A lot has been said lately about focus and how many projects you should take on at once. What is said, mostly by the experts, is that you should only focus on one at a time for maximum returns.
Well, I’ve done a lot of thinking about that. In fact, WAY too much thinking about that. Let me tell you what I think…
I worked in a customer service job that serviced the pharmaceutical industry for many years. And the very nature of this job was such that if you DIDN’T focus on multiple projects at the same time, it meant losing contracts, customers and dollars.
At times, I had as many as four major projects running all at once and had tight timelines to go with them. And you know what?
They always got completed. Usually on time and within budget.
What does that mean? To me, that means the CORRECT thing to say would be more like “Only work on the number of projects that you can effectively move forward and complete on schedule”. Stay within your own capabilities.
For me, that can be four. For you, maybe 2. Or maybe 7. That’s something only you can answer.
I was recently talking to a very successful marketer who told me that I should be focusing on one project at a time. He was the second or third one that told me that.
But the funny thing here is, NO successful marketer that I know works on just ONE project at a time. Including the marketers that told me to focus on one at a time.
The major difference here is resources. When you hit a certain level of success, you have more resources at your disposal. Money, people, tools, etc.
So, what if you are NOT one of those who have those resources at your disposal? What can you do?
Tha answer is really very simple and when I tell you, you’re going to smack yourself on the forehead and say, “DOH! I knew that!”
The answer: Strategic Partner(s)
Look, you don’t need to be a wildly successful marketer to have your own team around you. In fact, when you get the right partners, you will see your own productivity, ideas, and success
really start to flourish.
Why do I call them Strategic Partners?
Your partners should have the skills or components that you lack. And conversely, you need to have the skills or components that THEY lack. You need to compliment each other. This also means tht you need to “take an inventory” of your skills. You need to know what you can bring to the table.
One of my strategic partners is a programmer. Another writes ebooks and other content. Still another partner brings a level of creativity that I don’t posess. He’s an idea factory!
And I have certain skills that THEY lack, such as the “back end” knowledge of setting up and running websites, marketing, networking and customer service skills. We compliment each other greatly.
You can do the very same thing. It’s not that hard. But the FIRST thing you need to realize is that it will take an effort from you to make contact with people. OFF the computer.
My first partner I met at a lunch. My second at a seminar. They both started from a simple conversation. We quickly determined that we each had something to bring to the table that would fill the gaps.
Now, working on multiple projects at once is not so daunting a task as doing them by yourself.
The process is really very simple. Look for or organize a lunch in your local area for people who work on line. Start by going to a few of the marketing forums and simply ask who lives in your area. (Heck, it’s how I met Mike Filsaime…)
Meeting face to face is recommended because this enables you to “size each other up” to determine if you have similar goals and value systems. That’s very important. That’s where the trust begins.
Once you understand the power of strategic partnerships, you will not look at your on line business the same ever again. The days of “Lone Wolf” marketing are largely over. Time to roll with the changes.
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Michael Ambrosio – Developer and Internet Entreprenuer
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Copyright 2006 Michael Ambrosio http://www.mikeambrosio.com
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