CMO SHORT: Short Attention Spans Tank Businesses in More Ways than One
You need customers. You are consistently telling them you are here. But, it feels like you are yelling into the void. Wasting energy and efforts you can’t, frankly, afford to waste.
What is the glaring issue?
The average American has an 8 second attention span. (Vs a goldfish at 9 seconds)
Attention spans shrank by 50%over the past decade.
Think about that. Or better yet, let’s test it out (on let’s say) your elevator pitch. Click the timer on your cell phone and go to it. Can you even spit it out in 8 seconds, much less hope to make an impact that hooks them? Remember, today every second counts. Most likely your prospect has already lost interest, and if they aren’t physically walking away they definitely have already checked out mentally. Poof! You are just another talking head.
Primary causes of lost attention span include stress (sited by 18%) and decision overload (by 17%). Additional culprits include lack of sleep, technology overload and poor job satisfaction. I’m sure you can relate. Take this Psychology Today Attention Span Test HERE to see how you perform, because you don’t have endless attention either. As a leader though, the stakes become much higher and the causes that disrupt your attention are even stronger.
Sharpening your skills around focus is a powerful one for business leaders and owners to “pay attention” to… pun intended. A simple and robust place to start is with Time Management. With never enough time in a day, got-a-minute interruptions by staff and business issues running rampant, technology disruptions hitting you from every direction and so on, time management skill growth is the time tested game changer for any business. Let’s get some outside perspective on how you handle time management HERE.
There are thousands of time management resources, tools and advice (1.78 billion search results) to comb through. That is if you can maintain the attention to do so. Honestly though, you are an individual. With individual needs. A system built from tested methodologies with the addition of a third party perspective to frame it specifically around you is your best option. Bend time to your will.
IN SHORT:
For your market, make your messages hit home quickly and with impact that they have to pay attention to. What moves the market.
For you, you’ll quickly find that by using time management to your advantage it will focus your mind on what matters. What moves the needle.
Onward and upward!
Shiloh Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer at CHI
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