Show Up For Success

March 12, 2010 on 10:49 am | In communication, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Marketing, My Creative Team, Referral Marketing, Writing | 2 Comments

Your minister of the church of marketing has some words for you to ponder today: if you want to succeed you must show up. Woody Allen has often been quoted – incorrectly – on this subject. What he really said was, “80 percent of success is showing up.”

He was not talking about making a cameo appearance or a movie walk-on. He was suggesting that being there fully focused, giving your best effort and doing it on a consistent basis is the formula for success. Allen knows that most people just try to phone it in. And even then they don’t follow through every time, nor give it their all.

Friend Brent Dees says it another way during his Focus Four business coaching sessions. “Do what you say you’re going to do and do it on time. This applies to everything you do in life, from being an employee, a father, a business owner or a friend.”

Let’s consider it from a marketing perspective. I have written and distributed my e-newsletter monthly since April 2002. That’s 95 issues and counting.

Every month, rain or shine, I worry about what to say that will most help my readers in their businesses. Researching the subject and the links follows. Then, writing, editing and newsletter layout come next. Finally, I distribute it and then respond to any reader questions or requests. It takes roughly eight to 10 hours of my time each month and that is really cutting into my naps.

Do I ever want to take a break? Silly question. But the newsletter has long been my primary awareness vehicle. Every piece of business I landed for my first 6 years in business can be traced back to the newsletter in some way. Consistently getting it out at the same time each month has paid off for me.I think about what the president of window blind giant Levolor once said to me, “we can’t afford to do everything from a marketing perspective. But what we do, we can execute violently.”

The bottom line here is this: pick a few things and execute them to the best of your ability on a consistent basis. That’s showing up. Do that and 80 percent of success is yours. We’ll discuss the other 20 percent later. But right now, I need a nap.

Other Posts Of Interest

  • Anonymous

    I would like more detail about how a newsletter helps you generate business. I would like to replicate the process with my current clients. But not exactly sure what to add to that newsletter. My clients vary so much by industry and by what services I provide them.

  • http://my-creativeteam.com/blog Harry Hoover

    My newsletter is the primary way I stay in front of clients to let them know about our areas of expertise. Just reminds them that we do web design, social media, package design and corporate video work, too. You may want to consider segmenting your list by the services you provide or industry so you can be more targeted with your message.

Powered by WordPress with Pool theme design by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds. Valid XHTML and CSS. ^Top^