By JOHNNY CARCIOPPOLO / Community Columnist

What are the problems of not having focus?

When you don’t have focus in business, you are scattered. Your attention is diverted in too many directions and you won’t be able to succeed in all areas all at once. It’s like juggling too many balls in the air and not being able to keep them all airborne at the same time.

These are the results of not having focus:

• If you don’t know what and how you do what you do, your audience won’t either. If you’re unclear about what you do and what your company stands for, then your audience and clients won’t either. Be concise and be clear in your goals and in your missions.
• You will lose sales due to lack of focus because you cannot have your eyes everywhere and being all things to all people.
• Customers will sense your lack of confidence and if you are scattered in your business. If you don’t know your focus, your clients will sense this and will begin to doubt you and your company’s abilities as well.
• You will lose sales. Lack of focus impacts your bottom line.
• You will lose money. Fewer sales means fewer dollars.
• Your credibility goes out the window. It’s one thing to have a bad day or week and go through some slow growth, but it’s entirely another to have your credibility go out the window. Sales can be recouped, marketing can be tweaked, but credibility is difficult to regain.
• You lose your integrity. You always want to keep your word in business. If you lose focus, you run the risk of losing your integrity as well. You always want to deliver when you say you will.

What is the benefit of focus?

When you have focus in business:

• You have energy in the right places; where it counts for your customer – let’s face it, when you have focus, your business is run more productively which means it’s more lucrative and your customers are satisfied.
• Your customers will be satisfied. Maintaining your focus takes brainpower – more like exercising your brain – and when you do, you will find you’ll have more satisfied customers than before.
• You will do what you do, and you will do it well. Maintaining focus allows you the freedom and flexibility to do what you do and to do it phenomenally well.
• You will gain word of mouth referrals. Focus allows you to get referrals from satisfied customers.
• Sales will increase. Satisfied customers turn to repeat customers and sales will increase.
• Your bottom line will look rosier. When your company or organization has focus, your bottom line will be more appealing.
• You will gain credibility. Focus allows you to maintain your reputation and keep your credibility.
• You will stand in your integrity and have a reputation of being in integrity. You do what you say you will do and follow through; customers appreciate this and come back for more.