FOCUS.

"Don't Watch This Video" with Adam DeGraide from Astonish Results on Vimeo.

By Adam DeGraide

Are you thinking about how your agency can make more money today? Better yet, are you doing anything about it? If your answer to either question is no, I have to ask: WHY NOT!?

As a veteran Internet marketer and sales and training consultant, I have found that most local agency owners know they need to be doing SOMETHING to grow their business. Most also have general ideas about what to work on—such as finding new business, improving their sales process, figuring out the foreign lands of Facebook and Twitter, etc. Despite “knowing” what opportunities are out there, the most common roadblock to actual progress is feeling overwhelmed by all the possible options, or not knowing which is worth your time. But the solution to this problem is quite simple! All you need to do to get out of this rut is: FOCUS.

The first part of focus is all about setting priorities. There’s an old adage that says, “If you chase two rabbits, you won’t catch either.” First, think about what you’re chasing. Remember the real reason that you get out of bed everyday and go to work. As an agency owner, it is to sell more insurance and make more money. At least it should be! Everything you do should be focused on growing your business.

The second part of focus is identifying and prioritizing your strengths and weaknesses. As an agency owner, 70% of your time and energy should be spent on your strengths, 25% on new things, and 5% on your weaknesses. In a 40-hour week, that’s 28, 10, and 2 hours, respectively. Many people spend way too much time trying to improve their weaknesses. The fact is, the best thing you can do as a leader is DELEGATE the activities in your areas of weakness. Don’t be afraid to admit that there is something you’re not good at, or just flat-out can’t do. If it’s a priority, but it’s not your forte, hand it off to someone else who can knock it out of the park.

The last part of focusing is all about concentration. Growing up, I used to get overwhelmed with the idea of cleaning my room. But my mother gave me helpful advice that has carried over to my adult life: just take it one corner at a time. If your agency is a mess, and you know your priorities but don’t know where to start, concentrate on one corner at a time. Determine which priorities you can handle on your own and which you need to hand off to another person. Then figure out one next right step for each area. Finally, concentrate on one at a time, and DO IT!

One of my highest priorities and greatest strengths is helping agencies find, sell, and keep more customers profitably by using the Internet. The Astonish Results training, sales, and digital marketing system is designed to help agencies FOCUS on what’s important to help them grow their business, and DO IT. We have the best tools, people, and processes that have proven results to help agencies make more money. To find out how Astonish can help your business grow, schedule your free and custom-built Virtual Presentation by visiting at www.astonishresults.com, or by calling us at 877-905-1999.