It’s not likely the subject of any weekly meetings inside your company…but maybe it should be.
It can affect us, our employees, our suppliers and partners and our prospects and customers. One of the few times I’ve heard it used in a positive sense is regarding muscle building. Tony Horton’s P90X(not an aff link) is built on it. But for the rest of it, it’s a liability.
We often discuss a variety of topics that have far less importance. Today, I’m suggesting you break away from traditional business conversations and address an issue that could be hurting you internally and externally.
But I’ve also learned – through years of experience, hard knocks and great mentors – that you can’t short-circuit the process.
Anybody in sales knows the feeling of needing to get that sale, today! We have our own time table. If only the prospects would cooperate with us. Why can’t they see we’re only trying to help them save time?
It could be that we’re making a big mistake by stepping on the gas pedal when we should tap the brakes.
You listen to a podcast, watch a video, jump on a webinar and hear the person in charge say, “This content is going to be great!” or “This content is going to be extremely valuable.” You dive in and 5 minutes later you’re still being promised great content.
If it’s a live webinar you’ll be blitzed with social proof that the content is spectacular, but you’re wondering if these people are on the same webinar you’re on – ’cause you don’t think the content is all that great.
You visit the iTunes page for the podcast and see many comments giving it 5 stars and think to yourself, “It’s okay, but I sure wouldn’t call it GREAT.”
A blog post that promised great content garners 60 comments and hundreds of Tweets, but you think to yourself, “It was okay, but it wasn’t anything special.”
Does any of that sound remotely familiar? Sure, we’ve all experienced that. And still we feel the pressure to make our blog posts, our podcasts, our videos, our webinars, our e-books, or anything else we touch…GREAT. If it’s not great, then scrap it. Don’t even think of putting your name to anything that isn’t great.
Who am I to challenge such a truth? You’re right, nobody. But I’m still going to challenge it because it’s wrong – and too many people believe it. It’s not only impractical, it’s impossible. And since when are we so discriminating that we don’t read, watch or listen to sub-par content? We all do it daily! Is every TV show you watch stellar? Is every ball game great? Is every book you read spectacular? Is every magazine or news article great?
Then why are we supposed to believe the lie that all our content must be great? Because some popular blogger gained traction with a single post that got on Mashable and now he claims every blog post he writes is filled with high value content. And he’s quick to remind us that his writing instrument is filled with pure gold while ours is full of flat-black ink. He’s special and if you want to be special, well – you’ll have to step up your game and provide great content every single time.
The truth is, you need to create. Deadline or no deadline. Who cares? To those who claim you can’t produce great content under a deadline, tell that to one of any number of great columnists who’ve been doing it for decades. Tell that to countless novelists who were pressed to meet a publisher’s deadline. Tell that to the bands who had a label breathing down their neck to get into the studio and record. Tell that to the cartoonists who must meet daily deadlines with a clever drawing and caption. Tell it to the reporter who lives with deadlines all day long.
When you’re creating regularly, you’ll stumble onto greatness every now and then. I’m not a betting man, but if I were – I’d wager that you’ll create more greatness in the process of creating then you’ll ever create by waiting until you’ve got greatness to share. Being prolific shouldn’t be based on making sure every single creation is great.
More often than not, the pan is empty and the water is dirty.
Internet Marketing is like the gold rush…creating more fools than millionaires.
It’s likely Levi Strauss got more money than the richest 49’ers ever did. Here’s a nice little resource from Mrs. Thonus’s 3rd Grade Stars! Here’s a quote that might get your attention:
Then a man named Sam Brannan, a merchant from San Francisco, saw his opportunity to get rich! And he did it without ever mining for gold! He had heard about the news of gold on the river, the news most people dismissed as being just a rumor. Sam also knew about the law of “supply and demand” so he ran through the streets of San Francisco shouting about the discovery of gold. Brannan showed everyone a bottle filled with gold dust so they believed him. Mr. Brannan had a brilliant plan. Before he spread the news about the discovery of gold he had bought up all of the supplies the miners would need: pick axes, shovels, and pans. He sold miners pans for $15 each when he had bought them for only 20 cents before the Gold Fever hit. He made $36,000 in just two months and that was worth even more in 1848! He eventually became the richest man in California.
Today’s gold rush is the Internet. Shouting “there’s gold” garners lots of attention. Especially given the convergence of a bad economy and global connectivity. It’s a recipe sure to drive hoards of clamoring people who long to be rich into the waiting arms of Internet marketers making wild claims.
Too much money is going into the pockets of the folks selling the picks, shovels and pans. They know the “typical” customer won’t make enough money to offset the purchase of the picks, shovels and pans.
Buyer, beware! There’s one ingredient you need in order to succeed when you’re mining for gold. Listen up and I’ll tell you what it is.
“You don’t think it’s too crowded, too competitive?” he asked.
“It may be, but if you find an area where nobody is working…there’s likely a good reason,” I replied. “And besides, we’re not talking about a high cost to enter and get started, and to find out if you can carve out your own corner.”
Competition is great. It’s fun. Sure, it’s good for consumers, but as a business person I enjoy it.
Mentioned in today’s show are three guys. They help illustrate that competition can be based on personality, approach and connectivity. One person isn’t going to effectively serve everybody shopping for a service or product…even if the niche is as narrow as podcasting. By the way, I like all these guys and admit I hope they’re all doing well because they all bring something special and unique to the space.
Daniel Clark – QAQN.com – Daniel is very involved in various Internet marketing areas, most notably affiliate marketing. He has his own unique style and personality. Don’t we all? He has his own unique circle of friends and acquaintances, too. Daniel is illustrative of just doing it. He produces shows and doesn’t let kid noise or anything else stop him. Wrap it all up and you’ve got Daniel’s unique approach to podcasting and coaching.
Cliff Ravenscraft – PodcastAnswerman.com– Cliff has a different story than Daniel or Mark. He dumped a career in insurance to pursue a dream of being a full-time paid podcaster. A wife, three kids and a mortgage – they’re all part of his story. But there’s more to his story. He’s got a religious background having served in various capacities with churches. He peels back lots of areas of his personal life. It’s part of his story and he’s very willing to share it. Cliff is a geek’s geek and you can tell he loves technology. Bundle all that together and Cliff has is own unique approach.
Mark Jensen – NewMediaGear.com– Mark is different yet. He doesn’t market himself as a podcasting coach or consultant, and frankly I don’t even know if he does it, but he’s in the space of podcasting having started a show years ago called PodSqod. He morphed that into New Media Gear some years ago and his show is just what the title says, it’s very focused on gear. Mark’s YouTube channel is popular with guys who suffer mic envy (ahem, I resemble that remark). Mark has broadcast radio experience and voice-over experience. He’s very technical when it comes to gear and hardware.
Three different guys. Three different approaches. Three different focal points and backgrounds. And guess what? There are plenty of others I didn’t mention. I think there’s room for these and others because one-size-doesn’t-fit-all.
Competition helps us become better. As Jack Welch often said during his tenure at General Electric, “Get better or get beaten.”
Yes, I’m a strong proponent of competition and being competitive. That doesn’t mean I believe in scarcity. It means I believe in trying to be the very best, which necessarily means others are left in the dust.
