Many business people lose focus because they’re worried they can’t generate enough cash flow from a small group of products or services. You attract potential customers with your outstanding expertise but then muddy water by offering anything those customers want, regardless of how it fits into your business plan. You lose focus. If you don’t focus, you won’t have knowledge you need to help your customer. You need to solve problems and offer a complete solution. You can only do that well in your area of expertise.

Losing focus sets you up for failure. If you can’t solve your customers’ problems, your business won’t earn a reputation as a good resource. This applies to any type of business. Imagine that you offer computer accounting services. You are an excellent accountant; you have a good reputation and an excellent rapport with your customers. If your customer needs a new computer, chances are they will ask you if you sell computers. Lose focus and you may be tempted to say yes. After all, you know computers... you use them all time for your computer accounting business.

However, while you may use computers in your business, you are not necessarily an expert in computer retail business. You may not know best wholesalers. You’re not equipped to deal with repairs. You probably won’t make money selling computer after you invest all time necessary to learn how to do it properly, and time you invest takes time away from your already successful business. What’s worse is that a customer dissatisfied with your service won’t tell other people not to buy a computer from you, she’ll tell them not to deal with you at all.

If you lose focus and try to be all things to all people, you will not be as successful as you could be in any business. Successful businesspeople tell you to focus on what you do best. Master your business and give your customers value. If your customer comes to you looking for something that is not part of your core business, refer her to someone else. In fact, you could even make a deal with another Web site and have them refer customers to you as well.

Affiliate programs do exactly that. In end, you serve your customers better and they will continue to value your advice, your products and services. There are ways to offer more products and services to your customers and increase your cash flow without losing your focus or diluting your brand. Let’s look at a concrete example.

Marie-Lynn and I were talking about a new business she wants to set up. Marie-Lynn is interested in mobile entertainment systems. In fact, she’s looking for a DVD player for her car. She often travels by car with her husband and daughter, visiting family in other cities. Her daughter is now old enough to ask dreaded question, "Are we there yet?" She thinks it would be interesting to get a VCR or DVD player for her car to keep her daughter (and husband!) quiet and entertained.

A PR Surprise for Managers

For those business, non-profit and association managers committed to PR tactics like radio and newspaper plugs, it can come as a surprise to discover where public relations value REALLY lies.

Truth is, your PR budget can deliver results far beyond such limited publicity placements.

For example by embracing kind of PR plan that persuades those important outside audiences to your way of thinking, and moving them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed.

Then by using high-impact, fundamental premise of public relations to deliver external stakeholder behavior change – kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

And finally by revving up creative potential of your assigned PR team or agency and involving them in a way that positively impacts behaviors of very outside audiences that MOST affect your unit.

Perhaps then you will find yourself with a basketful of results such as prospects starting to do business with you; community leaders beginning to seek you out; newly arrived proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; customers starting to make repeat purchases; membership applications on rise; politicians and legislators beginning to think of you as a key member of business, non-profit or association communities; welcome bounces in show room visits; and even capital givers or specifying sources starting to look your way.

Spend a moment here and read that fundamental public relations blueprint referred to above: People act on their own perception of facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action very people whose behaviors affect organization most, public relations mission is accomplished.

This lets you broaden your public relations field of fire, putting its primary focus where it belongs, on your unit’s key external stakeholder behaviors.

A caveat here: be sure that public relations personnel assigned to your unit really believe – deep down -- why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Be certain they accept reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Review with them your blueprint for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: How much do you know about our services or products and employees? How much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with interchange? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?