photo credit: Justin in SD via photopin cc

If you are a baseball player you have heard these words ad nauseam.

To play on the excitement of the 2013 Baseball World Series I decided to write a post that relates to the words every baseball player has heard and over and over. When up to bat, a player must direct all of their focus to the present moment in order to hit the ball, get on base, and hopefully score. The team who is winning is producing from the batters box, getting hits and scoring runs. This allows movement toward the ultimate goal of winning the game!

How does this apply to your daily work life and mine? There is one thing most evident in my 25 years of sales: those who are focused are always the ones at the top of the pack, typically producing 80% of an organization’s sales. So the question is… how do I stay focused? Try a few of these tips to make a difference.

Plan your work and work your plan– Clearly those who have a daily, weekly and monthly plan stay more focused and are able to accomplish more than those who just show up to do a job. What should your plans be comprised of? First and foremost, actions that you believe are the ingredients for your success. Whether it is cold calling, door-to-door canvasing, direct mail, etc. you have to define the actions to execute in your plan for success.

Define your targeted customer and do not deviate!– In sales this is one of the toughest because that means you might have to say no to certain clients that represent MMO’s (money making opportunities). Great hitters in the game of baseball are said to be able to see the spin of the ball at 90-100 miles per hour and know if it is a pitch they want to hit. You must know who you are focused on and not compromise.

Review your plan regularly– A basic concept, however the great’s tell you they review their plan daily, and at a minimum weekly. After time, a plan that has not been reviewed becomes “Out of sight out of mind”. You can quickly get off track because of today’s many distractions. In today’s techy world, too much clamors for your attention. Keep your vision fresh and your plan at the forefront of your thoughts and you will achieve beyond what you could ever think or imagine.

Let me know your thoughts and if this reminder of the basics is helpful.

(Go Boston Red Sox… I thought I would just get that in!)