We all have great intensions and strive to give 100% in order to move our businesses forward. It’s just that most of us spread that 100% productivity over several days… Does your 100% look something like this?
12% Monday
23% Tuesday
40% Wednesday
20% Thursday
5% Friday
All kidding aside, how many times have you found yourself at the end of a work day and thought to yourself that you didn’t get a lot accomplished. It wasn’t that you were wasting time and being unproductive, it was probably that you were doing the wrong activities to create the results that you were after. When it comes to accomplishing our business goals, too many of us confuse activity with accomplishment. If you are a business owner or professional, I am going to assume that you can use more clients, patients, or customers. If you are in sales and have some kind of product or service, or a business opportunity that grows as you share it with others, then you need to keep reading.
Having the right marketing mind set, is being able to identify the activities that are going to create more clients, more associates, more business, and ultimately more income. A suggestion I would like to make for those that wish to increase their business and income in the next couple of months is to write these two questions down and read them often.
- Is this the most productive thing that I should be doing right now to move me closer to my business goals?
- Is what I am doing right now going to bring me more clients and make me more income?
Of course every business has activities that need to get done that don’t produce direct financial benefits; paper work for one. I am not saying that one should ignore those activities; but we often do these activities during income productive hours. The hours we should be seeing clients, running leads, and doing marketing activities. The busy work should be done in non marketing hours which are typically after the close of business when you cannot call or see someone.
Here is a common activity that can trip people up. If your business would benefit by having a blog, when do you write content for that blog? Unless you are making a living blogging, I would suggest that you do that late in the evening when there is nothing else you can do. Working on your blog is a long term marketing strategy, not something that will create instant results.
Here is another one. If your e-mail box looks like mine, don’t get caught reading and answering your e-mails during your productive business hours unless it is an e-mail that needs to get an immediate response resulting in increase business. When you are reading your e-mails, ask the two questions that I suggested above. You may find that a lot of them can wait in your responding to them.
One more example to drive the point home… Many of us have found that social media marketing is a valuable tool to meet new people and expand our business and brand. But it can be a huge waste of time if not managed correctly. This is such a big problem that I may write an article exclusively on this subject alone. Are you busy reading all the comments on your Facebook wall when you could be doing another activity that could produce a new client, another sale etc?
One thing that helped me create the results that I was seeking was to come up with a daily list of activities that needed to get done every day without compromise. This list is what has to get done before everything else. I call it my Daily priorities list (DPL)
Write out your DPL and then have it posted where you can see it at all times. This will help you stay on purpose.
If you do these simple things, I can assure you that your problem of confusing activity with accomplishment will soon be a thing of the past. Your days of wondering why it seems that your business is not growing will soon be a distant memory. You will be enjoying more business; having more clients, making more sales and enjoying more income.
September 4, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Rodney,
Congratulations on getting your blog launched.
Your post has touched on a very important topic for all of us. It is far to easy to get off on a side tangent and get away from the most important things we can be doing. As you mentioned, checking everything on your Facebook wall can be a huge time suck and distraction. Many business owners also get stuck in the “getting ready to get ready” phase. Before I can do X I have to clean my desk, rearrange the the entryway, sort the mail…. and on and on. Sometimes we just avoid doing the money making activities.
The idea of a DPL is very similar to what I have which is a DMO, a daily method of operation. In that I focus first on the money making activities so that my business moves forward.
Thanks for sharing your insight.
Don Enck recently posted..How To Opt Out of Facebook Places
September 4, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Don,
Thank you for the congrats. I also appreciate the heads-up in the e-mail you sent me. It is a constant challenge to stay on purpose . Sounds like you have figured out a system that works for you as well!
Looking forward to getting to know you better.
September 6, 2010 at 2:35 am
Great post and lesson for us all! Income producing activities should be at the very front of everything you do everyday.
Before you start a task ask yourself, “Is this making me money?”
If it’s not, then think about whether or not it’s worth doing right now or if it can wait behind something that can start to earn you cash immediately.
Awesome new site and I can’t wait to see what you post next!
Cheers!
Erica
Erica Jones recently posted..Life Is Short- Remember To Take Time With The Ones You Love
September 6, 2010 at 6:14 am
Erica,
I am humbled by your kind words, coming from such an awesome blogger and internet marketer!
September 7, 2010 at 2:18 am
Hi Rodney,
Learning how to use our time wisely for money-making activities is one of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face — especially in the beginning of the journey. Through trial and error, though, we discover that the activities that put money in our bank accounts MUST take priority during working hours. It is easier than ever these days to get distracted (Facebook, anyone??!) from what matters most, but when you realize your back is against the wall and you better get out there and make some things happen, somehow all those time wasters go away!
Great post, and welcome to the blogging community!
Mary Lou
Mary Lou Kayser recently posted..Mastermind Groups- ReTweeting- and Sushi…
September 7, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Hello May Lou,
Thank you for your comments and contribution to the post. I am new to blogging but am really finding it a new interest of mine. Looking foward to getting to know you better.
September 8, 2010 at 2:20 am
Rodney thanks so much for this post. It really “hits the nail on the head” with me and where I’ve been with my own business the past 75 days or so.
This is a great lesson for budding entrepreneurs like myself. And I plan to ensure that other new, and up and coming, entrepreneurs now about this excellent post.
September 8, 2010 at 2:49 am
Thank you Ed for your comments. I’m glad it was helpful. Have a productive week. Wishing you continued success in all that you do!
September 8, 2010 at 11:07 pm
Helpful write up, bookmarked your site with interest to see more!
December 22, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Beneficial info and excellent design you got here! I want to thank you for sharing your ideas and putting the time into the stuff you publish! Great work!