarter Selling". You can find Bob's philosophies and tactics profiled in many leading trade magazines, on-line blogs and radio programs. Whether you are the CEO of a fortune 500 organization or a sales person on the front lines Beck's books, CD's, whitepapers, and articles can be your guiding light to success! BeckProducts.com