Excuses, Excuses
In collecting feedback about the inner circle, a recurring "excuse" we've come across is the old "I just don't have enough time" line.
I don't mean to be rude or direct, but "COMMON!!" Marketing is the most important thing a small business owner or independent sales pro can do. Without it, there really isn't much else to do.
I know, I know - your day is filled with important things...like payroll, phone service, order fulfillment, client work, board meetings, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.
We've all got those things to do. But some people still choose to be marketing masters (despite all of those "important items") - and they end up whooping the pants off the people who don't.
I know it takes a lot of time to read the content on this site. I know you could spend hours a month listening to the recorded information included here. I know it. I know it.
But not only should you be devouring every word, you should be downing at least a book or two a month related to marketing.
What? Am I crazy? Maybe so.
So you say, "I'm not as interested in marketing as you guys are." If you want to make it big (which I presume you must, if you're reading this) you need to get really interested in marketing. It's the only way to really make it big (aside from luck, which is a bad strategy).
If you think it takes a lot of time to read this info - you should see how much time it takes to create it. But we do. In our spare time. In addition to about a book per week, a full client list, 2 niche businesses, a pregnant wife, monthly columns in trade journals, several boards of directors, committees, Kiwanis and volunteer small business advisory board - in addition to all of the pains of running a small business.
So why are some people able to do so much, while you're panting, out of breath, just trying to keep your head above water?
A few ideas:
- Franklin Planner (in my humble opinion, better than any wiz-bang gadget on the market - and I love technology).
- Become less available - stop letting people make their issues your issues. Set a schedule - based on your goals - and stick to it.
- Get committed to learning - not Reality TV. I love TV as much as the next guy. But it comes last. It happens after I finish reading, writing, working, and volunteering. (By the way, I watched the entire first season of Lost last week - so I'm not giving up much).
- Read "Time Management For Entrepreneurs" by Dan Kennedy (found in the booklist). It lays out the real deal about getting things done.
Frankly, not having enough time is just a thin excuse for not being organized or interested enough. And neither of those are good reasons for failing to find tremendous success in your business.
