Focus - A Big Internet Marketing Success Secret

by Willie Crawford

Published on this site: November 10th, 2005 - See more articles from this month

On a recent "how to" teleseminar, where I was the guest speaker, I was asked how I manage to do so many different things. You see, I have hundreds of websites in different niches. From these websites I sell dozens of my own products, plus affiliate products. The answer to that question, that the entire panel of experts agreed upon, was that focus is the key!

Far too many Internet marketers try to do too many projects at once. They eventually begin to feel overwhelmed, and then never finish most of them. The feeling of overwhelm actually makes you less efficient...tired, and less motivated.

It's critical that you develop the ability to operate almost as if you're wearing "blinders" that don't allow you to see off to the side. You need to not even think about unrelated things while working on a project. I do this well partly because I was trained to "compartmentalize" as a military aviator. At times I had to block everything out of my mind except the task at hand… perhaps navigating through very hazardous terrain. There are times when if you're not successful at the task at hand, other things that follow won't matter as much!

Many of us operate in information overload. Everyday we get emails, FedEx packages, and phone calls about some product that we just can't miss. You need to learn to say, "Yes - I can miss it! Until I finish this current project, I simply don't need to take on another."

You need to also acknowledge that if you miss some new course, or tool, that's being really hyped-up, there will be another one along tomorrow. As fast as things change in Internet marketing, that tool that's being hyped-up today is somewhat likely to be outdated in a few months anyway.

Focus is a habit anyone can develop through practice. You start a project, and pay little attention to things unrelated to that project until it's done. Now, you get the reward of having finished that project. That reward could be another income stream on autopilot, or it could be just the joy of crossing it off of your "to do" list. Each time you get one of these rewards, it reinforces the habit patterns that made the reward possible. Eventually, you develop the ability to really focus, and really get more done, without it being a struggle.

Back to your "to do" list. If having a long list just makes you feel more overwhelmed, work from several lists. Have a master list, and then each day pick one or two "must do items" and focus on those. It will make your task ahead seem much less daunting.

Another habit that will aid you in focusing, is learning to delegate and form partnerships. Since a big part of focusing is getting projects completed, learn to only do those things that your are most suited for. It's often cheaper to hire someone else to do things that you don't know how to do well. Having partners adds an accountability factor. Knowing that someone is depending upon you to finish your part of a project will make you stop procrastinating and get it done!

Just as effective as delegating, and often cheaper, is using software to do routine or repetitive tasks. For your email marketing, use autoresponders for example. Use software that automates some parts of building or updating your websites. An example of a piece of software I use to build webpages for selling Clickbank products can be seen here: http://TheRealSecrets.com/unfair/ This software allows me to set up pages for over 3400 products in the Clickbank Marketplace in minutes. Tools like this free up vital time for you to do things that software really can't do... like marketing.

While software can't do everything, and I've never seen a business on full-autopilot, software can allow you to do a repetitive job in 1/100th of the time. Then you can use your remaining work time to really focus on a task you must get done. Do this, and you'll not only find yourself able to get a lot more done, you'll find yourself with more free time on your hands. Try not to use that free time to take on too many new tasks. Get proper rest and recreation too. It will make you more efficient and make it even easier to focus because your mind will be clearer.

Willie Crawford has taught proven Internet marketing techniques to thousands of successful Internet entrepreneurs since late-1996. Subscribe to his free weekly ezine, which helps you cut through the clutter and time-wasting hype. Subscribe now by visiting: http://WillieCrawford.com