When advertising isn’t working, and your fancy new site design didn’t bring clients through your door in droves, and when your online store selling trinkets didn’t “take off” like you thought….
When you fear that all of your hours on facebook or twitter aren’t paying off, and even your last tv appearance “didn’t work” to drive your business results… and all the advice you’ve been getting from current business gurus is leaving you broke and bummed….
Where do you go?
Yesterday, I was approached about a potential client who’s a doctor. A surgeon. Operating the absolute MOST PROFITABLE center in her (very large) city. Her clients love her. They schedule surgeries months in advance. She’s picky about whom she serves. And her reputation precedes her.
YET, she’s not yet on facebook or twitter, and she’s not yet started blogging. She doesn’t do YouTube and doesn’t have a publicist. She’s never hired a business coach or consultant. She’s not following a blueprint in a box.
How do we explain this?
The same way the Beatles explained their success. After answering gobs of specific questions about how they rose to worldwide fame, they took a pause and said, “yeah… but we’re also a really good band.” That’s it. They were incredible at their craft. As is this surgeon.
Admittedly, I’m becoming a bit of a Colt Ford fan. One of his songs says, “Respect the Old School, but make room for the new.” I don’t care what you think of his music, but As a business strategy, these lyrics will pay huge dividends.
You see, this surgeon will be infinitely more profitable once these new tools are in place. The Beatles could have been even more successful, had they had access to some to this shiny new media.
BUT ONLY because the fundamentals are in place.
And ONLY if they stay out of the DANGER ZONE that so many of US find ourselves in:
dazzled and dazed and disoriented and distracted by all of this new stuff.
The DANGER ZONE is intensified when we stop looking BACK for business strategies.
Back to what worked for us in the past.
Back to when WE were most profitable.
And BACK to the business greats that far too many of my generation would think too antiquated to learn from. Gary Halbert. Henry Ford. Andrew Carnegie. And too many more to name.
You see, when all of the relatively new tactics you’re using don’t seem to be working… it only makes sense to look backwards and see how businesses succeeded WITHOUT all of these distractions… er, I mean, tools.
Should you abandon new media? NO! Please don’t. It’s amazing stuff. But don’t be so consumed or distracted by it that you ignore the fundamentals of profitable business, either.
As the lyrics go,
1.) Respect the old school, and
2.) 2, as in NEXT, secondary, when you have time: make room for the new.
=) Go BACK to the fundamentals of good, profitable businesses. Great service. Promises kept. Conversations had. Offers made. Build this foundation. Make it strong, so that real leverage can be built with the new options available to us!
i couldn’t agree more! so often i see these overnight photogs popping up w/ absolutely no training or understanding of light or this career, but since they have a website, that seems to be enough these days to call oneself a professional. a client should never be a guinea pig for someone trying out their new craft. of course, i’m not saying this goes for everyone, but w/ the advent of digital technology and template based websites, it is prevalent in my industry.
Absolutely. This is such a great reminder for me, and you helped me realize I spend way too much time in the “danger zone.” It’s truly mind-boggling. But when I get back to basics — back to just talking to people about what I do — it jazzes me and really gets the business wheel turning. Loved it – thank you!
Yeah, this is smart…
SO super easy to get caught up in the shiny object syndrome.
I’m really bad about that sometimes. Need to remember to do the basics, build the foundation, and THEN take a look at what else I could do..
Thanks for the reminder 🙂
Couldn’t agree more Michelle – and it’s so refreshing to hear this from a Business Coach!
This is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GREAT. sorry for the caps, but in a world that feels like it’s being completely taken over by social media, it is so nice to hear about people getting ahead by doing things the old fashioned way — with conversation and kept promises. Works in personal relationships too — not just business ones.
Yup, it’s ALWAYS about the fundamentals. No shiny site, catchy blog, busy FB page is going to sell something that just isn’t good enough 🙂 Great advise, wonderfully delivered!
Great tip! Sometimes I get caught up in so much social media marketing I forget to take time to review the basics of what has worked for me in the past and make sure I’m still hitting that as well. I do have to say that I have stopped running around town trying to make local connections and have been campaigning more to the global market with much more success.