You can’t allow your attention span to drift away from the task at hand. Becoming distracted is often considered normal. You simply can’t be considered normal in this regard.
If your primary responsibility is to help people it is in your best interest to pay attention to the people you are trying to help. Reality, as well as my personal experience says your mind will wander at times. If in fact you have a short attention span like I do, knowing that you need to focus is 99% of the battle.
You can’t provide your prospect (or customer) an opportunity to interpret your wandering mind as a sign of disinterest on your part. This might prove to be fatal.
Work on focusing on your prospect. Concentrate. Notice what they are wearing. What they are saying. How they are saying it.
This especially is true when you are not within direct eye sight …like when you are on the telephone. Resist the temptation to plug the phone into your shoulder while continuing to open envelopes, write sales memos, click through computer screens or straighten out your desk draw. People on the other end of the line can hear this activity and you can be sure that they will interpret it as a sign of disinterest.
Discipline yourself and let everything take a back seat when you are on the telephone. You might want to try standing while speaking. I do this regularly. It takes too much effort and promotion to finally get your phone to ring. Why risk blowing it all at the point of contact?