WHY STAYING FOCUSED IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORTUNE AND FAILURE

The power of focus is one of the truly astonishing abilities of the human mind. When dialed in, people are capable of extraordinary things.

In Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan torched the Portland Trailblazers for an NBA-record 35 points in the first half, including six three-pointers. When asked to describe his performance after the game, Jordan couldn’t really come up with a concrete explanation as to how he did what he did.

“I couldn't miss. The threes were like free throws; they just kept dropping. I didn't know what was happening,” said Jordan, who later added that the rim looked as big as a peach basket. “I was in a zone. What can I say? I don't know how to explain it.”

Jordan is an outlier, possibly the best basketball player who ever lived, so it’s easy to dismiss his achievements as an aberration. The average person cant do what he’s done. Maybe not on a basketball court, but in business, focus and determination—knowing what you want and how to get there—is often the difference between success and failure.

“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power,” leadership expert Anthony Robbins once said. “Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.”

Most people start a home business with the idea that they want a big income and complete independence from the corporate structure. The goal is there, tangible and ready to grab. Conventional thinking suggests that having a goal is enough—if you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, you know how to get there.

But more often than not, working from home feels like maze, not a tunnel. It’s not a direct path. You may be able to see the light, but you don’t know how to get there. Walls and dead ends litter the landscape. You feel your way through, making mistakes, doubling back, testing each path before finding the right one.

And it’s frustrating, right? Trial and error can be an important teaching tool; learning from our mistakes is one of the best ways to discover what works and what doesn’t. But when you’re working from home and each day spent without a sale pushes you further from your goal, why waste time?

Which brings us back, ironically enough, to focus. Take whatever goal you have—a six figure monthly income, time to spend with family, a schedule that doesn’t require reporting to a boss—and take some time to chart your course before setting forth on your journey. Once it’s plotted, find out what you need to do in order to stick to it.

In other words, what steps can you take to remove the guesswork and jump right to the front of the line?

Prospecting and lead generation is the most important factor in determining success from home. If you cat get people into your business, you’re going to fail. It’s as simple as that.

So most networkers talk to their coworkers, reach out to friends and family, canvass the neighborhood, host parties, and see modest results. Once the warm market is tapped out, the trial and error begins, and after wasting money on expensive marketing techniques that don’t pan out, the well is dry and the temptation to throw up your hands and walk away grows by the day.

Furthermore, many home-business owners don’t know how to effectively talk to a prospect so that he or she joins the business rather than stalling or walking away.

So, what can you do to stay focused and avoid the traditional pitfalls?

First, find a lead generation company and make building a relationship with them one of your first priorities. A good lead generation organization, such as Peak Impact, will give you a steady, reliable source for custom leads, bulk leads, targeted leads—basically, any sort of lead you need.

The more leads you work, the more prospects you turn into clients. Forget local advertising and expensive marketing campaigns. Let the leads come to you. It’s one more blind alley you don’t need to turn down, and with a constant stream of leads coming in, you won’t get frustrated and can stay focused on the larger goal.

Peak Impact also has a new feature that will help you turn those leads into sales—Live Lead Calls. Remember how most networkers don’t know what to do on the phone, and thus make mistakes that kill otherwise promising leads? Well, now there’s a solution.

Every week, Peak Impact offers its clients the chance to listen in as industry professionals make sales calls. They feature several regular hosts and a few special guests each month who are all top-earners in their programs. You can tune in and see just how easy calling prospects and developing long-lasting, prosperous relationships can be...once you know the right techniques.

Remember, it all starts with focus. If you’re not spending time worrying about sales techniques and wondering where you’re next lead will come from, you can stay driven and keep your eyes on the prize. You may not ever me Michael Jordan, but you focus—and succeed—like him with just a little effort.