80/20 Your Life! How To Get More Done With Less Effort And Change Your Life In The Process!

by Damon Zahariades

First, meet with the underperforming employee and highlight the performance issues that concern you. Be clear and direct about the changes you hope to see down the road.

First, ask yourself whether the opportunity aligns with your current business. If it doesn’t, disregard it. Second, consider whether your most valuable customers (your top 20%) have expressed a desire to purchase products or services related to the opportunity. If not, disregard it. Third, think about whether the opportunity requires skills that you and your team lack. If it does, disregard it.

Earlier, we discussed how 20% of your customers will generate 80% of your sales. Treat these high-value customers like gold. They’re the cornerstone of your company’s success. Having said that, it’s also important to have a steady stream of new customers enter your orbit. It’s difficult to grow without constantly adding people to your customer base.

The 80/20 rule isn’t a fancy concoction of the self-help industry. It’s a law of nature that was present long before Vilfredo Pareto noted its veracity in the late 1800s. It can be applied to everything around us.

You know better. Success isn’t just a matter of working hard or trying again. It’s a matter of using leverage. That’s the centerpiece of the 80/20 rule.