How good are you at identifying and working on THE critical thing?
Hardly anybody is. For most, they’ve not clarified what the heck they’re waking up every day to accomplish in the first place. What’s the destination you’re driving for? What does success look like?
In my time management training, I start by making the point that you cannot achieve maximum productivity if you don’t know what you’re trying to be productive about. As Lombardi said, “It’s hard to be aggressive when you’re confused.”
If you happen to be one of the few who can actually articulate goals with precision and the WHY behind them, the next challenge is to identify the MOST IMPORTANT drivers to accomplishing your goals…and then staying FOCUSED on only those, putting the bulk of your time, attention, money and effort into those alone.
Problem is, those things are hard to do. Painful. Complicated. Stressful. And more often than not, there’s no guarantee of success and far greater probability of failure, setbacks, pain and problems. So, most people allow (or invite) distractions and lesser important activities to absorb their time and attention. They dilute their time, putting it toward all sorts of less critical problems and opportunities.
Classic example: MSPs tell us all the time they’re too busy to do marketing. They “can’t” take on another client. Our question: So, you’re making serious money then? Nope. Just busier than a cat trying to bury a turd in a marble floor. All activity, no progress. Just doing it, doing it, doing it like a gerbil on a wheel.
I just had a conversation with an MSP that is sadly common right now: They are in a dire situation because they have not closed a single new client all year…but the bigger issue is that they just received notice that their biggest client – one that represents over 50% of their sales – is being acquired and canceling their services with only 30 days’ notice. They asked, “What should we do?”
Aside from finding a magic genie who can snap his fingers and send this MSP back in time to FIX the problems of 1) not having a productive sales and marketing engine working in their business, and 2) allowing ONE client to represent such a large percentage of their revenue, they’re going to have to make tough decisions about who they fire and whether or not they have sufficient savings to float their business while they take a couple of YEARS to bring on either 17 new MSP clients at their average MRR or the ONE client big enough to fill the gap.
They’re now being FORCED to focus on THE critical thing they should have been working on: building sustainability in the organization by ensuring there was a reliable marketing and sales engine humming along. You cannot count on clients staying forever. And believing and acting like clients will never leave you is stupid. This is why you need do as Confucius said and “dig the well before you thirst.”
In many businesses, there is a bottleneck to progress and profit, and that thing can and will change as your business grows. In one season, you might need to replace a critical leader on the team. In another, it might be a profitability issue you’ve got to get a handle on.
Here’s a hint: Its always a strategic decision or accomplishment. BIG breakthroughs don’t come from timid steps and tiny incremental improvements. Example: Finding and hiring the RIGHT kick-ass sales leader who will build your sales department vs. attempting to get an SDR in the Philippines to be productive. Or it might be fixing THE single unrelenting, stinking, glaringly obvious problem that, if fixed, would open the floodgates of growth.
This week, we celebrate our freedom as a country. The founders were VERY clear on THE critical thing above all else: FREEDOM. Without freedom from oppressive rule, there is no freedom. This is why slavery, in any form, is one of the greatest evils on earth.
Now, back to YOUR business…
I know you want to ignore THAT giant, stinking elephant lumbering in the corner that is stressing you out, crapping all over your office, damaging the walls and furniture and attracting swarms of flies, but if you refuse to even acknowledge it, it will get worse.
For this week, maybe you need to put some thought into what that ONE critical decision you need to make…or the ONE thing you need to put more attention on.
If you’ve been doing the hard work — building your sales engine, investing in growth, and focusing on what really matters — you’re already operating like a Titan.
Now it’s time to be recognized as one. Apply now for the MSP Titans of the Industry Awards
