The Power of Focus

Watching the Olympics the past two weeks, I have been struck by a recurrent theme from the winning athletes: their power of focus. As he swam his way to eight gold metals, Michael Phelps received much speculation from announcers. What were the reasons for his success? Was it the space-engineered suit that he wore? Was it the five hours per day that he spent in the pool preparing for the Olympics? Was it the "fast" water in the pool at the Water Cube? His coach and Michael himself both said that his success was due to his focus. He did whatever it took to maintain it. Prior to his events, he listened to specially-chosen music which helped him focus. He only gave interviews when it fit his schedule. He laid out his schedule and his plan and stuck to it. He said, "The next few days I will eat, sleep, and swim." That is what he did. He maintained his focus.

So did Shawn Johnson in gymnastics. The final American team exercise was on the balance beam. Shawn was one of the last to do her routine. As the others were performing their routines, she turned away, mentally and physically focusing. Two of her teammates did not follow Shawn's example, instead watching the prior routines. The girls doing the routines that they were watching had big problems and fell off the beam. When her teammates got on the beam, they, too, had problems, which contributed to a lower score for the team. Shawn maintained her focus and performed a beautiful routine.

Beach volleyball’s two-time gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor kept their focus, too. They did not let getting behind shake them. They did not worry about facing a tough team. They focused on playing their game, one play at a time. When asked how you win, one announcer had said, "By focusing on one play at a time." The winners all focused on playing their game and doing their best, one race, one routine, and one play at a time.

They did not spend time worrying about what the competition was doing. Some of the losers in track and field did a great deal of glancing to the side or even to the back to check out their competition. Announcers pointed out that doing so was not productive and helped them lose the race. Instead of focusing on doing their best, these athletes were focusing on everyone else, especially someone who might be doing better than they were.

I see business people do this all the time. They get "caught up" in what their competition is doing and are constantly checking out the competition's advertising, pricing, and selection. Rather than laying out a plan for their businesses, they react to their competition. They worry about losing business to their competition. They get upset when customers go to their competition. They agonize over pricing their product, service, or information in relation to their competition.

While knowing your competition is important, giving your competition too much attention is not. Just as Kerri and Misty studied tapes of their competition before they played, you want to know your competition and incorporate that knowledge into your marketing plan. Then, one day at a time, focus on implementing your plan.

The power of focus is dramatic and profitable. Are you using it?

Getting Creative with Your Presentations

Last Wednesday I had the privilege of attending a BNI, Business Networking International, meeting filled with inspiring entrepreneurs. The person giving the ten-minute presentation for the meeting was Alice. While talking to her before the meeting began, she confided that she was trying "something different and creative" today. "I want to have fun," Alice said. "So I am going out on a limb and presenting my message in a way that I have never tried."

My interest was piqued.

Alice began her presentation by handing out a blue sheet of paper to everyone. The paper was divided into four quarters. In each quarter was a symbol. Below each symbol were three lines. The first line started with "See," the second "Think," and the third "Great Referral." After each of these words was a long, blank line upon which the audience member could write. "This is an interactive presentation," began Alice. "As I go through each symbol, please write down what I tell you to see, think, and refer."

Alice's symbol in the first quarter was an exit sign. She told us how since she was young she wanted to have her name in lights. When she was nine, her dad asked her what she wanted to be. "I dunno," Alice replied, "but I want to have my name in lights." Her dad pointed out that exit signs were in lights. With this bit of humor, Alice asked us all to "think of" her whenever we "see" an exit sign. As we jotted this down on the "see" and "think" lines, she continued to tell us that a great referral was someone who she could help because she loves to help others. She wants to get her name in lights by helping others have more self-confidence through their looking better with Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Moving to the next quarter, Alice explained why she displayed the Olympic Rings symbol. "Mary Kay Cosmetics," she said, "is the number one selling brand of its kind in the world with a presence in thirty-seven countries and over $32 billion dollars in sales last year. I love the Olympic Games and am so excited to watch them during the next couple of weeks. I think they represent the international scope of Mary Kay Cosmetics, and I am proud to be a part of that company. When you see the Olympic Rings, think of me as a Mary Kay representative, and remember, just as the Olympic Games is a special occasion, so is a Mary Kay product a great gift for special occasions. Refer to me for your special occasion gifts."

Alice continued her special occasion theme in the next quarter with a Santa hat symbol. "Christmas is coming," Alice noted. "While Mary Kay products make great gifts, Christmas is often a time when people need extra cash. If you know someone who would like to be a Mary Kay holiday consultant and make some extra money for the holidays, refer them to me. When you see the Santa hat in the near future, think of holiday consultants, and send me a referral of someone who is interested."

Finally, Alice moved into the fourth quarter which featured a very curious symbol, a pair of tall boots. "My daughter was born when I was attending college," Alice explained. "I gave birth to her on Thursday and returned to classes the following Monday. While that may sound like my priorities took me away from her, all of you who know her know that she lacks for nothing. She graduates from high school next spring, and I would like to celebrate her graduation by taking her on a mother-daughter trip to Italy. Mary Kay has a trip to Italy as a prize for the highest sales, and I want to win it. When you see boots, think Italy, and send me referrals so that I can win this trip."

Did you notice what Alice did throughout her presentation? She personalized each quarter of the page. She tied the lighted exit sign to wanting to have her name in lights. She tied the Olympic Games to special occasions. She tied the Santa hat to holiday consultants, and she tied the boots to a mother-daughter trip.

Then Alice took this personalization a step further by making herself and her request memorable with her attachment to everyday symbols. Many an exit sign will now make me think of Alice, and the tall boots will make me think of her trip to Italy. As the Olympic Games began last weekend, I thought of Alice and how excited she must have been.

I remember these symbols and Alice's ties to them because she involved me with her interactive handouts. Filling in the blanks of what to see, think, and refer helped me process her presentation more fully. Thus, I remember what Alice said, and I have the handout for reference. I also have Alice's referral requests handy, which, of course, was the point of her presentation. I now know and can easily reference just what Alice wants for referrals as well as when she wants them.

Alice's "different and creative" presentation offered an effective formula: personalize symbols and communicate them interactively. You may want to use these ideas for an upcoming presentation that you are making. Getting creative with your presentation will yield more memorability and better results.