The Word For 2017: FOCUS

Momentary distractions can lose an order

A couple of years ago, there was a psychological study of distraction.  They "investigated the effect of short interruptions on performance of a task that required participants to maintain their place in a sequence of steps each with their own performance requirements. Interruptions averaging 4.4 s long tripled the rate of sequence errors on post-interruption trials relative to baseline trials. Interruptions averaging 2.8 s long--about the time to perform a step in the interrupted task--doubled the rate of sequence errors. " (Journal of Experimental Psychology, February, 2014)
We are living in an age of constant distraction.  We all know (although we don't practice) that a glance down at our phone, or responding to a text while driving, can have fatal consequences.  But what does this have to do with a blog on sales?
Since I started this blog, I have been preaching about Listening Deeply.  This post is about the inverse of listening deeply.
Any distraction can have consequences--can result in a loss of an order.You glance down at your phone--2.8 seconds--and you've lost the string of thought your customer is laying on you. 
Many people think they can "multi-task".  They're not multitasking.  They're doing many tasks badly.
If you can't put your phone aside, and put your computer aside, and listen deeply to what your customer is saying, what he is asking, then you're not a good salesperson.  It's that simple. 
If you're in a sales meeting and you feel that you need to answer emails while a product presentation is being made, then you're failing your company and your customer. 
The key word for 2017 is FOCUS--focus on the task at hand and put the things that cause distraction aside.