For most direct sellers, your month-end deadline is fast approaching.  You are already in the mindset of driving to the finish.  You’ve got your team thinking about their deadlines.  You’ve got your customers trying to decide on the bargains that they can’t pass up. And you are looking forward to seeing the day after your month-end when you can take stock of what you accomplished.

When you take that day to decompress, do something special this time.  Focus on the business.  At the end of the month, you are IN the business.  When the pressure is off, deliberately shift to focus ON the business.

What’s the difference?

  • ON the business is fueled by passion.  IN the business is fueled by adrenaline.
  • ON the business has long-term goals.  IN the business drives for short-term dividends.
  • ON the business has a plan.  IN the business is execution.
  • ON the business is invigorating.  IN the business is tiring.
  • ON the business is sustainable.  IN the business is not.

If you are waiting for the adrenaline to get you moving, then you have lost control of your business. 

Are you waiting for the next deadline?  If you find yourself waiting for pressure, then you are not thinking enough ON the business and are too much IN the business.  Don’t feel bad if this has happened to you.  It happens to all of us at one time or another.  You get those extra orders; a vendor creates problems; marketing isn’t working and on and on and on.  Eventually, you are so busy putting out fires you aren’t thinking about anything other than fighting fires.

If you are waiting for the adrenaline pressure to build, you should call a TIMEOUT to decide if this is the business you want to have.
Is your style attracting people to your business?

  • Are you losing recruits because you are too busy to give them your time?
  • Are you losing recruits because they don’t want to work as hard are you do?
  • Are you losing leaders because they need to balance their time differently?
  • Are you losing customers because your follow-up is haphazard?

Your passion creates the soul of your business.  Your style should be attracting people; it’s how you and your business are known.  If your passion is lost behind your deadline drive, your business soul is disappearing.

Here are three critical steps in focusing on your style so that you are happy with your reputation.

First, notice what’s happening around you.  This is a good time to work with a coach.  A coach will support you in noticing how your actions affect those around you.  Write your observations so you don’t lose them.  Ask some key questions like:

  • What changed? Do you like it?
  • How is productivity affected?
  • What’s missing?
  • What still needs to go?

Second, cast your vision.  How can you best spread the word about your values, both internal and external, with your business?  A coach can help you clarify what’s important to you and how you can show that to other people.  Until you talk about your vision, people can only guess what’s important to you.  As you talk to your team (again and again), your vision will start to catch.  And while you can’t control those above you in the business, you can be assured they will notice what’s happening.

Third, repeat steps one and two.  You have created a focused approach.  Now go with it.  You are at the “aim, fire, re-aim, fire, re-aim, fire” stages.  A coach can support you in staying true to your vision and keep you accountable to the things that will help it stick.

Here’s your challenge:  after your month end, take 30 minutes to step back and look AT your business.  Do you like what you see?  Does it stand for what you want it to represent?  Are you ready to get started on a passion-filled future?

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