The Older I Get, The More I Market Like My Dog
One of my favorite pictures is one of my dog CC holding a copy of the book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F”. The picture was taken when she was still a puppy and she would confidently and triumphantly hold anything she wasn’t supposed to have and challenge us to get it from her. She didn’t care that she was doing something she wasn’t supposed to do.
This book is a gift from my good friend Amanda. Amanda is my muse to help me find better balance in my life and is, like CC, confidently and vocally sharing her opinion. Thank you Amanda!
Back to the picture, book, and how it shapes my marketing. As I step into this next phase of my life, I appreciate the philosophy behind the title.
Earlier in my career, I worked hard to make every campaign perfect, pursued every opportunity, and tried lots of new tactics hoping to drive better results. Looking back, all that really did was create more work. The team worked harder. I worked harder. Things got more complicated, not better.
Now, I focus on what deserves my attention and what doesn't in both my personal life and when I help organizations with their marketing. We can't (and shouldn't) do everything. We should focus on the activities most likely to drive the outcomes we need.
How do I do this? Ask questions like:
Will this drive the most important thing we need to happen right now, which is <insert the most important thing>?
Now that we have the list of <potential things> that will drive <the most important thing>, what resources are needed to execute?
Let’s calculate the expected results from this <potential thing> against the resource time to get it done.
Everything cannot be important and a Priority 1. If we do this, we lose focus and even the activities we choose don’t get the attention they deserve. It’s not about doing more, it's about doing the right things.
So we all, especially me, need to get comfortable saying no and focus on what matters most.
As for CC, we taught her to bring - an important Labrador Retriever skill. She still takes things that get our attention, but now she brings them to me. And she's learned that some things get a much bigger reaction than others.
But,not everything deserves attention. Focus on what matters most. CC and I are working on this. Thanks Amanda!
